Sunday, July 12, 2009

C’mon and break it on down

I posted this on Facebook, but it makes me giggle so much I thought I'd post it here, too!

I spent a couple of hours in the garage today "breakin' it on down." I got almost all the tables cleared off and the stuff ready to go to Goodwill, and three of the remaining tables taken down. Ken and I will make short work of it tomorrow and Slick, Blacky, and Blue will be back in their garage, snug as bugs. Yay! Since I got so much accomplished, I felt good about sitting on the deck this afternoon, reading the paper and my book. Mom called and we chatted for a bit, and it was a lovely day all the way around. This week's focus will be deciding what clothes to take to Florida...swimsuit, shorts, and tank tops. That should about do it. Ha! I should get a chance to wear some of the skorts I bought last year. I'm starting to get excited about visiting our "other home," New Smyrna Beach. It will be Ken's ninth year there, and my eighth (although I remember going there when I was a kid). We love our vegecation!

This morning, I read a Huffington Post piece about Sarah Palin and the trend towards anti-intellectualism in America. I thought it was excellent, and posted it on Facebook. Our friend Mark posted a comment:

I think that this was the direction I wanted my post to reflect in my journal ... but the thing about Palin is that her inability which fuels her insecurity, makes me wonder if she will find any traction with people who are like her, in a denial fueled by misappropriated feelings of victimization.

I thought that was so effin' brilliant that I had to write about it. I think Mark nailed it totally, and that is exactly what bothered (and bothers) me the most about Palin and others of her ilk. They seem to be saying that it's okay to be ignorant and uninformed. In the case of that intellectual giant, Sam Wurzelbacher, his attitude seems to be "I don't have a lot of book smarts, but I know how I feel." For Christ's sake, man, if you recognize the problem, do something about it! It doesn't matter that much if you don't have a degree, or even a high school diploma, at least if you're not trying to get a job--then it matters a lot. But do you try to learn about new things? Are you curious about the world around you? Do you try to figure out how things work? (I would ask that you draw the line at vivisection.) Are you intellectually curious?

I saw that lack in Palin last fall, and recent articles and interviews bear that out. She doesn't know a whole lot about policy, but what is worse is that she shows no desire to learn. Her handlers were rebuffed when they tried to prep her for her debate, or for reporters questions. I find that appalling. Hey, good for you if you're pretty and charismatic. At the end of the day, you'd better have a little more depth to you, though. I don't know how you can read the text of Palin’s resignation speech and believe that this woman is fit for any position above the Town Dogcatcher. Hell, she's not fit even for that--she'd shoot first and ask questions later.

Mark's comment about inabilities fueling insecurity, and "denial fueled by misappropriated feelings of victimization" was also brilliant because Sarah Palin doesn't have a monopoly on that--I've known people in my life who have that same attitude. I'll never comprehend why anyone would ridicule me or Ken because we have degrees, but I've heard it. I can only guess that it is because of exactly what Mark referenced...insecurity fueled by inability. Sometimes it's a matter of despising what you don't have merely because you don't have it. Whose fault is that? I have people in my family who don't even have their high school diploma, but they still love to read and learn, and would never resent me because I went to college.

Education--whether formal or self-motivated--is something to be encouraged rather than ridiculed. Even if you are unable to further your formal education, it doesn't mean that your education has to end, or that you should hate others because of what they have achieved. I believe that my education didn't end when I got my degree in 1984--it's still in progress, I'm still learning, and I'm still curious.

12 comments:

  1. It's true, Beth, one doesn't need a degree to prove one is smart. People should act like they know something. And if we don't know what's happening in the world, then we should at least show an interest when someone graciously tries to explain it to us, to teach us something new. I'll be the first to admit my ignorance on one subject or another, and am always delighted when another person offers to enlighten me. I'll accept opinions and facts, and filter them out at a later time. Your last paragraph sums it up well.

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  2. People the likes of Palin and Joe the Plumber have more interest in dragging others down rather than lifting them selves up. It is ingrained in them, down to their politics. The disdain with which they speak of the 'Welfare state' and other social programs prove the same. But almost worse is their callous disregard for the truth, with their self-serving 'ends justify the means' mentalities and self promotion along with a mob mentality [the more I seem like 'the common folk the more they will like me and prove me to be unlike them, special.' To actually pursue knowledge would be admitting you were lacking, a sure sign of weakness - at least to the soulless.

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  3. Can you believe it took me a minute to figure out who Slick, Blacky, and Blue were.... LOL!!! DUH!! Glad you got it all done and were able to enjoy the day!!

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  4. You go girl! Palin is such a brainless Twit!

    The Utube with Craig Ferguson is a hoot! I must have missed that one. I usually watch him at night.

    Hugs, Rose
    P.S. Has anyone noticed on the Blogger's Buzz that they now have a new Partner called Ligit???? Just wanted your thoughts on it.

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  5. I love the first few minutes of Craig Ferguson's show. It never disappoints.

    Palin is DONE. She'll make her money from the book, lay low for a while, and then start showing up to campaign for desperate GOP candidates in the 2010 midterm elections. If she's then dumb enough to run for president, I hope she wins the nomination because the thrashing she'll get will set the GOP back a few more election cycles.

    And of course she will run, because she will be fighting against "the elites" (how elite is it to quit your job in this economy and not have to worry about money?)while fighting for "the real America" (because America is all about quitting, remember). And when she flames out, it will be everyone else's fault but her own.

    God, she's repulsive.

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  6. Ah Florida. How I miss your sudden scary storms. So violent you can feel the electricity in the air, down to your very core. I love Florida, bring a piece back for me. Maybe some ocean front property for my backyard too. ;)
    You'd be surprised (or not) how many people out there finish their education and then never attempt to learn anything after that point. I can't tell you how many times someone has asked me why I would research something that I don't HAVE to. Uhm, because my brain commands me to use it. Learning something new doesn't have to be a chore, something only done when forced. I don't understand why you would ever want to STOP learning. But then, you already know that about me. ;)
    Love,
    Jamie

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  7. Oh, how sadly true! This happens so often --people who despise something just because they don't have it, and not just in regard to education. I've seen it frequently in the human struggle for wealth and achievement, too. I think some people feel it's just easier to stand back and criticize than to aspire to a higher plateau themselves, or at least feel happiness for the good fortune (and hard work) of others.

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  8. i can bet it will be damn hot in FL....i just love Ferguson..those singing puppets nailed it! He is my fav after Dave.

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  9. The part of Palin that scares me most isn't really Palin herself, but those voters who support her when it's quite evident she is a two-faced, panderer, lacking in any kind of judgenment whatsoever.
    She has no knowledge of politics or how government works, re her belief in ther "department of law" at the White House.
    She is a Pro-life wingnut who openly discusses how she once thought about abortion. A right she would deny to every woman in America.
    She is pro-family and yet kept her last pregnancy hidden from nearly everyone around her.
    She's a fighter who quits mid-term.
    She literally cannot string together a sentence that makes sense.
    She has an over-inflated ego and sense of self yet portrays herself as some of victim of the media.
    And my favorite, as Shannyn Miller put it, Sarah Palin is a "coward and a bully."

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  10. There are good wingnuts and bad wingnuts. Ferguson is a good wingnut, Palin bad.

    Bucko - out :o)

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  11. Trying to read her resignation speech ... I mean, have you REALLY tried to read that thing? I felt the way I was feeling trying to watch the movie 'Cloverfield'. A good idea gone horribly wrong.

    I will go easier on myself, wait, scratch that. I will try to edit my own entries and comments with more diligence. Somehow, being person who has the werewithal to know more about anything, has become a bad thing.

    You have to wonder did she even 'listen to herself' as she spoke? I can only hope that she doesn't get any 'traction', and that America can have the good sense to not let her ascend in leadership.

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  12. Brava!!! Great post!!! You (and Mark) said it beautifully and I couldn't agree more! One can be well-informed and aware without having a high IQ or a college degree. One can learn to speak well, given some time and effort. It is NOT ok to be an idiot when you have a choice!

    As for Ferguson -- I missed that one, so thanks for posting it. Loved it! I don't know who that little guy is, but I just love him. He must have a lot of self-confidence to be able to dress like that on national TV.

    Glad your yard sale went well, and I still say, "better you than me!" (Yes, it should be "I", but it's a saying!!)

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I'm funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you?