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March 31, 2006

Problems with today's families

There is a lot of discussion these days about what is wrong with families or kids today. I'd like to take a radical view and say that comparitively, there is a lot less wrong with families today than even 50 years ago. The problem comes in the way that society views families and the resulting pressures. There is a perceived gap between parents and children which is made worse by the sitcoms and movies which portray an unusual situation of the overly-inattentive parent and the precocious kid, or the teenager with the problems she can't discuss with her father. It makes kids feel misunderstood and alone, because they put their parents in the roles they see on the TV or movie screen.

How is the modern gap between parents and children any different than in the past? Going back even a couple hundred years, we see parents making arranged marriages for the family, without regarding what is really best for the child. In the 1960's, parents complained about Elvis and The Beatles, claiming they corrupted their children. In the 1930's and 20's, the same held true for flappers and swing music. Each generation of parents believe they will be different, but they run into the same problems. The modern life is filled with dangers like widespread destructive drug use, paedophiles who work through the internet, and exposure to urban violence. However, these dangers have existed for centuries in different forms, and only now are out in the open. We make a concerted effort to raise our children well, with an eye towards ensuring they can make their own choices and understand freedom.

Unfortunately, oftentimes in today's world, freedom is seen as the other side of the coin from chaos. A classroom filled with groups of kids learning in their own different ways is not viewed as a good class, instead, the teacher is berated for not keeping control. An expression of dissent from a child is seen as a bad action and the child is punished. For all our liberal talk about the love of freedom and the psychoanalysis applied to families and schoolchildren, it is all simply a method of trying to figure out how to make kids be "good." Yet again, though, "good" simply means that children should be seen and not heard. Exploration of individuality is discouraged, even in schools that declare themselves a fortress of Liberal And Free Thought.

In the end, there is one simple solution: Keep the kids safe on a daily basis while allowing them to be free to explore who they are. Don't let them run into traffic, make sure they know to ask before petting strange dogs, help them understand how guns can be dangerous weapons as well as tools, and let them loose on the world to find out for themselves who they are becoming. Life is an eternal journey, punctuated by moments of happiness, sorrow, and growth. Every new experience adds to the ones before, and in the end, we are what we make of ourselves. No one else can claim responsibility for who we are now.

Posted by Kat at 12:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 29, 2006

I'm a baaaaaad kitty mommy

I left the kitties at the vet today to be spayed. I know it's necessary, and that in the end they'll thank me, but I felt so bad leaving them there. They were both giving me the evil eye and Sarai was miauwing her little lungs out. That cat has a voice on her.

Oh the poor kitties.

Good news is that the surgery is done, everything went routinely, and I pick them up tomorrow. I still feel bad for putting them through that though.

I'm gonna miss them tonight.

Posted by Kat at 07:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 27, 2006

Insane cats

thumpa Thumpa THumpa THUmpa THUMpa THUMPa THUPMA CLUNK

--Sarai, running down the hall and hitting her head on the bedroom door.

Posted by Kat at 09:40 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

March 22, 2006

Continuation of paper analyses

Weird...I did both a technorati and google search on Highwater, and it seems as though there's a general acceptance of his work as being completely valid. I'm not sure I understand why, because he really puts forth the concept of "us vs. them" and the idea that we live in a dualistic culture.

While our world does seem to have quite a bit of dualism in it (good vs evil, etc), there is also a larger sense of the plurality in terms of individualism and diversity. We celebrate diversity, seek it out in our schools, offices, and communities, but then put authority on a man who says individuality is a myth.

I'm now thoroughly confused by this.

I'm also in a ton of pain. I thought I was mostly past this...that things had stabilized and I wouldn't be incapacitated for 3-4 days out of every month. Guess I was wrong. My body hates me and I can't do anything about it except feel helpless. Nothing seems to work. I've now missed two classes and part of a third as a result of the pain. So I have to apologize to my professors and ask if there's an extra credit assignment I can do to make up for it.

Posted by Kat at 12:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 21, 2006

An Overly Simplistic View

The following is a paper I have to rewrite. The original title was Narrowmindedness and Hypocrisy.

The idea of the “Primal” cultures being somehow better than “Western” cultures, that we must respect those that live close to the earth and shun those who live in cities and build wooden and brick houses is hypocritical and belies the statement that we should respect all cultures and all beliefs. Jamake Highwater presents an argument, using shame and guilt as the qualifications, that Western culture and the English language are symbols of oppression and enslavement. The biggest contradiction in the film comes from his assertion that he grew up speaking both Blackfoot and French, but that it was the English language that gave him problems. Méksikatsi translates to “pink-colored feet,” whereas in English the word is “duck,” and he couldn’t grasp the idea of a non-descriptive word. In French, the word is “le canard,” which has about as much meaning as “duck” and no descriptiveness at all. The blame is automatically placed on the English language rather than on his abject poverty and inability to integrate into the culture surrounding him. Integrating into a dominant culture does not mean giving up one’s heritage or self, it simply means being able to adjust to different social mores. Highwater seems to prefer that the western world adjust to his needs and the needs of all primal cultures. The old saying of “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” can be partially applied in this situation. We are told to teach our children to speak other languages so that they may become worldlier and understand other cultures, and as Americans, we are also often told that our society is harmful and oppressive, simply for being dominant. There are many contradictions in this view of the current dominant culture, and this film highlights all of them. Another example of this is Highwater’s view of the old New England church. While it is understandable that the Native Americans would see it as strange and terrifying, the opposing view, that the original immigrants and colonists would see the Native culture as strange and terrifying is never shown. It is human nature to be afraid of what you do not understand, and usually that fear leads to violence and destruction. Many wrongs have been done in the name of fear or modernization, but we are approaching a point where instead of trying to destroy that which we don’t understand, we try to bring it into our realm of experience. Highwater begins to show this at the end, by using the art school as an illustration, but it is too little, too late. He has already caused damage to how the western world and the primal world will understand each other. I wish that the beautiful, colorful section at the end of the film, where the art students talk about their experience in integrating western culture and techniques with their own, was the line of argument through the whole film. Instead, Highwater attempted to shame us into feeling like those of us who have never been oppressive or dangerous to the Native Americans should make reparations to a culture we want desperately to understand.

And here is the rewrite. My teacher thought it was harsh and inaccurate, so I'm taking a different tack and showing how the author/host (Jamake Highwater) is not taking into account enough how the world is changing and the diversity present in the world.

This is not done. I still have at least a page to write, if not more. There are also some awkward transitions and one section that needs to be moved around, but I can't seem to figure that out now. I'll see if maybe later there's a solution.

In the Jamake Highwater movie, Primal Mind, the idea of there being two types of humans is put forward; the primal culture and the western culture. What this view fails to take into account is that there are many human cultures and they are diverse and intertwined. Although America is not the center of the world, we have become dominant through absorption of the best and worst of the world’s peoples. In the course of this absorption, there have been great achievements and terrible roadblocks, oppression and enlightenment. The world has loved us, hated us, and loved us again. It is our diversity that is our greatest strength, and the one thing that has carried us through. There are so many cultures in the world - European, American, Arabic, Asian, African, Hispanic, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Communist, Capitalist, and so on. We as individuals are an amalgamation of our experiences and cultures, and our cultures are an amalgamation of individuals. A person can be a Communist Muslim African or a Catholic Capitalist Hispanic, or any other part of the mosaic that makes up the world. To say that the world is divided into “x” and “y,” whatever those two items may be, ignores this diversity. Highwater pays no mind to the Oriental cultures, or the Arabic and Persian cultures. He shows a vast divide between the Native Americans and the modern Americans, but doesn’t explain how the modern world is seeking to incorporate the natural one. There really is no clear division these days between the western cultures and the primal ones. Instead, we have a spider web of beliefs, incorporating the natural aspects of the world as well as the manmade ones. Pharmaceutical companies are researching plants from the Amazon to find new cures for new diseases. Religions are asking and answering the questions of how we came to be here and what our purpose is. Philosophers are seeking the same thing, many returning to the Greek and Roman ideas of the natural world and the beauty therein.

Comments? Revisions? I have to get to French class, but I'll have time later to check.

Posted by Kat at 12:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 15, 2006

Pauvre chat

My poor kitty...Sarai seems to have picked up an eye infection. I have a call into the vet to find out when he can see her.

It started on Saturday. She was listless and seemed to have trouble opening her left eye. By that afternoon she was better, had more energy, but still had problems with the eye. Sunday she was normal in the morning (serenading us at 6am and then running around like a bat out of hell for a good portion of the day) before crashing around 3:30 when I left for work. Her left eye was cloudy and bloodshot, and the pupil looked blown. The vet's office put me on hold for a while and then closed at two, so no luck there.

Monday morning she was almost normal. The eye was cloudy and a bit bloodshot, but she didn't seem to be bothered by it.

Tuesday, it started all over again with the other eye. I would assume conjunctivitis, but there's no goop coming out of it and she's eating normally. They have to be spayed anyway, so I'll set up the appointment for this weekend and let the vet see her then.

She actually sought me out for cuddling last night. She was shivering a bit, but didn't seem feverish and actually fought her way out from under the blanket while I was falling asleep. This morning, same routine. Meow miaou miauw...burble, purr, ask for attention.

Why isn't the vet calling me back? I have to call again.

It hurts me to see her so listless.

Posted by Kat at 01:29 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

March 10, 2006

Questions

What makes a blog interesting to read, and why do I feel like mine will never draw anyone in who doesn't know me?

Posted by Kat at 02:49 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

March 07, 2006

Anyone want to write me up a release form?

Because if I can get my regulars to sign one, then maybe I can actually share some of the stories that make me think I work at the NYC version of Cheers.

No, I'm not kidding. My regulars are hilarious. Truly hilarious. They never fail to keep me amused, and they are the reason I love working at my job.

Bartending kicks ass. Especially at a classy place like mine (yeah right, we're all a bunch of little kids who can't stop thinking or talking about sex).

Posted by Kat at 12:14 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Class from HELL

I swear, if I have to keep sitting through the same grammar bullshit that this teacher insists on putting us through, I'm going to explode. Between that, his constant picking on students, and the indoctrination that seems to permeate the entire department, I don't know how any learning happens. I just can't understand how someone who has been teaching for so long is so bad at it.

Posted by Kat at 12:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The world loses a fighter

Dana Reeve, an amazing person if there ever was one, is dead at 44. The news seems to have broken around 8:30 this morning.

She looked wonderful at Mark Messier's retirement celebration a couple months ago...I wonder what happened to make her go downhill so fast.

Posted by Kat at 09:41 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 06, 2006

The NYTimes is going down the toilet

I should have written about this Saturday morning, while it was still fresh in my mind, but a PSY100 paper distracted me.

Hell, the damned thing is due at 11am and I'm not done with it. Though I will be in about a half hour, so I'm ok.

So here's what happened. I'm closing up the restaurant with my boss, and decide to go next door. As my boss and I are trading quips about my (not) getting shitfaced, an odd young man is standing, smoking a cig and looking like a dog at a ping-pong match. He and I start talking and we end up going in to the bar next door to get a drink. Ok, no big deal, I've done this before and I know the bartenders working that night (it's why I decided to get a drink before going home anyway). So we go in and continue our conversation. It comes out that he's a NYTimes reporter and just got back from Iraq. He's convinced it's a pile of shit and that we really screwed up. As he goes on and on, I'm bringing up stories written by Brendan Loy and Michael Totten about the good things happening. I mention Iraq the Model and Zeyad, to point out that the residents of Baghdad, those who have a bigger stake in the future of the country than we do, feel things are going very well, given the circumstances.

He uses the old "bloggers are people in their pajamas in their living room" line. He claims Glenn Reynolds is a partisan hack and that bloggers are simply people giving their opinions from 3000 miles away. He starts Bush-bashing. He calls the war a "disagreement over oil" and says we need alternative energies, but changes the subject when I mention that the creation of plastics uses more petroleum than energy plants. He bounces around, says he isn't a Democrat, but then proceeds to spout every party line. I sit there, let him rant for 15 or 20 minutes (by this point it's around 1:45 and I've been there for over an hour listening to him bluster), then just ask him if he believes his bias colors his stories.

He says that he is on a search for the truth and that facts are more important than opinion - that opinion has no bearing on real life and should be disregarded. That he is on a noble search for The Truth and anyone who tells him different is living in a fantasy world.

That pissed me off. Not really, but I was tired of listening to his bullshit and wanted to go home. So I stood up, told him he pissed me off (to which he said "good), and that he was living in a little fantasy world of his own. If he thinks his bias doesn't color his writing and his opinions have no bearing on truth, and if the rest of the reporters at the Times feel the same, then I see why their circulation is going in the toilet and I predict a total collapse of the paper within the next decade.

Then I called him a fucking idiot and stalked out.

Moron.

I can't believe people like that actually exist in positions of journalistic power. My confidence in the blogosphere has jumped by 300% and I have a ton more respect for Glenn and Karol for having the balls to fight with people like this on a daily basis. The liberals scare me. The idea that someone is willing to put up with the risk of death for the sake of some idealistic fantasy scares me. Risking death for freedom is one thing. Risking death for some perceived slight to freedom is an entirely different can of worms.

If I am not free, I may as well be dead. But if I am dead, my freedoms mean nothing. I would rather live, and live free. Whatever I have to do to ensure that, I will do. If it means torturing someone to get information about a future attack, fine. If it means domestic wiretapping of potential terror suspects, not a problem. If it means flooding the city with Marines, go for it.

I love my country, I love my freedoms, and I love being safe. I don't think it can get simpler than that.

Posted by Kat at 09:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 03, 2006

Blogspot splogs

I am thisclose to banning blogspot domains from posting trackbacks or comments to my blog.

FUCKING SPLOGS!!!! GET THE FUCK OFF MY SITE!

On a similar note, how do I close old entries? I need a plugin, don't I?

Posted by Kat at 03:51 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

March 01, 2006

I think they forget we pay their salaries.

I am pissed.

Really really pissed.

I had a post, nearly completed, about the problems with power trips and indoctrination that I'm facing at BMCC. It was a beautifully written post, with examples and arguments laid out. Part of it was even in French because that was the only way I could express it.

The bastard who runs the French Lab for my class closed out the browser window.

"Ok," you say, "it was French class and you were writing a blog entry. That's not uncalled for."

Except that the same browser window also had two About.com pages in it, as well as Le Monde and The Dissident Frogman open. He was being a bitch because I was directly critisizing him and the school for treating us like incompetants. We choose to be there. We put out the money, time, and effort to learn. The way we learn is up to us, not up to him. Give us computers with an internet connection and allow us to go to about.com, and we will do so. It's an authorized page. So is Le Monde.

If I fail the tests, that's my responsibility. If I don't hand in the homework, I have only myself to blame. If I use the lab time to learn in my own way, il tombe sur ma tete. Ce n'est pas leur problem.

I am an adult. As are my classmates. We range in age from 18 to...At least 50, that I know of. Possibly older. We are working our asses off to gain the knowledge we need to achieve success in our chosen fields. Ils n'ont pas le droite pour faire ceci.

Posted by Kat at 02:32 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack