Condescension

All my life I've been accused of condescension. Sometimes it's because I know an answer and force it upon someone else. Reaction: "What, you think I can't figure it out?"

Sometimes it's because I look like I'm going to laugh. Reaction: "What's your problem? I'm not kidding about this."

Sometimes it's because I disagree with someone and am trying to figure out a way around. Reaction: "You can't get rid of me. Hey, it's my way - or the highway."

But I always listen. If I can seize upon a missing element of logic and convince someone, I want their alliance. I want their help.

So it is difficult for me to recognize someone who engages a different behavior. Someone who wants to teach me what I already know. Someone who continually convinces me to agree with myself. Someone who would make me feel smart if she wasn't trying to convince me she's smarter. It is only now that I understand how my abilities and experiences escape someone who came so close.

Worse than the outright condescension of hostile listening is the subtle arrogance when someone does not care enough to listen.

The Day the Spin Died

Donate what you can.

Wikipedia Article of the Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RTFM

Cell Phone

My cell phone was stolen while in The Netherlands. I don't hold this against the kind, friendly, helpful Dutch people. However, if you receive a call from someone asking for information about me or about you, be warned: such a person may be engaged in fraud. Just because they have your phone number doesn't mean they're an official source or friendly person.

And it would also be cool if you e-mailed me (DON'T post it online) your contact info. Because I like you.

Holland

Okay, so Holland is pretty cool. Here's some pictures of the trip so far:
http://s87768561.onlinehome.us

Media Liberal

There is a significant development in the philosophy of the liberal. The media has influence to suggest that the world is going downhill, but implements a false isolation from the interpretation of the news. The liberal is based on the desire to act - in any fashion - to change current events. With the media personality dominating the traditional liberal personality, modern liberals have no bite. This leaves liberals cynical with a shrug: "What can we do?"

Friends

What a surprise - old media sources are worried about the trend of personalization in music, news, and entertainment. How can we be a nation if we don't share the same experiences, they wonder. How can we maintain our communities if we keep withdrawing from each other?

While newspapers, radio stations, and others worry that their patrons may be unenthralled by their latest pie charts and interactive maps, they fail to see their weaknesses. Wire services and sped-up deadlines ensure that news analysis is rare. CNN is no more useful than the scroll at the bottom of the TV screen. The New York Times is no more informative than the articles above the fold.

The missing element is the experience. Data does not build togetherness. Headlines and summaries do not build communities. The story that fails to tell me all about an event, the context and the people involved - all three essential elements - has failed to give me anything useful. Comments at a microphone - without analysis of their meaning - lack integrity and fail to gain my concern.

The old media attitude is the end of a failed evolution. Melting, melting, they cry, and we turn up the volume on our iPods.