Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Blast From The Past: A Parody From 2009

You notice how your sense of optimism may slip away when you least expect it....a slight irritation on the freeway may lead to noticing the dust on your dash and thoughts that you've been thinking of replacing your car, but money's a little tight right now and you won't mind, for the time being that your lifestyle seems to be sliding down a ravine! Cheer up! You're in good company! Everyone in The Western Civilization is going through the same thing. There seems to be an effort to systematically deconstruct our economy, the greatest in history and the kingpin throughout the free world! Hold on to your hats; we're in for a rough ride, but there could be a Robbing Hood robbing from the rich and giving (wink, wink, nod, nod) to the poor. Oh, and by the way, I keep flashing back to the various futures presented in "Back To The Future".
I wrote this parody in 2009 and decided to see how it was holding up after all this time. I know, I know it lacks polish, but I hope you'll forgive that aspect and just enjoy it. It was my first and I wanted the bar to be low enough so I could improve on the next one.

Monday, October 17, 2016

WikiLeaks, Julian ASSANGE On Democracy Now

Finally clarity! And courageous, too.

My DREAM of HILLARY Clinton | Why Wikileaks Julian Assange Matter

Truth is apparent where clarity resides. Chaos merchants thrive in obfuscation tactics muddying the waters of observation and then saving those in confusion. Traditionally those skilled at negotiations and some manipulation are known to us as politicians; a necessary component. As a complex collective society such as ours operators who can coordinate the millions of moving parts have a place, but the criminal element finds their home here as well as those with good intentions. And one rotten apple can spoil the bunch. We're incredulous that anyone would act so selfishly since cooperation is fun and rewarding for honest people.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Why Conservatives Can’t Understand Liberals (and Vice Versa)

I saw this TED talk a few years ago and was struck with the methodical statistical approach; truly scientific. I thought, when I saw it today, that I'd commented on it in one of my blogs, but have yet to find it. 

The accomplished Jonathan Haidt's presentation has a bit of that cloying feeling I get when the presentation starts with a viewpoint claiming moral superiority when most TED attendees revel in their self ordained ability to see deeper than the "others who are narrow minded".   It seems a little narrow and stereotypical, but if I put it in the context of American pride and ethnocentricity, it is bound by those limitations. Symbolism readily falls on the recognizable image of George Bush.  To understand the stereotypes driving the left and right conflicts in a meaningful way requires a great deal of patience; something in short supply when covertly hostile jabs define rigid lines regularly. None of us falls 100% into one view or another.  Structure for a nation's integrity has different needs for stability than whatever flexibility is exercised within those borders.  Groups share tribal wisdom in their allegiances.

It is because of our internal conflicts as a nation that we are so creative and dynamic as a nation. Friction generates energy.  The constitution allows us to speak our minds, however controversial.  We all make the yin and yang.  We just find the flexibility to embrace our differences and realize it can all work and have faith that it will.  Yay TED!

Sunday, February 28, 2016

“Politics on the American Campus” - Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro's grip on the complexity required to "solve" the polarity of Liberalism vs Conservativism demonstrates why it is no easy task. Objective discussion devolves when agreement and resolution are not goals of the endeavor. I've been stumped many times when trying to reason with those who want to "modernize" the Constitution or inform me of my feeble inferiority when I don't acquiesce quickly during a discussion about College Campuses and their monolithic viewpoint. The complexity is evident here. The questions at the end cover a fair amount of ground with Ben's astute characterizations and illuminations. We're lucky that he is so outgoing on his views because few can articulate the difficulty of unraveling a tightening noose on our Country's future. The American experiment needs to be nurtured.