The Human Condition

The owl sings his dark song of nightmare and despair

The mockingbird mocks the existence of our kind

The planet of the apes is become here forever

Progress temporary, prejudice permanent

We are a stench in the nostrils of God 

That we may suffer one more day,

Hope is a trap to keep us alive

Isn't Justice Supposed to be Blind?

--  A federal prosecution of Zimmerman after a thorough, fair and well-contested state trial would violate the spirit if not the letter of the...( Constitution). --  from an editorial in the LA Times

True, but the racially biased enforcement of the stand your ground laws in Florida is anything but fair.  Compare and contrast the Zimmerman verdict in which a White Hispanic man went out with his gun, looking for black youths who didn't belong in his neighborhood (yes, his history proves that that's exactly what he was doing), found one who was completely innocent and killed him; with the case of a woman who, in fear of her abusive husband, fired a gun into a wall to scare him away, causing no injuries to anyone. Zimmerman, killer of a young man, was acquitted. After a 12 minute consideration the jury sentenced the woman, who had harmed no one, to 20 years in prison.  Oh, did I forget to mention she was Black? Clearly, the Florida "justice" system didn't. 

Even a Broken Clock is Right Twice a Day

Paul Krugman, Nobel prize-winning economist, recently stated, "If you came into this for years ago with a Keynesian point of view, you said things that were regarded as outrageous in this town. You said government borrowing won't send interest rates skyrocketing. The Fed printing money won't cause inflation. And by the way, austerity policies will tank the economies that adopt them.  And all of that has come true.  So, you know, you have a theory that works ."

Hayekian predictions include the belief that Clinton's raising of taxes on the rich would destroy the economy. Note:  That's the economy which bloomed. The European Union, under the leadership of Germany, has adopted Hayekian principles and they're doing very poorly compared to us. We adopted a mild Keynesian stimulus and we have gained a mild recovery.

Even the Wall Street Journal reported that United Kingdom's austerity policy produced a second recession.  Krugman points out that when Cameron came into power, Conservatives in America were delighted. They knew that he would adopt the correct procedures to end to all economic problems in Britain. Well, he did take all those correct procedures, at least correct according to the Conservatives.  They were excited because they were certain his austerity programs would show how effectively austerity programs work. Instead, Britain has experienced a second recession.   We should take notice that that the Keynesian economists in America said that Cameron's policies would cause a second recession, as it did.

Krugman also pointed out that Sweden, arguably the greatest welfare state in the world, has done quite well during this time. This is the exact opposite of the Conservative Hayekian predictions of the fate of socialist economies.

Finally, Krugman points out that Iceland, where much of this economic crisis originated, was expected to completely self-destruct, especially because they adopted very Keynesian policies with a lot of government controls as a temporary measure to fix the problem. Actual result:  Right now they're doing better than we are.

This leads only one possible conclusion.  The reason American and European Conservatives  continue to believe in the economic theories of Hayek is that they are convinced that since no man can be perfect and since Hayek has a record of being perfectly wrong, he's overdue to be right. At least they hope so.

Much Ado About Nothing Much

It's amazing! The royal family has delivered a baby!  A perfectly ordinary human baby! You know, with all the excitement, I was rather expecting a full grown Harry Potter clone, or at least some sort of amazingly gifted ComicCon mutant.  Merlin or King Arthur  would have also  been acceptable

Even my family's getting in on the excitement.  Don't get me wrong. I wish the baby well. I wish any and all babies well. I just don't see the value of this particular baby as being any higher than that of any other baby in the world -- except for those who are my grandkids, of course.

I mean, truth be told, I think the American revolution was a good idea, but then, I've always been something of an outsider.

Morality or Health, A Forced Choice, Actual Reality

From a Smithsonian article about the regulation and taxation of prostitutes during the Civil war in a successful attempt to reduce the spread of disease among soldiers:

-- ...by early 1864 some 352 women were on record as being licensed, and another hundred had been successfully treated for syphilis and other conditions hazardous to their industry. In the summer of 1864, one doctor at the hospital remarked on a “marked improvement” in the licensed prostitutes’ physical and mental health, noting that at the beginning of the initiative the women had been characterized by use of crude language and little care for personal hygiene, but were soon virtual models of “cleanliness and propriety.”

 ...the  expenses of the program from September 1863 to June totaled just over $6,000, with income from the taxes on “lewd women” reached $5,900.  ...the Pacific Medical Journal argued that legalized prostitution not only helped rid Rosecrans’ army of venereal disease, it also had a positive impact on other armies...

Today, the handful of U.S. counties that allow prostitution, such as Nevada’s Lyon County, rely on a regulatory system remarkably similar to the one implemented in 1863 Nashville. --

So, a great success in cleanliness, health, disease prevention, and public safety; all obtained at virtually no net cost to the government.  Since common sense is virtually nonexistent, don't expect our current governments to stop encouraging filth, illness, the spread of disease, and public danger; all at great financial cost.  That's because these things are all moral.

Whiny Guy, Superhero!

A view into Facebook.

This is part of an exchange with an old friend of mine. I had mentioned that my house was tilting the right no matter which direction in which I looked.  She asked me to explain.  So I did.

Nothing to worry about, Joyce. Just my body being itself again. Every now and then, my brain insists that the world has been tilted. The most common effect is tilling to the left or to the right. Every sense of my body says that the world is in fact tilted, so much so that it is difficult not to grab hold of the bed, couch, or chair upon which I'm sitting to avoid falling off and smacking against the opposite wall, which is now down so low that gravity should be pulling me there. Of course, I'm not going to fall and gravity has not altered, but my senses insist that it has. They very convincingly insist that it has.  Only the fact that I do not actually fall proves that my senses are wrong.

This one actually isn't too bad. At its very worst I literally cannot walk unless I watch my feet. If I take my eyes off them I am so unaware of up versus down that I simply fall over. That, thankfully, is very rare. It's usually much less extreme.  Sorry I worried you! I just thought everybody knew about my...peculiarity.

P. S.

Actually, when it's at its worst I don't have to watch my feet; I have to watch my hands, because then I have to crawl, standing up isn't possible. But again, that's very rare occurrence and hasn't happened in a number of years, though once it was rather common. Let's hope it never happens again!  At times like this, I'm fond of declaring to anyone in the vicinity that they must be human flies since they don't notice the tilt and show no fear of falling.

Life is strange, indeed!  I try to keep smiling and laugh at myself.  It really helps to do so.

Having made this post and thought about it, it occurs to me that I have been underestimating myself

I don't need to be the wannabe, almost, but somehow failing to quite make it, superhero,  "Couch Potato Man" -- lying  around dreaming and hoping for the day when I can find a willing sidekick to be Wifey. I already am a superhero. I am Whiny Guy and I don't need no stinking sidekick! I'm  a real good whiner all by myself. 

Watch out world!  Here I don't come to save the day!

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The Big Bang Theory and Me

Quite some time ago, my friend Bobby started a discussion among those in his circle about whether they did or did not like the Big Bang Theory.  It was late when I noticed the long post, so I didn't read it at that moment, instead I went to bed thinking, "Great! Now I can discuss why I prefer ekpirosis. Also, why  think that the Big Bang Theory does not really require that the universe began as an infinitesimally small, infinitely dense, infinitely hot geometric point. And, finally, why that is not possible, anyway."

The next day I discovered that the post referred to my favorite television program.  That's okay. Also an interesting discussion.

Even more interesting, most of the responses from Bobby's notoriously geeky friends stated that they did not like the program.  It took me until now to finally get this post written, so I'm sorry it's so late, but if you know me, then it doesn't surprise you that it took me so long.

Why I Like Big Bang Theory

Short answer, 'cause it's funny.  Longer answer...I mean, much longer answer follows:

I understand the program can be interpreted as simply laughing at intelligence and what might be referred to as geekiness.  But when looked upon as a whole, I think a rather different picture emerges.  First, while the primary characters of the show are variations upon the absent-minded professor meme, supposedly normal Penny comes in for her share of humor at her expense. Second, the program goes out of its way to present a number of more normal, yet equally highly educated individuals as well.  They are only visitors to the show, it is true. However, it is clear that scientists can be motorcycle riding, girl attracting, socially confident members of society.  Third, it is important to remember that the history of building an atmosphere of acceptance demonstrates that the first stage is often one of self-deprecating humor.

Do you remember the movie La Cage aux Folles, or the play by the same name, or the inferior American movie version, The Bird Cage? It is true that all three presented homosexuals in very stereotyped imagery, but it is also true that they presented homosexuals as real, sympathetic human beings, a theme frequently utilized in those early attempts at attaining acceptance.

Perhaps even more germane is the case of Stepin Fetchit, aka, Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry.  Stepin Fetchit was his screen name. Lincoln Perry was his real world name.  His film persona was the absolute image of American prejudice against Blacks. He was lazy, he was stupid, he shuffled here and there, etc. etc. etc., ad nauseum.  It's hard to imagine anyone alive today, even someone in my age group, not wincing at the mere thought of his performances.  It is hardly surprising to discover that those who are aware of his career still find much to criticize.

But he also has been praised very highly. Why? Strange as it sounds, his performance made him acceptable to White America at a level which was previously unknown.  For all the flaws of his performances, he was the first Black actor to become a millionaire. He was also the first Black actor to actually receive screen credit. The latter may not sound like much to those of us who are not involved in acting, but I am told that it is of the utmost importance to those who are.

At a certain level, self-deprecating humor may be the only way to make yourself acceptable the world around you.  Most importantly, it is a tool to humanize you to those who wish to deny you membership in the human race.  Even amidst their laughter, the realization steadily and slowly seeps in, these people are people. Down at the most basic level, they really are just like the rest of us. They share the the same fears, the same doubts, the same failures...well, I guess they're just another one of us.

One of the main reasons that geeks and intellectuals face such sharp and cruel bullying at school is because the people doing the bullying are so utterly terrified of them, and feel so inferior to them. After all, you may be stronger than they are but they're smarter than you are.  If they put forth the effort, they could build up their muscles. However, it is generally assumed that a very high level of intelligence is something you're born with, not something you can acquire.  It doesn't take a genius to realize that a better brain can beat brute strength.  No, this isn't the usual, "All of you are only saying that because..." self defense.  This is actually the primary basis of much antisocial activity.  If you talk to the people who hate "those  brainiacs", it doesn't take long to realize the sense of inferiority and even fear that leads people to strike back the only way they can, through violence, both verbal and physical.

If we find a way to laugh at all of our foibles, both those of the brainiacs and those of the normals, we begin to see ourselves as different elements of the same family. That's progress!

So, while I identify with the brainiacs of the program, I feel a lot of empathy for Penny and the other normals.  How much do I identify with the gang?  Answer below:

OK, so Sheldon is extremely obsessive-compulsive. I wouldn't describe myself as extremely obsessive-compulsive, on the other hand, when I'm watching TV, it's not unusual for me to count the number of panes in the window or the number of spokes on the starburst effect from a bright light source, especially if it's the sun. I've even been known to rewind the DVR and hit pause so I can get an accurate count. It's not that I have to. I just like to.

Then there are the factors that point to Sheldon never quite getting the social milieu in which he is immersed. I wouldn't say that I never know what's going on around me. However, I would say that I often have a limited awareness of what's going on around me. I have had a most engaging and interesting talk with a pretty girl on more than one occasion only to have the person with me later say, "Wow, she was sure flirting with you, wasn't she?"

Which I would then brilliantly reply, "She was?  Wish I'd noticed!"

The reaction of the person accompanying me varies. If they know me well, they smile and shake their heads.  If they don't know me, they usually don't believe I had missed the obvious.

Does Sheldon drop into lecture mode at odd times? For example, at Christmas does he suddenly begin to lecturing everyone on the source of our customs?  I recall watching a program with my not yet prodigal daughter and son-in-law.  A character made a reference to Valentine's Day, causing the other character to mention the story of the martyr, St. Valentine, who died in about A.D. 300.  His response was the joke, so I assume he must have been a character rather like Sheldon, but of course, I added, "Yes.  His name was actually Valentinus…" And then I went on to tell the story of how he was arrested, fell in love with the jailers' blind daughter and… well, you get the idea.  We all laughed about it, but that's because we all knew me pretty well.

So, if you want an interesting lecture on the origins of Valentine's Day, including how the Victorians contributed; or would like to know the origins of Christmas customs; or are curious about how Halloween practices originated… I think you get the point. In such case, either I'm your man or Sheldon's your man. You get to choose.

Actually, all the characters on Big Bang theory are rather weird, each in their own way. Consider Penny, who is the epitome of normality within the program's structure.  But she obsesses about shoes and was stunned to discover that she had been a bully when in high school...etc.

Not convinced yet?  You must consider that there was a time when my fiancé was sleeping at about 12:45, since she had to get up get up for work the next morning.  I, being already medically retired, was up reading a popularization of physics,  when I woke her up and exclaimed in delight, "I finally understand Hawking radiation!". She was by that time sufficiently accustomed to me to simply sit up, look at me through droopy eyes and say, "That's really nice, Dear," and go back to sleep.  The next day, she wasn't even angry.  Although I did have to explain Hawking radiation.

So, although I'm no Sheldon, there is a certain resemblance in some areas.  In other words, when I laugh at Sheldon, Leonard, or any of the other cast characters, I'm laughing at myself.  

In summation:  If you call me, just call me Sheldon.

PS,  I just learned, through watching the Daily Show, that Kate Middleton is NOT an American celebrity.  Who'd have guessed it?  Not me.  And don't ask me to name any sports stars currently playing, cause I can't...and that's pretty funny!