Setting the Example in the Racial Discussion

In an earlier post, I stated that referring to a desire to have a smaller government and fewer entitlement programs as a libertarian ideology, not a racist ideology.  I also stated that referring to someone who doesn’t think the government should be helping anyone as “racist” is the equivalent of coughing and saying “douchebag” during a debate.  We’ve gotten to a place in our society where we now consider all conservatives to be racist because they want smaller government, which is not the way to have a conversation about race in the United States.  The problem with labeling people who are ignorant as “racists” is that everything then becomes a racist act, and not all insensitive, ignorant, or stupid act or statement is racist. I hesitate to write this, because insensitivity and ignorance are extremely problematic in our culture, and allow us to be apathetic towards suffering, social injustice, and institutionalized oppression of minority classes in the U.S.  I am not advocating for racists.  Fuck those guys (and girls.)  I am advocating for setting the proper example, and avoiding extremism/line-in-the-sand drawing.  While I will always believe that none of us are truly free until all of us are free, it isn’t helping anything to instantly label well-meaning but misinformed people, or people who have a different opinion as to the role of government as “racist.”

How Breaking Bad is like the Little League World Series

I’m not insane, and this isn’t the dumbest comparison you’ll ever hear, but it’s close.  I realize comparing a show about a man’s slow descent from Edward James Olmos in “Stand and Deliver” to Denzel Washington in “Training Day” with the August rite of passage for 10-12 year olds in the baseball playing world is patently ridiculous on its face.  I want to assure you that this is not about Danny Almonte and the oldest twelve year old you’ve ever met.  No, this is about the general structure of the Little League World Series, and its similarities to Walter White’s rise to power.  A note about spoilers: They are prevalent after the jump.

Grammar Nerd Wednesday: Why is Poor Grammar a Subject of Ridicule?

This is part of an ongoing series of posts designed to make everyone think I'm a colossal prick because of my grammatical specificity. These posts are either me lecturing the masses about how to properly use grammar/punctuation/the rules of the English language, or me figuring out for myself, textually, the aforementioned.  They will run every Wednesday.  If you run afoul of these rules, rest assured, even though I judge you for your poor grammar, I'm still a lesser being than you.

            When you think about it, poor grammar is a failure of sorts.  When someone is bad at mathematics, no one stands around laughing at them for not being able to understand factorials, or thinking “Jesus, that guy is dumb!” But, when my Boss’s boss sends around emails with no concept of the correct usage of your/you’re or there/their/they’re, I judge.  It’s not fair, but I judge.  Hell, these posts are all about judging those who exercise poor grammatical usage.  Why is it so much more open to ridicule/a bellwether of intelligence in a person?

Me, turned all the way up to 11

As someone who routinely has to interact with 18-22 year olds as a part of my job, I am keenly aware that there is an opinion that the current crop of semi-employable assholes are perceived as being so tuned out to the point of rudeness.  I disagree.  I believe the current generation of college students and young professionals are entirely tuned in, but they are tuned in to themselves, almost exclusively.  They have the capability to pay attention to others, but they would rather be focused on their own personal experiences.

Grammar Nerd Wednesday: Ten Brain Cells or Less

This is part of an ongoing series of posts designed to make everyone think I'm a colossal prick because of my grammatical specificity. These posts are either me lecturing the masses about how to properly use grammar/punctuation/the rules of the English language, or me figuring out for myself, textually, the aforementioned.  They will run every Wednesday.  If you run afoul of these rules, rest assured, even though I judge you for your poor grammar, I'm still a lesser being than you.

I am fascinated by grocery stores, including all of the studies to market products to us.  Shelf height is based on average eye level of men and women, with the most valuable shelf space being that which is at eye level.  It works, too. How many times have you made a random purchase where you had to bend your waist at more than a 45 degree angle, or strain to reach the top shelf? There are the Malt-O-Meal bagged cereals which briefly made an ad campaign out of walking like a duck to buy their product from off of the bottom shelf, but clearly that hasn’t exactly gone gangbusters for them.  I am always acutely aware of which brand of Soda is on special each week, so I can prepare to buy either four twelve packs of Pepsi or Dr Pepper for ten dollars (they alternate between Pepsi and Coke/Dr. Pepper product sales most weeks.)

My Dad, the armchair pundit: The 2014 Midterm Elections

Every so often, my dad, lifelong Republican with an odd mix of entitlement protection, gun rights, and personal responsibility beliefs, will make bold political predictions based on nothing other than his own experiences and opinions, which are rooted in no political science.  Often times, these prophecies are apropos of nothing.  He’s the anti-Nate Silver. I’ll do my best to faithfully recreate his claims here.  This may become an ongoing series.

Grammar Nerd Wednesday: Words that aren’t words edition

This is part of an ongoing series of posts designed to make everyone think I'm a colossal prick because of my grammatical specificity. These posts are either me lecturing the masses about how to properly use grammar/punctuation/the rules of the English language, or me figuring out for myself, textually, the aforementioned.  They will run every Wednesday.  If you run afoul of these rules, rest assured, even though I judge you for your poor grammar, I'm still a lesser being than you.

Proper nouns and technology have created a whole slew of words that aren’t really words, and different usages for them.  That’s not what this is about. Continue to name things with stupid -ly suffixes out in Silicon Valley.  This is about words people use, which aren’t actually words, but people think they are. Each word is followed by a brief explanation, which is a veiled dig at your intellect, and designed to make you feel like you're insignificant for not knowing that these words aren't actually words.  In reality, you're insignificant because you're reading my blog at all.  That's not something anyone who is significant actually does.

"On Civil Disobedience" Redux: Manning and Snowden

Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden are two whistleblowers, accused by the United States government of conspiring to release classified information to the world that exposed the actions of the Armed Forces, and the extent of the US Government’s data collection policies.  The reaction to both has been a mixture of labeling them heroes, and labeling them traitors.  The truth is, Snowden had the more damning information, but Manning is the more honorable of the two.