292 (& Day 1)a in Book Four: Ichi-no-Tani 2017

• Wherein I may look like a pompous, arrogant, self-important ass while complaining about people that, through my poor use of words, may look like down-to-earth, homey, good folks with strong convictions. OR… I may get lucky and write this well, lol.
  Yesterday after the funeral; Ran, Jude, and I grabbed lunch. Jude’s son is in college right now and is taking an Intro to Religion Class. The topic of conversation at lunch was how awful the teacher for that class was. Apparently, the teacher suggested that “Jesus born in a manger may be more myth than factual.” This statement infuriated Ran and Jude. At the time… I shrugged my shoulders whatever. But the more I considered it, the more it ate at me. They got upset about a non Religious School suggesting something in an academic context. But what is more (for me, anyway) is that this is the same “abandon logic and critical thinking” type of Christianity that gets SO much shit from the world. And because I feel I’m starting to sound like an ass, let me start over.
  The Bible has been translated into many languages. One of the languages the Bible has been translated into is English. There are many different English Versions of the Bible. Not all of them use the same words. IN FACT one of my Bibles specifically references a story where Jesus is in a crowd of people and someone says “Jesus, your mother must be truly blessed!” Jesus looks out over the crowd and says “Yes, she is.” The Bible then has a footnote that, when followed, leads to Translation Note: Some translations read “No, she is not.”
  Now… does that translation item ROCK the faith? Fuck no. And if it does, I pity you. Not as an asshole thing; as a “How can you declare your faith when it is so easily toppled?”
  What must be understood is that… No portion of the Bible was written in English and unless you are Mormon at no time was Jesus speaking English. Therefore, translation debates happen and are important. If you get furiously upset that someone says “manger” may not have been accurate… what kind of faith is that? Besides… language historians actually say “No room at the Inn” is INaccurate. At the time of the census while Quirinius was governor of Syria, people would return to their FAMILIES. According to history and tradition; the family would put everyone up. Which means the story isn’t about some random Innkeeper saying “Go away!” It is one of two things (if not both). (1) Joseph and Mary were last to arrive and the designated home was too full; so they were given the Stable Room… the room with the animals where the help were expected to sleep. And/Or (2) Joseph and Mary (as unwed pregnant) were looked down on by Joseph’s family; thus, when they arrived the family did not want them with the others and instead gave them the Stable Room. DOES THE FACT THAT IT WASN’T AN INN SHAKE YOUR FAITH?! Cuz if so… for fuck sake.
  And that is pretty much an excellent glimpse into life and culture in this region. Any factual debate or consideration is far less important than an emotional or religious response. If the folks around here believe that blacks cause most of the crime (which they do believe that); then any information to the opposite will be ignored. Like the fact that, statistically, in a county of 98% white… white people cause most of the crime. If the folks around here believe that Cities corrupt people (which they do believe that); then anyone coming from the City is already a lost soul. It is a pretty crappy, pretty judgey, and pretty intellectually devoid way of life. But there I go sounding like an arrogant asshole again.
  

• Today is Friday. Which means… it is an absolutely nothing day. Bah. I don’t know what I’m more excited for… leaving work tonight and getting to play video games and/or do whatever I want.... OR tomorrow morning where I can sleep in if I so choose and I don’t have to feel exhausted and rundown all day.

• I vacillate between positions sometimes. Like… I think it would be really cool to have a picture of everyone I read on Prosebox so I know who is writing what. But at the same time; I strongly appreciate that I don’t have an image in my mind when I read. I’m just reading words, getting to know people, getting to like people based on their writing, their opinions, and their estimations of how their day/life is going. And even though not judging someone based on appearance is an incredibly valuable thing… I’m still particularly curious. And, admittedly, vain and shallow. I enjoy discussing writing and life with everyone… but curiosity is always strong in me.

• Ran wants us to have The Inauguration streaming on our computers as “Whatever your politics, this is an important event that must be shown dignity and respect.” Yeah… whatever your politics… at most I am one of only two people in this office (of 10) that didn’t vote for Trump. Humbug!

• I find it humorous that during a press junket today, Trump asked his wife if she wanted to say a few words… she vehemently shook her head no… and then he made her say a few words. Hrm… now what does that sound like?

• Random awful thing: My damned snot! I have had plugged up sinuses for a good month or two now and the drainage is awful. Like… I’ll brush my teeth and not twenty minutes later, my breath will be awful from mucus. Ick is right!

• So… here’s something that isn’t my bit but is apparently relevant. A black comedian once got upset that black people were angry at a white man for serving Tiger Woods fried chicken. The comedian said, “Fried chicken is delicious. The only way fried chicken is racist is if it is served to you by a white man saying racist things!” Apparently, this is still the case. Allegedly, black people are very upset with Jerry Rice for participating in a Popeye’s Chicken promotion where he wore a football helmet with a rotating piece of chicken as the mouthpiece. Because… what? The spokesperson for Popeye’s Chicken is a black woman affecting a southern accent. But… Jerry Rice supporting Popeye’s Chicken is racist? This shit is getting out of hand. I support a lot of what people call the Modern PC Movement. I think intentionally trying not to be an asshole is a good thing. But when people think “Black man advertises fried chicken” is inherently racist… that shit is going too far. Would it be racist if Yao Ming was doing a commercial for Mongolian Beef? Would it be racist if Muhammed-Kabeer Olanrewaju Gbaja-Biamila (KGB formerly of the Green Bay Packers) was doing a commercial for hummus? I get that I’ll receive a lot of “Check your privilege” comments here but… we have to stop pretending that innocuous things have a specific gender or race. Black people are allowed to like Fried Chicken! Women are allowed to be mechanics! Homosexuals can be sports stars! THAT is appropriate PC. FFS!

• To that, since there is so little to do today and I will honestly have to stave off falling asleep at my desk. Productivity List
  (1) Facebook Games (done, and continuing throughout the day)
  (2) Prosebox reading (making my way through it; catching up on being so far behind; fighting the urge to sleep at my desk… HA finally caught up! We’ll see if I at all manage to stay that way during the weekend!)
  (3) .................... I am super tempted to just leave. Say “Hey… there really isn’t enough to do to justify all of us being here, right?” But… that is just it. There IS stuff to do… just nothing active if that makes sense. Like… try to figure out how to phone someone… or call someone to check if they’re still working on that thing you talked about last week. Just… not the “active, doing something” kind of stuff I’d much prefer.
  (4) Read BBC OpEds and Articles… trying to figure out how to deal with this internationally. BTW… every Trump Supporter I’ve spoken with has scoffed at me when I discuss International Issues. Truly the concept of “Fuck the world, we’re the United States.” Not an uncommon or unfamiliar statement… just illogical and uneducated. World Politics deeply impact (and are deeply impacted by) the United States!
  From the BBC “What do Trump supporters want” piece… the following are from interviews with passionate Trump Supporters

“For Sarah Jo, the appeal lies in his promise of change, and his background as a businessman. Her two priorities are tax reform and repealing and replacing Obamacare.”

“He has two “non-negotiables”: the repeal of President Obama’s healthcare reforms, and a conservative pick for the vacant Supreme Court seat.”

“Many Hispanic voters were incensed by Mr Trump’s plan to build a wall, but not Marco. He believes the barrier will stop the flow of drugs and illegal immigration across the border.”

“He was the only candidate who said he wanted to make America great again. And that’s what turned me on.”

“I think people have lost respect for America,” Bill says, “especially with Barack Obama going and bowing to other leaders in the world. Donald Trump doesn’t want to be part of the new world order, he wants America to be independent.”

“He’s someone who would be a good negotiator in contracts and agreements with foreign nations, he always seems to be open to discussion regardless of who the individual is.”

“You can’t ask an attorney to be POTUS anymore. You need people who have built things, who have hired and fired people and who can stand up to these billionaire heads of state.”

“She hopes Trump keeps the promises he talked about during the campaign, including “draining the swamp”, reducing illegal immigration and beefing up national security.”

“”I just don’t remember having racial divides as badly in my lifetime as we have in the past administration,” she says” Said by a woman born in 1961.

“A lot of people felt all of these jobs are disappearing and the government wasn’t listening to us, things are decidedly worse for a lot of people.”

• I… am somewhat speechless. People I’ve cared about, respected, enjoyed… people I work with, live by, interact with… are all celebrating, proudly whooping with celebration, about Donald Trump’s inauguration. Cheers that “Under Obama, we were ignored. Now we’re going to get help!” And… I can’t help but see the flaw in that thinking. Trump is not the first millionaire in power to promise to help the White Impoverished. That isn’t a new tactic. And they’ve never received the help. He is (in fact) FAR LESS LIKELY to help them than Marco Rubio. But they celebrate and gather and cheer. It is like being a parent and watching children run into the street because they hear the Ice Cream Truck. You’ve told them a dozen times that if they run into the street, they will be hit by cars and injured. But still… they run into the street, giggling and excited, awaiting what they might get. And ultimately… that’s what we’re seeing here. Yay Trump is President; WHERE’S MINE?! We saw this in 2008, too. Do you remember the video of the woman at the inauguration who was crying with joy and said, “Now that we got a black man in office, I ain’t got to worry about my mortgage or nothing!” People are looking for what government will do FOR THEM. It isn’t designed for that. Government can’t simply kowtow to a specific group’s demands. Government, if it is to work properly, must exist FOR THE PEOPLE (all of ‘em). But Government has 3 masters now. (1) Government Officials look out for their own best interest; (2) Government Officials look out for their Party’s best interest; (3) Government Officials look out for (Fill in High Money High Power Special Interest Here).

Last updated January 20, 2017