As an occasional pundit more than a little interested in a politics and the use of power (a frequenet subject of this blog in one fashion or another), the goings on the 2008 Primary Season have been of great interest to me. While I hope I do not make the frequent mistake of many in believing that political leaders can fulfill escatological hopes for the bringing of heaven on earth (unlike some people), I nonetheless am a firm believer that the quality of our leadership is of great importance and that in a democratic republic where the ultimate accountability for leaders rests in the people, if one does not participate in the political process, one has no right to complain about the results. This does not mean I always agree with what leaders to choose from, or that I agree with all of their behavior in various elected offices, but I believe we have to do the best job we can as wise stewards of our freedom from tyranny and (whenever possible) oligarchy. That is the subject of another rant, though.
Occasionally, though, I find a candidate who, unusually, reflects my own rather quirky views and personality. Such is the case this year. However, first, I must begin with a story. In 2000 I was a freshman at the University of Southern California when it came time to vote in the primary. As the primary approached, I was an undecided voter, not knowing much about Sen. McCain and not being an enthusiastic supporter of George W. Bush (despite voting for him in the general election of both 2000 (in California) and 2004 (in Florida), I never have been an enthusiastic supporter of him). However, I had the chance to witness Sen. McCain speak in person at Bouvard Auditorium just before the election, and I found him to be an immensely sincere and passionate speaker, worthy of my support (he got my vote, despite losing the primary and the campaign).
Once 2008 came around, I thus already was interested in Sen. McCain's campaign, though matters looked rather grim in the last half of 2006 as anti-war fever swept the nation and the Republican party started resembling the nativist (anti-immigrant) Know-Nothings of the 1850's, another tumultuous and highly polarized time in our nation's history. Though I disagreed with Sen. McCain on some aspects of his proposed solution to illegal immigration (namely, those parts which suggested amnesty), as a long-time resident of areas with high amounts of immigrants, I see the need for a comprehensive immigration solution that encourages legal immigration and harshly punishes those companies that employ illegal immigrants and make it easier for them to engage in normal business practices (see Wal-Mart, Bank of America, etc.). As a graduate student in engineering, I also see the need for reforming the H1-B (work visa) program, which is in shambles as the high supply of qualified foreign graduate students (who could greatly benefit this nation) is mostly prevented from finding legal gainful employment. As someone, therefore, who was familiar with the immigration situation, I was more than a little sympathetic to McCain's position as trying to negotiate a comprehensive (and necessarily compromise) solution.
So when McCain won New Hampshire, and then South Carolina, through the support of moderate Republicans (I would personally consider myself, like McCain, moderately conservative--and there is substantial, though not total, overlap between our positions), I was interested in helping out the McCain campaign in Florida, which I did. I happened to volunteer three evenings at the McCain office when I didn't have class during the week, and helped pass out stickers and signs at a McCain town hall meeting in The Villages (where I even got to escort a New York Times reporter to her seat through the relatively, but thankfully not violently, hostile audience), and attended a McCain rally in Tampa on Primary Election Eve. When McCain won a larger-than-expected five-point win the next day, I was quite pleased.
But I was less than pleased with the response of many conservative pundits to McCain's growing momentum. The same conservatives who had supported Thompson (of an 86% lifetime conservative voting record) considered McCain (of an 82% lifetime conservative voting record) an apostate to the Republican party, almost as if one was voting for Hillary Clinton. Various conservatives said that if McCain won the primary that they would not vote Republican in the final election (thus perhaps giving the election to Hilary). It puzzled me that many conservative Republicans would be so hostile to someone who was mostly (though by no means entirely) in favor of their positions.
Then again, I often puzzle why, in my own circles, those who are conservative consider me to be such a radical revolutionary when in reality I am far from it. Certainly, I am a pugnacious maverick who enjoys tweaking the establishment now and again, and certainly I have some longstanding issues with authority (which I will be the first to admit). Intriguingly enough, I found many of the same parallels in McCain's own life. For one, he received many demerits in the Naval Academy because he would not stand for the arbitrary and capricious use of power by upperclassman over underclassman. Here was something I wholeheartedly agreed with. His noble stand in Vietnam not to take advantage of his father's position as admiral in getting out of the Hanoi Hilton out of order and in thus submitting himself to an additional five years of torture and imprisonment was a noble stand for his comrades in prison, worthy of my highest respect. Here was someone who did not dodge or avoid the draft or use political influence to gain a cushy spot in the National Guard, but someone who suffered for the sake of fairness and justice as a prisoner-of-war.
It appeared to me that the reason why McCain is so universally loathed by conservatives (see Rush, a man whose right to speak I defended in my first editorial as an pre-teen in a western Pennsylvania newspaper, and others) was not because of his positions on such matters as the environment, immigration, and finance reform, but because he was not beholden to them. McCain's independent streak, especially shown in his combative and pugnacious personality, not his positions, is accountable for his unpopularity. His appeal with moderate voters lies in the fact that he is willing to work across the aisle (a rare quality these days, probably testament to the fact that he's not a baby boomer) and considers the good of the United States and all of its people above the slavish adherence to the establishment. This, inspite of the fact that he usually (over 80% of the time) agrees with that conservative establishment.
In fact, as a student of history, the situation between McCain and the Republican establishment mostly resembles the curious fate of Stephen Douglas, Illinois' Senator and frequent opponent of my favorite president of all time (Abraham Lincoln). Throughout the 1800's, the base of the Democratic party was in the South, and until the Civil War this base held most of the positions of great authority in the Supreme Court and in party leadership despite being a minority among the population of the US as a whole for almost all of that time. In 1860, Stephen Douglas ran for president, and sought the nomination of the whole Democratic Party. Despite usually supporting the south, they considered him ideologically impure thanks to his opposition of the fraudulent Lecompton Constitution for Kansas, which would have made Kansas a slave state due to the votes of a bunch of illegal Missouri border ruffians and the boycott of the election by anti-slavery Kansas (who organized their own government based in Topeka). Due to this supposed "heresy" to the southern Democrats, and his unwillingness to countenance a national slave code to protect the right of slaveholders to carry their "property" safely all over the United States, the Southern Democrats refused to support his candidacy, even though he was the only Democrat capable of beating the Republicans in a momentous election (does this sound familiar yet?). After a heated and ugly campaign, the Democratic party split, Abraham Lincoln won the general election, and the rest is history.
Let us hope that the Republicans do not repeat this folly in '08. But in order to do so, they will, in all probability (it looks at this point like McCain is going to win a heavy majority of the delegates on Super Tuesday, with a heavy advantage going away for the nomination) have to deal with the fact that McCain will be their man in 2008. Will conservative pundits "hold their noses" and see behond the pugnacious spirit of McCain to see someone who represents the best chance to bring Americans beyond the polarizing politics of Baby Boomers engaged in the long culture wars, with a concern for the fate of our planet as well as the security and well-being of our nation? Will the threats of party activists to avoid voting be empty threats, or will they be acted upon? Much remains to be seen, but either way, I cannot help but feel for Sen. McCain, for despite his human flaws and imperfections (such as we all have), he is a man whom I deeply respect, and in whom I see a great resemblence in temperament and political opinions to myself. To see the depth of hostility shown by people who agree with him at least as much as with his two rivals (Romney and Huckabee) is to see the irrational hatred and hostility that I have long struggled against in my own battles against my own establishment (despite my substantial agreement with it). I suppose everything can be forgiven, except keeping an independent mind.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
(Don't) Send In The Clowns
Today I read a particularly amusing article that stated something that made me feel a little less unusual. The article states that children uniformly dislike clowns, and that even older children are sometimes afraid of them and cannot explain them. When I was a child I was seriously afraid of clowns, and even now I don't like them. What is it about clowns that are so universally disliked by children, and what is it about clowns that make adults think children like them? I don't know the answers, but I can give at least a little bit of perspective.
Why Children Don't Like Clowns?
It is possible that a large part of what makes children not like clowns, at all, is the fact that clowns are fake. Children, in all the experience I have ever had (either being a child or being around them) are pretty genuine. The only children that tend to be private or practice pretense usually have something seriously wrong going on in their lives, and have learned that hypocrisy usually from parents. Otherwise, children are very open and honest about what they want and what they don't like, even when they say they are being sneaky (I find this particularly amusing). However, clowns are not genuine. They have paint covering their faces, masking their identities (not likely to lead children to trust them). Furthermore, they have smiles painted on their faces, and children are pretty good at telling a fake from a genuine article. Somehow most of us lose the ability to do that as we get older, probably because it's so distressing to be in a world surrounded by fakes (especially when most people fake to be accepted by the other fakes), that to search for the genuine article is a fruitless and thankless task. Children, not being burdened by this, tend to see (rightfully) the clowns as fakers, and as untrustworthy fakers at that.
Why Do Adults Think Clowns Are Okay For Kids?
This is perhaps the more inexplicable question. Clowns, like a lot of other entertainment, were originally for adults. The clothing for clowns resembles that of the "fool" in royal courts. Ironically enough, the fool was dressed foolishly, but was given the (rare) privilege to tell kids the truth. Nowadays clowns dress foolishly and tell a bunch of pablum to an often unwilling audience of young folk. It is probably the flamboyance of clowns that makes adults think they would be suitable for kids. After all, clowns typically dress in bright colors and act silly. So do children--but children do it honestly, out of a (usually) innocent heart. Clowns are pretenders. Perhaps adults are insufficiently aware of the need to teach genuineness to their children, and so conspire to foist all of these lies upon children that make them bitter and cynical towards adults (see "The Tooth Fairy," "Santa Claus" and any number of other such lies). Perhaps parents would better serve their children by simply letting children be children, play innocent games (while keeping an eye on them to make sure they stay safe), and tell them the truth, and provide for them entertainments that are similarly honest (this may be a difficult task). That would be a better choice than to foist a bunch of creepy adults in makeup and bad clothing on children. Don't send in the clowns. Seriously, don't.
Why Children Don't Like Clowns?
It is possible that a large part of what makes children not like clowns, at all, is the fact that clowns are fake. Children, in all the experience I have ever had (either being a child or being around them) are pretty genuine. The only children that tend to be private or practice pretense usually have something seriously wrong going on in their lives, and have learned that hypocrisy usually from parents. Otherwise, children are very open and honest about what they want and what they don't like, even when they say they are being sneaky (I find this particularly amusing). However, clowns are not genuine. They have paint covering their faces, masking their identities (not likely to lead children to trust them). Furthermore, they have smiles painted on their faces, and children are pretty good at telling a fake from a genuine article. Somehow most of us lose the ability to do that as we get older, probably because it's so distressing to be in a world surrounded by fakes (especially when most people fake to be accepted by the other fakes), that to search for the genuine article is a fruitless and thankless task. Children, not being burdened by this, tend to see (rightfully) the clowns as fakers, and as untrustworthy fakers at that.
Why Do Adults Think Clowns Are Okay For Kids?
This is perhaps the more inexplicable question. Clowns, like a lot of other entertainment, were originally for adults. The clothing for clowns resembles that of the "fool" in royal courts. Ironically enough, the fool was dressed foolishly, but was given the (rare) privilege to tell kids the truth. Nowadays clowns dress foolishly and tell a bunch of pablum to an often unwilling audience of young folk. It is probably the flamboyance of clowns that makes adults think they would be suitable for kids. After all, clowns typically dress in bright colors and act silly. So do children--but children do it honestly, out of a (usually) innocent heart. Clowns are pretenders. Perhaps adults are insufficiently aware of the need to teach genuineness to their children, and so conspire to foist all of these lies upon children that make them bitter and cynical towards adults (see "The Tooth Fairy," "Santa Claus" and any number of other such lies). Perhaps parents would better serve their children by simply letting children be children, play innocent games (while keeping an eye on them to make sure they stay safe), and tell them the truth, and provide for them entertainments that are similarly honest (this may be a difficult task). That would be a better choice than to foist a bunch of creepy adults in makeup and bad clothing on children. Don't send in the clowns. Seriously, don't.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Reflections on the Music of 2007
As I am wont to do on occasion, I would like to take this opportunity to write down some of my thoughts on the popular music I liked the best for the year of 2007. Music is rather important to me, as I tend to strongly associate certain situations and experiences and powerful emotions with specific songs that, in effect, say what happened or what I am thinking or feeling. Overall, I was not particularly pleased with the music on the radio, as much of it struck me as rather repetitive. In fact, the music I really liked this year was unusually odd and obscure (I usually like relatively mainstream music). Without any further ado, I will reveal my favorite songs of the year, and explain why they struck me as particularly noteworthy.
Mattafix - Living Darfur
Perhaps the most obscure of my favorite songs of the year, I first heard this song while watching MTV Europe on the Israel extension tour after the Feast of Tabernacles. This uplifting and yet deeply emotional song about the benighted area of Darfur, with its plaintive chorus ("You shall rise...you may never know if you lay low lay low") and other touching lyrics ("See tears that flow like rivers from the skies"..."There's disaster in your past, boundaries in your path...sooner or later we must try living," and so on) gave this song a deep personal meaning for my own life, as well as the struggle of the millions in Darfur who, to this day, face the ferocity of the Sudanese government-supported janjaweed.
Sara Bareillis - Love Song
Perhaps the most upbeat song among my favorites of a rather tense and stressful and not particularly enjoyable year, this song is still rather bittersweet, probably the reason it was a favorite of mine. In a driving piano beat (I am most fond of piano ballads), Miss Bareillis sings a song to a lover about not being able to write love songs on cue based on requests or threats. Love songs must flow from within, from genuine emotion, and are not trophies or commodities. With lyrics that are much more biting and bitter than the peppy beat would indicate, the song reflects fears about love and creative talent being exploited by those who do not really feel the same, a frequent concern of mine.
Robyn & Kleerup - With Every Heartbeat
Another obscure song among my favorites, this song (like "Living Darfur") was not released as a single in the United States, and I also first heard it while in Israel. This song is a sad techno song about bravely facing heartbreak and the pain that takes place with every heartbeat. The song is, obviously, not a happy one as a relationship faces its definitive ending with the knowledge of the suffering that is occurring. "So I don't look back...it hurts with every heartbeat..." Sometimes a song like this expresses one's feelings, and this one did.
Aly & AJ - Potential Breakup Song
Another song whose upbeat music masked rather dark lyrics, this particular number follows the trend of the last two songs in reflecting upon a troubled relationship nearing its terminus. With lyrics as sarcastic as "you're not winning until you're winning me" and "let me repeat that, I want my stuff back," this song lets the deadbeat partner know that his time of taking his girlfriend for granted is nearing a close. Obviously, this was a year of endings more than beginnings.
Hilary Duff - Stranger
Like many of the songs I watched on Rotana while in Jordan (the Arabic music television channel), this song has an Middle Eastern dance beat, and is also about the ending of a relationship. In this particular case, the song is about a dysfunctional relationship falling apart where one of the people pretends to be friendly and affectionate in public while being dark and hostile in private. Indeed, the difference between public and private appearance is probably what makes this one of my favorite songs of the year, especially given the autobiographical importance of the material (given the falling apart of her relationship with Joel Madden, lead singer of Good Charlotte).
Miley Cyrus & Billy Ray Cyrus - Ready, Set, Don't Go
I never thought that a song by Billy Ray Cyrus (most famous for "Achy Breaky Heart") would be on any list of my favorite songs, ever, but this particular song about children growing up and leaving home touched a particular nerve for me. It is a foolish parent that tries to hold on to children after they are ready to go. Wise parents train their children well and give them legacies and equip them to succeed on their own. Foolish parents heap burdens upon their children and try to sabotage their independence. Obviously this is a point that needs to be learned better in some families.
Bucky Covington - A Different World
One of the less polished members of the 2004 (I believe) American Idol finalists, Bucky Covington did an excellent job with this viewpoint of a young GenXer (which I happen to be) musing on the different world now than it was for us growing up without as much technology or as much protection from the dangers of the real world. It is interesting, nonetheless, to reflect upon the results of a different childhood and upbringing. Reflecting on the generational difference between the GenXers and the Millennials of a useful thing. It also helps that most of this song applies to my own childhood.
Maroon 5 - Wake Up Call
This song is a rather biting reflection on a hot-tempered discovery of cheating. The video to this song is not very morally appropriate, but the material of the song itself if something I find grimly humorous given my own fierce (if seldom expressed) temper. With a chorus like "Wakeup call, caught you in the morning with another one in my bed, don't you care about me anymore, don't you care about me, I don't think so..." what is not to like/appreciate?
Overall, my favorite songs of the year are a combination of country songs, dance pop songs, rock songs, worldbeat songs, and adult contemporary songs, a pretty fair cross section of the music that was actually good this year. There were a couple of humorous rap novelty songs, and some pretty good R & B songs ("No One" by Alicia Keys deserves special mention, which avoids being on this list only because "no one" was present all year as that special someone, and that song is crying out for a devoted lover). No album was as excellent from start to finish this year as Keane's "Under The Iron Sea" was in 2006, but we shall see if next year has more consistent musical material.
Mattafix - Living Darfur
Perhaps the most obscure of my favorite songs of the year, I first heard this song while watching MTV Europe on the Israel extension tour after the Feast of Tabernacles. This uplifting and yet deeply emotional song about the benighted area of Darfur, with its plaintive chorus ("You shall rise...you may never know if you lay low lay low") and other touching lyrics ("See tears that flow like rivers from the skies"..."There's disaster in your past, boundaries in your path...sooner or later we must try living," and so on) gave this song a deep personal meaning for my own life, as well as the struggle of the millions in Darfur who, to this day, face the ferocity of the Sudanese government-supported janjaweed.
Sara Bareillis - Love Song
Perhaps the most upbeat song among my favorites of a rather tense and stressful and not particularly enjoyable year, this song is still rather bittersweet, probably the reason it was a favorite of mine. In a driving piano beat (I am most fond of piano ballads), Miss Bareillis sings a song to a lover about not being able to write love songs on cue based on requests or threats. Love songs must flow from within, from genuine emotion, and are not trophies or commodities. With lyrics that are much more biting and bitter than the peppy beat would indicate, the song reflects fears about love and creative talent being exploited by those who do not really feel the same, a frequent concern of mine.
Robyn & Kleerup - With Every Heartbeat
Another obscure song among my favorites, this song (like "Living Darfur") was not released as a single in the United States, and I also first heard it while in Israel. This song is a sad techno song about bravely facing heartbreak and the pain that takes place with every heartbeat. The song is, obviously, not a happy one as a relationship faces its definitive ending with the knowledge of the suffering that is occurring. "So I don't look back...it hurts with every heartbeat..." Sometimes a song like this expresses one's feelings, and this one did.
Aly & AJ - Potential Breakup Song
Another song whose upbeat music masked rather dark lyrics, this particular number follows the trend of the last two songs in reflecting upon a troubled relationship nearing its terminus. With lyrics as sarcastic as "you're not winning until you're winning me" and "let me repeat that, I want my stuff back," this song lets the deadbeat partner know that his time of taking his girlfriend for granted is nearing a close. Obviously, this was a year of endings more than beginnings.
Hilary Duff - Stranger
Like many of the songs I watched on Rotana while in Jordan (the Arabic music television channel), this song has an Middle Eastern dance beat, and is also about the ending of a relationship. In this particular case, the song is about a dysfunctional relationship falling apart where one of the people pretends to be friendly and affectionate in public while being dark and hostile in private. Indeed, the difference between public and private appearance is probably what makes this one of my favorite songs of the year, especially given the autobiographical importance of the material (given the falling apart of her relationship with Joel Madden, lead singer of Good Charlotte).
Miley Cyrus & Billy Ray Cyrus - Ready, Set, Don't Go
I never thought that a song by Billy Ray Cyrus (most famous for "Achy Breaky Heart") would be on any list of my favorite songs, ever, but this particular song about children growing up and leaving home touched a particular nerve for me. It is a foolish parent that tries to hold on to children after they are ready to go. Wise parents train their children well and give them legacies and equip them to succeed on their own. Foolish parents heap burdens upon their children and try to sabotage their independence. Obviously this is a point that needs to be learned better in some families.
Bucky Covington - A Different World
One of the less polished members of the 2004 (I believe) American Idol finalists, Bucky Covington did an excellent job with this viewpoint of a young GenXer (which I happen to be) musing on the different world now than it was for us growing up without as much technology or as much protection from the dangers of the real world. It is interesting, nonetheless, to reflect upon the results of a different childhood and upbringing. Reflecting on the generational difference between the GenXers and the Millennials of a useful thing. It also helps that most of this song applies to my own childhood.
Maroon 5 - Wake Up Call
This song is a rather biting reflection on a hot-tempered discovery of cheating. The video to this song is not very morally appropriate, but the material of the song itself if something I find grimly humorous given my own fierce (if seldom expressed) temper. With a chorus like "Wakeup call, caught you in the morning with another one in my bed, don't you care about me anymore, don't you care about me, I don't think so..." what is not to like/appreciate?
Overall, my favorite songs of the year are a combination of country songs, dance pop songs, rock songs, worldbeat songs, and adult contemporary songs, a pretty fair cross section of the music that was actually good this year. There were a couple of humorous rap novelty songs, and some pretty good R & B songs ("No One" by Alicia Keys deserves special mention, which avoids being on this list only because "no one" was present all year as that special someone, and that song is crying out for a devoted lover). No album was as excellent from start to finish this year as Keane's "Under The Iron Sea" was in 2006, but we shall see if next year has more consistent musical material.
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