Saturday, June 27, 2009

Mourn Michael Jackson?

It is amazing that there have been three people that have died this week; Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon, and Michael Jackson. But who do we remember? Who have I heard music from on the radio for the past 24 hours? Oh yes. Michael Jackson. I think that his early songs are ok. Thriller, let it be a classic, but besides that I don’t see the big deal. No one really listened to him until he died. I know the rule of honor the dead, but some people do not deserve that honor. Here is a man that bleached his skin, was America’s poster creeper, hung his kids over balconies, ran himself 500 billion dollars in debt and brought only boys to his “Neverland” home and now we are praising the life that he lived. Has America truly gone crazy? Just thinking of this “man” makes my stomach sick. What has he done to earn this honor? Where in his life as he earned his respect? With the moonwalk? The groin grabs? These are the historical dance moves that we need to be praising. You know what; I will even give America the benefit of the doubt, and let’s say that you truly are only celebrating the death of a good entertainer, not the death of Michael Jackson the person. If that was the case then that entertainer died a long time ago. The little boy Michael that danced his last song when he was actually his true color is dead. He has been dead for a long time. The time to praise that long lost performer is gone and you should have mourned a long, long time ago.

The Michael Jackson that died a few days ago is a child molester. Even if you do not believe that he molested those innocent boys; you should believe that the situation alone, the situation that he put them in is entirely inappropriate. Why would these children make up a story that they were molested? Their mother’s made them think that? Seriously? That is the best reason that Michael or America can come up with? What would these people have to gain? More money? Didn’t Michael already give them that? What mother would put them their child through that torture? Or better yet, what mothers would put their children through that torture? Here is a man that just looks like a freak, a man that has always had childhood problems, is immature and brings children into an unacceptable environment and you believe him over the children?

Picture this. It is 1 am and a teenage girl just got off her shift at working at a restaurant. She has to walk down an ally to get home. She is alone and awake at this time. There is a man in the ally, she passes him, but doesn’t talk to him. She tries to ignore him and quickens her pace. The man pursues her. Her heart beats faster. Her pace turns into a full run. The man is strong, way stronger than her. No adrenaline rush could force this man off of her. She yells for help but to no avail. The man already has a criminal record. He rapes her in that ally and leaves her for dead. The next morning she if found barely breathing. She tells the police of the crime, but they do not believe her. They cannot find the man. There is no overwhelming proof. Was she asking for it? She must be just looking for attention, right? So her word means nothing and the man walks free pouring his great evil on his unsuspecting victims. Has justice been served? Doesn’t this man’s criminal record alone at least give her the benefit of the doubt? What about that feeling in the very pit of your stomach that knows that she is telling the truth? Has that feeling just shut off for Michael Jackson’s case? I think that there are many questions as not only an American, but a person of higher morals and ideals that we all need to be asking ourselves. In a country that prides itself on being a better nation, what has happened?

bnh4urq9p3

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Philosophy?

So lately all of my classes have been overlapping....Political Theory and Rhetoric are the two that seem to be taught off of the same syllabus. But something that has really been making me scratch my head are the thoughts of the early Orators and philosophers. We are supposed to be thinking outside of the box. Not conforming to society and coming up with our own ideas. What is real? What is happiness?

For example, there is a big difference between the Sophists and the Philosophers. Despite the many differences between the two I will hit on one of the big ones. The Sophists believe that you should learn something that you can actually use such as math. They also where traveling philosophers more or less and taught for money. But Philosophers like Socrates believed that you should teach all that there is to know whether you will end up using it or not and he never cut a profit.

Now here is where my questions begin. As I was driving in my car back from dropping off a friend I realized that I did not know what happiness was. I know what happiness feels like, or do I? Do you think that happiness is just defined but what society we are in? For there is not one blanket definition of happiness. I know that I feel good when I eat a chocolate brownie but for some people there might not be any happiness in that. Maybe you are allergic to chocolate and you break out in hives. Hell I don't know. But besides all that the Philosophers then try to define happiness for me. But isn't that just the opposite of what they are suppose to do. Are they not suppose to let me define it for myself.

Next question. While all of this discovering my true self, learning new things and thinking outside the box is all well and good. What is the ultimate purpose of this? I do not mean to be a Sophist but what are my limits. Is not our whole basic purpose in the world to be born, make babies and die. Is there more to life than that? In the end do you not serve a real purpose if you do not make an invention that carries down and even then is not the man who made the skateboard forgotten? Or what about the man who made the VHS player. Is it not a matter of time until you are forgotten?