Web 2.0+ is grand in many ways. I applaud citizen journalists that diligently report what is occurring in their neighborhood. It is wonderful to read stories that may have been ignored by mainstream media a few years ago. However, sometimes I wonder if all the stories are based in fact because some state opinion and hearsay. Opinion and hearsay, also known as slander, is akin to bullying. The only exception are opinion columns or video blogs. This blog is based upon my opinion, however I choose not to spread rumors.
The damage to people and institutions can be horrific because of a false rumor. Slanderous statements purporting that a politician isn’t a citizen or is a different faith than where the elected official attends services, such hokum. My silly sibling likes to send me emails that spread hatred against a specific faith. The information isn’t based in fact, just opinion or an extrapolation of one radical’s words, which is hooey. One extremist, like the idiot who wanted to burn holy books in Florida, doesn’t represent the majority of the faith, just a few fools.
I miss investigative journalists who were keen on integrity. Not too long ago the mainstream media sponsored curious people to seek out corruption and expose it to the public, like Watergate. With the decrease in funding, these investigations have ground to a halt. Greedy evil people will do their deeds unchecked because it is unlikely that a citizen journalist will have the resources to expose the corruption. A few nonprofit journalistic organizations have started but their funding is limited.
I also miss human-interest stories. Local news has become a police blotter; they mostly report crime, which is depressing and doesn’t represent what is really occurring in the community. I hate it when the “local” news eats up time with irrelevant stories that aren’t even local. Since they don’t have time to check facts, they will repeat the slanderous stories and cause harm.
Too many crime, murder and blood shows (Law & Order, CSI franchises, cops & criminals, etc) are on tv. Why don’t the media companies dedicate an hour every week to feel-good stories about real people who help their community? One hour without blood. Instead, we are lucky if they have one feel-good story on the news each week. I can’t afford cable so I watch PBS or read a book. No DVD player and my computer is dial-up so I can’t watch anything there.
Journalists, where are you???
© 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
IT GETS BETTER, REALLY
He was bigger than me. I was rather scared but I punched him in the stomach. He cried and I was sent to the corner. I was about four years old and fought a bully, but I was punished. Granted, I shouldn’t have hit him. The teacher should have made the preschool a safe place and protected the “square pegs” like myself.
Bullies have harassed me since I was small. I loved learning but I hated to go to grammar school. I never fit in; I was the “odd duck.” My father told me it was my fault, my mother talked to the teacher and I was sent to see the Principal. All he did was tell the other kids to leave me alone. The result was social isolation. In 4th grade I came very close to committing suicide.
Middle school created the opportunity for older students to harangue me on the way to school. They taunted me even when I sat right behind the bus driver. He never did anything to stop them. One day they got off the bus to beat me up. Fortunately, I had my musical instrument case with me and used it to defend myself. The instrument wasn’t damaged but I was terrified. I refused to go to school for a week and came close to suicide again.
High school provided for bullies from the entire city to verbally abuse me. Upper class members protected me when I was with them. When they graduated, I became vulnerable. Thankfully, I had developed some friendships and found ways to meet people outside of my little town school. I joined a statewide group and learned that there were weirder kids than me in the world. Oddly enough, that was a relief because when a bully would say that I was strange I knew that I wasn’t as odd as a kid that I knew from a different town.
My biological family is not supportive; my eldest sibling is a bully. I have encountered bullies at work. I guess that I have a target on my soul; bullies seem to gravitate towards me. I wish that I could have told my little four-year old self to be a proud duck. Let the taunts of bullies slide off, like water slides off a duck. Swim or fly away. There are better ponds without bullies.
Bullies are cowards. They use words and actions to intimidate. They pick on others because their own self-esteem is crap. I have learned to ignore the bully, forgive and pity them. I have to avoid my family and hang out with nicer people. I choose to be with a family-of-choice, supportive people with whom have no biological connection. They are the best bully deflectors.
Life gets better, really.
Join www.itgetsbetterproject.com to be supportive of gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgendered-crossdressing-intrasex-questioning-queer and all kids who don't quite fit in.
© 2010
Bullies have harassed me since I was small. I loved learning but I hated to go to grammar school. I never fit in; I was the “odd duck.” My father told me it was my fault, my mother talked to the teacher and I was sent to see the Principal. All he did was tell the other kids to leave me alone. The result was social isolation. In 4th grade I came very close to committing suicide.
Middle school created the opportunity for older students to harangue me on the way to school. They taunted me even when I sat right behind the bus driver. He never did anything to stop them. One day they got off the bus to beat me up. Fortunately, I had my musical instrument case with me and used it to defend myself. The instrument wasn’t damaged but I was terrified. I refused to go to school for a week and came close to suicide again.
High school provided for bullies from the entire city to verbally abuse me. Upper class members protected me when I was with them. When they graduated, I became vulnerable. Thankfully, I had developed some friendships and found ways to meet people outside of my little town school. I joined a statewide group and learned that there were weirder kids than me in the world. Oddly enough, that was a relief because when a bully would say that I was strange I knew that I wasn’t as odd as a kid that I knew from a different town.
My biological family is not supportive; my eldest sibling is a bully. I have encountered bullies at work. I guess that I have a target on my soul; bullies seem to gravitate towards me. I wish that I could have told my little four-year old self to be a proud duck. Let the taunts of bullies slide off, like water slides off a duck. Swim or fly away. There are better ponds without bullies.
Bullies are cowards. They use words and actions to intimidate. They pick on others because their own self-esteem is crap. I have learned to ignore the bully, forgive and pity them. I have to avoid my family and hang out with nicer people. I choose to be with a family-of-choice, supportive people with whom have no biological connection. They are the best bully deflectors.
Life gets better, really.
Join www.itgetsbetterproject.com to be supportive of gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgendered-crossdressing-intrasex-questioning-queer and all kids who don't quite fit in.
© 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
FALLING INTO FALL
Sorry for the belated posting. I have been so blasted busy during the past couple weeks and my schedule is fairly full for the remainder of October. I even have dates filled for November.
My schedule is more hectic while unemployed than when I was working. I do job search (unfortunately, I don't always locate positions to send in an application), physical activity (walk, clean or yardwork), tangible chore everyday (empty the dishwasher, do a load of clothes, sweep the floor, etc), and do something fun weekly (lots of free and cheap activities or else read a library book). All of a sudden the day is done and I'm too tired to accomplish anything more.
I have a lot that I want to do before I get another full-time job. Yardwork (get it cleaned up before the snow falls) and indoor chores (finish sorting some boxes, plus, cleaning and organizing closets and drawers). I need to paint but that can wait until spring.
Run, run, rush, rush, is there any time to enjoy life???
(c)2010
My schedule is more hectic while unemployed than when I was working. I do job search (unfortunately, I don't always locate positions to send in an application), physical activity (walk, clean or yardwork), tangible chore everyday (empty the dishwasher, do a load of clothes, sweep the floor, etc), and do something fun weekly (lots of free and cheap activities or else read a library book). All of a sudden the day is done and I'm too tired to accomplish anything more.
I have a lot that I want to do before I get another full-time job. Yardwork (get it cleaned up before the snow falls) and indoor chores (finish sorting some boxes, plus, cleaning and organizing closets and drawers). I need to paint but that can wait until spring.
Run, run, rush, rush, is there any time to enjoy life???
(c)2010
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