Jesus
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| Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. - Matthew 5.7 Do unto others as you would have them do to you. - Luke 6:31 | My only complaint is that lethal injection is too comfortable a way to go It's about 10 degrees below zero outside. ... You can keep his coat; tell him we'll send it to him in a couple of weeks. You know, it doesn't really matter what [the media] write as long as you've got a young and beautiful piece of ass. |
| If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me. - Matthew 19:21 Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. - Matthew 19:23-24 But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation. - Luke 6:24 | Nobody’s ever been more successful than me. I’m the most successful person ever to run. Ross Perot isn’t successful like me. Romney – I have a Gucci store that’s worth more than Romney. Part of the beauty of me is that I am very rich. I have . . . the greatest assets: Trump Tower, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, Bank of America building in San Francisco, 40 Wall Street, sometimes referred to as the Trump Building . . . many other places all over the world. Donald Trump’s houses Donald Trump's 7-Year-Old Son, Barron, Uses Caviar Moisturizer Every Night |
| I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me. - Matthew 25:42-13 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? - Matthew 5:46-47 | I’m putting the people on notice that are coming here from Syria as part of this mass migration. If I win, they’re going back. They’re going back. I’m telling you. They’re going back. We are going to build a wall, and it’s going to be a real wall. We are going to build a beautiful, big high real wall. Anybody gets to the top of that wall, they’re going to be afraid to come down, it’s a long way. Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here? |
| For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. - Matthew 6:15 | And when they let me down, if they let me down, I never forgive. For many years I’ve said that if someone screws you, screw them back. When somebody hurts you, just go after them as viciously and as violently as you can. |
| Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. - Matthew 22:21 | I fight like hell to pay as little as possible |
| And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye. - Luke 6:41-42 | Sometimes, part of making a deal is denigrating your competition. He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured. (speaking of John McCain, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for 5 years) Truly weird Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky reminds me of a spoiled brat without a properly functioning brain. And when you meet her you realize she’s not very tough and she’s not very sharp. She gets out there and she starts asking me all sorts of ridiculous questions, and you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her … wherever. @michellemalkin You were born stupid! Heidi Klum. Sadly, she's no longer a 10. I know where she went -- it's disgusting, I don't want to talk about it. - On Hillary Clinton going to the bathroom. |
| You shall not bear false witness - Matthew 19:18 |
"So if you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of him, would you?" he told a crowd in Iowa in February. "Seriously, okay, just knock the hell. I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees; I promise, I promise." (February 1, 2016) "I never said I was going to pay for fees. (March 15, 2016) |
| Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. - Matthew 5:9 "Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. - Matthew 26.52 | And the other thing is with the terrorists, you have to take out their families. They, they care about their lives. Don’t kid yourself. But they say they don’t care about their lives. You have to take out their families. I am the most militaristic person you will ever meet. |
| For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Luke 14:11 | Sorry losers and haters, but my I.Q. is one of the highest -and you all know it! Please don't feel so stupid or insecure,it's not your fault Nobody’s ever been more successful than me. Face The Nation's interview of me was the highest rated show that they have had in 15 years. Oftentimes when I was sleeping with one of the top women in the world I would say to myself, thinking about me as a boy from Queens, ‘Can you believe what I am getting?" Part of the beauty of me is that I am very rich. Of course, it’s very hard for them to attack me on looks, because I’m so good looking. All of the women on The Apprentice flirted with me— consciously or unconsciously. That's to be expected. Look, somebody made the statement that Donald Trump has built or owns the greatest collection of golf courses, ever, in the history of golf. And I believe that is 100 percent true. I have a big heart, I have a tremendous heart, I want to take care of people. Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. [...] I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius....and a very stable genius at that! |
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
What Would Trump Do? Comparing Statements by Trump and Jesus
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Notes on Geekiness
Geeks have come a long way in recent decades. Once upon a time, the word "geek" meant a sideshow performer in traveling carnivals, who made money doing foul and degrading things like biting the heads off chickens. Then the word came to be associated with people who were smart, but socially-awkward. In other words: nerds (a word invented by Dr. Seuss). The fact that people equated nerds with pariahs like circus geeks says something about the regard nerds were once held in.
But now it's different. Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are classic computer geeks, and they're some of the most powerful people in the world. Bill Nye, who used to wear a bowtie to play up the geek image, now speaks to sold-out crowds in arenas. Traditionally geeky forms of entertainment like science fiction, fantasy, comics, and gaming have gone even more mainstream than science. The comic-con/gaming crowd is a proud and thriving subculture.
But now it's different. Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are classic computer geeks, and they're some of the most powerful people in the world. Bill Nye, who used to wear a bowtie to play up the geek image, now speaks to sold-out crowds in arenas. Traditionally geeky forms of entertainment like science fiction, fantasy, comics, and gaming have gone even more mainstream than science. The comic-con/gaming crowd is a proud and thriving subculture.
Still, if you want to be cool in today's world (and even middle aged people do these days) there are some topics still considered too geeky to talk about much. At most social gatherings, you're much safer talking about TV or football than science or philosophy. Those topics make people squirm.
Of course, sometimes talking about that kind of thing is socially awkward for legitimate reasons. If someone just isn't interested in science, for example, then it's rude (or at least socially tone-deaf) to yammer on at them about it. Still, it's striking just how many people aren't interested in intellectual topics. What's even more striking is how many people who are interested in them are uncomfortable talking about them in a social setting. Clearly, there's a stigma at work here. There's still a distinct air of uncoolness surrounding many intellectual topics. I think that's a shame, but I also think it's interesting to think about how the stigma works.
Think about what you have to do if you want to talk about geeky topics without making people edge away from you nervously. First, you have to make it clear you know it's geeky, and be ready to change the subject as soon people start cringing or gazing off into the distance. You have to be aware of the uncoolness; few things scream "geek" as loudly as social obliviousness. Second, you have to joke about it. You don't want to sound too cerebral, too serious, or too into stuff like that. Not if you want to be cool, anyway.
Why does doing those things let you off the hook? First, as I mentioned, I think acknowledging that the topic is considered geeky shows that you aren't oblivious. You know what the rules are, and you're consciously breaking them. As for joking, it seems to have a similar purpose--it distances you from the ideas you're talking about, so their stigma doesn't stick to you.
Plus, it's just not cool these days to sound too earnest or innocent. Some of today's biggest idols are comedians who excel in a particularly modern brand of never-serious, always-ironic humor. Think about Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. They host intellectuals and discuss real ideas on their shows, but they're only able to do it by constantly joking; sneaking in the big ideas by wrapping them in a cloud of jokes. Their associate, Jon Oliver, has built a whole show around this approach. Serious ideas are still getting out there, but what does it say about our culture that this is the most effective way to get people to pay attention to them? As brilliant as I think Colbert is, sometimes I wish he would lay off the jokes and let whoever he's interviewing talk. I suspect he wishes he could do that too sometimes, but then, of course, the show would flop.
How did we get so averse to sincerity? Maybe it's a defense mechanism against the barrage of advertising and political spin we're faced with these days--advertisers and politicians would love for us to still be as fresh-faced and gullible as the beaming drones in ads from the fifties. Still, stigmatizing earnestness can be a problem, because there are times when it's called for. Besides, as somebody once said (maybe Oscar Wilde but I can't confirm that), "If nothing is serious, then nothing is funny."
In any case, Stewart and Colbert certainly aren't geeks--at least in the sense of being awkward or unpopular. They're enormously popular. They're what I think of as smart-cool--they address serious or tough ideas, but they avoid being geeky with comedy.
But then, alas, there are the dumb-cool people: the airheaded celebrities and dumb jocks of the world, and the legions of people who want to be like them. These folks are in no danger of being seen as geeks, because they never talk about science, philosophy, history or anything boring like that. If u talk about that stuff u must b a total geek LOL!
When I think about it, it seems to me there are two related stigmas going on here: a stigma against intellectualism, and a stigma against seeming too earnest or innocent. First, a strain of anti-intellectualism always been common in American culture. We're still enough of a frontier society that many people have more respect for brawn than brains. Add to that the modern obsession with celebrities, which pretty much guarantees that brains will take a back seat to physical beauty, fashion, or an entertaining personality. Think about what the stereotypical caricature of geeks--they don't have brawn, they aren't good-looking, they aren't fashionable, and they're socially awkward. They're the antithesis of both the frontier tough guy and the stylish movie star. Yes, they usually have brains, but brains just aren't valued as highly in our culture--especially pop culture--as those other things. And that, again, is a shame.
But humor is valued--especially the kind of ultra-ironic humor I mentioned above. But that brings us to the second kind of stigma, against seriousness or earnestness. The result is that the only way you can get away with discussing serious ideas, if you want to still be cool, is acting like you're not really serious about them. And really, that's a shame, too.
Of course, sometimes talking about that kind of thing is socially awkward for legitimate reasons. If someone just isn't interested in science, for example, then it's rude (or at least socially tone-deaf) to yammer on at them about it. Still, it's striking just how many people aren't interested in intellectual topics. What's even more striking is how many people who are interested in them are uncomfortable talking about them in a social setting. Clearly, there's a stigma at work here. There's still a distinct air of uncoolness surrounding many intellectual topics. I think that's a shame, but I also think it's interesting to think about how the stigma works.
Think about what you have to do if you want to talk about geeky topics without making people edge away from you nervously. First, you have to make it clear you know it's geeky, and be ready to change the subject as soon people start cringing or gazing off into the distance. You have to be aware of the uncoolness; few things scream "geek" as loudly as social obliviousness. Second, you have to joke about it. You don't want to sound too cerebral, too serious, or too into stuff like that. Not if you want to be cool, anyway.
Why does doing those things let you off the hook? First, as I mentioned, I think acknowledging that the topic is considered geeky shows that you aren't oblivious. You know what the rules are, and you're consciously breaking them. As for joking, it seems to have a similar purpose--it distances you from the ideas you're talking about, so their stigma doesn't stick to you.
Plus, it's just not cool these days to sound too earnest or innocent. Some of today's biggest idols are comedians who excel in a particularly modern brand of never-serious, always-ironic humor. Think about Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. They host intellectuals and discuss real ideas on their shows, but they're only able to do it by constantly joking; sneaking in the big ideas by wrapping them in a cloud of jokes. Their associate, Jon Oliver, has built a whole show around this approach. Serious ideas are still getting out there, but what does it say about our culture that this is the most effective way to get people to pay attention to them? As brilliant as I think Colbert is, sometimes I wish he would lay off the jokes and let whoever he's interviewing talk. I suspect he wishes he could do that too sometimes, but then, of course, the show would flop.
How did we get so averse to sincerity? Maybe it's a defense mechanism against the barrage of advertising and political spin we're faced with these days--advertisers and politicians would love for us to still be as fresh-faced and gullible as the beaming drones in ads from the fifties. Still, stigmatizing earnestness can be a problem, because there are times when it's called for. Besides, as somebody once said (maybe Oscar Wilde but I can't confirm that), "If nothing is serious, then nothing is funny."
In any case, Stewart and Colbert certainly aren't geeks--at least in the sense of being awkward or unpopular. They're enormously popular. They're what I think of as smart-cool--they address serious or tough ideas, but they avoid being geeky with comedy.
But then, alas, there are the dumb-cool people: the airheaded celebrities and dumb jocks of the world, and the legions of people who want to be like them. These folks are in no danger of being seen as geeks, because they never talk about science, philosophy, history or anything boring like that. If u talk about that stuff u must b a total geek LOL!
When I think about it, it seems to me there are two related stigmas going on here: a stigma against intellectualism, and a stigma against seeming too earnest or innocent. First, a strain of anti-intellectualism always been common in American culture. We're still enough of a frontier society that many people have more respect for brawn than brains. Add to that the modern obsession with celebrities, which pretty much guarantees that brains will take a back seat to physical beauty, fashion, or an entertaining personality. Think about what the stereotypical caricature of geeks--they don't have brawn, they aren't good-looking, they aren't fashionable, and they're socially awkward. They're the antithesis of both the frontier tough guy and the stylish movie star. Yes, they usually have brains, but brains just aren't valued as highly in our culture--especially pop culture--as those other things. And that, again, is a shame.
But humor is valued--especially the kind of ultra-ironic humor I mentioned above. But that brings us to the second kind of stigma, against seriousness or earnestness. The result is that the only way you can get away with discussing serious ideas, if you want to still be cool, is acting like you're not really serious about them. And really, that's a shame, too.
Let Your Geek Flag Fly
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| Photo by Alan Fitzsimmons. Click for photo credit and info. |
Nabokov once said, "common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness." If that is true--and I've never seen good evidence to the contrary--then life is far, far too short to let it pass without learning something about the amazing world we live it in.
And yet--somehow--there are people who think it's embarrassing to be interested in science, philosophy, or other fields devoted to learning the answers to big questions. At a party, it's fine to talk endlessly about sports or TV, but talking about Plato's cave or neutron stars will get you labeled a geek. There's a stigma attached to those topics. It's deeply weird, if you think about it. Do people not understand how short life is?
Many of them don't, of course, or rather, they disagree with me about getting just one life. They believe there will be plenty of time in the afterlife to learn about stuff like that, so I can understand why they might have this attitude, even if I don't agree with it. What I can't understand is the people who don't believe in an afterlife, and still think it's embarrassing to think about science, or history, or philosophy. They just don't care, or perhaps they're too embarrassed. Maybe they're too cool, or just hope to be. In any case, they're likely to laugh at anyone who talks about these things. You can talk about pop culture, football, maybe even politics, but only weirdos talk about deep philosophical questions and things like outer space, right?
Actually, I'm pretty sure it's weird not to talk about these things. If these folks don't want to look up at this immense and astonishing universe in wonder now; if they don't want to ponder the big questions in life while they're ALIVE...then when do they think they will?
But it's their life, and their decision. As for me, I say life is too short not to marvel openly about the wonders of science and nature. It's too short not to ask big questions and discuss them with your friends. And it's certainly too short to let anybody make you feel small for thinking big thoughts.
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