Tag Archives: Social

Happy Festivus!

December 16, 2009 d dot b Leave a comment

Festivus Greetings!

Spawned from a Seinfeld TV episode in 1997 as “A holiday celebrated by those frustrated with the commercialism and pressure surrounding the Christmas/Hanukkah season”, this secular holiday seasons has gained traction and is now practiced by millions of people across the world – I am sure seriously and jokingly. But really, this holiday is interesting to me nonetheless because I am sure it expresses feelings that many of us feel during the Christmas season; with the family members, shopping tribulations, awkward social dinners & parties, and so on. One could easily dub some of the elements of the Festivus holiday with a dose of ‘reality’; as the elements allow one to get as Young Jeezy said, “As Real as it Gets”. Enter the Rituals:

Airing of Grievances

The celebration of Festivus begins with the “Airing of Grievances”, which takes place immediately after the Festivus dinner has been served. It consists of lashing out at others and the world about how one has been disappointed in the past year.
– oh man, I am sure that many secretly wish & desire that they can do this – everyone can relate to this as I am sure there are many people you want to air out, fighter jet style, to let them know what you think of them and how they have disappointed you over the year(s).

Feats of Strength

“As described in the “Festivus Book”, the head of the household selects one person at the Festivus celebration and challenges that person to a wrestling match.[8] The person may decline if they have something else to do, such as pull a double shift at work. Tradition states that Festivus is not over until the head of the household is pinned in a wrestling match.”

Other Festivus rituals include the Festivus Dinner that usually includes a subpar dinner, and the Festivus Pole; which replaces the ‘Christmas tree’ with a simple, simple, simple facsimile (minus the trimmings). There are even books and a website to support and promote this holiday (http://www.festivusbook.com/), and on YouTube many people have recorded their celebrations to share the world.

Even a company is making a business out of making a ‘Festivus Pole’, SMH

In all, I am sure the creator of Festivus, which is one of the Seinfeld writers “Dan O’Keefe”, never thought that this holiday would be what it is today, but I guess when you connect with what people are feeling, anything can happen …. Happy Festivus to all!

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festivus

Logic, Social

tan(013) – We need a Transportation Social Sheriff

October 1, 2009 d dot b Leave a comment

tan(013) – Transportation Social Sheriff

lost drivers, stand right & walk left, staying in one’s blindspot

Preamble: What a way to start off October with a rant, but there is no better way as many of you lame drivers and subway riders have been singing, dancing, in your own little world with no regard for others, listen up!

Lost Drivers

Tourism is good for all cities, it boosts the local economy, trade, etc. But if your from out of town, and you may not be familiar with the city, don’t drive like you are the only one on the road – at your slow turtle pace. There are certain areas of a city that are shown to have a bunch of slow drivers, and higher accident rates: specifically any landmarks or the downtown city centre, and around the airport. I understand that you are looking for some street, but going considerably below the speed limit does not only put yourself at risk, but also other drivers

Stand Right, Walk Left

I’m sure all my subway riders will relate to this one. The odd time I am compelled to use public transportation over driving my own car as to save commute time or to avoid expensive parking rates. On the escalator’s in the subway stations, they have a general rule for the passengers; ‘Stand right, or walk left’, which is pretty much saying ‘be courteous of others who are in a rush’. Unfortunately, this moral decency and respect for your fellow man usually does not translate to all members of society as during rush hour, you will have people standing in the left side of the escalator as they are either completely oblivious, talking with a friend, or minding their own business. When an event like this happens, most people will bite their tongue – choosing to express their disdain with their facial expressions. I on the otherhand will walk toward the insensitive lame with a polite excuse me, positioning my arm to connect with their back …

Staying in One’s Blindspot

For my drivers out there, don’t you dislike when another driver in the lane beside you refuses to pass you or slow down considerably enough so that they get out of your blindspot. We all know how dangerous it can be if one doesn’t know that a car is in their blindspot; it can cause serious accidents. So, please, don’t remain in someone’s blindspot, either speed up and pass them, or slow down and cruise so that the car can see you. Its common courtesy people, let’s follow it.

.:: LiBM ::.

Hip-Hop, Social, Style, Swag

Hipsters: Then and Now

September 14, 2009 d dot b Leave a comment

The Hipsters

Past and Present … Presently ….

Here is a bit of a History Lesson of where this ‘Hipster’ Fashion and culture has come from … and SHOCKINGLY, it comes from the Black Community … (that is sarcasm)

Birth of ….

1940s-1950s

“Hipster” derives from the slang “hip” or “hep,” which are derived from the earlier slang “hop” for opium. The first dictionary to list the word is the short glossary “For Characters Who Don’t Dig Jive Talk,” which was included with Harry Gibson’s 1944 album, Boogie Woogie In Blue. The entry for “hipsters” defined it as “characters who like hot jazz.” The 1959 book Jazz Scene by Eric Hobsbawm (using the pen name Francis Newton) describes hipsters using their own language, “jive-talk or hipster-talk,” he writes “is an argot or cant designed to set the group apart from outsiders.” Hipster was also used in a different context at about the same time by Jack Kerouac in describing his vision of the Beat Generation. Along with Allen Ginsberg, Kerouac described 1940s hipsters “rising and roaming America,… bumming and hitchhiking everywhere… [as] characters of a special spirituality.”

Mutation of …

1990s and 2000s
In the late 1990s, the term started to be used in new, sometimes mutually exclusive ways. In some circles it became a blanket description for middle class and upper class young people associated with alternative culture, particularly alternative music, independent rock, alternative hip-hop, independent film and a lifestyle revolving around thrift store shopping, eating organic, locally grown, vegetarian, and/or vegan food, drinking local beer (or even brewing their own), listening to public radio, and riding fixed-gear bicycles.

In 2003 Robert Lanham’s satirical book The Hipster Handbook described hipsters as young people with “… mop-top haircuts, swinging retro pocketbooks, talking on cell phones, smoking European cigarettes,… strutting in platform shoes with a biography of Che Guevara sticking out of their bags.” Hipsters are considered apathetic, pretentious, and self-entitled by other, often marginalized sectors of society they live amongst, including previous generations of bohemian and/or “counter-culture” artists and thinkers as well as poor neighborhoods of color.

Gavin Mueller’s article “Hipster or Not?” for Stylus Magazine (2004) wrote that “… hipster lifestyle is reduced to a pose, a pretense” which involves”…”a hipster costume, worn to appear “cool”, a liberal arts education, and so on. He claims that the term “‘Hipster’ is far too vague and broad to have any semblance of essential meaning”.

Current … Hipster Rap

In 2008, Utne Reader magazine writer Jake Mohan described “hipster rap,” “as loosely defined by the Chicago Reader, consists of the most recent crop of MCs and DJs who flout conventional hip-hop fashions, eschewing baggy clothes and gold chains for tight jeans, big sunglasses, the occasional keffiyeh, and other trappings of the hipster lifestyle.” He notes that the “old-school hip-hop website Unkut, and Jersey City rapper Mazzi” have criticized mainstream rappers who they deem to be poseurs or “… fags for copping the metrosexual appearances of hipster fashion.” Prefix Mag writer Ethan Stanislawski argues that there are racial elements to the rise of hipster rap. He claims that there “…have been a slew of angry retorts to the rise of hipster rap,” which he says can be summed up as “white kids want the funky otherness of hip-hop… without all the scary black people.”

Comment:

I don’t mind the Hipster fashions for the women, but when the Hipster fashions for the men look like the same fashions for the women; then there is a problem – loosen up the jeans fellas.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_(1940s_subculture)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_(contemporary_subculture)

Faith, politics, Social

Riots and Rallies

May 29, 2009 d dot b Leave a comment

Riots and Rallies

The differences and effects of the two forms of ‘protest’

Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized by disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence, vandalism or other crime. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are typically chaotic and exhibit herd behavior.

Riots often occur in reaction to a perceived grievance or out of dissent. Historically, riots have occurred due to poor working or living conditions, government oppression, taxation or conscription, conflicts between races or religions, the outcome of a sporting event or frustration with legal channels through which to air grievances.

Riots typically involve vandalism and the destruction of private and public property. The specific property to be targeted varies depending on the cause of the riot and the inclinations of those involved. Targets can include shops, cars, restaurants, state-owned institutions, and religious buildings.

Rallies
A demonstration is a form of non-violent action by groups of people in favor of a political or other cause, normally consisting of walking in a march and a meeting (rally) to hear speakers. Actions such as blockades and sit-ins may also be referred to as demonstrations.

The term has been in use since the mid-19th century, as was the term ‘monster meeting’, which was coined initially with reference to the huge assemblies of protesters inspired by Daniel O’Connell in Ireland. Demonstrations are a form of activism, usually taking the form of a public gathering of people in a rally or walking in a march. At times, more interventionist actions such as blockades and sit-ins have been referred to as demonstrations. Thus, the opinion is demonstrated to be significant by gathering in a crowd associated with that opinion.

Past Social upheavals

The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 were a series of demonstrations led by students, intellectuals and labour activists in the People’s Republic of China between April 15, 1989 and June 4, 1989. The demonstrations centred on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Government retaliation was often violent and riots broke out in affected regions. In 2005, the Chinese government admitted to 87,000 demonstrations and riots across China

Result: Remains to be seen as China is still a Communist nation but is embracing western ideologies slowly.

The worst riots in United States history with respect to lives lost took place during the Civil War when immigrant factory workers forcibly resisted the federal government’s military draft, the New York Draft Riots.

The 1992 Los Angeles riots, triggered by the Rodney King Trial were regarded as the worst in recent U.S. history with deaths estimated at 54 people and nearly a billion dollars in damage caused.

.:: LiBM ::.

Sources: http://www.wikipeda.com

Relationships, Social

Classic Introverts

March 27, 2009 d dot b Leave a comment

Classic Introverts

Bliss in solitary?

Does this sound like you? According to WikiP, this is a definition of an ‘Introvert’:

Introversion is “the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one’s own mental life”. Introverts tend to be more reserved and less assertive in social situations. They often take pleasure in solitary activities such as reading, writing, drawing, and using computers. The archetypal artist, writer, sculptor, composer, and inventor are all highly introverted. An introvert is likely to enjoy time spent alone and find less reward in time spent with large groups of people, though they tend to enjoy interactions with close friends. They prefer to concentrate on a single activity at a time and like to observe situations before they participate. Introverts are easily overwhelmed by too much stimulation from social gatherings and engagement. They are more analytical before speaking.

Introversion is not the same as shyness. Introverts choose solitary over social activities by preference, whereas shy people avoid social encounters out of fear.

Here is a list of some popular Introverts that you wouldn’t think were such:

Non-Entertainment
Thomas Edison, inventor
Sir Alfred Hitchcock, film director
Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth president
Bill Gates, software pioneer

Entertainment
Michael Jordan, basketball player and celebrity
Jim Carrey, actor
Angelina Jolie, actress
Julia Roberts, actress
Gwyneth Paltrow, actress
Clint Eastwood, actor/director
Charles Schulz, Peanuts cartoonist

I think I would classify myself as a classic introvert, but that doesn’t mean that myself and others are ‘anti-social’; we value our own solidarity more than our willingness to associate with others. And its not that introverts have nothing to say, we only speak when we have something to say; just like Obama schooled the White House Reporter in late March ’09 when responding to a question about why he didn’t react fast enough to the AIG execs bonus outrage, he responded “I like to know what I’m talking about first before I give a comment”.

Now I must get back to writing, reading, and using computers and such …
Lol

.:: LiBM ::.

Sources: Wikipedia.com/introversion

Relationships, Social

‘E’ Drive-By’s

December 2, 2008 d dot b Leave a comment

E-Drive-by’s

The opinionated social community … but there are consequences for your actions

The Web and social communications has created a culture of opinionated people; we express ourselves through our WebPages, blogs, IM screen names, on message boards, and in chat rooms. All of these communications methods are asynchronous; not occurring or existing at the same time or having the same period or phase. Thus, you can say something, and the response to what you said will be delayed – allowing a ‘sense of freedom’ to say anything you want without being chastised. You see it all the time, on forums, blogs, et cetera, where people talk reckless gibberish about others; using profanity, funny metaphors, and humorous simile’s to degrade and undermine others – I won’t front, some of it is funny. However, I believe that this culture of web social communications has created a loss in the art of logical argumentation – not argumentation in the sense of violent, shouting behavior; but argumentation in the sense of making logic. Making logical sense to what point(s) you are trying to say.

In Synchronous (real time) communications, you can’t say something reckless without backing up your points – for if you do such an act, people will just look at you in a peculiar light; as one who can not express or justify their points accurately. Synchronous communications are face-to-face, live, interactive, and non-verbal visual cues are just important as the verbal communications. If some of the people who talk so recklessly on the web, were to try that in real life; some would be in the ICU at the local hospital – real talk. But the web gives a safe haven for us; allows us to quickly say whatever we want – with a sense of immunity, because I guess we can quickly log-off, change usernames, to avoid explaining ourselves. Sort of like an ‘E-drive-by’ like my boy RecSet once said “these people talk a whole lot of madness at someone, then flee the scene, and can’t back up their talk, because they know I will spank them.”, well said.

When it comes to personal relationships, Synchronous communications should be the path followed when dealing with serious topics – the real time dynamic gives you so much more beyond words. While, asynchronous communications can leave one bewildered, not receiving the full gist of the situation, or leave one with a misguided interpretation – trust me, it has happened to me on more than one occasion. So here is a list of what you should probably NOT use web social communications for:

Having a ‘talk’ about your relationship
– fellas, it’s bad enough in synchronous communications when your lady wants to ‘talk’, imagine how bad/LONG it will be in asynchronous communications??

Business Confrontations
– Don’t accuse a business associate of corruption in an IM, do it in person, so that you can gauge his verbal and non-verbal reactions

Criticisms of Friends
– Yes, it may be easier to do it behind an electric monitor, but if your friend is a ‘true’ friend, and you are one too, then a face-to-face or a phone call will not only show that you have something to ‘get off’ your chest, but that you also genuinely care.

Yes, the web is a powerful tool for communications, but with great power, comes great responsibility – use it wisely.

.:: LiBM ::.

Family, Logic, Love, Relationships, Social, Work

WikiP: ‘Trust’

July 11, 2008 d dot b Leave a comment

Trust
Virtues: relationships, predictive actions, past knowledge

I‘ve always known wikipedia to be a good resource for historical facts and events, but it never really dawned on me that wikipedia can be used as a dictionary – to look up terms and definitions of everyday words. Well, apparently to my knowledge, wikipedia is also some sort of a dictionary, but where dictionary.com only gives you the definition of a word, wikipedia gives you the definition and concepts behind the word, and relational concepts.

For example, let’s look at the word ‘Trust‘:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trust_%28social_sciences%29

Trust is a relationship of reliance. A trusted party is presumed to seek to fulfill policies, ethical codes, law and their previous promises.

Trust does not need to involve belief in the good character, vices, or morals of the other party. Persons engaged in a criminal activity usually trust each other to some extent. Also trust does not need to include an action that you and the other party are mutually engaged in. Trust is a prediction of reliance on an action, based on what a party knows about the other party. Trust is a statement about what is otherwise unknown — for example, because it is far away, cannot be verified, or is in the future.

And it goes on, and on. Reading this, I particularly find the line ‘Trust is a prediction of reliance on an action, based on what a party knows about the other party.‘ to be very telling as it really does not matter how long you have known someone to ascertain if you trust them, what is important is how much knowledge and/or insight you have on an individual – one can get that intel in years or in a matter of minutes. Family, lifelong friends should be ‘trustworthy’, but we may only perceive them as such because of the notion that such people should be the ones that we ‘trust’. Well trust me, trust can be found in the oddest of places with even the oddest of people, as trust should really be based and predicted upon the reliance of an action – based on what you know about an individual.

I believe I always have had this notion for years, but have never been able to articulated quite like the wiki has (but, I never really had the desire to do so either). Its very hard to say that I can fully trust someone – because we base trust on how we would hope/anticipate people to act in certain situations. Its a cliche to say well, “I hope they will do the right thing”, but that ‘right thing’ varies from individual to individual. It would be best to base your trust based on the immediate action + what prior information you know about the individual.

For example:

You would not trust him with your kids:

Michael Jackson

You would not trust him with your 15 year old daughter:

R. Kelly

You would not trust her with keeping a secret:

Karrine Superhead Steffans

You would not trust him (Ike Turner) with your personal safety:

Ike Turner & Tina Turner

You would not trust his word:

O.J. Simpson

In all, you would not trust these people in the examples that I prescribed, but that does not directly correlate that you would not trust them in other scenarios: R. Kelly could be able to give you good advice & direction regarding the music industry, O.J. may be a trustful source of information for football skills & techniques, and Karrine ‘Superhead’ Steffans may be a good source of intel on how to keep a man … any guess on how she would do that? (LOL).

But, in all importance, we all need to put our trust in ourselves as we must be confident and, we must try to attain a sense of surety that the decisions we make will be the ‘right’ one.

.:: d.b ::.

Social, Work

Pussification pt. 2: No, I don’t subscribe

July 3, 2008 d dot b Leave a comment

Pussification pt. 2: No, I don’t subscribe
A more succinct way of disagreement
View pt.0 and get familiar

Society has become increasingly tolerant and sensitive to the needs of others; looking at our etiology we have come a long way from the tyrant, barbarian behaviour of our ancestors. As of late, after the feminist and civil rights movement, in an era I like to call ‘social movements’, we have a hard time of saying ‘no’ to the simplest of things. ‘No’ is a refusal skill that implies a disagreement or rejection to something (concept, question, etc.). Instead of saying ‘no’ we will substitute our disagreeable or rejectable response for longer, and more sensitive responses that can lead to ambiguity – meaning the respondee may be lead to believe that there is hope to their question.

So why do we do this? Having respect, and being respectful for others feelings could be a reason; as we are taught such behavior from a young age. However, we can still have respect for others, and their feelings, without embodying the qualities of pussification (pretentiousness, fake, ambiguity, non-genuine, not ‘keeping it real’).

Here are some real world examples on how you can un-pussificate yourself:

Can you help me out and do some of my work?

old: “I’ll see if I can get around to it”
try: “No, I’m not going to do your work”.

Did you mess up on that 1st quarter report?

old: “I’m not sure, I don’t think I did that”
try: “No, I don’t have any recollection to what you are referring to”

Honey, can we go see Sex and the City?

old: “I’ll see, I got a lot of things to do later on”
try: “No, that is for chicks, I’m a man”.

Do you like my outfit?

old: “Its okay”
try: “No, its wack – it needs work.”

Want to hit up the club tonight?

old: “Not really, I’m kind of busy tonight, and the club is kind of expensive, and I’m trying to save my money”
try: “No, that club that your going to is weak and has ugly women”

In all, people respect those that give respect, and furthermore, people can – or at least should, respect an honest opinion. Its okay to disagree with someone – there may be some notion or perception that saying ‘no’ may lead to an argument of some kind, when in all honesty it is not a start of an argument per say, but the start of a discussion, a dialogue of sorts. An open exchange of opposing, differing, and even similar views – try it sometimes, you may be surprised with the results, and even with what you learn.

.:: d.b ::.

~ Life in B Major ~

Economics, Social

Tip What?

October 18, 2006 d dot b 1 Comment

TIP WHAT?
The cultural norm of tipping

This is just a funny story that I thought I would share:

The other day I was with my sister and my nephew in a popular Chinese buffet restaurant; the food was mediocre (what else can one expect at a buffet?), but the selection was vast in quantity. A perky waitress brought us to our seats and asked us if we had any additional orders (i.e. beverages, alcohol, etc.). We place a couple of orders and then proceeded to attack the buffet table to feed our appetite.

Now, to the extent of what the waitress performed, which was pretty much just cleaning the table of dishes that were dirty, a debate ensued whether what the appropriate tip should be for the waitress. I was baffled, because the question in my head was if there should be a tip at all.

Now, I’m not one that is really in favour of tipping; I don’t feel that it is rational to ‘tip’ someone for the job function’s that they are supposed to perform. Especially, in a buffet environment where the waitress does half of the duties than a waitress at a regular restaurant. Tipping has seemed to evolve into a cultural norm, but it is a cultural norm that I wish not to subscribe too. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have tipped in the past, but I’m strongly against the notion of deriving a mathematical percentage formula to determine how much one should tip (i.e. 10% of the order). That is foolishness. Tipping should only be done if you feel that the waitress went beyond her specific job duties: lets say, by providing excellent repertoire or customer service. Don’t just tip someone for performing their basic job duties.

Tipping has become expected and is embedded into our cultural, so much so, that has almost become a cultural norm – waitresses expect to be tipped no matter how much/well they perform their duties. Another factor is that because tipping is a cultural norm; any deviation from such actions will make one ostracised – stigmatized as ‘cheap’, ‘mean’ or ‘petty’.

In summation, I still contributed to a tip (much to my dismay) because I felt a desire to conform, rather than be true to thyself ….

Think about that.

—
d_dot_b

Festivus Greetings!

Airing of Grievances

Feats of Strength

tan(013) – Transportation Social Sheriff

Lost Drivers

Stand Right, Walk Left

Staying in One’s Blindspot

The Hipsters

Birth of ….

Mutation of …

Current … Hipster Rap

Riots and Rallies

Past Social upheavals

Classic Introverts

Tip What? Pt. 4 – When to Tip

E-Drive-by’s

Some Homer Simpson Logic:

Producer of Things