How Salon.com lost it's way

Since 1995, Salon has been a prominent website covering current events, social issues, pop culture, the arts, sexuality, and a whole bunch of other things.

screenshot from Salon.com

Salons logo

It has always been a predominantly liberal website, and has been my daily choice to check out the latest in center-left though.  

(For my daily choice to check the latest in center-right thought, I usually check Townhall.com. For my daily choice to check the latest in libertarian thought, I usually check Reason.com. I also check TheNation.com (far-left website) and WorldNetDaily.com (far-right website) on a usual basis. So yeah, I have a balanced diet of socio-political thought in my daily Internet adventures)

Back to the main topic of this blog post  ---- Salon has always had a mix of great insightful articles as well as cliche-ridden junk.

However, there has been more cliche-ridden junk than usual the last few months.

 For example, there is Brittney Cooper, who thinks that African-American dominated musical genres shouldn't be touched by "non-blacks".

For example, her analysis of the recent American Music Awards.

http://www.salon.com/2013/11/26/the_politics_of_rihanna%E2%80%99s_hair_her_ama_do_was_a_powerful_form_of_resistance/

The AMAs haven’t been particularly good on this point in a long time, which is why it is not one of the major shows that I watch. But last night, Justin Timberlake won for best soul/R&B album in a category that featured him, Robin Thicke and Rihanna, and Macklemore won for best hip-hop album, just as he did at the VMAs.

When Sarah Silverman made a quip about the category being dominated by two white guys and a Caribbean artist, Justin, upon winning, remarked that Silverman’s remarks constituted the first time that he had ever felt “racially profiled.”

Race analysis #FAIL, JT. Please don’t make it hard for me to like your music. It’s already hard to admit I like it, since your musical career has relied on the appropriation of a black sound and the requisite awarding of cookies because you are a white boy who does it well.

I know some folks consider it the triumph of multicultural America that white artists are now winning for making music in categories traditionally reserved for black artists. I am far less optimistic about this American post-racial project, and wonder if the dominance of Macklemore and Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke signal yet two more black musical forms that are about to go the way of rock ‘n’ roll.

Notice what I highlighted in  red. This is a bunch of racist garbage. But because Brittney Cooper is African-American, very few people will have the guts to call her a racist and a cultural segregationist. But she is!

Salon.com

Brittney Cooper

racist, cultural segregationist

Here is my responses to Ms. Cooper (with slight edits for grammar)

Britney Cooper is a racist prick! I mean what other kind of person would be upset at Macklemore winning an award in his own genre?

What other kind of person would be upset at the song "Same Love" winning an award? I would go as far as saying that I put "Same Love" at the same level as Grandmaster Flash "Message", Queen Latifah "UNITY",  2pac "Keep Ya Head Up" and "Dear Mama" as among the most powerful message songs in the rap genre. Anyone who doesn't understand that is either  a racist or a homophobe. I put Brittney Cooper as a racist.

 And for Britney Cooper to say this about Justin Timberlake "It’s already hard to admit I like it, since your musical career has relied on the appropriation of a black sound and the requisite awarding of cookies because you are a white boy who does it well" is EQUIVALENT TO A WHITE SUPREMACIST SAYING  "Tiger Wood gets too much attention for being a black man in a white game"

Britney Cooper is a racist prick, and we need more people to have the guts to say so!

I also wrote this

Britney Cooper, let's give you a true sense of context. The reason why Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke and Macklemore adapt hip-hop/R&B is THE SAME EXACT REASONS for the following situations

- 1800's Hawaiians noticing a bunch of Portuguese laborers playing a mini-guitar and think it's cool. The Hawaiians start playing that instrument and call it a "ukulele" (yeah, that's right, there were ZERO ukuleles in Hawaii before any Europeans came)

- 2000's era South Koreans winning break dance competitions and rapping along with EDM (German invention) and dancing like a cowboy (which by the way are what the Spanish brought to the Americas)

- African Americans in Louisiana playing European instruments (ie, trumpets, saxophones, etc) and starting a new genre called jazz!

- A whole bunch of European-Americans practicing yoga (from India) and martial arts (from East Asia) and practicing Christianity (from the Middle East)


These are all signs of GLOBALIZATION! Cultures influence each other! People adapt other cultural things to the point where they become a part of everyday life.

But Britney Cooper doesn't understand that! Britney Cooper wants cultural segregation! She cries about  "Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke, and Macklemore stealing my culture" nevermind the same exact s__t  she is saying was said about the Beastie Boys, Vanilla Ice, House of Pain and Eminem AGES AGO!  Their presence has NEVER erased the overwhelming African-American dominance of hip-hop so why does RACIST PRICK Britney Cooper think it will happen with the presence of Macklemore?

In another article, Britney Cooper complained about European-American feminists complain that Michelle Obama isn't pushing the feminist agenda hard enough.

My opinion is that Michelle Obama is less interested in pursuing gender grievances and more interested in promoting healthy eating and reducing the racial gaps in education.

But Britney Cooper played the silly race card game

 http://www.salon.com/2013/11/29/lay_off_michelle_obama_why_white_feminists_need_to_lean_back/

 And this is where it becomes challenging for me. I am not here for the facile arguments from white feminists about what Michelle Obama is supposed to represent for all women. Until these mainstream white feminists really grapple with the history of racism and the ways it has shaped all of our performances of gender, then, frankly, I think they should be quiet.

Those white feminsts Cooper is referring to (Michelle Cottle, Linda Hirshman) were criticizing Michelle Obama as an individual woman. OMG!!!

Here is my comment on all this

Britney Cooper is a racist prick who thinks that European-American INDIVIDUALS should refrain from judging African-Americans INDIVIDUALS on "content of character".

In other words, Britney Cooper goes against Martin Luther King's dream!

Because to Britney Cooper, people are not individuals, people are member of groups based on genetics.

And here is Linda Hirshman's response to Brittney Cooper's nonsense

Linda Hirshman

Hi, I'm the Linda Hirshman (no C in Hirshman)  who Michelle Cottle interviewed for her piece on the FLOTUS. I'll defend to the death Salon's right to publish any argument, however incoherent. There are two things that writers of any race or ethnicity, however, should not ever do.

One, mistakenly attribute a source's comment to the writer. I said Michelle Obama's situation was "treacherous;" Michelle Cottle did not say it. Professor Cooper, that's what quotation marks in a written piece mean. They mean the writer is quoting from the source, usually the one in the paragraph where the quote appears. That would  be me. "Linda Hirshman . . . she posits" would be a dead giveaway right before the "treacherous" quotation appears. Since you open your point about ME  with my failure to, and Cottle's merit in, recognizing  the "treacherous" spot Michelle Obama is in, the mistake is not trivial; it is central to your conclusion. In the future you might try to read the portion of a text you're resting your point on just a teeny bit more carefully before making the (entirely erroneous) point.

Two, misspell your subject's name. Misspelling the name of the person you're writing about bespeaks a certain loose relationship with facts in general. That's why professional journalists always make such a point about getting you to spell your name when they interview you.  See above point regarding who said "treacherous spot" for more evidence of same. 

Of course, under your ground rules, you should not be writing about me at all. After all, how would you know what a white woman knows about what it's like to be a black woman?

 Here is more race-baiting cliched nonsense that has been on Salon lately

www.salon.com/2013/11/25/katy_perry_offends_in_geisha_costume_at_ama_performance/

That garbage editorial complained about Katy Perry wearing a Japanese costume at a performance

And my responses

So, if a non-white person wears Western clothing, is that person being a racist?

Seriously, I AM TIRED OF THIS "if you wear another culture's clothing, you're a racist" NONSENSE!

and

"Cultural appropriation"? You mean like the time a South Korean vocalist used EDM  beats (a German invention) and  rap (African-American vocalist style) to make a worldwide hit!

Look, people, the world is getting more integrated! That means a South Korean guy is going to use EDM and hip-hop, and a European-American woman will dress in Japanese clothes! 

GET OVER IT ALREADY!

WORLDWIDE INTEGRATION FOREVER!

and more nonsense at

www.salon.com/2013/11/18/hip_hop_doesnt_need_another_white_savior/

http://www.salon.com/2013/11/14/lily_allen_responds_to_criticism_over_hard_out_here_i%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99m_not_going_to_apologize/

http://www.salon.com/2013/11/18/lady_gaga_and_r_kellys_depressing_sex_show_on_saturday_night_live/

I have posted comments on all those listed articles.

These are silly articles and  they are paranoid nonsense written by fools who allow their personal traumas to prevent them from looking at the world rationally! (like Brittney Cooper)


Those articles all show signs of the latest batch of Salon writers truly don't understand globalization and the mixing of cultures.

Social justice is NOT about getting pissy over "white people copy non-white styles" because ALL TYPES OF PEOPLE COPY OTHER PEOPLE'S STYLES!  

This is reality of the globalized world!

Sadly, the new Salon writers are not willing to understand such things!

----- 
And more garbage on Salon  

http://www.salon.com/2013/11/15/this_google_ad_doesnt_get_relations_between_india_and_pakistan

The author of this garbage is upset that a Google ad, which celebrated a reunion between an elderly Indian and an elderly Pakistani who were separated after the 1947 partition, wasn't realistically fatalistic enough. The author then asked a stupid question  --- Until then, however, just like India and Pakistan posture about making peace, one has to wonder if Google isn’t indulging a little fantasy as well.

My response

,QUOTE FROM THE ARTICLE:  "one has to wonder if Google isn’t indulging a little fantasy as well."

 MY RESPONSE: Duh, THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF MOST ADVERTISING OUT THERE! DUH!    DUH times a million

and 

The author of this article is one of those chumps who hates fiction stories with happy endings because to them "happy endings aren't realistic" and therefore should never exist in fiction.
Look, we all heard stories of friends/lovers who survived the Holocaust but never seen each other for decades until old age. Do most Holocaust survivors experience such joy?No, but THAT IS WHY THOSE RARE STORIES OF SURVIVORS RE-UNITING BRING HEART-WARMING JOY!  

 When people have extremely unlikely reunions, MOST OF US (except pessimist chumps like Hamna Zubair) ARE HAPPY FOR THE RARE PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCE SUCH JOY!

 But the "realistic" killjoys like Zubair, nobody should be allowed to experience such rare joy (even in fictional ads) unless everyone experiences it! 

"Realistic" killjoys like Zubair thinks every FICTION story should have a sad ending! Well, screw that mentality!

And here's more comments  in response to the same article

Serai1 Nov 15, 2013

My gods, you mean there's a commercial that isn't realistic?  I'm SHOCKED, I tell you!  SHOCKED!

Also, India has just instituted on-arrival visas for Pakistani senior citizens.  So maybe you should do a little research before playing the authority on international relations.

 

muslimgirlpower

This ad has proved popular with desis (people of South Asian background) around the globe because it speaks to our desire to heal the rift of 1947. To reunite across borders. Google seems to have done its market research very well, to judge from the response that the ad has received from people who know very well about the difficulties in obtaining Indian visas for Pakistani citizens.  Humna Zubair, on the other hand, does not seem to have researched this article very well at all - even to the extent of logging onto facebook.

---------------

http://www.salon.com/2013/10/25/robin_thicke_really_is_that_gross/

The author of this garbage is upset at Robin Thicke for saying words that were obviously not meant to be taken literally!

Here are the great comments

TLow Oct 29, 2013

I will admit I am not exactly an expert in Robin Thicke's life and history of public statements, but I would like to point out that no actual, non-internet-justice-warrior human being in the real world would find any of the things mentioned in this article remotely "shudder worthy."
Oh gee his dad told him not to ogle girls when he was 12. Also, he used the word "had" to mean "slept with," which no one respectable has ever, ever done. Williams, please fan me a little before I faint.

Ellemm Oct 25, 2013

Oh, stop the presses! So he sounds like a creep; so do about 70 percent of stars like him. We wouldn't want to slut-shame him or deny him his *agency,* would we? Why do we care?

Trog Oct 25, 2013

@Ellemm Stud-shame him?

pablo wegesend Oct 25, 2013

Why does anyone take Robin Thicke's words literally?

Thanksgiving blog post

Tomorrow will be Thanksgiving!

I dont have time to write much here, since this is crunch time when it comes to my LIS classes at UH-Manoa. There are projects, presentations, web-pages and readings to finish up!

But hey, that's one thing for me to be thankful. I'm thankful that I am in the Library and Information Science (LIS) program at UH-Manoa. It gives me a goal, a motivation, a purpose in life! Plus, opportunities to learn new skills, new ideas, and meet new people!  Plus, I get to use their computer lab :)

Plus, being at UH-Manoa gives me an opportunity to enjoy the green scenery as well as campus activities.

-----

As for other things I am thankful for in my life (ie. family, work, etc.), here is a repeat from last year's Thanksgiving blog post

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/11/thanksgiving-blog-post.html

1) Family


This year, I felt I had greatly improved relations with my family


In the past, I held a lot of anger some of the bad decisions my parents have made when I was growing up.  However, in the past few years, I have written them letters on how their bad decisions have hurt me in a negative way. 

This is something I encourage all you adults to do ASAP, before your parents pass away.  Some of the false prophets of wisdom will tell you to "just let it go", but "letting go" without telling your parents how you truly feel is NOT a sign of wisdom, it's a sign of cowardice!

But now that I pretty much told them everything that has been annoying me all these years, my relations with my parents have dramatically improved!

By truly communicating how I felt, my parent got some important feedback. And I have learned that their past bad decisions was more of good intentions gone wrong instead of bad decisions on purpose.

But the main thing now is that I have been getting along with my parents great this year. 

I do recognize that in many ways, my parents have done more to help me than they really needed to.

I also recognize that other people had a worse family upbringing than mine.

I was lucky to have both parents raising me, while others have been abandoned by deadbeat parents way too early in their life.

I was lucky to have parents who were employed, while others had parents who were unemployed (or under-employed) and therefore struggled to provide the life's neccessities.

I was lucky to have parents who understood the importance of education and had books in the home, whereas others had parents who were totally negligent on their kid's education.

I was lucky to have parents who valued cultural diversity, whereas others had parents who are bigots.

I was lucky to have parents who valued spirituality without forcing a religious belief on me, whereas others had parents who are religious fanatics.

I am also lucky that I had parents who learned from their mistakes, whereas others had parents who acted like they did nothing wrong!


I can now say my parents are good people who have "bailed me out" during the times I was struggling to find work. 


And also, my family always have plenty of food for Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings!  :)  :)    :)    :)

I sure can't wait :)    :)   :)   :)   :)


2) Employment

I may not be a millionaire, nor am I even anywhere close to an upper-middle-class lifestyle.



My main job is working as a substitute teacher, with both the public and private schools.

(2013 note: this is a great job to go along with being a graduate student. You can choose from the available sub jobs and skip on some if you need study time. Plus, it does pay more than most "student jobs" on the UH campus )

Some people have a hard time finding a job.  I know people who said they've been unemployed longer than the 99-week limit for unemployment benefits! YIKES!!!

So I'm grateful to have a sub teacher job as well as finding some side jobs.




3) Having basic neccessities

Being employed as allowed me to have basic neccessities such as shelter, running water, working toilets, food, electricity and a bus pass.

Millions of people worldwide (and even some here in Hawaii) don't even have access to basic neccessities.  

Even worse, some people are living in war zones, which makes it even harder for food and other supplies to be shipped and readily available.

Right now, there are wars going on in Congo, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Sudan, Gaza and Syria. It is hard for me to imagine living under such conditions.

So anytime I'm feeling stressed and annoyed, I have remind myself that those people would love to trade places with me.


4) Some luxuries

I'm definitely not living the life of  mega-luxury.

However, I'm grateful for having such minor luxuries like a bike, cell phone YMCA membership, a stereo system, a matress and 2 bookshelves.

I also have access to public services like the bus and the libraries.

(2013 note: plus finally having a smartphone! My BlackBerry Q10 is one of the most under-rated gadgets of all time. check out the post  http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/10/adventures-on-my-new-smartphone.html

5)  Living in the Internet Age

And with the Internet Age, I have easy access to information.

And not just with Google and Wikipedia.

I can use YouTube to listen to old speeches and classic songs.

I can use my social network to find some pretty cool information.

I can keep in contact with former classmates, former co-workers and  distant relatives with Facebook.

And of course, I am thankful for Blogger, which has allowed me to express my thoughts to the world.   With my blog, I can tell everyone my side of the story and  share it with my facebook friends :)

(2013 note : and now that I got a smartphone, I can easily access internet information when I'm outdoors, on the bus, or at home. )


I'm sure I got more to be thankful for, but time is running out for me!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving

And good luck to those who have to work tomorrow.

A productive incentive for the homeless

(note: I have been very busy with major projects for my LIS @ UH-Manoa, so I haven't had as much time as I would like to write my blog posts. But this should be a good short one).


Here in Hawaii, a state legislator Tom Brewer has been taking the law into his own hands by confiscating shopping carts, returning the labeled ones to the stores, and destroying the ones where the label was either broken or faded beyond recognition.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/20131118__Lawmaker_takes_on_shopping_carts.html

There has been a backlash against the homeless presence. But where do the homeless go?

Some are down-on-the luck guys who just been laid off and can't make ends meet.

Others are long-term homeless who haven't worked in years (or decades).

Some want the police to harass them out of existence, chasing them out of parks, sidewalks and other places.

Others have a better solution.

One of my facebook friends mentioned this

pay the homeless to collect trash. Give them free living space in a shelter and pay them to clean up trash. Pay them state wages as well.

That is one way to give the homeless a job, one way to get people to pick up the trash. Win-win situation

I also believe that if the homeless want to live in the parks, then they can stay if they help keep the parks clean.  They can

- pick up litter
- paint over graffiti
- scrape gum
- water plants
- mop bathrooms


I mean who better to help keep the parks clean than those who live there. Give them incentive to work and do something productive.

If they refuse, then they can't sleep-over. Nothing comes for free.


Now, will that idea solve all the problems. No, but it's a start!

What is "Be a Man" supposed to mean

Every boy gets told "be a man", "be more manly", "act like a man", "take it like a man" or something like that a million times growing up.

What the hell is all that supposed to mean?


A lot of us heard it like "you gotta be the tough guy"

And in modern American culture, young males took it to mean

"you got to be a jock",
"you got to be a gangsta",
"you gotta work in physical labor jobs",
 "you got to bench 400 pounds",
"you got to fight anyone anytime"

and if you fit none of those stereotypes? Oh, oh..........................

you'll tend to feel insecure, worried that your peers will call you a "woman" or a "fag"

But is that what "be a man" supposed to be about? 

From Micheal Tsai's column
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Jul/18/il/507180311.html

Back in the day — and, um, which day was that, again? — the phrase "be a man" wasn't intended as some backhanded slap at gays or women, but an admonishment to grow up and stop being, well, a boy.

So what is supposed to be difference between a "boy" and a "man" besides age?

And why is limited to "be a man"?

I rarely ever heard females get told "be a woman", "act like a woman", etc.  Though it might've been said more often pre-1950's to discourage women from applying for certain jobs.  That has changed!


As far as I'm concerned, enough of this "be a man" or "be a woman" stuff! We already know what gender we are!


Look, I do think people need to develop maturity and confidence as they grow up.


But it shouldn't be limited to "be a man" phrases.

And no you don't need to be a jock, gangsta, labor worker, super-lifter nor an MMA champ. 

So instead of this "be a man" stuff, I'll just replace the goal for every human being growing up with this .................................

Become a mature, confident adult

That doesn't sound weak, right?

That's not limited to any gender, right?

You don't need to fit a gender stereotype to be a "mature confident adult", right? 


You can be some fashion designer, ballet dancer or something like that and still be a Mature Confident Adult!


-------------

There's nothing mature about some person who thinks toughness is all about domination and bullying of others.  There's nothing mature about making inappropriate jokes or daring someone to do something dangerous or wrong  just to test if "he's a real man"

There's nothing confident about wallowing in self-pity and insecurity. There's nothing confident about being stuck in panic mode.


But you know what?  You don't just say "I'm now a mature, confident adult" and think you'll be that way forever!

Hell no, becoming a Mature Confident Adult takes constant work.

You can be super-confident when doing something you're good at one day, but be totally insecure when learning a new skill or just being in a new situation. Confidence doesn't last forever, it takes CONSTANT vigilance.

As for maturity, you can seem mature in one situation, but become tempted to do immature things when being around friends or new people. Maturity doesn't last forever, it takes CONSTANT vigilance!

So yeah, you're CONSTANTLY BEING TESTED! FOR LIFE!


But I still think becoming a Mature Confident Adult is a good goal for everyone!

 

Halloween Thoughts (2013 edition)

Today I had no time to write a blog post on Halloween but I did record a video speech which you can access at http://youtu.be/UQBWk1hvytY And watch PacMan characters run throughout campus at http://youtu.be/fvH2JCxNoro

1 decade anniversary of this blog

Yes, it has been a decade since I started doing this blog.

Actually, I joined Blogger in April 2003 as part of a group blog called "The Fiftieth Star". That was with me, Stuart Hayashi and a few others who wanted to promote an alternative to the center-left bias of the Ka Leo, the Honolulu daily papers and the Honolulu Weekly.
http://50thstar.blogspot.com/

(yeah, I know, it hasn't been updated in a while)

At the time, I was an undergraduate student at UH-Manoa and have been writing opinion articles in the school's newspaper Ka Leo O Hawaii.

As a writer, I had a small group of fans. But I also had an enemy named Tobin Jones who wrote screaming rants in response to my articles. I don't mind rational disagreements with my points, but Tobin Jones doesn't do rational disagreements, he does vicious slanders and accusations of me believing in stuff I dont believe in.


Earlier, I sent out e-mail responses to my inner circle and encouraged them to send out to as many people as possible.

Well, in the summer school class for "Poetry & Drama" (which I only took to get a literature core requirement over with) there was Tobin Jones. He didn't say anything to me the whole time. I didn't say anything to him the whole time. It was like "wait for the other guy to start trouble".

And to make it even worse, we got a professor from hell, William Foltz, a rude professor who thinks his class is his place to rant his opinions on stuff that has nothing to do with "Poetry & Drama"

[contrast that with my substitute teaching, where I dont even answer questions that has nothing to do with the class topic.]

Later that year, in October 2013 I wrote an editorial promoting the "Academic Bill of Rights" as well as protesting against professors who waste class time with irrelevant rants.

 (learn more about the Academic Bill of Rights at http://www.studentsforacademicfreedom.org/documents/1925/abor.html)

Here is my editorial at https://www.manoanow.org/teachers-subject-class-to-opinions/article_d926bc3e-b065-5079-93c4-36b0dc8d737b.html

 Let's say you are registering for classes next semester. You'll need a few classes to fulfill your core requirements and your major requirements. At the same time, you or your family is paying hard earned money to pay for all those classes. Your parents probably make less money than those professors teaching your class.

So you intend to take Poetry and Drama to fulfill a literature requirement. Do you want to spend hard earned money on that class to hear a well-paid professor talk about his hatred for the President, even though that has NOTHING to do with the topic of Poetry and Drama?

(skipped paragraphs)

Do you want a well-paid professor who spends class time venting out his/her opinions while thumbing his/her nose at those who disagree?

That was published on the Ka Leo and Tobin Jones responded with vicious rants meant to insult and humiliate me to the whole campus.

The Ka Leo didn't publish author's responses to their critics. Their mentality was "just move on to the next article already"

But you know what? I got tired of all the vicious slanders against me and I was going to start my own blog to respond to Tobin Jones and whatever other critics I might have.


Anyways, here were my responses to Tobin Jones and William Foltz

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2003/10/the-rubbish-of-tobin-jones.html

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2003/11/more-comments-on-tobins-ka-leo-rants.html

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2003_11_02_archive.html

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2005/01/letter-of-complaint-to-dr-foltz.html

https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2005/02/more-blasphemy-for-tobin-jones.html

My only regret was mocking their physical appearances, which unintentionally targets those who might look like them, plus it distracts from my criticism of their attitudes.

OK, I'm done with those two chumps.



==========================================

Since then, I've been writing about all types of stuff ranging from the serious (race relations, government, foreign policy, personal struggles, growing up) to the fun (music, sports, parties).

Whatever pops into mind when I have time to blog, that's what goes on the blog.

Of course, I wish I had more time to write blog posts. There's thoughts of mine that I planned to blog on, but never got around to it!

Of course, there's some that wonder "what's the point" and "who cares what people think".

There is one  library intern that I know who has that mentality!

He's part of the Library and Information Science (LIS) program.

Ironically, because the very foundation of LIS, 
the very foundation of libraries, 
the very foundation of information profession................
..................................
is exchange of information and opinions! 


That means people telling their side of the story,
That means giving people access to another side of the story,


I told him straight up "usually when we talk to people, we only talk about what we think they might be interested in. But on my blogs and other social media sites, I write about many of my interests and sometimes, that's the first time my relatives/peers/whatevers know about those interests even though we knew each other for a while! "

The library intern was like "you got a point there".


He prefers to hide from the world. Fine!


I don't!  I'm on earth to make a statement!

That shouldn't be limited to those with connections to big money publishers, big money radio/TV outlets, big money donors or big government.

In the 1400's, a German inventor Johannes Guttenberg made the printing press. People no longer had to take years to hand-write books. They could now arrange a bunch of letters on a machine, place some ink, and press it on a paper. A faster way of making books. This started a revolution.

You can learn about it at
A Matter of Fact: Printing Transforms Knowledge (Day the Universe Changed – Ep. 4) (45 min)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g70rGW2bwM


And within the last 2 decades, another information revolution occured. With computers and broadband (or wireless) connection, you no longer need an access to a printing press. You can just  stay home (or go to a public library) type your thoughts, and people can access your thoughts from half-way around the world!

You're damn right I'm using that technology to spread my message! 


This isn't the Dark Ages where only the kings and their cronies have access to literacy and information!



And this isn't North Korea or Syria or Sudan, where people are legally limited from freedom of expression.



You're damn right I'm going to take advantage of the freedoms I possess!


Of course, I lost a few "friends" because I believe in using my freedom and using modern technology to speak out against injustices I have experienced or witness! Those "fake friends" and their attitude are poison!  I wrote about that issue at http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-victory-for-internet-age.html 

Now some people will say "dont expose so much of yourself, it might hurt your chances of landing the next job"




Number one, I don't write for the sake of offending people!  I do have some strong opinions, but that's on very important issues!


Number two, as the disclaimer at the top of my blog says :

Nothing written here is an official opinion of any of my past, present and future employers, teachers, friends or relatives! Just myself, written only on my personal free time!

 Number three, I do take calculated risks. I do write about what I think are important issues. I write to defend my honor against slanders and other criticisms.  I write to defend justice.


Is there some employers who might shy away from that? Probably yes.

But you know what?

Martin Luther King took economic risks while protesting
Nelson Mandela took economic risks while protesting
Susan B. Anthony took economic risks while protesting
They took risks to physical safety too!

If they faced much larger risks than I would ever face, why should I back down from expressing reasonable opinions that are about fighting injustice?


Why should I back down from telling the world about examples from my life, something that others might learn from and relate to? 


I'm in the blogging business for a decade.


I will continue to do so as many decades as possible!  


(PS: I'm starting a YouTube channel. I haven't uploaded videos yet!  But I plan to do some "video blogs" (or vlogs). Expressing opinions via video for those who prefer videos over blogs)

Problems at Ka Leo (again).

Earlier this year, I had a blog post "How Ka Leo Lost it's Way"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-ka-leo-lost-its-way.html

This was after my conflict with then Opinion editors Sarah Nishioka and Tim Metra over the article I wanted to publish called "Arm Our Campus Security"

Well, this semester, we have a new Opinion editor Doorae Shin who was willing to publish that same editorial. The bottom was the version of the same article with Shin's editing (which I have no problem with)

Like many campuses, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa has its own security force. They are the eyes and ears of the campus. They look out for suspicious activity, record all reported incidents, give safety tips and even break up fights. But what can they do if there’s a mass shooting on campus? Not much.

Our campus security is unarmed. Sure, the campus security can call the police. But the police cannot secure every area on this island. And when it comes to the UH campus, police are not the first line of defense ¬– they are merely the back-up. And when a shooting occurs, every second counts.

While we wait for the police to arrive in such a situation, should everyone on campus simply hope and pray that the shooter runs out of bullets? It shouldn’t have to be this way. We shouldn’t have to wait for the police to arrive to defend ourselves. We need someone right there ready to shoot back when the bullets start flying.

Real life armed security

There is evidence of the effectiveness of having armed security. Let’s look at Israel, a country surrounded by hostile enemies. In a nation that deals with real terrorism, the people do not just hope and wait for someone to save them, and they do not rely solely on unarmed security. In Israel, the people know that a command presence is no match for an armed psychotic killer without any compassion.

In Israel, armed security at schools is required for schools with over 100 students. (source: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2013/rpt/2013-R-0119.htm ) This has been policy since 1995, and there have been no public school shootings since. (source: http://video.foxnews.com/v/2176061011001/what-america-can-learn-from-israel-about-school-security/ posted 2/19/2013)

Real life example of unarmed security

For those of you who believe that Hawaii is far different from Israel and that we do not need to be paranoid, we can look at Norway as an example. This is a country that has gone decades without facing an external threat. There wasn’t much of an internal threat either. That is until 2011, when a crazed gunman shot a group of teenaged campers.

Not only was the security unarmed, but a large percentage of the police officers were as well. Some in Norway defend the policy by claiming that an unarmed police force makes for a safer society.

(source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/26/world/europe/26police.html )

However, decades of calm had made Norwegian society complacent. It gave the people the false illusions that they are evolved enough to not require an armed police or security force. Those in Israel know that from hard experience which explains the prevalence of armed security. This is why they take no chances.

While Hawai‘i doesn’t have to deal with the terroristic threat as regularly as the Israelis, we can learn from Norway’s experience and admit that we cannot be complacent, either. It’s time we have a campus security ready for any disaster. It’s time we have a campus security that is ready to shoot back. Lives depend on it.

No slander, no intend to offend, just an opinion on an important !

However, the upper-level editors didn't approve of it. They said it was too paranoid!

Excuse me, too paranoid?

If on September 10, 2001, you mentioned about planes being flown into skyscrapers, you might have been dismissed as being paranoid! (you already know what happened the day after)

The whole point of the article was to discuss how we should respond to events, however unlikely, if they do happen can have extremely devastating consequences! 
   
When Doorae Shin told me about the upper-level editors calling it "too paranoid" I just knew it was  because they wanted to suppress any expression of non-pacifist, non-lefty view points! 

The editing suggestions had NOTHING to do with grammar  (Doorae Shin already took care of that issue) or about verifying facts (I provided citations)!

I then talked to the new faculty advisor. His name is James Gonser.  He was a veteran reporter at Honolulu Advertiser. That newspaper was your typical center-left newspaper with its official editorial ALWAYS calling for more gun control.

And what do you know?  He suggested I add other ways to prevent campus shootings (ie social workers, etc) into the same article NEVERMIND THAT THERE IS NOT ENOUGH ROOM IN A NEWSPAPER OPINION ARTICLE TO GO OVER EVERY SINGLE WAY TO PREVENT A CAMPUS SHOOTING! 

If I did add all that, guess what the editors will say  --- "too broad, need a narrower focus" 


And yeah, the faculty advisor (James Gonser) is a gun-phobic extremist.   He said in snarling voice that it's scary to have armed campus security!, but he did admit it was an opinion. But it did give an insight to his view of the world and why he defended the gun-phobic upper-level editors.


I also told Gonser that I was an Opinion writer for Ka Leo back in my undergraduate years (2000-2004) and that back then an article like that would've been published. I also told him that the editors of that era  allowed for combative, edgy editorials


Gonser then said in a snarling voice "You Think That's a Good Thing"

I told him that it was much more interesting and entertaining!

Gonser then complained that it is "Fox News style" (notice Gonser's  liberal bias there, notice he didn't compare it to "Bill Maher's style" who is also edgy, combative and confrontational ) and that Ka Leo is now more about being professional! Blah, Blah, Blah!

I then told Gonser and Doorae Shin that it will take me some time to digest all of what they said

---------


Well, guess what?

After that meeting, the Ka Leo had a new controversy. 

In promoting the Arts Festival ( which happened 10/24/2013), they sponsored a few murals on the walls surrounding the still-renovating Campus Center!

Well, one of the murals protested against the new telescope (sponsored by UH) on Mauna Kea.

The Ka Leo staff covered up the written message on that mural! 

Jessica Homrich / Ka Leo O Hawai‘i

 The mural 

Well, that pissed off a lot of activists on campus, bringing a whole bunch of them protesting outside the Ka Leo office! 

 

Jessica Homrich / Ka Leo O Hawai‘i

students protesting outside the Ka Leo office

With all this pressure, the Board of Publications (who governs Ka Leo and other student publications)  published an apology in this week's edition of the Ka Leo

my photograph of the apology 

printed in Ka Leo's Volumer 109, Issue 23

Board of Publication's apology

------

During that whole controversy, I was still thinking about what to do in response to the editor's suggestion to my editorial on campus security!


Well,I have an answer now!




I will put up posters around campus saying this

Ka Leo

Doesn’t just censor murals

They also censored an opinion article

expressing the need for armed campus security

The Editors refused to publish

saying it was too paranoid!

Their faculty advisor is a gun-phobic person

who says an armed campus security is “scary”

I think what’s even scarier is if an incident happen

and the campus security can’t do anything but wait for help

Read and judge for yourself!

then I will put QR codes for this blog post!

Whether I will still be allowed to write for Ka Leo, whatevers!!!!!! 

If they won't publish my editorial on a crucial issue, why should I defer to them? 

Plus, it's not like they have much credibility on campus right now! 

I feel bad for putting Doorae Shin in this position, but I need to take a stand against the upper-level editors! Them and their faculty advisor needs to be exposed to the light!

PS: I'm taking a class on Intellectual Freedom this semester. The class discussed the mural issue, but I haven't talked to them about my issues with the editors . I might to have next class if someone else brings it up. Stay tuned!