The results of the 2008 election clearly show a shift in America from the conservative politics of George W. Bush to a more liberal set of American values. With numbers like a 2-to-1 Electoral College advantage, a pickup of between five and eight seats in the Senate, and anywhere between 20 and 25 seats in the House of Representatives, this shows a very large rejection of conservatism, and dare I say it, a mandate for liberals in American politics, but also a mandate for a change in Washington, D.C. and not just inside the beltway politics as usual. The results show that a large part of the American people want liberal change brought to Washington and have rejected conservatism for now.
But you would not know it from all the talk in the media. Everywhere you look, Obama is being praised for assembling a team of rivals that have opposing view points. This is good for forming ideas, but the members of the media are ignoring the fact that Obama ran on a platform of ideas from the left, and not from the center.
The fact that the media is completely ignoring this fact, and that you never see anyone on major networks criticizing Obama from the left just goes to show how afraid they are of debate, and how much their corporate interests rule what they do.
I have heard almost no criticizm from anyone on Obama keeping Gates, a prominent Republican around, no complaints about Hillary Clinton, and no complaints about anyone else. And it's making me sick.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
poverty discussion
You know what irked me in this past election, the fact that for all the bluster about the economy and Americans losing their jobs and how the middle class has been hurt, there was no discussion at all about the the lower classes. No talk about how to help them improve their standing, or what they should do to help themselves. I think it's because a) if people started to talk about it, they might actually have to do something about it, and b) people are afraid that if they make even the slightest comment about how these people can and should help themselves, they will be lambasted by people for insinuating that it's not the man that is keeping these people down.
Discussions of poverty and race (not just African-American, but any minority group) in this country often either get de-railed or don’t even happen because to suggest that people’s problems are even in the slightest bit their own doing is considered insulting. Of course that question is a multi-faceted one, and poverty is certainly not entirely someone’s own doing, but the suggestion that that could even be a part of it at all draws vehement opposition from people like Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, and results in whoever said such having to apologize for what they said and it shuts down any kind of discussion that might have taken place.
This type of fear also comes in the form of almost refusing to criticize someone. People are afraid to criticize things that take place in a particular minority community, be it a racial community or a religious community that is perceived to be slighted or mistreated. For example, it is almost impossible in the United States to criticize Israel without being labeled an Anti-Semite. At American University where I spent my freshman year, I remember people who expressed pro-Palestinian positions being labeled “Nazis”. Any political candidate who proposes taking a critical look at the way Israel has conducted itself in the last half-century basically forfeits the election because they are labeled as anti-Israel.
Discussions of poverty and race (not just African-American, but any minority group) in this country often either get de-railed or don’t even happen because to suggest that people’s problems are even in the slightest bit their own doing is considered insulting. Of course that question is a multi-faceted one, and poverty is certainly not entirely someone’s own doing, but the suggestion that that could even be a part of it at all draws vehement opposition from people like Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, and results in whoever said such having to apologize for what they said and it shuts down any kind of discussion that might have taken place.
This type of fear also comes in the form of almost refusing to criticize someone. People are afraid to criticize things that take place in a particular minority community, be it a racial community or a religious community that is perceived to be slighted or mistreated. For example, it is almost impossible in the United States to criticize Israel without being labeled an Anti-Semite. At American University where I spent my freshman year, I remember people who expressed pro-Palestinian positions being labeled “Nazis”. Any political candidate who proposes taking a critical look at the way Israel has conducted itself in the last half-century basically forfeits the election because they are labeled as anti-Israel.
political correctness
Political Correctness. The concept of political correctness has enveloped our country. People are almost afraid to utter anything controversial or make any statements that may be considered unkind or offensive to any one particular group of people. It seems like every five minutes some kind of public figure, be it a politician or a celebrity, is in front of their respective press corps making an apology for a comment that seemed innocuous at the time, but after hearing it over and over again, has been deemed offensive.
Now don’t get me wrong, people should watch what they say. Making broad generalizations about any particular group of people is often misguided and insulting. Labeling one particular group of people responsible for ills is irresponsible and wrong. People like Don Imus and Mel Gibson who make racially insensitive comments and blame whole races of people for the world’s ills are vilified in the court of popular public opinion, and rightly so. So in cases like this, our obsession with political correctness is a good thing.
However, political correctness is also detrimental to the solving of a problem, or even just discussion of a particular issue. Very little debate on any major issue gets anywhere in this country because everyone is always so worried about offending someone else.
I believe that was one of the problems with media coverage in this past election. Major stations were so concerned with offending someone either outside their company or higher up in their company that they avoided the real issues in favor of just covering horse race and talking about numbers in a fluid electorate.
Now don’t get me wrong, people should watch what they say. Making broad generalizations about any particular group of people is often misguided and insulting. Labeling one particular group of people responsible for ills is irresponsible and wrong. People like Don Imus and Mel Gibson who make racially insensitive comments and blame whole races of people for the world’s ills are vilified in the court of popular public opinion, and rightly so. So in cases like this, our obsession with political correctness is a good thing.
However, political correctness is also detrimental to the solving of a problem, or even just discussion of a particular issue. Very little debate on any major issue gets anywhere in this country because everyone is always so worried about offending someone else.
I believe that was one of the problems with media coverage in this past election. Major stations were so concerned with offending someone either outside their company or higher up in their company that they avoided the real issues in favor of just covering horse race and talking about numbers in a fluid electorate.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The Death of Captain America
The United States of America has changed drastically in the last twenty years. What was once a country of hope and dreams following the end of the Cold War has once again become a nation of fear and mistrust like it was during the heights of the Red Scare. We see people who are threats and people who are different around every corner. What was once “the melting pot” and “the land of opportunity” is now starkly divided and the land of fearing the other. Cynicism and intolerance are running unchecked through the country, overrunning tolerance and hope. You can see it everywhere; in the frightened glances of people at the airport, the reactions of school administrations to the slightest thing out of the norm and even inside our own classrooms where it seems students have been taught that the United States can do no right. I think the perfect metaphor for the situation is oddly enough, found in a comic book.
If you never read comic books like I did as a child, you may not be familiar with Steve Rodgers a.k.a. Captain America (trust me, this will make sense, just bear with me). In the early days of World War Two, Marvel Comics introduced the world to Steve Rodgers. Rodgers was a frail, 18-year-old kid who wanted desperately to serve his country in the war. Unfortunately, he was deemed physically unfit for service, and told he could not join. But then, he was given the chance to take part in an experiment that would make him the ultimate in human performance, the very best that a human could ever be. Thus was born Captain America. Cap was the ultimate American symbol. He fought the Nazis and wore a costume that was almost an exact replica of an American flag. At the end of the war, Captain America seemingly died, killed in an explosion over the North Atlantic.
Twenty years later in the 1960s, Cap was found, revived, and turned into a symbol for the entire world. In late 2006, the entire superhero world in which Marvel Comics exists was engulfed in a civil war over a piece of legislation not unlike the Patriot Act. The superhero community was split down the middle with Captain America leading the anti-legislation side. At the end of all of this, Cap surrendered when he determined he was doing more harm than good. He was arrested and put on trial. As he walked in handcuffs to the courthouse, he was assassinated. After forty years of being the ultimate symbol for the world, and indeed for multiple generations of readers, Captain America was dead.
But the part of all of this that I feel makes it relevant is that Cap was not killed by any super-villain or anything like that. A sniper killed Captain America; just a normal person equipped with a rifle. It was just an everyday person; motivated by the culture of fear created by the government who destroyed one of the greatest symbols America has ever known. I read this whole story arc just a few days ago, and it struck me as extremely relevant. While most people may dismiss the relevance of such an event because it occurs in such a trivial medium like a comic book, I happen to think it is strong social commentary.
Captain America stood for the ideas of America, for tolerance and hope, but was undone by the forces of intolerance, cynicism, and basic fear created by a national tragedy, spurred forward by the government and seized upon by the media and people looking to make a profit. I can think of no better metaphor for the struggle between tolerance and intolerance, and hope and cynicism in our country right now. Captain America is a metaphor for tolerance and hope, cut down in the wake of a national tragedy by the forces of intolerance and cynicism.
But at last, hope has risen again. The election of Obama has shown us that we don't have to be a nation of fear and cynicism. We can come out of this most recent age of darkness back into the light. But Obama won't be able to do it on his own, we have to help. We have to demand more accountability in the news we consume on a daily basis. It needs to be actual coverage and refereeing of a political process, not just poll numbers and sex scandals. It won't happen overnight, and it won't be easy, but it is a responsibility we as a nation must assume.
If you never read comic books like I did as a child, you may not be familiar with Steve Rodgers a.k.a. Captain America (trust me, this will make sense, just bear with me). In the early days of World War Two, Marvel Comics introduced the world to Steve Rodgers. Rodgers was a frail, 18-year-old kid who wanted desperately to serve his country in the war. Unfortunately, he was deemed physically unfit for service, and told he could not join. But then, he was given the chance to take part in an experiment that would make him the ultimate in human performance, the very best that a human could ever be. Thus was born Captain America. Cap was the ultimate American symbol. He fought the Nazis and wore a costume that was almost an exact replica of an American flag. At the end of the war, Captain America seemingly died, killed in an explosion over the North Atlantic.
Twenty years later in the 1960s, Cap was found, revived, and turned into a symbol for the entire world. In late 2006, the entire superhero world in which Marvel Comics exists was engulfed in a civil war over a piece of legislation not unlike the Patriot Act. The superhero community was split down the middle with Captain America leading the anti-legislation side. At the end of all of this, Cap surrendered when he determined he was doing more harm than good. He was arrested and put on trial. As he walked in handcuffs to the courthouse, he was assassinated. After forty years of being the ultimate symbol for the world, and indeed for multiple generations of readers, Captain America was dead.
But the part of all of this that I feel makes it relevant is that Cap was not killed by any super-villain or anything like that. A sniper killed Captain America; just a normal person equipped with a rifle. It was just an everyday person; motivated by the culture of fear created by the government who destroyed one of the greatest symbols America has ever known. I read this whole story arc just a few days ago, and it struck me as extremely relevant. While most people may dismiss the relevance of such an event because it occurs in such a trivial medium like a comic book, I happen to think it is strong social commentary.
Captain America stood for the ideas of America, for tolerance and hope, but was undone by the forces of intolerance, cynicism, and basic fear created by a national tragedy, spurred forward by the government and seized upon by the media and people looking to make a profit. I can think of no better metaphor for the struggle between tolerance and intolerance, and hope and cynicism in our country right now. Captain America is a metaphor for tolerance and hope, cut down in the wake of a national tragedy by the forces of intolerance and cynicism.
But at last, hope has risen again. The election of Obama has shown us that we don't have to be a nation of fear and cynicism. We can come out of this most recent age of darkness back into the light. But Obama won't be able to do it on his own, we have to help. We have to demand more accountability in the news we consume on a daily basis. It needs to be actual coverage and refereeing of a political process, not just poll numbers and sex scandals. It won't happen overnight, and it won't be easy, but it is a responsibility we as a nation must assume.
Political Correctness
Political Correctness. The concept of political correctness has enveloped our country. People are almost afraid to utter anything controversial or make any statements that may be considered unkind or offensive to any one particular group of people. It seems like every five minutes some kind of public figure, be it a politician or a celebrity, is in front of their respective press corps making an apology for a comment that seemed innocuous at the time, but after hearing it over and over again, has been deemed offensive.
Now don’t get me wrong, people should watch what they say. Making broad generalizations about any particular group of people is often misguided and insulting. Labeling one particular group of people responsible for ills is irresponsible and wrong. People like Don Imus and Mel Gibson who make racially insensitive comments and blame whole races of people for the world’s ills are vilified in the court of popular public opinion, and rightly so. So in cases like this, our obsession with political correctness is a good thing.
However, political correctness is also detrimental to the solving of a problem, or even just discussion of a particular issue. Very little debate on any major issue gets anywhere in this country because everyone is always so worried about offending someone else. Discussions of poverty and race (not just African-American, but any minority group) in this country often either get de-railed or don’t even happen because to suggest that people’s problems are even in the slightest bit their own doing is considered insulting. Of course that question is a multi-faceted one, and poverty is certainly not entirely someone’s own doing, but the suggestion that that could even be a part of it at all draws vehement opposition from people like Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, and results in whoever said such having to apologize for what they said and it shuts down any kind of discussion that might have taken place.
Hopefully, the election of Barack Obama helps us move past the day of taboo subjects and unspoken topics and actually focus on things that are really wrong with not just the country, but the world as a whole.
Now don’t get me wrong, people should watch what they say. Making broad generalizations about any particular group of people is often misguided and insulting. Labeling one particular group of people responsible for ills is irresponsible and wrong. People like Don Imus and Mel Gibson who make racially insensitive comments and blame whole races of people for the world’s ills are vilified in the court of popular public opinion, and rightly so. So in cases like this, our obsession with political correctness is a good thing.
However, political correctness is also detrimental to the solving of a problem, or even just discussion of a particular issue. Very little debate on any major issue gets anywhere in this country because everyone is always so worried about offending someone else. Discussions of poverty and race (not just African-American, but any minority group) in this country often either get de-railed or don’t even happen because to suggest that people’s problems are even in the slightest bit their own doing is considered insulting. Of course that question is a multi-faceted one, and poverty is certainly not entirely someone’s own doing, but the suggestion that that could even be a part of it at all draws vehement opposition from people like Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, and results in whoever said such having to apologize for what they said and it shuts down any kind of discussion that might have taken place.
Hopefully, the election of Barack Obama helps us move past the day of taboo subjects and unspoken topics and actually focus on things that are really wrong with not just the country, but the world as a whole.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
History
It happened. It actually happened. There are moments in time. Moments when you can feel something. Points in time where you know that something is happening. Something historic. There are days in your life when you can feel that the world will be different when you wake up the next morning. This is one of those times.
I will never forget that at 11:01 p.m. on November 4th 2008, Barack Hussein Obama, the son of a black man from Kenya and a woman from Kansas, was declared the President of the
United States.
It's one of those moments that transcends time and space and moves in to the realm of history to be recorded for all time. I have never been more proud to be a citizen of the United States then on the day a black man was elected president.
It is a time to move forward into the future. To move down the path of righteousness into the mysterious light that is the time ahead of us. Roads? Where we're going we don't need no roads...we have hope.
I will never forget that at 11:01 p.m. on November 4th 2008, Barack Hussein Obama, the son of a black man from Kenya and a woman from Kansas, was declared the President of the
United States.
It's one of those moments that transcends time and space and moves in to the realm of history to be recorded for all time. I have never been more proud to be a citizen of the United States then on the day a black man was elected president.
It is a time to move forward into the future. To move down the path of righteousness into the mysterious light that is the time ahead of us. Roads? Where we're going we don't need no roads...we have hope.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Lies, Lies, and more Lies
So, I'm sitting here listening to John McCain talk (he's on CNN), I'm hearing him talk on and on giving the usual stump speech, and I have to say, the man looks desprate. First off, he said he was glad to be in Virginia. There happens to be a problem with that though, he wasn't there. He was close to Virginia, but he was in Tennessee. Last time I looked at a map, they were seprate states.
While that's a little nit-picky, his attacks on Obama were not. He refered to Obama's policy as "spreading the wealth". Never mind that under the conservative messiah Reagan, taxes were almost twice as high on the wealthiest class as they are now, and while he slashed them, they were still higher. McCain constantly refers to Obama as being untested in the White House with respect to foreign problems. But last time I checked, neither of the two major candidates have been in the White House before.
McCain likes to talk about how Obama's refundable tax credits are "welfare", but that same tax credit is a central part of McCain's healthcare policy. McCain also has continued to say and broadcast that Obama wants to raise taxes on everybody making more than $42,000 a year. Once again, thats just simply not true. His policy clearly says taxes will raise only on individuals making more than $200,000, or couples/families making more than $250,000.
The thing that makes me the most mad though, is that immideately after the speech was over, was that there was no mention about the validity of the arguments on CNN. They went straight to commercial and when they came back, said not a word about it. Why do they continue to ignore the responsibility of the media to referee the campaign, and point out when people lie?
Obviously though, it's a political campaign, and both sides have been spewing false information like it's their jobs (which it is). Obama continues to proclaim that McCain opposes stem cell reaserch. This is only kind of true. Yes, McCain opposed stem cell reaserch, but only up until 2001, when he switched, saying he thought its benefits outweighed its risks.
While in a presidential election, it borders on stupidity to believe that a campaign will be run cleanly, I don't think it's too much to ask for major news outlets to look at the validity of what people are saying. At least I hope it's not.
While that's a little nit-picky, his attacks on Obama were not. He refered to Obama's policy as "spreading the wealth". Never mind that under the conservative messiah Reagan, taxes were almost twice as high on the wealthiest class as they are now, and while he slashed them, they were still higher. McCain constantly refers to Obama as being untested in the White House with respect to foreign problems. But last time I checked, neither of the two major candidates have been in the White House before.
McCain likes to talk about how Obama's refundable tax credits are "welfare", but that same tax credit is a central part of McCain's healthcare policy. McCain also has continued to say and broadcast that Obama wants to raise taxes on everybody making more than $42,000 a year. Once again, thats just simply not true. His policy clearly says taxes will raise only on individuals making more than $200,000, or couples/families making more than $250,000.
The thing that makes me the most mad though, is that immideately after the speech was over, was that there was no mention about the validity of the arguments on CNN. They went straight to commercial and when they came back, said not a word about it. Why do they continue to ignore the responsibility of the media to referee the campaign, and point out when people lie?
Obviously though, it's a political campaign, and both sides have been spewing false information like it's their jobs (which it is). Obama continues to proclaim that McCain opposes stem cell reaserch. This is only kind of true. Yes, McCain opposed stem cell reaserch, but only up until 2001, when he switched, saying he thought its benefits outweighed its risks.
While in a presidential election, it borders on stupidity to believe that a campaign will be run cleanly, I don't think it's too much to ask for major news outlets to look at the validity of what people are saying. At least I hope it's not.
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