Friday, November 21, 2008
Quotes from Dad
The world isn't really as simple as they make you want to believe. That's only so the students can work the problems. -Omer Prewett
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Coookie Crisp!
So, two days ago, I finally fulfilled a life long dream and bought a box of Cookie Crisp. I'm not joking either. When we were kids, our parents wouldn't let us have sugar cereals, so we had Ralston instead. Awesome. Kix were about as sugary as we were allowed and if you've had Kix...well, you know they're mother-approved. So, between growing up without sugar and being broke for the last eleven years, I've never managed to eat any Cookie Crisp.
I finally bought a box. And ate the contents. It was good.
I finally bought a box. And ate the contents. It was good.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
A New President
Well, CNN just projected Obama as winning the presidential election, meaning should he in fact win (which he will), he will become our new president-elect. I'm glad for this, I think. I think the country needs this for it's own sake. For people to feel involved again in politics, that their vote and their voice matters, that the future is possibly better than the past. The hope generated by those who supported Obama will hopefully be infectious.
Whether Obama will actually make a good President remains to be seen. I certainly hope so, because we could certainly use one. He brings a freshness to the office and to politics in general that has been missing for far too long. I think the important question has always been, will he use his popularity and mental acuity for the whole benefit of the American people, or will he allow it to be siphoned in other directions, whether by other people or by himself? Certainly, he will not be able to enact all of the ideas he ran his campaign on. No one can do that. (Or, let's hope not!) But there is a chance that he can move the government and the people to make the changes that are best for both of them. This is never a popular thing, but it is the only important function of a leader. Doing what is best for those being lead. May he accomplish it and well.
There are a number of things I would like to speak on regarding the election. First, Obama was going to win this election. The news media did its best to portray the election as being winnable for either candidate, but in reality, Obama won this election a long time ago. And he kept winning this election. From the time the voting polls opened, McCain did not have a realistic chance. Move the voting date back or forward three months and McCain would still not have had a realistic chance.
Here are a few articles on the subject:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/04/pollster-calms-paranoid-d_n_140960.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/keith-thomson/the-most-accurate-electio_b_140181.html
http://www.eternalgambling.com/gambling-news/20081101-when-will-john-mccain-admit-defeat-in-presidential-race.html
Yes, two are regarding gambling. I got intrigued to know something about whether political betting existed and if so, what did they say about the election. It turned out to be very illuminating.
Here's Big Point Number One: with even a cursory look at the three articles I listed, it becomes clear that the general news media was not reporting what was happening in its actual context. They were reporting what was happening but not with any contextual accuracy. It is very easy to then believe that the news media was warping the news with the purpose of keeping you coming back for more. This is important. Many people have talked about the inacuracy of the news media, esp. in the right-wing, christian circles I'm familiar with. I've always believed that, but I've taken it with a grain of salt. This is, for me, very clear evidence of the what, how, and why of the news media. What are they doing? Selling you news-entertainment. How are they doing it? By setting up the scene so you come back for more. Why are they doing it? This is less clear, but my guess is that it is related to the fact that advertising pays their bills. The further issue here is that, at least as far as this presidential campaign is concerned, they have done it intentionally.
I can't say that I'm upset about this, but it certainly clarifies the attitude with which I accept the news given to me.
My only other gripe with coverage of this election is race. I'm glad Obama is African-American. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be who he is, and it's good that everyone be who they actually are and not somebody else. I have never really looked at Obama as being black. Thank goodness. The important thing to me is how he conducts himself and what he chooses.
Why is it then that the first thing the CNN people talked about after having projected him as President-Elect was his race? It's an obvious enough thing to talk about, certainly, and it is important to many people in this country and to the country's history and future, however, why such focus? I'm so glad they kept race out of their coverage as much as they did, do we have to now begin to cover that small aspect of Obama? The purpose of an election is not to elect a group of people, but individuals. If race is such a problem in this country, does it make sense to focus on race as an important thing? Is that helpful to the problem, to perpetuate the way of thinking that caused the problem in the first place? I will never discount or discredit someone's history and what went into that history. But there is a gradiation of importance, some things large, some things small. I don't think Obama won because he was African-American. So let's focus on why he won.
It is also important to keep in mind that we were going to make history in this election with either ticket. A woman has never been Vice-President. I'm sad that today wasn't the day for that. I wish Palin had been on the Obama ticket, then we could really have had a historical sweep! Maybe in four years.
Thinking over what I've just wrote, I don't mean to sound unhappy that people celebrate the election of an African-American President. I'm pretty excited about that and what that historical event could mean for this country. Maybe now people with black skin or African heritage across this nation, and across this world, will feel like they don't have to prove themselves anymore. Maybe they will feel like they are just as important and valuable as anyone else. Because of course they are. Maybe we as a culture can put the nail in the coffin of the history and practice of our bigotry. Let us hope so. I just don't want race to be the important focus, because it should never be.
Well, whew! Glad we all got through today. Glad everyone voted (largest turnout since women's suffrage)! Cheers!
-mike
Whether Obama will actually make a good President remains to be seen. I certainly hope so, because we could certainly use one. He brings a freshness to the office and to politics in general that has been missing for far too long. I think the important question has always been, will he use his popularity and mental acuity for the whole benefit of the American people, or will he allow it to be siphoned in other directions, whether by other people or by himself? Certainly, he will not be able to enact all of the ideas he ran his campaign on. No one can do that. (Or, let's hope not!) But there is a chance that he can move the government and the people to make the changes that are best for both of them. This is never a popular thing, but it is the only important function of a leader. Doing what is best for those being lead. May he accomplish it and well.
There are a number of things I would like to speak on regarding the election. First, Obama was going to win this election. The news media did its best to portray the election as being winnable for either candidate, but in reality, Obama won this election a long time ago. And he kept winning this election. From the time the voting polls opened, McCain did not have a realistic chance. Move the voting date back or forward three months and McCain would still not have had a realistic chance.
Here are a few articles on the subject:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/04/pollster-calms-paranoid-d_n_140960.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/keith-thomson/the-most-accurate-electio_b_140181.html
http://www.eternalgambling.com/gambling-news/20081101-when-will-john-mccain-admit-defeat-in-presidential-race.html
Yes, two are regarding gambling. I got intrigued to know something about whether political betting existed and if so, what did they say about the election. It turned out to be very illuminating.
Here's Big Point Number One: with even a cursory look at the three articles I listed, it becomes clear that the general news media was not reporting what was happening in its actual context. They were reporting what was happening but not with any contextual accuracy. It is very easy to then believe that the news media was warping the news with the purpose of keeping you coming back for more. This is important. Many people have talked about the inacuracy of the news media, esp. in the right-wing, christian circles I'm familiar with. I've always believed that, but I've taken it with a grain of salt. This is, for me, very clear evidence of the what, how, and why of the news media. What are they doing? Selling you news-entertainment. How are they doing it? By setting up the scene so you come back for more. Why are they doing it? This is less clear, but my guess is that it is related to the fact that advertising pays their bills. The further issue here is that, at least as far as this presidential campaign is concerned, they have done it intentionally.
I can't say that I'm upset about this, but it certainly clarifies the attitude with which I accept the news given to me.
My only other gripe with coverage of this election is race. I'm glad Obama is African-American. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be who he is, and it's good that everyone be who they actually are and not somebody else. I have never really looked at Obama as being black. Thank goodness. The important thing to me is how he conducts himself and what he chooses.
Why is it then that the first thing the CNN people talked about after having projected him as President-Elect was his race? It's an obvious enough thing to talk about, certainly, and it is important to many people in this country and to the country's history and future, however, why such focus? I'm so glad they kept race out of their coverage as much as they did, do we have to now begin to cover that small aspect of Obama? The purpose of an election is not to elect a group of people, but individuals. If race is such a problem in this country, does it make sense to focus on race as an important thing? Is that helpful to the problem, to perpetuate the way of thinking that caused the problem in the first place? I will never discount or discredit someone's history and what went into that history. But there is a gradiation of importance, some things large, some things small. I don't think Obama won because he was African-American. So let's focus on why he won.
It is also important to keep in mind that we were going to make history in this election with either ticket. A woman has never been Vice-President. I'm sad that today wasn't the day for that. I wish Palin had been on the Obama ticket, then we could really have had a historical sweep! Maybe in four years.
Thinking over what I've just wrote, I don't mean to sound unhappy that people celebrate the election of an African-American President. I'm pretty excited about that and what that historical event could mean for this country. Maybe now people with black skin or African heritage across this nation, and across this world, will feel like they don't have to prove themselves anymore. Maybe they will feel like they are just as important and valuable as anyone else. Because of course they are. Maybe we as a culture can put the nail in the coffin of the history and practice of our bigotry. Let us hope so. I just don't want race to be the important focus, because it should never be.
Well, whew! Glad we all got through today. Glad everyone voted (largest turnout since women's suffrage)! Cheers!
-mike
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