Everybody hates Mondays, right? Well, I decided to find something that would hopefully brighten up your Monday and maybe even inspire you if you're reading this. The kid in this story definitely inspired me. I'm always amazed when people do such selfless acts. It gives me hope and encourages me.
As a warning, you may want to have some tissues nearby before you read this article or watch the video.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Massachusetts Senate Race Gets Nasty
A particularly nasty story out of Massachusetts made national headlines this week. U.S. Senator Scott Brown accused Elizabeth Warren, his expected Democratic rival in November, of misleading voters about using her Native American heritage for gain. Brown is a Republican who is running for a full six-year term after winning a hotly contested special election held in January 2010 after the death of U.S Senator Edward Kennedy. Warren is a consumer activist, professor and has served as an adviser to President Barack Obama.
The controversy stemmed from Warren claiming she never used her Native American heritage when applying for jobs. Brown brought up the fact that Warren was listed in the Association of American Law Schools’ annual directory of minority law teachers from 1986-1995. His spokesperson issued a statement saying, “This story raises serious questions about Elizabeth Warren’s credibility. The record now shows Prof. Warren did claim to be a ‘minority,’ and that she attempted to mislead the public about these facts when she was first asked about the issue last week.”
Warren responded by saying, “I listed myself in the directory in the hopes that it might mean that I would be invited to a luncheon, a group something that might happen with people who are like I am. Nothing like that ever happened, that was clearly not the use for it and so I stopped checking it off.” She still asserts she did not disclose her heritage when applying for jobs.
Brown and conservative media outlets kept up their attacks and got vicious even after some investigations concluded that Warren does indeed have Native American ancestry and she is 1/32 Cherokee. For some, this wasn’t good enough. They attacked her for not being Native American enough. (It should be noted that current Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation Bill John Baker is also 1/32 Cherokee.)
I ran across some very disturbing jabs at Warren throughout the week. She was called “Pinocchio-hontas,” “Chief Full-of-Lies,” “Running Joke” and “Sacaja-whiner.” I was shocked at the blatant racism being thrown out and that no one seemed to call it out. Brown ignored it and continued going after Warren insinuating she would not have been hired at Harvard had it not been for her minority status.
I was also disappointed in the way some mainstream media outlets covered these malicious, racist attacks. Chris Cillizza, a political reporter at the Washington Post and author of the Post’s political blog The Fix, awarded Warren the title of Worst Week in Washington. The title, given out weekly by Cillizza ”to the Democrat, Republican, West Wing dweller, Capitol Hill insider, K Street dealer, business guru, sports hero, think tank scribblers or other inhabitant of Planet Beltway who experienced the absolute worst week,” is often times given in semi-jest.
Cillizza’s write-up of Warren concluded that she was in a hole and needed to stop digging. But, the fact of the matter is, she hasn’t done anything wrong. There is no evidence to suggest she did use her heritage when applying for jobs. And, what is wrong with enlisting yourself in a directory in order to meet other people? She is Native American and there’s nothing wrong with saying so.
This is a total non-controversy drummed up by Brown and his conservative backers to try and discredit Warren for all that she has accomplished. The fact is, they have no game-plan to beat her. She’s got an incredibly remarkable success story. She has a long record of fighting for consumers and middle class families. Brown is in a decidedly liberal state and has a clearly conservative record in his two years in office. He knows that trying to appear moderate isn’t a good enough strategy because it has too many holes in it. Therefore, he must turn negative to attempt to win.
Beyond this one election though, it shows a disturbing attitude towards Native Americans. This country needs to do some major soul searching. How can we sit by and allow this type of racism to exist and not say or do anything about it? The Native American population was almost wiped out as Europeans came to the Americas and took over the land. Now, those in power sit back as Native Americans continue to be marginalized and as their population dwindles.
Minority voices should not be silenced, and no form of racism should be tolerated. A great first step would be for Scott Brown to apologize to Elizabeth Warren in this instance. Then, it is up to all of us in the human race to be more vigilant against racism in all facets of our lives.
The controversy stemmed from Warren claiming she never used her Native American heritage when applying for jobs. Brown brought up the fact that Warren was listed in the Association of American Law Schools’ annual directory of minority law teachers from 1986-1995. His spokesperson issued a statement saying, “This story raises serious questions about Elizabeth Warren’s credibility. The record now shows Prof. Warren did claim to be a ‘minority,’ and that she attempted to mislead the public about these facts when she was first asked about the issue last week.”
Warren responded by saying, “I listed myself in the directory in the hopes that it might mean that I would be invited to a luncheon, a group something that might happen with people who are like I am. Nothing like that ever happened, that was clearly not the use for it and so I stopped checking it off.” She still asserts she did not disclose her heritage when applying for jobs.
Brown and conservative media outlets kept up their attacks and got vicious even after some investigations concluded that Warren does indeed have Native American ancestry and she is 1/32 Cherokee. For some, this wasn’t good enough. They attacked her for not being Native American enough. (It should be noted that current Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation Bill John Baker is also 1/32 Cherokee.)
I ran across some very disturbing jabs at Warren throughout the week. She was called “Pinocchio-hontas,” “Chief Full-of-Lies,” “Running Joke” and “Sacaja-whiner.” I was shocked at the blatant racism being thrown out and that no one seemed to call it out. Brown ignored it and continued going after Warren insinuating she would not have been hired at Harvard had it not been for her minority status.
I was also disappointed in the way some mainstream media outlets covered these malicious, racist attacks. Chris Cillizza, a political reporter at the Washington Post and author of the Post’s political blog The Fix, awarded Warren the title of Worst Week in Washington. The title, given out weekly by Cillizza ”to the Democrat, Republican, West Wing dweller, Capitol Hill insider, K Street dealer, business guru, sports hero, think tank scribblers or other inhabitant of Planet Beltway who experienced the absolute worst week,” is often times given in semi-jest.
Cillizza’s write-up of Warren concluded that she was in a hole and needed to stop digging. But, the fact of the matter is, she hasn’t done anything wrong. There is no evidence to suggest she did use her heritage when applying for jobs. And, what is wrong with enlisting yourself in a directory in order to meet other people? She is Native American and there’s nothing wrong with saying so.
This is a total non-controversy drummed up by Brown and his conservative backers to try and discredit Warren for all that she has accomplished. The fact is, they have no game-plan to beat her. She’s got an incredibly remarkable success story. She has a long record of fighting for consumers and middle class families. Brown is in a decidedly liberal state and has a clearly conservative record in his two years in office. He knows that trying to appear moderate isn’t a good enough strategy because it has too many holes in it. Therefore, he must turn negative to attempt to win.
Beyond this one election though, it shows a disturbing attitude towards Native Americans. This country needs to do some major soul searching. How can we sit by and allow this type of racism to exist and not say or do anything about it? The Native American population was almost wiped out as Europeans came to the Americas and took over the land. Now, those in power sit back as Native Americans continue to be marginalized and as their population dwindles.
Minority voices should not be silenced, and no form of racism should be tolerated. A great first step would be for Scott Brown to apologize to Elizabeth Warren in this instance. Then, it is up to all of us in the human race to be more vigilant against racism in all facets of our lives.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Twenty-seven
As of today I’m 27 years old. I’m not new to the world of blogging. I started my first blog when I was 18 and kept it up for a while. It’s always interesting to go back and read those old posts. I’ve changed a great deal since then! I stopped blogging regularly after about two years. I maintained my blog for another couple of years, but only updated sporadically. My old blog was mostly just me rambling about my day to day events (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Occasionally I’d stumble across something I thought was insightful and share my thoughts on whatever that was. But, for the most part it was just me regurgitating the mundane details of my days.
I’m starting this blog with something more in mind. I like to think of life as a journey, and I intend this blog to chronicle my journey of life. As I look back on the last few years of my life, my biggest regret is not doing enough to better myself. I don’t consider myself to be depressed or even unhappy for that matter most of the time. But, that doesn’t mean I can’t be happier. (Thank you Gretchen Rubin for helping me better understand this concept.)
I think what has happened is that I’ve become content. There is a big difference in contentment and happiness though. I also know that to achieve things I want to achieve in life I’m going to have to work to get them. This isn’t a new realization. I think, hopefully, most people realize this. But, knowing it and putting it into action are two completely different things.
So, I’m beginning my journey now with a clearer path of what I want to do on my journey and where I want to end up. I hope to live my life in a way that I’m always growing and seeking knowledge. But, there are a lot of things I feel that I need to change now that would make me happier and make my life better. I also hope that in three years, when I turn 30, I can look back and be much happier and prouder about what I’ve accomplished than I am now.
I’m a writer. For almost as long as I can remember I’ve loved to write. I like to think it’s something I’m decent at too. This blog will serve as a way for me to practice that and hone in on my writing skills. I definitely feel like I need some accountability and with any luck publishing a blog will help with that. I hope to share my thoughts not only on my journey, but on the things that are important to me and that I find entertaining and interesting. Anyone that knows me knows that this certainly will involve some politics and pop culture.
There are many ways in which I’m trying to better myself. I need to be healthier—eat better and exercise. I need to read more. I need to write more. I need to learn more and seek more knowledge. I need to volunteer and be more active in my community. I need to speak up louder for those without a voice and those being oppressed. I need to be kinder and a better person in general.
While bettering myself, or at least trying, maybe I’ll also become a better writer. That’s my goal anyway. I hope anyone that reads this enjoys reading what I have to say and maybe can get something out of it as well. Good luck on your journey!
I’m starting this blog with something more in mind. I like to think of life as a journey, and I intend this blog to chronicle my journey of life. As I look back on the last few years of my life, my biggest regret is not doing enough to better myself. I don’t consider myself to be depressed or even unhappy for that matter most of the time. But, that doesn’t mean I can’t be happier. (Thank you Gretchen Rubin for helping me better understand this concept.)
I think what has happened is that I’ve become content. There is a big difference in contentment and happiness though. I also know that to achieve things I want to achieve in life I’m going to have to work to get them. This isn’t a new realization. I think, hopefully, most people realize this. But, knowing it and putting it into action are two completely different things.
So, I’m beginning my journey now with a clearer path of what I want to do on my journey and where I want to end up. I hope to live my life in a way that I’m always growing and seeking knowledge. But, there are a lot of things I feel that I need to change now that would make me happier and make my life better. I also hope that in three years, when I turn 30, I can look back and be much happier and prouder about what I’ve accomplished than I am now.
I’m a writer. For almost as long as I can remember I’ve loved to write. I like to think it’s something I’m decent at too. This blog will serve as a way for me to practice that and hone in on my writing skills. I definitely feel like I need some accountability and with any luck publishing a blog will help with that. I hope to share my thoughts not only on my journey, but on the things that are important to me and that I find entertaining and interesting. Anyone that knows me knows that this certainly will involve some politics and pop culture.
There are many ways in which I’m trying to better myself. I need to be healthier—eat better and exercise. I need to read more. I need to write more. I need to learn more and seek more knowledge. I need to volunteer and be more active in my community. I need to speak up louder for those without a voice and those being oppressed. I need to be kinder and a better person in general.
While bettering myself, or at least trying, maybe I’ll also become a better writer. That’s my goal anyway. I hope anyone that reads this enjoys reading what I have to say and maybe can get something out of it as well. Good luck on your journey!
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