Let’s be honest, I often point out what is wrong with our society. Truth is, good things happen every day and good people do things to make the world a better place. Personally, it’s the little things that make me happy. So here is a list of things I love.
Vinnie’s Pizza. It’s located on Hwy 35 in Wall, NJ and I suggest you stop in if you’re in the area. They make the best pizza I’ve ever tasted, and I consider myself to be somewhat of a pizza connoisseur. Should you visit, ask for Jose Luis. He’s a good guy and makes a sick cheesesteak.
Day Baseball. If you’ve been, you know that little beats playing hookey to catch an afternoon baseball game outside.
Manny Pacquaio. Manny is a Philippine boxer, more notably the pound-for-pound best in the world. He incessantly gives back to his country and each of his fights is considered his nation’s stimulus package. Manny doesn’t worry about giving too much because he realizes “you can’t take it with you when you’re gone.”
Great Ideas. They have the ability to change the way business is done and we all know great ideas when we hear them. I’m not an idea-person—my brain isn’t wired that way—but I’m greatly inspired by those who are. I recently heard this quote and couldn’t agree more: “Politics don’t matter in the face of a good idea. If you have the best idea in the room, you will win.”
Malcolm Gladwell’s Books. Yes, I’m a snobby book nerd who prefers good books over good movies. Gladwell’s three books, “The Tipping Point,” “Blink,” and “Outliers,” are among the best I’ve read for his unique ability to look at social situations. His perspectives force the reader to see things differently, not take everything for face value, and really evaluate why things are the way they are.
Pun Jokes. For instance—what do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire? Frostbite. Or even better—what do you call a prisoner falling off a building? Condescending. I just laughed at both of those.
Boston in the Fall. For about one month each year, Boston is graced with what some call “perfect” weather—65 and sunny. If you’re enrolled in undergrad, you can actually enjoy an afternoon outside too. Jeans and short-sleeves are all you need to be comfortable, so take a visit there if you get a chance.
The Rehash. If you’ve been on Spring Break, you should know the best part of each day is the 3-4 hours you spend at the pool or beach each morning telling stories from the night before. It usually takes the entire crew to put all the puzzle pieces together and the joy is really in the journey here. The stories the next day are often funnier than the events themselves because of everyone’s altered perspective.
“Flashing Lights.” This 2007 single off Kanye West’s Graduation has the best beat I’ve ever heard. I’m not alone when I say this beat makes me want to stand up and do the “Running Man” on the spot. There are times when the music just moves you…what can I say?
People Who Do What They Love. I’m inspired by people who shun conventional jobs to pursue a passion. Something can be said about those people who know their dream and take any steps to realize it—even if it’s a temporary step backwards. To have a job that doesn’t feel like work is most people’s ultimate career goal, and these people are taking the necessary steps to make it happen. Want to be inspired? Search online for video clips of Marcus Buckingham and Daniel Pink.
There’s a lot to be happy about, and a lot to be thankful for. I’m thankful for all these things and many more. It’s tough to stay positive in times like today but if you actively seek out the things that make you feel good about yourself, you’re doing your part to make a difference.
The Difference Between Right and Left
Let’s be honest, Miss California should be President. Ok, maybe that’s a bit much, but she is yet another victim of the hypocritical Left. On one hand, it’s just the Miss USA competition—a meaningless pageant for girls abused by over-obsessive mothers. On the other hand, what took place is a microcosm for the already-grown problem in this country—the Left’s rise to power, hypocrisy, and abuse of all things moral.
In the Miss USA competition this past weekend, Miss California was asked by judge Perez Hilton whether or not the ban on gay marriage should be lifted in other states across America. If you’re not familiar with Perez Hilton, 1) he’s a male celebrity gossip blogger and 2) read my blog last week about stereotypes. You now know everything you need to know about Perez. Miss California answered that she believed marriage should be between a man and a woman because that’s how she was raised. Perez was “floored” by the response, decimated her score, and cost her the competition. Ok, I’m not so concerned that she lost the pageant. My concern is Perez Hilton calling her a “dumb bitch” and that he wished her answer were more “politically savvy.” He also went on to say “Just because she’s Christian, I don’t want to hear about Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, because that’s offensive to Jewish-Americans, Muslim-Americans, and Atheists.” First off, when did she mention anything about Jesus or being Christian? Second, why can’t she speak what she believes?
Are we entering a reverse age of the Inquisition? Conservatives, and especially Christians, are being forced to bite their tongues for fear of being offensive. Are Christians offended when Jews talk about Yahweh or when Muslims mention Allah? And heaven-forbid we should offend the Atheists. You know what is offensive? Speaking at a Catholic university and covering up the sign of Jesus. Or speaking at a different Catholic university while pushing pro-abortion laws. There’s nobody in this country that does that, is there? Oh, my bad, it’s our President. Whoops. Building on this notion of hypocrisy, the Almighty Barack Obama actually stated on the campaign trail that he believes marriage should be between a man and a woman. Didn’t hear any barking back then. Hell, didn’t even see that clip until today! Weird how that happens. Can you imagine if Bill O’Reilly called Perez a “dumb queer?” The nation would be outraged, Rosie O’Donnell would be waddling around the television circuit on her soapbox, the Oscars would retrospectively give Milk every Oscar, and there would be an all-out assault on the Right. Or better yet, can you imagine Jamie Foxx calling Miley Cyrus a “white bitch” and joking that she needs to make a sex tape? Wait…that already happened? And what was the punishment? None? Didn’t Don Imus, a legend in radio broadcasting, lose his job for calling the Rutgers women’s basketball team a bunch of “nappy headed ho’s?” Imus and Foxx committed the same offense—neither right—but the punishments were different. Why is that?
The sad part is that Perez Hilton reaches more kids than any conservative I can think of. He represents the Left’s ignorance and unwillingness to accept any views except their own, thus promoting a life of close-mindedness. To be a well-rounded individual, you have to see both sides. You have to be tolerant of other views. You have to accept people for their right to believe what they want. To do otherwise would be a downright shame.
I’m again desperately seeking a Leftist opinion here because I can’t imagine what an intelligent response would sound like. I’d love to be surprised, though. Let’s go in.
In the Miss USA competition this past weekend, Miss California was asked by judge Perez Hilton whether or not the ban on gay marriage should be lifted in other states across America. If you’re not familiar with Perez Hilton, 1) he’s a male celebrity gossip blogger and 2) read my blog last week about stereotypes. You now know everything you need to know about Perez. Miss California answered that she believed marriage should be between a man and a woman because that’s how she was raised. Perez was “floored” by the response, decimated her score, and cost her the competition. Ok, I’m not so concerned that she lost the pageant. My concern is Perez Hilton calling her a “dumb bitch” and that he wished her answer were more “politically savvy.” He also went on to say “Just because she’s Christian, I don’t want to hear about Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, because that’s offensive to Jewish-Americans, Muslim-Americans, and Atheists.” First off, when did she mention anything about Jesus or being Christian? Second, why can’t she speak what she believes?
Are we entering a reverse age of the Inquisition? Conservatives, and especially Christians, are being forced to bite their tongues for fear of being offensive. Are Christians offended when Jews talk about Yahweh or when Muslims mention Allah? And heaven-forbid we should offend the Atheists. You know what is offensive? Speaking at a Catholic university and covering up the sign of Jesus. Or speaking at a different Catholic university while pushing pro-abortion laws. There’s nobody in this country that does that, is there? Oh, my bad, it’s our President. Whoops. Building on this notion of hypocrisy, the Almighty Barack Obama actually stated on the campaign trail that he believes marriage should be between a man and a woman. Didn’t hear any barking back then. Hell, didn’t even see that clip until today! Weird how that happens. Can you imagine if Bill O’Reilly called Perez a “dumb queer?” The nation would be outraged, Rosie O’Donnell would be waddling around the television circuit on her soapbox, the Oscars would retrospectively give Milk every Oscar, and there would be an all-out assault on the Right. Or better yet, can you imagine Jamie Foxx calling Miley Cyrus a “white bitch” and joking that she needs to make a sex tape? Wait…that already happened? And what was the punishment? None? Didn’t Don Imus, a legend in radio broadcasting, lose his job for calling the Rutgers women’s basketball team a bunch of “nappy headed ho’s?” Imus and Foxx committed the same offense—neither right—but the punishments were different. Why is that?
The sad part is that Perez Hilton reaches more kids than any conservative I can think of. He represents the Left’s ignorance and unwillingness to accept any views except their own, thus promoting a life of close-mindedness. To be a well-rounded individual, you have to see both sides. You have to be tolerant of other views. You have to accept people for their right to believe what they want. To do otherwise would be a downright shame.
I’m again desperately seeking a Leftist opinion here because I can’t imagine what an intelligent response would sound like. I’d love to be surprised, though. Let’s go in.
The Fuss About Stereotypes
Let’s be honest, stereotypes exist for a reason. Why are we so afraid of stereotypes? The obvious answer is because we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. But if a book about cars has a bunch of pictures of cars on the cover, isn’t it safe to assume the book is about cars? And if 99% of the books about cars have covers with pictures of cars, isn’t there a pretty good chance the next book you pick up with cars on the cover will be about just that? Stereotypes don’t come out of nowhere—they’re formed because of obvious patterns and trends. To exclude stereotypes would be to leave out a large part of understanding people and you’d end up doing yourself a disservice to your own realizations.
Most stereotypes aren’t even insulting. But we’ve become so politically correct that we’re afraid to say anything to generalize people different from us. White people can’t dance. Big deal. Black people are loud. So what. Asians are book smart. Ok…? Go to a social gathering where there is dancing and watch the white guys. They are goofy and they can’t even help it. Dance lessons would not teach these guys how to move, they just have no rhythm. Go to the movie theatre the next time Tyler Perry comes out with a comedy. Black people are loud…they just are! Go to the best schools in America and look at who is getting the highest grades—it’s the Asians. The language structure of the far eastern countries actually predisposes children to be able to think more quickly than their English speaking counterparts, but that’s another discussion. Asians are smarter by the book than most other ethnicities. So have I offended anyone yet? Italians eat a lot, Irish drink, southerners move slowly, northeasterners are pushy, the Bible Belt is conservative, Hollywood is liberal. We know all this already! And we wouldn’t all know unless it was all true. So what’s the big deal?
Then there are the stereotypes that people don’t want to touch, such as the association of Muslims with terrorism. Some people are still uncomfortable sitting next to a Middle-Eastern person in an airport. Federal agencies would likely admit that Middle-Easterners are screened a little more heavily at airports, and people in traditional Muslim garb even more so. So how did we get here? It’s not like overnight we were given a reason to suspect Muslims of terrorism. Oh wait, that’s EXACTLY what happened. So a group of Muslims hijacked some planes, crashed them into buildings, attempted to crash into the White House, caused the greatest act of terrorism on American soil, continue to call for the deaths of Americans, and we’re supposed to just let all that go by the wayside? Then some jerk puts a bomb in his shoes so now we all have to walk through the airport in our freaking socks?!
Ok, let’s take a step back. I put my garbage outside by the curb every Thursday night and on Friday morning before I go to work, I see the garbage tipped over and holes in the bag. I get suspicious. Who would do that? So I stayed up one Thursday night to watch, and what do you know, there’s a group of raccoons ravaging my trash. So I went out there and I said to the biggest one, “Hey raccoon, is that you that’s been knocking my garbage over and eating my trash?” And he looked back at me and said, “Yeah we’re responsible for that, and guess what? We ain’t stopping either!” So the next time I see a raccoon hanging outside my curb, don’t you think I have a right be to a little suspicious of what that little sumumma bitch is going to do?
So how is this different? Maybe if a majority of terrorist attacks weren’t committed by Muslims and if they didn’t continue to openly preach violence against us we wouldn’t have a reason to associate them with terrorism. But they are, so we will. Are all Muslims terrorists? Of course not. Have we earned the right to be suspicious? Of course we have. Some events change the world forever. September 11th was one of them, and there’s no going back to the old world.
I’m not saying we need to start judging each other on first glance, but we shouldn’t be afraid of stereotypes. They’ve been formed over years of distinct patterns, so they’re not going away, either. If we understand where we’re all coming from, it will give us greater insight into understanding each other…and a little understanding never hurt anybody.
Most stereotypes aren’t even insulting. But we’ve become so politically correct that we’re afraid to say anything to generalize people different from us. White people can’t dance. Big deal. Black people are loud. So what. Asians are book smart. Ok…? Go to a social gathering where there is dancing and watch the white guys. They are goofy and they can’t even help it. Dance lessons would not teach these guys how to move, they just have no rhythm. Go to the movie theatre the next time Tyler Perry comes out with a comedy. Black people are loud…they just are! Go to the best schools in America and look at who is getting the highest grades—it’s the Asians. The language structure of the far eastern countries actually predisposes children to be able to think more quickly than their English speaking counterparts, but that’s another discussion. Asians are smarter by the book than most other ethnicities. So have I offended anyone yet? Italians eat a lot, Irish drink, southerners move slowly, northeasterners are pushy, the Bible Belt is conservative, Hollywood is liberal. We know all this already! And we wouldn’t all know unless it was all true. So what’s the big deal?
Then there are the stereotypes that people don’t want to touch, such as the association of Muslims with terrorism. Some people are still uncomfortable sitting next to a Middle-Eastern person in an airport. Federal agencies would likely admit that Middle-Easterners are screened a little more heavily at airports, and people in traditional Muslim garb even more so. So how did we get here? It’s not like overnight we were given a reason to suspect Muslims of terrorism. Oh wait, that’s EXACTLY what happened. So a group of Muslims hijacked some planes, crashed them into buildings, attempted to crash into the White House, caused the greatest act of terrorism on American soil, continue to call for the deaths of Americans, and we’re supposed to just let all that go by the wayside? Then some jerk puts a bomb in his shoes so now we all have to walk through the airport in our freaking socks?!
Ok, let’s take a step back. I put my garbage outside by the curb every Thursday night and on Friday morning before I go to work, I see the garbage tipped over and holes in the bag. I get suspicious. Who would do that? So I stayed up one Thursday night to watch, and what do you know, there’s a group of raccoons ravaging my trash. So I went out there and I said to the biggest one, “Hey raccoon, is that you that’s been knocking my garbage over and eating my trash?” And he looked back at me and said, “Yeah we’re responsible for that, and guess what? We ain’t stopping either!” So the next time I see a raccoon hanging outside my curb, don’t you think I have a right be to a little suspicious of what that little sumumma bitch is going to do?
So how is this different? Maybe if a majority of terrorist attacks weren’t committed by Muslims and if they didn’t continue to openly preach violence against us we wouldn’t have a reason to associate them with terrorism. But they are, so we will. Are all Muslims terrorists? Of course not. Have we earned the right to be suspicious? Of course we have. Some events change the world forever. September 11th was one of them, and there’s no going back to the old world.
I’m not saying we need to start judging each other on first glance, but we shouldn’t be afraid of stereotypes. They’ve been formed over years of distinct patterns, so they’re not going away, either. If we understand where we’re all coming from, it will give us greater insight into understanding each other…and a little understanding never hurt anybody.
The Easiest Way
Let’s be honest, some things that seem difficult to do are actually pretty easy. Formulas for success exist in every job or walk of life, so you can obtain even the highest of aspirations if you just stick to the script. So follow these rules and you can give yourself a leg up on hitting the jackpot.
The easiest way to…
Win a Grammy- If you’re old, release anything. Otherwise, explain the victories of Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock, and Robert Plant in the last 5 years. Paul Simon—if you’re out there, go record your cat playing the guitar or something.
Win a Grammy, Pt II- Do drugs. And be controversial. How else would Amy Winehouse have won Record and Song of the Year last year? Seriously, that was the best song recorded from 2007 through 2008? Perhaps the committee just appreciates her artistic ability. BS. She won because it’d be news-worthy. By crowning her, the committee makes everything she does and is about okay. She is an irresponsible racist crack addict who is praised for saying “No, no, no” to rehab. Wonderful.
Make a hit song- Sing about the weather or a season. Sheryl Crow scored an easy one with her song “Soak Up the Sun,” and every Memorial Day Weekend the checks start rolling in. The same can be said with the assortment of Christmas songs by irrelevant pop-stars.
Win an Oscar- Play a homosexual. Case in point—Charlize Theron in Monster and more noticeably, Jake Gylenhnall/Heath Ledger (nominated) in Brokeback Mountain and Sean Penn in Milk. Penn was 110% correct when he called the audience (indirectly inferring to all of Hollywood) a "bunch of homo-loving commie bastards" in one of those “funny because it’s completely true” kind of moments. Mickey Rourke was the odds-on favorite to win Best Actor, but in retrospect, did a guy playing a professional wrestler even stand a chance against a homosexual murdered gay-rights activist? Penn might as well have played Marley in Marley and Me.
Run a company into the ground- Fire the people that do the most work and make the least amount of money. And create lots of layers—you can never have too many Vice Presidents. I don’t know any companies like this, I’m just saying.
Talk down to people- Join Congress. They’re all real tough guys when they grill AIG executives, but it’s easy to impose bailouts on American taxpayers when you don’t even pay your own taxes! Not to mention, let’s just overlook the AIG political contributions that were left in the bailout package. Talk about an elephant in the room, and I don’t mean Rosie O’Donnell. Speaking of which…
Kill your career- Tangle with Donald Trump. Sorry, I just had to find a way to fit in the Donald’s thrashing of Rosie O’Donnell a few years back. “I think she’s very attracted to Miss USA so she probably wanted to put the crown on her head herself”… “She is a very, very unattractive woman who really is a bully”… “I never went bankrupt…but I’ll sue her because it would be fun”.
See, people do great things every day that aren’t even that hard to do! All it takes is a good gameplan and some stick-to-it-iveness.
The easiest way to…
Win a Grammy- If you’re old, release anything. Otherwise, explain the victories of Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock, and Robert Plant in the last 5 years. Paul Simon—if you’re out there, go record your cat playing the guitar or something.
Win a Grammy, Pt II- Do drugs. And be controversial. How else would Amy Winehouse have won Record and Song of the Year last year? Seriously, that was the best song recorded from 2007 through 2008? Perhaps the committee just appreciates her artistic ability. BS. She won because it’d be news-worthy. By crowning her, the committee makes everything she does and is about okay. She is an irresponsible racist crack addict who is praised for saying “No, no, no” to rehab. Wonderful.
Make a hit song- Sing about the weather or a season. Sheryl Crow scored an easy one with her song “Soak Up the Sun,” and every Memorial Day Weekend the checks start rolling in. The same can be said with the assortment of Christmas songs by irrelevant pop-stars.
Win an Oscar- Play a homosexual. Case in point—Charlize Theron in Monster and more noticeably, Jake Gylenhnall/Heath Ledger (nominated) in Brokeback Mountain and Sean Penn in Milk. Penn was 110% correct when he called the audience (indirectly inferring to all of Hollywood) a "bunch of homo-loving commie bastards" in one of those “funny because it’s completely true” kind of moments. Mickey Rourke was the odds-on favorite to win Best Actor, but in retrospect, did a guy playing a professional wrestler even stand a chance against a homosexual murdered gay-rights activist? Penn might as well have played Marley in Marley and Me.
Run a company into the ground- Fire the people that do the most work and make the least amount of money. And create lots of layers—you can never have too many Vice Presidents. I don’t know any companies like this, I’m just saying.
Talk down to people- Join Congress. They’re all real tough guys when they grill AIG executives, but it’s easy to impose bailouts on American taxpayers when you don’t even pay your own taxes! Not to mention, let’s just overlook the AIG political contributions that were left in the bailout package. Talk about an elephant in the room, and I don’t mean Rosie O’Donnell. Speaking of which…
Kill your career- Tangle with Donald Trump. Sorry, I just had to find a way to fit in the Donald’s thrashing of Rosie O’Donnell a few years back. “I think she’s very attracted to Miss USA so she probably wanted to put the crown on her head herself”… “She is a very, very unattractive woman who really is a bully”… “I never went bankrupt…but I’ll sue her because it would be fun”.
See, people do great things every day that aren’t even that hard to do! All it takes is a good gameplan and some stick-to-it-iveness.
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