Don't Feed the Trolls.

Got to love Hulu.

I've said it before, and I will say it again- this is television's future. People want to be able to chose what they're watching, when they watch it, and how long they watch it. I am so done with conventional television.

On Hulu, they have clips from NBC's Today Show.

Yesterday, they aired a segment on internet trolls. Here it is if you want to watch; it's about seven minutes long- http://www.hulu.com/watch/139181/nbc-today-show-online-‘trolls’-terrorize-the-grieving#s-p4-so-i0

I must say, they do a terrible job of really explaining what trolls are.

Now, let us assume you do not know what a troll is. No, it is not some wrinkly little person who lives under a bridge. An internet troll is someone who goes onto a discussion page or a forum and posts comments for the sheer purpose of causing others to react. Trolls don't necessarily believe what they're saying, and they are not necessarily "bad" people. They're just people my age who are bored and have decided to go screw around on the internet.

Internet trolls aren't evil, soulless, malicious people. They are bored people. Yes, they tend to say outrageous, even offensive things. I personally do not troll, but I know others who do. I think that, like in the Today Show segment, it is wrong to post nasty comments on memorial pages.

But I also think that people need to grow up.

Think of the internet like this- if you feel like you can post anything on the internet, i.e., memorials, opinions, or personal issues, someone else can post something about it. The internet is the ultimate free speech arena. People protest that some things are offensive; yeah they are. Get over it. Don't participate if you can't take it. The internet is not a "safe" place. It's not a babysitter. It's more like letting your kid loose in the middle of a city- you can choose where you want to go, but you're going to be exposed to overwhelming amounts of information. If you don't want people to form opinions about something, don't put it out there.

I think that people my age understand this a hell of a lot better than the baby-boomers of the Today Show. We understand that the internet is a faceless monster. It can be good, and it can be bad. People don't "play nice" on the internet, and that's why it is appealing. In a world where you can't play dodge-ball because it is too violent and you can be suspended from school for using certain words, it is a good thing to have a "free-for-all."

And I think the older generation is afraid of it for just that reason- try as they might, you can't put a lid on the net. Parents need to stop whining and trying to outsmart their kids. Let's face it- your kids will be able to outsmart you when it comes to technology every time. Instead of acting like a scared, whiny three-year-old, it would be nice to see the media advocate teaching some responsibility. Parents should explain to their kids what could happen if they screw up on the internet, teach their kids the difference between public and private information, and call it good. Yeah, some feelings are going to get hurt. But feelings get hurt wherever you are. You can't world-proof your damn kids, least of all on the internet. Instead of letting them turn eighteen and go crazy because they don't know what they're doing, help your kids learn to be responsible internet users. Give your kids some damn credit, people.

This web-fear is hardly a new thing for the media, either. A few weeks previous, the Today Show did a segment on chatroulette.com. It's a website where you are randomly linked up with a total stranger to video chat. Most old people go, "Oh my god! What if my kid sees a penis?"

Well, then, they see a penis. Big deal. Half our population has one already, did you know that? And if you don't want your poor, sheltered child seeing a penis, then they shouldn't have a freaking computer. It's that easy. If you don't respect your kid enough to let him make decisions for himself, then don't give him an adult toy like a PC. It should not be so hard to understand.

We don't need censors on the internet. People will get around them. It's not hard. All my schools had internet blockers on certain sites, and everyone knew how to get around them. If you trust your kid with a library card, trust her with the internet. Yeah, they might screw up, but it is a learning experience. The only difference is, if you are intolerant of the internet, your daughter is not going to ask for help when she needs it. If you are tolerant, then she'll trust you enough to tell you what she's doing.

Internet trolls prey on those who don't know what is going on. To people like me, it's stupid. An eye-roller. To uninformed people like NBC's sad lump of an internet consultant, it's outrageous. An abomination. Despicable. They don't realize that it's not real. Nothing on the internet is real, people. If it is really so horrible, then stick to Neopets or Disney Online. Leave places like forums and discussion pages to the despicable, underachieving young people who actually know what they're doing.

Sorry, Matt Lauer. The internet is for big kids only.

Screw You, I Want It In A Brown Paper Bag

In honor of Women's History month, I have a bone to pick with pad and tampon companies.

DISCLAIMER: If you cannot tell from the aforesaid statement, I am about to rant on periods. Icky, yes. I warned you.

Yesterday, I was watching some admittedly stupid show online; thank the higher being for Hulu. One of the best features of online television is the dramatic reduction in commercials. I love it. I hate commercials- I'm sorry, but I can't buy beer, I don't want Doritos, I don't have any real credit score to speak of, and I can't afford cable, dish, or Direct TV. Ads are not effective.

However, they are plenty effective at making me cranky.

As I was watching telly on my computer, a commercial came on for Carefree's new thinner pads- "Looks like a liner but absorbs like a pad!"

The commercial made me want to punch something.

I hate it that on every box of tampons I buy, on every package of pads I see, there are flowers, and swirly things, and pastels. They advertise these things like they're marketing towards five year old girls.

I don't like pink. I resent the fact that it is associated with my gender. I don't like this notion of girly happiness when it comes to menstruation. Periods suck. I get horrible cramps, I feel like choking people, and it's messy. I want my tampons to come in a nondescript brown paper bag, not some frilly packaging that should be around a Barbie doll.

And that slogan- "Have a happy period!" All I have to say to that is fuck you, Always Brand.

This is why some men still don't respect women. After all this time, we still use pink as our identifying color. We use the slogan "Girl Power" and make everything sparkle-y.

Some women might like pink. Some might be into all that stuff. But I'm not. And every time I see that goddamned pad commercial, I am reminded how un-girly I really am. I like knives. I collect Hot Wheels. I swear like a sailor and I like fast cars with large engines. I have a pet lizard.

Things like those damned ads alienate me from my own gender. And, I suspect, they alienate a lot of other women. Advertising periods as being something flowery and pretty makes most women I've talked to want to attack that company's marketing team.

And how about the fact that after all of these years of "women's rights," the devices we use to stop blood flow are still crude bits of cotton? If men had periods, they would have over-engineered that shit ages ago. But no, we get string, cotton, and adhesive that comes in swirl-covered wrappers. It's 2010, people. We have computers the size of your hand and cars the size of your house. If we can do all of that, we should be able to come up with an easier way to deal with periods. Fuck Aunt Flo.

The problem, at least from what I've seen, is that women are nervous about talking about this stuff openly. Sure, it's easy when you're with your female friends or your mom, but can you rant about this in front of your mayor, your governor, or the president? Probably not.

But isn't that part of the wall blocking the advancement of women? Men certainly talk about their penises enough. That pathetic show "The Doctors" recently featured a "sperm facial" and didn't get flagged by anyone. I mean, the Washington Monument, considered one of our most iconic statues in Washington DC, is little more than a giant stone phallus. If we can openly display that, how come we can't find a better way to deal with our "Time Of The Month?" We put a man on the frigging moon, people. We've created elements that don't even exist in the natural world. So why is this such a big request?

Maybe scientists are just squeamish. Don't like the thought of menstruation, gentlemen? Grow the fuck up. I'm tired of there being such huge divisions in society about what's "manly" and "feminine." Periods should not be associated with pink and frills. It shouldn't be a big deal one way or the other in this day and age. We shouldn't have to stand awkwardly across from the pimply cashier at the store and watch him smirk as he rings up that goddamned pastel-colored box. Nor should we sweep it under the rug and pretend it doesn't happen. My attitude is "Yeah, I have periods, so what? I can also kick your ass."

I applaud Katherine Bigelow for shying away from being heralded as the first woman to win Best Director. I'm tired of hearing about how amazing it is that a woman could achieve something. We shouldn't be making that distinction, because it is just as sexist as saying women belong in the kitchen.

And it all boils down, in my opinion, to these freaking tampon/pad ads. No more girly crap, please. It's an inconvenience, not a fun-filled several days. It's not flowery and swirly and awesome. It sucks. It's awkward. And I know there are women out there who celebrate it. Fine. Celebrate it. But we need to stop acting like it's some cute, childish thing. We need to stop with the "I'm a Barbie Girl"/"I am Woman, Hear Me Roar" crap. Let's just be humans; no better, no worse, then men. Let's all have the same opportunities. I'm tired of this "Battle of the Sexes" bullhonky. It's immature and it just reinforces sexist divisions. I know plenty of men who are decent, sensitive guys and I know guys who are total assholes. I know women who are thoughtful and compassionate and I know women who are whiny-ass bitches that I'd love to slap. Give up this whole schema of "If you're a boy, you act differently than a girl." Says who? Our culture? Culture changes, people. It's not static. Boys are allowed to like pink and girls are allowed to collect Hot Wheels.

So just give me my damned tampons flower-free and go away, Tampax.

Let's Educate Education

Public education failed me.

As a side-note, I love the teachers I had while in public education. A special shout-out to my sixth-grade teacher, Michelle Fluckiger, my French teacher, Sally Husted, my eleventh-grade English teacher, Kim Brydges, and my AP Government teacher, Steve Mendive. They stand out in particular as teachers who were helpful, encouraging, and actually liked their students. They weren't teaching just because it was a job. They were teaching because they felt they had something to teach.

But the public education system failed me completely. My senior year of high school was definitely my most successful year because most of my classes were correspondence, rather than a part of the system. When I went in and proposed doing my senior year as I did, my school counselor was quite unwilling to be helpful at first. This was not because she didn't like me; this was because the system is resistant to people who do not want to be coerced.

And in my case, I am quite unwilling to be coerced. I am stubborn to a fault.

Ever heard the expression, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink?"

In my case, you can't even lead this horse to the water.

And I know all kinds of other people who are highly intelligent, but did poorly in school. Again, the education system failed them.

It is a system where pace is set by the people at the bottom of the class, not at the top. This would be alright if we didn't have the same requirements across the board.

Health class has the potential to be useful to some people, but it wasn't to me. I did the entire class online in about three days. Clearly, not very useful.

And too many standardized tests. We've established that I am smart, alright? So stop making me take them again, and again, and again, and.... you get the point.

And my experience with public education was better than most. Here at Portland State, most freshmen cannot even write a remotely coherent essay. They have never heard of ethos, pathos, and logos. They cannot cite sources, and they don't know how to handle homework, or how to study for finals.

But the biggest thing that rubbed me the wrong way about the public education system was this insane emphasis on math and science. Massive cuts are being made to art programs across the nation, just so that math and science requirements can be met.

This is absurd. Not everybody needs calculus. Not everyone gets to be a banker or a scientist. We are going to need electricians, and artists, and musicians. We need writers. We REALLY need some real journalists. And so, for those of us (Anthropology) who are not interested in trigonometry, stop forcing it upon us. Math and science are good for those who like those subjects.

And, unfortunately, I am going to need some math, because I am also studying archaeology, which is a science. However, I have friends who are English majors. And Art majors. And they don't care about y=mx+b.

Science is important. Math is important. But they are not everything. Long before we were figuring out the area of a circle, we were painting on walls. And our society gives math and science too much importance. They are certainly subjects of knowledge, but there are other kinds of knowledge besides these two.

Our education system does not care about its students. Most of the teachers care, and most of the parents care, but public education, as a whole, does not care about the student. If it claims it does, do not buy it. Because I am one of the students it tried, and failed, to force through the system.

I say all of this because I was listening to someone talk about Asperger's Syndrome being a learning disability. I disagree with this concept of "learning disabilities" because education should be able to change to fit whatever the student's learning style is. It has no right to be classifying people as "learning disabled." If the education system was genuinely interested in educating students, it would do whatever it could to make sure everyone has the opportunity to learn the same things, regardless of how they learn.

But if public education is not invested in educating everyone, in what is it interested? Instead of suggesting that the students who fail have something "wrong" with them, why is the system not questioning what is wrong with itself? The system should be required to change to fit the student, rather than trying to change the student to fit the system. They have no right to try to change me, or anyone else, and what's more, they didn't manage to change me. I graduated, even if it was on my own terms.

I changed the system to fit me, and it was hard as hell, and finally, I succeeded.

Dear Teabaggers

So it is 60 degrees outside right now. No joke. There are no clouds, just a light breeze that keeps things refreshing.

Today has been a fabulous day. This week, I had a major essay due in my upper division anthropology class, a midterm in archaeology, and I missed quite a bit of class because last Thursday I severely injured my back.

It's pretty refreshing to be done for the week, I'm not going to lie. And what better a way to end one of the most stressful weeks of this term than admiring the unusually glorious weather, eating some chips and hummus, and just relaxing?

Well, I could blog about a few observations in a light-hearted fashion. I'm in a good mood. My room is clean. I have fresh oranges for dessert.

Recently, I became a "fan" of this Facebook page titled "Can this poodle wearing a tinfoil hat get more fans than Glenn Beck?" I thought it was hysterically funny. Glenn Beck annoys me. The dog is cute.

One of the most amusing parts of this experience is the "discussions" portion. One of the discussions was titled "Did Glenn Beck rape and murder a girl in 1990?" It was started by an internet troll- someone who wastes time by making purposefully-obnoxious statements online, with the sole goal of making someone mad. It is pretty much the silliest way to waste time on the internet.

However, it is excellent entertainment.

So I am reading this discussion, and for whatever strange reason, there are people who support Glenn Beck that are fans of this group. Doesn't make a bit of sense; then again, when have pro-Beck people ever made sense?

Anyway, this one person in particular, who, true to internet ranters, used the "clever" name Tar Andfeathers. Tar, as I will call him/her (never was sure of the gender of this person) was, for lack of a better term, a nitwit.

I take that back. There are far better terms for the likes of Tar. But nitwit is the only polite one I could name.

Tar began his/her (it?) participation by insulting the intelligence of the people who were making lighthearted fun of Glenn Beck. Tar did so in a way that truly spoke to her/his/its own intellect by stating, "Your all idiots."

My congratulations to you, Tar, whoever/whatever you are, for using the wrong "your." You were looking for "you're," specifically the conjunction of "you" and "are."

an example:

"Your claim that I am an idiot is incorrect."

VERSUS

"You're the real idiot."

If in doubt next time, ask yourself this: do I mean "your" as in what you have, or "you're" as in what you are?

Maybe I should distribute this on laminated index cards.

Tar continued to illustrate his/its/her (dinosaur?) intellect by asserting that global warming is not real. Tar's proof was the fact that the East Coast has received a large amount of snow.

This argument just reeks of a lack of brain cells.

Saying that a large amount of snow in one area of the world disproves global warming is like saying the lack of daylight at 11 pm disproves the existence of the sun. It is just moronic. It would seem to me that you would have to actually work hard to be that stupid. And no, in this case, I'm not talking about ignorance (lack of knowing). I mean stupid. It is the most pathetic, shameful argument against global warming that I have heard yet.

It is worse than the argument that being environmentally sound will bankrupt industries.

Another Glenn Beck classic is the teabagger movement. Most people call it this because of the grotesque sexual connotations (if you've never heard the term, please don't Google it, for your own sake), but I call it this because I flat-out refuse to acknowledge that they are in any way connected to the "Boston Tea Party" event that is an iconic part of the American Revolution. Teabaggers are clueless. They claim that we are paying far too many taxes, which is wrong. I'm no economist, and if you are and you know better, feel free to correct me, but I would have to say we have got to be paying the lowest taxes out of all of the economically-comparable countries in the world. If anything, we should pay more taxes. But no politician would ever propose such a thing and live to see another lobbyist.

The other half of the Teabagger argument that infuriates me is that they claim they are motivated by the same injustices as Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. I share the same birthday as Ben Franklin, I've done my fair share of research, and I would have to say that you, Teabaggers of the US, are WRONG. You are so wrong. The very notion of you comparing yourselves to such intellectuals as Franklin, Jefferson, or Hamilton makes me want to become physically violent.

But I won't. I am smarter than you.

The idea behind the revolution was that they were protesting taxation WITHOUT representation. As in, the king would create taxes that asked ridiculous costs of the colonists and there was nothing they could do.

(Side-note: Notice my use of "there." Let's review that one. There indicates a place. Their indicates possession. They're is a conjunction of "they" and "are." The next time you attempt, and fail, to insult an intellect via the internet, please remember to use proper grammar. If you insist we all speak English, then SPEAK ENGLISH.)

There is no way teabaggers can claim they are being taxed without representation. The majority of the teabagger movement is white middle-aged men. Seeing as most of our senators and representatives are, in fact, white middle-aged men, I would have to say that teabaggers are the single MOST represented group in America.

So Tar, please change your name. The internet gives balls to those who otherwise have none, and the least you can do to demonstrate you own a fragment of a spine is to use a name that is close to the one your parents picked. And for you to call yourself after a violent form of protest that was extreme and inhumane is just pathetic. Threatening to "tar and feather" someone who sees flaws in your diatribe does not make you patriotic. It makes you an idiot.

P.S.- I realize that the demographic to which I address this rant will probably never read it. And that's okay. I'm mostly here just to entertain.

Chrysler Makes a BooBoo

So I did not watch the Super Bowl. I wish I could have watched it; I heard it was one of the best games in SB history.

I live in a dorm and do not own a television. This is a mixed blessing- fewer distractions, but I also miss out on things such as last weekend's major display of patriotism. I mean that in the best possible way, because believe it or not, I do love America, as in the United States.

However, I have internet access, so I have Hulu. I love Hulu. I get most of the mindless television I love, with fewer commercials. Hulu also featured most of the Super Bowl ads.

Let me tell you, I nearly died laughing while watching several of them. I skipped the Bud Light ones, because, let's face it, "John Cleese's" supposed letter to the US was right. It is weak near-frozen gnat's urine. I also skipped the Godaddy.com ads, because no matter how many dumb blondes they have, my boobs are still better.

Of the ones I did watch, however, I noticed something most other female viewers noticed; many of the ads openly bashed women. I guess advertisers missed the new statistics that show more women watch football, and the Super Bowl in particular, than ever before. It seems to me that trying to get rid of this statistic by making us out to all be shallow, vampire-loving girly girls who are not worthy of a man's time.

One ad really infuriated me beyond the rest: Chrysler's ad for the Dodge Charger.

Here is the URL in case you didn't see it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RyPamyWotM

Now that you have observed the stupidity, let's talk about why it upset me so badly.

I love cars. I love the noises the engine makes, I love the feeling of having so much power at your disposal, and I love the sleek look of most cars. I'm all for helping the environment, but goddammit, you will never take my cars from me. Never.

My wallpapers on all my electronic devices are pictures of various sports cars. I watch every car show I ever come across. Top Gear is the best television show ever conceived by humans, and if you do not know what that is, Google it. You will not be disappointed.

So a car commercial telling me that the Dodge Charger is "Man's Last Stand" makes me want to go punch Chrysler's marketing chief in the mouth. I have driven a 2009 Charger, and it was relatively fun, but there were definitely a few blaring flaws- it has the engine of a good muscle car, and the feeling of power to go with it, but it also has the interior of a Lincoln Continental. It isn't "Man's Last Stand," it's more like "Man's Midlife Crisis."

But the commercial made some pretty rash accusations that all women are sad, whiny little girls who live to bitch about their boyfriends' friends and watch True Blood. No wonder Chrysler is tanking; they're idiots.

I happen to like cars, the Syfy channel, weapons, zombie movies, and electronics. I also like jewelry, nice clothes, my purse, and art. I'm no girly-girl, and I'm no butch, either.

After watching the Charger commercial, I decided that it would be appropriate to write a response ad. Forgive me, I do not have a camera crew handy, nor do I have several women that will hold still for shots of their blank expressions.

So I'll ask that you employ your own creative imagination and visualize several women glaring at the screen as the following is read aloud by, let's say, Vanessa Williams:

I will ignore the dirty clothes you leave on the floor.

I will put up with your friends' fart jokes.

I will remain silent when you speak with improper grammar.

I will not mention the dribble left on the toilet seat.

I will wax regions I'd rather not discuss.

I will listen to your poor taste in music.

I will watch Flavor of Love with you.

I will not punch your friends when they hit on me.

I will tolerate your mismatched socks.

I will wear attractive pajamas instead of my ratty tee-shirts.

I will not roll my eyes when you do something idiotic.

I will not comment when you have ketchup on your undershirt.

I will not make fun of your job or your boss.

I will not publicly prove I am smarter than you.

And because I do this, you will stop acting like only men like cars.

Because it's not true.

A letter addressing Apple's newest feminine product.

Dear Apple,

I quite enjoy my iPod Touch; it is my alarm clock, my music playing device, and the distraction during particularly long-winded lectures in Philosophy. Before this, I owned an iPod Nano, and I enjoyed this device immensely as well. I am a fan of iTunes, as I have taken up the practice of actually paying for the music I have. ITunes has the best selection of electronic music I have seen on any mp3 provider's site.

Sure, many claim that buying an iPod is selling a bit of one's soul. Some claim that Steve Jobs must have sold himself to the devil to get the best technology. Still others swear that the iPod is Apple's attempt to take over the world. However, I think this is nonsense. I am a happy supporter of the iPod. I am the kind of person who embraces innovative technology.

This said, I cannot help but turn to your newest product, the iPad.

Really? The iPad?

What on Earth made your marketing department think "iPad" is a good name for anything? Were there any women working on this product? At all?

What next, the iTampon?

I already felt the concept of your Tablet-style device was questionable. After all, we already have Amazon's Kindle, HP has PC and laptop editions of touchscreen computers, and, of course, the iPhone/Touch. I already knew I would not be interested in purchasing this newest device for various reasons.

One, I already own a touchscreen computer. It does everything the iPad does, plus it has a keyboard. The screen is extremely responsive, and understandably so, seeing as Hewlett-Packard has had touchscreen technology dating back to the eighties.

Two, I hate the Kindle. I think it is a perversion of modern technology. As long as I live, I will fight tooth and nail to hold onto hardcopy books made of paper. In the case of books, trees are simply SOL. The more pages, the better.

Three, the iPad looks like an elephantine iPhone. The layout looks identical, and as far as I can tell, they both have the same construction and perform the same tasks. The only difference is one of them is conveniently sized to fit in a purse, while the other looks like a large slab of slate, and has about the same convenience as one.

These reasons existed in my head far before the naming of the device. I would think that if the morning of the unveiling, Bill Gates had a large pit in his stomach, by now, he's not worried. The iPad already didn't seem like it would solve any problems in my life, and now that I know the name, it seems like pure silliness.

I can only hope that, like Homo habilis, this will be a sad, unevolving, soon-to-be-extinct branch of the touchscreen family. I have faith that Apple will not let me down ever again, because after blowing my mind for years with your technological advances, I would really hate to convert to the Zune.

Sincerely hoping this was one small gaff,

Meg

Philosophy and Sarah Palin

Being a little crazy really helps if you're taking philosophy.

I'm not kidding. Philosophy is such a mind-boggling area of knowledge that it's almost necessary to have a flexible brain to understand anything.

"Suppose a scientist were crazy enough to try to observe your experience of tasting chocolate by licking your brain while you ate a chocolate bar."

The best part of that quote is the visualization of the act of licking a brain. I mean, can you imagine a scientist licking a person's brain as that person sits and eats a chocolate bar? Absolutely absurd.

And yet, hysterically funny.

In order to pay attention, I draw cartoons of all the vocabulary words in class. Yes, I realize that typically, doodling signifies a lack of attention towards the subject. In my case, however, I tend to pay much better attention when I draw. And my cartoons are quite entertaining, at least to me. I have Descartes-Zilla, who has come for your mental being. I have the Fire-Breathing Philosophy Monster. Cartoons make philosophy make sense.

And now, in another direction completely.

Sarah Palin has confirmed that she will, indeed, be a regular contributor on Fox "News."

I personally love Sarah Palin. She makes it easy to be a comedian. She symbolizes the large conflict the GOP faces- part of their numbers want a more moderate figurehead for the party, and part of them want a more radically conservative one.

Sarah Palin symbolizes this division because she is so radically conservative that while most of the country thinks she is a joke, there is a small contingency of people that genuinely look to her as "the future of the GOP."

This viewpoint, while entertianing as long as its believers stay in small numbers, is dangerous if it is given a large amount of support. I have nothing really personal agaisnt the woman- sure, she claims she hates vegetarians, but let's face it, I can't stand most of them either- but even Republicans have to admit, she has no real experience. And I know, there are plenty of people out there that claim Obama has no real experience either.

To some degree, we must concede the point. Obama is a young guy with a limited amount of experience. What he has that Palin lacks, however, is an extensive education. Obama has gone through an immense amount of learning to be where he is today. He's gained the respect of his colleagues by knowing what he's saying.

And I'm sure the term "Elitist" comes to mind when I mention his knowledge and education. Obama is an Elite, but he isn't under the ring's definition of an "Elitist."He comes from just as humble a background as most of us, even more humble than some. He is American through and through- a self-made man. Taunting him for being well-educated and intelligent is little more than grade-school taunting. What is so bad about bieng well educated or smart? Why is that such a stigma in our society?

And now, people gather around figures like Sarah Palin because they believe them to be "Average." But in this country, is there really such thing as "average?" Leaders become leaders because they are extraordinary, not because they're average. Sarah Palin is not a leader. She put her rather large family through the pains and publicity of a national election. She caused her pregnant teen daughter to suffer unnecessary scrutiny. She publicly demonstrated her lack of global knowledge time and again, and rather than apologize for her mistakes, she remained aloof about them.

Anyone who cannot own up to their mistakes does not deserve to be a leader. Leaders must be respected to do their job, and a person who will not admit they were wrong will never earn respect.

Believe me or not, I do not mean to "burn" on Mrs. Palin. I have never met her personally, and I have no reason to attack her personally. All I know of her is her political and public track record. Personal attacks are like arguing solely on opinion- it doesn't change anyone's mind, and it doesn't make you appear any more intelligent. I will never want her to lead my country because she is not a leader.

And now, Fox "News" has her signed up to be a part-time journalist. Being a journalist once meant something. Real journalists go to school, and are supposed to adhere to a set of rules. Sarah Palin is no more a journalist than she is a leader. The media isn't aprticularly "liberal" or "conservative," it's all become generally biased. News isn't based on fact any longer in America, it's based on the opinions that the viewers want to hear. Fox "news" is popular because they cater to their viewers. MSNBC runs liberal-leaning programs because they draw in a certain group of people. Unfortunately, on both sides, many people make claims that are not based on any kind of fact, but rather, upon speculation.

Palin isn't a reporter. I doubt she has done any kind of real journalism in her life. She cannot possibly serve as an "expert" because she seems to know very little about the public world. There are plenty of people who are brought on to talk shows and asked to give opinions on matters they do not know.

And that includes bloggers. I'm not sure what it is, but something about the world wide web makes people feel entitled to make absurd claims. Worse still, numerous others will site those bloggers as "reliable sources." Who knows how many times tabloids and HLN "News" have based their claims on rumors written in blogs. And I include myself in that. I'm not writing an article here. I'm not a journalist, and my thoughts have no official merit. In fact, I write this crap mostly just to vent. I'm not interested in someone using my opinion to back up their claims. Blogs shouldn't be about trying to prove a point, or be right, or whatever. You get to be whoever you want on the internet. I could claim to have three doctorate degrees. And that, my friends, would be a load of bullhonky.

So yes, I am fully aware that philosophy and Sarah Palin have little to do with one another. But don't you just love the juxtaposition?