Subtle Department

I thought of another pet peeve of mine. I am referring to the descriptors the media uses when talking about certain criminals, enemies of mankind, and general all around scum. My peeve is, I feel the media often legitimizes what are otherwise illegitimate individuals and gives more credit where no credit is due.



Words are powerful tools. They shape our thoughts and opinions. In the news, we depend on words to describe something we did not experience. The media has a responsibility to make us aware of the facts and either eliminate bias as much as possible or be up front about the bias(s) they have. I am making a distinction between simply relating the facts of an event and commentary. We must first know who?, what?, when?, where?, and how?, before we can intelligently discern a why? If the facts are slanted, the opinions we will draw will be slanted as well.



Here are a few examples of which I speak. Terrorists, thieves, and others who commit crimes are often referred to as having superior intelligence. Read this next sentence in a "talking head" voice. "Bin Sheet'fer Brains, masterminded the car bombing which killed 18 school children." This animal / monster is credited with intelligence instead of being savage, murderous, and brutal. Giving them credit for intelligence is like saying a guy who knocks someone out with a sucker punch is a good boxer. Defenders of the mastermind position usually say something like, "we cannot set ourselves as judge. This man is a revolutionary and a freedom fighter for his people."



Another example of media giving more credit than is due is by crediting criminals and terrorists with superior organization and administration skills. Talking head voice: "A top aid for Abu - yerself, said 'God will destroy the infidels because they are godless snakes who deserve his wrath.'" In this case, "top aid" was probably the guy who answered the phone or came to the door when the reporter knocked on it. I guess I could go out and kill a few people then hide. If my friends commented to the media about me, they would probably be referred as one of my aids. As if.



Who figures out the descriptors anyway? Manuel Noriega of Panama was "Panamanian strong man Manuel Noriega." I wonder how much he could bench? Then we all remember the "Elite Republican Guard." If these guys are elite, I would hate to see their third string. Often, the media pulls one item from a life and uses it to describe that individual from then on. David Duke of Louisiana was always referred to as "Former KKK leader David Duke." This is a true statement, but the same could be said of Robert Byrd of West Virginia, but it is not said. Who made that decision? Who decides that some people will receive a negative handle while others get the positive handle?



The talking heads use superlatives and exaggeration to get our attention. They filter the facts. We end up with form over substance. The package looks nice, but there is nothing inside. We discuss controversial issues in 30 second, fast paced sound bites.



The problem with subtlety is it is not obvious. We can be brain washed and / or tricked unless we pay attention, question, and think. Don't let some reporter tell you who you should or should not respect. Figure it out for yourself.



What subtle bias have you noticed in the media?



Until the next time

John Strain

Ghetto?

This is our storm door. If you look closely, you will notice the bottom of the door is cardboard instead of glass. During mowing or weedeating, the door took a rock and shattered. Not wanting heat, bugs and, small varmints to have easy access to my domicile, I fashioned a piece of cardboard to perfectly fit into the grooves where the window frame used to be until I can get it fixed. I further sealed out the elements with tape. One would think on father's day such a quick fixit job would draw high praise, lauds and plaudits. Instead, my son said it looked ghetto and my wife agreed. So I used a piece of cardboard which served as a stand for the time I spray painted some vents, it's only for a few days. I chose function over form.



Hobo likes to lay on the rug and look out the window. He can't now, poor dog. He looked at it like, "What the hell is this? How am I supposed to watch squirrels and guard the house?" This is the ripple affect in action.



Just another day in paradise.



Until the next time,

John Strain

Happy Father's Day

Just wanted to wish all you fathers a happy father's day. I am enjoying mine. I ran, went to church, went to lunch with my son, did the yard work with him, broke out a window in our storm door with the weedeater, and now I am getting ready to clean up, have a beer, then later grill burgers. It don't get much better than that. Wow, how was that for a run on sentence?

John Strain

Saturday Exploits

Running / Fitness Update: My coach has my mileage slowly climbing. I began at 14 miles per week and next week I will run 21 miles. My long run is up to 6 miles. I have felt great and my pace has improved. Today I ran 4 miles at a 7:27 pace 29:49. This is quick improvement, but more in line with how I feel I should be running. The weight loss has certainly helped. I am down to 187. I wrote a post 9/20/03 outlining my low point regarding fitness. I weighed 214.6 and my body fat, according to my scale, was 24.8. Today, I weighed 187 and my body fat was 18.0. I ain't done yet. My eyes are fixed on the prize - to qualify for the Boston Marathon. So far so good.



The Big Easy: We are making two trips to New Orleans today. The first in just a little while to have the radio / CD player replaced in our car. It is one of those Bose systems. The CD player quit. The cheapest route was to have the unit sent to the factory for repair. We did and now it is back. I hate not having my tunes. Providing that does not take long, we will come home, then go back this evening with friends to eat at our favorite BBQ place. Zea's Brewery and Rotisserie. For me it is the dry ribs, roasted corn grits, and dirty rice. Words fall short to describe what that stuff does to your taste buds.



Yard work Reprieve: I told my son all I wanted for father's day was for him to cut the grass. I hope I get it. I will probably still do the reediting and blowing, but that will seem like nothing. I cannot tell you how good it makes me feel to watch that boy push a lawnmower. I guess because it happens so rarely, like Halley's Comet.



Coming Attractions: Post ideas are incubating in my skull. Here are some of my ideas, "Dogs and Projection," "Adjectives and the News," and "9/11 Commission: Going Beneath the Politics." I can't wait to see what I am going to say.



Have a fun Saturday and Geaux LSU at the College World Series



Until the next time

John Strain

A Guy Walks Into A Bar . . .

I am partial to "A guy walks into a bar. . . " jokes. Here are a few good ones.

A guy walks into a bar and sits down. When he hears someone say "nice shirt" he asks the bartender, "Who said that?" The bartender replied, "The peanuts. They're complimentary."



A grasshopper walks into a bar and the bartender says, "Hey, I've got a drink named after you." After a few seconds the grasshopper replies, "You have a drink named Steve?"



A guy walks into a bar with jumper cables. The bartender says, "You can come in, but don't start anything!"



A neutron walks into a bar and orders a beer. The bartender sets the beer down and says, "For you, no charge!"



A pig goes into a bar and orders ten drinks. He finishes them up and the bartender says, "Don't you need to know where the bathroom is?" The pig says, "No, I go wee wee all the way home."



A dog with his leg wrapped in bandages hobbles into a saloon. He sidles up to the bar and announces: "I'm lookin' fer the man that shot my paw."



A horse walks into a bar. The bartender says, "So, why the long face?"



Shakespeare walks into a bar and asks the bartender for a beer. "I can't serve you." says the bartender. "You're Bard!"



A guy walks into a bar and there is a horse behind the bar serving drinks. The guy is just staring at the horse, when the horse says, "What are you staring at? Haven't you ever seen a horse serving drinks before?" The guy says, "No, I never thought the parrot would sell the place."



A little guy walks into a bar and slips on some vomit. Minutes later a tough guy walks into the bar and slips on the vomit as well. The little guy says, "I just did that." The big guy then beats the little guy up.



A man walks into a bar and sees, standing next to the bartender, this giant gorilla. So the man, he sits at the bar, orders a drink, and says, "What's with the gorilla?" The bartender says, "Watch." Then he begins to start, like, hitting the gorilla. And the gorilla, he bends over and gives the bartender a blow job! When they're finished the bartender turns to the man and says, "Wanna try?"

"Sure!" says the man, "Just don't hit me so hard!".



A man walks into a bar and orders a beer. He sips it and sets it down a monkey swings across the bar and urinates in the pint. The man asks the barman who owns the monkey. The barman replies the piano player. The man walks over to the piano player and says "Do you know your monkey just urinated in my beer?"

The pianist replies "No, but if you hum a few bars, I'll play it.

I love this genre of joke. If you want to know why they are funny, follow this link.



Have a great weekend!

John Strain