Carnism = Sexism & Racism

I am not against feminism or anything, but I have to say that some of these people come up with the most absurd theories. The newest one in being that eating meat, or “carnism,” is akin to racism and sexism. At least according to Dr. Melanie Joy. For the scoop, check out the original articles posted on CampusProgress.org. http://www.campusprogress.org/books/5348/how-eating-meat-is-like-sexism-and-racism

In my opinion, why do humans eat meat? It is not because it is some senseless thing we are taught from birth. Meat does bring in needed nutrients (iron, protein, and more) and it was a big staple to our ancestors before farming was invented (can you “invent” farming?).

There is nothing wrong with being a vegetarian or a vegan, but they miss out on the protein and other goodies meat provide. They also have to be very careful and make sure they are eating a well-balanced and supplemental meal (which quite a few vegetarians and vegans actually ignore). You need to make up for what you are not getting by adding meat into your diet.

You don’t need meat everyday. You won’t die without it, but to say that a person who eats meat is as bad as a racist or sexist is too extreme. It’s like those radical feminists who link pregnancy to a parasitic relationship that invades a woman’s body unfairly. (No, I am not making that up, I studied it in a philosophy class in college.)

But read the article for yourself and make your own judgments. I won’t give up eating meat. I am not a racist nor a sexist. Nor am I a total feminist, which makes some of my more radical friends cringe, but hey, not all girls today have to be feminists, right?

Condoms Blamed for Rape . . . ?

While updating the blog list for work, I came across this interesting blog article. Just when you thought the Catholic Church couldn’t get and crazier, add in Italy’s interesting safe-sex policy of installing condom vending machines in high school and you get one hot potato on your hands and the Catholic Church expressing their outrage.

About as good as expressing outrage over condom use in third world countries. Seriously.

http://technorati.com/politics/article/condoms-blamed-for-rape-really/

I don’t believe this is necessarily promoting sex before marriage or underage cavorting, this is just being realistic. Teenagers (not all, some) will have sex before leaving high school, so you might as well get them in the habit of practicing safe sex, right? But then again, this is a hot topic everywhere. Just what should we or shouldn’t we teach our children about that 3-letter word and its consequences?

I am all for informing them and letting them know the consequences without them experiencing it firsthand (i.e. teenage pregnancy, STDS), but I suppose the method of believing they won’t and keeping them in the dark works too, right?

Unnecessarily Complicated

“Love and marriage, love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage . . .”

Ah, the good old days of watching the Bundys.  Not that this has anything to do with what I am talking about.  I just find the expectations placed on people amusing. And by expectations, I am referring to love, marriage, and children. Quite honestly, I do not understand the attraction of either marriage or children.

Gasp! Heaven forbid that I as a female would say that I do not believe in marriage and children. That makes me unnatural. Well, not that I truthfully care what others think, but I believe being “unnatural” is better in this day and age.  With an absurdly high divorce  rate, I have no intention of jumping into marriage or even getting married at all.

I have seen marriages fail. Multiple times. I have seen people together who should never have married in the first place and now live together in misery because they don’t want to admit they made a mistake. Divorce is wrong.  No, divorce is not wrong. Rushing into marriage before discussing the important things is wrong. But what would I know?

Well, let’s see. My parents were extremely incompatible and probably should have never married. When my dad remarried, it was like repeating the same mistake over. So, at the ripe old age of 39, my dad has been thrice married, twice divorced, which is better than my cousin’s track record who has been thrice married, twice divorced at a much younger age.

Even though I grew up in the loving two parent home of my grandparents, I have come to realize that I have no desire to get married. I really also have no desire to have children either. I like kids, but I know that I am not mother material and that I honestly do not want to raise any. People believe I will change my mind. It is entirely possible, but not foreseeable for quite some time at least.

My elder sister is happily married and is now expecting her first child. I am happy that she has found love and is fulfilling her dream of becoming a mother. I am not envious of her and her spouse. Marriage and motherhood have always been her dreams, never mine. At one point I thought I had those dreams too, but really that was me accepting what other people thought, not what I actually desired.

I know that I am not alone in feeling this way, but it always irks me that people think that this mentality is not normal. Friends tell me I have to get married and have children, so our kids can be friends and grow up together. Unfortunately, for them, I don’t plan on changing my mind. If I do, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it, but I have realized in the past few years, I honestly do not desire the institution of marriage nor do I wish to bear children and as the years pass, that seems to become more firmly  rooted, not less.

Let the chips fall where they may. No one knows what ride life has in store for them.

Two Words

The weekend is almost here. I desperately want it to be here to escape from school for awhile. Tutoring in and of itself can be exhausting, especially when dealing with certain kinds of students. So, I say with joy, TGIT! I don’t work Fridays so TGIT indeed.

That is not the purpose of this post, though. Actually it is about two words that people should never use, or should use a heck of a lot less. Any ideas? I am sure there are plenty of two word phrases you shouldn’t use, but there is one that really needs to be moderated carefully: “I Promise.”

Why should these words be used with discretion? Think about the implications and messes caused by these two words alone (especially in regards to children). Hurt feelings and misunderstandings come with each broken promise, not to mention that a person’s faith and trust fails a little more each time a person breaks a promise.

The words “I promise” are used entirely too readily, without truly regarding whether or not what follows those words can actually be done. This is of course, not including people who promise just to promise and really have no intention of ever going through with their word. But you can usually figure out (albeit after a few disappointments) that you take what those people say with a grain of salt. No, the real problem lies with the unintentionally broken promise.

A person can make a promise and then fully intend to go through with it, but life just is not predictable. Things can change at a moments notice and before you know it, you could have just hurt someone by breaking the promise you were so sure you could fulfill. They say “hell hath no fury like that of a woman scorned” and that is true, but it’s even worse to witness a child’s disappointment in you and it hurts to see them begin to go down the path of not trusting a word that parents or adults say. Though you really shouldn’t trust all parents and adults, it’s still hurtful to watch.

I have learned not to use those words, even if I am pretty sure I can actually achieve what I would promise. It is in fact a family rule to not make promises. If you don’t make them, you can’t break them and feelings can be spared and misunderstandings avoided. So next time those words are about to come out of your mouth, you might want to step back and think.

And does this have any basis whatsoever to my beginning? Yes, it actually does. I have made plans and definitely wanted to see them through, but it looks like my careful planning might come to naught. So, I have made it my responsibility to tell the friend I was supposed to visit that “I make no promises” because living with someone whose health is not good, it is hard to make plans and stick to them every time. Responsibility is grand.

Emo/Angst in EVERY Culture

But really, Chani has a point about emo and angst. They are very popular and well, as the great Charles Baxter puts it, "Hell sells." Why? Unfortunately, people lose interest in things if they are plain ol' happily ever after stories. Truthfully, conflict is needed. However, anime and manga in general do have a tendency to have some of the worst qualities of American soap operas. Basically meaning that a couple must go through every trial possible (which gets ridiculous after a certain point) just in order to be together. Please, family disapproval, enemies attacking from all sides (literary AND figuratively) is too much and the odds are actually against that many obstacles appearing (simultaneously AND in succession).

But it is not just in anime and manga. It is there in Asian drama, American soap operas and even prime time television now. It's getting worse, not better which makes television even more annoying. Charter calls continuosly and I can honestly say that I just don't watch that much tv because there is really too much crap out there.

And you want emo and angst? Check out Stephanie Myers Twilight series. OMG, talk about emo and angst. The first book was fine, the second book saw a dramatic increase and books 3 and 4? Fuh-gettaboutit. It is seriously ridiculous. So, I guess you can say there is no entertainment venue safe from emo and angst and I believe that this is totally different than Baxter implies with his quote. Sure, hell sells, but we're not talking about climbing through the seven circles while everyone is against you.

Too much is too much. Moderation is key. We need moderation in the anime and manga and literature and movies today. Melodrama will always be present (unfortunately, my much loved Escaflowne can be emo and angsty as well - but not quite to the evil extent of today), so how bout we tone it down just a little?

Twitter, Facebook

Social networking; sharing your status; and updating, updating, updating. Seriously, I wonder.

I joined Facebook at the behest of a friend. Back then (2004), Facebook was nice and uncluttered. Mainly, I just liked it for keeping in touch with old friends who I had lost contact with. Now it is a crazy place with way too much going on. My response to the . . . commercialization? or whatever you want to call it . . . stop going to Facebook. Which, now that I have finally visited it again after a few months, means I had a stockpile of over 100 requests. Seriously way too many.

What happened to Facebook being a social networking platform to keep in touch with people (or to find like-minded people if you are a social butterfly)?

Now there is Twitter. I don't understand it. I don't think that I want to either. It seems pointless. Especially when you have people updating their Twitter accounts every few minutes with inane information that it is hard to believe anyone would actually care about.

What is good about these two sites now?

G.I. Joe

I used to love watching the cartoon when I was a child so I was excited yet worried that they were making a live action. I guess I can’t be too disappointed granted that I can’t remember too much about the series as it has been close to 20 years since I have watched it.

The action sequences were decent. The CGI, well, you could tell whatever was CGI was indeed all computerized. It is interesting how some CGI you can hardly tell at all that it is computer generated and others you can tell and you seriously wonder if they actually tried to make it look realistic.

I did enjoy the movie. I loved Ray Park as Snake Eyes. It is funny how this martial artist actor always seems to play characters where you can’t see his face, i.e. Toad from X-men, Darth Maul from the Phantom Menace. I loved his fighting with his nemesis from Ninja school.

Speaking of his arch nemesis. Ok, there are many Japanese actors out there, they exist, so why was a Korean playing a Japanese ninja? I am just curious. The actor did a great job, if I didn’t know better, I suppose a person wouldn’t even know that he wasn’t Japanese, but I do, so I found it amusing. And, totally off topic, another Japanese Ninja movie will be coming out sometime later this year or next year and the main star is indeed another Korean, Rain. Is the reasoning behind this that all Asians supposedly “look alike” (which is not true, you can tell the difference between Koreans, Japanese, and Chinese, etc – if you know what you are looking for)? Just an interesting question to contemplate.

Back to the topic at hand. Yes, I liked G.I. Joe. Yes, it had cheesy acting and more action than anything else, but it was at least enjoyable, which is hard to say for some of the more recent movies I have seen.

A Financial Quandry

Why is that institutions and programs that are supposed to be giving you money, always try to find ways to get out of it? Examples: Insurance Companies, Unemployment, and Medicare (which, technically, falls under insurance).

Oh, let’s start with unemployment. Besides the fact that money for unemployment is scarce due to the higher levels, especially in Michigan, they are really bad at getting money to people. Sometimes, even though a person is perfectly eligible to receive unemployment, they have to wait three to six months, sometimes longer, just to receive the biweekly unemployment they deserve, which in this economy is definitely a bad thing.

But that isn’t the bone I have to pick with unemployment.

It has been ingrained in all of us (or at least people who know anything about unemployment) that if you are a student (student here meaning college student) then you are unable to collect unemployment benefits even if you work full time while also going to school (full time or otherwise). This is actually not true. A student can collect unemployment (as long as they have proof of working full time and attending school – which really isn’t all that hard to get).

The problem is unemployment does not tell you this. There is nothing that is easily accessible on their website that gives you this information. A friend of mine applied for unemployment even though he was a student and unemployment sent him a letter rejecting his application and then they turned around, accepted it, and started to give him money, which they later claimed he owed them back + interest because he was a student.

Truthfully, a rather gross error on their part. But the kicker is that there is a waiver you need to fill out when submitting your application that applies solely to students that allows you to legally collect unemployment. However, like I said, nothing of this is actually mentioned on the website, or if it is, it’s buried so deep you will probably never find it. Of course, why would unemployment tell you this? They don’t want to give you money if they don’t have to.

Needless to say the matter went to court and my friend won and can legally collect unemployment. The whole process was drawn out over quite a few months and now he has to apply for an extension for his unemployment as his work still has not called him back yet.

Now, Medicare. All things considered, we pay an ungodly amount in taxes every year for Medicare and Social Security. (When you have to pay in taxes at the end of the year, it’s those two things above which kill you, not state or federal.) However, Medicare is getting more reluctant to pay. My grandmother was in the hospital in June and then again in September of last year. It took until just a few months ago this year before Humana and the hospital finally got Medicare to cough up the money they were supposed to pay from the beginning. And now, Medicare is trying to put into effect that they will not repay for repeat visits and treatments. Meaning if you have to go into the hospital more than once for the same thing, then you are essentially screwed.

For a service that is supposed to help the elderly, especially at a time when it is hardest for them to afford health insurance, Medicare isn’t really all that good. But, I am told that it is really hit and miss. Some people get care and help right away while others are shoved onto a shelf and left to dust.

I have no real hopes that Obama or the government can really do anything to reform health care because even the federal institutions are getting more and more reluctant to help anyone, not to mention, even with all the money paid into these programs vis-a-vis taxes, there is still shortages and a growing national debt.

Bitten

So, here we are, the middle of summer and let’s take a look at some entertainment news. Funny enough, all revolving around vampires.

Twilight’s sequel New Moon is set to be released in theaters in November.  As much as I really started abhorring the books, it will be worth a gander. Although it is in this book that everything starts getting maudlin and melodramatic, but hey, nothing is perfect.

True Blood is back for it’s 2nd season on HBO.  I seriously have no idea why on earth this show has developed such a big following, but whatever. It’s hokey, full of cheese and the acting . . . well, its pretty obvious that the actor’s are acting.

The Vampire Diaries has been picked up by the CW and will begin airing episodes this fall. Congrats to L.J. Smith, however, I won’t hold my breath.  This is a pretty decent YA series that my sister and I read and reread growing up and has recently been re-released in 2 2-book special editions. Things never translate well between the written word and movies.  Funny enough, series based on books don’t translate the best either.  Who knows how much the plotline will diverge from the actual books.  I hope not much, but, like I said, things never translate well from book form to other media forms.

Also, Koishite Akuma, just began airing in Japan. What does this have to do with with American entertainment? Well, nothing really, unless you are like me and actually like Asian drama.  But, it is amusing to me because it is yet ANOTHER vampire related thing that is out in the entertainment world.

Vampires and the entertainment industry are no strangers to one another, but I find it rather amusing that now we are being swamped with all things vampire right now. What has happened that we have a sudden resurgence in vampire entertainment? People like to say it is all thanks to the success of Twilight, but can one book (or 4-book series) really bring such a rejuvenation into this long decaying and usually hokey market (seriously, there really aren’t a lot of great vampire movies/series out there)?

Where have I heard that before?

My little sister told me that she wants to be a famous writer.  Nothing wrong with dreaming, although we all know the likelihood of them hitting it big is relatively low, especially in this economy, digital age, and the instant gratification factor.

My favorite part about this is the fact that she hates reading.  Now, this could be because of her ESL nightmares, however, I think not. She is enraptured with her movies and television, but can’t be bothered to pick up a book.

Now, I am from the school that to be a good writer, you have to be a good reader.  Am I wrong?  I guess one doesn’t have to read a book to write a book, but it helps.  Especially if you can get your hands on those really special, well-written tomes.

I have always been an avid reader.  I have had stories and poems circulating and percolating in my brain for ages.  But I believe all the literature I have read, and the classes I have took, have made me the better writer.

It really breaks my heart to hear that the majority of children would rather watch tv than curl up with a good book.

I didn’t see that coming

But still, it is rather amusing. The people at Unshelved posited a question to librarians, booksellers, and readers: “What do you wish publishers knew?” They went through over a hundred emails and compiled and distilled the responses into a book (with original comics based on some of the quotes). The title of this volume? Publisher Confidential: Frank Feedback for Publishers from Librarians, Booksellers, and Readers. Try saying that in one breath.

Who would have thought that there would be a book telling publishers what the public wants. Will the publishers listen? Who knows. My favorite part of this book is the cover illustration. A comic of a quandary. Librarians, booksellers, and readers are buying fewer books because of the sometimes astronomical pricing, according to publishers they are raising prices because no one is buying. Sound business sense. Since no one is buying, jack the prices to make sure it stays that way ;)

Still, this is a book worth checking out. Some of the quotes seem silly, but hey, it’s good for a laugh and a “hell yeah.”

Enjoy!

College Book Store to go Bookless

Caltech, needing to severely trim its 2010 budget, has decided to merge the Caltech Bookstore with the popular c-store.  They will sell merchandise and food, and some published Caltech authors, but other than that, not a book is to be seen.

Students will now have to acquire their textbooks online.  Right now, plans are being made to create an easy-to-use interface to make things easier on students and staff alike when it comes time to buy books.

Out of all the ways to cut spending – they choose to eliminate books.  Even TEXTBOOKS!  And this is a college?  True books seem overpriced and you can never get half of what you spend back off of those books, but some students need a bricks and mortar bookstore.

Check out the article and the responses this decision has made, here: [http://www.nacs.org/news/041709-caltech.asp?id=cm]

Shattered

Our lives are fragmenting, breaking like shattered glass.  Each time we think that we have picked up the pieces and mended it, it breaks again.  The pieces are getting smaller and smaller with each new fracture.

Pieces are missing now.  We can’t find them, perhaps they have turned to dust and been scattered to the wind.  The possibilities are endless as to where they have gone.  All that is known is that our lives shall never be whole, but rather mish-mashed mirrors full of holes, reflecting a refracted image.

That is our lives now. An imperfect image, splintered and divided. No glue, no heat can bind the gaping wounds and fill in the gaps. Nothing can replace what has gone missing, our most precious things.

Anita Blake Telefilm Announced

Oh dear God no!  That was my first reaction to an article I read today on the Publishers Weekly website. http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6648610.html

And why this reaction?  Once upon a time, I was a fan of the Anita Blake book.  Not so much now.  Why?  Well, truthfully when there is more sex in a book than plot, why bother reading?  The scariest part is that the author actually mentioned that she knew there was more sex and less plot.  Some fans craved the overly graphic and excessive sex scenes, while others wanted more plot.  What to do? Seriously, does that question even need to be asked? I think not.

Another reason for the reaction: HBO’s take on the Sookie Stackhouse series. Trueblood is campy, stupid, and filled with so much cheese that it is ridiculous.  Not to mention, its total disregard of the actual plot of the series.  Granted it is entertaining pop fiction, but still.  Charlaine Harris had some good books before the plot went totally south.  Open-ended series – never a really good idea.

So another book series bites the dust. Another movie shall be made. The first few books were ok, so maybe the movie will be ok.  But with the track record of movies and series based on books, that is hard to believe.

I Believe

I believe that the system is broken. I believe there is no “easy” fix that people seem to think will happen virtually overnight. It will take time. No one wants to take the time to make the changes. Why? Because we live in the here and now. Everything is instantaneous. Anticipation is gone, replaced by the demand of instant gratification. Why plants seeds and cultivate the ground? Why put in effort when results are demanded today?

I believe, in a lot of ways, we have become a lazy nation. For that, there is no drug, no Band-Aid, no alcohol that can magically make things right.

I believe it is wrong for banks and mortgage companies to lend money to those who obviously cannot afford to pay it back. I believe it is bad now, but it’s going to get worse. Much, much worse. It always does. Murphy’s Law, to some extent. Anything that can go wrong will. It just hasn’t yet.

I believe there is a problem – all for me and screw you. I believe there is hope. There is always hope. It exists in the most polluted and degenerative of places. I believe that hope is good. I believe that cynicism is necessary.

I believe that the so-called “American Dream” is a lie – it has been for a long, long time. This is not a land of opportunity, of milk and honey. We send aid to foreign countries (they need it, no doubt about that) while our citizens lose their homes and starve out on the streets.

What do you believe?

Read, Read, and Read Again

After reading a post on the RiverRun Bookstore blog entitled “A Big Muggle Hug For HP7,” I was struck by something. Here is a man who has a huge list of books to read so he believes rereading can actually be a waste of time. Amazing! Yes, there are many books out there that invite reading, but is it any reason to ignore the old friends on your shelves?

I have a rather large collection of books. It’s gotten to the point where my family has told me that I should not buy books if I don’t have room for them. Well, I don’t have room, but I still buy books. However, I have curbed my book buying to only the essentials, meaning the books I know I will read more than once. So, it makes me a little disenheartend to read that rereading is a waste of time.

The author says he has forgotten how good it’s been to reread a favorite. Well, isn’t that why it’s a favorite? A book that’s seen you through hard times, good times, that is battered and dog-eared, that still surprises you at times. Truthfully, the books on my list to read have ended up disappointing me more often than not, so I have been spending my time rereading. Mainly, I have been rereading Austen. Who doesn’t like her work? I finally managed to acquire all of her finished novels, so I decided to read (and reread) the books. They only get better upon further acquaintance.

So what to do? I say don’t neglect your favorites on the shelf, floor, box (any available surface really) in favor of new books. That is not to say to ignore new books, but try to spend some quality time with the oldies as well as the newbies, otherwise, why buy the books if you have no intention of reading them again?

Speak Like You Want to be Written About

A friend once said that a person should "speak like you want to be written about." Something clever, profound or witty enough that would make a person want to immortalize it forever. I could quote that friend all day.  She speaks like she should be written about.  Nothing trite, cliche, or overrated - she was a natural at it.

It seems that there are people out there who try too hard.  They try too hard to be witty and clever.  It is forced, stilted and stale like month old bread.  Not necessarily only in speech, writers too fall prey to this as well.  They strive for the stars, for writing something that will be remembered, that will leave echoes.  Unfortunately, some of those efforts don't make it off the ground.  Trite and overdone, like acting when you can tell an actor is acting.  It ruins writing that has potential.

Not every writer falls prey to such fallacy, but there is a lot of writing out there that could have been something, but has amounted to nothing (by nothing, I don't mean to say they are unpopular - look at the Twilight series).  Some of these books have become quite popular.  They sell, and many sell well.  But, they lack something.  I have found, the more I read, the less and less patience I have with books and authors.  Books, that I once loved, I cannot stand anymore. I have realized just how overdone and cliche they have become, how authors had a chance to take it to the next level and fell flat into redundancy, absurdity, and taking the plot off in a direction that will irritate.

Yikes. I am heading into literary snobville.  But, I at least don't believe that genre writing isn't literature.  It is literature, some of it even great literature, like Dune by Frank Herbert. However, reading Rowling, Austen, Dickens, Eliot, and Poe enough can help ruin liking newer books.

There is indeed a major difference between literature and pop fiction.  Some popular books, i.e. Harry Potter, are well-written and original enough to make them good reads, not just overdone fluff.  Like romance novels.  Absurd plots (absurd in how much they have done before and the deliberate grief and misunderstandings - too much soap opera-ness), annoying characters that a person honestly can't sympathize with.

Literary fluff has its uses, just like completely stupid movies with no basis in reality or plot. It is for enjoyment and entertainment. Something to watch/read without really caring what it's about nor remembering anything afterwards. Harsh - probably. I know Twilight will probably never be considered fluff in the fact it's popular and the teens and tweens just love it - I can't really understand that.  They are readable, but not truthfully "good."

A Series of Unfortunate Events by "Lemony Snicket" is something new, experimental and actually works well.  The writer of the series strove to be witty and clever an actually succeeded without being overdone and trite.  Nothing formulaic or overdone, like these vampire huntress novels out there. *shudders* There are way too many of those books.  One author actually admitted that there hasn't been a plot in her books for a long time - how tragic!

I want to be a better writer than that.  Unfortunately, I am not doing so well in that department.  The more I read, the more I realize how much I have to learn. But that's the great thing.  Learning.  Some people will probably never be able to write well or speak cleverly - but that's fine.  Those vocations are definitely not everything - be good at what you like.

So, write, speak like you want to be written about.  Do your best, but don't try too hard - it is a shame to over-do something and end up with month-old stale bread.

Keep Sharp Objects Hidden!

     So I am taking this class called Class, Status, and Power (sounds kind of redundant calling it a class doesn't it?).  I am enjoying the class; it is putting many things in perspective for me.  First of all, I found out what class I am in.  It is a depressing thought, but who am I to complain, it's just the way things are.  Now social class, as defined by Gilbert, is income based.  So accordingly, I am in the underclass.  And for those of you who don't know or can't guess, that's the lowest class you can be in.  Personally, I have no problem being there.  It's how I lived my entire life, but I would be lying if I said I want to stay there indefinitely.  But here I am getting way off topic.

     I took the GRE this past August and I brought up a question that was asked on the extra section I had to do.  Since this is from the ungraded portion, I doubt they care that I use it.  I was asked the question, "Should the government finance higher education for those who cannot afford it?".  Now, my response was "Hell, yeah!"  This is because of my lovely lack of funds that I say this.  I have one more semester after this one and I only have $800 to my name.  Unfortunately, I am also working on applying to graduate schools so my little supply of money is quickly going to dwindle down the drain.  Now, I bet you're wondering where I am going with this.  While discussing education and social class one class period a girl from my group, the illustrious and rich Miss S, said that she doesn't believe the government should pay for education.

     I can understand that viewpoint if you're going that's our tax dollars being used, but that was not her argument.  No.  Her argument is that the poor get poorer, the rich get richer, so what is the point of paying for poor people to go to college?  If I was a cartoon character you would have seen my jaw hit the table.  I honestly didn't think that she would say that.  The fact that she did with two people in our group in the lower classes, was totally idiotic.  Let's go live in India with their caste system, or better yet, let's go back to Feudal times when social climbing was damned near impossible. (I am not talking about the backstabbing, scheming to land a rich man/woman social climbing, but the work your ass off to better yourself and move up the ladder kind of social climbing.)

     One of the problems with lower classes of people is the fact that they have limited opportunities.  Well, going by S's method we shouldn't let them have any opportunities to further themselves because in the end they'll just end up poorer -- so why bother?  With that attitude, is there a reason for poorer people to exist?  If their life won't get better, but worse, then what have they to live for?  We talked about hope being a driving factor behind the poor.  Take away hope and you have a broken people who really have no point to their existence.  If all poor people thought this way, do you think suicide rates would be higher?

     Just to point out a fact, S is majoring in social work/human services.  She plans on working in social work, which generally entails working with and helping a lower class of people.  Gasp!  How can this capitalist (aka highest you can go on the social/income ladder) class girl with a bad attitude help the less fortunate at all?  It really makes you wonder.  At least it makes me wonder.  Even thinking about it now, four days later, I still shake with anger.  We deserve a chance -- don't take that away from us.

I Choose to Be

     In Class, Status and Power we were supposed to be talking about what we learned in chapter six via our groups that we were in.  At first my group was on task and the next thing I know S was going off on a tangent to R:  "I am sorry, but I cannot agree with your choice."  Um, and what choice would that be?  Dear little S does not like the fact that R "chooses" to be gay.  Let's just say I wanted to groan and put my head in my hands . . . well I did put my head in my hands, but that is partly due to the fact that I have a horrible sinus headache and the fact that my throat feels like I have claws digging into it.  But, I digress.  I think we were all a little shocked that S said that.  I have heard that argument before.  People can be so obstinate in their opinions that they refuse to look at certain facts.

     One fact that R confesses is that he wished he were "normal."  He would love to be attracted to women so he didn't get beat up by people (his dad beat the crap out of him when he came out of the closet) or ostracized, but he just isn't attracted to the opposite sex.  S says that he made the conscious decision and no matter what D or K said, she would not concede.  I find that quite stubborn, especially in the face of what I have stated previously.  R isn't the only homosexual who asks the question, "Do you think I want to be this way?"  I am not saying there is anything wrong with being homosexual, but even though our society has become more accepting it still carries the undertone that it is wrong and people are still getting beat up for their sexual preferences.  Although, if we call it preferences, isn't that terminology indicative of a choice?  Yes, it is.

     I guess, you could say that someone has a choice whether or not to follow through on their urges, but if a person is naturally inclined to be attracted to a person of the same sex, then what is wrong with that?  Why can't they act on those urges?  My favorite part of this discussion is K's rejoinder to S going "Did you make the decision to be straight."  The look on S's face was priceless.  She didn't know what to do with that question.  K also found out that S was 21 and she said that S will probably change her views, to which S said "no" this is how she believes and she will not let anyone say that she is not right.  This one girl from her high school told S first that she had a girlfriend.  S was polite but told her point blank that she didn't like her decision.  And S said like two years later the girls broke up and her friend is now dating guys.

     Sigh.  Experimentation, orientation.  Must we get into them?  Must we complain about people and how they live their lives?  It was ridiculous.  D and I tried to steer the conversation away from such dangerous ground but S wouldn't let it be.  So we tactfully ignored the conversation and finished our discussion on social succession and mobility between the two of us.  When time was up, S was still blabbering about her beliefs and I was like, "let's just say you agree to disagree."  Enough was enough!  Talking for half an hour on the subject and going nowhere was stupid, pointless, and infuriating.  But heaven forbid that people with strong opinions aren't allowed to try to convert you to their beliefs.  I don't care if you express your opinion, you have that right, but mulishly trying to get others to believe that you are right and they are wrong, is pure, unadulterated crap.

     Sorry, no matter how much you complain and give examples, I don't believe the choice.  Yes, there are choices involved, but in the end it is based on attraction and desire.  You shouldn't have to be with someone you don't really like just to please the phobics out there.