Politiks

via tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com
If Anna and Grace (foils of one another)
can work out their differences and work together,
so can we.

Ah politics . . . I had started this blog years ago to soak my feet into this foreign world (mind you I was definitely not a poli-sci major before law school like most people I know). As I progressed through law school and learned politics through the lectures of my professors and the insights of my classmates, I was rather fascinated at such prevalent topics with such polarizing sides. I loved that although every side had a compelling point of view in its own right, it was only through our own life experiences did we know exactly where we stood on certain issues. For example, I took a strong stance towards gay marriage and wrote an entry about it here (though perhaps rather not too eloquent now that I read it again) and an extensive article on the unconstitutionality of proposition 8 for my school journal two years later. Why? Because I have a great group of gay friends who I can't imagine not being able to cry at their weddings, merely because it's up to the majority of each state to decide whether or not they can or cannot consummate their love for each other. It's our life experience and upbringing that ultimately pulls us to the left or to the right on certain issues. I'm sure George Lakoff's "Moral Politics" can vouch for that (I oddly started this book before law school and never finished it . . .)

However, what has been turning me off about politics is the fact that heated arguments about certain topics have crossed boundaries and have become personal attacks on people, rather than their point of views. Example? Rush Limbaugh's "slut" comment directed at law student Sandra Fluke for her position on the contraceptives controversy. On a more microscopic level? The facebook comments I see on my my friend's statuses regarding the KONY 2012 campaign. Some defending the movement and others alleging it's a scam. This is fine because I was listening to NPR and it was refreshing to be presented with both sides of the issue - more informational and up to the listeners to decide, rather than a persuasive piece. However, back to the facebook comments, as I scrolled down discussions regarding this issue, some became heated attacks on the person - one person was calling the other person "uneducated" because he was at a community college, another person making general statements about ignorant Americans, and more people criticizing about how people are so dumb because they merely "watched" a 30 minute video and now think they're "social activists." Wow, just wow. This is so amature.

I wish politics was more about being able to present multiple sides of an issue, have people decide for themselves where they stand (after being as informed as possible of course) and stand up for those issues with an open mind of where the other person is coming from - and if they feel strongly about it, they can still present their case without having to bring the other person down. I'd say apply more of an European-like inquisitorial system, rather than an American-like adversarial system. It's like religion - just because I don't ascribe to your religion, does not make me a "lost soul." There are room for a multitude of beliefs and viewpoints and that's what makes our society so great! Sadly, we have a long way to go. . . My lesson? To be able to be passionate about certain issues and voice those opinions without losing ground by throwing dirt, the type that involves personal attacks.

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

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

Dear Obama, My Friends and I can use some of that Bailout Money as well…

Good morning world! While I was brushing my teeth this morning and looking at my disheveled self in the mirror, I started to think about how I used to look like this every morning when I used to wake up for my early Econ classes dreading the boring lectures from McDevitt…I used to think to myself “this horror will be over...after college you will get a great job and make tons of money and every morning will be a new day in which you jump out of bed and be ready to make your indelible mark in the working world…”

Not even close. For some people this may hold true but for others it seems like an entry level job may almost be comparable to a bookmark in our lives; just holding the page until you’re ready for the next chapter. My job is not the hardest job in the world and in no way do I feel like it’s a challenge. I admit that it’s easy and I love that I’m not micro-managed and have the leisure of completing my work at my own pace…but in the words of Evita “Where do (I) go from here? This isn’t where (I) intended to be…”

If there’s one thing you must know about me, I can’t settle; I can’t settle for easy and comfortable; I need the challenge and I need to know that I’m going somewhere. Right now I’m stagnant, that’s why I decided I need to change the tides of things and go back to school and re-compass my direction in life.

Now I’m not complaining, because I know that I am actually lucky to even be employed compared to many recent graduates who are currently facing a horrific job market where entry level positions are asymptotically reaching zero!

Proof: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/18/economy.college.students/index.html?iref=newssearch

So that BA degree that holds all that promise of a good paying job is considered BS right now. On top of that, our generation of young adults has accumulated a pile of debt for the cost of the continuously increasing cost of tuition and no job. Applying for a deferment due to economic hardship after a year out of college is like a premature cry towards bankruptcy. It’s like promising a loan shark you’ll get the money, but after a year of looking for it, you’re still at a lost as to what else to do. So what do we all do? Borrow more money and go back to school to see if we can become more educated to figure out where all that money is- digging ourselves an even deeper hole. It sounds cynical but it’s the sad reality.

On the bright side, Senator Carl Levin said it best, "The real question is- are we going to have a huge deficit with investment or a huge deficit without investment." Of course he is referring to Obama’s Stimulus Plan but I can say that we can apply this to our education as well- which is definitely an investment.

So my question lies here…the government right now is trying to mitigate everyone’s problems from saving the children and teenagers’ schools from budget cuts, to lowering interest rates for the couples in their 30s trying to be first time home buyers, to saving the seniors’ from losing their Social Security pensions; from assisting the poor in the lower income bracket to helping the rich (aka financial companies and banks and their wealthy CEOs) with bailouts.

What happened to us? The struggling college graduates in our twenties? We are the people to be saved since we are the future of today’s society! We are barely starting our lives in the real world but we are slowly dissolving in a quicksand of debt with no helping hands from employers who can aid us out of it. What is to become of my generation who still believes in the American Dream: you reap what you sow? We borrowed money to afford all the right equipment to plow a field assuming once the spring comes we will have much to harvest, but we are hit with Armageddon so what do we do now??? Ok I’m getting carried away…it’s still too early in the morning…

Nonetheless, I feel like something needs to be done in our sector of education…lowering tuition- sure, but how about prolonging the subsidized deferment timeframe or maybe some bailout money to waive a chunk of our debt from an education that held so much promise? It’s true today that a Bachelor’s degree is the equivalent of a High School degree and you are on equal playing grounds with everyone else. I understand now that just like the US dollar, our education system can also go through the cycles of inflation…so does this mean if you don’t get your PhD in 2050, you’re considered educationally stunted? Anyways that’s off topic, but either way we need help from the big guy…

Are you there Obama? It’s me Natalie…

 I was supposed to pay off this satin couture after I completed my studies...

 Nat

Meghan McCain

Recently I have started paying attention to Meghan McCain- someone whom I would never expect to take any slight interest to. She was on The View discussing her recent feud with Laura Ingraham in which Ingraham attacked her not on her political stances but on her weight and her appearance- summing her up as a plus size model. I loved the way she handled this- not just by saying "Kiss my fat a**" but that she stated that Ingraham was giving a bad name for women by digressing from attacks to her intelligence to her appearance. When women do this to each other, we are only putting a cap on our true potentials to be up there with the big political guys.

I read her blog today on the TheDailyBeast.com and I can say that she can possibly be one of the voices of our generation. Yes she has that stereotype of being a blonde ditzy valley girl that would probably know more fashion than anything, but this is how a lot of girls like myself can relate. Sometimes people won't take you seriously because you have that label, but I do beleive that when the label comes off there is just as much potential and room for growth to be heard and taken seriously.

I am of course a self proclaimed Democrat, so it is not to say the least that I support a Republican, but it's the way McCain has approached politics that I respect. Despite the fact that she comes from a conservative family, she was not influenced by it initially and was an Independent at one point but now calls herself a "Progressive Republican." I would say that she is a right wing Moderate if anything. There has been a lot of strong figures in the GOP like Anne Coulter or Rush Limbaugh- who I feel have only ostracized impressionable people like myself to move even further to the left- to the left. I think McCain- being only 24- sees this and feels a need to have more strong figures, who are not extreme Republicans, speak out and change these attitudes. The Democratic Party, I feel, has had more of an advantage being portrayed much more highly and excessively in our media, giving our people what we want to hear and see. Obama had suddenly became a celebrity and for teenagers it was cool to support him- whatever it was he may be supporting.

I feel that our country always needs a balance of both. When a Republican President is too busy focusing on foreign affairs for 8 years and neglects our falthering economy, we need a Democratic President who can jump in to focus on domestic affairs and the pattern goes on. It's a balancing game that has made our country so much more progressive than any other country who have either been Socialist, Communist or what not over the last decades and decades.

All in all, I am still figuring out where I stand in the midst of all this mayhem, but whatever position I fall into I would never want to get lost in a label that because I am liberal everything liberal is the solution to our problems

Nat

Amending the Second Amendment

It's been so depressing reading the news lately about all the shooting sprees going on in our country as well as a European country like Germany, where it is said to have strict gun policies. I think what's worst than reading this is knowing that we have all grown pretty much immune and numb to this idea, having heard about it so much. I remember when the incident occurred in Columbine in 1999, it shook us and shocked us. Today it seems like commonplace news...

I have mixed feelings about the Second Amendment, yet I also am unsure where I stand on gun control. We just can't make everything that is considered lethal or harmful to society illegal and expect it to solve all our problems. We will only be expanding our definition of what it means to be a criminal and crime rates will skyrocket. Yet our economy is the worst it's been in a long time and people are growing more and more disillusioned and are resorting to suicidal and violent actions. So I think it is safe to say that we should implement stricter regulations on the sales of guns to every individual. I think professionals like psychologists should play a major role in this process, and not just politicians and economists. The problem lies less in the product being sold, but more so in the individuals making the purchase. Stricter background checks, increase the age requirement, increase the cost or even the tax. We may not eliminate the problem but we can sure reduce the chances of another headline in the news of multiple deaths due to an individual with a handgun.

With two dire wars and a deteriorating home front, it is necessary to make exceptions to certain constitutional rights written in different times to fit our current times.

Nat

Quintessential Fashionista? I think not...

Welcome to my blogosphere! I have been prolonging this blog for lack of a catchy title...not a very good excuse now huh? So it was now or never that I just wing it and hit the ground running here. I have blogged about fashion (http://lecocouturecafe.xanga.com/) and have considered attending FIDM (fashion institute of design and merchandise) but I had an epiphany months and months ago when I realized that maybe, just maybe mingling with Lagerfeld and Furstenburg at a charity gala isn't entirely feasible.

I am 22 and am at that stage in life where you just don't make statements like "When I grow up, I am going to be..." Now I must answer the inevitable question "What are you doing now that you graduated?" It's along the lines of "Okay, you're an adult now, what are you doing with your life?" To foreshadow where I'm getting at, I did come up with an answer - wow, such a small and petty word for such a major life-changing notion.

So quick backdrop of my life...I graduated UCLA double majoring in economics and Sociology within the course of 3 years so that I could take a year to study fashion. I also have spent some time in Paris in 2006 absorbed in the studies of fashion to realize that this would be my path. I admit I am a studious scholar by morning but a devoted fashionista by evening. I have felt compelled to dip my foot in both worlds in that I can puree my love for everything in the fashion industry with my interest in the intelligent world of academia. For some reason I feel that I have been left with an ultimatum and Frost is now asking me which road to choose... But you know what? I think he answered it for me too by suggesting to take (here comes the cliche...) the road less traveled. My first step into the yellow woods starts here :).

I am applying to Law School but am not entirely abandoning my roots...it's like keeping your real color but getting highlights. I am still an avid subscriber to Vogue, Cosmo, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Marie Claire, US Weekly, and Allure...faithful fan of ANTM and Project Runway...and an overall voyeur of the industry BUT I am adding flavor to this internalized superficiality...no surprise I know very little about Politics nor the upcoming election. No surprise that everything I know about Obama is from E! News and Oprah. No surprise that my only convo about McCain was his recent celebrity ad attack on Obama with Paris and Britney in it. Yes, your quintessential chick from OC to LA...up until now! I have been reading random political blogs and articles from CNN and trying to put the pieces of the puzzles together for myself. I don't reall understand...though I desperately want to understand...I want to learn about our current political affairs and have an opinion to voice. It is hard to speak a second language when my full assimilation has been on the other side of the world. They say Cheney I hear Chanel, they say "Battle of the Bulge" I hear diet, they say Sudan I hear sedan, They say Politics I hear Blahniks. I want to teach myself that there is a world and issues out there that I have been blinded to growing up from the world of Hollywood and The Hills.

So here it is! I am taking one day at a time and trying to learn one world and maintain the other because both will ultimately become my world, juxtaposition and all. You can say it's politics for dummies...with style. Au Revoir!