Friday, February 20, 2009

Nation of Cowards


Eric Holder was right, but it took a chimp to prove it. No, I am not calling Holder a chimp. Because of the "cowards" running our social and cultural institutions no one can say anything that could be remotely construed as racial. Travis the now cold dead, Xanax (the owner now denies giving him Xanax) popping chimp didn't exactly choose to go all gansta in order to garner publicity as some of his other colleagues in Hollywood often do in order to salvage a lagging career. No, his Hollywood rage-athon seems to have come quite naturally.

Thus, some clever cartoonist sees an opportunity to mock a stimulus package most of the nation dislikes, and the cowards come out in droves. I thought we were post racialist? Can't someone make jokes about chimps running the country? Heck, in California they would probably be better off letting the inhabitants of the Sacramento Zoo run the state. At least chimps understand the fiscal impact of a banana shortage... You can't really blame Al Sharpton. At this point in his life his responses are completely pavlovian and involuntary. Someone puts blackened catfish on the menu and old Al is on the case.

This highlights a generational problem. For Al, racism really was peeking around every corner. For today's youth, it isn't. But the cowards are running the zoo, and keep promoting the Ward Churchills of the world to positions of power. The cowardice stems from our elites inability to see that they actually won the battle and can move on. Instead, dozens of faculty members at Duke sign their name to a full page newspaper ad condemning the Lacrosse team before the police have finished the investigation. The New York Times removes their first reporter on the case because his investigations aren't getting the a priori Jayson Blair storyline. Well, put someone in who will write the story we know must be true. Facts?! We dont need no stinking facts!

Holder was right. Academia is a place of abject racial cowardice. So too is the media, the entertainment industry, the publishing industry, and every other cultural center of power. No matter how many times they are wrong, they keep the same race baiting game going because their power over us, and over minorities in particular, depends on it. Travis- the racial martyr. All hail post-racial America.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

backfilp on a tricycle

Gotta love action sports:

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Washington and Obama


I remember years ago reading an essay by an old school journalist about how the 60s and the Vietnam War changed journalism. It was a very thought provoking article, because I had never seen the kind of respectful, patriotic journalism he was talking about, but I knew enough history to know that he was right. I also remember Robert Novak (I think it was him) talking about how back then you didn't print all the salacious details about politicians private lives. There were open secrets for example about the JFK, but there was a different code of journalism then.

I love to use this in class as it prompts some fascinating discussions, and we can watch old Hollywood War Movies and compare them to movies today and talk about how even though the Iraq War has had less casualties than D Day we are still trained to be instinctively against it. There is only one war the establishment still allows us to support: The Civil War. Although we remain blissfully ignorant of its many defeats and bumbling leadership... Lincoln's near defeat for re-election etc...

But I digress. It seems that currently we have returned to that previous state of journalism in regards to President Obama. Going back to the early days of campaigning the press showed a deep reluctance to dig into any of the more embarrassing histories and associations of Obama. Moreover, they treat him with a sort of reverence and awe that can only be compared to the treatment our first president received. Indeed, only George Washington was treated with more respect and honor than President Obama. Unfortunately, there is no doubt as to where this newfound respect and deference originate, and we cannot hope to see the return of a time when the media had some kind of standards... It is less from respect for the office, the country, and more a result of anatomical "thrills" as Chris Matthews would put it. But then you could call George Washington a "community leader" too!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Nirbama?


Utopianism has long been a hope and dream of western civilization. Primarily a vision of the Left, I think it is safe to ask ourselves if many of our fellow Americans have finally reached that final stage of Enlightenment and entered Nirbama.

Let us recap. The new president has had more than his fair share of self- induced problems. We can only hope his ever changing cabinet may finally settle down in the next couple of years... probably just in time for the taped phone conversations between Rahm Immanuel and Hot Rod Blago to go live. His deer in the headlights "trade war?! What's a trade war" moment kicked us off towards the reconciliation and global respect we lost during the Bush years, and his unconstitutional power grab for the census has yet to shake the faithful. The New Republic has declared conservatism dead, presumably slain by St Barack. Bushitler's Secretary of War obviously was redeemed from his evil master, presumably in private medition with The One. Why else would he remain close to The One? Even though The One keeps his secrets we know it must be for our great good.

This is because he has indeed led huge numbers of the nation into a new stage of enlightenment: Nirbama is Now. Medical professionals and mystics have discovered a causal relation between Bush Derangement Syndrome and Nirbama; the stronger the case of BDS the quicker the transition into Nirbama. What is Nirbama? A unique and highly enlightened state of mind. No less an authority than Gautama Buddha himself declared that the origin of suffering is ignorance. The greatest ignorance is not knowing the true nature of reality and entering a stage of self detachment from what we westerners would call reality. It seems that followers of The One Dalaibama have discovered a unique form of detachment from reality.

Remember the Buddha's teaching:
  • Anicca (Sanskrit: anitya): That all things are impermanent.
  • Anatta (Sanskrit: anātman): That the perception of a constant "self" is an illusion.
  • Dukkha (Sanskrit: duḥkha): That all beings suffer from all situations due to unclear mind.
Clearly "facts" are part of the impermanent. No longer ignorant to passing fancies called "facts" those who have entered Nirbama suffer from no unclear thoughts.Free from illusion they can follow The One in spite of the tyranny called Reality. Enter Nirbama and drink from the waters of Understanding.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Free your Mind


One of the most fascinating realities of human nature is our blind faith in individualism and human autonomy. The truth is we tend to make very few decisions based on facts, knowledge, and critical thinking. I was talking about this with a student/friend who has been slowly awakened the reality that he lives in a Left wing establishment in spite of all the anti-establishment talk and posturing from that same establishment. This has been slow for him because young Americans especially have a hard time "seeing" or realizing the reality they live in and continue to think exactly what our cultural establishment "tells" them to think.

In this regard, they are no different from their elders, because this is human nature. This is why people on the Left who vote democrat continue to insist in spite of the mountain of evidence against them that the republicans are more corrupt than the democrats. Why multiculturalism is good even though it is destroying Black America and now Hispanic America. In order to break out of this, they need to have an "ah ha!" moment that forces them to see something as it really is and forces them to understand their own humanity a little better.

I have discovered that a great way to get students and people turning this direction is to have them think about racism or slavery in American history. In my lectures on ontology and critical thinking I ask students to think about how many people were racists before the Civil Rights Movement. We talk about how a majority of people simply believed or ignored the truth of segregation and racism even though it was right in front of them every day of their lives. Rather than move on to the typical and predictable discussion 12 years of Establishment Left Wing Education has prepared them for, I then force them to confront their own humanity: "Given this reality, looking around the room of 20-30 people in it, our friends, fellow students, professor, is it not reasonable to conclude that if we were to time warp all of us back to the 50s that a majority of us would in fact be racists?" I then ask them if there is any way they can deny this. It ignites a great discussion and a lot of productive thinking. I ask them if there is any way any of them can guarantee that they would not have simply believed what their culture taught them to believe? No one ever raises their hand because the doubt is too clear, too obvious.

This is a great lecture, because it forces them to relate themselves to their "racists ancestors" in a way that is totally unpredicted and way too uncomfortable. It forces them to see just how easily deceived they can be by the cultural establishment. They realize that one of the great sorrows of human evil is that very often it is not intentional, it's just that we don't like seeing it, so we reinterpret it and create straw men to attack instead. It's Bush's fault, or it's a reaction to years of colonial imperialism. Some clever students even begin relating it to their immediate culture. "Are you saying that we have most of our values and beliefs installed in our minds in such way that we never know about it" Very disturbing and very enlightening. I have asked many of my students what this means for the world around them. Are they being fair when they interpret radical Muslims as neo-marxists who will suddenly not hate us when we give them their lands back and recognize their humanity? If it's understandable that the Palestinians hate and kill Israelis because Israel took their land would it be understandable if Native Americans suddenly started a terrorist campaign right here and now? (I have Native blood). How about if I decided to kill them? What if the Jews started blowing up targets all across Europe in response to thousands of years of anti-semitism? And here is the kicker- this was our last lecture last semester- what if the Iraq War turns Iraq into a stable democracy and and in turn destablizes Islamic radicalism and Arab despotism? One of my students who is a hard leftist, but has been thinking very honestly and openly, laughed. He said it would be traumatic, because Bush would end up being a great leader and visionary. He said what seems amazing is that it seems very possible...

There are a million directions such enlightening moments can take. I would advise letting the person take it where they need to take it. Because if real critical thinking has happened they are suddenly open to "seeing" reality for the first time. This can be painful and deeply disturbing as many of my students have told me. Doubt sets in on all sides. And that is good. Because the Left Wing Establishment has made it impossible for an open mind not to see their hypocrisy and corruption. Moreoever, the last thing we want to do is make the same failures my left wing colleagues have made and inadvertently indoctrinate our students and friends. If we are right, and people learn to think honestly, then as their minds are pried open they should begin to turn Right. If not, well, then they can help us correct our thinking. Free minds- that's what I aim for. it may seem contradictory given my opening argument, but I am not arguing for Utopia, just a little awareness. Those moments do happen. The Civil Rights Movement proves it.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Clinton 2.d'oh! redux


President Obama continues his upgraded, broadband, overclocked, reboot of the Clinton presidency. The 2.d'oh! revolution continues. No president in history degraded the White House and the position of president quite as effectively as Bill Clinton. I had this debate with a colleague just this week. I asked what she thought of an older man in a position of great power who used that power to have sex with a young woman barely a few years older than his daughter. Well, in that decontextualized way you can imagine what she said about the sexist and degrading behavior of such a man. Then I mentioned Clinton. Her defense: Well, she came onto him. Me: So if one of my students comes onto me that makes it ok? Well, no. But you people are always so judgemental. It was a private act! That is the line I always wait for, because it offers me my best chance to co-opt the progressive "if the People lead, the Leaders will" follow attitude of the Left: The Oval Office is not a private office. It's the office of the people, la gente (it's very effective to throw a few highly accented Spanish phrases into the mix, even if you grew up speaking English first and have no accent).

I have about a 50% success rate with that basic fact. My colleague is a decent women who simply cannot let go of her faith in the Democratic party, but when she realized this fact she did admit that there was something destructive and degrading about what President Clinton did. The other half of President Clinton's story is that he got away with it. In doing both he degraded the office in a way it never had been. Now President Obama has not done anything like that, and probably won't but he has broken a long standing tradition of presidents and started blaming the previous President. In his press conference yesterday he got a little cranky (missed nap time?) and reminded his audience that he inherited this economy.

Now this is shameful and degrading on so many levels. First, it infers that the economy is only the fault of Bush and republicans, a childish and dishonest look at how we got here. But there is a much deeper and disturbing character flaw suggested by such a statement. It almost seems easier to "understand" Clinton's failure because it is such an old and common one for men. When an adult male starts whining and blaming other people, we should have an instinctive revulsion to such behavior. It is not mature, and it is certainly not what great leaders do. Did Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, or Churchill ever do anything even close?! Clinton at least waited a few years before foisting his indignity on the office of President. Obama couldn't wait a few weeks.

Have no illusions here. This is a very serious issue. President Bush had every opportunity to blame shift. After all, it was the Clinton administration who failed to act about terrorism. But Bush never even came close to blaming Clinton. Bush could have blamed the democrats for the economy, but no (maybe he should have tried to be a little more vocal here). Bush never even called out the democrats for their irresponsible, Al-Jazeera evening newsbite comments like, "The War is Lost" (Harry Reid before the surge he voted for had been implemented). Even though those irresponsible statements by democrats functioned as "one for the Gipper" moments in terrorists camps Bush still never called out or blamed his democratic colleagues. Yet here we have the leader of America and the free world almost whining as he suddenly realizes maybe I don't want to play ball with the big kids after all. They don't put the ball on a tee after I couldn't hit it!

This is very painful to watch. And write. While disagreeing with President Obama, I do not want to see him fail or be mocked. Growing up in a rough and lower class world, my first instinct is to mock Obama a whole lot more than I have done here. But something restrains me and even nags at me about the things I have already written. You know what that is? The dignity and respect surrounding the Office of President of the United States. But president Obama, like Clinton before him, has done great damage to the nobility and honor of the office. I would still die for President Obama, but it would now be only the "President" and not "Obama" I would die for. He has degraded the office of President in a way no president before him has ever done. No, he didn't sound like a whiny child, but it doesn't matter. No president has ever played that blame game, because it is undignified and not worthy of the office. Presidents don't behave like that. Great Leaders don't behave like that. Children and rank immature, partisans behave like that. Bloggers and journalists can behave like that. But presidents NEVER behave like that. Or at least they never have before. You have sullied and tarnished the office, Mr. President. Please stop.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Gay Horse Poetry?

Academia has been down the rabbit hole for a really long time. In their feverish hysteria to be transgressive and avante garde they continue to sink further and further into abject stupidity. We are currently in a stage of infinite regress ever seeking some new low. And no matter how many Churchills, Bellesiles, Duke scandals, et al we have we only pretend that there is no iceberg below the water. Like Christian Scientists or hyper pentecostals we refuse to let reality intrude.

Gay horse poetry you may ask? The phrase comes from a friend (the same guy who wrote the story) and an English class he was in. The class was writing short fiction and a girl wrote a vivid description of currying her horse. He and another guy saw a great opportunity for a new genre, hence the sobriquet "gay horse poetry." They were mocking their professor and posited the question what if horses were gay and felt repressed and marginalized? Maybe they too need an outlet, a voice, a stage, an audience to sympathize? The phrase embodies both the tendency on the left to hyperventilate if any minority group is under represented, and their less than rational knee jerk response to blame failure on racism and bigotry. Since then the phrase has become a sort of catch all for anything insanely stupid the Left wing Establishment throws out there. "Sounds like gay horse poetry to me."

Since I work in academia I find myself in a lot of gay horse poetry moments. We talk ad nauseum about diversity and multiculturalism, but everything on campus always ends up coming from a western leftist perspective. Years ago someone noticed that black students weren't getting high enough grades to get into elite universities. So... let's lower the standards and call it affirmative action. The result? Black college students weren't able to perform and compete in those elite unversities and had a high drop out rate. Let's create disciplines called ethnic studies! The result? No one is hiring black graduates, because no one knows what an ethnic studies major does. But it must be institutionalized racism again. Couldn't be the fact that we never went back and asked black high schoolers to learn reading, writing, and arithmatic... Of course black students are worse off than before, but that's not our fault! Gay Horse Poetry policy in action. The word "committee" has become an institutionalized Gay Horse Poetry moment in and of itself. One of my favorites Gay Horse Poetry events is "conflict resolution training." In Mexico we call that cock fighting, but then academia is not quite diverse enough for that aspect of Mexican culture. Bad little brown brother.

Open Source Push

This is exciting- at least if you're into tech and care about free markets. His comments about capitalism are thought provoking too.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Clinton 2.d'oh!


"I've got to own up to my mistake which is that ultimately it's important for this administration to send a message that there aren't two sets of rules. You know, one for prominent people and one for ordinary folks who have to pay their taxes." (Cited Here. Video not yet available.)

Thus, President Obama washes his hands and stills the raging waters once again. Like Jesus, he arises, speaks a few calm words and stills the storm. And his disciples were sore amazed saying among themselves "Who is this man that even journalists and lobbyists obey him?" One of the best article titles on the latest Obama debacle comes from AP writer Calvin Woodward "Obama comes under sharp criticism from himself" ?! If you're not smiling you should be. That one was hilarious. Read the article, it's even funnier. Disciple Woodward manages to turn the whole thing into a victory for Obama who ends up being so much different than that Bush guy who could not criticize himself.

Ordinary Americans should be shrugging their shoulders as this proves even more that Obama is nothing more than Clinton 2.0: more charming, quick witted, and socially interactive. For those of you that don't know, web 2.0 refers to things like Facebook and Delicious that allow the user to "personalize." They are "dynamic" environments where things "change" constantly. Sound familiar? It should. Obama "changes" much faster and far more dynamically than Clinton ever did. He is even more adept at "personalizing" the average American's pain right? I mean the price of arugula has skyrocketed causing us to cling to our boom sticks and sky spirit...

But any honest American would have asked President Obama the questions Williams, Couric, and the rest of America's Truth Squad somehow missed, "If there aren't two sets of rules for prominent people then why does Geithner get to stay?" "Why does Eric Holder, who pardoned a prominent rich man because another prominent rich man received a payoff from the first rich man's wife, get to stay?" Two sets of rules anyone? As one famous ordinary American would say, "D'oh!"

Monday, February 2, 2009

Google Shutdown

Dont know if you noticed the Google failure Saturday, but it has generated a lot of discussion in the tech world. One of the general fears is a type of Matrix centralization of control and power. Ironically, Google is the company aiming for that. Rumor has it they are anticipating a future where every computer is linked to a fulltime global internet. Not a far fetched idea. Google's response to that is to think of their system, their apps, as your one stop shop. They envision a completely online Operating System, document management system etc. No hard drive needed because nothing is stored locally. They have it all. Your computer operates through their servers, apps, and software.

Tech people tend to be instinctive leftists- primarily for reasons I have covered in other posts. But they also have a strong commitment to the free market, especially competition, because they have so much positive experience with competition producing better products. What we all worry about is a web monoculture that emulates Microsoft's 90s dominance of the software market- generally considered a bad time for innovation. But what happens if someone hacks that network or if it shuts down? Y2k all over again or nothing to worry about?

Sunday, February 1, 2009

True Story of the Multicult


One of the best illustrations of the the level of abject stupidity that exists in our culture comes from my first semester as a grad student. My best friend decided to write an article for the school newspaper about a fictitious trip he took over Spring Break to South America to do humanitarian work with a primitive tribe. Except for some minor details the following is absolutely true.

He wrote a fairly typical description of humanitarian relief work that happened through the first few days of the trip: water purification type stuff followed by evenings filled with amazing cultural experiences that somehow always ended up placing western culture and America in a bad light. The real kicker, though, came when he described an ancient tribal ritual they were allowed to watch toward the end of the trip. He described a small glen or meadow with a fallen tree trunk placed at the far end of the clearing under a tall cliff. The trunk had obviously been there for years and was stained with a deep dark brownish tint that did not look like the wood's natural color. He was soon to find out why... But first a youth of the village was tied completely nude, face up to the tree. To his surprise, and the total consternation of the rest of his group, the women of the village proceeded to have "rape like" sex with the youth over and over again. My friend vividly described his gut level reactions and all the confusion he experienced watching this event, but he was able to overcome his first instinctive judgementalism and accept the "Other" (a loaded term on the Left. From Edward Said). In the article he wrote that he now sees that this is because he had been privy to such an inclusive and tolerant education.

But the real shock of the event came when another group of young women brought their newborn babies to the tree trunk and proceeded, one at a time, to beat their children to death on the very same tree trunk. My friend vividly described the disparate reactions between him and his fellow westerners. Because of his education he was able to see the deep cultural significance of the ritual, obviously some sort of fertility ritual indicating the circular nature of life. But friends and fellow westerners were appalled and horrified by the barbarous nature of these "savages."

Well- you get the picture. Some of the details may be off. This was at least 8 years ago, but the essential facts about a "rape" and "murder" being understood as something significant due to his multicultural education are absolutely true. When I first read it I told him there was no way the newspaper would publish it- they would see through it.

Guess again. They published it and loved it. As did a number of professors. My friend was stopped in hallways time and again and congratulated on his sensitivity. What was more amazing was that when he told the truth a few weeks later, not one of those open minded members of the multicult examined their beliefs for one iota. They were mad at him and that was it! Not even a small ray of doubt disturbed their comfortable righteousness.

Brave new world that has such people in it.