Saturday was a symbolically important day for me- the first time I voted in a National election.The last time one came around, I was only just 17 so I missed the boat. However, quite a few people in my year were already 18 so they got to vote. It's not that big a deal, but it's a symbolic thing. So that was quite an experience; it does make you feel quite grown up! The weather was nice enough and the voting station was close enough for me to be able to walk there, which was quite cool!
Speaking of the weather though, there was a rather farcical situation that emerged here just leading up to the election. The electoral commission advised users of social media that they would have to comply with their rules concerning statements made on election day. This meant no bagging or promoting candidates, no saying who you voted for, and in one case, it was advised that you not mention what the weather was like in case it had an adverse effect on potential voters. Now that is just ridiculous.
Fortunately the issue cropped up very late in the piece and not too much was made of it. It could have been quite a storm in a teacup but it didn't get much exposure. It's rather typical of this country; we just can't do politics seriously. It seemed that the election campaigns rapidly descended into personal battles and, quite literally, a storm in a teacup. But that's what I love about our country; we're too far removed from the real nutjobs and the corruption. Sure we could be a lot more progressive at times but we're not any worse than anyone. If Winston Peters is the worst our political landscape can produce, we're not too bad off.
For the record, I was happy with the result. I really don't think the National government did anything to warrant getting kicked out; I personally admire John Key because he's such a plain-speaking, ordinary guy. There's a lot of transparency there which is great for politicians. My middle-class upbringing has me naturally geared towards a National government, and I don't have a problem with getting some money out of our assets, so generally I'm quite happy. As for Winston, I think he's a bit of a laugh. He's just going to be a nagging voice and he really can't do too much, so I'm not too worried.
It's good to see the Greens getting some more votes as they move towards a more mainstream public image. There's only so far a 'hippy' culture look can get you. The ACT party is a bit of a joke and everyone knows it; they really don't seem to know what they're doing. I'm not a fan of John Banks for the things he is on record saying against gays, but my family has had dealings with him in the past and he's not that bad a guy. Again though, it's personalities not policies in the end. I'm pretty sure guys like Chris Fa'afoi got more votes because their name is known outside of politics.
Anyway, I have always sworn myself off politics. With my brain and a like for rhetoric, some people have suggested I should be involved, but it's just such a terrible profession (says a lawyer-to-be!) that I don't want to be involved in it. I'm not a fan of the people who get so involved in it it's off-putting, and unfortunately, those are the sorts that go on to be in parliament. Ah well, it's New Zealand and it's all much of a muchness anyway.
Q.E.D.
My Blog Now Has.... Fish??
Monday, November 28, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
How Small Is A Minority?
One of the biggest developments in the 20th century was no doubt the growth of movements promoting equality, against oppression based on race, gender, sexual orientation, class and so on. That these all grew in such a short time is very interesting; it makes you wonder why in the history of civilisation these things hadn't worked and then they came in a rush. Some people would argue that the length of time this oppression went on justifies it as being 'natural'. Some people would say women had always had a lesser place in society so that's just the way it is.
Obviously, that's a terrible argument. These issues have so many factors and elements to them; I couldn't possibly go into it all. But the point that interests me is the idea of a 'minority'. Obviously, this starts life as a statistical grouping, though in real life it's more of a physical thing. People are more often than not singled out as being part of a minority by their appearance. Looking different was often very bad. Their small numbers made them easy to surround, cut off and oppress without raising any problems in society.
But what is a minority statistically? Is it anything less than a majority? Is 49% of society a minority? Obviously one gender will be a statistical minority but that won't make any difference in and of itself. So how far do you limit it? 30%? 20%? The point is it's not an inherently statistical thing, despite attempts to classify it. Generally, it is a group of people that are seen as 'different' from the predominate viewpoint of society. This can lead to the interesting situation where the view that distinguished minorities is one only seen by a small percentage of society- but the important one, the ones with all the money and the power. This is particularly prominent in the US, where society is still geared as a white male dominated system, yet their numbers are decreasing and 'minorities' are making huge population advances.
Anyway, my main point was that a minority as a percentage of society isn't a good indicator, because it will depend on the size of society. When the world headed into the 20th century, it wasn't nearly as full of people as it is now. Even if the statistical make-up of society remained constant, there would still be more net people in these minorities. For instance: 10% of 100 is 10, 10% of 10,000 is 1,000. While the 10 and 1,000 are still the same percent, their actual number is different. Sure, the 1,000 are surrounded by a lot more people. But if you group them all together in one place, their numbers reach the point where they are no longer a 'minority' and you cannot oppress them. So if you put those 10% all in one hall for a meeting, the total number becomes very important.
Several things brought me to think of this; firstly watching the amazing film Milk, which showed how Harvey Milk rose to political office in San Fransico; he was the first openly gay man elected in California; his story is fairly remarkable and very well told in the movie. What I found interesting was the focus on the way the disenfranchised minorities gathered together around Castro Street and the surrounding locations, and the power that this gave them. Obviously it had political implications for voting, especially when areas were re-zoned. But generally it seemed to help the culture flourish. It's incredible what can happen when you bring people together; though they would be a minority elsewhere and easily singled out, there they were the majority in their own patch. And that's an interesting thought.
Secondly, I recently was reading/listening to someone talking about being at ComicCon (I can't remember who) and one thing he said was that it 'makes you feel more famous than you are'. This is the same point again- all those sci-fi, fantasy nerds were all grouped in one place, so it was very easy to think of them as the majority and hence the norm. Today the popularity of these things is becoming well-entrenched in society, but you can imagine in days gone by where being 'nerds' was treated with disdain, that these gatherings would have been even more important for these people because it allowed them not to feel different, but to feel like one of the crowd. That, more than anything, is what equality is really about. Not being given proportional opportunities, but just feeling like you are normal and fit in- that whatever it is about you that once may have seen you ostracised will no longer be any consideration consciously or sub-consciously in the minds of others. I'm all for that.
Finally, I was watching some of the TV show on The Kennedys (what a tragic family!!) and there was one scene focusing on the incident concerning a black student trying to enrol in a white university in Mississippi in the early 1960's. This was a big deal at the time. Scenes showed angry protesters shouting messages of hate at this man, just for wanting to go to this university. I sat there and wondered where those people are today and what people would think of them now. It was the same with the people in Milk. Obviously the late 20th century saw a great move towards acceptance of people, but there is undoubtedly more to be done. I realised that 'conservatism' is simply people who are too grounded in the past and not willing to move on. That's the same logic that led to two World Wars and the pointless deaths of so many people throughout history.
Q.E.D.
Obviously, that's a terrible argument. These issues have so many factors and elements to them; I couldn't possibly go into it all. But the point that interests me is the idea of a 'minority'. Obviously, this starts life as a statistical grouping, though in real life it's more of a physical thing. People are more often than not singled out as being part of a minority by their appearance. Looking different was often very bad. Their small numbers made them easy to surround, cut off and oppress without raising any problems in society.
But what is a minority statistically? Is it anything less than a majority? Is 49% of society a minority? Obviously one gender will be a statistical minority but that won't make any difference in and of itself. So how far do you limit it? 30%? 20%? The point is it's not an inherently statistical thing, despite attempts to classify it. Generally, it is a group of people that are seen as 'different' from the predominate viewpoint of society. This can lead to the interesting situation where the view that distinguished minorities is one only seen by a small percentage of society- but the important one, the ones with all the money and the power. This is particularly prominent in the US, where society is still geared as a white male dominated system, yet their numbers are decreasing and 'minorities' are making huge population advances.
Anyway, my main point was that a minority as a percentage of society isn't a good indicator, because it will depend on the size of society. When the world headed into the 20th century, it wasn't nearly as full of people as it is now. Even if the statistical make-up of society remained constant, there would still be more net people in these minorities. For instance: 10% of 100 is 10, 10% of 10,000 is 1,000. While the 10 and 1,000 are still the same percent, their actual number is different. Sure, the 1,000 are surrounded by a lot more people. But if you group them all together in one place, their numbers reach the point where they are no longer a 'minority' and you cannot oppress them. So if you put those 10% all in one hall for a meeting, the total number becomes very important.
Several things brought me to think of this; firstly watching the amazing film Milk, which showed how Harvey Milk rose to political office in San Fransico; he was the first openly gay man elected in California; his story is fairly remarkable and very well told in the movie. What I found interesting was the focus on the way the disenfranchised minorities gathered together around Castro Street and the surrounding locations, and the power that this gave them. Obviously it had political implications for voting, especially when areas were re-zoned. But generally it seemed to help the culture flourish. It's incredible what can happen when you bring people together; though they would be a minority elsewhere and easily singled out, there they were the majority in their own patch. And that's an interesting thought.
Secondly, I recently was reading/listening to someone talking about being at ComicCon (I can't remember who) and one thing he said was that it 'makes you feel more famous than you are'. This is the same point again- all those sci-fi, fantasy nerds were all grouped in one place, so it was very easy to think of them as the majority and hence the norm. Today the popularity of these things is becoming well-entrenched in society, but you can imagine in days gone by where being 'nerds' was treated with disdain, that these gatherings would have been even more important for these people because it allowed them not to feel different, but to feel like one of the crowd. That, more than anything, is what equality is really about. Not being given proportional opportunities, but just feeling like you are normal and fit in- that whatever it is about you that once may have seen you ostracised will no longer be any consideration consciously or sub-consciously in the minds of others. I'm all for that.
Finally, I was watching some of the TV show on The Kennedys (what a tragic family!!) and there was one scene focusing on the incident concerning a black student trying to enrol in a white university in Mississippi in the early 1960's. This was a big deal at the time. Scenes showed angry protesters shouting messages of hate at this man, just for wanting to go to this university. I sat there and wondered where those people are today and what people would think of them now. It was the same with the people in Milk. Obviously the late 20th century saw a great move towards acceptance of people, but there is undoubtedly more to be done. I realised that 'conservatism' is simply people who are too grounded in the past and not willing to move on. That's the same logic that led to two World Wars and the pointless deaths of so many people throughout history.
Q.E.D.
Monday, November 21, 2011
The Power Of Suggestion
Words are very powerful; I'd like to think so. Maybe with my words I can change someone's life? Ok so that's probably pushing it, but words are incredible at invoking feelings, memories, colours, emotions, smells and so much more. Normally the best way to do this is by directly talking about something; but sometimes it's better if you make someone think of something themselves, because it will seem more real.
The associations our brains make with words are unique to us. In that way, seven people can take something you write seven different ways. That's the beauty of leaving it up to the reader- they make what they want of it and they will believe it because it's natural for them. Then there is simple word association- where one word makes you think of another. This can have many effects- humorous, profound and so on.There are numerous examples of this sort of thing, but I thought I would point out a couple I can think of which illustrate the way in which this happens.
The most obvious of these is Monty Python's 'Word Association Football' sketch. As you can tell from the title, it's rather humorous but some of the puns are a little dry. Below is the full text, and you can listen to it on youtube here.
Tonight's the night I shall be talking about of flu the subject of word association football. This is a technique out a living much used in the practice makes perfect of psychoanalysister and brother and one that has occupied piper the majority rule of my attention squad by the right number one two three four the last five years to the memory. It is quite remarkable baker charlie how much the miller's son this so-called while you were out word association immigrants' problems influences the manner from heaven in which we sleekit cowering timrous beasties all-American speak, the famous explorer. And the really well that is surprising partner in crime is that a lot and his wife of the lions' feeding time we may be c d e effectively quite unaware of the fact or fiction section of the Watford Public Library that we are even doing it is a far, far better thing that I do now then, now then, what's going onward christian Barnard the famous hearty part of the lettuce now praise famous mental homes for loonies like me. So on the button, my contention causing all the headaches, is that unless we take into account of Monte Cristo in our thinking George the Fifth this phenomenon the other hand we shall not be able satisfact or fiction section of the Watford Public Library againily to understand to attention when I'm talking to you and stop laughing, about human nature, man's psychological make-up some story the wife'll believe and hence the very meaning of life itselfish bastard, I'll kick him in the balls Pond Road.
You'll have to read that very, very carefully to get it all (and some of the references are British and outdated) but still, you get the picture. Some more serious examples can be found in songs; in Leonard Cohen's Light as the breeze, there is a fantastic line that goes:
Finally, it's time to introduce a bit of classical literature into this post; this technique is not a new one. Roman poets were very expressive with their language, and these sorts of plays on words were so important to them. I particularly remember this in Horace's Odes, which I studied in my first year at University. In Odes 3.13, he writes of the sacrifice of goat at a spring:
So never underestimate the power of words! They might just help you one day!
Q.E.D.
The associations our brains make with words are unique to us. In that way, seven people can take something you write seven different ways. That's the beauty of leaving it up to the reader- they make what they want of it and they will believe it because it's natural for them. Then there is simple word association- where one word makes you think of another. This can have many effects- humorous, profound and so on.There are numerous examples of this sort of thing, but I thought I would point out a couple I can think of which illustrate the way in which this happens.
The most obvious of these is Monty Python's 'Word Association Football' sketch. As you can tell from the title, it's rather humorous but some of the puns are a little dry. Below is the full text, and you can listen to it on youtube here.
Tonight's the night I shall be talking about of flu the subject of word association football. This is a technique out a living much used in the practice makes perfect of psychoanalysister and brother and one that has occupied piper the majority rule of my attention squad by the right number one two three four the last five years to the memory. It is quite remarkable baker charlie how much the miller's son this so-called while you were out word association immigrants' problems influences the manner from heaven in which we sleekit cowering timrous beasties all-American speak, the famous explorer. And the really well that is surprising partner in crime is that a lot and his wife of the lions' feeding time we may be c d e effectively quite unaware of the fact or fiction section of the Watford Public Library that we are even doing it is a far, far better thing that I do now then, now then, what's going onward christian Barnard the famous hearty part of the lettuce now praise famous mental homes for loonies like me. So on the button, my contention causing all the headaches, is that unless we take into account of Monte Cristo in our thinking George the Fifth this phenomenon the other hand we shall not be able satisfact or fiction section of the Watford Public Library againily to understand to attention when I'm talking to you and stop laughing, about human nature, man's psychological make-up some story the wife'll believe and hence the very meaning of life itselfish bastard, I'll kick him in the balls Pond Road.
You'll have to read that very, very carefully to get it all (and some of the references are British and outdated) but still, you get the picture. Some more serious examples can be found in songs; in Leonard Cohen's Light as the breeze, there is a fantastic line that goes:
And you turn in disgustWhen you're listening to it, on account of the rhyme, you hear the l of the final word and think 'lust'. But he says love instead; which is a really incredible thing to do. It fits into the greater picture of love in the song (lyrics here and an incredibly lengthy analysis of it here). It's so clever, I love that part of the song, which is a pretty cool song all round- it was covered by Billy Joel, it's that good! And speaking of BJ, in his song Zanzibar there is something similar. He sings:
from your hatred, from your love
She's waiting out in ShantytownThis one's a little more subtle, but very, very occasionally he sings an alternate version with 'her panties' instead of 'the curtains'. You get the picture. But it makes so much sense- it rhymes so well with Shantytown, you wonder why you didn't think of it yourself. I was lucky enough to be at a concert where he did so- it's very rare, I never heard it on record or video until his Last Play at Shea concert- when he did, I was so happy I shouted!!
She's gonna pull the curtains down for me, for me
Finally, it's time to introduce a bit of classical literature into this post; this technique is not a new one. Roman poets were very expressive with their language, and these sorts of plays on words were so important to them. I particularly remember this in Horace's Odes, which I studied in my first year at University. In Odes 3.13, he writes of the sacrifice of goat at a spring:
... nam gelidos inficiet tibiIn English, he says ' for the offspring of the playful flock will stain your chill streams with red blood.' Here he paints an amazing picture with two adjectives: gelidos and rubro, chill and red, which evoke the opposite idea in the other. To clarify, the 'chill' of the water makes you think of the warmth of the blood, while the 'red' of the blood makes you think of the blue/clear colour of the water. That's pretty impressive when you think about it. He does it elsewhere in the Odes, but that is my favourite example.
rubro sanguine riuos,
lasciui suboles gregis.
So never underestimate the power of words! They might just help you one day!
Q.E.D.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
The Trololo Song
I've done it, I found the sheet music for the Trololo Song, also known as 'I Am Glad, Cause I'm Finally Returning Back Home', made famous by Eduard Khil. If you want it, here is the link: (note it sometimes comes up with some Russian message about download restrictions, but it definitely worked the first time)
So that's pretty exciting! I know lots and lots of people are looking for it on the internet, so I'm glad I did! Hopefully they can come here and find it now, instead of trawling the depths of the internet endlessly. I have half a mind to sing the song in a competition- it's quite suited to my voice, and actually not that difficult! It would be quite funny too, I'd have to get someone to video it!
For those of you not familiar with the song, it has become a very viral meme on the internet. Much of it is because of the way the guy lip syncs, and generally the lack of lyrcis- hence the 'trololo'. Also it's got that slighlty crazy Russian feeling and terrible decor. Check out the video and you'll understand:
Now, picture me singing it as a 'folk song' in a classical singing competition, and the hilarity that ensues. You can see why I wanted the music; I just need to convince my teacher to let me do it!
Happy trolling everyone!!
Friday, November 18, 2011
The Death Of My Conservatism
I used to be ultra-conservative; up until a few years ago I was strongly against drinking, I had very white middle-class views on sex (both gender and the physical act), race and general intelligence. Needless to say, I've changed quite a bit since then. I had my first drink of alcohol on Christmas Eve last year, and since then have had quite a fun time discovering the many and varied varieties of wine and spirits. I must say that I cannot drink beer though, but because I just don't like the taste. As I write this now I have a glass of wine by my side. How the times change!
I was very uptight and I think a lot of my own views were a strange form of rebellion against a society into which I didn't fit in. I loathed all the kids going out drinking on the weekend, but really because I was excluded from their social groups. I was also brought up in a family with very little drinking, so it certainly wasn't the norm. My family environment I think was quite important, and it takes so long to realise how affected you are by it. For so much of my life I took the values I learned from my parents as the only way to see the world, without analysing them myself. I'm still learning to change this.
In my final year of school, I was voted the 'most likely to be the next Winston Peters'. For those of you not familiar with our country's political minefield, this was a reference to this politicians anti-immigration stance, particularly in relation to Asian ethnicities. I was to all intents and purposes, quite racist to them; however, I wasn't really serious about it, several of my good friends were Asian. I saw racist humour not as invective but as light humour, so I didn't see the harm in it. I'm learning that perspective is key and even though you may say something without any malice, it's how the other people take it that's really important. I definitely used my mouth as my only real weapon against bullies, and it eventually lead to me insulting even my own friends, even if I thought it was in jest.
Things certainly have changed; while I'm not over-cautious about the subject of race, as people in comedy shows are, I'm less judgemental. Testament to that was my last girlfriend was from Taiwan, and race was never, ever an issue there. I developed similar tendencies about gender; sexist humour appealed to mind especially, probably because it was so easy to elicit a reaction. That however, should have set alarm bells ringing. Again, I've learned to move on from that. I really don't judge people because of their gender. I am discretely aware, however, of people like that (on both sides) and can see easily through facades.
Likewise sex was something I frowned upon at my age; I think this was grounded in the honest idea that it should be an act of love not passion, but I was wrong to think that at my age it should never happen. We all know you have to start out somewhere; as with drinking, putting a complete ban on it would be senseless. You instead teach people how to deal with it in a safe way so there aren't any problems. That way, kids can satisfy their raging hormones without disaster. In terms of sexual orientation, my white middle-class upbringing taught me that homosexuality was bad and those people should be shunned. I think there is a lot of that inherent in society, and we can all easily slip back into that mode. But thought is changing and people are being less judgemental as a whole.
Which is good. I don't think it's a coincidence that the diminishment of the power of the church has been fairly equal with the recognition of 'rights' for homosexuality and similar issues. I think the issue is now a bit muddied; it's not really positive 'rights' that these people deserve, but rather the absence of contrary rights. The most important rights are those that need not be set in stone. I think that the law on rights etc should not distinguish based on gender. Obviously the marriage issue was muddied because of legal inheritance implications so the whole thing is rather messy. I do think, though, that we should not distinguish based on sexual orientation. It shouldn't be an issue; people shouldn't care about other people's feelings, let alone tell them what they should do.
I remember the first time this really hit me: I was listening to Rod Stewarts' song, The Killing of Georgie, which is a very sad song. It tells of a gay friend of his, who was unfortunately killed in a fight with a street gang. The most poignant line for me was near the start, where he says:
These changes have become all the more clear to me in recent days, as our country moves towards the election. This morning I was reading a document by the Conservative Party, and it stirred memories of the views I once had. But then I realised how much I had changed. Also, a recent article on the National Party Ministers' views on homosexuality made me rather sad; my inherent, National-biased upbringing wanted me to make excuses. While I did analyse it from both sides, it was blatant to see the obvious, out-dated views still held. Unfortunately, this is a mix of both personal views and majority politics. It is a sad reflection on society that parties still think they can win votes by appealing on 'family values' and putting down the rights of homosexuals and the like. But then again, things are much better than previously.
So that is where I stand; I'm still learning to deal with everything. It's very easy to fall back on what you were brought up to think. But I think that people should realise they can form their own views and that judging people is so, so wrong and pointless. We as a society need to move on from this. We're working on it, but there's much work still to be done. Obviously, I'm still straight but that doesn't mean you're in the other camp. There shouldn't be 'sides' at all. People should not judge others for following their heart. Lord knows we're all just looking for someone to share out lives with, why on earth should we worry what gender they are?
Q.E.D.
I was very uptight and I think a lot of my own views were a strange form of rebellion against a society into which I didn't fit in. I loathed all the kids going out drinking on the weekend, but really because I was excluded from their social groups. I was also brought up in a family with very little drinking, so it certainly wasn't the norm. My family environment I think was quite important, and it takes so long to realise how affected you are by it. For so much of my life I took the values I learned from my parents as the only way to see the world, without analysing them myself. I'm still learning to change this.
In my final year of school, I was voted the 'most likely to be the next Winston Peters'. For those of you not familiar with our country's political minefield, this was a reference to this politicians anti-immigration stance, particularly in relation to Asian ethnicities. I was to all intents and purposes, quite racist to them; however, I wasn't really serious about it, several of my good friends were Asian. I saw racist humour not as invective but as light humour, so I didn't see the harm in it. I'm learning that perspective is key and even though you may say something without any malice, it's how the other people take it that's really important. I definitely used my mouth as my only real weapon against bullies, and it eventually lead to me insulting even my own friends, even if I thought it was in jest.
Things certainly have changed; while I'm not over-cautious about the subject of race, as people in comedy shows are, I'm less judgemental. Testament to that was my last girlfriend was from Taiwan, and race was never, ever an issue there. I developed similar tendencies about gender; sexist humour appealed to mind especially, probably because it was so easy to elicit a reaction. That however, should have set alarm bells ringing. Again, I've learned to move on from that. I really don't judge people because of their gender. I am discretely aware, however, of people like that (on both sides) and can see easily through facades.
Likewise sex was something I frowned upon at my age; I think this was grounded in the honest idea that it should be an act of love not passion, but I was wrong to think that at my age it should never happen. We all know you have to start out somewhere; as with drinking, putting a complete ban on it would be senseless. You instead teach people how to deal with it in a safe way so there aren't any problems. That way, kids can satisfy their raging hormones without disaster. In terms of sexual orientation, my white middle-class upbringing taught me that homosexuality was bad and those people should be shunned. I think there is a lot of that inherent in society, and we can all easily slip back into that mode. But thought is changing and people are being less judgemental as a whole.
Which is good. I don't think it's a coincidence that the diminishment of the power of the church has been fairly equal with the recognition of 'rights' for homosexuality and similar issues. I think the issue is now a bit muddied; it's not really positive 'rights' that these people deserve, but rather the absence of contrary rights. The most important rights are those that need not be set in stone. I think that the law on rights etc should not distinguish based on gender. Obviously the marriage issue was muddied because of legal inheritance implications so the whole thing is rather messy. I do think, though, that we should not distinguish based on sexual orientation. It shouldn't be an issue; people shouldn't care about other people's feelings, let alone tell them what they should do.
I remember the first time this really hit me: I was listening to Rod Stewarts' song, The Killing of Georgie, which is a very sad song. It tells of a gay friend of his, who was unfortunately killed in a fight with a street gang. The most poignant line for me was near the start, where he says:
His mother's tears fell in vain
the afternoon George tried to explain
that he needed love like all the rest
Pa said there must be a mistake
how can my son not be straight
after all I've said and done for him
These changes have become all the more clear to me in recent days, as our country moves towards the election. This morning I was reading a document by the Conservative Party, and it stirred memories of the views I once had. But then I realised how much I had changed. Also, a recent article on the National Party Ministers' views on homosexuality made me rather sad; my inherent, National-biased upbringing wanted me to make excuses. While I did analyse it from both sides, it was blatant to see the obvious, out-dated views still held. Unfortunately, this is a mix of both personal views and majority politics. It is a sad reflection on society that parties still think they can win votes by appealing on 'family values' and putting down the rights of homosexuals and the like. But then again, things are much better than previously.
So that is where I stand; I'm still learning to deal with everything. It's very easy to fall back on what you were brought up to think. But I think that people should realise they can form their own views and that judging people is so, so wrong and pointless. We as a society need to move on from this. We're working on it, but there's much work still to be done. Obviously, I'm still straight but that doesn't mean you're in the other camp. There shouldn't be 'sides' at all. People should not judge others for following their heart. Lord knows we're all just looking for someone to share out lives with, why on earth should we worry what gender they are?
Q.E.D.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
New Beginnings
These past few weeks have been ones of doors closing and other opening. A week ago I had my last University exam for the year, which was naturally a great relief. That spelled (hopefully) the end Part II Law for me, and more importantly, the end of semesters with an equal law-arts paper split. Next year it's going to be all law except for one solitary arts paper, as will the year after that. That's a rather terrifying prospect; what's scarier is that I've all but finished an Arts degree! But for now University is over and I don't have to worry about it for a while!
So now I have a lot more time on my hands, I've had the chance to reflect on a lot of things and sort out my life a bit. I've been single for over a month now, and I'm getting very used to the idea of living alone- for however long. Unfortunately things at home aren't great, so I'm very thin on the ground in terms of people for support. I am very grateful for the friends I do have, especially those that have been there for me recently! Some of them probably don't realise how much it means to me. But as I say, new beginnings, and I'm learning to live the single life once more (I hadn't really been single for four years, which is very scary and unlikely if you know me!).
I'm getting back to writing, which is great. I'm hopefully going to get back into reading too, though I'm not quite sure where to start. I've been watching a lot of films and TV shows lately, which is a bit less taxing than novel reading. I've also been trying to listen to a lot of new music; it's funny, sometimes you don't realise how much you miss out on until you try to catch up. I've pretty much missed out on the last 20 years of almost every type of music, so I've got a lot to cover. It's the same with movies, though I've been trying to rectify that for a year now; I recently tallied up the movies I've seen since this time last year, and the total went past 80. Not bad!
I've been looking for jobs too- again, surprising if you knew me (though I realise so few people actually do know me!). I've applied for a couple and am waiting to hear back on them- one at a new local boutique cinema, one at a suit hire place. The longer the wait, the less confident I am, but we shall see! I have secured one job, selling some food for an Umpiring colleague at the Hobsonville Markets on Sundays. I'm starting this Sunday, so I'm quite looking forward to it! Speaking of umpiring, I haven't gone anywhere near a cricket pitch this season. I put it off during exams, and now I just can't quite get into it- perhaps I'll take a break until I'm keen to get back into it. I'll also have to wait and see how the jobs pan out!
I've bought a lot of new things too lately; I've got quite a few new shirts, several of them from the US. I'm a real sucker for a funny shirt, so I had to get a couple of ones from the Topatoco people, who sell merchandise for webcomics like SMBC and Questionable Content. I also bought some funny shirts on sale at Farmers (I really don't buy things unless I get some discount!) and some nice summer clothes from Jeanswest (40% off!!!). Then I bought a new duvet set for bed (half price haha) which I am SO happy about. It's just so perfect, everything I could want in a bed. It's actually the first time I've got a new duvet since I got my bed (before the turn of the millennium!). It is making me so happy, it's like having a whole new bed! Here it is:
So it's been quite an interesting time in my life! Coupled with getting a new computer to replace my old one, our Choir's recent 10th anniversary celebrations, and a whole lot of other things, it's been hectic! I'm glad I've survived a very busy couple of months and come out the other side. Summer easily makes things seem better so my spirits are lifting. The sun's out, my tan is well and truly owning everyone else's and life is generally looking good! Here's to new beginnings!!
Q.E.D.
So now I have a lot more time on my hands, I've had the chance to reflect on a lot of things and sort out my life a bit. I've been single for over a month now, and I'm getting very used to the idea of living alone- for however long. Unfortunately things at home aren't great, so I'm very thin on the ground in terms of people for support. I am very grateful for the friends I do have, especially those that have been there for me recently! Some of them probably don't realise how much it means to me. But as I say, new beginnings, and I'm learning to live the single life once more (I hadn't really been single for four years, which is very scary and unlikely if you know me!).
I'm getting back to writing, which is great. I'm hopefully going to get back into reading too, though I'm not quite sure where to start. I've been watching a lot of films and TV shows lately, which is a bit less taxing than novel reading. I've also been trying to listen to a lot of new music; it's funny, sometimes you don't realise how much you miss out on until you try to catch up. I've pretty much missed out on the last 20 years of almost every type of music, so I've got a lot to cover. It's the same with movies, though I've been trying to rectify that for a year now; I recently tallied up the movies I've seen since this time last year, and the total went past 80. Not bad!
I've been looking for jobs too- again, surprising if you knew me (though I realise so few people actually do know me!). I've applied for a couple and am waiting to hear back on them- one at a new local boutique cinema, one at a suit hire place. The longer the wait, the less confident I am, but we shall see! I have secured one job, selling some food for an Umpiring colleague at the Hobsonville Markets on Sundays. I'm starting this Sunday, so I'm quite looking forward to it! Speaking of umpiring, I haven't gone anywhere near a cricket pitch this season. I put it off during exams, and now I just can't quite get into it- perhaps I'll take a break until I'm keen to get back into it. I'll also have to wait and see how the jobs pan out!
I've bought a lot of new things too lately; I've got quite a few new shirts, several of them from the US. I'm a real sucker for a funny shirt, so I had to get a couple of ones from the Topatoco people, who sell merchandise for webcomics like SMBC and Questionable Content. I also bought some funny shirts on sale at Farmers (I really don't buy things unless I get some discount!) and some nice summer clothes from Jeanswest (40% off!!!). Then I bought a new duvet set for bed (half price haha) which I am SO happy about. It's just so perfect, everything I could want in a bed. It's actually the first time I've got a new duvet since I got my bed (before the turn of the millennium!). It is making me so happy, it's like having a whole new bed! Here it is:
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| I Love Black And White, But The Blue Is Just Perfect!! |
So it's been quite an interesting time in my life! Coupled with getting a new computer to replace my old one, our Choir's recent 10th anniversary celebrations, and a whole lot of other things, it's been hectic! I'm glad I've survived a very busy couple of months and come out the other side. Summer easily makes things seem better so my spirits are lifting. The sun's out, my tan is well and truly owning everyone else's and life is generally looking good! Here's to new beginnings!!
Q.E.D.
Over Nine Thousaaaaand!
Just a quick shout out to the fact that my blog has passed 10,000 page views! Pretty exciting, especially seeing I've hardly been writing much lately. But now Summer is here and I'm really keen to get back to blogging! So yay! And thanks to everyone who has contributed to this milestone! I do love my stats, so this is pretty big to me! So as a token of my appreciation, here is a funny picture:
P.s. If you don't get the reference in the title, you need some meme education!
Q.E.D.
P.s. If you don't get the reference in the title, you need some meme education!
Q.E.D.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Why My Toenails Getting Painted Is Actually Part Of A Major Gender Issue
So I went with some friends to the beach the other day, as you do. One thing led to another and, naturally, I ended up getting my toenails painted. As you do. Not really, but it was all in good fun. There I was, doing a bit of sunbathing after swimming and an intense game of touch, and all of a sudden the girls were talking about painting my toenails. I was too tired to resist and thought it would be funny, so pretty much this happened:
So this has been providing entertainment to me for the past few days. It's been interesting to see people's reactions; sometimes people stare at you, and you take a few seconds to realise why; others laugh and think it's ridiculous; some ironically praise how good they look; as far as I know, no one has yet said they honestly look nice! Which is probably fair enough, since they were done rather hastily and in several colours- the 'painter' would be first to admit that it wasn't a serious job. I have since learned that one needs nail polish remover (aptly named!) to get it off, which I believe we have some of, but I'm not in any real rush. It offers me a source of amusement whenever I look at my feet!
But the experience has also been rather revealing; people naturally react to the sight of a guy with painted toenails. It's instinctively wrong. I wonder why that is... Why is it that, more generally speaking, women are expected to do things like wear make up and get their nails polished, while if a man does it, he's seen as a drag queen or similar. It's a strange conundrum. I'm very much against sexism, though I'm also against affirmative action in that respect; I like to look at these sorts of questions- why do we expect women to unnaturally 'beautify' themselves, and why is the same thing frowned upon for men? Why is it not a 'manly' thing to do? I think people who make these distinctions are reinforcing a very bad stereotype.
There are some guys who do wear make up; rock stars seem to be using it more and more, although much of that can be put down to wanting a more 'defined' face on stage in front of a large audience, much like theatre make up. But there were goths and emos and all that jazz; then of course the drag queens, but their point is dressing up as women- nothing wrong with it, but it's a different example. Transvestites are similar, guys who like to wear girls' clothes. Well, good on them, I think women wear nice clothes so some guys might as well get in on it! My favourite comedian, Eddie Izzard, is a self-proclaimed 'executive transvestite', and boy does he dress well! I have noticed him doing so less as his popularity increased; I hope this wasn't forced upon him to make him more marketable or something. The things about transvestites and similar, which people often bring up, is that they are most often interested in women- it's not about wanting to be 'the girl' in a homosexual relationship- they just like to dress like them! Anyway, I'm venturing into a subject which I don't know all that much about.
What I will say is that I think it is a shame that people are so quick to divide things down a gender line, especially when it comes to appearance. Granted my toenails look quite silly, but I would have no problem getting them done properly in a nice colour, and I don't think other people should. Fingernails are the same- I actually have quite long fingernails, I have ever since I got braces and couldn't chew them any more. Some people have told me that it's 'wrong' or 'feminine', but I don't understand why! Men and women both have them; why should they be viewed so separately? Why should women be expected to have no body hair, while guys without it are not manly enough? It's frustrating when you think about it, but it's so deeply ingrained in people's mindsets.
I always remember listening to Eddie Izzard talking about when he first started wearing make up and the trouble it caused, and wondering why on earth this had to be the case? Why couldn't a guy wear make up? I quite like how make up can change a person's face so amazingly, in several different ways. I was helping set up at a party the other day, and some of the girls who came early already had their make up done- it took me a second to recognise them, but they looked great! It's amazing what you can do with the stuff- so why do only the girls get to do that? It puzzles me. To conclude, here's a picture of Eddie just to show my point:
Q.E.D.
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| The Right One Matches My Jandals! |
But the experience has also been rather revealing; people naturally react to the sight of a guy with painted toenails. It's instinctively wrong. I wonder why that is... Why is it that, more generally speaking, women are expected to do things like wear make up and get their nails polished, while if a man does it, he's seen as a drag queen or similar. It's a strange conundrum. I'm very much against sexism, though I'm also against affirmative action in that respect; I like to look at these sorts of questions- why do we expect women to unnaturally 'beautify' themselves, and why is the same thing frowned upon for men? Why is it not a 'manly' thing to do? I think people who make these distinctions are reinforcing a very bad stereotype.
There are some guys who do wear make up; rock stars seem to be using it more and more, although much of that can be put down to wanting a more 'defined' face on stage in front of a large audience, much like theatre make up. But there were goths and emos and all that jazz; then of course the drag queens, but their point is dressing up as women- nothing wrong with it, but it's a different example. Transvestites are similar, guys who like to wear girls' clothes. Well, good on them, I think women wear nice clothes so some guys might as well get in on it! My favourite comedian, Eddie Izzard, is a self-proclaimed 'executive transvestite', and boy does he dress well! I have noticed him doing so less as his popularity increased; I hope this wasn't forced upon him to make him more marketable or something. The things about transvestites and similar, which people often bring up, is that they are most often interested in women- it's not about wanting to be 'the girl' in a homosexual relationship- they just like to dress like them! Anyway, I'm venturing into a subject which I don't know all that much about.
What I will say is that I think it is a shame that people are so quick to divide things down a gender line, especially when it comes to appearance. Granted my toenails look quite silly, but I would have no problem getting them done properly in a nice colour, and I don't think other people should. Fingernails are the same- I actually have quite long fingernails, I have ever since I got braces and couldn't chew them any more. Some people have told me that it's 'wrong' or 'feminine', but I don't understand why! Men and women both have them; why should they be viewed so separately? Why should women be expected to have no body hair, while guys without it are not manly enough? It's frustrating when you think about it, but it's so deeply ingrained in people's mindsets.
I always remember listening to Eddie Izzard talking about when he first started wearing make up and the trouble it caused, and wondering why on earth this had to be the case? Why couldn't a guy wear make up? I quite like how make up can change a person's face so amazingly, in several different ways. I was helping set up at a party the other day, and some of the girls who came early already had their make up done- it took me a second to recognise them, but they looked great! It's amazing what you can do with the stuff- so why do only the girls get to do that? It puzzles me. To conclude, here's a picture of Eddie just to show my point:
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| Just.. Brilliant! |
Q.E.D.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Weird Or Wired?
I'm a firm believer in the analogy of brains being 'wired'. It quite neatly sums up the situation in my opinion. You're not 'born' with your brain, it's built up consciously and subconsciously over time. The process is like wiring because it's all about creating connections. Yes, this is happening on a scientific level but I'm in no way qualified to talk about that. What I mean is the more tangible evidence of this sort of thing- people whose brains are wired differently from other people's.
I know this because I'm one of them. And it's not just a case of being naturally a different kind of person, it's actually about how your brain is wired to perceive the world and react to it. Obviously people with clinical or physical dispositions have more obvious issues with their wiring, but there are those that, for one reason or another, are just different to everyone else. When you talk about 'normal' people, thinking in terms of a bell curve, the ones at the thin end are these sorts of people.
When it comes to people who are incredibly intelligent, like the Stephen Hawking, Einstein types, they are obviously wired completely differently. They perceive things in such a way that makes it easy to do and think what seems extraordinary to a 'normally' wired person. Moving down the scale, there are those people who are naturally 'gifted' and think in a slightly different way to others, but not to the extent of the afforementioned genuises. Then there are those who by experience and focus have wired their brains to be exceptionally good at certain things- it could be playing computer games, memorising sequences or playing chess- they've trained their brains so as to wire them in that way. It's a similar thing with physical activity and the idea of 'muscle memory', which is important for sports requiring precise movements repeated many times (e.g. darts, cricket etc).
Then there are those whose brains aren't wired very well and are slow on the uptake, in varying degrees. But by virtue of wiring, it may just be in relation to one thing. For instance the people who are fine at everything except maths- their brains just never quite got that bit. So you can see how this all fits in, especially with intelligence. A good way to think about this process is to consider this: if I told you a list of 20 names now, just the once, and a while later gave you 2 whole days to try and write them down, you would probably struggle and take most of that time to do it. If on the other hand I told you the list ten times and only gave you 2 minutes, you'd probably do better. That's because the repetition is wiring your brain; that's why scientists stress the amount of times you need to take in information to learn it properly. In my example, the length of time you get to try and work it out won't be any help if you just didn't form the proper links. You'll never work it out, no matter how hard you think. Most people don't really understand memory properly.
Memory and intelligence is only one part of it though; we are wired to do so much more. How to breathe is so ingrained it's subconscious. How to walk and talk and so on become very instinctive early on. How to react to the world, however, is something we develop continuously. The same people who are at the high end of the intelligence bell curve are also usually at the end of the 'normal' bell curve when it comes to social ability. This is no coincidence; that's not to say that intelligent people are just naturally awkward and anti-social. Because their brains get wired differently, they don't relate so well to people. Because they don't relate so well to people, they tend to be left on the outer in social circles and so on, leading to less social experience- and here's the key part- because they get less experience, their brains miss out on the key 'normal' brain wiring.
When people come together, they unknowingly form a collective- of ideas, opinions, culture and so on. They may have many different, individual elements, but society both finds common elements out of their own ones, and gives them common ones to share. This process is amazingly important in human life, yet it is hardly thought about. It is when people's brains are wired to be 'normal'. When people are left out of this- the anti-social, the outcasts etc- they are left without this wiring, which makes it progressively harder to fit in. The result is a spiral effect which is very hard to break. However, because this is becoming more prevalent and recognised, these people sometimes form their own culture, where they find their own grounds to relate on; or 'normal' people go out of their way to accept them in one way or another, usually on account of their skills. This allows them, if they want, a chance to break out of the circle. But it's not easy; you can't re-wire your brain overnight.
For their part, a lot of people on the outer, so to speak, are blissfully unaware of this. Often you find incredibly smart people are very awkward and difficult to deal with, yet they have no perception of this and are not troubled in any way. Unfortunately for others, they are all to aware of it and it makes life very difficult. That's the position I find myself in. I reached the point in my life where I realised how far into the spiral I was and I've been trying to break out of it. But as I say, it's just not that easy. You're not wired like most people and you can't change that quickly. You need to find people who are very patient and understanding, and hope they can help you. But it's very difficult to get outside your comfort zone, when in the past all that has brought for you was pain.
I use the term 'normal' being fully aware that it is an artificial construct; what I do mean by it is the general theme of behaviour, culture and thought that the majority of people are wired into, and those left out miss out on. It may be hard to conceptualise if you're on the inside. I'm not talking about most people here; you may think I mean people who are just different, but it's more than that. It's having a brain that is wired very differently. I envy those on the inside, I envy those who live their lives blissfully unaware that they're not. I believe that I am wired in such a way as to be very perceptive of what is real; I can't come to think of things that aren't real as if they were real- when I was a child, I never 'got' what an imagination was. I couldn't believe toys were anything other than bits of plastic that looked like other things. I couldn't imagine stories without reference to things I knew. And I can't see beyond the literal facts of religions and beliefs. It's a curse and a blessing. I can see everything that I've written about here very clearly; but that makes life very difficult to deal with at times. So that's why I thought I'd share this with you.
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