I just watched President Bush give a press conference, followed immediately by Barack Obama delivering a speech on foreign policy. The contrast between the two is staggering.
Mr. Bush's press conference consisted of him rambling from topic to topic, never spending more than three minutes on any one idea, and leaning lazily against the podium so much that the camera actually had to follow him by moving laterally. His cavalier attitude, both in stance and speech, certainly does not give off an aura of even being vaguely presidential. His responses to reporter's questions were barely on topic. When asked to suggest when the economy might turnaround, he responded "I'm not an economist! Look at all these reporters, saying recession this, recession that, as if they were all economists!". What?
When asked if oil companies had fully explored the millions of acres they have under contract now, rather than opening up even more offshore drilling, Mr. Bush responded "You know, you don't have to drill on top of a reef anymore. They can drill, uh, horizontally. Like in Alaska, you can have one pad, and drill horizontally. We have the technology." What?
He also blamed the economy's woes on trade - specifically, with Columbia. Because Columbia is the lynch pin of the American economy. His complaint was that Columbia was placing a tariff on imported American goods while America did not on imported Columbian goods. Or as he put in, "You can buy stuff from Columbia duty free, but they're charging more for American goods. That's not fair. I don't understand that." What this man doesn't understand could fill the Pacific ocean.
It was then that he revealed he's 62 years old. This person is 62 years old and is on a podium, giving a press conference as the acting President of the United States of America, and he's blustering on, hardly answering questions some times and utterly failing to address them at others. He's exhibiting a shocking lack of knowledge or understanding about how the world works at any level, and he's leaning like a drunk. It was shameful. The only time I've seen an old person act like that is when he's three quarts drunk at a shady bar. Mr. Bush was acting like a damn fool.
Barack Obama, on the other hand, gave a thirty-minute speech while standing straight-backed, spoke clearly and intelligently, even inspirationally at time. It is true that he was giving a pre-written speech, but Mr. Bush could not hold a candle to Senator Obama in terms of acting presidential. When I listen to Senator Obama give a speech, or take questions from an audience, or debate another politician, I see someone who would hold the office of President with respect and dignity, and would be a role model citizen. I, yes I know it's trite, but I see hope. When I see Mr. Bush, I am embarrassed. I am just plain ashamed of him.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Well Hello There
Culture is a weird thing. It can be defined any number of ways. For example, culture could be the collective beliefs about how to interpret the world. Or culture is the how a group of similar people interact. Or culture could be more specific, such as having a developed intellectual and artistic knowledges or abilities. However you define culture, I think broadly we can all agree that culture is a social phenomenon; that is, culture requires at least two people.
Now a group of people of any size can "build" or create culture. The drama club has its own culture. The baseball team generates its own culture. A neighborhood can have culture, and so can a town, or city, or region, and so on. Culture can be attributed to occupation, location, lifestyle, religion, or any number of qualifiers. And as such, one person can be measured as either a sum of these various cultural influences, or be seen as existing in different spheres of cultures, like a Venn diagram or something.
Culture determines what one deems important, what one values. If you are acculturated to an athletic climate, for example, you would value physical prowess and skill in sports. If you belong to an intellectual culture, you have a different set of values. Other cultures include agricultural verse industrial, familial verses communal, international versus local.
We live in a multicultural society in the truest sense. Ease of travel and an abundance of wealth means that it is possible to live almost anywhere in the world and within almost any culture. Individuals and groups, having much more freedom about where to live, will often choose a location that offers them the best opportunity for a good life. That means jobs, security, and freedom. For many, that means the United States of America.
We've all heard of the melting pot of America. Immigrants from all over the world arrive in America and become part of our cultural stew, being absorbed into the mix and adopting most of the characteristics of the stew, perhaps adding just a bit of their original flavor. But that analogy is out of date now. Modern models of America's culture deem the United States a 'salad', where each cultural leaf exists independently, not mixing into a relatively homogeneous whole.
To be cosmopolitan is to be culturally adaptable, to feel at home in a variety of cultures. If America is now a salad and not a soup, than Americans must become cosmopolitan. Otherwise, America will become more fragmented, dividing into culturally unique territories. This is accelerated on one hand by the rising cost of travel, meaning more people will remain in their local community. On the other hand, this individualization of the American countryside is and has been severely hampered by national corporations who stress conformity in their product at every location. Think Applebee's and Old Navy.
So, where do you want to be? Do you desire an America that is culturally whole, or a country that consists of unique stations? Think of your cultural adaptability - some cultures are very easy to adjust to, while others are discomforting and sometimes frightening. I can attest to the latter. After 19 months living in Southern California I still do not feel comfortable here, meaning that once I find a culture I like I'll probably stay there for a while. I love to travel, to visit other cultures, but perhaps I need to find a home culture first.
Now a group of people of any size can "build" or create culture. The drama club has its own culture. The baseball team generates its own culture. A neighborhood can have culture, and so can a town, or city, or region, and so on. Culture can be attributed to occupation, location, lifestyle, religion, or any number of qualifiers. And as such, one person can be measured as either a sum of these various cultural influences, or be seen as existing in different spheres of cultures, like a Venn diagram or something.
Culture determines what one deems important, what one values. If you are acculturated to an athletic climate, for example, you would value physical prowess and skill in sports. If you belong to an intellectual culture, you have a different set of values. Other cultures include agricultural verse industrial, familial verses communal, international versus local.
We live in a multicultural society in the truest sense. Ease of travel and an abundance of wealth means that it is possible to live almost anywhere in the world and within almost any culture. Individuals and groups, having much more freedom about where to live, will often choose a location that offers them the best opportunity for a good life. That means jobs, security, and freedom. For many, that means the United States of America.
We've all heard of the melting pot of America. Immigrants from all over the world arrive in America and become part of our cultural stew, being absorbed into the mix and adopting most of the characteristics of the stew, perhaps adding just a bit of their original flavor. But that analogy is out of date now. Modern models of America's culture deem the United States a 'salad', where each cultural leaf exists independently, not mixing into a relatively homogeneous whole.
To be cosmopolitan is to be culturally adaptable, to feel at home in a variety of cultures. If America is now a salad and not a soup, than Americans must become cosmopolitan. Otherwise, America will become more fragmented, dividing into culturally unique territories. This is accelerated on one hand by the rising cost of travel, meaning more people will remain in their local community. On the other hand, this individualization of the American countryside is and has been severely hampered by national corporations who stress conformity in their product at every location. Think Applebee's and Old Navy.
So, where do you want to be? Do you desire an America that is culturally whole, or a country that consists of unique stations? Think of your cultural adaptability - some cultures are very easy to adjust to, while others are discomforting and sometimes frightening. I can attest to the latter. After 19 months living in Southern California I still do not feel comfortable here, meaning that once I find a culture I like I'll probably stay there for a while. I love to travel, to visit other cultures, but perhaps I need to find a home culture first.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
The Lightning Storm
This lonely existence paves the way
For the hard of hearts must beat be brave
While this quiet lightning storm
Wrecks the harvest gold we try to sow
So it begins
The way the blood still dances beneath the skin
There's the messenger from hell says we're bound to win
As the days do come but the years do go
So take care of your freedom they'll never know
I sit on the wing for a blackbird song
To tell me where and when this all went wrong
There's no resolution without remorse
With ignorance's bliss yes let's state of course
Puncture the skin and see his blood run cold on desert sand
Come hear the meant for mothers with childless hands
As the days do come but the years do go
So take care of your freedom they'll never know
Take good care of your freedom they'll never know
As the days do come and the years do go
So take care of your freedom they'll never know
-Dave King
For the hard of hearts must beat be brave
While this quiet lightning storm
Wrecks the harvest gold we try to sow
So it begins
The way the blood still dances beneath the skin
There's the messenger from hell says we're bound to win
As the days do come but the years do go
So take care of your freedom they'll never know
I sit on the wing for a blackbird song
To tell me where and when this all went wrong
There's no resolution without remorse
With ignorance's bliss yes let's state of course
Puncture the skin and see his blood run cold on desert sand
Come hear the meant for mothers with childless hands
As the days do come but the years do go
So take care of your freedom they'll never know
Take good care of your freedom they'll never know
As the days do come and the years do go
So take care of your freedom they'll never know
-Dave King
Friday, May 16, 2008
Let's Push Things Forward
I have always railed against the idiocy of the general population: it is so prevalent and so easy. It is a little harder to pinpoint the source of the this idiocy. There are innumerable reasons for this stupidity, some more sinister than others, some more plausible than others.
A large factor in our national stupidity is the idea of making money. There is no such thing as "enough" anymore. I can't think of an advertisement, product, or hit song that offers the idea of contentment, of being satisfied, of being OK with being OK. It always has to be more: bigger cars, bigger homes, best clothes, spinnin' rims - they spinnin' they spinnin' they spinnin'!! And why would a company encourage the idea of enough? It doesn't make sense from a business standpoint. You need to convince your potential consumers that they have to buy your product. And as advertising has become more sophisticated with the advent of the technology age, sellers have exponentially increased their coverage of the public. When people are receiving thousands of conscious and unconscious signals every day telling them to buy, companies must make sure their product makes up as large a portion of that blitz as possible, lest they be drowned out. So, how does this make us stupid? The massive onslaught of suggestions and even demands to buy certain products overloads our inputs, and some people cave in. Caving in to buying huge homes they can't afford, new cars they don't need, and even attitudes that aren't their own!
So now you have a large population that is so inundated with a "buy first, also buy second" culture, the focus is not on matters of politics, economy, welfare, justice, or democracy: people focus on material goods because they feel they must maintain a lead in the world marketers have created for us. I am NOT saying that shopping for new clothes or nice things is bad or stupid, but when they become your first and only priority while the world around you is filled with so much that wrong, then yes, it is bad and stupid.
So, how come we are still stupid? With all of the awful things going on, from our government being a diseased shell of its former self, America mocked around the world, and seriously evil people running the show, why don't people care? Well, here's where the stupidity and the sinister smash into each other. Case in point: on Countdown with Keith Olbermann they did a story on conservative Los Angeles radio talk show host Kevin James. On May 15th, 2008, he appeared on Hardball with Chris Matthews spouting the latest Presidential "talking point", that speaking to terrorists is appeasement. Appeasement in this sense is referencing former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who essentially ceded a country that wasn't his (Czechoslovakia) to Adolf Hitler after meeting with the leader of the rising German nation. Comparing this appeasement with opening a dialog with those trying to kill us is, to the say the least, slightly less than idiotic. But leaving that alone, as it is par for the course with this administration, we'll return to Kevin James. James is literally shouting at host Chris Matthews and another guest about "appeasement" and "energizing the enemy" and several other phrases I'm sure he just learned. Matthews breaks in long enough to ask James point blank, "Do you know what appeasement is?" James continues shouting the same two sentences over and over and over again, while Matthews repeats his questions several different ways, finally stating, "You must answer this question: What exactly did Chamberlain do wrong?" James, after literally three minutes of non-stop screeching and parroting, finally admits he doesn't know.
And that right there is the conspiracy. This administration literally has people shouting out mindless phrases and slogans to misguide the public from its actions. Just earlier this month several retired generals came forth, saying the government hand-fed them information to regurgitate in public. And so many of us are so stupid that we're swallowing it.
But is it even a conspiracy? Perhaps it feels that way because the government is so brazen about it. There is no shadowy parking lots, no secret informants. It's not under-the-table, it's razzle-dazzle so bright you can't see the magician's hands, just the blinding flash. If you've read this far, thanks, I know that I get really wordy. Please, just take a moment from now on and think about everything you take in. Don't respond to something without pausing first. Don't buy into something without knowing why you're buying into it. I'm tired of watching the country slide down into this cesspool. We, as individuals, have to start pushing things forward. The battle is huge, and as an individual you can only affect yourself, so start there, and be yourself.
A large factor in our national stupidity is the idea of making money. There is no such thing as "enough" anymore. I can't think of an advertisement, product, or hit song that offers the idea of contentment, of being satisfied, of being OK with being OK. It always has to be more: bigger cars, bigger homes, best clothes, spinnin' rims - they spinnin' they spinnin' they spinnin'!! And why would a company encourage the idea of enough? It doesn't make sense from a business standpoint. You need to convince your potential consumers that they have to buy your product. And as advertising has become more sophisticated with the advent of the technology age, sellers have exponentially increased their coverage of the public. When people are receiving thousands of conscious and unconscious signals every day telling them to buy, companies must make sure their product makes up as large a portion of that blitz as possible, lest they be drowned out. So, how does this make us stupid? The massive onslaught of suggestions and even demands to buy certain products overloads our inputs, and some people cave in. Caving in to buying huge homes they can't afford, new cars they don't need, and even attitudes that aren't their own!
So now you have a large population that is so inundated with a "buy first, also buy second" culture, the focus is not on matters of politics, economy, welfare, justice, or democracy: people focus on material goods because they feel they must maintain a lead in the world marketers have created for us. I am NOT saying that shopping for new clothes or nice things is bad or stupid, but when they become your first and only priority while the world around you is filled with so much that wrong, then yes, it is bad and stupid.
So, how come we are still stupid? With all of the awful things going on, from our government being a diseased shell of its former self, America mocked around the world, and seriously evil people running the show, why don't people care? Well, here's where the stupidity and the sinister smash into each other. Case in point: on Countdown with Keith Olbermann they did a story on conservative Los Angeles radio talk show host Kevin James. On May 15th, 2008, he appeared on Hardball with Chris Matthews spouting the latest Presidential "talking point", that speaking to terrorists is appeasement. Appeasement in this sense is referencing former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who essentially ceded a country that wasn't his (Czechoslovakia) to Adolf Hitler after meeting with the leader of the rising German nation. Comparing this appeasement with opening a dialog with those trying to kill us is, to the say the least, slightly less than idiotic. But leaving that alone, as it is par for the course with this administration, we'll return to Kevin James. James is literally shouting at host Chris Matthews and another guest about "appeasement" and "energizing the enemy" and several other phrases I'm sure he just learned. Matthews breaks in long enough to ask James point blank, "Do you know what appeasement is?" James continues shouting the same two sentences over and over and over again, while Matthews repeats his questions several different ways, finally stating, "You must answer this question: What exactly did Chamberlain do wrong?" James, after literally three minutes of non-stop screeching and parroting, finally admits he doesn't know.
And that right there is the conspiracy. This administration literally has people shouting out mindless phrases and slogans to misguide the public from its actions. Just earlier this month several retired generals came forth, saying the government hand-fed them information to regurgitate in public. And so many of us are so stupid that we're swallowing it.
But is it even a conspiracy? Perhaps it feels that way because the government is so brazen about it. There is no shadowy parking lots, no secret informants. It's not under-the-table, it's razzle-dazzle so bright you can't see the magician's hands, just the blinding flash. If you've read this far, thanks, I know that I get really wordy. Please, just take a moment from now on and think about everything you take in. Don't respond to something without pausing first. Don't buy into something without knowing why you're buying into it. I'm tired of watching the country slide down into this cesspool. We, as individuals, have to start pushing things forward. The battle is huge, and as an individual you can only affect yourself, so start there, and be yourself.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Gangstar
Yesterday at 11:37 a.m. I began my first Spring Break as a member of the other side. Despite my now playing the role of teacher instead of student, you can be sure that I am just as excited about the week off as I was in previous years. But teaching is tiring, so last night was rent a movie night and drink Coors while eating pizza. Checking out of Blockbuster (with The Jerk) I notice they have a stand for the movie American Gangster with a stack of Limited Edition Double Wide Platinum Extra Footage DVDs With An Alternate Ending for sale.
Really quick, let's make sure we're on the same page here. American Gangster tells the story of Russell Crowe, an FBI agent who's rougher than a country road but has a moral compass that always shines true, and his decade-long pursuit of Harlem drug lord Denzel Washington. The movie got some good reviews, and rightly so - Crowe is a better actor than you'd think and Denzel just did his thing. And of course all the same douchebags who think Scarface is the end-all-be-all loved the film, even though it is nowhere close to Scarface. The movie is over two hours to begin with, so I can't imagine watching another twenty minutes of film that wasn't good enough in the first place, but here's the main thing: it is based on a true story. Yes, there really was a Harlem drug lord importing heroin from Vietnam, and yes, an FBI agent with a heart of gold really did spend years and years tracking him down. So, that's American Gangster. Back to the story...
THE MOVIE HAS AN ALTERNATE ENDING. Explain to me how that makes sense. A movie, based on a true story, has another, completely made-up ending. When that happens, we don't say it's based on a true story. How the fuck could a true story have an alternate ending? Why even make one? What, in the alternate ending Denzel Washington gets away, is elected Mayor of New York, and retires to raise chickens? Do aliens land and Russell Crowe is the only one who can stop them? Do they face off and have a twenty minute sword fight through the mountains of Scotland, ending when Crowe cuts off Denzel's head and shouts, "There can be only one!!"?
I tried to explain this to the clerk. He turned out to be one of those guys who thinks gangster movies are instructional videos for social interaction and thought American Gangster belonged in the canon of world class films. We parted ways, neither of us wiser but for different reasons.
Monday-Wednesday we'll be beach camping with about 20 other people, then Thursday-Monday I'll be in sweet Georgia. Somewhere in there I have to do my taxes. Oy.
Really quick, let's make sure we're on the same page here. American Gangster tells the story of Russell Crowe, an FBI agent who's rougher than a country road but has a moral compass that always shines true, and his decade-long pursuit of Harlem drug lord Denzel Washington. The movie got some good reviews, and rightly so - Crowe is a better actor than you'd think and Denzel just did his thing. And of course all the same douchebags who think Scarface is the end-all-be-all loved the film, even though it is nowhere close to Scarface. The movie is over two hours to begin with, so I can't imagine watching another twenty minutes of film that wasn't good enough in the first place, but here's the main thing: it is based on a true story. Yes, there really was a Harlem drug lord importing heroin from Vietnam, and yes, an FBI agent with a heart of gold really did spend years and years tracking him down. So, that's American Gangster. Back to the story...
THE MOVIE HAS AN ALTERNATE ENDING. Explain to me how that makes sense. A movie, based on a true story, has another, completely made-up ending. When that happens, we don't say it's based on a true story. How the fuck could a true story have an alternate ending? Why even make one? What, in the alternate ending Denzel Washington gets away, is elected Mayor of New York, and retires to raise chickens? Do aliens land and Russell Crowe is the only one who can stop them? Do they face off and have a twenty minute sword fight through the mountains of Scotland, ending when Crowe cuts off Denzel's head and shouts, "There can be only one!!"?
I tried to explain this to the clerk. He turned out to be one of those guys who thinks gangster movies are instructional videos for social interaction and thought American Gangster belonged in the canon of world class films. We parted ways, neither of us wiser but for different reasons.
Monday-Wednesday we'll be beach camping with about 20 other people, then Thursday-Monday I'll be in sweet Georgia. Somewhere in there I have to do my taxes. Oy.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Long, long day
I ain't even got the energy to watch a movie right now. Being drunk helps though. I'm finally finished with my credential program! Unless the university finds me an inappropriate teacher, I'm certified. You'll excuse me while I pass out on the couch.
Long, long day
I ain't even got the energy to watch a movie right now. Being drunk helps though. I'm finally finished with my credential program! Unless the university finds me an inappropriate teacher, I'm certified. You'll excuse me while I pass out on the couch.
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