Read The Untold Secrets of Pregnancy and Giving Birth on Medium.com
This blog is a collection of pieces I've written for classes, other blogs, and current topics to consider in relation to American society. There are many topics covered in this blog and I hope you will learn something new as I have in researching each piece I've written. Some posts will lead you directly to another site where I publish stories, but many of my posts are exclusively found here.
Thursday, May 30, 2019
Pregnancy and Giving Birth: Untold Secrets
Read The Untold Secrets of Pregnancy and Giving Birth on Medium.com
Sunday, May 26, 2019
Cutting the Cord
It turns out to be a lot easier than we thought it would be. You can read my new article Cord Cutting Anxieties? Take the Leap! on Medium.com
Monday, May 20, 2019
Understanding Polling Data, or How to Critique Political Polling
Find me on Medium to read more.
Thursday, May 16, 2019
Thursday Thoughts: My Life as a Mom in Alabama
It's been a couple of days since I've written and mostly it is because I have been actively living out a life of freedom while I can. I've got two pieces I am working on, along with an informational presentation on Deviance. However, this week has been devastating for me because I am a resident of "Alabama the Beautiful," which is what you will see on our state signs as you cross the border into this deep red state.
I arrived in Alabama when I was still in my mother's womb. I was born in the same hospital system all three of my children were born in. I live in a county that is one of the fastest growing areas of the nation, which was largely unaffected by the recession when Dubya was in office. We lost chain stores, but still managed because the area is diverse with technology, military, NASA, car manufacturing (a Toyota plant is 10 minutes from me) and medical centers. In fact, my little rural corner of the county is growing so fast, the country folk do not like it at all. They curse having new options, but fill the new Walmart and restaurants like they're small Disney Worlds. Walmart is a bustling hotspot in Hazel Green, Alabama on a Friday night!
As most have read by now, Alabama has signed off on the most restrictive abortion ban thus far in the U.S., in a solid effort to challenge Roe v. Wade. It is intended to go straight to the Supreme Court. Basically, lawmakers and the first female governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey, have told women that you better load up on the morning after pill, just in case.
I know women who've had abortions in this state, and I know men who have had partners who've had abortions. In fact, in my last semester of school in my Research Methodology class, someone admitted to me that she had an abortion because she has multiple sclerosis and could not have carried the baby to term. Other women that I know of, very unfortunately, used it as a form of birth control. I'm not an advocate for abortion, I am an advocate for having the right to choose. It isn't something I would do unless it was under extreme conditions. I have also known many couples that would have given anything for the chance at a private adoption, only to have one after another fall through because the mother changed her mind. I admire the women who take on the burden of a pregnancy just to hand a child off to someone else, but they know that child will be loved and cared for.
My first pregnancy (my son), was horrible, and I said I would never do it again. I had morning sickness almost as soon as I found out I was pregnant until a few weeks before giving birth. Yet, when I remember that moment when I looked into my son's eyes, and he looked back at me, it was magical. Our souls were connected in a way I never thought was possible. I immediately knew I had to have more children.
My twin pregnancy was no picnic, but I had become the queen of managing morning sickness and manages to get those girls to over 35 weeks into my pregnancy, and although they were a month early, they were perfectly healthy and came home three days after they were cut from my womb.
You will never hear me claim that I am the best mother in the world. I've been pretty open about how hard it is for me to parent my children for varying reasons. I question my temperament, my parenting, and live with guilt every day. However, I do love them to the core of my soul and would do anything to protect them.
Now that the abortion ban has been passed, and there are no guarantees in life, I fear for my daughters and for my son. I have twin girls who are almost 11, one of whom tell tells me she believes she is gay. I do worry about how that will ultimately affect her life experiences in school - as kids are so mean - but I see openly gay teens at the high school when I get my son, so that gives me hope (those kids look very happy and well adjusted). Of course, even in the 90s, you didn't openly admit you were gay in high school. That was far too taboo.
Last evening when I told my girls what the law was about, one of them said, quite frankly, "what, do I not own my own body now!" Yes, even a ten (well, almost 11) year old understands the gravity of what this means. If they were raped, we would have to go to a hospital for a rape test kid to be administrated, then would have to obtain a morning after pill prescription, which is apparently still okay to take.
My son is also vulnerable. I've raised my son to be respectful towards women. Just recently, he risked losing two friends (and ultimately they told him to go eff himself) because he warned his female friend not to associate with them. Their intentions were to simply have sex with her and nothing else. The girl's mother called my son and thanked him for warning her daughter. I am very proud of my son for doing what he did because it was the right thing. He was thinking with his heart, and that isn't commonly found among hormonal teenagers. However, what if my son gets into a relationship with a girl, and they have both done what they can to have safe sex with additional birth control, and something happens? Alabama isn't just limiting the rights of women, but they are also going to force men to be fathers when, in some cases, they are not ready mentally, emotionally, or financially.
Almost every case of child abuse and neglect I've read about in this state has direct correlations with parents being poor. They are often times younger, do not have good educational backgrounds, and are living at or under the poverty line. They are frustrated, and do not have the ability, or have been taught how to handle a child with colic, or are poor and live among roaches, with little to no clothing, or a safe place to fall asleep at night. In the city, Huntsville, these stories are not as widely reported or known. In the county, everyone knows everyone else, and people talk. So I know about these kids and I know where they live, how they look, and who they are living with. I know of one boy whose parents are still married, and another boy whose parents are two moms, then one girl who has parents still married. Outside of that, I'm not sure I know anyone who is living with their mom and dad, or in a traditional family setting. One girl, whom I call Voldemort because of the mind-games she pushed on my child, causing a lot of mental and emotional harm. She lives with her grandparents because her mother can't have parental rights. Her grandparents mean well, and are good people, but they are blind and clueless. They really just brush off the deviant behavior and believe everything will work out okay. No, it won't. This girl was trying to convince my child to commit suicide. That's really, really messed up. Another girl lives with her aunt and uncle, gets to visit with her siblings every so often, and is blind in one eye because he brother shot her with a BB gun and her parents were too high to care about taking her to the doctor to have her eye treated. She is also quick to fall into the bed of any boy that would take her. Then, there are the kids that go to school without a jacket in the dead of winter, but their parent's car is shiny and new. The number of severely obese children is alarming, as are the ones you can tell have lacked decent nutrition all of their life. There's also the teen who gets in trouble at school for showing up late so often, who finally breaks down and says "if you knew what was going on in my home, and how much effort it takes just to get to school, you would stop harassing me about being late."
These outliers in rural America are not secluded to places like Hazel Green. They exist in the city but are more often overlooked because they are fewer and farther between within the school population, or they go unseen, remaining under the radar. These are the kids that pop out at me, because after my years of studying sociology, my eye is trained to look for individuals that are being failed by the system. There are some social safety nets for them. The kids who get free lunches also have churches and local businesses donating to give them food to take home for the weekend so they will not go hungry. Schools whose lost-and-found pieces are never picked up turn them into clothing supplies for next year's students. Unfortunately, some parents just do not care if their child is wearing the same clothing all week, and they haven't bathed in days.
This antithesis of a Normal Rockwell painting will be even more apparent if women are forced to be incubators for unwanted children. Other women will have dumpster babies (a horrible phrase that still happens in the 21st century). Others will go to back alleys or use coat hangers. Those are not myths. History will repeat itself because people have not learned the lesson history was meant to teach us.
In Alabama, where every state surrounding us has a lottery, and there are at least five churches in every damn square mile of the state (prove me wrong on that one), and where educational funding is secondary to trying to entice big business into the area with corporate welfare, but has no Medicaid expansion, how can we expect anything less than an outright abortion ban, that is illegal under our current national law?
In Alabama, if you are new to the area, the first thing they ask you is "what church do you go to," and then "what football team do you go for?" Ask anyone who has moved to Alabama, and they will confirm this with 100% accuracy. Before my son was born, we moved to a rental house in a nice part of Huntsville and I lied to my neighbors. I told them we went to some church I made up, and well, Roll Tide Roll.
I am not shocked by the new abortion ban in Alabama. I am, however, scared about where this country is headed. The harder women push for equal rights (remember the Equal Rights Amendment was never ratified), the harder red states push back to limit a woman's rights. In Alabama, they will force you, with all their might, to keep an unwanted pregnancy, because they claim to be pro-life. However, we have a horrendously high maternal death rate, especially among the poor and minority women of the state. Those pro-life lawmakers do not care about how a woman cares for herself during pregnancy (unless you're a junkie, because you will be arrested if that baby comes out having withdrawals), and will not go out of their way to assist anyone after they give birth. Is that pro-life, or is that anti-choice?
* Apparently some edits I made prior to publishing did not stick. That's what I get for using my phone instead of my computer. Sorry for any confusion, as some edits made for wonky paragraphs and sentences.
I arrived in Alabama when I was still in my mother's womb. I was born in the same hospital system all three of my children were born in. I live in a county that is one of the fastest growing areas of the nation, which was largely unaffected by the recession when Dubya was in office. We lost chain stores, but still managed because the area is diverse with technology, military, NASA, car manufacturing (a Toyota plant is 10 minutes from me) and medical centers. In fact, my little rural corner of the county is growing so fast, the country folk do not like it at all. They curse having new options, but fill the new Walmart and restaurants like they're small Disney Worlds. Walmart is a bustling hotspot in Hazel Green, Alabama on a Friday night!
As most have read by now, Alabama has signed off on the most restrictive abortion ban thus far in the U.S., in a solid effort to challenge Roe v. Wade. It is intended to go straight to the Supreme Court. Basically, lawmakers and the first female governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey, have told women that you better load up on the morning after pill, just in case.
I know women who've had abortions in this state, and I know men who have had partners who've had abortions. In fact, in my last semester of school in my Research Methodology class, someone admitted to me that she had an abortion because she has multiple sclerosis and could not have carried the baby to term. Other women that I know of, very unfortunately, used it as a form of birth control. I'm not an advocate for abortion, I am an advocate for having the right to choose. It isn't something I would do unless it was under extreme conditions. I have also known many couples that would have given anything for the chance at a private adoption, only to have one after another fall through because the mother changed her mind. I admire the women who take on the burden of a pregnancy just to hand a child off to someone else, but they know that child will be loved and cared for.
My first pregnancy (my son), was horrible, and I said I would never do it again. I had morning sickness almost as soon as I found out I was pregnant until a few weeks before giving birth. Yet, when I remember that moment when I looked into my son's eyes, and he looked back at me, it was magical. Our souls were connected in a way I never thought was possible. I immediately knew I had to have more children.
My twin pregnancy was no picnic, but I had become the queen of managing morning sickness and manages to get those girls to over 35 weeks into my pregnancy, and although they were a month early, they were perfectly healthy and came home three days after they were cut from my womb.
You will never hear me claim that I am the best mother in the world. I've been pretty open about how hard it is for me to parent my children for varying reasons. I question my temperament, my parenting, and live with guilt every day. However, I do love them to the core of my soul and would do anything to protect them.
Now that the abortion ban has been passed, and there are no guarantees in life, I fear for my daughters and for my son. I have twin girls who are almost 11, one of whom tell tells me she believes she is gay. I do worry about how that will ultimately affect her life experiences in school - as kids are so mean - but I see openly gay teens at the high school when I get my son, so that gives me hope (those kids look very happy and well adjusted). Of course, even in the 90s, you didn't openly admit you were gay in high school. That was far too taboo.
Last evening when I told my girls what the law was about, one of them said, quite frankly, "what, do I not own my own body now!" Yes, even a ten (well, almost 11) year old understands the gravity of what this means. If they were raped, we would have to go to a hospital for a rape test kid to be administrated, then would have to obtain a morning after pill prescription, which is apparently still okay to take.
My son is also vulnerable. I've raised my son to be respectful towards women. Just recently, he risked losing two friends (and ultimately they told him to go eff himself) because he warned his female friend not to associate with them. Their intentions were to simply have sex with her and nothing else. The girl's mother called my son and thanked him for warning her daughter. I am very proud of my son for doing what he did because it was the right thing. He was thinking with his heart, and that isn't commonly found among hormonal teenagers. However, what if my son gets into a relationship with a girl, and they have both done what they can to have safe sex with additional birth control, and something happens? Alabama isn't just limiting the rights of women, but they are also going to force men to be fathers when, in some cases, they are not ready mentally, emotionally, or financially.
Almost every case of child abuse and neglect I've read about in this state has direct correlations with parents being poor. They are often times younger, do not have good educational backgrounds, and are living at or under the poverty line. They are frustrated, and do not have the ability, or have been taught how to handle a child with colic, or are poor and live among roaches, with little to no clothing, or a safe place to fall asleep at night. In the city, Huntsville, these stories are not as widely reported or known. In the county, everyone knows everyone else, and people talk. So I know about these kids and I know where they live, how they look, and who they are living with. I know of one boy whose parents are still married, and another boy whose parents are two moms, then one girl who has parents still married. Outside of that, I'm not sure I know anyone who is living with their mom and dad, or in a traditional family setting. One girl, whom I call Voldemort because of the mind-games she pushed on my child, causing a lot of mental and emotional harm. She lives with her grandparents because her mother can't have parental rights. Her grandparents mean well, and are good people, but they are blind and clueless. They really just brush off the deviant behavior and believe everything will work out okay. No, it won't. This girl was trying to convince my child to commit suicide. That's really, really messed up. Another girl lives with her aunt and uncle, gets to visit with her siblings every so often, and is blind in one eye because he brother shot her with a BB gun and her parents were too high to care about taking her to the doctor to have her eye treated. She is also quick to fall into the bed of any boy that would take her. Then, there are the kids that go to school without a jacket in the dead of winter, but their parent's car is shiny and new. The number of severely obese children is alarming, as are the ones you can tell have lacked decent nutrition all of their life. There's also the teen who gets in trouble at school for showing up late so often, who finally breaks down and says "if you knew what was going on in my home, and how much effort it takes just to get to school, you would stop harassing me about being late."
These outliers in rural America are not secluded to places like Hazel Green. They exist in the city but are more often overlooked because they are fewer and farther between within the school population, or they go unseen, remaining under the radar. These are the kids that pop out at me, because after my years of studying sociology, my eye is trained to look for individuals that are being failed by the system. There are some social safety nets for them. The kids who get free lunches also have churches and local businesses donating to give them food to take home for the weekend so they will not go hungry. Schools whose lost-and-found pieces are never picked up turn them into clothing supplies for next year's students. Unfortunately, some parents just do not care if their child is wearing the same clothing all week, and they haven't bathed in days.
This antithesis of a Normal Rockwell painting will be even more apparent if women are forced to be incubators for unwanted children. Other women will have dumpster babies (a horrible phrase that still happens in the 21st century). Others will go to back alleys or use coat hangers. Those are not myths. History will repeat itself because people have not learned the lesson history was meant to teach us.
In Alabama, where every state surrounding us has a lottery, and there are at least five churches in every damn square mile of the state (prove me wrong on that one), and where educational funding is secondary to trying to entice big business into the area with corporate welfare, but has no Medicaid expansion, how can we expect anything less than an outright abortion ban, that is illegal under our current national law?
In Alabama, if you are new to the area, the first thing they ask you is "what church do you go to," and then "what football team do you go for?" Ask anyone who has moved to Alabama, and they will confirm this with 100% accuracy. Before my son was born, we moved to a rental house in a nice part of Huntsville and I lied to my neighbors. I told them we went to some church I made up, and well, Roll Tide Roll.
I am not shocked by the new abortion ban in Alabama. I am, however, scared about where this country is headed. The harder women push for equal rights (remember the Equal Rights Amendment was never ratified), the harder red states push back to limit a woman's rights. In Alabama, they will force you, with all their might, to keep an unwanted pregnancy, because they claim to be pro-life. However, we have a horrendously high maternal death rate, especially among the poor and minority women of the state. Those pro-life lawmakers do not care about how a woman cares for herself during pregnancy (unless you're a junkie, because you will be arrested if that baby comes out having withdrawals), and will not go out of their way to assist anyone after they give birth. Is that pro-life, or is that anti-choice?
* Apparently some edits I made prior to publishing did not stick. That's what I get for using my phone instead of my computer. Sorry for any confusion, as some edits made for wonky paragraphs and sentences.
Monday, May 13, 2019
White Supremacy on the Rise?
Before 6 a.m., I grab my coffee and sit down to think about what I am going to write about today. Immediately I know, because I just woke up from a horrible dream about 15 minutes prior to sitting down. My dream was about the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, and how I had to examine why Dylann Roof did what he did. I am not sure why I had this dream or what during the day crept into my subconscious to create this dream, but it immediately inspired me to write this morning.
I want to know if white supremacy is on the rise, or if we are just seeing more instances of its reporting because we life in a digitized world that is able to freely share everything instantaneously.
I normally start with a Google search to start down the rabbit hole of research. The image here is precisely what I saw when I started typing the subject. I was looking for something more closely related to the topic I'm writing on, but instead, I see this.
What we see here is either one of two things. Either I have previously searched this topic and looked for what we see in the results (I am refraining from retyping them for several reasons), or these are frequent searches that people have made of the query so many times, this is what Google thinks I am looking for. I can assure you, the results seen here are nothing similar to what I was looking for. In fact, I was going to type "white supremacy on the rise," but the results shocked me so much that I was immediately compelled to do a screen shot and share it.
This almost answers my questions without going further. If Google's instinct is to try to point me towards what appears to be a book or clothing (I know Supreme is a brand and is not necessarily related), then yes, it is on the rise.
But why?
What factors have, or are affecting the rise in white supremacy?
The Harvard Gazette reports what I at least, in part suspected: the decline of unifying institutions, the backlash against a black president, and the depth of anti-immigrant rhetoric all refuel an old idea. This is a global rise, not just an American issue. The same report opens with mentions of the "two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand; 11 killed at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh; six murdered at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City; one run over in Charlottesville, Va.; nine gunned down at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston," which was published March 18, 2019. This does not include what has happened since then. More shootings, white nationalist protests at a Holocaust Remembrance event, and the list goes on.
If I were to draw up a simple hypothesis for research, where I identify what factors have given an unseen permission for white supremacists to come out of the woodwork in droves, it would be very similar to what was reported above.
The Pew Research article has a lot of information that is worth reading on the overall feel for where we are on many topics. If you have time, please at least take a look at the graphics showing the data, which is quite relevant to understanding the current political feel in America.
When Trump was asked if he believed white supremacy was on the rise, which was a question posed to him after the Christchurch massacre, his response was, "I don't really, I think it’s a small group of people."
If that is true, then riddle me this: why would I get the Google search result I did this morning when I started this article? If it is a small group of people, why would I see a suggested result that would lead me to places that could aid me if I were a white supremacist, rather than alternative results that would indicate something less foreboding?
For all the platforms that have shut down hate groups and limited hate speech as much as they can, there is always the dark underbelly of the internet to supply people with the associations they are looking for to reinforce their radical beliefs. There is no way to shut it all down, and we do have our Freedom of Speech, even for hate speech.
We need to ask ourselves, in our democracy, should hate speech be protected? Can we limit Freedom of Speech under the First Amendment, and still be free?
To answer that question, I would need to write a 20+ page position piece, and I'm sure most of you don't have the time for that.
I do want you to think about it.
“If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent
we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”
― George Washington
I want to know if white supremacy is on the rise, or if we are just seeing more instances of its reporting because we life in a digitized world that is able to freely share everything instantaneously.
What we see here is either one of two things. Either I have previously searched this topic and looked for what we see in the results (I am refraining from retyping them for several reasons), or these are frequent searches that people have made of the query so many times, this is what Google thinks I am looking for. I can assure you, the results seen here are nothing similar to what I was looking for. In fact, I was going to type "white supremacy on the rise," but the results shocked me so much that I was immediately compelled to do a screen shot and share it.
This almost answers my questions without going further. If Google's instinct is to try to point me towards what appears to be a book or clothing (I know Supreme is a brand and is not necessarily related), then yes, it is on the rise.
But why?
What factors have, or are affecting the rise in white supremacy?
The Harvard Gazette reports what I at least, in part suspected: the decline of unifying institutions, the backlash against a black president, and the depth of anti-immigrant rhetoric all refuel an old idea. This is a global rise, not just an American issue. The same report opens with mentions of the "two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand; 11 killed at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh; six murdered at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City; one run over in Charlottesville, Va.; nine gunned down at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston," which was published March 18, 2019. This does not include what has happened since then. More shootings, white nationalist protests at a Holocaust Remembrance event, and the list goes on.
If I were to draw up a simple hypothesis for research, where I identify what factors have given an unseen permission for white supremacists to come out of the woodwork in droves, it would be very similar to what was reported above.
I will not flesh out this hypothesis in great detail because the answer is empirical. We have seen the rise slowly build after Obama was elected, because simply put, many did not like the idea of having a black president. Trump has done very little to denounce white nationalists, and the anti-immigrant sentiment across the globe is on the rise as war, political unrest, and poverty have forced people out of their country to seek refuge in a safer environment. These are all well established facts.
In a new survey, a 56% majority says Trump has done too little to distance himself from white nationalist groups; 29% say he has done about the right amount to distance himself from such groups, while 7% say he has done too much. These views are virtually unchanged since December 2016, shortly before Trump took office.The fact that numbers have not changed since Trump took office is probably linked to his base support, which hovers between 35-39%. However, the interesting numbers are those who say he has done too much to distance himself from white nationalists. Is this 7% the population which makes up the same percentage of white supremacists or white nationalists in America?
The Pew Research article has a lot of information that is worth reading on the overall feel for where we are on many topics. If you have time, please at least take a look at the graphics showing the data, which is quite relevant to understanding the current political feel in America.
If that is true, then riddle me this: why would I get the Google search result I did this morning when I started this article? If it is a small group of people, why would I see a suggested result that would lead me to places that could aid me if I were a white supremacist, rather than alternative results that would indicate something less foreboding?
For all the platforms that have shut down hate groups and limited hate speech as much as they can, there is always the dark underbelly of the internet to supply people with the associations they are looking for to reinforce their radical beliefs. There is no way to shut it all down, and we do have our Freedom of Speech, even for hate speech.
We need to ask ourselves, in our democracy, should hate speech be protected? Can we limit Freedom of Speech under the First Amendment, and still be free?
To answer that question, I would need to write a 20+ page position piece, and I'm sure most of you don't have the time for that.
I do want you to think about it.
“If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent
we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”
― George Washington
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Thoughts on Mother's Day
My personal story is complex. I did not grow up in a traditional home. My mother was still pregnant with me when she and my biological father separated. However, my husband and I have a mostly-traditional home. He has a daughter that is now 27 that decided to cut ties from us after the twins were born in 2008. We miss her, but I have to focus on the things I have an impact on, and there is nothing I can do now to change what has become. I am certain of this because I have tried, and failed.
Mother's day is hard for me because my mother passed in 2014. I also really dislike having to celebrate obligatory holidays that put me at the center of attention. Actually, I dislike obligatory holidays, period. Part of it is because of the materialistic consumerism that evades my space before every holiday. I suppose at some point I just realized that there is so much going on in life, the pressure to meet some unknown expectation has just become too much for me. The expectation is unknown because of the society we live in. Each year, you are pressured to spend more, give more, and that is okay, but I do not like materialism. I do not believe men need to go out and buy jewelry just because a jewelry store keeps saying you need to. That's just an example, I have plenty more, but I will stop before I go too far.
At some point in time, my children will look at Mother's day and will want to celebrate it with me. My son brought it up to my husband last week, but he knew I probably didn't want to celebrate, so that gave him the excuse to let it go. I'd rather my children write me little love notes and leave them on my desk, as they have in the past. I can't count the number of sticky-notes I have with "I love you" signed by one of the three kids. Some are on my desk, others are in random spots around the house. In life, sometimes it truly is the little things that matter the most.
A friend once told me that if I were to try so hard to make every moment special and memorable, then what would make the really special moments indelible? I was feeling so guilty last summer when my children had no vacation, and I couldn't take them anywhere because I had a surgery that left me in a bed, with limited abilities, for almost the entire summer. In fact, I was finally healed enough to function just in time to shop for school supplies and clothing. They were so bored and I felt so incredibly guilty. It was the epitome of miserable.
It is those kinds of things in life that make it hard to face the reality of parenting. I've written before about how I can see why some mothers quit, take off, and leave their children. The aching pain of thoughts like "they'd be better off without me" can eat away at your very soul. Of course, not everyone is made to be a parent. I was an only child that ended up with three kids and sibling rivalry is something I do not handle very well. In fact, just last night I was talking to one of my girls and told her that she needed to just sit and enjoy her sister's company. She spat out the truth: that's not how sisters work. At least, not all the time. Having twins that are like night and day is hard. Parenting is hard. Trying to live up to expectations that were put out into the universe by who-knows-who is unachievable. Yet, I still try.
I'm not perfect, but I'm not horrible. I have days where I cry, yell, and laugh all within a few hours. It is perfectly normal as a mother. Being sad and happy all at once is a part of motherhood. No matter how twisted my feelings are inside about celebrating Mother's day, I wouldn't go back and change anything - except being a better daughter to my momma.
To those celebrating, enjoy it. Enjoy those smiles, hugs, and if you have babies that are crying, enjoy that too. Every moment passes and you can't get it back. Every miserable or memorable moment is worth the time to live in that very occassion.
Saturday, May 11, 2019
Racial Pay Gaps Are NOT Acceptable
This is the last writing I have to share from 2015. It is a good reflection of how easily we forget the actors in the GOP field's thoughts on social issues during the 2016 Presidential election. I can't even remember at this moment if Carson is still the head of HUD. All I remember is that there were scandals, and those were on top of other scandals, on top of other scandals... and since the first day of Trump's Presidency, there has been a scandal a day to discuss. As my husband and I have said in the past: we prefer our politicians to keep their scandalous behavior behind closed doors and not out in public. It is depressing. It eats away at our souls - our ability to move forward in progress. I look forward to a day where things change and each day is not another news cycle of scandal.
* Eitzen, D. S., Zinn, M. B., & Smith, K. E. (2013). In conflict and order: Understanding society
(13th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
---
(click here to read the article, screen shot via Facebook)
I do not think Ben Carson knows anything about the realities of society. I believe he is ignorant and foolish to push an agenda where it is okay to continue oppressing minorities in America.
First, poverty rates for minority groups have always been higher than for whites. In 2009, 11 percent of Whites were poor, compared with 11 percent of Asian Americans, 23 percent of Hispanics, and 25 percent of Blacks (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2009).*
Harvard Business Review did an excellent job at discussing whether race or gender relates to pay. Although there are many factors when looking at wage gaps across race and gender, the fact is that minorities are out of work more than whites, and get paid less. Period.
For Carson to say that this is okay, only further propagates the racial divide and inequality in America. It is called Racial Stratification:
"... racial stratification deprives people of color of equal access to society’s resources and thereby creates family patterns that are different from the idealized family model.
The most important feature of racial stratification is the exclusion of people of color from equal access to society’s valued resources. People of color or racial ethnics have less power, wealth, and social status than do other people in the United States. African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans constitute the largest of the racial minorities in the United States.
... Racial stratification exists because certain segments of society benefit from it."*
Who benefits from Racial Stratification? Rich white men.
Who runs most of our government? Rich white men.
Think about it. They continue to oppress the minorities so the ones of wealth and opportunity do not lose their place in society. In other words, rich white men benefit the most from oppressing minorities, women, and the poor.
It is time we stop listening to the politicians on topics and start doing our research, which includes trying to figure out why in the world they say the things they do (I've stopped trying to rationalize Trump's hateful banter).
So, although Carson is black, he is just another political figure trying to gain votes, and since the majority of voters are white, and middle-to-upper class, he has to pander to them. It is grossly disturbing.
Things must change.
* Eitzen, D. S., Zinn, M. B., & Smith, K. E. (2013). In conflict and order: Understanding society
(13th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Xenophobia and Ethnocentrism is in Abundance
Here is a piece from 2015 that is especially critical of Trump. I admit, I am not a fan. As someone that has a degree in Sociology, I believe there is no way I could be pro-Trump because I see the issues he creates and issues that fester under his "rule." I am a very frustrated American, and I will not criticize you if you voted for him, but I will ask you this: Has he improved your America? My personal answer is emphatically "no." You may see things differently.
Xenophobia is defined as an irrational or intense dislike or fear of people from other countries.
Ethnocentrism is the tendency to look upon other cultures or people from other societies as being wrong, essentially believing one's own specific culture or society is superior.
Since the summer of 2015, we have seen ethnocentric beliefs when condemning Mexican immigrants, and xenophobic banter about Syrian refugees. It is spreading like disease across our country.
I get it, we are scared of a repeat of 9/11. We are scared of mass shooting. We are scared of ending up like many countries in Europe and the Middle East, where we are not safe. We do not want another Boston Marathon bombing.
However, we can not turn our backs on the needy, the helpless, the homeless. We shouldn't, but when you look at America on a macro level, that is exactly what we have been doing.
America turns its back on the poor by cutting SNAP benefits. American turns it back on the graying population by cutting Social Security benefits. America is cutting social programs that help the poor, the needy, the elderly, and our Veterans.
However, they have no problem handing out social welfare to big oil with more than $4 billion in government subsidies, or other billions of dollars of subsidies to big corporate America.
The point I am making is that if you have money, America will back you up. If you are needy, you'll stay needy. If you are Mexican, expect fears of mass deportation and being targeted even if you are a documented immigrant or a legal citizen. If you are a Syrian refugee, some people have it out for you. If you are Muslim, beware. Apparently, Trump and others are calling to shut down all Muslim places of worship. His rants are sounding a lot like Hitler lately.
What separates Trump and his xenophobia and ethnocentrism from the beginning rants of Hitler? Hitler wanted to make Germany great again; Trump wants to make America great again. How? Well for one, when the oppressed have no rights, they can't rise up. Hitler did not believe in workers' rights. Trump believes Americans make too much money (in other words, the minimum wage is too high). Where Hitler wanted a master race, Trump wants a mass deportation. The parallels are there. We aren't even a century away from Hitler's reign of terror, and a new wave has begun with Trump and the other Republicans that mimic is discontent with immigrants, refugees, women's rights, and the list goes on.
This is not a time for xenophobia or ethnocentrism. This is a time for shrinking the gaps of inequality between race, genders, and socioeconomic classes. The American system isn't truly set up to close those gaps, but when you elect officials, you should elect officials that try to narrow these gaps. In other words, we must try to fight social stratification. We must stop labeling people as inferior, unworthy, or secondary to the upper crust.
We also must stop the war on religions. Let people worship in their houses of worship. There are good Christians, Muslims, Jews, etc., and there are evil ones, too. Radicals. They exist everywhere in every nation. One Islamic radicals doesn't mean all Muslims are jihadists. We must get past this belief, America!
---
Ethnocentrism is the tendency to look upon other cultures or people from other societies as being wrong, essentially believing one's own specific culture or society is superior.
Since the summer of 2015, we have seen ethnocentric beliefs when condemning Mexican immigrants, and xenophobic banter about Syrian refugees. It is spreading like disease across our country.
I get it, we are scared of a repeat of 9/11. We are scared of mass shooting. We are scared of ending up like many countries in Europe and the Middle East, where we are not safe. We do not want another Boston Marathon bombing.
However, we can not turn our backs on the needy, the helpless, the homeless. We shouldn't, but when you look at America on a macro level, that is exactly what we have been doing.
America turns its back on the poor by cutting SNAP benefits. American turns it back on the graying population by cutting Social Security benefits. America is cutting social programs that help the poor, the needy, the elderly, and our Veterans.
However, they have no problem handing out social welfare to big oil with more than $4 billion in government subsidies, or other billions of dollars of subsidies to big corporate America.
The point I am making is that if you have money, America will back you up. If you are needy, you'll stay needy. If you are Mexican, expect fears of mass deportation and being targeted even if you are a documented immigrant or a legal citizen. If you are a Syrian refugee, some people have it out for you. If you are Muslim, beware. Apparently, Trump and others are calling to shut down all Muslim places of worship. His rants are sounding a lot like Hitler lately.
What separates Trump and his xenophobia and ethnocentrism from the beginning rants of Hitler? Hitler wanted to make Germany great again; Trump wants to make America great again. How? Well for one, when the oppressed have no rights, they can't rise up. Hitler did not believe in workers' rights. Trump believes Americans make too much money (in other words, the minimum wage is too high). Where Hitler wanted a master race, Trump wants a mass deportation. The parallels are there. We aren't even a century away from Hitler's reign of terror, and a new wave has begun with Trump and the other Republicans that mimic is discontent with immigrants, refugees, women's rights, and the list goes on.
This is not a time for xenophobia or ethnocentrism. This is a time for shrinking the gaps of inequality between race, genders, and socioeconomic classes. The American system isn't truly set up to close those gaps, but when you elect officials, you should elect officials that try to narrow these gaps. In other words, we must try to fight social stratification. We must stop labeling people as inferior, unworthy, or secondary to the upper crust.
We also must stop the war on religions. Let people worship in their houses of worship. There are good Christians, Muslims, Jews, etc., and there are evil ones, too. Radicals. They exist everywhere in every nation. One Islamic radicals doesn't mean all Muslims are jihadists. We must get past this belief, America!
Oppression is Infectious
This is another writing from 2015 that again, is still applicable in 2019. Re-reading my writing from four years ago is a little depressing because I realize things have only gotten worse.
I am becoming more and more frustrated with the news. Republicans make me moody, honestly. What is sad is that it was not always this way. I've voted for Republicans in the past, admired Ronald Reagan when I was a child, and he still has admirable traits even when you see past trickle-down economics and other faults. I loved John McCain until Sarah Palin entered his life. I even voted for a Republican governor in my home state many years ago. So, I don't hate Republicans, but I really, really dislike a lot of what is being said by GOP Presidential hopefuls.
When Obama became POTUS, I was happy to see progress in America. I felt that minorities really stepped up and made a statement and with that, we may see more equality in America. We all know how the rate of inequality has actually increased. In part, we can blame racism. After all, The Tea Party was born out of the birthers movement, and after that, the Southern Poverty Law Center has tracked an increase in hate groups since Obama took office.
I also remember seeing a lot of posters with Obama's face with the word "Marxist" scribbled beneath it. If you ask Google what Marxism is, it gives a simple answer: the political and economic theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, later developed by their followers to form the basis for the theory and practice of communism. Sounds pretty ominous. It lead to communism? So, that's bad, right?
Well, Karl Marx was a very intelligent man, and he had some very interesting things to say about the analysis of society. His views fall under what is called the Conflict Model. Simply put, the Conflict Model views society as always being in conflict and it is actually a normal feature of life. However, it also states that the distribution of power is influenced by the conflict in society, where there is always competition for advantage. Marx believed that the tension in society was between two basic groups: the ones that have wealth and the means of production, and the poor that have to work for the wealthy. He believed the powerful are always working to protect their status and privileges, and oppress those who have no power. The oppressed accept what is handed to them, until they become aware and start a revolution.
That seems pretty logical, at least to me. In fact, it appear as if that is exactly what is going on in America today. Let me give you a few examples. Planned Parenthood has been under attack by Governors and Republicans in Congress. Giving underprivileged women access to family planning, cancer screening, STD testing, and yes, even the right to have an abortion. When women are deprived this access, they have less power. This is a good example of how the haves oppress the have-nots. Voting laws have also been changed in various states, and because of this, the oppressed have less options to obtain proper ID and then they do not vote. More oppression.
---
When Obama became POTUS, I was happy to see progress in America. I felt that minorities really stepped up and made a statement and with that, we may see more equality in America. We all know how the rate of inequality has actually increased. In part, we can blame racism. After all, The Tea Party was born out of the birthers movement, and after that, the Southern Poverty Law Center has tracked an increase in hate groups since Obama took office.
I also remember seeing a lot of posters with Obama's face with the word "Marxist" scribbled beneath it. If you ask Google what Marxism is, it gives a simple answer: the political and economic theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, later developed by their followers to form the basis for the theory and practice of communism. Sounds pretty ominous. It lead to communism? So, that's bad, right?
Well, Karl Marx was a very intelligent man, and he had some very interesting things to say about the analysis of society. His views fall under what is called the Conflict Model. Simply put, the Conflict Model views society as always being in conflict and it is actually a normal feature of life. However, it also states that the distribution of power is influenced by the conflict in society, where there is always competition for advantage. Marx believed that the tension in society was between two basic groups: the ones that have wealth and the means of production, and the poor that have to work for the wealthy. He believed the powerful are always working to protect their status and privileges, and oppress those who have no power. The oppressed accept what is handed to them, until they become aware and start a revolution.
That seems pretty logical, at least to me. In fact, it appear as if that is exactly what is going on in America today. Let me give you a few examples. Planned Parenthood has been under attack by Governors and Republicans in Congress. Giving underprivileged women access to family planning, cancer screening, STD testing, and yes, even the right to have an abortion. When women are deprived this access, they have less power. This is a good example of how the haves oppress the have-nots. Voting laws have also been changed in various states, and because of this, the oppressed have less options to obtain proper ID and then they do not vote. More oppression.
Oppression is like an infectious disease. It spreads like the flu, except there is no vaccination or protection against it.
It isn't just women that are being oppressed, minorities have always, and may always be continually oppressed. The white male in America has the most life chances to succeed, and everyone else is ranked below him. A simple look at the majority of politicians, the wage gap between genders, and the rate of incarceration for minorities are all proof positive for my statements.
The elements of oppression are topics I will discuss further in my blog. Each topic deserves its own dedicated post.
To circle back to my original thought about Republicans making me moody, it is because I see all the oppression, proposed oppression, and radical ethnocentrism coming from that side of the political aisle. They're always fighting about something, and that "something" is usually about keeping oppressive policies in place or how to create new ones . On the other side, the Democrats are fighting are about how to create equality and lessen the gaps of inequality.
It is such a stark contrast, and I suppose to each his own, but one side seems a lot more like a communist party than one of democracy. Perhaps that's just me.
It isn't just women that are being oppressed, minorities have always, and may always be continually oppressed. The white male in America has the most life chances to succeed, and everyone else is ranked below him. A simple look at the majority of politicians, the wage gap between genders, and the rate of incarceration for minorities are all proof positive for my statements.
The elements of oppression are topics I will discuss further in my blog. Each topic deserves its own dedicated post.
To circle back to my original thought about Republicans making me moody, it is because I see all the oppression, proposed oppression, and radical ethnocentrism coming from that side of the political aisle. They're always fighting about something, and that "something" is usually about keeping oppressive policies in place or how to create new ones . On the other side, the Democrats are fighting are about how to create equality and lessen the gaps of inequality.
It is such a stark contrast, and I suppose to each his own, but one side seems a lot more like a communist party than one of democracy. Perhaps that's just me.
Immigration Facts the Media and Politicians Fail to Mention
Here is another writing from 2015 that remains an issue. Again, it is more of an issue today than it was in 2015. As I take these writings from 2015, I realize that we have yet to improve upon these social dilemmas in four years. We can only blame ourselves because we elect the people responsible to improve our lives. This is why we must vote each and every election, and do our homework on the people we are voting for. We must also use critical thinking and logic, which seems to be scarce.
---
The most frustrating issue we are facing, as I have alluded to in my previous posts, is immigration and refugees. Many are labeled as possible deviants, terrorists, and subsequently, a strain on our economy. So, let's get some facts straight.
Last year in 2014, about 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants lived in the U.S. That number is actually lower than previous years, so immigration to the U.S. is actually in decline.
Mexicans make up about half of the number of unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S., and their immigration trend is also in decline.
A little more than 5% of the labor force in America is made up of unauthorized immigrants.
About 7% of students ages 5-18 have an unauthorized immigrant parent.
(via Pew Research)
Now let us put this into perspective. The immigration debate focuses on Mexicans. Due to this ethnocentric banter, people are led to believe that getting rid of Mexicans will solve America's immigration problem. Border security is a drum that has been beaten over and over again, and they're referring to our border with Mexico. There are even hate groups dedicated to personally patrolling the Mexican border with their xenophobic rhetoric.
However, all of this hate projected towards undocumented Mexican immigrants is only about half of the total undocumented immigration issue. This boils down to basic racism.
Those who oppose a pathway to legal documentation or citizenship for undocumented immigrants fail to realize just how beneficial immigrants are to America. Immigrants are consumers. They purchase groceries, gas, clothing, and other amenities such as televisions, phones, furniture - you get the point. When they make these purchases, they are paying in local economies.
Let's use Nevada as an example. It has the largest share of undocumented immigrants in the U.S., about 8%, which equates to about 904,000 people. A 2014 Census Population Estimate has Nevada with an estimated 2.8 million occupants. Now, since only about half of undocumented immigrants are Mexican, let's assume there is a massive effort to deport Mexicans from Nevada. That would drop about 450,000 people from the population overnight. That is 450,000 people no longer consuming food, gas, or paying into local and state economies. That is a lot of lost revenue that would practically disappear overnight.
If there are 11.3 million undocumented immigrants and we somehow, magically, deport them over night, it would be equivalent to taking the entire state of Ohio and erasing it from the economy.
Let that sink in for a moment. An entire state is gone.
Now, imagine allowing those immigrants a way to become documented. They will then pay into the Federal and State tax systems, securing the social programs that are having hard times. We will disregard the disparities of our American budget for the sake of argument, here. Social Security is having a hard time supporting Baby Boomers because Americans are having fewer children, and is actually below the replacement fertility rate. This means there aren't enough workers paying into the system to keep the Social Security machine well oiled. If half of the population of undocumented immigrants are workers, and they make about $8 an hour, working 40 hours a week, each worker would pay $1,030 a year into Social Security alone, which then totals $5.8 billion paid by newly documented workers. Hello to a renewed Social Security system.
So, armed with factual data, you tell me: deportation, or a pathway to legal documentation and/or citizenship. I believe the answer is clear.
Last year in 2014, about 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants lived in the U.S. That number is actually lower than previous years, so immigration to the U.S. is actually in decline.
Mexicans make up about half of the number of unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S., and their immigration trend is also in decline.
A little more than 5% of the labor force in America is made up of unauthorized immigrants.
About 7% of students ages 5-18 have an unauthorized immigrant parent.
(via Pew Research)
Now let us put this into perspective. The immigration debate focuses on Mexicans. Due to this ethnocentric banter, people are led to believe that getting rid of Mexicans will solve America's immigration problem. Border security is a drum that has been beaten over and over again, and they're referring to our border with Mexico. There are even hate groups dedicated to personally patrolling the Mexican border with their xenophobic rhetoric.
However, all of this hate projected towards undocumented Mexican immigrants is only about half of the total undocumented immigration issue. This boils down to basic racism.
Those who oppose a pathway to legal documentation or citizenship for undocumented immigrants fail to realize just how beneficial immigrants are to America. Immigrants are consumers. They purchase groceries, gas, clothing, and other amenities such as televisions, phones, furniture - you get the point. When they make these purchases, they are paying in local economies.
Let's use Nevada as an example. It has the largest share of undocumented immigrants in the U.S., about 8%, which equates to about 904,000 people. A 2014 Census Population Estimate has Nevada with an estimated 2.8 million occupants. Now, since only about half of undocumented immigrants are Mexican, let's assume there is a massive effort to deport Mexicans from Nevada. That would drop about 450,000 people from the population overnight. That is 450,000 people no longer consuming food, gas, or paying into local and state economies. That is a lot of lost revenue that would practically disappear overnight.
If there are 11.3 million undocumented immigrants and we somehow, magically, deport them over night, it would be equivalent to taking the entire state of Ohio and erasing it from the economy.
Let that sink in for a moment. An entire state is gone.
Now, imagine allowing those immigrants a way to become documented. They will then pay into the Federal and State tax systems, securing the social programs that are having hard times. We will disregard the disparities of our American budget for the sake of argument, here. Social Security is having a hard time supporting Baby Boomers because Americans are having fewer children, and is actually below the replacement fertility rate. This means there aren't enough workers paying into the system to keep the Social Security machine well oiled. If half of the population of undocumented immigrants are workers, and they make about $8 an hour, working 40 hours a week, each worker would pay $1,030 a year into Social Security alone, which then totals $5.8 billion paid by newly documented workers. Hello to a renewed Social Security system.
So, armed with factual data, you tell me: deportation, or a pathway to legal documentation and/or citizenship. I believe the answer is clear.
Truth is Hard to Come By
Here is another writing from 2015 that is more applicable to today than even four years ago. We have a President that peddles in lies, but many do not care. I care.
Truth. It isn't something that you can find very easily these days. This is why I decided to start this blog, and do it anonymously. I have to. There are too many radicals out there that may track me down and try to do something to me or my family.
Radicals. They are all around us. Yes, we are all aware of ISIS, and yes, they are radical extremists clinging to Sharia law and the Muslim faith. However, I am more concerned about my life, my freedoms, and the oppressive government run by radical Christians.
I have nothing against your religious affiliation. We live in America and we were granted religious freedom by the First Amendment:
Religion should not be a part of politics, but it is. We see it every day, and especially now, Tuesday November 17, just four days after Paris was under attack by ISIS. Many of the GOP Presidential hopefuls would have you believe these "evil Muslims" were Syrian refugees who made their way to France under false pretenses, and carried out these mass murders. It is a lie.
As reported by CNN, the suspected mastermind of the attacks in Paris is Belgian. Apparently, that isn't stopping House Republicans from trying to thwart efforts to allow Syrian refugees into the U.S. It has become a talking point to reject refugees, reject Muslims, and reject the basic foundation of America. We are a country built upon the backs of immigrants, and the Statue of Liberty is in place to shine a light for those seeking a better life.
The behavior by many is atrocious.
Perhaps these radical politicians should be reminded of how America has grown its own terrorists, and Christians have shed rivers of blood in the name of Christ. If you don't know what I am referring to, then you don't know history, and you know keep up with the news. Read about the Inquisition, Dylann Roof, Timothy McVeigh, America's Promise Ministry, the American Family Association, The American Freedom Party... and the list goes on.
If you want the truth, I suggest digging around the internet and avoiding media owned by conglomerates. Find the truth on your own, because the mass media isn't providing it, presidential candidates are not providing the truth (especially Republicans), and funny little memes on your social network feeds aren't providing the truth, either.
The truth. That is what I am working towards finding, and what I am looking forward to providing.
---
Truth. It isn't something that you can find very easily these days. This is why I decided to start this blog, and do it anonymously. I have to. There are too many radicals out there that may track me down and try to do something to me or my family.
Radicals. They are all around us. Yes, we are all aware of ISIS, and yes, they are radical extremists clinging to Sharia law and the Muslim faith. However, I am more concerned about my life, my freedoms, and the oppressive government run by radical Christians.
I have nothing against your religious affiliation. We live in America and we were granted religious freedom by the First Amendment:
Religious freedom is a fundamental human right that is guaranteed by the First Amendment's Free Exercise and Establishment clauses. It encompasses not only the right to believe (or not to believe), but also the right to express and to manifest religious beliefs. These rights are fundamental and should not be subject to political process and majority votes. (via The ACLU)
Religion should not be a part of politics, but it is. We see it every day, and especially now, Tuesday November 17, just four days after Paris was under attack by ISIS. Many of the GOP Presidential hopefuls would have you believe these "evil Muslims" were Syrian refugees who made their way to France under false pretenses, and carried out these mass murders. It is a lie.
The behavior by many is atrocious.
Perhaps these radical politicians should be reminded of how America has grown its own terrorists, and Christians have shed rivers of blood in the name of Christ. If you don't know what I am referring to, then you don't know history, and you know keep up with the news. Read about the Inquisition, Dylann Roof, Timothy McVeigh, America's Promise Ministry, the American Family Association, The American Freedom Party... and the list goes on.
If you want the truth, I suggest digging around the internet and avoiding media owned by conglomerates. Find the truth on your own, because the mass media isn't providing it, presidential candidates are not providing the truth (especially Republicans), and funny little memes on your social network feeds aren't providing the truth, either.
The truth. That is what I am working towards finding, and what I am looking forward to providing.
Religious Extremism in America - Homegrown Terrorists
This is something I wrote back in 2015 for a blog that is no longer in use. I believe the material is still relevant to today's issues, if not more so.
---
America's ruling class is white, and they a majority claim to be Christian. I use the term "claim" because they certainly do not act Christian. However, by 2050, the Muslim Faith will be challenging the Christian Faith in the top religion of the world. I often ponder on what America would be like if our politicians actually followed the First Amendment and separated church from state, and from politics. I could chew on that thought all day long.
But this isn't about the future, this is about today. This is about social control, and how religion's ideological programming of its followers works to strip away an individual's ability to think for themselves. Social controls are everywhere. For every agent that reinforces expected behaviors, morals, conformity, values, or even tradition are all agents of social control. The truth is, you are under some sort of social control right now. Nobody wants to admit it, but through the natural socialization process you've moved through in life, you have been subjected to agents of social control. We all have; accept it. It's okay. It's a part of living in a society.
Religion is one of the agents of ideological social control that I believe, has the largest impact on America. There are other forms of ideological social control, like the family we were raised within, formal education, the media, sports, and of course, the government. Ideological social control is a sort of brainwashing, to put it bluntly. It sounds scary when I've just told you we are all under some sort of social control, and I know many of you reading this are thinking I'm crazy and there is no way you are under any sort of social control. Just hear me out, okay?
Social control exists to not only ensure a more peaceful society. Without some sort of social control, children wouldn't be taught the rules of society. If you want to be a part of society, you need to know how to behave. So, social control is good because without it, we might be a society of deviants running a muck where personal safety does not exist.
However, ideological social control goes a little further. It uses belief systems that may or may not have real moral values, and religious followers are indoctrinated to such a point that even after leaving a religious sect, one may still always feel that what was taught to them is the only right, or correct way to think, behave, or live life.
With regard to religion, it also creates Christian Extremists. We have seen a lot of this over the years. People are mass-murdered because they are so mad at the government because we've allowed gays to marry, or we still have legal rights to abortion, or because we've offended their bigoted, racists beliefs. All of these people have been white males, and if I am wrong, I will stand corrected, but I can't think of one incident where a "Christian" committed a mass murder in the United States who wasn't a white male. Perhaps they exist, but we all know the majority of these crimes fall back on crazy white men.
I grew up Presbyterian and left the church because I was told if a woman divorces a man, and then remarries, she is still committing adultery. I was in my early teens when I knew this was not right. What if that woman was abused and beaten and the husband was cruel? Would God really want her to stay with him? If so, this is not the God I want to believe in. Then I went to a Baptist church, and was fear mongered into believing that I would spend my eternity in the lake of fire if I didn't believe what was being taught to me. I ran away from organized religion after that. I explored other religions, and it my studies showed me what was most important was to know they all have different paths into believing there is a higher power.
Then I learned about how the original Biblical codex was much more than the Bible we have today. Stories were cherry picked for inclusion, and it wasn't until after it was translated into English that stories changed, for example, Mary was no Virgin. But that is for you to seek out - or perhaps I will write about it one day, but this isn't the time.
My point is, religion forces its followers to think and behave the way they want you to, and in doing so, you are under an ideological social control. But it changes over time. It is amazing to me how many Christians raise protest signs that proclaims "Jesus hates gays," and people like Pat Robertson blame natural disasters on social issues, like the ruling to give LGBT community members civil equality.
It is that very sense on thinking that creates America's homegrown terrorists. There is much more to fear from the white man packing a gun than there is a refugee from a country riddled with war, child and human exploitation and trafficking, and other human atrocities. In fact, it seems to me, quite sadly, that if you are toting a Bible and waving it to the masses, you will have followers coming in flocks. No matter what you say, how bigoted you are, that Bible and a pulpit allows people to make crazy statements and get away with it. The media swarms in and propagates the message, and a new extremist is born. Then they take their guns in the name of Christ, and act like the very terrorists we want to extinguish from the world.
My point is, religion forces its followers to think and behave the way they want you to, and in doing so, you are under an ideological social control. But it changes over time. It is amazing to me how many Christians raise protest signs that proclaims "Jesus hates gays," and people like Pat Robertson blame natural disasters on social issues, like the ruling to give LGBT community members civil equality.
It is that very sense on thinking that creates America's homegrown terrorists. There is much more to fear from the white man packing a gun than there is a refugee from a country riddled with war, child and human exploitation and trafficking, and other human atrocities. In fact, it seems to me, quite sadly, that if you are toting a Bible and waving it to the masses, you will have followers coming in flocks. No matter what you say, how bigoted you are, that Bible and a pulpit allows people to make crazy statements and get away with it. The media swarms in and propagates the message, and a new extremist is born. Then they take their guns in the name of Christ, and act like the very terrorists we want to extinguish from the world.
There is some kind of higher power in the Universe. I'm not sure what it is, but I am sure religious extremism isn't something any "God" would truly want from its followers.
Friday, May 10, 2019
Privatization of Prisons: The GEO Group, Campaign Donations, Misconduct, and Profit
Read more about the GEO Group and how they pay-to-play in the Trump Administration at Medium.com
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
A Marvelous Universe
Being a GenX woman, wife, mother - it is understood that I grew up on pop culture. From Saturday morning cartoons with the Smurfs to movies that brought deeper meaning to my life, pop culture plays a large role in my life. I still have pictures of me wearing Wonder Woman underoos, hugging on my stuffed E.T., and showing off my pride and joy: two Cabbage Patch kids and a boom-box. I remember roller skating to Michael Jackson, and even the Ewok Song that was released after Return of the Jedi. My Atari, watching Nickelodeon on a black and white television... I could reminisce all day long.
When I saw Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, I remember crying after the movie because Han Solo had been frozen in carbonite. I was too young to understand that there could be another movie that could resolve this. I loved going to see movies, and as the 80s rolled into "my decade" of the 90s, the number of movies that left a lasting impression on me continued to stack up.
Since the turn of the new millennium, the movie industry changed as well. We now have more than just Lucas and Spielberg to make the kind of movies we want our kids to see. We have creators with just as much imagination and vision with an unlimited amount of resources to make their movies into spectacular visual events. Specifically, we have the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Just two days ago, as I was cleaning out a catch-all bin, I found my ticket stubs from August 2011 for Captain America: The First Avenger, in 3D. I remember taking my son, then just 8 years old, and he was mesmerized. Captain America (and Chris Evans himself) is someone my son has always admired. This past Christmas, I purchased an official still-shot from the movie that was a limited production piece. This is something he will treasure forever. If you know anything about the MCU, you know that Captain America might be the most morally righteous and courageous character of all time. If there is any fictional character to be inspired by, Captain America is an excellent choice.
I can't recall all the MCU movies I have seen in the theatre. I can say that I took pride in being able to take all of my children, my son who is almost 16, and my twin daughters who are almost 11, to see Captain Marvel in March. I felt it was important for my girls to see a strong female character in a movie that shows how superheroes can be tough as nails, without being a male!
Last night, I finally got to see Avengers: Endgame (NO SPOILERS HERE). I have become emotionally tied to these characters because I love the movies and have seen them countless times. I can easily say that I watch at least one movie from the MCU a week, if not more. I enjoy the action, the comic relief, and the escape from reality. Week days are for watching the news and dealing with adult issues. Weekends are for relaxing and escaping from the harsh reality we live in (from school shootings to a White House that breaks norms on a regular basis). Either way, I love the MCU and the characters. So, it should be no surprise that I had very few moments where my eyes were dry during Endgame.
I cry very easily. From happy tears to tears of empathy and sympathy - tears simply flows easily for me. I wasn't always like this. I think being a mother turned me into a much more emotional person because I relate to events and people on a different level. I can watch a sporting event and be so happy for whomever is winning, but if I see the athlete's mom in the crowd crying with pride, I cry too. That's just who I am.
So yes, Endgame was, or is, the only movie where I have cried from beginning to end. I even cried talking about it to my son after I came home. Okay I admit it, I cried in the car on the way home, too. Granted I don't watch rom-coms, or sad movies where you know from the start the protagonist is going to die from some cancer or catastrophic event. I like sci-fi, action, adventure, and psychological thriller or horror movies. I still doubt there are many movies out there that could get me crying from the first scene to the last scene (and beyond).
There are a lot of things I write about that are more serious. However, I would not be able to make it through this day without writing about the end of the Avengers as we know it. I am so excited about future movies in the MCU and the Star Wars Universe. For all the different kinds of anthologies out there, Marvel and Star Wars are my absolute favorite (although Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit closely follow). The magic of the worlds they bring to us is more than just a story on a screen. It's people we identify with, hope to be like, or wish we could live in a world like what we see. Much like the pop culture I grew up into, today's pop culture helps define generations, friendships, and escape into a marvelous universe like no other.
I feel any time you enter a dream world it's like you're working out things, it's all inside your mind and you're working it out, be it Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, or the kids in Narnia, they go through this weird journey that's not real, and they're going through this journey psychologically. It's that journey of discovery, of getting oneself together, that fantasy and fairy tales are so good at. And while some people still look upon them as completely unrealistic, for me they're more real than most things that are perceived as real. - Tim Burton
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Tiger Woods and the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Legendary golfer Tiger Woods was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom yesterday, May 6, 2019. President Trump held the ceremony in the Rose Garden on what appeared to be a very lovely day.
As an avid news junkie, I took note of how media outlets (outside of President Trump's favorite channel) made a little bit of a stink about the award. Although Trump has given the Medal of Freedom to at least one questionable individual in the past, was Tiger Woods really a controversial pick? It is well known that Woods and Trump have golfed together in the past, and it would not be wrong to assume they have mutually benefited from their association with each other. However, that does not mean Tiger Woods did not deserve his award.
The Medal of Freedom can be awarded to "any person selected by the President," including individuals who have made cultural impacts. Tiger Woods has indeed made an impact on American culture. As noted by ESPN, legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus was awarded the Medal of Freedom in the past. Other notable recipients include Oprah Winfrey, Stephen Hawking, Tom Brokaw, Warren Buffett, Yogi Berra, and Colin Powell, just to name a few.
One of the biggest issues President Trump has with the "mainstream media" is that he is not covered fairly. We can look at his Twitter feed and see what he likes to watch, which is the heavily right-leaning Fox News organization, because they generally speak more fondly of him than more liberal-leaning news organizations. Journalists report the facts, but just because someone is on television and has their own show does not make them a journalist. Many celebrity news shows are hosted by people with work experience in politics or in law, where many did not come from a school of journalism. We have to take each piece of reported news and apply critical thinking to decide which category can be assigned to a report: right-leaning, left-leaning, or just the facts.
Monday, May 6, 2019
The Iron Cage and Unbridled Capitalism
German Sociologist Max Weber (1864-1920) opposed Marxist theories, and believed it was the moral values of workers that would drive an individual's passion into fulfilling the duties of living in a nation's economy. In his work, The Protestant Ethic and the "Spirit" of Capitalism, Weber goes beyond the idea of Marx's focus on the means of production and subsequent conflict between the haves and the have-nots. Weber wrote on what would happen if capitalism became unbridled and the people abandoned the values that brought them a happy, fulfilling life within their economic realm.
If Weber's theory is followed to conclusion, we could perceive America's economy as an iron cage. It is the shell in which we live under, where our own job has no personal meaning or satisfaction, as if we are simply parts of the capitalism machine. So, in the words of Pink Floyd: Welcome to the Machine. Although this is not a metaphor for the record industry, rebellion, or a self-fulling prophecy. America is the machine, the iron cage, and we are all just pushing through this life to find enough monetary wealth that can either make us content or extremely wealthy. It is what we do with that wealth that is ultimately matters. Will we buy a new car, invest in the market, or give to charity? Will our morals ignite our passion to do well for ourselves and others, or simply aid the unbridled nature of the American capitalistic society?
In many ways, the way you answer these questions are directly related to your own political orientation. If you believe you have a right to obtain as much wealth as you possibly can, and you should not be hindered by government regulations or treated differently than those who work for you, then you lean more towards the Republican school of thought. However, if you believe that wealth is in fact an economic blessing, and after you've obtained enough wealth to make your life satisfactory, and want to make sure you pay your part back into the society that helped you achieve your status, you lean more Democratic. This isn't to say there are no other factors in determining your political stance. However, Weber's ethic and spirit theory draws lines on the economic spectrum of politics.
This is just one sociological theory among a ton of others. Just as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle took time to put great thought into their philosophical teachings, it is our duty to take into consideration the morality in our existence on Earth, and our duty to be a productive member of society. Perhaps Weber's idea is worth considering when we come closer to voting in the 2020 Presidential election, because as it stands, our level of unbridled capitalism is not sustainable at its current rate of growth. Something needs to reign it in because our elections help decide how government works, and who it works for.
"Capitalism works better from every perspective when the economic decision makers are forced to share power with those who will be affected by those decisions." - Barney Frank
Saturday, May 4, 2019
Happy Star Wars Day!
A long time ago (or so it seems), or to be more exact, 19 years ago, on May the Fourth in the year 2000, something spectacular happened. I went on a blind date with a man who simply saw a picture of me and knew I had JEDIGRL on my car tag. I walked away from that extended lunch knowing I had just met the man I was going to marry. Like I say in this house, I was right, am always right, and never doubt me.
Although we were both Star Wars fans, it was not known at the time that May 4th was Star Wars day. Social media is what made it a phenomenon, and rightfully so. Additionally, I did not know how it Margaret Thatcher's election as the first female British Prime Minister was tied to this (now) favorite fan saying. As found on the Star Wars website celebrating this day, the following is noted:
That's the beauty of research - you learn something new each time you dig deeper into the meaning of something interesting!
For all the complaining I do about social media and the toxicity of the platforms, it has its benefits too. Without the internet and social networking, May the Fourth could just be the day before Cinco de Mayo. Once something is lit afire online, it spreads quickly and furiously. Thankfully, this is one of the positive viral outcomes.
Today is also THE DAY I have been looking forward to for years. My graduation commencement ceremony was held today. I have officially completed my Bachelor of Science in Sociology, Magna Cum Laude. It took longer than it should have, but that is what happens when you have a family, and life thows you curve-balls. In fact, I believe life threw me more than my fair share, but I persevered.
So today I get to celebrate the pop culture icon the Star Wars franchise was as I grew up, and what it has grown into now and into the future, while I celebrate meeting my husband for the first time, and my official graduation date. It's kismet.
May the Fourth Be With You, Always!
Although we were both Star Wars fans, it was not known at the time that May 4th was Star Wars day. Social media is what made it a phenomenon, and rightfully so. Additionally, I did not know how it Margaret Thatcher's election as the first female British Prime Minister was tied to this (now) favorite fan saying. As found on the Star Wars website celebrating this day, the following is noted:
“Margaret Thatcher has won the election and become Britain’s first woman prime minister. To celebrate their victory her party took a half page of advertising space in the London Evening News. This message, referring to the day of victory, was ‘May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations,’ further proof of the extent to which Star Wars has influenced us all.”
That's the beauty of research - you learn something new each time you dig deeper into the meaning of something interesting!
For all the complaining I do about social media and the toxicity of the platforms, it has its benefits too. Without the internet and social networking, May the Fourth could just be the day before Cinco de Mayo. Once something is lit afire online, it spreads quickly and furiously. Thankfully, this is one of the positive viral outcomes.
Today is also THE DAY I have been looking forward to for years. My graduation commencement ceremony was held today. I have officially completed my Bachelor of Science in Sociology, Magna Cum Laude. It took longer than it should have, but that is what happens when you have a family, and life thows you curve-balls. In fact, I believe life threw me more than my fair share, but I persevered.
So today I get to celebrate the pop culture icon the Star Wars franchise was as I grew up, and what it has grown into now and into the future, while I celebrate meeting my husband for the first time, and my official graduation date. It's kismet.
May the Fourth Be With You, Always!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)