It's time for Hawaii to declare independence (post-Trump election)

First, check out my meme below!

image credit: Pablo Wegesend

I give anyone permission to use this image, just make sure you credit me for the image

A few days ago, the day after the 2016 General Elections, I made this YouTube speech declaring that it's time for Hawaii to declare independence from the USA


Here's the  video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGwunh5km4k


and the video itself

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGwunh5km4k

My message is this:  If the other 49 states want Donald Trump, they can have him! Hawaii, it's time to go our way, do our own things, control our own tax revenues!


Now, many people in Hawaii are reluctant to become independent of the United States. Change is always hard, transitions are always hard!

There are many understandable objections from Hawaii residents to independence!

I'll just go over a few of them:

1) What about federal funds? :  Federal money is taxpayer's money!  We in Hawaii already pay taxes to the federal government, where a whole bunch of Senators and Representatives from other states argue over what to do with it!

Why do that, when we can just keep our tax revenue here!

Granted, independence would mean we in Hawaii would have to make fiscally responsible decisions, since the federal government isn't going to bail us out anymore!

2) But our economy would go down the drain, we're too small to be independent and prosperous!:    Is Singapore too small to be prosperous? It is an independent city! It's not a part of Malaysia nor Indonesia! Singapore makes its own rules! They have a very stable economy in a not-so-stable region!

If Singapore can be independent and prosperous, why not us in Hawaii?


3) What about the military? :   This might be a harder one for Hawaii's people to accept being independent!  Many people feel we need the US to protect us!  Also, if the US withdraw, they might take all the ships, planes and artillery with them.


A few days after I  posted the video, it was Veteran's Day, so I posted this message!

Even though I declared my support for an independent Hawaii a few days ago, I still respect those who either chose (or for the older generations - got drafted) to defend the USA! My independence stance was NEVER anything personal against the US troops or the USA in general!

Still, I dream of Hawaii having its own military. Maybe some of you who've been in the US military can bring your expertise in developing Hawaii's military!

Hey, a person still have a right to dream!

After I posted that, somebody mentioned about Hawaii's National Guard! That's the state's line of defense!

So we do have some military infrastructure to work with!

Also, being that there are many Hawaii people in the US military, I'm sure there are many who are willing to contribute their expertise in developing Hawaii's military!

We could also import some expertise from the US 
(maybe some disgruntled US veterans fed up with being under Donald Trump's command? 
 maybe some veterans who are ethnic minorities tired fighting for a government whose police act as if their lives don't matter? 
maybe some US veterans who fell in love with the islands while stationed here?)

We might have to build some new ships and new fighter jets! That would be some work opportunities for Hawaii residents!

But the good news is that those ships and planes would be in defense of Hawaii, not interfering with other countries' business!


(PS: Japan isn't going to attack Pearl Harbor again anytime soon!  We're not living in 1941 anymore!

Also, I doubt China, North Korea or Russia is going to conquer Hawaii soon! We can develop our own missile defense shield, and our own radar systems! )



4) sacred obligation to the United States: This one is somewhat related to the military, being that many Hawaii residents who joined the military, even put their lives on the line for the United States, would feel a sacred obligation to the United States.

That is totally understandable!

However, there is historical precedence!

Much of the soldiers and generals in the American Revolution were once in the British Army!

In fact, George Washington and many others like him put their lives on the line for the British Army to fight the French a decade before the American Revolution!

It must've been psychologically painful for them to decide to fight for American independence a decade after risking life-and-limb to fight for the British!

Same was true for many American civilians too!  Some of them were heartbroken when their neighbors wanted to separate from the British empire!  Many in Hawaii would feel the same way if Hawaii becomes independent.


5) some sovereignty activists are crazy:  Whenever there is a pro-sovereignty rally, the media (who loves ratings and clicks) seek out the loudest and angriest voices.  So they'll film someone like Haunani-Kay Trask yelling hateful things about "the haoles".  They'll film Walter Ritte ranting against GMOs and development!

Since when they should be the only voices for Hawaii's independence?

Who voted them to be the spokesperson for all Native Hawaiians?

Why not be the alternate voice for Hawaii's independence?

The Hawaiian monarchy of the 1800's allowed non-natives to be Hawaiian citizens.

Why not be the voice of a multi-racial democracy of Independent Hawaii!

If Nelson Mandela can establish a multi-racial democratic republic in South Africa..........................why not us in Hawaii? 

(also, Kelii Akina, a Native Hawaiian with libertarian tendencies just got elected to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, a government agency devoted to assisting Native Hawaiians.  So not every Native Hawaiian is a Radical Left activist)

6) Hawaii might become even more left-wing:  Only if you allow it too!

Hawaii will always be more liberal than Nebraska or Alabama!

But it doesn't have to be like Venezuela or Cuba!


On  fiscal policy, an independent Hawaii would have to adopt some fiscally conservative measures since the federal government isn't going to bail us out anymore!

A business lobby will still be around!

Remember, people assumed Nelson Mandela would make South Africa turn communist! But in real life, he made connections with business leaders domestically and internationally. South Africa remained capitalist and the most prosperous country in Africa!

As for other issues related to liberalism, I think Hawaii's gun-control laws are too strict! But I don't think an Independent Hawaii will ban all guns, being that many Native Hawaiians (as well as others in rural areas) are hunters, and therefore will not give up their guns without a fight!

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


Now that I went over those objections, I want to say one disadvantage that Hawaii experiences under the United States: the Jones Act!


I hate the Jones Act!



The Jones Act is a law that allows only US-registered ships be allowed to go from one US port to another! 

No Japanese ship is allowed to go from Hawaii to San Francisco (or Seattle, Los Angeles, Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Alaska etc)

No Australian ship  is allowed to go from Hawaii to San Francisco (or Seattle, Los Angeles, Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Alaska, etc)

No Chilean ship  is allowed to go from Hawaii to San Francisco (or Seattle, Los Angeles, Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Alaska, etc)

No non-US ship is allowed to go from Hawaii to San Francisco (or Seattle, Los Angeles, Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Alaska, etc)


Most of the ships in the world are not U.S. ships!

This hurts Hawaii in international trade!

This law forces higher prices on imported goods

This law increases cost-of-living (which is already bad enough with our isolated location and limited land)! It's like adding tons of fuel to an already burning fire!

This law keeps foreign companies from offering cruises going from (for example) California to Hawaii!  (Norwegian cruises had to set up a "shell" company to get around that law)

This law also hurt other island territories like Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Marianas!


Once Hawaii becomes independent, the Jones Act doesn't apply to us anymore    😃

We will have more access to international trade!

Cheaper goods will have an easier time coming here!

We'll get more cruise ships coming here, bringing more tourist revenue! 

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

Here's my 2nd video on Hawaii's independence

Here's the  video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14clKuEmC0k


and here's the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14clKuEmC0k

Basically this video states that my independence state is Nothing Personal against the USA!

I love the USA culture!

I respect  the USA traditions!

I respect the flag!

I respect the US National Anthem

(note: check out this video of Jamaican track star Usain Bolt stopping his interview while the US national anthem is being played!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8uiYELBajc

I totally encourage the citizens of an independent Hawaii to show the same class that Usain Bolt showed in the video!


I am influenced by US technology (like using Blogger to type all this), US music (hip-hop & rock n roll), and much much more!

Let's also remember that the USA continued to be influenced by British culture long after the American Revolution (ie. Shakespeare, the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Spice Girls, One Direction and much much more)

The US cultural ties will not go away with Hawaiian independence!


Let's also remember that the Hawaiian monarchy embraced Western cultural influences!

Hawaiians became about 99% literate by the 1840s, with the influence of the missionaries. 

Iolani Palace had electricity before the White House did!


King Kalakaua was the "Merry Monarch" because he encourage Hawaiians to re-embrace their cultural heritage (after decades of Christian missionary influence) but also traveled the world and embraced Western inventions! 

An independent Hawaii isn't going to be cut-off from the rest of the world's technological innovations.


I know that sounds like Captain Obvious stuff, but I can't even count  the many times I head people act as if independence would mean we all be living in grass huts again! 


No, it's just means we don't have to live under Donald Trump (or worry about a future version of Donald Trump getting elected in 2040 or beyond)


 Independence will mean we make our own rules! We control our own tax revenues! Nobody to answer to but ourselves!

It's Time! 

image credit: Pablo Wegesend

I give anyone permission to use this image, just make sure you credit me for the image

coming soon

so many opinions, not enough time


I'm definitely going to post about the recent elections

Also will defend why I think it's time for Hawaii to become it's own nation, and to answer to any objections to people hesitate to support Hawaii independence!


I got some things to do today, but if time permits, the posts will come up soon!

Life doesn't go in a straight line

When we were in school, we kept hearing this narrative of "go to school, do your homework, get good grades, stay out of trouble, go to college, get a high-paying job, and you'll live happily ever after".

But reality isn't that simple!

Yes, being successful in school will make it much more likely that you will land a high-paying job!

Yes, staying out of trouble will make it much more likely you will get and keep a high-paying job!

But that doesn't tell the whole story.

In a globalized, capitalist society, there is competition among businesses, regions, countries and more!

And in competitions, there are winners and losers.

You can work hard and still be on the losing side.

The winning side can become the losing side real quick!

And sometimes, being on the losing side isn't your fault!

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

Let's look at the United States in the 1950s.  The U.S. was celebrating the fruits of its WW2 victory. Germany & Japan were still licking their wounds. Much of Europe was still recovering from the ruins of wars.  Soviet Union & China were experimenting with socialism, which turned out to be an economic disaster.

All this gave many U.S. Americans the illusion that they don't have much economic competition for their jobs. In that environment, it was easy to preach the narrative of "go to school, do your homework, get good grades, stay out of trouble, go to college, get a high-paying job, and you'll live happily ever after".

But Japan and Germany were able to realize they can prosper without being military bullies. Much of Western Europe overcame the ruins of wars to regain their prosperity, even as they lost their overseas empires.  China ended its experiment with pure socialism, and embraced capitalism.  Many Middle Eastern nations started profiting from oil, making them economic powers to contend with.  Meanwhile, former Third World nations like South Korea and India got their acts together, embraced the market economy and became pockets of innovation. Mexico realized it can use its proximity to the US to lure companies to invest in its cheap labor.


So now, the U.S. American workers now have to compete with people worldwide.

 U.S. American businesses now have to compete with businesses worldwide.

Also, with the changing technology, some people lost their jobs to robots, or to companies that were just better position to deal with technological changes.

Life no longer looked like a straight line.

You can get all the good grades, work hard, do all the right things and still get laid off because your employer no longer attract the costumers like they used to. (Think of companies like Borders, Sears, Woolworths, Blockbusters, etc)

You can get all the good grades, work hard, do all the right things and still get laid off because the tax revenue isn't going to the government agency or non-profit employing you.

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

Now, I am NOT saying we should just give up our dreams of success.

I am NOT saying we should teach our kids that there's no future for them!

I am saying that we should teach our kids a new narrative

• continue to work hard, get good grades and stay out of trouble
• but you also need to be flexible because economies can change at anytime
• nothing in life is guaranteed
• life DOES NOT follow a straight line
• DON'T EVER THINK that being trained in one profession will guarantee eternal success, after all, economies can change at anytime!

Read the last bullet point again!

Too many parents need to read that bullet point again.

Some parents demand that their college-aged kids be inflexible and only major in fields that only prepare for one type of career (ie accounting, finance, nursing)

There is a response to parents like that 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/09/02/meet-the-parents-who-wont-let-their-children-study-literature/?utm_term=.c92e5a4577e8  

You might not expect college freshmen to understand that careers don’t proceed in straight lines, but surely their parents ought to. In the real world, most physics majors don’t become physicists, most psychology majors don’t become psychologists, and most English majors don’t become writers or teachers. You’ll find a surprising number of philosophy majors at hedge funds and lots of political-science majors at law firms. I was an American studies major. Among chief executives of the largest corporations, there are roughly as many engineers and liberal arts majors, in total, as there are undergraduate majors in business, accounting and economics combined. Indeed, one study found that only 27 percent of people have jobs that are substantially related to their college majors — a reality that applies even to the STEM fields. “Choosing a major is not choosing a career,” says Jeff Selingo, author of “There Is Life After College.”

 and also this

In today’s fast-changing global economy, the most successful enterprises aren’t looking for workers who know a lot about only one thing. They are seeking employees who are nimble, curious and innovative. The work done by lower-level accountants, computer programmers, engineers, lawyers and financial analysts is already being outsourced to India and the Philippines; soon it will be done by computers. The good jobs of the future will go to those who can collaborate widely, think broadly and challenge conventional wisdom — precisely the capacities that a liberal arts education is meant to develop.

“What we are constantly reminding parents is that the world is an incredibly dynamic place and what’s most important is for students to develop an entrepreneurial mind-set,” said Andy Chan, vice president of personal and career development at Wake Forest. “They need to think not just about the first job but a lifetime of jobs.”
 

I'll also say this : a high-paying career is no substitute for mental health! 

You can't put a price on mental health!

Money and therapists can only do so much!

Some parents want their kids to be risk-averse cowards!
 (for example: parents who say "don't major in theater, there's more jobs in accounting or nursing")


But you CAN NOT succeed without taking risks! 

You have take the risks you're comfortable taking!

You have to sometimes disobey your parents, your advisers and others who want you to think only inside a box! 

You may also want to put it in writing to your parents or advisers that life doesn't follow a straight line!

 You may also want to put it in writing to your parents or advisers that you refuse to be a
risk-averse coward!



You have to protect your mental health from parents who can't let go of control!


You have to protect your mental health from advisers who only want you to go in one direction in life!



 

You have to protect your mental health from people who want you to suffer in silence!


You have to protect your mental health from abusive employers, abusive co-workers, abusive family members and more!

Understand that life doesn't go in a straight line!

My life hasn't gone in a straight line! 

Your life isn't going in a straight line either!

Understand that, have a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, and more! 

Expect some failure, take reasonable risks, and be OK with all that!

It's your life that your living!  Nobody else's!

36 years alive

Today, I am 36 years old!

In years past, my birthday blog posts were either mini-biographies or life lessons I've learned over the years.

This year, I'll just keep my birthday blog post short!

I'm happy to still be living, still be living in a building, still have family, still have friends, still have my health.

About an hour ago, I had my traditional birthday breakfast (fried rice & scrambled eggs) at Kapiolani Coffee Shop with my father.

Now, I'm about to look at the birthday messages on facebook.

Later, I'll be at the Hispanic Festival near Honolulu Hale! It's been years since I last been to a Hispanic Festival.


At night, I'll be clubbing! I maybe "middle-aged" but I haven't lost my passion for the nightclubs!  Never too old to celebrate life with music, dancing and more!

That's all I have to say for now!

Outgrowing inappropriate humor

Donald Trump has gotten into a lot of controversy over a recorded conversation where he bragged that his fame allowed him to grab women without consent and get away with it.

Much of what he said wasn't meant to be taken literally, but it did give bad memories to people who have been sexually assaulted!

Donald Trump defended his conversations as "locker room humor" and his defenders say "this is how men talk with their buddies".


That was how I talked with my buddies when I was a kid!

Kids tend to try to outdo each other when it comes who can make the most vulgar jokes.

I've done some of that myself!

In my late elementary and early middle school years, my conversations were filled with inappropriate humor that got the other boys laughing, and the teachers irritated! 

However, towards the end of my middle school time, I started to notice that my inappropriate sense of humor was alienating people. I was late to "get the memo" that the humor that worked in elementary school didn't work well in middle school.

I mentioned about this in a 2012 blog post
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/09/myself-2-decades-ago.html

The stuff that my brother warned me about......... was WAY MORE TRUE than I could ever imagine.

For one thing, I started middle school with same crazy sense of humor, saying inappropriate things as I did back in elementary school. WRONG MOVE! 

Little did I understand the same humor that worked in elementary school did NOT work in middle school.  All it did was earn a few enemies. 


I might've gotten away with my earlier silliness if I was one of the tough guys.

I wasn't!


After a while, I just learned to shut up in class, especially if you don't have any friends in that class.

Ironically, that got people who just me asking "why are you so quiet?"

But as the quote goes -- "It's better to be quiet and be thought as a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

I forgot to mention in that blog post that even though I made inappropriate jokes that offended others, I acted all hurt & cried when other students did the same to me.

Yes, I was THAT student that people can't stand  : can dish it out but can't take it when dished back!

I even remembered one girl telling "I wasn't crying when you and (name redacted) were teasing me, so why you crying?"


She was super-mega correct to tell me that! Or to paraphrase 2pac, that was the "realest stuff I was ever told"

Also, when I got older, I started to learn about other people's situations, the trauma they've been through and started to realize that my inappropriate humor was hurting people.

I  didn't change overnight.

Though I was generally better behaved in high school (especially when teachers were around), that inappropriate humor of mine still came out of me at times.

I also laughed when one of the male teachers flirted with the female students, and I made jokes about the situation.

I now realize those teachers were bad role models!

I also noticed a decade later when I wanted to add one of those girls in that class to my facebook friend's list, she didn't respond!

That told me that my jokes might've hurt her in ways I didn't realize! 

======


Many times when boys & girls interact, they joke around, they poke each others' sides, and more!   

I was "shy" with girls in early adolescence, but in certain situations, I became "less shy", but also More Inappropriate. I did poke a few sides to girls that didn't want to be poked. I also "accidentally" rubbed a few, which I'm extremely embarrassed to admit now! 

But even then, there were lines I didn't cross! 

I never liked drugs/alcohol, and I NEVER gave drugs/alcohol to anyone! 

I was always disgusted with the idea of drugging someone!  What's the point, really? I thought the joy of sex was for both sides to enjoy it! Plus, you wouldn't like it if someone did something to you when you're unconscious!

I also always had the good conscience to understand that forcing someone to have sex (rape) is a form of torture, though I had to learn from reading how traumatizing it is for those who have been through it! 

I also always thought you should have a condom on if you plan on having sex without the intention of making a child! 


At the nightclubs, men & women do rub on each other, even grope each other.

Sometimes, those things are done at the consensual level. But that's ONLY after both sides establish a level of trust & comfort!

For nightclubs, sometimes that level of trust & comfort can be established within minutes. However, a person can change his/her mind and say "that's as far as we will go for now". The other person has to respect that!

+++++++++++++++

Anyways back to inappropriate humor, what really made me distanced from the inappropriate humor that I embraced in the past was becoming a substitute teacher.

Now, I had to be THE Role Model!

From the blog post "One decade of being a substitute teacher"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2015/05/one-decade-of-being-substitute-teacher.html

4) Life lessons learned

Being that I started being a substitute teacher a decade ago, that means I was 24 years old back then!


I was only a few years removed from being a high school student. In your early 20's, you haven't fully recovered from adolescence!


But as I have mentioned in previous blogs (ie "What is an Adult?"), when I entered the substitute teaching profession, I had to mature very fast. For example



from  "What is an Adult"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/05/what-is-adult.html

What is an adult?  

That was the first question that was asked in my substitute teacher training course.

Now that might sound like a stupid question.

But the whole point was that we were NOT to act like the students under our command.

We are no longer one of the kids. We shouldn't even think of trying to "fit in" with the kids.

After all, we are the adults!

from "What is an Adult? Part 2"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/09/what-is-adult-part-2.html

For me, when I became a substitute teacher, I had to unlearn some bad habits. I had to distance myself from inappropriate jokes that once entertained me. I had to learn other ways to deal with stressful situations other than the "flight or fight" impulses that most of us relied on as teenagers.  I had to reduce my use of profanities. I had to be super-careful in dealing with the opposite gender.

from "10 years since getting my Bachelor's Degree"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2014/12/10-years-since-getting-my-bachelors.html

Whereas I could get away with some edgy humor as an undergraduate, a lot of that went out the window as I became a substitute teacher. I was now supposed to be a role model! To add to the pressure, there isn't much job security as a substitute teacher, so you need to really work on being a great Role Model if you're a substitute teacher. 

Because I've been in a job where I have to be The Role Model, and where I have to enforce standards of good behavior, I now cringe at the same type of inappropriate sense of humor I once enjoyed!

Because I now know that the traumas that many people experience from sexual abuse, dealing with body image issues, or other negative situations, I now cringe at the same type of inappropriate sense of humor I once enjoyed!


 Because of that knowledge and experiences, I now cringe when former classmates expect me to have the same sense of humor that I once participated in! 


I mean, really? You're in your 30's and you're still acting like that?  Have you not learned anything since high school?

It is that, that inspired me to make the "What is an Adult" blog posts and video! 

"What is an Adult?" blog posts
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/05/what-is-adult.html
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/09/what-is-adult-part-2.html

"What is an Adult?" YouTube speech
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oagx7WXcO-I




It is this type of experiences that make me unsympathetic to Donald Trump & his supporters defending his comments as "locker room humor" and "this is how men talk with their buddies".


Excuse me, "this is how men talk with their buddies?"

No fool, this is how IMMATURE Teenagers talk with their buddies!


This is how over-aged males who haven't matured since high school talk with their buddies!

This is how a person who hasn't had anyone to hold him accountable since high school (ie. Donald Trump) talk with his buddies!


Most of us live in the real world!

I live in a world where that type of behavior will get you fired ASAP! 

I live in a world where that type of behavior can get you black-listed from jobs once it's been made public!

I live in a world that in order for me to get my students to follow proper standards of behavior, I have to follow proper standards of behavior!  


To Donald Trump and his defenders, I  WAS once like you! 

But I have since become an adult! 

Maybe you should try be one too!

PTSD & cultural appropriation

Me, I'm from a multi-cultural environment! I grew up in Hawaii, where it is rare for any school to have 100% of the students be of the same ethnicity!

(even Kamehameha Schools, a private school whose enrollment policy  has a "preference" for Native Hawaiian student, has lots of mixed-race students, many of whom don't even look like someone who was living in Hawaii before the arrival of European explorers)

In that environment, people pick up cultural habits from multiple ethnicities! 

We eat food from multiple ethnicities (especially poi, spam musubi, char siu, chicken abodo and more)

Contemporary Hawaiian music uses the "ukulele", which  did NOT exist before the Portuguese laborers brought their mini-guitar instrument to Hawaii. 

We use words from various languages to our everyday speech. For example, many of use Hawaiian words ("mahalo", "aloha" "auwe") or Japanese words ("bachi", "shibai") in our everyday language. Many of us also learn profanities from various languages -- every kid  in Kalihi can name some Filipino & Samoan profanities!

This is not to say racial tensions aren't there --  not only is Hawaii traumatized by 1893 (when Euro-Americans overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy), not only does Hawaii have a problem with "haole bashing",  but there are also deadly rivalries between Polynesian & Micronesian gangs in various public housing complexes.  Plus, some local comedians specialize in ethnic jokes (though it's going out of style, as all those comedians are older than me, and I'm 35 about to be 36!)

But still, most of us in Hawaii live in such multi-cultural environments, had elementary classmates of various ethnicities, and work in multi-cultural workplaces, that doing things from other cultures is second nature to us!

Which is why I have an extremely hard time relating to racial activists complaining about "cultural appropriation"

I mean, sheesh, if I'm in an environment with a lot of Filipinos, Polynesians, Japanese, Portuguese and much, much more  ........................ I'm going to adapt some of their cultural habits!

I mean, people adapt to their environments....... DUH! 

It's hard for me to relate to activists offended by Anglos wearing sombreros! (yes, I'm part-Mexican)

But much of what I consider Phony Justice Warriors from the continental US did not benefit from growing up in a multi-cultural environment like I did!

Some of them are overly traumatized by their interactions with an European-American environment!

Did I say "overly traumatized"?

Yes!


---
I mean, for veterans returning from a war-zone, it is common knowledge than any loud sounds might bring flashbacks of wartime explosions, even if they're no longer in a warzone!

A veteran who was deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan probably has experienced seeing friends being blown to pieces. 

A veteran who was deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan probably has experienced being on the constant lookout for IEDs or snipers!

Spending months in such environments stays with you for a long time.

Bring that veteran back to a peaceful town back in the US, and any loud noises (ie. car accidents, balloons popping, fireworks on 4th of July) would trigger memories of hearing loud noises that symbolizes imminent death in their wartime experiences.

For many veterans, they have access to therapists who can help them overcome such paranoia!

----


But what about other forms of PTSD!

What about children experiencing peer abuse?

What about children experiencing racialized peer abuse?

Indian-American writer Silpa Kovvali mentioned this

http://www.salon.com/2016/10/03/stuff-white-people-like-yoga-tacos-and-pretending-the-white-supremacy-that-fuels-cultural-appropriation-doesnt-exist/?source=newsletter

Indeed, part of the frustration stems from the fact that the same practices and traditions which white people enjoy to the benefit of their hip and tolerant brands are practices and traditions which young brown children were mocked for indulging in, which were used as evidence that they weren’t working sufficiently hard at assimilating.

It’s hard not to flinch when white acquaintances eagerly brag about having ordered Chicken Tikka Masala the other night, knowing that white classmates once refused to come over for playdates because they’d heard my house smelled like curry.

That right there is PTSD talking!

Just like how a veteran responds to loud noises as if he/she is still patrolling the streets of Fallujah.....................

................. Silpa Kowali (and other non-whites who complain about "cultural appropriation") respond to innocent actions of European-Americans as if she's still in middle school getting picked on by bullies!

But at least the veterans knows that a balloon pop IS NOT a deadly gunshot, even if that triggers memories of combat!

But Silpa Kowali is so dripping with PTSD that even appreciation of Indian food by European-Americans, brings up feelings of  "you people picked on me when I was a kid, but now you like our food?"


That PTSD blocks her from realizing that

• those Euro-Americans expressing love of Indian food ARE PROBABLY NOT THE SAME INDIVIDUALS who picked on non-white kids during their school years

• Not every Euro-American have the same attitude or opinions

• People from multi-cultural environments pick up cultural habits from multiple ethnicities

• Even if a 24-year old Euro-American expressing love for Indian food was once a 12-year old bully who picked on Indian-Americans ...................................WHOAH! STOP THE PRESSES ......................... A 24-year old has a different attitude from when he/she was  12-years old..................WHAT SHOCKING NEWS!

It is this PTSD that motivates idiot activists like the following

• Chican@ activists who are upset when Anglos wear sombreros
• African-American bloggers upset that Macklemore & Iggy Azalea make hit records
• Arab-American writers upset at the sight of white belly dancers

People like them need to start controlling their PTSD!

At least veterans know when their PTSD is making them unreasonably paranoid, and many of them get help from the VA!

But those with racialized PTSD don't understand they have excessive paranoia!

Instead of getting mental health treatment to help them overcome   the fear of well intentioned European-Americans, they get the following instead

• Politically Correct history lessons that only emphasizes European conquests of non-white lands

• Politically Correct history lessons that ignore massive atrocities by non-white conquerors (ie. Turks, Japanese, Aztecs, Zulus) all throughout history

• Politically Correct history that ignores that many European countries never conquered a single non-white land

• the lack of education about how much of the world's cultures influence each other NOT ONLY BY CONQUEST but also by trade, voluntary migration and inter-racial mixing

• wussy college admin's dripping with "white guilt"

• the lack of exposure to well written conservative/libertarian thought, giving students the false impression that all they need to know about non-liberal thought is what Donald Trump or Ann Coulter tweeted last night

With this type of educational negligence, those overly traumatized activists dripping with PTSD will contribute to the worsening of race relations in the US! 

Expand the Presidential Debates

Today there was the debate between Donald Trump & Hillary Clinton. Being that it was going while I was working, I didn't yet get a chance to watch it!


More importantly though, our presidential debates should include everyone running for president. It's only fair that everyone gets a chance to discuss their plans and question each other.


I made a YouTube speech the other week to encourage the Commission on Presidential Debates to have more presidential candidates. I mentioned Gary Johnson  (Libertarian) and Jill Stein (Green Party), but there can be more.

Anyways, here's a YouTube speech

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhAWbIYEfqw

"Expand the Presidential Debates"