And yet another stimulating topic generated by my brother Michael, a certain leader in independent and possibly offensive thinking. Personally, since I know Michael to be a mellow and kind person on the whole, I am not offended. I offend him by editing his word choice, but I don't edit his ideas. Maybe that is what I will do with comments sent my way that include cussing. Edit out the cussing.
Jackass isn't a swear. Too bad Blogger doesn't have a cuss editor. But ENOUGH on the FREAKING cussing topic.
On to better things, here is the discussion brought up via Michael, and my responses follow. Feel free to jump into the fray. If you want some background, see The Politics of Resentment.
Regarding the Floridian Motorcycle Man and His Fellow Neighborhood Speeders:
"It's definitely a cultural issue. And it's not just the cars. It's the speeding and drag racing of the cars as well. 9/10 of the time, you will see a Puerto Rican flag made out of beads hanging from their rear view mirror...just as they cut you off within mere inches of scraping your front bumper, as they did with 10 other cars behind you. Is this a racial stereotype? Sure it is. But it's a pretty accurate one from what I've personally experienced.
Oh, and if you think Mom would ever go up to a nice Spanish speaking guy and ask him to stop speeding...you've obviously been raised with Bizaro Mom from the parallel world where she doesn't fear being conked by everyone. Thing is, I can't say I'd blame her for that one. They're usually punks. And yes, I am speaking again from personal experience...not to be confused with a racist conclusion. Keep in mind, I was also a driver for Domino's...and practically the only "white guy."
From experience, I would say that the attitude and driving etiquette improves slightly with age and maturity...like in pretty much all cultures. Of course, the same cannot be said for all individuals. And the ones who still have flags on their mirror tend not to be those individuals.
Solution: BAN ALL FLAGS!!! :-P
(That sounds WAY better than the sign that slogan originally came off of.)
To which I responded:
I have to remind you: Puerto Rico is part of the United States.
And even punks sometimes respond nicely to nice people. I've talked to a few in my lifetime. They might make faces at you behind your back, but so what? If this punk is your NEIGHBOR..it's not like you are walking up to some gang and saying, "Excuse me, noble group representing your ethic heritage, would you please refrain from speeding?" He's your NEIGHBOR. You have the right to ask. Just practice in Spanish first....in case. Besides. That "punk" might turn out to be a nice guy!
I agree. In our Utopia, ban all flags. Including the Confederate ones we have flying in places around here. They ALL have become a source of angst.
To which Michael Responded:
You know...it's interesting. Even many religions ban the use of any and all flags because it "turns worship away from God." I wonder if there may indeed be some wisdom to that. When we get behind a flag, we are agreeing to lump ourselves in with a group of people and lose our own individuality. We are then victim to any stereotypes and prejudices that group may represent. I wonder if "turning away from God" is really just another way of looking at "turning away from ourselves." We are no longer defined as who we are, but rather who we are with.
On a side note (something else to stir up trouble about) as far as the "Pledge" in school goes...I know that I certainly wouldn't want my kids pledging their allegiances to ANYONE....other than themselves and their loved ones. They're not old enough to decide if they want to pledge their allegiance to a flag...let alone the country it supposedly represents. That's like brainwashing at an early age, telling them to "pledge their allegiance" at age 5...making them promise that they'll never decide another country might be better than theirs. Kids should NOT be patriotic. The age where you may decide if you're a patriot should be the same age that you're are allowed to vote.
Also (to stir up even more trouble and extend this response longer than it was previously intended), as a fully cognitive adult, I do NOT pledge my allegiance to this country or to ANY country. I live to be happy, and to be left alone by people who would have it otherwise. If for some reason I was sufficiently unhappy, I would leave. My allegiance is to myself and those I care about. It is to them that I pledge...not to the United States government, under God or otherwise. And don't give me the guilt trip about all the soldiers who died to give me this freedom or that freedom. This sort of "non-allegiance" is EXACTLY what they fought and died for. If I had no place else to go, I would damn sure fight too...and do so proudly. It would not be for my "country"...but for my own personal right to be left the hell alone.
Okay, I'm done. This was meant to be a lot funnier, but somehow I got into a political rant. I'm sure there are a LOT of people out there who COMPLETELY disagree with me on these issues and would call me a spoiled jackass with no real knowledge of the world and no respect for the veterans and blah blah blah.....I don't care. I've heard it all before and none of it changes how I feel about this. The only way we can truly start making peace is if we do so on a deeply personal level. You just can't do it by leading mass armies over to political hotspots to weed out dissent. The bottom line is, if every soldier on every side in every country suddenly said "You know what? Screw this...I have a lady friend at home, and gosh darn it I'm taking her out on a picnic" (or something to that effect)...as simplistic as it sounds, war really wouldn't be an issue.
Seriously. If everyone...just for ONCE...all at the same time...decided to focus on things that matter to them and only them, then the problems of the world would be reduced to a single issue. That issue would stand out clearly and everyone who was not originally involved in its formation would be able to remember exactly "what started it all." Then the people who finally realized that they were never really a part of the struggle can just sit back and enjoy life...casually watching as the original architects of the conflict destroy themselves by refusing to break the cycle of vengeance. A bit heady? Well, to put it simply..."Let the presidents fight the war...don't send the poor."
To which I responded:
Wow. Loaded entry. Let's take this an issue at a time.
First, I am a huge proponent of individuality. But I am not convinced pledging the flag detracts from my personal beliefs or my own individuality. I used to believe that, but I have changed my mind. My prerogative. In Utopia, we can ban flags (if it doesn't detract from the Utopian-ness of our made-up world). But in reality....here we are.
I view pledging the flag as a symbol of national unity, that we have the same goals: liberty and justice for all. I am pledging to an ideal, not a piece of cloth. I want my kids to do the same. Remember, I am a big Thoreau fan. Thoreau preached the ideal of individuality, but he was an American and chose to be. He practiced his own sense of social conscience and did so by taking from great American traditions of individualism and freedom. He left his family and his town for awhile, and then he joined them again. He didn't kill anyone or beat anyone up for not believing in what he did.
My pledge does not box me into any particular religious tradition. I translate "one nation under God" as whatever you believe God is, even if that's no god at all. "God" is the word we use for all we don't understand. To me, if you really don't believe in God, you believe we are capable of running our lives and our world, which requires a tremendous amount of personal responsibility if done correctly. So "under God" is just a term. So is "In God We Trust." Translate it however you want. No one says you have to be forced-fed a generic translation. Use you sense of deconstruction. Fundamentalists do it all the time.
I love our soldiers, and you are correct that they fight and die for my right to make any of these statements and to publish yours as well. I would fight for those rights, but I wouldn't engage in someone else's civil war that has been raging for centuries and cannot be resolved from outside, violent intrusion. If the United Nations decided to go in and settle this, that would be one thing. But the world does not like war, so our President ought to get the message.
I don't like that our soldiers are being killed. I don't like that people kill each other over religion or disparage one another for their beliefs. In my mind, live and let live. We can duke out the particulars with Congress, but I mean "duke it out" in the intellectual sense. Please, let's not reduce ourselves to our lowest instincts. We can do better than that.
Here's a seg to something that really bugged the hell out me: the radical that disrupted a Hindu prayer and then was defended with, "This is not a religion that has produced great things in the world." WHAT? Hinduism was one of the first known religions of the world, the parent of Buddhism, the theory behind reaching for insight and human/spiritual evolution.
Hindus gave us popular notions of Transcendental Meditation, Transcendentalism, stunning architecture, and besides that...great, natural food and yummy specialty foods. You don't have to believe in many gods to be a Hindu. See the "Concept of God." And even if you choose to believe in many gods, you can also choose to see these as manifestations of a SINGLE God. Religions that espouse a trinity do this. So what? I personally believe there are many, many manifestations of God, including US. Get over it. And stop being so insecure in your own beliefs that you feel the need to condemn others. It's rude and annoying.
New seg to Islamic persecution in this country. Not all Islamics believe in violent Jihad:
Jihad, sometimes spelled Jahad, Jehad, Jihaad, (Arabic: جهاد IPA: [ ʤi'hæːd]) as an Islamic term, is sometimes referred to as the sixth pillar of Islam, although it occupies no official status as such in Sunni Islam.[1] In TwelverG> Shi'a Islam,however, Jihad (Holy Struggle) is one of the 10 Practices of the Religion. It can also be translated as 'To Strive'.
Not all followers of Jihad believe in killing. Remember the Old Testament, "An Eye for an Eye"? Recall the Crusades? Do all from Christian and Jewish descents believe that? Of course not. Go argue with Wikipedia and history if you want. Go argue with numerous followers of Islam. But do it respectfully and don't do it with guns.
Did I respond to all of your points, Michael? I hope so.
Jackass isn't a swear. Too bad Blogger doesn't have a cuss editor. But ENOUGH on the FREAKING cussing topic.
On to better things, here is the discussion brought up via Michael, and my responses follow. Feel free to jump into the fray. If you want some background, see The Politics of Resentment.
Regarding the Floridian Motorcycle Man and His Fellow Neighborhood Speeders:
"It's definitely a cultural issue. And it's not just the cars. It's the speeding and drag racing of the cars as well. 9/10 of the time, you will see a Puerto Rican flag made out of beads hanging from their rear view mirror...just as they cut you off within mere inches of scraping your front bumper, as they did with 10 other cars behind you. Is this a racial stereotype? Sure it is. But it's a pretty accurate one from what I've personally experienced.
Oh, and if you think Mom would ever go up to a nice Spanish speaking guy and ask him to stop speeding...you've obviously been raised with Bizaro Mom from the parallel world where she doesn't fear being conked by everyone. Thing is, I can't say I'd blame her for that one. They're usually punks. And yes, I am speaking again from personal experience...not to be confused with a racist conclusion. Keep in mind, I was also a driver for Domino's...and practically the only "white guy."
From experience, I would say that the attitude and driving etiquette improves slightly with age and maturity...like in pretty much all cultures. Of course, the same cannot be said for all individuals. And the ones who still have flags on their mirror tend not to be those individuals.
Solution: BAN ALL FLAGS!!! :-P
(That sounds WAY better than the sign that slogan originally came off of.)
To which I responded:
I have to remind you: Puerto Rico is part of the United States.
And even punks sometimes respond nicely to nice people. I've talked to a few in my lifetime. They might make faces at you behind your back, but so what? If this punk is your NEIGHBOR..it's not like you are walking up to some gang and saying, "Excuse me, noble group representing your ethic heritage, would you please refrain from speeding?" He's your NEIGHBOR. You have the right to ask. Just practice in Spanish first....in case. Besides. That "punk" might turn out to be a nice guy!
I agree. In our Utopia, ban all flags. Including the Confederate ones we have flying in places around here. They ALL have become a source of angst.
To which Michael Responded:
You know...it's interesting. Even many religions ban the use of any and all flags because it "turns worship away from God." I wonder if there may indeed be some wisdom to that. When we get behind a flag, we are agreeing to lump ourselves in with a group of people and lose our own individuality. We are then victim to any stereotypes and prejudices that group may represent. I wonder if "turning away from God" is really just another way of looking at "turning away from ourselves." We are no longer defined as who we are, but rather who we are with.
On a side note (something else to stir up trouble about) as far as the "Pledge" in school goes...I know that I certainly wouldn't want my kids pledging their allegiances to ANYONE....other than themselves and their loved ones. They're not old enough to decide if they want to pledge their allegiance to a flag...let alone the country it supposedly represents. That's like brainwashing at an early age, telling them to "pledge their allegiance" at age 5...making them promise that they'll never decide another country might be better than theirs. Kids should NOT be patriotic. The age where you may decide if you're a patriot should be the same age that you're are allowed to vote.
Also (to stir up even more trouble and extend this response longer than it was previously intended), as a fully cognitive adult, I do NOT pledge my allegiance to this country or to ANY country. I live to be happy, and to be left alone by people who would have it otherwise. If for some reason I was sufficiently unhappy, I would leave. My allegiance is to myself and those I care about. It is to them that I pledge...not to the United States government, under God or otherwise. And don't give me the guilt trip about all the soldiers who died to give me this freedom or that freedom. This sort of "non-allegiance" is EXACTLY what they fought and died for. If I had no place else to go, I would damn sure fight too...and do so proudly. It would not be for my "country"...but for my own personal right to be left the hell alone.
Okay, I'm done. This was meant to be a lot funnier, but somehow I got into a political rant. I'm sure there are a LOT of people out there who COMPLETELY disagree with me on these issues and would call me a spoiled jackass with no real knowledge of the world and no respect for the veterans and blah blah blah.....I don't care. I've heard it all before and none of it changes how I feel about this. The only way we can truly start making peace is if we do so on a deeply personal level. You just can't do it by leading mass armies over to political hotspots to weed out dissent. The bottom line is, if every soldier on every side in every country suddenly said "You know what? Screw this...I have a lady friend at home, and gosh darn it I'm taking her out on a picnic" (or something to that effect)...as simplistic as it sounds, war really wouldn't be an issue.
Seriously. If everyone...just for ONCE...all at the same time...decided to focus on things that matter to them and only them, then the problems of the world would be reduced to a single issue. That issue would stand out clearly and everyone who was not originally involved in its formation would be able to remember exactly "what started it all." Then the people who finally realized that they were never really a part of the struggle can just sit back and enjoy life...casually watching as the original architects of the conflict destroy themselves by refusing to break the cycle of vengeance. A bit heady? Well, to put it simply..."Let the presidents fight the war...don't send the poor."
To which I responded:
Wow. Loaded entry. Let's take this an issue at a time.
First, I am a huge proponent of individuality. But I am not convinced pledging the flag detracts from my personal beliefs or my own individuality. I used to believe that, but I have changed my mind. My prerogative. In Utopia, we can ban flags (if it doesn't detract from the Utopian-ness of our made-up world). But in reality....here we are.
I view pledging the flag as a symbol of national unity, that we have the same goals: liberty and justice for all. I am pledging to an ideal, not a piece of cloth. I want my kids to do the same. Remember, I am a big Thoreau fan. Thoreau preached the ideal of individuality, but he was an American and chose to be. He practiced his own sense of social conscience and did so by taking from great American traditions of individualism and freedom. He left his family and his town for awhile, and then he joined them again. He didn't kill anyone or beat anyone up for not believing in what he did.
My pledge does not box me into any particular religious tradition. I translate "one nation under God" as whatever you believe God is, even if that's no god at all. "God" is the word we use for all we don't understand. To me, if you really don't believe in God, you believe we are capable of running our lives and our world, which requires a tremendous amount of personal responsibility if done correctly. So "under God" is just a term. So is "In God We Trust." Translate it however you want. No one says you have to be forced-fed a generic translation. Use you sense of deconstruction. Fundamentalists do it all the time.
I love our soldiers, and you are correct that they fight and die for my right to make any of these statements and to publish yours as well. I would fight for those rights, but I wouldn't engage in someone else's civil war that has been raging for centuries and cannot be resolved from outside, violent intrusion. If the United Nations decided to go in and settle this, that would be one thing. But the world does not like war, so our President ought to get the message.
I don't like that our soldiers are being killed. I don't like that people kill each other over religion or disparage one another for their beliefs. In my mind, live and let live. We can duke out the particulars with Congress, but I mean "duke it out" in the intellectual sense. Please, let's not reduce ourselves to our lowest instincts. We can do better than that.
Here's a seg to something that really bugged the hell out me: the radical that disrupted a Hindu prayer and then was defended with, "This is not a religion that has produced great things in the world." WHAT? Hinduism was one of the first known religions of the world, the parent of Buddhism, the theory behind reaching for insight and human/spiritual evolution.
Hindus gave us popular notions of Transcendental Meditation, Transcendentalism, stunning architecture, and besides that...great, natural food and yummy specialty foods. You don't have to believe in many gods to be a Hindu. See the "Concept of God." And even if you choose to believe in many gods, you can also choose to see these as manifestations of a SINGLE God. Religions that espouse a trinity do this. So what? I personally believe there are many, many manifestations of God, including US. Get over it. And stop being so insecure in your own beliefs that you feel the need to condemn others. It's rude and annoying.New seg to Islamic persecution in this country. Not all Islamics believe in violent Jihad:
Jihad, sometimes spelled Jahad, Jehad, Jihaad, (Arabic: جهاد IPA: [ ʤi'hæːd]) as an Islamic term, is sometimes referred to as the sixth pillar of Islam, although it occupies no official status as such in Sunni Islam.[1] In TwelverG> Shi'a Islam,however, Jihad (Holy Struggle) is one of the 10 Practices of the Religion. It can also be translated as 'To Strive'.
Not all followers of Jihad believe in killing. Remember the Old Testament, "An Eye for an Eye"? Recall the Crusades? Do all from Christian and Jewish descents believe that? Of course not. Go argue with Wikipedia and history if you want. Go argue with numerous followers of Islam. But do it respectfully and don't do it with guns.
Did I respond to all of your points, Michael? I hope so.
