Leadership is Missing in America

The last time I wrote a controversial piece was the jury deliberations in The State of Florida vs. Zimmerman case. Pundits lost the message as they set out to start another narrative about gun ownership. The media loves to have two sides to any controversy. It creates drama and tension for their ratings, but it's still not a solution to a problem.


I think people speaking out about Kaepernick's right to protest isn't a solution either. All you manage to pull off is discover how many supporters each side has in their court. Kaepernick is an ignorant young man. He protested on the only stage he has and it just happens to be a large stage with a captive audience. It was a controversial thing to do and this fact is diluting his message. Those types of protests are ineffective. How does this help the communities that are deteriorating?


These communities are in need of strong leaders to serve as role models. Leaders don't burn down buildings, loot businesses, and disrespect the American flag.  Leaders evolve and rise to the top, but nobody is taking the lead inside these communities. Athletes with large stages protest but never step foot in the communities that are in trouble. And the leaders in the NFL community? From nowhere are they heard. Sad, isn't it? Let's put this in perspective here:

In 2012, the NFL fined the San Diego Chargers $20,000 because they failed to surrender towels on time when directed to do so by an NFL official.

 In 2014, the Cleveland Browns general manager used an electronic device many times. The NFL suspended him for the first four games of the 2015 season. The team incurred a $250,000 fine.

If these athletes are so passionate about making a difference, they should get involved. If black lives matter, go to the office of the Mayor and demand more. Go to the local leaders in the legislature and protest. Campaign to throw out ineffective leaders. The lazy way out is to sit out the national anthem while collecting millions from your fans and sponsors. This is why I'm boycotting the NFL. Maybe when the network ratings drop, the sponsors will wake up.


There is a bigger issue here than black lives or blue lives. It's about leadership and the lack of it in places where it's needed the most. When are the leaders going to step up and do something about it? There are generous black celebrities who use their wealth and power to help out black causes. Yet, the communities that need the most are those where it seems the only folks who visit are the cops.

These young athletes could use a reminder from Dr. King.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others.   

    --Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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HASHTAG boycott NFL - Fail

I understand that many are upset with the protests occurring during the national anthem at NFL games. Athletes refusing to stand for the anthem chaps my ass as well. I won't mention names because I think these guys already get plenty of the attention they crave. I'm writing this post, not to lambaste the players for protesting by sitting during the anthem, but to say, "Really, America?"

Here's the point. Hash tags are great and social media is a valuable tool to make your point. But, hash tags and trending on Twitter do not make #BoycottNFL speak louder than the acts of the protesters. If you're still attending games and tuning in, then you only have yourselves to blame.

These players have the freedom to protest how they wish, but they can still be swayed by the consequences of their actions. Capitalism is what gives these players their stage. This is how Capitalism works.  When you buy something like a game ticket, it's called demand. When they get paid millions to play, it's called supply. Stop using Twitter as if it were some magical device that will end offensive behavior by trending a message. Instead, stop buying tickets and tuning into these games. People think that the more outrage they show on social media the more impact it will have. Maybe it will get the word out, maybe it won't. What percentage of those outraged will actually boycott the NFL? I hope 100%! Who's with me? There's still college ball. :)

Yes, I know there are plenty of players who show respect and they shouldn't be punished for the few who decide to basically put their finger to the society who feeds them, all too well. In my day, if one part of your group acted up, the entire group paid for it. When one group member didn’t do their assignment, everyone in the group got a poor grade. When enough of that shit happens, trust me, those few acting up will assimilate as the team sees fit. Until you decide to stop feeding the problem, the problem will remain.  These NFL teams aren't going to get the bad apples in line as long as they are getting fed by the same hand (sports fans). See what I mean? 

Put your money somewhere else for the time being and watch these teams kick some petulant children in the ass. Until then, these things will spiral out of control. These athletes will continue to bring in multi millions from sponsors, because society can’t get enough of these wonderful athletes and celebrity douche bags.

Thanks for tuning in, but I'm tuning out (of the NFL). See you next time!

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Sexist Promotional Materials - Communications

Will they ever come out with a course entitled Communication Skills for Men? The subtitle could be "How to achieve results without causing conflict and chaos among your dedicated and very competent staff."

I'm not being ugly, but a man MUST have written this course ware. Seriously. The last time I attended one of these seminars "for women" half the registrants were men!

We could all use some guidance here. Stop this nonsense of calling out women as if we are the only ones lacking in communications skills. Men have just as much room for growth in this department. We need just one seminar, "Professional Communication Skills."

Get it? How hard is that?



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How Not to Get Eaten by a Shark

I've been hearing lots about sharks this past couple of weeks, from videos on Facebook to news stories, even major headlines across the nation. West Coast, East Coast, the Gulf? Name it, there was a shark mentioned or video taped. Oh my gosh, a shark! Look at it...swimming. There...in the ocean!

This morning I'd had enough when a Fox News anchor asked of his guest, "Tell us, share with us, Chris, just how do folks stay safe from shark attacks this Summer?"

This, folks, is why I decided to study Communications. It's to help claw my way back to sanity. Seriously. Here's an excerpt from a news source:

San Diego lifeguards also depend on helicopters to track shark activity. The town of Seal Beach, California, made headlines recently by using drones to monitor sharks.

So we invade their habitat and waste tons of resources monitoring it like a militarized zone? Nice.

Here's a novel idea. How about STAY OUT OF THE FREAKING OCEAN!

End rant.



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Word of the Day - Security

Word of the Day

Security

noun
1.
freedom from danger, risk, etc.; safety.
2.
freedom from care, anxiety, or doubt; well-founded confidence.


Tim and I walked out of Walmart this evening with a handful of purchased goods and the security alarm went off. I was like, "Screw it. I'm running to the car." And I did.

I know this seems childish, but I'm tired of those things going off because some lazy cashier didn't swipe to deactivate the magnetic strip on my new PC game. That's right, it's mine. I paid for it. As definition number one states, I have the freedom from danger, risk, etc. Why? Because I have a receipt that says the product is mine. I am free from the danger of going to jail for shoplifting.

Last I checked, running is not a crime.

Walmart folks probably know they have a loose policy because human error almost always accounts for 99.9% of false alarms. So when these devices go off, nobody cares. And you know what? Nobody came after us either, and then I wondered why.

What if they had come after us? They would have checked our receipt and discovered, yet again, their security system is flawed.

Staff policy enforcer asks, "So, if you were innocent, why were you running?" 

"Because your fat ass was chasing me!"

Um, yeah. I think I did.

So why even bother to have this system in place if you're not going to run after us and check our receipts, or only do so discriminately? Sure it would be embarrassing to cause such a ruckus in the parking lot, but if you're using the alarm system as a deterrent, then you have to police a little better than this, right?

The funnier matter is watching the alarm go off on other folks who haven't gotten fed up just yet. They look around all astonished, turn back toward the store workers, hands and bags in the air hoping for assistance, and all the while, they have shock and disgrace written all over their faces.

WTF!? I paid for this shit!

A worker then walks toward the victim, who has now attracted the attention of every single person in the store, and says, "Oh, that's okay. Someone probably just forgot to swipe the security strip on a product you bought." They wave at the customer and motion for her to go ahead and leave, as if that customer had been officially detained somehow.

This is an example of the second definition of security. The store worker has the freedom from care, anxiety, or doubt; well-founded confidence. She's confident that something didn't get swiped. How so? Because, SHE forgets to do that shit all the time!

I wonder if you can sue major businesses when their security policies cause undue embarrassment and emotional duress like these stupid false alarms, because if you don't enforce properly, this becomes a bullying mechanism at best.


What security systems baffle you due to their uselessness?




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When There's a Lack of Progress

I've been thinking a lot about my career lately and what seems to be the progress I have NOT made. It appears whenever opportunity knocks and I decide to answer, the door gets swiftly shut in my face. But you know what? Life isn't over by a long shot. You can do things to make a more positive experience for yourself. One of those things is to list out the obstacles which keep you down. Share them with friends and family. Get some input and have a few laughs. Try not to let things get you down. Your day is coming!

Here is my list of 5 things that go wrong in the work place and how you can combat them to make your life bearable again.




Lack of Motivation

Don't give up! Find new things to occupy your mind while others around you are attempting to drown out your enthusiasm. Why? Because when you find new things that spark your interest, you're likely to find others who will follow. There IS a difference between controlling the status quo and paving a path to a brighter future. Be that change you want to see. Don't just let things happen to you.




Lack of Experience

Are you watching the same mistakes being made from afar? You know what's wrong, but you don't have the authority to step in and give a helping hand, right? Do it anyway. Point out the obvious. You are more likely to get a thank you than an angry outburst for your meddling behavior.




Lack of Supervision

You've seen it, too? Those irresponsible twits who get away with everything they're doing wrong, never to be held accountable for their actions. Yeah, annoying as hell. If something is getting ready to land on your ass, you need to say something. If you don't say anything, you're just as guilty when something goes wrong.




Lack of Proper Coaching

When relying on teamwork, it's very painful when you make the right move and the other player is not focused on the task at hand. Makes for a big disappointment, one which overshadows your wonderful skills and desire to perform well. Be patient. If you have a coach, remember, they don't like to lose either. Some adjustments might need to be tweaked. Give it some time. The team will come together if the right coach is in place.




Lack of Professionalism

No need to explain this one. We all know too well those at work who seem to throw things in your face whenever the opportunity presents itself. They love to remind you how great they are and how not so great you are. Sure, they don't know how transparent they are, they just think they're too cool to deal with you on a professional level.






I think for now, I'm done. Let this be a lesson to you all. Play nice, and remember…always know, life is too short to let these things bother you.

I'm good, you're good, and life's good. Peace out!

Do you find these things in your life or at work? If you have a situation to add, please do so in the comments!



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Racist Intent or Desensitized?

A fellow blogger at the FWA Conference Blog posted an interesting article and my comment to his article grew into a bit of a rant, so rather than post the entire comment on his blog, I decided to share it here and back link to the article. Here's a glimpse:

An author I follow on Facebook posted the other day that she was talking to a middle school group and brought up that one of her novels involved Mexican drug cartels.  Several of the middle schoolers in attendance immediately and forcefully declared her work to be racist. Based on her Facebook post, she reasonably found the experience to be unsettling. 

Read more...

For reference:
       
rac·ist [rey-sist]
noun
1.
a person who believes in racism, the doctrine that a certain human race is superior to any or all others.

adjective
2.
of or like racists or racism: racist policies; racist attitudes.


How does writing a novel involving Mexican drug cartels have anything to do with being racist? If her novel is about Mexican dope dealers selling drugs, smuggling prostitutes, and all other kinds of negative things, it's STILL not racist. So why are we teaching this to our children?

The last thing I would ever do is compromise the integrity of my story by tip toeing around social issues. I think I've mentioned that before. It seems to me the mass media has taken to the role of policing creative inspiration by filling our minds with this nonsense of everything being racist if it is the least bit offensive to any group. I see this more often today than I have ever before.

I guess she could have written about a Japanese drug cartel instead. Only that wouldn't make any sense, because the Yakuza are not as famously recognized in the media as are the Mexican drug cartels. The Yakuza would wipe out any Mexican drug cartel because everyone knows, with over 103,000 members, the Japanese house is, by far, the superior criminal organization.

Now, that's racist. 
         

Personally, I think authors risk more by presenting their characters "out of character" than if they simply tell the story. We've built this wonderful country upon common goals and objectives, yet we came together as people from different cultures and backgrounds, and we're still struggling.

The magic of fiction. I can be whoever I want to be!

Don't you think it's time we embrace Ethnic Literature in the classroom? Let our children read what real authors write about their own culture and people. Let them know it's okay to be different, that our differences are accepted, and it's okay to talk about our differences, our cultures, and our history. The good. The bad. The ugly.

I absolutely loved Ethnic Literature. It was my favorite class in college. I wish I could recall the name of the text book. It was a compilation of short stories by authors of varying cultural backgrounds. I remember stories by Chinese, Italian, African, and Mexican authors, and I was blown away by the unfiltered honesty in the stories they shared about themselves and each other.

I wish people would stop criticizing and start opening their hearts to the dialogue being shared. Get passed the individual shame and embrace humanity as a whole and I believe you will feel less inclined to accuse anyone of being a racist, even if they write fictitious stories about racist characters. At least, that's how I see it. There was a lively discussion about this issue at the end of Stephen King's short story, Herman Wouk Is Still Alive.

I'm not minimizing racism. Racists do exist. Call them out when you see fit, but like the big bad wolf, the boy who cried wolf is out there as well. When he cries wolf too many times, the power of his cry is diminished. People don't hear the cry anymore. It's weakened to the point it's not effective.

Do you think society has been too quick to call things racist or sexist? Is it easier to do that than it is to analyze what's presented before us? As writers, do you find yourselves oppressed and your creative inspirations wilted over the fear of being branded or criticized as was this author?

The Pissed Off Mommy - Character of the Day

I saw this circulating on Facebook the other day and it pissed me off. This sounds condescendingly preachy, but I understand the sentiment.

All too often we see out-of-control children, but you have to ask yourself this: What are your surroundings when you encounter such unruly shits? Is there a proliferation of brats pouring into our streets that you must call out ALL parents in general? I think not!

Those of us who raised our children in loving and caring environments so they may develop into productive members of society, may find this a little off-putting or offensive, only because we view things differently now that we've had children and understand the often under appreciated demands of parenthood.

My response as a mother of two beautiful and respectful adult children:

1. We never finish with them, okay?
2. We teach our children tolerance, whereby they may live peacefully among those disrespectful and classless shits raised by other people.
3. If you don't have children or are a parent of an unruly, classless shit, remember this: When you become an elderly member of society, you may need assistance from one of our grown children, whether he or she be a doctor, a nurse, or an assisted living coordinator. Please remember to thank us for never being finished. 

Tip: Respect is not taught, it is earned. Here's a helpful video. Please watch, learn, and practice before you preach!

Signed,

The Pissed Off Mommy