I wish I had an easy answer but it starts with everyone who sees how out of control the hate language has become. Reasonable people looked the other way, assuming the venting would only continue until those ranting got winded. Hey, we all need to vent sometimes, right?
Well, yes, but when that venting does not end you realize that tolerating the words was the wrong decision, at least the wrong way to view the phenomenon. Hatred feeds on fear and ignorance and with record cuts in education and the current popularity of hate speech as punditry on both the television and on a lot of AM radio dials there's too much fanning the fires and not enough fire prevention. You can't count on the news media to to arrest the spread of this sad situation because the hate speech pundits will just turn to the internet and foment even more divisiveness among their loyal listeners.
Now, we can't save all of these people from what they're doing to themselves and the country, but we can intervene in an effort to minimize the damage and hopefully stop the spread of this social disease.
How do we do this?
1. Remain patient with the offender but also do not roll over for them. Hate speech does not have to be accepted, just understand the source.
2. Hard as it may be to see most people respond well to information. Example:
Muslims Hate America!!
Remind them that if that were true the insurrection would have already started. The fact is Muslims, even in this day and age, love America. They came to the USA to find the same freedoms we hold dear. We live in a free society and Muslims want to be a part of that. Many even fled their countries of origin to escape extremists. The fact is we have extremists in all religions. Most of the millions upon millions of Muslims love peace just as other Americans do.
3. Speak to those who disagree with you to let them know where you stand and why. Even if they don't appreciate your honesty they know where you stand. That beats them assuming they know you or your opinion.
4. Talk to those with less extreme opinions but also listen to them. Everyone arrives at the philosophy that they somehow relate to for personal reasons. With this information you might be able to get someone who experienced something similar who came to a better conclusion, and have that person casually engage the other when the opportunity comes along. People with shared experiences are often better at communicating with each other.
5. Never assume your position is superior to those you're trying to talk to. We all have something to learn from one another. Yes, that hate speech is wrong but the emotions that fuel it will not go away simply because you pronounce your superiority. In fact that attitude is more likely to make the other person more stubborn and more committed to their ideology regardless of how flawed it is.
6. Outwardly project the confidence you have in your life. If you're happy the hate speech is useless on you. Even though ignorance is hard to stomach sometimes, consider the source; these are bitter people. Something in their life is not right and the projection of hostility is a symptom of what's wrong, not the source.
7, As much as you'd like to do not surround yourself all the time with like minded people. It's great to get together with people who share your view but it's also wise to know how others around you feel. If we only interact with others we agree with we're not engaging the hate and anger. Worse, we'll seem aloof and arrogant.
8. Since hate speech is a symptom it might also be a ruse. Some people try to fit in where it's convenient and if those who are intolerant dominate your workplace or other social settings they're likely to have people in their group who are just hanging with the "winning" team. Show that confidence and don't bury your opinion. When asked, state how you feel. You may have a like-minded peer in their midst who just needed to know there were others who shared their opinions. We're social animals, sometimes, to our detriment
9. Neutral people are rarely, really neutral. These people tend to be loners or just exist at work and other settings, doing their thing and never making their feelings known. Be friendly and be open to talking to them but don't assume you have a fence sitter looking to be a convert. They may not be neutral but they may also be tired of what they see as the 'confict'. Let the neutral person know you're ready to talk at any time.
10. Pick your 'fights' wisely. Being an underdog may seem cool in the movies but in the real world it's a tough position to openly maintain. Don't bow to others opinions but also don't look to the crowd to back you up. Sometimes tolerant people find themselves to be the sole voice of reason in a crowd. For this reason it's fine to limit or refrain from any engagement with others. If it's the workplace do your best to find a friendlier environment, another job in the same building or another job all together. Bottling up your opinions and feelings while hate speech is the rule of the workplace will make you resent yourself, your work environment and even your work mates. If you feel like you can try to reason with them allow a little of how you feel to be known. But, if there is palpable resentment, dial it back.
This may feel cowardly but it is self-preservation.
While the overwhelming majority of hate speech is venting you can count on at least one person to be a step ahead of just ranting in any crowd. In situations like this the best argument is almost worthless. It's more likely to be resented and in some cases that resentment might be acted on.
The civil contract in our society is wearing thin and some people are looking for an excuse to rip a big hole in it. Violence in out country is on the rise for good reason. Hate speech has been tolerated for so long that speech alone is starting to lose it's potency. Even good people who are normally tolerant and peaceful find themselves acting against their best interests because they feel like they've been pushed int action.
We all have a lot to lose if we continue down this path.
Reasonable people need to act by calling the radio stations, TV stations and their sponsors to say they will not support their products if they advertise and broadcast the hate speech.
If we do this everyday it will change things. We can't just change the station and hope the hate speech goes away. As you can see, that's gotten us in even worse shape.
We need to act now.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The gloves, sadly, have come off
With the already dismissed (by careful investigation of the accusations when they first surfaced) rhetoric that Ms.
Palin is employing to sidestep the lagging McCain campaign we see a new phase of desperation for the embattled John McCain. That's too bad. To think that he's now employing the same tactic as Bush's handlers did to derail his bid the nomination back in 2000 is a bitter irony I don't think he'll have time appreciate.
To most readers this is nothing new, and that's even more ironic. This fear mongering has led us down a dangerous path by distracted us several times already from engaging the real issues. This strategy should be ancient history by now and not the fallback position of political strategists. Worse, is the fact that in too many people's minds this is legitimate. They're buying this hate nuanced as "genuine" concern because that's easier to digest than the truth. We're spoon fed every factoid, true or false, based on some demographic pattern that keeps us seperate and unequal. "Joe Six-pack" is proud of his bad taste in beer and sees anyone drinking something other than Coors, Bud or Miller as an elitist and not as a guy or gal with better taste in beer. And it is better beer to be sure. There's nothing elitist about making a better burger on your grill than a McDonald's burger but if you drink Sam Adams or Sierra Nevada you're an "elitist"?
This crowd sees the rest the world from an Us or Them perspective and can't get behind the idea that in many ways we're all in this together. This fact should ring as true as ever when viewing the Global Financial Crisis, a crisis that affects every one around the world because of our economic ties with one another. The reason we're in this mess together is after the physical and financial trauma that we saw (and shared) at the end of WWII the leaders of the world decided we had to have better communication and shared goals to maintain the global peace that the war ripped assunder.
It's not our shared economy that's at fault either.
It's greed for lack of a better word. The idea that rich wasn't good enough, that arcane financial rituals should be created to horde even more of the world's wealth into a smaller set of ever more powerful hands is why we are where we are today. From sub-prime loans to Credit Swaps we are reaping the whirlwind of financial loss, while the very wealthy rewarded each other with a ponzi scheme the whole world fell for.
The ignorant do not care. It's easier for them to embrace the idea that a black man is going to sell us down the river to (former) terrorists. What these people do not understand is every presidential candidate is investigated. To be sure they probably don't know some rocks to turn over but they still turn over a lot of them. They can't affect policies after someone is elected but they can warn the FBI and other domestic intelligence agencies if they see something wrong with the candidate. This vetting process has been around for a long time and in this case they are fully aware of Bill Ayres and his PAST, emphasis on his past, because the Weather Underground is no longer around and Mr. Ayers did his time for his actions while in that group. To top it off his contact with Mr. Obama was very limited, a shared idea more than anything else. That idea was to lift people out of poverty by getting better education for children and better employment opportunities for adults. Those scoundrels!
So, am I terrorist sympathizers for liking a distinctly American ale called Red Hook ESB? What if I drank a German Hefe Weizen from Pauliner breweries? I'm not Joe Six-pack because my taste for better beer has come through my love of beer and it doesn't matter what country it comes from.
Is it okay for me to assume that shoppers at Wal-Mart are pinko commies because the majority of what they buy comes from red China?
See, I didn't think so. Still, with all the jobs leaving the U.S. it would be nice if they made an effort to buy things made in the USA. Sometimes folks need a good bargain, but sometimes the best bargain for everyone is to support higher wages paid in the USA and to avoid buying cheap stuff made by near slave labor from other parts of the world.
As for the McCain campaign, I just hope they get back on track and engage the real issues and throw out this hate baiting. We don't need it and most of us cringe when it's used. It's no longer welcome and those who find it appealing are a national embarrassment. We need to rise above this and lead the way by raising the standard of national dialogue. Joe six-pack has had his day but it's passed. Even the old King of Beers, Budweiser is making a genuine American ale. If Bud can attempt to make a quality brew then the Bud drinkers can raise the level of civil discourse too. I hope they remind Sarah Palin that one does not hunt moose in high heels. It's just a common sense safety issue. There's nothing remotely maverick about the tactics of fear in the nation that embraced the words "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself".
Our history has faced down fear.
We always have.
Palin is employing to sidestep the lagging McCain campaign we see a new phase of desperation for the embattled John McCain. That's too bad. To think that he's now employing the same tactic as Bush's handlers did to derail his bid the nomination back in 2000 is a bitter irony I don't think he'll have time appreciate.
To most readers this is nothing new, and that's even more ironic. This fear mongering has led us down a dangerous path by distracted us several times already from engaging the real issues. This strategy should be ancient history by now and not the fallback position of political strategists. Worse, is the fact that in too many people's minds this is legitimate. They're buying this hate nuanced as "genuine" concern because that's easier to digest than the truth. We're spoon fed every factoid, true or false, based on some demographic pattern that keeps us seperate and unequal. "Joe Six-pack" is proud of his bad taste in beer and sees anyone drinking something other than Coors, Bud or Miller as an elitist and not as a guy or gal with better taste in beer. And it is better beer to be sure. There's nothing elitist about making a better burger on your grill than a McDonald's burger but if you drink Sam Adams or Sierra Nevada you're an "elitist"?
This crowd sees the rest the world from an Us or Them perspective and can't get behind the idea that in many ways we're all in this together. This fact should ring as true as ever when viewing the Global Financial Crisis, a crisis that affects every one around the world because of our economic ties with one another. The reason we're in this mess together is after the physical and financial trauma that we saw (and shared) at the end of WWII the leaders of the world decided we had to have better communication and shared goals to maintain the global peace that the war ripped assunder.
It's not our shared economy that's at fault either.
It's greed for lack of a better word. The idea that rich wasn't good enough, that arcane financial rituals should be created to horde even more of the world's wealth into a smaller set of ever more powerful hands is why we are where we are today. From sub-prime loans to Credit Swaps we are reaping the whirlwind of financial loss, while the very wealthy rewarded each other with a ponzi scheme the whole world fell for.
The ignorant do not care. It's easier for them to embrace the idea that a black man is going to sell us down the river to (former) terrorists. What these people do not understand is every presidential candidate is investigated. To be sure they probably don't know some rocks to turn over but they still turn over a lot of them. They can't affect policies after someone is elected but they can warn the FBI and other domestic intelligence agencies if they see something wrong with the candidate. This vetting process has been around for a long time and in this case they are fully aware of Bill Ayres and his PAST, emphasis on his past, because the Weather Underground is no longer around and Mr. Ayers did his time for his actions while in that group. To top it off his contact with Mr. Obama was very limited, a shared idea more than anything else. That idea was to lift people out of poverty by getting better education for children and better employment opportunities for adults. Those scoundrels!
So, am I terrorist sympathizers for liking a distinctly American ale called Red Hook ESB? What if I drank a German Hefe Weizen from Pauliner breweries? I'm not Joe Six-pack because my taste for better beer has come through my love of beer and it doesn't matter what country it comes from.
Is it okay for me to assume that shoppers at Wal-Mart are pinko commies because the majority of what they buy comes from red China?
See, I didn't think so. Still, with all the jobs leaving the U.S. it would be nice if they made an effort to buy things made in the USA. Sometimes folks need a good bargain, but sometimes the best bargain for everyone is to support higher wages paid in the USA and to avoid buying cheap stuff made by near slave labor from other parts of the world.
As for the McCain campaign, I just hope they get back on track and engage the real issues and throw out this hate baiting. We don't need it and most of us cringe when it's used. It's no longer welcome and those who find it appealing are a national embarrassment. We need to rise above this and lead the way by raising the standard of national dialogue. Joe six-pack has had his day but it's passed. Even the old King of Beers, Budweiser is making a genuine American ale. If Bud can attempt to make a quality brew then the Bud drinkers can raise the level of civil discourse too. I hope they remind Sarah Palin that one does not hunt moose in high heels. It's just a common sense safety issue. There's nothing remotely maverick about the tactics of fear in the nation that embraced the words "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself".
Our history has faced down fear.
We always have.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Our fault
We need to own up to the fact that our current economic mess is a creature of our own creation. From using exotic loans to buy ostentatious homes we could not afford, to using credit cards for buying everything from groceries to wide screen televisions, we own this mess. The bailout/rescue may or may not work but the bottom line is we have to start paying very close attention to the bottom line. For too long we've said, "I'll pay for it tomorrow".
Well, tomorrow's here.
And we don't have the cash.
For what it's worth, my spouse and I have become more frugal over the last decade and passed on the exotic loan and bought for less than we were allowed. With kids in college it was better to low-ball ourselves and make some sacrifices.
We paid off our credit cards almost a decade ago and have kept them paid off. We drive used cars with good gas mileage that we bought with actual money after I cashed in a some investments I was awarded. We move around a lot due to my spouse's job and moving makes it hard to save money. We have some investments but we opted for longterm options on most of them. The high yield, short term stuff has always made us leery. Saving money has been very hard but we're getting on track as best as we can. (Save now, save often, you'll be better off for the effort and the sacrifice)
The downside is we don't have a lot of stuff by most people's standards, but still far more than we need. Nesting has come easy for us. There are plenty of books to read, movies to watch and to rent, and music to listen to. Like squirrels we stocked up on the stuff we liked for the possibility of an economic winter. We were cynical but it's better to be prepared.
Cars are a burden. All the luxury items and extra room in the world will not shorten the trip. No frills, or fewer frills is really not such an issue. When all else fails I can hum or sing tunes to myself with the windows down in the summer, and up in the winter.
The point I'm trying to drive home is all of us can have less and be happy. All of us scrambling to get bigger cars than we need, boats, and other sports water craft, snow mobiles, big blown car stereos and home entertainment systems as well as electronic gaming has left us hungry for more and very few have time to enjoy what they already have. And, still, we run off to buy even more stuff to keep us busier.
To what end? Are we staying in that bigger house and watching the sunset from the back lawn? Are we taking out the boat we bought more than once or twice a year? How's that time share condo working out?
What we've done is create a vast industry of services and entertainment and goods that can only be maintained by continuing to consume goods. And the only way most of us can keep up is to continue to borrow ourselves into larger and in some cases, all consuming debt. To be sure, the temptation to consume surrounds us all day, seven days a week. However, we have to say 'no' at some point or the debt will be so great that we cannot imagine paying it off.
Debt's a lousy legacy to leave loved ones.
There also has to be something said about people living in the lower end of our economy. While I sympathize with the desire for the parents of children and adolescents in their families not being stigmatized while they struggling just to pay the rent, there is a lot of spending going on there. To try to keep them on pace with their peers in higher income brackets is a losing battle. This peer pressure is a sad fact of life and the desire to try to keep up with the Jones through signature loans, early check cashing stores and other quick and expensive loans for the acquistion of things not easily afforded, well this will invariably lead to even greter financial distress. The onset of the debt burden will derail any chances of saving money and thus relegate those kids to toil in dead end jobs, or even petty crime as they grow expectant of owning things they cannot afford any better than their parents could. This also makes the chances of attending college a pure luxury and, for the most part, unattainable. It's better to do without from the start, hard as that is to explain to a kid. Teaching them that all is not right in the world may make them a more responsible people and lead them to scrutinize why they had to do without while others did not. The illusion that hard work will win the day is a lie. The work ethic will improve when a fair shake is the standard and a not carrot on the stick.
So, don't count on a government sponsored bailout. Regardless of your politcal affiliation the government will not pay down down our debt, not now, and not likely any time soon. They're looking to float the banks who got us into this mess. Yeah, we contributed, but we didn't engineer it. Remember that fact before our congress votes.
Besides, are they bailing out the privately owned, individual businesses, those mom and pop places they love to act like they're 'protecting'?
The answer is a resounding "NO!"
They're attitude towards us is 'sink or swim', it's our risk.
Why do these banks deserve better treatment? Why should we bail them out rather than let the "free market" decide their fate?
Follow the money.
The same government who is going to let them continue to operate by, "funding them in an effort to loosen up more credit for future loans", to "boost consumer confidence", is the same government who refused to regulate them properly.
Without stringent checks and balances put into place how can they throw our money their way?
We'd better pay attention this time. Mr. Bush messed it up but the saying is, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me".
Don't give tham a second chance.
Well, tomorrow's here.
And we don't have the cash.
For what it's worth, my spouse and I have become more frugal over the last decade and passed on the exotic loan and bought for less than we were allowed. With kids in college it was better to low-ball ourselves and make some sacrifices.
We paid off our credit cards almost a decade ago and have kept them paid off. We drive used cars with good gas mileage that we bought with actual money after I cashed in a some investments I was awarded. We move around a lot due to my spouse's job and moving makes it hard to save money. We have some investments but we opted for longterm options on most of them. The high yield, short term stuff has always made us leery. Saving money has been very hard but we're getting on track as best as we can. (Save now, save often, you'll be better off for the effort and the sacrifice)
The downside is we don't have a lot of stuff by most people's standards, but still far more than we need. Nesting has come easy for us. There are plenty of books to read, movies to watch and to rent, and music to listen to. Like squirrels we stocked up on the stuff we liked for the possibility of an economic winter. We were cynical but it's better to be prepared.
Cars are a burden. All the luxury items and extra room in the world will not shorten the trip. No frills, or fewer frills is really not such an issue. When all else fails I can hum or sing tunes to myself with the windows down in the summer, and up in the winter.
The point I'm trying to drive home is all of us can have less and be happy. All of us scrambling to get bigger cars than we need, boats, and other sports water craft, snow mobiles, big blown car stereos and home entertainment systems as well as electronic gaming has left us hungry for more and very few have time to enjoy what they already have. And, still, we run off to buy even more stuff to keep us busier.
To what end? Are we staying in that bigger house and watching the sunset from the back lawn? Are we taking out the boat we bought more than once or twice a year? How's that time share condo working out?
What we've done is create a vast industry of services and entertainment and goods that can only be maintained by continuing to consume goods. And the only way most of us can keep up is to continue to borrow ourselves into larger and in some cases, all consuming debt. To be sure, the temptation to consume surrounds us all day, seven days a week. However, we have to say 'no' at some point or the debt will be so great that we cannot imagine paying it off.
Debt's a lousy legacy to leave loved ones.
There also has to be something said about people living in the lower end of our economy. While I sympathize with the desire for the parents of children and adolescents in their families not being stigmatized while they struggling just to pay the rent, there is a lot of spending going on there. To try to keep them on pace with their peers in higher income brackets is a losing battle. This peer pressure is a sad fact of life and the desire to try to keep up with the Jones through signature loans, early check cashing stores and other quick and expensive loans for the acquistion of things not easily afforded, well this will invariably lead to even greter financial distress. The onset of the debt burden will derail any chances of saving money and thus relegate those kids to toil in dead end jobs, or even petty crime as they grow expectant of owning things they cannot afford any better than their parents could. This also makes the chances of attending college a pure luxury and, for the most part, unattainable. It's better to do without from the start, hard as that is to explain to a kid. Teaching them that all is not right in the world may make them a more responsible people and lead them to scrutinize why they had to do without while others did not. The illusion that hard work will win the day is a lie. The work ethic will improve when a fair shake is the standard and a not carrot on the stick.
So, don't count on a government sponsored bailout. Regardless of your politcal affiliation the government will not pay down down our debt, not now, and not likely any time soon. They're looking to float the banks who got us into this mess. Yeah, we contributed, but we didn't engineer it. Remember that fact before our congress votes.
Besides, are they bailing out the privately owned, individual businesses, those mom and pop places they love to act like they're 'protecting'?
The answer is a resounding "NO!"
They're attitude towards us is 'sink or swim', it's our risk.
Why do these banks deserve better treatment? Why should we bail them out rather than let the "free market" decide their fate?
Follow the money.
The same government who is going to let them continue to operate by, "funding them in an effort to loosen up more credit for future loans", to "boost consumer confidence", is the same government who refused to regulate them properly.
Without stringent checks and balances put into place how can they throw our money their way?
We'd better pay attention this time. Mr. Bush messed it up but the saying is, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me".
Don't give tham a second chance.
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