Uninterrupted, energy stays in motion until it atrophies. Zeal is a form of energy. Controlled, it can be productive. Unrestrained, it can be dangerous. It's Pollyannaish to believe political fervor magically abates after ballots are counted. That's as irresponsible as it is asinine. That said:
• I object to political rhetoric. I'm sure millions of us grew damn tired of it during the presidential campaign.
• I object to efforts purposely designed to jack me about. I think they are supreme insults.
• I object to self-serving agendas crafted to whip me into passionate frenzy. I can do that just fine by myself.
• I object to facial expressions and body language calculated to accentuate sincerity. I think of them as malicious emoticons.
• I object to entertainment news. I dislike ego driven publicity leeches - so called news anchors and the so called authorities they interview.
• I object to biased reporting. Good luck to me finding some that isn't.
• I object to guinea pig programming. Guinea pigs begin copulating 6 hours after giving birth and I don't like being similarly f***ed over post-election.
• I object to drama. I don't enjoy wallowing in it when it's got substance and I really dislike having it force fed it when it's vapid.
I'm simple ... say what you mean and mean what you say. I do not like sly or hard sell tactics. I am not a pawn. I do not like the assumption that I'm a manipulatable commodity. I do not like to be told what to think anymore than I like being told someone knows what I am thinking.
I'm tired of the pitiful and the bullies. I have no attention synapses left for hucksters, pontificators, buffoons, commentators, analysts, sociopaths, wannabes, has beens, fanatics, maniacs, disciples, gurus, reporters, soothsayers, super heroes, fact police or pundits of any ilk.
Not that they care, but I'm not listening. I believe the sun will rise tomorrow and I'm taking back my harmony.
.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Protocols for Calamity
*BIG DUH* … There's a lesson embedded in the ongoing Anthony story for everyday folks who find themselves in media spotlights after some untoward event happens in their personal lives = Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!
That's exactly what George Anthony - father of Casey Anthony, husband of Cindy, grandfather of missing Caylee - screamed at reporters on the 13th of August.
Less than a week earlier, on the 8th, he'd launched a similar salvo in his driveway:
... "Just leave me alone!" … "You people have no idea what we’re going through!
You don’t care about me! You don’t care about her (indicating his wife)! You don’t care about my granddaughter! You don’t care about any of this stuff!" … "Shut up!" … "I’m trying to find my granddaughter! You guys don’t care about that!" … "All you care about is sensationalism!"
George's tirades were followed by Cindy wielding her invisible whisk broom, gesturing, explaining and generally tidying up in the wake of her husband's behaviour.
I get it the situation is serious … the implications are horrible. I get it the family is under pressure. I get it George buckled. I get it Cindy is apologetic and demonstrative when it comes to reconciliation. I get denial - to a point.
Among the things I don't get someone who's been in law enforcement leaping to argument. Again, I get anguish ... but standing on reporter mentality was lame. Anyone who's watched television in the past 5-10-15-20+ years knows 95% of reporters don't give a honking hoot about the sensitivities of the characters in the stories they're charged to cover.
On his 'sensationalism' point, George was right: … media shows up when there's drama to be had. Unfortunately, furiously stating the obvious hinted of diversion, of finger pointing to redirect attention.
What would you do if a worst case scenario jumped up and bit you? Are you ready? Like the Weather Channel reminds us - it could happen tomorrow. It's always good to be prepared ... so here's a handy checklist of things to avoid.
Self-Presentation Protocols for Calamity Management
... a guide to publicity risks - how to avoid appearing (1) denser than a doornail or (2) being an in-cahoots co-conspirator when the unthinkable strikes
• "Shut up!" If you choose to chatter and rail, you issue a carte blanche invitation to any reporter inclined to track you down. The loud-o-meter rule of thumb: … hollering and snorting summons and delights paparazzi.
• Drop your ego. If you can't drop it, at least put it on hold while you're the center of attention. Vanity and sincerity are hard partners … vanity will trump sincerity in a heartbeat if there is even the slightest indication you're astride a self-promoting agenda.
... to appear to have more emotional depth than a thimble, look a little messy. Dishevel yourself for genuineness … run you fingers through your perfect hairdo, wear something rumpled, untuck your shirt, break a nail, forget makeup, don't shave. A perfect appearance doesn't jive with agony.
• Perceptions of authenticity are fickle. Get a grip on yourself and
... don't use interviews to think out loud about your circumstances. Stream of consciouosness - like talking to yourself when you're alone - is accompanied by unconscious movement. Inappropriate body language will undermine you. Keep your hands down. Don't flash your trademark smile.
... be aware your eye movement patterns can betray you. If you're going to be less than above board - or if you are even slightly tempted to be evasive - wear sunglasses. If that's not an option, fix your gaze and don't pause to talk ... move through the throng of reporters and get out of Dodge.
... avoid lies, half truths, evasive responses to questions, changes in your timeline and/or account of what happened. These will snag you big time the moment they're perceived. With live mics and cameras rolling, that moment comes in real time. You say it = it becomes a sound bite ... and sound bites, like statistics, can be edited to your disadvantage. Zip your lips.
... don't overact. Fake tears, insincere hugs, fists clenched without full body tension, shoulder rolling sighs, staged expressions - these are dishonesty tells. Although Nancy Grace fans may fall for the ploy, it provokes 'heaven help us' responses in the thinking public.
... for pete's sake, don't go on the offensive. Aggressive gestures, forward movments and lashing pronouncements are subjective. Even if you're filled with rightious indignation, remember that what says anger to one person is a red flag of deception and manipulation to another.
... while it's possible to recover from a single genuine emotional display, multiple outbursts can put you on shaky ground. They create suspicion you're overly enjoying the attention you're getting. This is especially true when the limelight situation is rife with unanswered questions.
• If you think the usual suspect - "every person responds to grief differently" - will save the day after you do something inappropriate, you're sadly mistaken. Write this down & make it your mantra: … don’t go out in public and have yourself a good ol' time. This rule holds equally for dinner at a restaurant and pole dancing at a club. Not only is public enjoyment in the shadow of misery really, really bad from, it will come back to haunt you.
• Don't fool yourself into believing you can bias portrayal of yourself or your family in your own favor. Chicago's Billy Flynn was a terrific spin doctor who (1) he knew the ropes, (2) had lots of practice and, (3) most importantly, wasn't tap dancing to save his own hide. High stakes spinning is a job for pros.
... don't waste effort working angles or trying to figure best how to: ... relieve yourself of guilt or shame, unembarrass yourself, assign blame, explain your motivations to the world at large or put your life and your contribution circumstances in a good light.
Fact revision and happy faces on awful circumstances are near-certain exercises in futility.
By the time the press arrives on your doorstep, your personal Pandora's box will be standing wide open. The milk will be spilt, the horse will be out of the barn, humpty dumpty will have fallen apart, the bun will be secured in the oven, the cookie will have crumbled, the chickens will have flown the coop.
In short, the first wave of damage will have been done. Don't compound it. Buck up & Shut Up.
• Truth's tendency is to come out … don't mess with it.
.
That's exactly what George Anthony - father of Casey Anthony, husband of Cindy, grandfather of missing Caylee - screamed at reporters on the 13th of August.
Less than a week earlier, on the 8th, he'd launched a similar salvo in his driveway:
... "Just leave me alone!" … "You people have no idea what we’re going through!
You don’t care about me! You don’t care about her (indicating his wife)! You don’t care about my granddaughter! You don’t care about any of this stuff!" … "Shut up!" … "I’m trying to find my granddaughter! You guys don’t care about that!" … "All you care about is sensationalism!"
George's tirades were followed by Cindy wielding her invisible whisk broom, gesturing, explaining and generally tidying up in the wake of her husband's behaviour.
I get it the situation is serious … the implications are horrible. I get it the family is under pressure. I get it George buckled. I get it Cindy is apologetic and demonstrative when it comes to reconciliation. I get denial - to a point.
Among the things I don't get someone who's been in law enforcement leaping to argument. Again, I get anguish ... but standing on reporter mentality was lame. Anyone who's watched television in the past 5-10-15-20+ years knows 95% of reporters don't give a honking hoot about the sensitivities of the characters in the stories they're charged to cover.
On his 'sensationalism' point, George was right: … media shows up when there's drama to be had. Unfortunately, furiously stating the obvious hinted of diversion, of finger pointing to redirect attention.
What would you do if a worst case scenario jumped up and bit you? Are you ready? Like the Weather Channel reminds us - it could happen tomorrow. It's always good to be prepared ... so here's a handy checklist of things to avoid.
Self-Presentation Protocols for Calamity Management
... a guide to publicity risks - how to avoid appearing (1) denser than a doornail or (2) being an in-cahoots co-conspirator when the unthinkable strikes
• "Shut up!" If you choose to chatter and rail, you issue a carte blanche invitation to any reporter inclined to track you down. The loud-o-meter rule of thumb: … hollering and snorting summons and delights paparazzi.
• Drop your ego. If you can't drop it, at least put it on hold while you're the center of attention. Vanity and sincerity are hard partners … vanity will trump sincerity in a heartbeat if there is even the slightest indication you're astride a self-promoting agenda.
... to appear to have more emotional depth than a thimble, look a little messy. Dishevel yourself for genuineness … run you fingers through your perfect hairdo, wear something rumpled, untuck your shirt, break a nail, forget makeup, don't shave. A perfect appearance doesn't jive with agony.
• Perceptions of authenticity are fickle. Get a grip on yourself and
... don't use interviews to think out loud about your circumstances. Stream of consciouosness - like talking to yourself when you're alone - is accompanied by unconscious movement. Inappropriate body language will undermine you. Keep your hands down. Don't flash your trademark smile.
... be aware your eye movement patterns can betray you. If you're going to be less than above board - or if you are even slightly tempted to be evasive - wear sunglasses. If that's not an option, fix your gaze and don't pause to talk ... move through the throng of reporters and get out of Dodge.
... avoid lies, half truths, evasive responses to questions, changes in your timeline and/or account of what happened. These will snag you big time the moment they're perceived. With live mics and cameras rolling, that moment comes in real time. You say it = it becomes a sound bite ... and sound bites, like statistics, can be edited to your disadvantage. Zip your lips.
... don't overact. Fake tears, insincere hugs, fists clenched without full body tension, shoulder rolling sighs, staged expressions - these are dishonesty tells. Although Nancy Grace fans may fall for the ploy, it provokes 'heaven help us' responses in the thinking public.
... for pete's sake, don't go on the offensive. Aggressive gestures, forward movments and lashing pronouncements are subjective. Even if you're filled with rightious indignation, remember that what says anger to one person is a red flag of deception and manipulation to another.
... while it's possible to recover from a single genuine emotional display, multiple outbursts can put you on shaky ground. They create suspicion you're overly enjoying the attention you're getting. This is especially true when the limelight situation is rife with unanswered questions.
• If you think the usual suspect - "every person responds to grief differently" - will save the day after you do something inappropriate, you're sadly mistaken. Write this down & make it your mantra: … don’t go out in public and have yourself a good ol' time. This rule holds equally for dinner at a restaurant and pole dancing at a club. Not only is public enjoyment in the shadow of misery really, really bad from, it will come back to haunt you.
• Don't fool yourself into believing you can bias portrayal of yourself or your family in your own favor. Chicago's Billy Flynn was a terrific spin doctor who (1) he knew the ropes, (2) had lots of practice and, (3) most importantly, wasn't tap dancing to save his own hide. High stakes spinning is a job for pros.
... don't waste effort working angles or trying to figure best how to: ... relieve yourself of guilt or shame, unembarrass yourself, assign blame, explain your motivations to the world at large or put your life and your contribution circumstances in a good light.
Fact revision and happy faces on awful circumstances are near-certain exercises in futility.
By the time the press arrives on your doorstep, your personal Pandora's box will be standing wide open. The milk will be spilt, the horse will be out of the barn, humpty dumpty will have fallen apart, the bun will be secured in the oven, the cookie will have crumbled, the chickens will have flown the coop.
In short, the first wave of damage will have been done. Don't compound it. Buck up & Shut Up.
• Truth's tendency is to come out … don't mess with it.
.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Stingrays don't attack people?
Just the idea of aquatic animals leaping out of their element disturbs my harmony. If jumping sharks weren't enough to keep me out of the water (which they are), airborne stingrays just sealed the deal.
Experts keep saying it = stingrays don't attack people. Cornered or stepped on, they'll defend themselves in the water. They'll jump to escape predators, give birth or remove parasites. Really? Hmmmm.
Maybe it would be more accurate to say = rays didn't used to attack people.
While recent ray aggression isn't natural terrorism, I do have to wonder what it's about. The odds of one randomly flying out of the water and striking a person has to be tiny … the chance of it happening twice, super-microscopic. Even on a high traffic boating day, we're not talking shoulder to shoulder population density here.
What if ray assaults are gravitations? Is it possible for rays to respond to some signal or force we don't know about? Could they be honing in on people in some strange manner akin to a laser guided missile? Yeah, yeah … I know how airy fairy that sounds, but …
Is it feasible stingrays are fleeing a waterborne vibration or tone? Are there reports of lots of rays jumping? If a lot of them are taking wing, the chance of someone being in the flight path goes up a bit. If there aren't many leaping, it seems remote they'd land on anything. Maybe humans are emitting a homing signal?
Alas, I only wonder … I certainly don't know. However … the 'wrong place at the wrong time' explanation is a bit much to swallow. Even if there's a newfangled boat or motor noise setting stingrays off, a person simply doesn't make much of a target at sea. It's high strangeness.
Recent stingray assaults:
March 19 2008 … Florida Keys
… stingray lept out of water killing Judy Kay Zagorski as she was sunbathing on a boat
… expert synopsis = rays don't attack, they only jump to escape a predator, give birth and shake off parasites
Oct 18 2006 … Ft Lauderdale area, Florida coast
… stingray jumps into a boat and stings James Bertakis in the heart; he lived
… experts crawled out of the woodwork to say = freakish accident, rays don't jump, the man must have caught it and lugged it onboard; it was irritated and fought back
Sept 4, 2006 … Great Barrier Reef ...
… stingray kills Steve Irwin, wildlife advocate and television personality, by stabbing him in heart
… reports = freakish accident, he swan too close, threatened the ray, boxed it in; the ray defended itself
Experts keep saying it = stingrays don't attack people. Cornered or stepped on, they'll defend themselves in the water. They'll jump to escape predators, give birth or remove parasites. Really? Hmmmm.
Maybe it would be more accurate to say = rays didn't used to attack people.
While recent ray aggression isn't natural terrorism, I do have to wonder what it's about. The odds of one randomly flying out of the water and striking a person has to be tiny … the chance of it happening twice, super-microscopic. Even on a high traffic boating day, we're not talking shoulder to shoulder population density here.
What if ray assaults are gravitations? Is it possible for rays to respond to some signal or force we don't know about? Could they be honing in on people in some strange manner akin to a laser guided missile? Yeah, yeah … I know how airy fairy that sounds, but …
Is it feasible stingrays are fleeing a waterborne vibration or tone? Are there reports of lots of rays jumping? If a lot of them are taking wing, the chance of someone being in the flight path goes up a bit. If there aren't many leaping, it seems remote they'd land on anything. Maybe humans are emitting a homing signal?
Alas, I only wonder … I certainly don't know. However … the 'wrong place at the wrong time' explanation is a bit much to swallow. Even if there's a newfangled boat or motor noise setting stingrays off, a person simply doesn't make much of a target at sea. It's high strangeness.
Recent stingray assaults:
March 19 2008 … Florida Keys
… stingray lept out of water killing Judy Kay Zagorski as she was sunbathing on a boat
… expert synopsis = rays don't attack, they only jump to escape a predator, give birth and shake off parasites
Oct 18 2006 … Ft Lauderdale area, Florida coast
… stingray jumps into a boat and stings James Bertakis in the heart; he lived
… experts crawled out of the woodwork to say = freakish accident, rays don't jump, the man must have caught it and lugged it onboard; it was irritated and fought back
Sept 4, 2006 … Great Barrier Reef ...
… stingray kills Steve Irwin, wildlife advocate and television personality, by stabbing him in heart
… reports = freakish accident, he swan too close, threatened the ray, boxed it in; the ray defended itself
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Heather Mills ... Brat on a Mission
The thing about Heather Mills is: … she makes sympathy way too difficult.
On the whole, I'm dispassionately sorry for any starry eyed spouse scorned by a grieving lover. I've seen it happen with young and old alike … it's a pitiful circumstance of failed expectation. Like a broken record that just keeps on playing, the sad scenario repeats … most times, it doesn't make headlines.
There's a tone of desperation that underlies the combination of marriage and unresolved grief. While it's never mine to judge, I can't help but look with squinty eyes on unions consummated in the wake of death … a wake that, in my experience, lingers for at least a decade.
Heather may have been naïve, unaware of what she was getting into on deeper emotional levels. Maturity may have found her crying in waters over her head. She may have been overly confident in the healing power of her feminine wiles. That's about all the slack available to cut if you're inclined to give her the benefit of doubt.
It looks to me like she didn't care. She had other fish to fry: … her fame, her fortune, her glory, her her her. Despite occasional obligatory peeps about protecting their child's future, what I see in Heather's eyes, facial expressions and body language are the defiant machinations of a brat.
She comes across as an unskilled eight year old who's misinterpreting her loud, boisterous, obnoxious, smug and contrived outbursts as successful maneuvers for dominance … when, in reality, people are turning their backs and rolling their eyes because they can't abide the ridiculous.
Heather had an opportunity … she was ideally positioned to be a positive role model. Maybe better PR could still help. Maybe she'd benefit from one of those spiritual advisors politicians keep in the wings.
Alas, grace and wisdom don't seem her forte … she'll probably just rant on in hope garnering undue attention when and where she can.
On the whole, I'm dispassionately sorry for any starry eyed spouse scorned by a grieving lover. I've seen it happen with young and old alike … it's a pitiful circumstance of failed expectation. Like a broken record that just keeps on playing, the sad scenario repeats … most times, it doesn't make headlines.
There's a tone of desperation that underlies the combination of marriage and unresolved grief. While it's never mine to judge, I can't help but look with squinty eyes on unions consummated in the wake of death … a wake that, in my experience, lingers for at least a decade.
Heather may have been naïve, unaware of what she was getting into on deeper emotional levels. Maturity may have found her crying in waters over her head. She may have been overly confident in the healing power of her feminine wiles. That's about all the slack available to cut if you're inclined to give her the benefit of doubt.
It looks to me like she didn't care. She had other fish to fry: … her fame, her fortune, her glory, her her her. Despite occasional obligatory peeps about protecting their child's future, what I see in Heather's eyes, facial expressions and body language are the defiant machinations of a brat.
She comes across as an unskilled eight year old who's misinterpreting her loud, boisterous, obnoxious, smug and contrived outbursts as successful maneuvers for dominance … when, in reality, people are turning their backs and rolling their eyes because they can't abide the ridiculous.
Heather had an opportunity … she was ideally positioned to be a positive role model. Maybe better PR could still help. Maybe she'd benefit from one of those spiritual advisors politicians keep in the wings.
Alas, grace and wisdom don't seem her forte … she'll probably just rant on in hope garnering undue attention when and where she can.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Pride Accelerateth a Fall?
Let's see, in addition to 'uncaring, reckless and ill-informed,' there's arrogant, stupid, prideful, egotistical, flippant, pretentious, negligent, delusional, blind, insensitive, narcissistic, biased, manipulative … well, you get the idea.
"Forty-six influential members of the Southern Baptist Convention, including three of its past four presidents, criticized their denomination in a statement Monday for being 'too timid' in confronting global warming.
Our cautious response to these issues in the face of mounting evidence may be seen by the world as uncaring, reckless and ill-informed," the statement says. 'We can do better.'" … March 10, 2008 CNN
It's heartening to entertain thoughts of a shift in holy hide-bound consciousness, even one instituted for the sake of appearances.
I'll be looking to see what becomes of this 'my-bad' posturing because "… MAY BE SEEN …" certainly sounds like a platform for future manipulation and an onslaught of related propaganda.
My deepest hope is that hubris hasn't done us in already.
"Forty-six influential members of the Southern Baptist Convention, including three of its past four presidents, criticized their denomination in a statement Monday for being 'too timid' in confronting global warming.
Our cautious response to these issues in the face of mounting evidence may be seen by the world as uncaring, reckless and ill-informed," the statement says. 'We can do better.'" … March 10, 2008 CNN
It's heartening to entertain thoughts of a shift in holy hide-bound consciousness, even one instituted for the sake of appearances.
I'll be looking to see what becomes of this 'my-bad' posturing because "… MAY BE SEEN …" certainly sounds like a platform for future manipulation and an onslaught of related propaganda.
My deepest hope is that hubris hasn't done us in already.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Antidepressant Stupidity
"There's very little likelihood that withdrawal from Prozac could, by itself, cause someone to become violent" ... Dr. Nada Stotland, professor of psychiatry at Rush Medical College and president-elect of the American Psychiatric Association.
There may be a high fallutin' word ... but MORON fits.
Thumbs Down = Dr. NS
Thumbs Down = APA for supporting denial & propangada
There may be a high fallutin' word ... but MORON fits.
Thumbs Down = Dr. NS
Thumbs Down = APA for supporting denial & propangada
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