i haven't written on this in awhile, for what reason, i don't know. in any case, i have just a few things to make observations about, little blips, if i can do this short...
big controversy last week over delegate frank hargrove's response to the idea that the state of virginia general assembly make a formal apology to all blacks concerning slavery. his response was that they should "get over it." then he went on to say that making whites atone for slavery was like asking jews to apologize for killing christ. ouch. my first response was to shake my head, but as much as i hate to admit it, i am getting really weary of the ongoing civil war debate. it seems that relations between blacks and whites has gotten worse instead of better, and i think there is much more polarization now than there was before. now it is sort of an insidious undercurrent, and i think to a certain extent all of us are sucked in. i am. i am not for reparations to blacks for slavery, and i am getting a bit weary of having to defend what is essentially history. it happened. so did the holocaust, so did the internment of japanese during WWII and so did we wipe out the native americans. not everything can be solved by giving people money or apologizing formally. would that change anything between white people and blacks? i don't think so.
blip II: what is wrong with george bush and the rest of his posse? why send in 21,500 more troops to "get the job done" when the american public clearly sent a message via voting in november that we don't want this war? why should be devote any more money, time or lives to a cause that may not end in what we want? and speaking for what we want, what exactly is that since there are no weapons of mass destruction? my thoughts: i don't think every culture needs to be democratic. sometimes it is better just to leave people and their countries alone. democracy too has its pitfalls, not the least of which is the disintegration of american cultures and basic human morals.
blip III: the lack of sustained cold weather is just killing me. i am truly discovering how cyclical i am. i need cold, gloomy weather. i need to hibernate, be dormant. that way i can appreciate spring when it comes. right now, there has been no winter, just extended forays into spring or fall. for those who don't think global warming is a problem, spend xmas in richmond wearing shorts in 70 degree weather.
blip IV: i am tired of people in general. they annoy the hell out of me, especially the younger ones, who are always bitching and complaining and seemingly ungrateful about everything that comes so easily to them. i avoid the 20 somethings as much as possible at school, especially the special ed ones. all i hear from them are constant whines about how much paperwork they have to do, etc. that pill goes down a bit hard with me, as they don't have to grade papers and most are presiding over classes of less than 10 if it is a resource class, or they are glorious backup in the classroom for the regular teacher. the amount of work they do outside the classroom is minimal, and they seem to have more money to burn than god. so what is their complaint? life is good and they don't even know it.
blip V: who cares about american idol, survivor part 96, dancing with the stars, big fat loser, and the rest of the reality shows? well, apparently i must be the only one who doesn't based upon the ratings. this makes me both sad and scared. majority rules in this country, and apparently the shallow end of the gene pool is being catered to.
blip VI: abortion. my observation on that is as follows. the only ones who have benefited from abortions for the most part are the middle to upper class who can afford it. those who are poor and likely shouldn't be breeding are still doing so, keeping their kids, and not parenting. somedays, after seeing some of the pisspoor parenting is see with my students, i wonder if the chinese don't have it right and put a cap on the number of kids people can have. small wonder that society is rotting from the inside out. we just keep having kids who are brought up on a steady diet of television (remember the content above?), video games (more ways to expand your brain and learn not to read), rap music ( another joke. why can't those young people use their positions of power and rap about something positive for kids to emulate?) and junk food. never mind that most of them act like they have been raised by wolves, which it sometimes feels as if they have been. the lack of common courtesy and respect for others around you has become pretty apparent if you ever shop at walmart. just trying to negotiate down an aisle and get people to let you pass is a wonder in and of itself.
blip VII: money is still the root of all evil. period. and i have no idea how to raise a child to think about something other than money when he is living in a world that puts money and the acquisition of it as a priority. how you get it doesn't matter. just get it. no matter if you lie cheat or steal. do it.
blip VIII: cheaply paid teachers, highly paid athletes and the american obsession with sports. it seems that every time derek jeter comes to bat he is paid around $32,000. that means that one and a half at bats equals what i make in a year. which one of us is the most valuable to society? hmmm. what about athletes as role models? check the paper daily for the constant parade of sorry characters who have money, prestige and face time, yet fritter what they have away doing nothing positive. and they whine because they have the spotlight on them. or they whine because they don't want to be role models. tough tittikaka. you want fame, you have to take what comes with it, which should be responsibility. but who expects that? most of these athletes have been told all their lives how great they are and how invincible they are. so why should they feel like they have to act with any modicum of decorum? they can practically buy their way out of any crisis they get into, and they get a lot of slack because they are famous. how many chances would i get if i were to commit the same crimes? it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure that one out.
