Miss California Controversy

After Prop 8 was passed, there has been a storm of riots and angry voices amongst many Americans who adamantly proposed an appeal to such a proposition of banning same-sex marriages. Some states are hearing the minority cries and in seeing the injustice have legalize same-sex marriages within their own jurisdiction- like Massachusetts, Connecticut, and shortly Iowa and Vermont will be on the road map to progress.

It's unbelievable to me that we can perceive such great and innovative things and come so far technologically, yet our perception of humankind and its institutions can sometimes still be so archaic in values. We think back to the days where we had to fight against racism and the war for interracial marriages, and we still cannot learn our lessons and continue to let history repeat itself until some sort of revolution blows up for people to finally see things in perspective as they should be. We ha ve been socialized to differentiate between physical sexes with this notion of gender (being male or female), and between people in different countries with the idea of nationalities. In striving to make sense of the already complicated world we inhabit by differentiating and categorizing everything, we've only made it all the more difficult to reside in. What is the difference being black, white, or yellow and being male, female or transgendered but mere variations of shapes and colors of the human body? We have only fought against racism and sexism because we have a clear concept of the taboo our society has embedded in those words. So is it thus harder for us to see the immoral offense in homophobia or anti-LGBT because society has not yet created a taboo word for it? What if we labeled it genderism and had that defined as being prejudice against the roles of how a male or female should act or be between each other? Would more and more people come to understand then? I am sure that in a few years the rest of the world will come to see how inhumane this all is.

Digressing a bit, this brings me to the Miss California controversy during the Miss USA pageant. When she was asked how she felt about the legalization of gay marriages, she responded:

"I think it's great that Americans are able to chose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same sex marriage or opposite marriage. You know what? In my country and in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anyone out there; but that's how I was raised and that's how I think, that it should be between a man and a woman. Thank you."

Politically incorrect? Yes. Socially unaccepatable? Yes. Wrong answer? No. It was obvious that this answer lost her the crown, hands down. She was booed by many for being so narrow-minded and applauded by some for being so honest with her own beliefs which may have mirrored their own. This puts things in a whole different arena, because even though we hold the idea of speaking our minds freely, a lot of people become silenced with their ideas and beliefs because of the mass majority. This is not to say that I agree with Miss California or that I felt that she deserved to win (because I don't) but this is about the controversy that has been sparked causing judgment against who she is or may be as a person because she did not go with the majority. This actually creates a paradoxical situation. We believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but we shoot them down when they voice something that goes against the main stream or our own opinions. But in this case, the opinion was a tyrannical one that encouraged the retrogradation of a particular group. So in reverse, because we believe that each individual should have their own opinions and so each state should come to their own conclusions based on a majority vote, sometimes the minority cries are the ones that deserve to be heard. Those cries are anything that may prohibit particular groups from enjoying the same freedoms everyone is entitled to; in which cases, the cries of the "No on Prop 8" was silenced by the "Yes on Prop 8."

Nat

You're Fired!

Today’s entry has nothing to do with increasing unemployment rates or our economy- this has to do with Donald Trump and yesterday’s episode of Celebrity Apprentice.

So for those of you, who did not catch what happened yesterday in the boardroom, T- Boz and Khloe Kardashian were fired…T-Boz for volunteering to be on the chopping block to back up Melissa Rivers (who was the project manager) and Khloe…because she has a DUI…*scratches head*. I must say that this time, the Trump’s reasoning was even more absurd than his hair. Usually he lets them defend themselves to the grueling end, throwing each other under the bus to preserve their spot to continue on with the game, but this time- it was purely Trump’s anecdotes and conclusions for each contestant. He reasoned that since Clint Black and Natalie Gulbis were champions and successful in their own fields of expertise- they deserve to remain on the show…as for Khloe- since she is merely a reality star who has a DUI and also by the way, is trying to win money for her charity (which involves helping those with alcohol and drug abuse), he has just lost respect for her and because of that…she’s fired.

Really?! What happened to it’s nothing personal? It’s all business? Firing Khloe had nothing to do with how she performed on her tasks or anything related at all to what Celebrity Apprentice is all about. He brought up her past, and grilled her for it by embarrassing her and letting her know how much he has a scathing hatred for drunk drivers. His contempt is understandable, but you do not bring someone onto your show knowing that they are trying to clear up their past mistakes- only to butcher their reputation by digging it back up again.

This is something we see repeatedly throughout the media. Recently, a video was leaked in which Joe Biden’s daughter, Ashley, was caught doing cocaine. The intentions of the scandal, was not to attack her personally but her father, who has been campaigning hard against illegal drugs. The media is using this in a way to find fault in his reputation as Vice President more so than as a Father figure first. The same goes for the Clinton and Lewinski scandal whose personal affairs became grounds for attack towards his Presidential platform. On a side note, the same goes for Patti Stanger- the unmarried 48 year old Millionaire Matchmaker.

I really believe that it’s important for people to see a separation of people’s private lives vs. their public lives/professions. One’s public position cannot be judged by their private actions unless it is truly a distractive factor that spills over and influences aspects of their jobs. Do not bring out a politicians daughter just to attack his competency. Do not bring out a contestant’s personal past just to attack her business abilities.

In conclusion, our botox-to-be-like-Barbie and plastic surgery society is a direct epitome of our persistent need to find fault in ourselves and others.

Nat

Another “Senseless” War

I am so frustrated and angered by all the shooting sprees that have been going on lately; the most recent being in New York and in Pittsburg and not to mention the many prior incidents in the last few months. The stories went from disgruntled high school individuals feeling outcasted by their peers to disgruntled adults, feeling outcasted by their community (upon losing their jobs) to find their last resort through acts of homicide and suicide. It breaks my heart to know that we are all living through a second Great Depression and many people do not feel that sense of solidarity to turn to their communities for help. More and more people are unemployed as more and more businesses permanently close their doors behind them…so I can see how it can be difficult for anyone to hold their chin up and see any sort of light for salvation.

New York Governor David Patterson stated that the recent shooting at the Immigration Center was the “the worst tragedy and senseless crime in the history of the city.” I’m sure the incident was irrational and “senseless,” but if this were so, how can so many sane people continue to act upon their grief, uninhibited by any sort of social mores that warns them of the consequences? Perhaps consequences only matter when one can see an overarching string of events that can follow if prevented…but if the road cuts there then what are consequences to them but a mere religious word to an atheist?

It is tough to not only be dealing with two foreign wars and a domestic war to survive in our economy, but it is also a difficult battle we fight within ourselves to have that courage to live through these times with whatever kind of hope and grace we can abstract from the pits of our stomachs. Even if we continue to walk forward and everything behind us and around us falls apart, we still have our future to move towards.

Nat

Vagabond

It’s been an interesting few days, being as free as a bird to do as I please. I feel so relaxed and unbothered by daily tasks and chores…to not be held down by any sort of responsibility or managed by anyone. Yet I feel trapped in my logical mind. I complain that work is such a bore going in and out from 8 to 5, doing the same robotic duties, but now that I have such an empty schedule I feel so unsatisfied.

I’ve learned that the adult world can be mundane in that it is all about standards and set schedules…and I believe I’ve adapted to that world and now being thrown backwards into those college days when it was all about doing as I please- I feel very much so out of my element. I feel the need now to find a routine to grow accustom to…I cannot wake up each morning and just wing it or go with the flow- it doesn’t feel productive or make any sense to me anymore. I can’t enjoy the day just being and spending time with family and friends, I’d much rather be waking up early to go to work and do what I have to do and go home and wrap up the day to start all over again the next day.

Are these indicators of me finally reaching that maturity level in our working society or am I a mere number in confirming Marx’s alienation of labor theory? Have I too become a direct epitome of The Killer’s Dancer- a marionette held down by the strings of the daily grind?

So now I am faced with the question of how I am supposed to enjoy the next few months of my life before lockdown and I just can’t seem to put my finger on it without some sort of strict to-do list. For at least now, I need to get rid of the way my mind functions and strives for order with all those charts and graphs- and perhaps just let loose like a vagabond with no map, like a hippie with no home, like a wanderer with open eyes and an open heart.

 Nat

Not all Labels are Made Equal

I am so happy to find that Disney will go back to their roots and release a traditional cartoon-princess movie by the end of this year! My sisters and I grew up falling in love with Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Snow White, Pocahontas, etc… yet when I started reaching High School, Disney became more technically advanced and teamed up with Pixar for a more 3D approach to their animated creations. It was exciting to watch Disney transform with the times, but a part of me always felt nostalgic for more 2D classics that was such a big part of my childhood.

Upon Googling to find out more about “The Princess and the Frog,” I stumbled across articles and commentary about the new release and was instantly appalled by the petty critiques being made.

Princess Tiana will be the first black princess and it was mentioned that her original name was Princess Maddy and the title of the film was to be “The Frog Princess.” There was an issue with her name being too closely related to that of a slave name and the title would be too discriminating, given she would be the first African American Disney princess. Furthermore, there was also a big issue about Prince Naveen being of a Caucasian descent as opposed to being African American as expected.

Really? How can we call ourselves a big melting pot when now we feel the need to constantly make sure each individual ingredient gets their exact equal share in the mix? When they don’t, it becomes exacerbated until someone is deemed prejudice. Critics believe they are arguing against a racist representation of African Americans, believing that because Prince Naveen is not black, Disney is insinuating that a black Prince is not worthy enough. Why don’t people see that they are progressing from a racially similar couple to a now interracial one? It’s not just Ariel and Eric, Mulan and Shang, Jasmine and Aladdin…

Another issue similar to this was Michelle Obama’s inauguration gown. I was happy to see that she was not only wearing an upcoming young designer like Jason Wu that day, but that he was young and Asian. The next day, I read on The Cut (NY mag) that the Black Artists Association was going to file a complaint to the First Lady for not representing a black designer on such a historic day. I was shocked.

How can we move forward when we make race transparent in every judgment we pass? It’s great that we’ve moved from discriminating times to more accepting times, but that boulder will remain up if we become so sensitive and nitpick at everything the media portrays. We don’t need constant reminders that we are a society that does not tolerate racial inequality, unless it’s something intentional and absolutely obvious. We all know how far we've come. Nitpicking at the small to turn it into a bigger scab will only bear unforeseen ramifications that will take us as many steps back as we take forward.

All this need for labels of racism or injustice may be necessary then, but I personally feel that it’s not today. Just like we can’t afford high-end fashion labels in this economy, we can’t afford those kinds of labels either.

Nat