Thursday, August 20, 2009

Flattery will get you everywhere

I hope everyone is enjoying their day! After morning rain here, it cleared up nicely, and it really cooled off! I'll probably have to put on socks soon, because my toes are getting cold!

Award Honest Scrap I was very flattered to get a couple of awards from fellow bloggers. As I do with most awards, I pass them along to anyone I read, and who believe it applies to them. First was Lucy of What is Left of a Whole New Life, who gave me the Honest Scrap award. She says I "say it like it is." I try, Lucy, and believe me, not everyone likes it as much as you do! I do tend to get a little...passionate...about things, and I freely admit that.

It still makes me laugh to think of when we met our blogger friend Mark in Detroit. As we were having breakfast, we talked about how people are often so much like the way they write. (People have told me that in the past, because of my letters, and I think it’s been true so far when it comes to bloggers we’ve met.)

Mark: [pointing to Ken] You...you write about a lot of technical stuff, and you're always really laid back, and that's just how you are in real life.

[Ken and I nod]

Mark: [pointing to me] And you are...

[At this point he starts laughing]

Me: Not?

[we all laugh]

Me: I'm laid back, too!

[Mark and Ken laugh]

Me: I really am! What's so funny? [I'm laughing now, too.] Okay, I'm laid back until I get fired up about something.

I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Award Superior Scribbler Second was the Superior Scribbler award from Deb at Write on Target. Deb is an honest-to-God writer, working on her second book, so you know it means a lot to me to get this from her! I love reading her blog, because not only is she a fantastic writer, she has plenty of tips and thoughts about writing and pimping shopping out your book. She's also got a great sense of humor, and I suspect we could stir up a little trouble together. I hope I get a chance to find out one day!

I thank both of you, and appreciate the kindness very much. I don't know anyone who doesn't love a little ego-stroking now and then!

~~~~~

It's no secret that I spend a lot of time on the computer. (I manage to get other things done, and yes, I ironed today!) Sometimes it still strikes me, though, what an amazing thing this is. This afternoon, I spent a little over an hour watching an online health care forum conducted by the President. It still astounds me to see the level of effort the campaign, and now the Administration and other organizations like MoveOn, have put into the Web in order to get their message out. It really is a linked-in society now (and I'm not even on LinkedIn!), and it's really cool to share this in real-time with others online, who are often hundreds of miles away.

Tea Bag sign Of course, it's a double-edged sword, since so much of the current misinformation has spread via the Web. The other day, a fellow blogger forwarded an email to me concerning all the terrible things that health care reform was going to do to us. (It stopped short of saying that it would induce painful acne flare-ups and cause embarrassing halitosis, but it was a close thing.) The person wanted my opinion, and I can't tell you how much I appreciated that. I don't have all the answers, and don't pretend to, but I can do some research, and I did so, providing several links for information, and refuting some of the ridiculous claims in the original email. I love it when someone doesn't take a forwarded email as factual and tries to learn the truth, and I've gotten increasingly likely to check into the fact or truth of things forwarded to me, and send them back with a link that provides the "rest of the story." Snopes and Factcheck are our friends, people! It should go without saying to not believe everything you read, but too many seem to think that if it's circulating on the Web, it must be true. It often is not.

I would say that the likelihood of my factchecking something and sending it back to the sender is directly proportional to my frustration with those who have blind faith and automatic belief in anything. What really perplexes me, though, is that so many simply refuse to accept proof. Whether it's Obama's birth certificate or the exact page and line that says nothing about "death panels" or specifies that illegal aliens will not be covered under this health care bill, they just will not accept it. "I don't believe you," they say. I wrote to a friend today that I wondered if that would work at the doctor's office.

Doctor: I have bad news. You have cancer.

Patient: I don't believe you.

Doctor: No, seriously...here's the X-ray.

Patient: I don't believe you.

Doctor: LOOK. Look at this X-ray. See this thing? It's your lung. See this big white thing down here at the bottom? That's a tumor. You have cancer.

Patient: You're making it up.

[Please note that I am not making fun of cancer. I've had several loved ones have it, and it is not a laughing matter. I'm just trying to illustrate my point.]

I just don't get it. How does written, notarized proof not provide irrefutable evidence? It seems to me to be a level of paranoia that is astonishing. Frankly, I find it a little creepy, too.

14 comments:

  1. I want them to start arresting those people at the rallies with guns and to quit letting them be anywhere near the president. This is crazy!

    Good post! You know I agree with you! Cute story about meeting blogger friends! :-)

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  2. I've come from Deb's place to say hello and congrats on your award!

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  3. some people don't want to see the truth even if it is staring them in the face.

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  4. Tanks for ironing honey :o)

    It is true that the amount of info on the World Wide Web is amazing, but like you say, it must be taken as a piece of input, or a datapoint, not the end all!

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  5. I just don't get it. How does written, notarized proof not provide irrefutable evidence? It seems to me to be a level of paranoia that is astonishing. Frankly, I find it a little creepy, too.

    First, a congrats at your awards!! You do journal honestly and you do scribble words out pretty well, though it is a lot neater now that your computer has that font thing working!!

    I guess Ken is waiting for you to be 'laid back' about something, too! That's second.

    Third is the I copied from your entry. It isn't distrust, but the pervasive anti-intellectualism that has taken root and is de rigueur in our country. We lag behind in so much as far as education, and it is really starting to show up now, unlike ever before.

    The Bush-Cheney administration were by leaps and bounds more criminal (I said it and I meant it, too!) than the Nixon administration. But our country was actually more aware of things, and would not let something like Watergate slip by. From the trashing of McCain in his first run up as President to his dragging of Kerry through the muck on issues that HE WAS HIMSELF FAULTY OF, was as clear a sign of any of the direction of independent thought in this country.

    Another of Orwell's books, 'Animal Farm' would fit here. Only thing, we won't believe the pigs are pigs ... for instance, the charge that Obama was 'elitist' when McCain had no idea of what it was like to come up as a reg'lar guy. Trust me, the family of flag officers and shapers of the modern navy don't know too much about struggle ... AT FREAKING ALL.

    Ooh, the hypocrisy ... it stings! I hope it doesn't leave a mark!

    Like sheep, most of the country is being led willingly into the slaughter, taking everyone one else with it. The power elite (because IMO, it is all about power) has taken advantage of our laziness, and gotten the masses to be pacified with the idea that they are revolting against something, when really all we are doing is fighting our own best interests.

    This is where the lack of creative thought and unwillingness to make education a priority has gotten us. We are quickly becoming a country that is a opportunistic dumping ground, for other to make money off of the ignorance.

    The one lady who McCain had to quiet when she was spouting ignorance about Obama ... the stupid Katy Abrams (yeah, I called her 'stupid' ... whaddya gonna do about it!) and the idiot Joe the Assba--, I mean, Plumber.

    Oh, and lets not forget the Palin-Ra, the princess of WILLFUL ignorance. Don't make me smarter, please ... I like not know what it is I am ruining! The fact that you know that there is going to be a huge re-brand of someone who is a KNOWN QUITTER as a presidential candidate into a person we are supposed to believe is going to be tough enough to lead us through challenging times.

    Yeah ... right.

    Because we aren't curious enough to know, as a people we are far easier to fool. What this means is less quality as far as those we elect to ANY office, much less Presidential. The politics hear in Detroit has be stagnant for my entire life. All you need is to have a familiar name, and talk 'black this and black that', and we both know the thing about 'this and that'.

    But what the political ignorance and 'incuriousity' has lead to, have been people who are venal, self-centered and egoists, being elected to run our governments. Our lives.

    I said it. They help make laws and their laws help shape behaviour. Behaviour that is going to do what, my good friends and countrymen ... affect out lives!!

    I could go on, but I am tired ... so much for catching up to other journals (including my own!!)

    See you later (unless I see you first!!)

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  6. That's not cancer, I'm just really pale and it blinded a portion of the x-ray. Geez, and you said you were a doctor! ;)
    Love,
    Jamie

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  7. Thank you for being a fact finder- Oh doctor,second opinions usually confirm the first so let's start the treatment!

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  8. Aren't you laid back when sitting on your deck?? Hey, continue to "tell it like it is"...some people don't want to hear it...

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  9. Is the birth certificate thing STILL going on...yawn. Be it Obama or whomever, it gets tiresome when people continually beat a dead horse. **My horses don't like it when I use this expression, but it fits**

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  10. Congratulations on those two awards. You deserve them! Not only do I admire your fight for truth, but you know how to express it so well.

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  11. I told you, you say it like it is and all I have to do is agree. And I do. The fearmongering and out and out lies and the republicans have never worked with Obama and never will.

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  12. I better add I have kids that are republicans so this is not meant as a direct insult to my kids, just other republicans. lol

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  13. Congrats on your awards. You deserve them:)

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