Archive for 'Social Quandaries'
living history
November 5, 2008 by the.muse, under Sharing Our Nation's Cap-i-tal, Social Quandaries, Voices of the Past.
I was going to wait until tomorrow, but I couldn't sleep with what was on my mind.
I've been a huge fan of Facebook for years. I love catching up with people from long ago, or even feeling like I know what is going on day-to-day with people because of their status. It's a wonderful tool of networking and friendship. However, during the election season, and much worse tonight, it became a tool of hatred and intolerance. Messages from Obama fans taunting McCain supporters streamed through encouraging them to leave the country if they didn't like the president-elect. McCain supporters needlessly bashed Obama voters calling them moronic and dumb for voting for him, going so far as to say that "it's called the WHITE House for a reason." (By the way, if you're REALLY gonna bash, you should make sure that your grammar is correct in those status updates…) The bashing was uncalled for and inappropriate, especially in the light of what is bigger all around us.
Seriously, no matter who was elected tonight, look at the history that has been made in this election. Massive amounts of people registered to vote. Amazing amounts of voters went out to vote for the very first time. Unprecedented early voting surpassed 2004 totals. A female was nominated for the veep position for only the second time ever, and if McCain/Palin were elected, she would have been the first female veep in history. As a result of tonight's election, Barack Obama has now been the first African-American to be elected to the presidency. And, for the first time in decades, a democrat has won with more than 50% of the popular vote.
Maybe it's me, with a background in history and a typical history geek, but how in the world can you ignore these magnificent pieces of history, regardless of what party/candidate for which you voted? This election will be an election that YOUR CHILDREN and THEIR CHILDREN will study in their history books. And, you are living right now in the moment. How can you not think that is amazing? Because to me, being a living, and breathing part of history is something you should never take lightly. Own it!
So, seriously. Take your moment in history. Accept your place in time. And stop with the ignorant bashing that only continues to divide America. It's been going on long enough. We should have reunited America in 2004, and it never happened. Now is the time. There is too much to lose. Swallow your pride, get over yourself, let's work together, and make bipartisanship a continual standard within the political sphere that becomes a mandate of the people!
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crazy work excuses…
June 30, 2008 by the.muse, under Ins-and-Outs, Social Quandaries.
I got an email from CareerBuilder.com a few days ago (I can't figure out how to get off the list… I've tried like 15 times! ahhh!). However, I struck gold with the following article that came through this past week. It listed ten of the wackiest excuses that people had used for work. Ready? Here they are:
1. While rowing across the river to work, I got lost in the fog.
2. Someone stole all my daffodils.
3. I had to go audition for American Idol.
4. My ex-husband stole my car so I couldn't drive to work.
5. My route to work was shut down by a presidential motorcade.
6. I have transient amnesia and couldn't remember my job.
7. I was indicted for securities fraud this morning.
8. The line was too long at Starbucks.
9. I was trying to get my gun back from the police.
10. I didn't have money for gas because all of the pawnshops were closed.
Seriously… If you live in Washington, D.C., you could have used half of these. I've personally been late for something because of excuse 5. It wasn't a presidential motorcade, but it was a vice-presidential motorcade. When I was at my first job in D.C., I was on the route that the VP took from the Senate to his home at the Naval Observatory down K Street. And while there are 15,000 (or it seems) Starbucks in D.C., there is ALWAYS a line (which is why I just always said no to $5 coffee, and just took my own soda from home).
And if you had to go to court, you might really need to get your gun back from the police. I mean, hello, the Supreme Court just gave D.C. it's right back to handguns. There might be a lot more people calling in late to work now…
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how to hire a woman
June 11, 2008 by the.muse, under Leg-Slappin' Fun, Social Quandaries, Voices of the Past.
One of my friends, SR, sent me a newspaper clipping a while back that I lost in my inbox for a while that I came across a few days ago. I thought I would share it. It is absolutely too hysterical!
It's the 1943 Guide to Hiring Women, furnished by the July 1943 issue of the Transportation Magazine. It covers all guidelines that male employers should follow when considering females for employment. It's rather amusing.
Following are a shortened version of the 11 guidelines:
- Pick young married women. Why? They have fewer responsibilities (editorial: and, duh, you don't have to deal with their husbands).
- When choosing older women, try to find those who have outside-of-the-home experience.
- Choose a "husky" girl… they are more "temperamental."
- Have a physician on staff, especially for "female conditions."
- Stress the importance of time strictness and schedules.
- Give female employees to-do lists for the entire day so they will not have to bother the management.
- Allow inside females to change jobs from time to time… they'll be happier.
- Provide females with rest periods throughout the day. Allowing her to reapply lipstick and wash her hands can maintain her confidence level.
- Be tactful with instruction or criticism due to women's sensitivity levels; ridicule can interrupt efficiency.
- Do not swear around women. Their ears are sensitive, and their men do not appreciate it. Plus, they may grow to dislike their job.
- Make sure each woman's unifom fits properly to keep her happy.
The full article can be found here in its original form. Enjoy… and happy hiring!
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ti-i-ime
June 10, 2008 by the.muse, under All Things Considered Southern, Ins-and-Outs, Social Quandaries.
So, despite having Hootie and the Blowfish's tune rolling through my mind as I'm desperately wishing for more hours in the day, I am trying to figure out how to consolidate the things that I'm currently doing to make time for what I need to be doing. There are must-do items, such as studying, which is sort of required for class… Well, not sort of, it is. I'm just really not motivated right now. I remember feeling like this last summer. There is something about summer that is very ill-motivating about studying and schoolwork. One of the main problems is that my first week of work fell right at the beginning of the semester, which means I'm double-studying.
I could be a complete recluse. However, I've done that for the past year. Since I returned for graduate school, all I have done is work for graduate school. And the time I spend NOT on graduate school isn't necessarily out and about amidst the city… it's usually spent chatting with out-of-town friends through various mediums of internet or phone. I have intentionally not spent time out and about, because I knew that my time here would most likely be temporary (or to my hope at least). I did not want to vest myself into anything that would be painful to leave behind. It was hard to leave before… even more heart-wrenching to leave D.C. when I did… and I just don't want to experience that again. I yearn for a more peaceful move next time I leave: one in which I only have to say goodbye to a few people. Besides, the other day, I actually had someone still think I was in D.C. Oh, if only… and maybe soon.
The Spielmaster loves the South and wrote the most amazing post about the South… because most of you can't read her blog because it is protected, I'm stealing her Whitman quote… She wrote:
O magnet-South! O glistening perfumed South! my South!
O quick mettle, rich blood, impulse and love! good and evil! O all dear to me!
—Walt WhitmanThe South. My South. What is it about the southeasterly reaches of this country that puts such an irresistible call on the people who call it home, either by address, or history, or both?
While I can't necessarily say that I feel at home here, it is my home in some regard… It is home, because it is my family. It is home, because it is history. However, it conflicts with the desires of my heart, with the character of my being. It's at battle with my mind, and at war with my fighting spirit. I feel like I can't be who I truly want to be here. But, is it all about location, location, location? Or is it something else that is holding me back?
I feel like a lack of plans continue to hold me back. And, that for the sake of the argument continue to make me feel like I have no time to make good and wise decisions. These decisions can impact the future. Or a lack of decision or poor decision can destroy my future, or make a negative impact on my future. It's such a give or take. And without a plan, or anything kindly resembling a plan, I feel completely lost. I feel like a traveler on the interstate headed north without a destination, with no map, on a highway without signs. Who knows when I'll be able to stop for a rest? Or better yet, to fuel up for the next leg of the trip (that is, if I'll can afford it… haha). I'm in limbo. And in limbo, time feels eternal.
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sunday secrets
March 2, 2008 by the.muse, under Social Quandaries.
While I don't have a spouse or kids, this rings true for all Post Secret fans out there. Visit if you dare… but you'll be hooked. I am. I wait for it EVERY Sunday. It's a guilty pleasure for sure.
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racial tensions
February 28, 2008 by the.muse, under Political Slants, Social Quandaries.
Never again will I complain about the slow growth of race relations in the United States. CNN reported today that a video of white South African college students exposed intense racial division. The video shows the students intentionally degrading black South African workers, and refusing to go along with integration policies.
Read more and see the report about it here.
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they call him the streak…
December 2, 2007 by the.muse, under Leg-Slappin' Fun, Social Quandaries.
In "I can't believe they actually printed that" news, a man pleads that his manly parts were too inept to accuse him of flashing. Now, there's a defense I've never heard…
AT LEAST there weren't pictures… But man, sometimes journalism is seriously going down the toilet.
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each & EVRY1
October 17, 2007 by the.muse, under Higher Powers, Political Slants, Social Quandaries.
Just because I shared this story with my new grad school gal pals tonight over scrumptious Mediterranean food, I realized that I meant to post something earlier this week. Plus, it's not often that I get on a soapbox about the integration of faith and politics, but sometimes, there needs to be an intervention, whether divine or secular. 
Last April when I was getting my tag renewed from the state of Alabama, while I was still living in Washington, D.C., I chose to rid myself of my personalized tag and go with a standard tag. Upon that decision, the following conversation emerged:
vulcan's|muse's mother (mm): "They've got two kinds of tags now, which one do you want?"
vulcan's|muse (vm): "Two tags? What are they?"
mm: "Well, there's that old tag with the Stars Fell on something or another, and then there's the God Bless America tag."
vm: "I want the old one."
mm: "You don't want the God Bless America tag?"
vm: "No."
mm: "But why?"
vm: "I have no labels on my car, no stickers that suggest who I am… Having a tag like that in Washington, D.C. would lead others to believe that I'm a right wing conservative."
mm: "And what's wrong with that?"
vm: "Well, first of all, I'm not. And, there's plenty wrong with that… I don't need anything that points me out as one side or the other. I'd like to make it through intersections without being flipped off a few times."
mm: "Well, fine… I'll get you the old boring tag."
Well, here's the "old boring" tag: 
Here's the new religious "standard" tag: 
There are a multitude of sins that I could cover with this coercion of tag distribution that is going on in the state of Alabama, but I won't. But, there is one piece of this that just REALLY gets me steamed, and it lies in the bottom of the tag: God Bless America
Yes, I consider myself a person of faith. And yes, I hope that God does bestow blessings upon this country, but not on my country alone – to all of his creation. However, when this statement is made, it usually isn't made in the sense of God bless America, and everyone else too. No, it's God bless America, and sorry that you aren't apparently as "blessed" as we are.
There are a few fundamental questions that people should be asking themselves when they say or pray that God blesses America. When you pray for God's blessings on America, are you essentially praying that you will be more blessed than the person you meet on the street, speed by on the highway, or completely ignore despite their pain? Are you thanking God that you were "blessed" to live in America and not some other developing nation where they don't have the "blessings" of running water or heat and air? Are you deep down asking that God bless everyone, even the Iraqi insurgents, Saddam Hussein's followers, the terrorists in training to wreak havoc on America, Osama bin Laden? Because in all honesty, God gives everyone the same blessings. Our placement isn't blessing; it's geography. And, the last time I remember, Christ said that if you ignore a homeless man, despise an enemy, or petition for the death of an evil man, you are doing the same to Christ. In that way, we forsake Christ, our faith, and our "blessings."
So, seriously? Are you praying that God bless America? Or that God keep you safe from those that you are uncomfortable with or unable to handle? We are all God's children, and we are all given God's blessings… even those whom we feel don't deserve it. After all, it's not our place to judge.
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generation q
October 10, 2007 by the.muse, under Social Quandaries.
Today, as this Baby Buster/Gen Xer spoke with her Baby Boomer professor, the world of history was to be written in front of our eyes. As he spoke of the pathetic performances on the Western Civ mid-terms and compared them to the graduate seminar whose sole intent this semester is to try to objectify the term nationalism. I told him of my days working with youth, and how many of them had no idea what they wanted to be, and maybe, just maybe that’s why they weren’t performing, or becoming passionate about anything. And just then, he remember an op-ed in the New York Times today, that wrote about Generation Q. To be perfectly honest, I’ve lost count of what generation is what beyond my own, but this guy who wrote the article hit it dead on. Here are few important snippets that I enjoyed from the article:
But Generation Q may be too quiet, too online, for its own good, and for the country’s own good. When I think of the huge budget deficit, Social Security deficit and ecological deficit that our generation is leaving this generation, if they are not spitting mad, well, then they’re just not paying attention. And we’ll just keep piling it on them.
There is a good chance that members of Generation Q will spend their entire adult lives digging out from the deficits that we — the “Greediest Generation,� epitomized by George W. Bush — are leaving them.
…Generation Q would be doing itself a favor, and America a favor, if it demanded from every candidate who comes on campus answers to three questions: What is your plan for mitigating climate change? What is your plan for reforming Social Security? What is your plan for dealing with the deficit — so we all won’t be working for China in 20 years?
America needs a jolt of the idealism, activism and outrage (it must be in there) of Generation Q. That’s what twentysomethings are for — to light a fire under the country. But they can’t e-mail it in, and an online petition or a mouse click for carbon neutrality won’t cut it. They have to get organized in a way that will force politicians to pay attention rather than just patronize them.
Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy didn’t change the world by asking people to join their Facebook crusades or to download their platforms. Activism can only be uploaded, the old-fashioned way — by young voters speaking truth to power, face to face, in big numbers, on campuses or the Washington Mall. Virtual politics is just that — virtual.
Maybe that’s why what impressed me most on my brief college swing was actually a statue — the life-size statue of James Meredith at the University of Mississippi. Meredith was the first African-American to be admitted to Ole Miss in 1962. The Meredith bronze is posed as if he is striding toward a tall limestone archway, re-enacting his fateful step onto the then-segregated campus — defying a violent, angry mob and protected by the National Guard.
Above the archway, carved into the stone, is the word “Courage.� That is what real activism looks like. There is no substitute.
If you want, you can check out the entire op-ed here.