Check out this Myspace user's profile: "GUNS DONT KILL PEOPLE DANGEROUS MINORITIES DO." With a glittery picture of the American flag and a glittery 18-wheeler shining on his web page, this 22-year-old who combines thirty-eight sentences into one long rambling curse, represents the heart of gun-toting America. Proudly quoting Charlton Heston, he loves to play video games, drive his blazer, and let out his anger with a "semi auto assault." This sweet man wants to meet a nice woman with "good goals," or "any stupid ass muther fucker that thinks he better than everyone so [he] can punch him in the mouth." He also thinks "reading sucks ass."
...And he liked Snakes on a Plane.
Though many gun enthusiasts are adamant about the protection of the second amendment, many are also ignorant about the ideas they promulgate.
Now, with the election of Barack Obama, many gun enthusiasts are once again fretting about their right to bear arms. They have compared President Obama to President Clinton who, while in office, enacted the Assault Weapons Ban in 1994, placing a 10 year ban on the production of all semiautomatic firearms considered assault weapons. This had the NRA up in arms. They believed their rights were being infringed upon, that by enacting gun control laws, a domino effect would take place, and soon the second amendment would be totally ignored.
This controversy caught my attention after reading an article entitled "Boy finds forgotten gun, accidentally shoots self in head." The article needs little explaining.
Accidental discharges are the topics of numerous articles everyday, including children who find guns and accidentally discharge, men who imitate shootings and then accidentally discharge, and even criminals who carry guns without the intention of using them, and then do.
Members of the NRA often dispute facts about guns and call them myths, but common knowledge should dictate that the greater the number of guns made available to the average citizen, the greater the number of shootings and deaths.
In the ten years following Clinton's ban, gun crimes involving assault weapons declined 17-72% across major cities. Though the number varies in range, it remains a dramatic decline nonetheless. The statistics are similar involving smaller hand-held firearms.
According to a study by the UC Davis School of Medicine, young adults (ages 21-25) with no previous criminal record who purchased small, inexpensive hand guns were 90% more likely to be charged with an offense involving violence or a weapon in the three years following their purchase than those who didn't.
These gun control laws do not take away second amendment rights, but grant those who may be affected by the lack of these laws the right to life.
Obama also respects the right to bear arms, but favors "common sense" gun laws and supports the ban on semiautomatic weapons, the same type of ban that helped drop the number of crimes committed with the use of assault weapons during the Clinton administration.
Conservatives often label gun control laws as leftist, liberal propaganda. I respond to this by quoting Dan Hoffman, a blogger for The Buffalo News, who compares gun control laws to Jim Crow laws, and states "Gun control is a policy Neville Chamberlain, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin all believed in."
If this is the case, leftist propaganda, here I come.
Boy finds forgotten gun, accidentally shoots self in head
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/21/forgotten.gun/index.html
National Rifle Association
http://www.nra.org/home.aspx
Obama's gun stance spurs run on ammo
http://yorkdispatch.inyork.com/yd/local/ci_12190627
Dan Hoffman
http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/everybodyscolumn/story/646188.html
Study by UC Davis School of Medicine
http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/news/medicalnews/guns.html
Assessment of Assault Weapons Ban
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/jerrylee/research/aw_exec2004.pdf
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Debunking Common Social Myths
There's a lot to talk about out in the world, but I thought I'd take this week to debunk some common myths that we all surely face, in one form or another. So bare with me as we travel through some of my favorite myths and uncover the truth that they work so hard to obscure.
Barack Obama is God.
Barack Obama is, in fact, NOT God. It took much investigating and fact-checking and further investigating and confirming, but this is what the facts turned up: Barack Obama is from Hawaii. His mom is from Kansas, his dad from Kenya. He served three terms in the Illinois Senate, and is now the 44th President of the United States.
After President Bush left office, America suffered from post
traumatic stress disorder. A failing economy, war, and Bushisms preyed on our mindset and kept us from sleeping at night. Then President Obama, his winning smile and eloquent speech, his promises for a brighter future and his message of change won us over. He lit up every stage he spoke on and after a few speeches, the American people began to see light shining from a mysterious place somewhere behind him. Unfortunately, these were just stage lights. Obama is not God, a messiah, or any atheistic representation of the perfect living, human life on earth.
This is not to say that Obama is not the change we have in fact been waiting for. He's what this country needed in a time of severe national turmoil and will hopefully do what he can to save us (save us, not give birth to us again in Christ's name, that is). Given the first few months of his presidency, it is clear Obama is doing everything he can to correct the ills of the past administration.
But there is also a lot of pressure put on him. He's dealing with numerous issues, almost too many to count. The war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, nuclear proliferation, stem cell research, immigrant rights, education, health care, pirates, (yes, pirates), and not to mention the economy, there is a lot on his plate. We must not expect things to sail by smoothly. Fixing these problems will take a long time, and though Obama is handling the pressure impressively, we should understand that he is only human. Never has a presidency experienced so much scrutiny, and so I say lighten up! He's working hard to solve our problems, but this water will not be turned into wine quite so easily.
Mexicans make wonderful gardeners.
This is not a myth as much as a stereotype. Sure, generally, we may make good gardeners, but we also make good engineers, good teachers, good architects, good managers, good accountants, good doctors, and good lawyers, just to name a few. Martha Stewart is not Mexican, and she's a wonderful gardener. Joe Lamp'l is not Mexican, and he is a good gardener as well. I challenge you to name a prominent mainstream gardener who is Mexican. No? This is because there aren't any.
Society rarely lets minorities rise to fame (or power, or success) because it is a threat to the "mainstream." We don't want them taking our jobs after all, right? And Martha Stewart isn't willing to work in my backyard, is she? At least not for what I'm willing to pay... And so it is this thought process that limits us to menial jobs: gardener, janitor, construction worker.
There are so many more of us out there, actual successful Latinos that are never heard of. It takes a lot of work to get out of the inner city and still, many people I know have only had contact with the cleaning ladies that clean the halls of my dorm. Associations are then made between these Mexican women (as well as the Mexican gardeners who keep the lawns looking so nice) and the entire Mexican-American population.
The problem obviously goes deeper than this however. Housing segregation and discrimination keeps us in "bad" neighborhoods. These neighborhoods have poor public educational systems, which keep us from getting a good education. Because the people in these neighborhoods don't get the proper education, they never advance. Because these people never advance, the communities continue to receive little funding. This little funding keeps our educational system in terrible condition, keeping this never-ending cycle going.
So although we may make good gardeners, the picture, I'm afraid, is a little larger than that.
Being thin is hot.
In my personal opinion, that's just a total myth.
But looking at our history, being skinny (or "thin," which seems to carry a completely different connotation) has always been a bad thing.
Before the turn of the 19th century, bigger women were seen as healthy and fertile, which was a more than desirable trait. It was in fact necessary to keep the population alive and to combat the sicknesses that were prevalent during the time. Soon, however, women began wearing corsets, and becoming frail and sickly. The reason behind this? Political. The new skinny ideal became the norm in order to support and justify slavery in the 1800's. Skinny women were easier to control.
Why this turned into the "it" thing is beyond me. Models gracing the covers of fashion magazines and ruling the runways today are not only thin, but often anorexic.
In different cultures, such as the African-American or Latino cultures, being skinny is not ideal. Thick bodies are a sign of strength, confidence, and beauty. I am not suggesting obesity is the way to go. A size 8 model, far from obese mind you, is considered plus-size, and in the beauty industry this is not a good thing.
It is time to dispel this myth and learn that skinny is out.
Flip-flops can be worn anytime, even in the winter./Uggs can be worn anytime, even in the summer.
Well, now I'm just being picky...
"Don't call him gay, or you might turn him."
A phrase often heralded by my family, it assumes that homosexuality can be turned on and off by the mere mention of the word "gay." Call someone gay long enough and they just might become gay.
Not too long ago, this was a hot button issue with the discovery of the "gay gene." The "gay gene," however, doesn't exist. A researcher testified in court that he was "99.5% certain that homosexuality [was] genetic," which was widely misunderstood as homosexuality itself being 99.5% genetic. The media went wild, declaring homosexuality genetic, and thus created the "gay gene." None of this was backed up by any scientific research.
And so, this led to the idea that homosexuality could be prevented; just as one can map out the odds of a child having a genetic disease, one could map out the probability of their son or daughter being gay.
I don't mean to argue the causes of homosexuality, if indeed there even are any. What I know for certain is that there is no gay switch. Someone cannot choose their sexual preference. They cannot turn it on and off like a light in a dark room. One cannot help being gay as much as one cannot help being straight. Loving and cruel parents alike cannot prevent it. Gay parents often raise straight children, and vice versa.
Whatever causes (or does not cause) homosexuality, calling someone gay certainly makes no difference.
These widely accepted myths are anything but true. Common sense is often the only thing needed to tell a myth apart from the truth, although I know that is sometimes hard to come by. Hopefully this short list has enlightened all of your minds. Spread the word.
Obama vows to fight Piracy
Seriously.
A history of Gardening
The Psychology of the Ideal Body Image
Ideal Weight Varies Across Cultures
The Gay Gene?
Barack Obama is God.
Barack Obama is, in fact, NOT God. It took much investigating and fact-checking and further investigating and confirming, but this is what the facts turned up: Barack Obama is from Hawaii. His mom is from Kansas, his dad from Kenya. He served three terms in the Illinois Senate, and is now the 44th President of the United States.
After President Bush left office, America suffered from post
traumatic stress disorder. A failing economy, war, and Bushisms preyed on our mindset and kept us from sleeping at night. Then President Obama, his winning smile and eloquent speech, his promises for a brighter future and his message of change won us over. He lit up every stage he spoke on and after a few speeches, the American people began to see light shining from a mysterious place somewhere behind him. Unfortunately, these were just stage lights. Obama is not God, a messiah, or any atheistic representation of the perfect living, human life on earth.This is not to say that Obama is not the change we have in fact been waiting for. He's what this country needed in a time of severe national turmoil and will hopefully do what he can to save us (save us, not give birth to us again in Christ's name, that is). Given the first few months of his presidency, it is clear Obama is doing everything he can to correct the ills of the past administration.
But there is also a lot of pressure put on him. He's dealing with numerous issues, almost too many to count. The war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, nuclear proliferation, stem cell research, immigrant rights, education, health care, pirates, (yes, pirates), and not to mention the economy, there is a lot on his plate. We must not expect things to sail by smoothly. Fixing these problems will take a long time, and though Obama is handling the pressure impressively, we should understand that he is only human. Never has a presidency experienced so much scrutiny, and so I say lighten up! He's working hard to solve our problems, but this water will not be turned into wine quite so easily.
Mexicans make wonderful gardeners.
This is not a myth as much as a stereotype. Sure, generally, we may make good gardeners, but we also make good engineers, good teachers, good architects, good managers, good accountants, good doctors, and good lawyers, just to name a few. Martha Stewart is not Mexican, and she's a wonderful gardener. Joe Lamp'l is not Mexican, and he is a good gardener as well. I challenge you to name a prominent mainstream gardener who is Mexican. No? This is because there aren't any.
Society rarely lets minorities rise to fame (or power, or success) because it is a threat to the "mainstream." We don't want them taking our jobs after all, right? And Martha Stewart isn't willing to work in my backyard, is she? At least not for what I'm willing to pay... And so it is this thought process that limits us to menial jobs: gardener, janitor, construction worker.
There are so many more of us out there, actual successful Latinos that are never heard of. It takes a lot of work to get out of the inner city and still, many people I know have only had contact with the cleaning ladies that clean the halls of my dorm. Associations are then made between these Mexican women (as well as the Mexican gardeners who keep the lawns looking so nice) and the entire Mexican-American population.
The problem obviously goes deeper than this however. Housing segregation and discrimination keeps us in "bad" neighborhoods. These neighborhoods have poor public educational systems, which keep us from getting a good education. Because the people in these neighborhoods don't get the proper education, they never advance. Because these people never advance, the communities continue to receive little funding. This little funding keeps our educational system in terrible condition, keeping this never-ending cycle going.
So although we may make good gardeners, the picture, I'm afraid, is a little larger than that.
Being thin is hot.
In my personal opinion, that's just a total myth.
But looking at our history, being skinny (or "thin," which seems to carry a completely different connotation) has always been a bad thing.
Before the turn of the 19th century, bigger women were seen as healthy and fertile, which was a more than desirable trait. It was in fact necessary to keep the population alive and to combat the sicknesses that were prevalent during the time. Soon, however, women began wearing corsets, and becoming frail and sickly. The reason behind this? Political. The new skinny ideal became the norm in order to support and justify slavery in the 1800's. Skinny women were easier to control.
Why this turned into the "it" thing is beyond me. Models gracing the covers of fashion magazines and ruling the runways today are not only thin, but often anorexic.
In different cultures, such as the African-American or Latino cultures, being skinny is not ideal. Thick bodies are a sign of strength, confidence, and beauty. I am not suggesting obesity is the way to go. A size 8 model, far from obese mind you, is considered plus-size, and in the beauty industry this is not a good thing.
It is time to dispel this myth and learn that skinny is out.
Flip-flops can be worn anytime, even in the winter./Uggs can be worn anytime, even in the summer.
Well, now I'm just being picky...
"Don't call him gay, or you might turn him."
A phrase often heralded by my family, it assumes that homosexuality can be turned on and off by the mere mention of the word "gay." Call someone gay long enough and they just might become gay.
Not too long ago, this was a hot button issue with the discovery of the "gay gene." The "gay gene," however, doesn't exist. A researcher testified in court that he was "99.5% certain that homosexuality [was] genetic," which was widely misunderstood as homosexuality itself being 99.5% genetic. The media went wild, declaring homosexuality genetic, and thus created the "gay gene." None of this was backed up by any scientific research.
And so, this led to the idea that homosexuality could be prevented; just as one can map out the odds of a child having a genetic disease, one could map out the probability of their son or daughter being gay.
I don't mean to argue the causes of homosexuality, if indeed there even are any. What I know for certain is that there is no gay switch. Someone cannot choose their sexual preference. They cannot turn it on and off like a light in a dark room. One cannot help being gay as much as one cannot help being straight. Loving and cruel parents alike cannot prevent it. Gay parents often raise straight children, and vice versa.
Whatever causes (or does not cause) homosexuality, calling someone gay certainly makes no difference.
These widely accepted myths are anything but true. Common sense is often the only thing needed to tell a myth apart from the truth, although I know that is sometimes hard to come by. Hopefully this short list has enlightened all of your minds. Spread the word.
Obama vows to fight Piracy
Seriously.
A history of Gardening
The Psychology of the Ideal Body Image
Ideal Weight Varies Across Cultures
The Gay Gene?
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
The War on Terror: Out With the Old, In With the New
It's no secret that the people love President Obama. He's younger and more in touch with the everyday American.
That, and he doesn't strike fear in all of our hearts.
Not like Bush did.
"Every nation in every region now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists," and "We must take the battle to the enemy, disrupt his plans, and confront the worst threats before they emerge," or how about, "We have every reason to assume the worst." Scare tactics? No, just daily Bush speak, ways to gather support for the war and turn against all the world's "evildoers."
In the face of the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression, it's understandable that we place war on the back burner of America's stove of social dilemmas. However, we mustn't forget that there is still a war going on. President Obama hasn't forgotten, and this once "War on Terror" has now become a mission to help those in war-torn areas restore their power and become independent once again.
Not to discredit Obama's strength in dealing with the tough war we now face. He only used the term "war on terror" once, and that was during his campaign for the presidency, but he remains undeterred in his vision for peace in the middle east.
He vowed to make Afghanistan the central front in the fight against terrorism. The uncompromising Taliban core must be met with force, he stated, and "they must be defeated."
So far in his presidency, however, Obama has maintained a positive outlook, more so than President Bush ever did. His tone remains hopeful, and aside from defeating all terrorists, Obama hopes to start the reconciliation process and isolate terror oppression until it is no more.
He believes the first step is making sure that Americans understand that Pakistan needs our help against al Qaeda. "Al Qaeda and its extremist allies are a cancer that risks killing Pakistan from within," he stated. To beat them, we must focus on capturing them, but not neglect the fact that the rest of the Pakistani people are in need of acknowledgment.
Obama pointed out, "Our efforts will fail in Afghanistan and Pakistan if we don't invest in their future," something the Bush administration did little in ensuring. In the newest piece of legislation, President Obama provided for foreign aid programs and funding for a strong inspector general that will put an end to wasteful reconstruction. The legislation will also provide "$1.5 billion in indirect support to the Pakistani people every year for the next five years-resources that will build schools, roads, and hospitals and strengthen Pakistan's democracy."
Sure, this investment will yield great results for the Pakistani people in the future, but $1.5 billion? Sounds like a bit much, especially during our economic downturn. Then again...
Before leaving office, President Bush passed a war spending bill. His $162 billion war spending bill didn't go to building schools or hospitals, but guaranteed ongoing fighting in Pakistan and Iraq, and funded troop support for years after his leaving office.
Thanks Bush.
Though a hefty sum, Obama's legislation actually saves us money. It also calls for training an "Afghan army of 134,000 and a police force of 82,000, so that the U.S. can turn over security responsibility to the Afghans," and save us money on troop training at home.
To get Pakistan through economic crisis, Obama stated that the U.S. must work with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, among others, to get the ball rolling.
But fixing these nations' problems won't be that easy. The president has also sought a pact with the Afghan government to crackdown on corrupt behavior and oppression in order to truly help the Afghan people.
So yes, the people love Obama. He has begun dealing not only with the economic crisis, the collapse of the auto industry, the ban on scientific and medical advancement, but has also taken major strides in dealing with the war that has been virtually undealt with for the past 7 1/2 years.
With so many issues and problems to deal with, I'm glad President Obama has been using all of his front burners.
Obama: Anti-terror plans focus on Pakistan, Afghanistan
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/27/us.afghanistan.troops/index.html
Press Conference Video
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/27/us.afghanistan.troops/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
Bush signs $162B war spending bill for Iraq, Afghanistan
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/06/30/us-warfunding.html
That, and he doesn't strike fear in all of our hearts.
Not like Bush did.
"Every nation in every region now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists," and "We must take the battle to the enemy, disrupt his plans, and confront the worst threats before they emerge," or how about, "We have every reason to assume the worst." Scare tactics? No, just daily Bush speak, ways to gather support for the war and turn against all the world's "evildoers."
In the face of the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression, it's understandable that we place war on the back burner of America's stove of social dilemmas. However, we mustn't forget that there is still a war going on. President Obama hasn't forgotten, and this once "War on Terror" has now become a mission to help those in war-torn areas restore their power and become independent once again.
Not to discredit Obama's strength in dealing with the tough war we now face. He only used the term "war on terror" once, and that was during his campaign for the presidency, but he remains undeterred in his vision for peace in the middle east.
He vowed to make Afghanistan the central front in the fight against terrorism. The uncompromising Taliban core must be met with force, he stated, and "they must be defeated."
So far in his presidency, however, Obama has maintained a positive outlook, more so than President Bush ever did. His tone remains hopeful, and aside from defeating all terrorists, Obama hopes to start the reconciliation process and isolate terror oppression until it is no more.
He believes the first step is making sure that Americans understand that Pakistan needs our help against al Qaeda. "Al Qaeda and its extremist allies are a cancer that risks killing Pakistan from within," he stated. To beat them, we must focus on capturing them, but not neglect the fact that the rest of the Pakistani people are in need of acknowledgment.
Obama pointed out, "Our efforts will fail in Afghanistan and Pakistan if we don't invest in their future," something the Bush administration did little in ensuring. In the newest piece of legislation, President Obama provided for foreign aid programs and funding for a strong inspector general that will put an end to wasteful reconstruction. The legislation will also provide "$1.5 billion in indirect support to the Pakistani people every year for the next five years-resources that will build schools, roads, and hospitals and strengthen Pakistan's democracy."
Sure, this investment will yield great results for the Pakistani people in the future, but $1.5 billion? Sounds like a bit much, especially during our economic downturn. Then again...
Before leaving office, President Bush passed a war spending bill. His $162 billion war spending bill didn't go to building schools or hospitals, but guaranteed ongoing fighting in Pakistan and Iraq, and funded troop support for years after his leaving office.
Thanks Bush.
Though a hefty sum, Obama's legislation actually saves us money. It also calls for training an "Afghan army of 134,000 and a police force of 82,000, so that the U.S. can turn over security responsibility to the Afghans," and save us money on troop training at home.
To get Pakistan through economic crisis, Obama stated that the U.S. must work with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, among others, to get the ball rolling.
But fixing these nations' problems won't be that easy. The president has also sought a pact with the Afghan government to crackdown on corrupt behavior and oppression in order to truly help the Afghan people.
So yes, the people love Obama. He has begun dealing not only with the economic crisis, the collapse of the auto industry, the ban on scientific and medical advancement, but has also taken major strides in dealing with the war that has been virtually undealt with for the past 7 1/2 years.
With so many issues and problems to deal with, I'm glad President Obama has been using all of his front burners.
Obama: Anti-terror plans focus on Pakistan, Afghanistan
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/27/us.afghanistan.troops/index.html
Press Conference Video
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/27/us.afghanistan.troops/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
Bush signs $162B war spending bill for Iraq, Afghanistan
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/06/30/us-warfunding.html
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