Losing Our Motivation (to be or think or speak)

 Let me just vent, please. I have so much stuff to get off my mind. I'm so tired of "culture" and "social media" and the general wastefulness of brain power by everyday people. It's my opinion that all our technological progress is being wasted on so much that is meaningless. 

• Stop focusing on random, dancing and singing and the see-me, see-me, and wanna-be-me crap. If I see one more #nextlevel post about someone showing off their skill at rocking out or rapping or "sick" dance moving...
• Detox from Facebook and TikTok and Instagram for at least 3 hours a day. Where are people finding the time to post a photo of every meal they eat or every move they make or every thought they have in a day? Do you folks have anyone you talk to just one on one without sharing the conversation with the rest of social media?
  
  
  

• With access to the internet and all the wonderful technology we now have, how many people are using it to learn and grow and improve themselves as individuals? (I know that there are a lot of people using it for useless entertainment and brain-frying distractions.
• While all the attention is focused on the 85-95% of us doing makeup videos, true crime podcasts, and non-news news shows, there are people still trying to learn how to actually think critically and dialogue productively about meaningful things. No one hears so much about that. We hear more about MAGA and BLM and being "woke" or being Christian nationalists than we do about people trying to be peaceful and calm and neighborly. 
• If you are Christian, stop thinking that this world is the "Kingdom".
• If you are anti-Christian, stop thinking that all Christians are every Christian.
• If you are Christian, stop thinking that all non-Christians are any more sinful than yourself.
• If you are non-Christian, stop thinking that every Christian hates you. 
• Stop saying that you are anti-this or anti-that and work on being a better individual citizen.
• We have too many wanna-be revolutionists and feminists and "bros". Be a person first.
  
• While so many of you are learning lyrics to the latest raps and songs, who is reading classic literature, the Bible, and history? Who is learning a second language (I'm talking to my fellow Americans)? Who is learning why math is important - or biology or economics or physics?
• For all of you who talk about "my body, my choice", are you treating your body with respect? For those of you talking about being anti-abortion, are you taking care of unwanted children - or the hungry, wounded, traumatized children?
• Of those who call themselves Christians, are you reading the Bible? Studying the Bible? Trying to understand the message of the Bible? Or are you just sitting in a pulpit and listening to whatever someone else tells you about the Bible?
• For those of you who think of yourselves as beautiful/handsome, what does that matter in the final scheme of things? Are you helping anyone with that attribute? What would you do if you lost that attribute?
• For the so-called "influencers" - what are you influencing? How are you using your influence in any positive or meaningful way?
• If you are a "Have", are you content - or do you want more? And why or why not?
• If you are "Have Not", what do you really want more of - other than food and shelter and kindness? Why?
• For all of you living the bulk of your lives via the internet, what would you do without it? Could you do without it? Could you be happy without it?
• When is the last time you lived a phone-free life - even just for a few hours?
• 
  What was the last positive thing you did for someone other than yourself?
• When was the last time you spent time just thinking - not reading or eating or distracting yourself with devices and material things?
• Do you think of yourself as unique? What's the last thing you did unselfconsciously? When is the last time that you didn't dress or act out of being trendy or out of being totally rebellious to society?

I rant about these things and I am guilty of some of them myself. But I'm so tired of everyone losing themselves to trends. 

It's not "trendy" to speak your mind anymore. It's not trendy to say how you really feel about something. (I'm not talking to the people who are rude and call it being "blunt".)

Somehow, in our society, it no longer seems that it's okay for people with opposing opinions to have a discussion about anything without there being a fight. 

People have forgotten how to debate in a thoughtful and meaningful way. That's because we all have to apologize for or violently defend every viewpoint.

Recently, I saw (for the zillionth time) saw a post in a forum about the effect of "billions and billions of years" of evolution. My instinct was to voice my disbelief in evolution (I hold a Christian and biblical worldview of all creation) but I didn't include my comment on the post. Why? Because I would have been verbally attacked for my views. No one would have engaged me in a debate about why I believe as I do. There would likely not have been a civil or thoughtful back-and-forth discussion. Ideally, we should be able to voice our views and walk away (whether or agreeing or not) with something to think about on both sides.

Since we do have the internet and all these social media platforms, I wish we wouldn't waste them on thoughtless and meaningless things. I wish that there was more robust and honest discussions happening - more content that exercised our brains instead of our sarcasm or hidden-behind-a-keyboard bullying. 

Because I am tired of being pinned down by whatever this society is becoming, I am going to do another post where I voice my opinions and viewpoints - no matter who they might offend. I won't be doing this to offend. I will be doing this because I think it should be a thing. Anyone is free to agree or disagree - because that should be a thing. I hope that everyone who reads the post will - even in private - consider thoughtfully why they agree or disagree.

Since this rant is mostly about the internet, I will leave you with this:

Q: How many of you know where, how, and why the internet started? Here's a teaser: It has to do with CERN.

A: Click Here (for the long answer)  Or here, for the simplified version.

I can't change how other people behave and interact but I can change how I behave and interact. It starts now.

Peace

--Free

Language is Awesome

(Note: today is a little blurry for me. I will make this post as coherent as I can.)

I was watching that show "Beyond Scared Straight" the other night and I'm ashamed to say that I found way too much humor in some of the episodes. One of the parents made a remark that was so funny I had to pause the show to call my girlfriend. First, I had to finish laughing.

First I have to tell you that back in the day, one of my mother's admonishments was "Your mouth's going to write a check your ass can't cash." Well, a parent on that show topped it. When her fast ass daughter was acting out, she told her that her alligator mouth was going to override her hummingbird ass. Man, that is freaking awesome. I'm saving that up for the next time I get to chastise a child.

In a recent post when I was discussing my potty mouth, I didn't get into how much I love the poetry of slang. I wonder if a lot of the popularity of pop music isn't more about the words than the beat. The first time I heard the phrases  "turn up" ( or "turnt" up) and "turn down", I knew they were going to be favorites. I heard "turn down" in a song by DJ Snake and Lil Jon. I'm not a huge Lil Jon fan and I still have no idea who DJ Snake is, but every now and then, I'll hear that song in my head and walk around for hours singing to myself, "Turn down for what?" One of my SILs - also too old or this mess - has started using the phrase.

Once, when my teenaged nephew accompanied me on a shopping trip, he introduced me to a trendy descriptor that I kind of love. I was looking for a specific brand of sandals but couldn't find a pair that I liked. Too pink, too orange, and too "why in the hell did they make a day-glo green pair?' Finally, I explained to the clerk the color I just had to have was muted pink on black. I wanted them to wear with a tracksuit of the same color scheme. I guess I was being just a little dramatic. My nephew made the remark that I was being "so extra". Listen. I knew immediately what he was saying about me. And I loved it. I was ashamed of being such a broke-ass drama queen, but I loved the phrase.


Words are just beautiful building blocks, aren't they? Each generation can change and rearrange them to fit the times. This is why we should read works of literature and prose from all time periods. We are missing out if we only focus on the here and now of art.

Speaking of the (not-too-distant) past, I was only about 13 o r14 when I first read Gwendolyn Brooks' poem "We Real Cool" and even then the intense wordplay aroused my brain. Later in my life, Nikki Giovanni's "And I Have You" and "Resignation" affected me in the same way. But those ladies are officially poets. What I also love is when wordplay just spills out of the streets and into the general lexicon. (By the way, I'm going to have to talk about those two ladies in another post.)

I enjoy just listening to people converse. Some of you might call that eavesdropping, but hear me out. It's not what people talk about but how they talk. The way a person uses language is such a part of their personality. I guess it's what comics call "delivery" It's why one of my nieces is so funny without even trying. (One of my favorite comedians is Kathleen Madigan. She mostly talks about her family and her fairly ordinary life. So why do I end up laughing until I can't breathe?)

Sometimes, when I am not eavesdropping, I pick up and decide to use slang words without knowing enough about them. I've always known that "bae" was a term of affection that older people don't (or shouldn't) use. What I didn't know is that it stands for "before anyone else". Well, damn. No matter what age you are, that's sweet.

To explain someone being upset by saying that they are "salty" is just too perfect. Back in the day, we'd explain someone angry as having their jaws tight or being "heated". I still use that one. I also personally love the term "slay". That so truly expresses someone on top of their game.

"Thirsty" is one of those terms I should not have used before I understood that it meant horny. I thought that when you were "thirsting" for someone, you were just attracted to them. Okay, so technically...

The first time I saw "GOAT" on social media, my silly ass automatically went into conspiracy theory mode. (Stop laughing.) When I found out it stands for "greatest of all time", I wasn't that impressed.

About 10 years back, my older nieces and nephews loved teasing me about staying up with current slang. Well, what goes around comes around and everybody ages. These days, they are getting the same teasing from my younger family members.

I wonder if most people even realize where a lot of the current social media slang comes from. Do they care? Or are they just slinging around phrases mindlessly (the way I did with "thirsty")?.

The now overused term "woke" has been appropriated by just about every internet hipster. I don't think many of them know anything about  William Melvin Kelley. Some of them might have learned about Marcus Garvey. My father taught me about the writings of Kelley and I was given an overview of Garvey at some point in school. I don't remember much about either. Now I have to add them to my list of things to research.

Of course, I know that a lot of black slang dribbled down from our slavery era ancestors. There are - or were - a lot of communities and groups of people who have their own patois.  A lot of us cobbled together languages made up of our mother tongue mated with American English. I think this is what Zora Neale Hurston was paying tribute to when writing phonetically.

Speaking of Hurston and cobbled language, if you really want your mind blown, go check out the Gullah language. My mother had relatives who grew up speaking what she called "Geechee". I wish now that I had paid more attention and asked questions when Mom talked about these people.  I met some of these relatives when I was very young so I don't remember much about their speaking style. (Now I have to go and look at the Gullah language Bible because... who knew?) Thank goodness for the internet.

Not knowing a language is one thing. You expect to feel excluded. What's crazy is that I can sit next to a person speaking English and have no idea what they are saying. I suppose every generation has its own sub-language made up out of their mother tongue. My younger nieces and nephews speak in 'slanguage' I call internet shorthand. Everything is acronyms and abbreviations spoken in rapid-fire bursts. And it's not just with the net-speak; it's the hieroglyphic texts. Adults who haven't kept up at all with internet slang can't read half the stuff on a kids phone.

We older folk should break out some of the slang we once used or at least were familiar with. I clearly remember my brothers and their friends using terms that would still work today. If someone was deeply in love, you'd say that their nose was wide open. Instead of expressing frustration by saying "doggone", you'd say "dag".

To go further back in history with black slang, check out this Glossary of Harlem Slang by Ms. Hurston. The term "jelly" was still in use when I was young and I had no idea what it meant until I was grown. As a matter of fact, a lot of music lovers have no idea what the term "jelly roll" means in the blues or why so many blues musicians include it in their names. I think Jelly Roll Morton is the most famous.

Update: A social media contact emailed to tell me that she and her friends say "Jelly" as shortspeak for "jealous". I cannot keep up with it, people. But now I know something new. Thanks, L.D.

Just for kicks, I'm going to link to this video of Bessie Smith singing "Nobody In Town Can Bake A Sweet Jelly Roll Like Mine". Enjoy.

So, yes, language is awesome, but only if we use it to include, not exclude. And that's the main point of this post. Or at least, I think it is. I don't know, I started it yesterday and kind of lost my way with it. Oh well. Now I think I am going to go and read up on that Gullah Bible I just discovered.

Peace
--Free

"I'd like to think I'm a mess you'd wear with pride."

Yes. Absolutely.

**Tip** Data Usage Numbers (finding them)

Just a tip for anyone trying to find/track their data usage so they don't go over on their internet plan. Sadly, I only know how to do this in Windows 10, but I'm sure the method is similar for other systems. I got curious about this when I signed up for a 400GB plan at an affordable rate. I have no idea how to visualize what 400GB means for usage. I was wondering if I'd have to give up binge-watching shows on Amazon Prime in order to still be able to surf the net for research and writing. Apparently, a lot of people wonder the same about internet usage and data limits. Last night, I did a little digging around and came up with a way to check on my usage.

The easiest way is to go to the Search Bar and type in "data"or "usage".

The circle is for "Search"

Then you can get to this screen:

Notice you can "View usage details". For me, this is what that page looks like:

By the way, I haven't made much a dent in my usage and I've been sick in bed and binge-watching tons of Youtube and Prime videos. My numbers, if accurate, really surprised me.

Before moving, I shared internet with family or I was with a familiar company local to Anchorage. Coming here and setting up internet limited me to 2 choices. One of those places was going to be a pain to use because of the way the apartment building is wired. I think I got a way better rate by going with Mediacom. (Not thrilled with their customer service, but...).

Of course, I can also sign into my Mediacom account and check usage, but it sure is nice to have backup numbers to compare with. If I start seeing huge discrepancies, then I will know to ask questions.

So, that's it. If any of you know how to check for different systems, be nice and share it with the rest of us.

Peace
--Free

Life in the Age of the Web

So much of our lives are tied to the internet. I didn't send out many Christmas cards this time around - there are online services for that. I really kind of miss getting some cards in the mail that I can hang around my front door for the season.

This is the age of the internet though. Not surprisingly, I'm finding that a lot of my social esteem now comes from my online social circles. If I don't post on Twitter or Google Plus for a few days, I see a major drop in interactions when I return. This also affects my blog because visitor numbers drop into the canyons.

How does this make me feel? So far, it doesn't really affect my personal feelings, but I can see how it could (and still might).

Will I sign onto Twitter or G+ just to keep people interested in me, in what I have to say? Maybe. Will I do it, no matter how insincere my shared thoughts and opinions are? No.

I wonder how it makes other people feel when they experience this social lag. Does it make them realize how thin and passing an online social life can be?

We really need to make sure that we keep a balance in how much time we spend online and off.
Internet acquaintances are alright, but it's our intimate friendships that need to be nurtured most. Go ahead and fall out sick and see which friends are going to be checking up on you first.

This random line of thought brings another to mind: How many people have just disappeared from their online social circles without anyone wondering what happened to them? I've known a few people who went from super-active online to dead silent. Are they dead? Did something happen to take away their need for interacting online? There's really no way to know without turning into a stalker, is there?

I'm a worrier. When I get to "know" someone online - say on Google or Twitter - and they suddenly stop posting or blogging, I think the worst. I don't for one minute imagine that they are just too busy living an offline life to post their every third thought for me to criticize.

We might all need to take regular breaks from our online lives. I do this about once every couple of months. It's an ordeal. You can almost hear the sucking sound as I pry my brain away from the computer. I always have a little bit of "dry out" fever and I will fidget for a couple hours before I can even get anything useful done.

Everything I do offline is cushioned by the internet. If I clean or do laundry, I need my last.fm for music because I no longer own a radio. When I writing, I need Wikipedia or Google because I have no paper encyclopedias, newspapers or dictionary references. I've given my last TV away to a friend, so I have to go online for my shows and movies.

I was talking to a doctor some time back about my Sarc and the problems it causes me. He approved of the "work-arounds" I've fallen back on: different types of listing and note-taking apps. He doesn't like the idea of calculators being used by the general population though. He feels it causes a loss of basic math skills. He's right. I feel almost the same way about our use of the internet.

When did this start happening to us? How far will it erode our skills? Will children one day not know what it is to hold a book in their hands (maybe with a flashlight under their bed-covers because they just have to know how the chapter ends)? I'm already annoyed that my nieces and nephews actually have never had to leave their seat to change the TV channel. It's not fair. On the other hand, they have been robbed of the joy of decorating their bedroom walls with their favorite album covers.

Don't you ever wish that we could have stopped the progress of the internet at a certain stage? Like, we could have email but only for business reasons. We could keep our social networks, but had to ask someone what an agoraphobic is. I think if we could still have a need for each other - to share mentoring and learning and real communication - we'd be better off. I can't imagine what's going to happen to human relationships if we let things keep going the way they are. On the other hand, I wouldn't have been able to tell you all this without the internet. So... we should keep blogs. Definitely keep blogs. And shopping. I can't take those long store lines...

Peace
--Free

The Good, Bad & Ugly Internet

Google Plus and Twitter aren't enough for me anymore. I've signed up for Tumblr (not sure how I like it yet), About.me (not sure how it's useful yet), Last.fm (love it), and I've delved back into my dormant Pinterest account (totally hooked this time).

My older sister doesn't have or want to have anything to do with the internet except for the games on her phone. If it were not for the games on her phone, she probably wouldn't even know what her mobile data is for. I think that's a shame. There is so much on the internet that is good, educational, entertaining and socially world-shrinking. On the other hand, there are the Kardashians. This brings me to the point of this post: the good, bad and ugly of the internet.

The Good

• It's taught me, better than the other time I spend, that there's a difference in being known and being respected. The internet can make a star or villain out of almost anyone. 
• People find a lot of harmful enjoyment - like my sister with the games. It sure is cheaper. Example: $8/mo for watching movies and shows in my PJs. $10.25 for one evening movie theater ticket. That's solo, no refreshments (or "Pause" button for the bathroom breaks). Nuff said?
• It's an open classroom for anyone wanting to learn anything. People who can't afford normal portals of education can gorge themselves on knowledge.
• It really does erase boundaries. People on different continents of different cultures, races and backgrounds can connect, chat, share and even make plans to meet in person. 
• For people who ever wondered if they were the only ones who (fill in the blank with whatever insecurity, health problem, life problem, etc.) get relief in knowing they are not.
• People who can't travel - or maybe even leave their home - can see the beauty of the rest of the world.
• All the time we spent running to the store, the Post Office and bank and holding our phones listening to bad "Hold" music is pretty much done. Gift-shopping is so easy, you can check a person's Wishlist online, order the very thing they want and have it delivered - even if said person hates you and you're under police orders to stay a hundred feet from them at all times. (Don't ask how I know this.)
• Jobs are opened up by the existence of the internet. Technology needs the tech savvy. Those tech-leaning folk (and those who run from tech) can find jobs they might never have heard about. Some of those jobs can be done without stepping foot into a shower or out of the front door. (I don't recommend that shower part.)

The Bad

• Fame is there for the grabbing, but that fame is like any pleasure and comes in varieties: worth it, no way in hell worth it, long-lasting, fleeting, surprising or painful - and always with a consequence.
• The internet gobbles time the way I'd gobble cheesecake if I lived in an alternate universe with no calories or gravity. (By the way, if you know anyone who uses Pinterest, slap them the next time they claim to be to busy to do anything else. That site is like choose-your-crack city. I spent two hours on there one day and almost missed an appointment.)
• People need people (sing it, Barbra) but, sometimes, the internet is the worst way for people to meet. It's too easy to lie about who and what you really are. 
•  Seeing our societies shallow attraction to only those who are beautiful and successful can really breakdown the rest of us mere mortals.

The Ugly

•  Not all people (yet) have access to the internet (though more than ever before) and, sometimes, they are shoved further into a poverty - whether a poverty of learning, opportunity or of spirit.
• It seems that just many people use the broken boundaries for bad as for good. The cowards and bullies have a bigger platform to recruit and target victims. And they use it. 
• As far as meeting someone on the internet (for more than "casual" contact), so much can go sideways. We've all heard about the friend of a friend who finally met Mister or Miss Right via some toolonely.com site. Sometimes, they find out just exactly why the liar face is so lonely. Lots of times it can be funny (to the rest of us) when a real-life meet goes wrong, but too many times, it's dangerous as hell, maybe even deadly. At the least, it can be heartbreaking. That's bad enough for some people.
• You have to be careful with what you put out there online. Most of us (I include myself here) are not nearly careful enough. Someone with enough time or money or lack character can find out what brand and color underwear you use on alternate days of the week. (And don't even wonder why the ads that pop up on the site you visit always have ads for the exact flavor of Coffee Mate creamer you prefer.)

Yeah, so...

The thing is, there is good, bad and ugly in everything. We just need to be more aware.

Peace

--Free