The Effect of Racism on National Integrity

Warning: Rant incoming.

"I don't care what country they're from, they should respect (something or other)."

When white people even so much as insinuate that I'm from a different country, it turns me off to this "great" US of A. Before you said what you said, I was ready to go work my ass off and donate half my lifetime's wages to the government, get my ass blown off in a war for this place. But now...?

When you assume I'm from some place else, you do yourself a disservice. I was in fact born here, raised here, and haven't left the country in over a decade. Sure, my family came from elsewhere, but with the exception of the oppressed indigenous population, whose didn't? The implication you make by dismissing the one possibility that in truth is actuality is that I'm not "from" here, and I'm not welcome. In that sense of unwelcome, my contributions have been discarded.

We, as a demographic, have contributed, are contributing, and will contribute (if you'll have us). I dare you to refuse to let us contribute; take away our contributions, I guarantee this country will be lesser for it. It is because we are invested in helping this nation work that it hurts to be judged by our appearances. What is it about my eyes and complexion that makes me automatically less socially or culturally legitimate as an American?

Perhaps your concept of "American" is too small, your narrative to narrow to incorporate ours, your hypocritical lies to weak to bear the weight of our existence. That's how you do disservice to yourself by judging. By closing yourself to what else "American" might possibly mean, you limit the strengths other traditions might contribute, outside of your own European heritage. Believe it or not, the "American" perspective of culture has its blind spots, of which we are discussing one. By closing yourself to full acceptance of people of other colors and cultures, you undermine the very ideals you claim to champion.

What happens in the aftermath of racism is that those at whom the racism is directed at feel rejected. Feeling rejected actually does make some of us disengage a bit. Your racism does, in some cases, create a self-fulfilling prophecy. If enough people disengage from a belief in the American nation, the scores of years this house has left to stand will be limited. Racism causes our will to fracture, our unity to unravel.

I dare you to win me and people as disillusioned as myself back over, white America; allow yourself to be joined by others' Americas. If you love America, accept us as your own.

On Northwestern's Live Sex Demonstration

As some of you may have heard, a live sex demonstration occured after a class session for a human sexuality class at Northwestern. A girl shed her clothing and her boyfriend used a sex tool to penetrate her and bring her to orgasm.

Here's the Christian principle on sex: Sex is good... within marriage. The question here is, "What is the meaning of 'within marriage?'" Does it mean that sex should be kept out of sight from the public sphere? But another question would be... "Wouldn't good sex be better (within marriage), and better sex be awesome?" How does a couple make sex better? Are they to rely only on experimentation? Is the dissemination of knowledge about how to please your spouse better an illicit transfer of knowledge?

One issue often brought up is that, more often than not, the sufferers in the event of low quality sex are more often the females. Females have been long-suffering in the traditional marriage, sexually in addition to the myriad number of other ways.

Scenario: A dude is a premature ejaculator. There is no possible way he is gonna please his wife with his penis before he finishes. Is it ok for him to go to say, a book or a sex therapist, to get ideas or advice on other methods to please his wife? What ways of learning this information cross the line into sin?

I am all for females orgasming. I am all for better sex. I just don't think a demonstration is necessary to learn the information to make orgasms happen. I assume throughout this post that the demonstration is carried out with the best of intentions. But... is intent enough to separate this demonstration from any other sexual presentation (including porn)? I don't think so.

Now, what is so different about a live demonstration (as opposed to a book or a therapist)? Why is this not different from porn or a performance at a strip club? One can argue that, since this event was a performance, that the entire audience was invited into what should have been reserved for just a husband and his wife. Why should the fact that this demonstration happened for the sake of knowledge (as opposed to pleasure) make it exempt from the same judgment that a lapdance or stripping routine receives?

In my humble opinion, the educational value of such a demonstration is dubious, at best. It doesn't take much skill to stick a power tool into your partner. Does that point to more sleazy intentions? Not necessarily, although I do believe that the mixed reactions to the demonstration, even on my own part, shows how deadened we are... not just to the sin that occured, but to the very wonder that sex should be. Such reactions are the aggregate result of all the other influences in our culture. I write my arguments out of a purely logical approach to what Scripture has to say about sex, but my heart is unmoved.

Le Cose Vorrei Scrivere Di

In no particular order,

- The NBA CBA and revenue sharing

- Carmelo's trade situation

- The Holy Spirit's conviction about jokes I make in bad taste

- Psychoanalysis of myself through examination of past relationships

- The girl I have wanted to love for the past four years, and why I may or may not actually love her

Thoughts on Kindle

It is very thin and lightweight with high resolution.  The 3G is excellent and free but I would not use it for anything more than cursory checking of social networing services.  Mobile versions of Twitter Gmail and Facebook are optimal.  Typing is a pain due to keys... punctuation is also a pain.  I could develop a new writing style from typing on this device by eschewing the use of puncuation other than periods and ellipses.

Reading on this device is comfortable.  Annotations made are naturally brief in nature.  I am currently reading Ulysses.  I downloaded a free Bible from the Kindle store and a free copy of Ulysses from Project Gutenberg.  Free books are for the win.  I would recommend the Kindle 3 for reading purposes only. I use the browser frequently only because I have internet curfew.  Yes.  At age 23.

One last note.  Many books can be obtained for free that have entered the public domain.  Keep in mind that quality remains an issue.  Hopefully I have addressed the most salient of concerns you would raise concerning the purchase of this product.  If you have any further questions do not hesitate to post them below.

New Fragments Emerge

This class, English 2261, confronts me with a babushka doll.  On one level, I am confronting more directly the possibility of becoming a writer.  I can either give it my all, or pull back, doing instead something safe.  I am driven to write more, yet paralyzed by the pressure to give up.  At the root of this tension is the real issue with being a writer: is that incarnation of me worthy enough to come alive again for?  Or will this increasingly crippling depression consume hope for a fulfilling life?  And within even those questions is the more important issue of my faith.  I will either become stronger because of it or in spite of it.