Category Archives: Social

Attitudes & behaviors in society; looking at the past, present, and future characteristics among people.

Love, Social

Within Range

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You Fancy huh? Or Fast?

There has to exist some unwritten formula for common courtesy that states; if someone offers to buy you a meal, such meal must not be more than 100% more of what your meal costs. So if I am buying something that costs $2.75, then your max range for a similar item must be $5.25 – this is governed by the International Law of Non-Dirtbaggery and common sense. This makes sense right? I recently was a victim of this heinous offense, as someone went well out of range – especially when I didn’t even acknowledge that I would buy her meal! The nerve of some people, but as a gentleman I played it cool, and I would of covered the costs if it was in the acceptable range, but when it was upwards to 250% of my total value of my meal, that is when the line had to be drawn down in the sand. As Homey the Clown from In Living Color used to say, “Homey don’t play that”, so upon checkout, I paused and looked at her to give some money to her exuberant meal – to her dismay and embarrassment as she was fumbling for money to pay for her ‘royally’ expensive meal. And a lesson was learned, from both parties.

Logic, Social

Prolonged Chapter

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Managing Doubt and your own Expectations

Self-doubt is a real bitch; and its a tricky issue because usually the self-doubt comes from others. Or better yet, it comes from how you perceive how others think of you. Then its a spiraling effect of self-doubt from with-in, and with-out; until it leads to a state of timidness and procrastination. As you become afraid of doing something that you may or may not be too sure of, because of what someone may or may not think. Our own projections can then become a hindrance. I really don’t know or pretend to know what the cure is – the easiest thing to say is ‘Ignore the self-doubt’, easier said than done when you got the voices of your self and your peers spewing negative phrases – and for some reason in the mind, it is amplified to the ‘Nth’ degree.
For months I wanted to update this blog with a more streamlined look, but my self-doubt kept prohibiting me, first I was like, “what’s the value, no one comments on it”, but maybe they don’t comment because the mechanism to comment isn’t quite clear. I made up a plethora of other excuses too that I won’t bore you with, but I am happy that I have come to a place where I am washing away the dirt of my self-doubt. Take this is as one of those new-age affirmations of self-will and determination, or a ploy by me to commit to something because I have published it on this world wide web, but I will remove this self-doubt, and finally just ‘do the damn thing’.

New facelift coming soon … I think, lol

Cre8ive Abstract, Popular Culture, Social

Black TwitterBirds

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The Black Twitterer

A deep social study may exists in analyzing why black people have flocked to Twitter.  Not to dwell on that in this post, I came across a post from InyyVinny.com as they responded to an article about black people’s habits and Twitter.  Anyhow, they created some creative Twitter avatars to define the ‘Black Twitterer’, I have added my commentary to each avatar, see below:

tweet_afro

Afro proud Soul Brother Twitter

tweet_bknati

NY Twitterer

tweet_spinners

22″ Dubs Twitterer

tweet_kanyeshag

The Kanye Hipster Twitterer

tweet_lightskinned

The Light-skinned Twitterer
Check the original hoopla here.

My only comment about black people and Twitter is an observation: it has been well-documented that black people are late adopters to social media; in the instances of Facebook, MySpace, and even Twitter.  Its not until a high profile figure in hip-hop and/or the black community endorses or talks about a social media tool, that black people will begin to utilize it.  Being a black male myself, I am impressed that we do use Twitter, as it can be a useful tool, but I too often find that we are promoting and tweeting nonesense/foolishness/tomfoolery.  Its always sad when a Trending Topic is some ghetto term and/or involves the ‘N word’.  I truly think that due to the short 140 characters of Twitter, it allows many people to practice online, what they do in real life – talk sh*t.   Because, if you roam Twitter for even 10 minutes, you will be left with the deduction that there is a lot of sh*t talking on here.

.:: LiBM ::.

Cre8ive Abstract, Social, sports

LeBron James Fan/Hate Art

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LBJ Imagery

Gotta give LeBron some credit, he has surpassed Kobe Bryant – not in championships or MVP titles, but in being the most hated player in the NBA.  And with that special title comes special images to ‘salute you’.  With signing with the Miami Heat, LeBron is leaving Cleveland and heading to Miami to join Chris Bosh & Dwayne Wade – while leaving the city and region of Cleveland, Ohio very upset.  I can’t wait until The Heat play the Cavs in the 10-11 season – LeBron better have some extra security.

Taking down the mural

Ex-Fans Burn LeBron’s Jersey and other LBJ shirts

Best Podcasts, Social

Top Audio Podcasts

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Top Audio Podcasts

Music gets kind of repetitive after awhile; especially with the ‘great’ amount of music that exists out there today …. thus, in case you need a change or something else different to listen to on your way to work/school/employment office, try out one of these podcasts that will either push your imagination, teach you something valuable, or will have you laughing hysterically.

WireTap

A mix of storytelling, role playing, and interviews – this podcast is a throwback to the classic age of radio where the discussions drive one’s imagination. The lead host is very self-deprecating, sarcastic, and witty with his sense of dry humor and honest storytelling about the perils of life.
http://www.cbc.ca/wiretap/
http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/includes/wiretap.xml

Adam Carolloa Podcast

One of the funniest podcasts on the net right now, #1 on iTunes for months. This podcast is a mix of interviews with C-list to A-list celebrities; but the show really shines when Adam goes on many of his rants; touching on everything from politics, entertainment, race issues, and pet peeves. If you are easily offended, this is not the podcast for you; but if you are not uptight and can laugh at yourself, and have fun laughing at others; you will thoroughly enjoy … get it on!

Site: http://www.adamcarolla.com/ACPBlog/
Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheAdamCarollaPodcast

How Stuff Works Podcast

For the nerds out there, this is one of the most random, yet informative podcasts as the de-myth, investigate, and theorize about any and everything under the sun. They really do explain ‘how stuff works’; from physical things, to concepts, to historical events. Great for commutes and for the lover of knowledge.

Feed:  http://www.howstuffworks.com/podcasts/stuff-you-should-know.rss
Site:  http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/

Risk! Podcast

This podcast focuses strictly on storytelling and they get guest presenters to re-tell bizarre, interesting, and weird stories. Each week is themed with an emotion, and runs about an hour in length.
http://risk-show.com/

Buzz Out Loud

The ultimate technology podcasts for the geeks. Daily podcast with all the news & rumors in the tech world, mixed in with a little humor and sarcasm.
Site:  http://www.cnet.com/buzz-out-loud-podcast/
Feed:  http://buzzoutloudpodcast.cnet.com/
Social, videos

Ikea Heights

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IKEA Heights from DaveAOK on Vimeo.

“Friend of Epic Fu and general good guy Dave Seger is one of the creators of Ikea Heights, a melodrama (read: understatement) set in an Ikea store in Burbank, California. And I mean they literally film the show in an Ikea store without the store’s knowledge, and with customers milling about.

They produced the show for Channel 101, the grandaddy of all funny video sites created by Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab that keeps on chugging along and discovering new talent. This is episode 1 of Ikea Heights. Check out the others on Vimeo (Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4) or at the Channel 101 show site.”

Goes to show that Guerilla film making is not only for the streets ….

Popular Culture, Social

The Influenced Economy

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The Influenced Economy

Sourced from Adweek:
“Social media specialist Vitrue, which aids brands in building their customer bases on social networks, tried to put a media value on such communities.
The firm has determined that, on average, a fan base of 1 million translates into at least $3.6 million in equivalent media over a year.”

This translates to the fact that the more followers and/or fans that you have on social networking sites, the more leverage or value one possesses. Which in turn suggests that advertisers should pay more for an ad on a profile page with 1 million followers, than a profile page that has 5,000 followers – creating an advertising economy of scale based on influence.   Seems like we are in high school all over again, but this “Influenced Economy” may be a viable way for social media companies to actually start making money, and have a real business model.

Sources: http://www.adweek.com

Logic, politics, Social

The Vocal Minority

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The Vocal Minority

Ringing loudly from a few

A little Abstract: Simply put, minority groups – lifestyles, cultural, racial, were disadvantaged because their concerns went unheard in the general public – primarily due to the availability of distributional channels; back in the day, the only way to really rally, garner support were through newspapers, TV (if you could get the airtime), and word of mouth. In times of social unrest throughout the world, the ‘grassroots’ campaign has been the movement of choice for sparking change and voicing dissent – from the pamphlets that used to be passed around in the dens preceding the Spanish revolution to speak of injustices, to the rallies that started in the deep south in the U.S. circa 1960’s that spread across the nation – it has shown us that the minority, though small, can be very vocal in expressing their dissent.

Enter the digital age with communications passing at lightning speeds; grassroots groups can now quickly spread their message around – gaining members, support, and exposure. The most recent and salient example of this would be Obama’s 2008 U.S. presidential campaign as the mastermind of his campaign utilized the power of social network’s to connect with people; the campaign was able to quickly organize rallies and spread campaign messages to thousands of people instantly. It is said that it is because of Obama’s clever use of grassroots movement ‘mentality’ that lead him to victory in the election – in an election that everyone initially thought he had no chance in winning.

Essentially, most grassroots movements focus around inequity; the imbalance of a system – and the movements try to disrupt and/or change the lifestyle of the majority. Some of the movements I support, but for some …. I don’t know. These movements are very vocal, but their cause – I can’t identify with and/or subscribe, or I just don’t get the logic in how they expressed themselves. There are even full sites that give guides and tutorials on how to start Grassroots sites (click here) with plenty of resources.

The Doubters

No need to explain what doubt is; should be a universal concept as we experience everyday in our lives. Whenever you have an event, or a belief, there will always be two points of view – the Advocators and the Doubters. Let’s examine the Doubters; specifically in the light of substantial empirical evidence. Call them ignorant, believers, or motivationally driven, these people pronounce an opposing stance in the face of adversity; such as those that don’t believe in the moon landing by NASA. Maybe call them the ‘conspirators’ actually, as they cast doubt and mystery behind many of life’s popular events; and they gain traction via social networking sites and mobile technology to amplify their belief.

I only dread as the world gets increasingly smaller with communications, that the world on a whole, will be much louder – get your earmuffs out.

Social, Technology

Loss of Shame

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From paulbradley.ca

The Loss of Shame

Good or Bad?

As 2009 comes to an end, this has to be one of the most bizarre years for celebrities and sports figures – from Octo Mom, Chris Brown/Rihanna, the Rick Ross/50 Cent fiasco, and the endless ‘leaks’ of personal home videos from celebrities, this year is definitely a defining moment in the ongoing moral decay of society. Combine that with the ever-so popular YouTube videos of youth fights (especially the senseless killing of a Chicago teen), it can be said that we have lost our sense of shame. This point rings louder in the aftermath of the Tiger Woods incident where we have several women ‘proudly’ coming forward in saying that they had sexual relations with the Golf superstar. Let’s analyze the situation so we are all following; up to 16 women are coming forward saying they had relations with a married man … If this was even 50 years ago, these women would have not dared to pronounce such a thing as they would feel ASHAMED and EMBARRASSED. However, some ‘reappropriation’ or ‘reinterpretation’ has happened in the last couple of years because now what used to be ‘shameful’ can be almost worn as a ‘badge of honor’ on one’s sleeve.

So how did we lose the sense of shame? Was it lost with the rise of feminism as women became more vocal about their gender & sexuality? Or was it a reaction to the rise in ‘political correctness’ as a sort of a revolt or detest? I am sure there are a multitude of reasons to our moral decay, and all relates to a loss of pride, honor, and respect for ourselves. I mean, that has to be the only reasons for why women would proudly bolster themselves as hussies, modern day jezebels – we are using our greed for money and fame as an appropriate rational to engage in shameful behavior. Its funny, kind of, we are practicing the ENDS justifies the MEANS, where the ‘ENDS’ refers to money/fame/notoriety and the ‘MEANS’ is whoever or whatever we have to screw (literally and figuratively) over to get it.

This ‘loss of shame’ is everywhere through our society, and I guess it is a reflection to changing norms and attitudes. Some more relatable examples that are seen in everyday life are:

men who mooch off their girlfriends

Not saying that men can be the only ones who are the ‘earners’, but there are many guys out there that are proud that they stay home, play video games all day, and just spend their girlfriend’s money … can anyone say ‘role-reversal’? Lol, just kidding to my independent women.

The Whore Movement

Has always been around, but re-ignited with Paris Hilton, this movement pretty much teaches young females that it is okay to be slack, loose, film yourself – if it leads to money & material wealth. With hip-hop, now we have rappers like Nicki Minaj who have an almost cult-like following of young women who follow her on Twitter, dress like her, and talks like her (go to her MySpace to get familiar).

The most blatant example of our ‘Loss of Shame’ can be seen daily, hourly, on Twitter – sometimes I am disgusted of the trending topics and some of the comments/posts that people share. It really is a sea of madness and nonsense – but in the same breath, is this a product of our individualistic society where we are encouraged to say what is on our minds?

The ‘Good’ in the “Loss of Shame”?

From childhood, we are taught that we are ‘special’, we are ‘unique’, ‘no one is like you’, and to ‘speak our mind’, so is this merely the cost of our individuality – the loss of morals? It is an interesting trade-off that we seem to be battling with at the moment as it is a continuous cycle of conflicting views that go sort of like: If I am vocal of something that is perceived as morally incorrect, if I DON’T talk about it I am repressing my feelings & emotions – which goes against everything that society teaches me …. And if I DO be vocal about something that is morally incorrect, then I am expressing myself, even though I know it is wrong – so why am I expressing it in the first place.

Just thinking about this gives me a headache, as morality, ethics, freedom, and psychology interplay in this sticky quagmire of a situation.

Am I on point or far-off? Share your thoughts …

.::LiBM::.