There’s a True Sheriff in Town

 

A couple of days after the assassination attempt on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson AZ I was walking through the supermarket where I normally shop, observing the other shoppers going through the mundane motions of daily living and I wondered just how many of them really cared that Gabby, as she is affectionately called, was laying in a hospital bed fighting for her life. I wondered if they had an iota of an inkling of just how volatile the situation is in this country.

An article recently written about a cognitive study done by researchers at The University of Michigan- as reported in the Boston Globe newspaper- highlighted some of the findings of that study. The major point was that:

Facts don’t necessarily have the power to change our minds. In fact, quite the opposite. In a series of studies in 2005 and 2006, researchers at the University of Michigan found that when misinformed people, particularly political partisans, were exposed to corrected facts in news stories, they rarely changed their minds. In fact, they often became even more strongly set in their beliefs. Facts, they found, were not curing misinformation. Like an underpowered antibiotic, facts could actually make misinformation even stronger.

The article goes on to say:

In light of these findings, researchers concluded that  a defense mechanism, which they labeled “backfire”, was preventing individuals from producing pure rational thought. The result is a self-delusion that appears so regularly in normal thinking that we fail to detect it in ourselves, and often in others: When faced with facts that do not fit seamlessly into our individual belief systems, our minds automatically reject (or backfire) the presented facts. The result of backfire is that we become even more entrenched in our beliefs, even if those beliefs are totally or partially false.

And here’s the cherry-on-top to sum it all up:

“The general idea is that it’s absolutely threatening to admit you’re wrong,” said Brendan Nyhan, the lead researcher of the Michigan study. 

During the news conference following the shooting Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik was stating facts when he said:

“I think it’s time as a country that we need to do a little soul-searching, because I think it’s the vitriolic rhetoric that we hear day in and day out from people in the radio business and some people in the TV business…that may be free speech, but it’s not without consequences.” 

What Sheriff Dupnik was basically saying is that the confrontational, inflammatory, and hateful language present in the political discourse in this country these days has created the type of climate that can produce murderous acts such as the one that occurred in Tucson.

I am one of the many people who agree with him totally and see his candid and heartfelt remarks as heroic, especially in light of the pervasive cowardice and complicity that is being shrouded as objective commentary. Watching pundits and politicians tip-toe around the issue has been a deeply sickening experience. And watching individuals from the right engage in pathological partisanship is both infuriating and terrifying.

Anyone that even suggests that liberals or the left have engaged in the same level of divisiveness as the right is either irreparably ignorant or consciously wicked. The evidence to the contrary is so absolutely overwhelming that the contrast wouldn’t be worthy of discussion if the national psyche wasn’t so grotesquely fractured.

One question that I haven’t heard either asked or answered in the aftermath of the shooting is this: Can anyone truly say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Jared Loughner was not influenced in any way by the vitriolic rhetoric that Sheriff Dupnik was referring to? The answer is no, and that should be enough to trigger at least a modicum of human remorse or compassion. But human remorse or compassion is not the reaction coming from the right.

But that’s no surprise. As Mr. Nyhan pointed out, it’s absolutely threatening to admit that you’re wrong, especially when you’re engaged in a titanic struggle for control of the government of the most powerful country in the world. The question is: How can a society realistically hope to survive if facts and truth cease to have value to its citizens, especially those that have power or influence?

Again, thank you Sheriff Dupnik for telling it like it is.

My thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this horrible tragedy, their families, and everyone affected. May God have mercy on this nation.

Black Dating in a Hip Hop Society

It might be wise to attach a disclaimer to this post: The views expressed in this video are not necessarily the views of The Muse Minefield (namely me). And there is some explicit language.

I simply see the video as a creative look at the complexities of the black male/female relationship today, particularly as it pertains to the Hip Hop generation. But after all is said and done it’s one man’s (who refers to himself as GQnupe) perspective that, from what I can tell, has attracted some attention and has sparked spirited debate.

Sometimes debate is good. Here’s hoping that it leads to more meaningful dialogue than it does deepening division. Hey, we can always hope…right?

Kanye West: Running away from the killer jackass

Sometimes the most precious lessons that we learn in life are the ones that almost destroy us. And if we don’t properly appreciate those near-death experiences (whether they be physical, spiritual, professional, etc) and learn from them, there’s always the possibility that the death that was delayed will burst forth like a violent echo that proclaims us as fools.

Without question Kanye West is a brilliant and gifted artist. I just finished watching his “Runaway” video on MTV, and also a portion of the interview that followed. Kanye has been blessed with extraordinary vision, along with the ability and fearlessness to express his vision in a way that inspires many. I truly respect that about him.

But here’s the thing about vision, especially here in America. Even the greatest vision is vulnerable to market forces, and having vision doesn’t necessarily assure your viability.

According to an article that I read today, in reference to the 2009 MTV VMA – Taylor Swift incident: “There is some evidence that West’s public appeal has not rebounded since VMA-gate. A recent analysis by e-Poll Market Research showed the percentage of people surveyed who currently have a positive view of West sits at 16 percent- down from a high of 58 percent in 2004.” 

That’s what some people refer to as falling from grace. It was the Taylor Swift incident that prompted President Obama to call Kanye a “jackass” in off-record remarks immortalized by ABC’s Terry Moran through Twitter. When the President of the United States calls you a “jackass” and most of the world nods in agreement, that’s a clue that there are things in this world that are bigger than any vision that you can ever hope to conceive.

To his credit Kanye has publicly apologized to Taylor Swift. But there are a couple of quotes in the article that indicate that he still hasn’t properly appreciated his near-death experience. He was quoted as saying, “I realized my importance only after my position was savagely taken away from me.” But as MTV personality Sway stated during a phone interview for the article, “Nobody took away his career…What they took away was his reality.”

We have to be careful about creating our own reality. Another quote from Kanye in the article: “Blogs are where people who could never be you try to tell you how to do you.” That’s real deep, Kanye. But the last time I checked the President doesn’t even have a blog…

When a death video goes viral

“For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.”

Proverbs 1:16

There are few things more precious than a Mom and Dad’s memories of their children, of guiding them through the laughter and the crying, the discoveries and the disappointments. Watching the twinkle of innocence in their little infant eyes develop into the sparkle of wonder and anticipation during the years of adolescence, to become the brilliant star of a promising adulthood.

When those memories are unconscionably violated by images that are impossible to erase it is nothing short of an abominable tragedy. 

When I came across the news story that the parents of Dayna Kempson-Schacht received a graphic video of her just moments after her fatal car accident, and that the video had been posted online, the first question that popped into my mind was: Why would anyone want to do that? How can someone be so callous and insensitive as to send grieving parents a fresh reminder of such a devastating loss?

It was suggested that the video was sent to the parents only to make them aware that the video existed. OK, I can see warning the parents that the video existed, but did they have to send them the actual video? I guess that one person’s good intention is another person’s grievous invasion, separated only by the thin line of common sense, or lack thereof.

But is it merely a lack of common sense, or something deeper and darker?

With this incident coming on the heels of the coverage of the Tyler Clementi story I’m certain that the conversation regarding the sometimes catastrophic combination of technology and temptation will intensify. The thing is that while technology presents its own set of temptations it is simply modernizing those temptations that have plagued mankind since the beginning of time.

But right now my thoughts and prayers are with Dayna’s parents. I can only imagine that the day that they received the video they woke up determined to get through another day, armed with only the loving and lasting memories of their daughter. I’m sure that it never occurred to them that they would be dragged down into someone else’s spiritual poverty.

I figure that someone has to be living a pretty miserable life to pull a stunt like that. But like my mother has always said: Misery loves company.

June Cleaver and A Little Black Boy in K Town

As I remember how I used to enjoy sitting in front of the television and watching the escapades and adventures of Beaver Cleaver on Leave It To Beaver when I was a young boy I’m also trying to recall exactly how it felt.

I can’t imagine that my experience of growing up in “K-Town” on the West Side of Chicago could provide much in the way of establishing a brotherhood with “the Beave.” But I guess the fact that he was a little kid putting up with his parents was enough for us to bond spiritually. There are certain things that are universal, I suppose.  

Something that I do remember is that I never saw Beaver getting a spanking or whipping. Nor did I ever see Beaver’s parents, Ward and June Cleaver, argue. Now, that was very unlike my personal experience. Don’t get me wrong: I was far from abused and grew up in a household filled with love and laughter, and I’m blessed that I’m able to enjoy that same love and laughter today. It’s just amazing how sanitized television was back then.

Actually, Leave It To Beaver was so sanitized that during it’s 5-year run only one African-American had a speaking role, and that was in only one episode, which aired during the show’s last season in 1963; an African-American actress by the name of Kim Hamilton played the role of a maid in that episode.

But hey, over time I’ve discovered that things are not always as they seem. It could very well be that June Cleaver and the maid bonded off camera in ways that people could never have imagined back then. Just check out June breaking it down to the brothas in the video.

Now that I think about it, I may have seen her driving through K-Town during the ’68 riots…

The Cigar Guy Am I

It’s becoming increasingly apparent that we are living in a world where 15 minutes of fame can easily be forced upon us, whether we want it or not, whether we like it or not. The recent web craze of trying to figure out who the “Cigar Guy” was in the crowd at the Ryder Cup tournament is just the latest incident to drive this point home in a frightening manner.

I say that it’s frightening because, while there are those who crave attention no matter what the cost (choose any reality tv show), there are many of us who would rather not be exposed to viral fame.

It’s gotten to the point where you can be out anywhere, minding your business, acting goofy and having fun, or doing the most mundane and boring thing imaginable, and wind up having your image Photoshopped all over the globe, onto images that you might not want to be associated with. How crazy is that?

Sure, fame might appear to be fun from afar, but when it comes knocking on your door unexpectantly, it could turn out to be a totally different animal. Just ask Steven Holmes.

That’s the 19-year-old kid living in England whose life was turned upside down when megastar rapper Kanye West decided to follow him on Twitter, calling Steven “The Chosen One,” because he would be the only person that Kanye would follow.

It was a megathrill for Steven…for a few moments. You know what they say about fame, how fleeting it can be? Well, in this case the script was flipped: Steven fled from fame. Once it got out that Steven was Kanye’s only Twitter pal, Steven was overwhelmed by requests for interviews from the media and constantly hounded by his old and newfound Twitter pals, desperate to touch the hem of Steven’s viral garment. Steven wanted no part of the fame, saying that it was “vacuous,” and that “not everybody wants to be famous.”

You can also ask Steve Bartman about how it feels to catch a case of viral fame. If you can find him. Back in 2003 Steve made the mistake of trying to catch a foul ball at a playoff game between the Chicago Cubs and the Florida Marlins. At the time it happened there was a widely held view that he prevented the Cubs outfielder- Moises Alou- from catching the ball to get the batter out.

When that didn’t happen and the Cubs went on to lose the game, Steve was basically blamed for extending the curse on the Cubs that has prevented them from winning a World Series in over 100 years.

The next day Steve’s name and face were all over the place. He became the most reviled and despicable human being to ever walk the earth. It was astonishing. (If the U.S. government really wanted to find Osama Bin Laden, they should have enlisted the most rabid Cub fans to search for him during that time period, telling them that Steve and Osama plotted the Cubs playoff collapse. There wouldn’t be any talk of Bin Laden today.)

But seriously, going after a foul ball at a baseball game turned out to be a life-altering moment for Steve Bartman, in a very bad way.

During a segment of the NBC Today Show devoted to the Cigar Guy craze (Wow), the Cigar Guy- now identified as a London investment analyst named Rupesh Shingadia- was quoted as saying that he was “embarrassed and overwhelmed” by all of the attention he was receiving.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Steve Bartman was sitting somewhere saying to himself, “Really? You have no idea…”

Clipping Weezy’s Wings

Artists get inspiration from various sources, and they often augment their skills by escaping to a private world on the wings of their imagination, where creative freedom has no boundaries and they become empowered to birth their visions into reality.

This is what came to my mind as I read about Lil Wayne’s latest collision with reality at Riker’s Island, the jail complex where he is currently serving time after being convicted of attempted criminal possession of a weapon.

The 28-year old rapper was banished to solitary confinement after being accused of breaking jail rules after a pair of headphones and an MP3 player charger were found in his jail cell. I’m assuming that those were simply tools that he used to escape into his world of vision and creativity.

It’s amazing how often we as human beings don’t fully appreciate things until we lose them. And this is a human tendency that cuts across color, class, and cash.

Fame and fortune have a way of twisting logic and lives, whether it’s the lives of those who are famous, or the lives of their fans. We tend to forget that we are not of our own creation and that there are forces that are greater than ourselves.

When we lose sight of these fundamental facts we often bring chaos and disorder into our lives, as well as the lives of those that we influence. No human being is exempt from the consequences that come from abusing power and profit that are the rewards of gifts taken for granted.

Just how high can Weezy fly? High enough for President Obama to mention his name on a couple of different occasions during speeches that encouraged kids to stay in school, because not everybody can be like Lil Wayne.

Where I come from, to have your achievements recognized on that level is considered a blessing, and with that blessing comes opportunity and responsibility that no human being can run from without repercussions.

Lil Wayne recently released the video for his soon to be released single/album, “I Am Not A Human Being.” But he and all of his fans are very much human beings and that’s as inescapable as Riker’s Island.

(Louis Lanzano/AP Photo)

For Tyler the Violinist…

“Music can change the world because it can change people.”

That’s a quote that’s been attributed to Bono, lead singer for the rock group U2. Who knows how many lives Tyler Clementi would have changed if the world hadn’t lost him at such a young age. A freshman At Rutgers University, Clementi committed suicide on Sept. 22 by jumping off the George Washington Bridge into the Hudson River. He was 18 years old.

Tyler is being described as “a fine young man, and a distinguished musician…who, by all accounts, was brilliant, talented and kind.” Beyond what’s being reported in the news I know absolutely nothing about Tyler. So I choose to focus on a photo that accompanied an article that I read on the internet about his tragic death. 

The photo shows Tyler playing a violin, with a seemingly pleasant and easy-going passion. If you look closely you can see the delight on his face from doing something that he loved deeply. Another musician that played alongside Tyler in the Rutgers Symphony Orchestra revealed that during the hours preceding Tyler’s death the two of them rehearsed works by Berlioz and Beethoven.

His fellow musician went on to say that Tyler “loved music,” and that Tyler was “…very dedicated. I couldn’t tell if anything was wrong.”

Who knows. Maybe Tyler knew that he would change people with the powerful music of memories…

No more Super Bowl parties??? Wow, what a bummer…

They are made up of flesh, blood, and bones, with heart, minds and souls. They have family, friends, and loved ones who worship and adore them much more than we worship and adore them. I pause as I write these words, wondering if these type of words were ever written in reference to the gladiators of old, who fought, bled and died in arenas filled to capacity with spectators screaming for blood and applauding death.

There’s a widely shared perception that today’s gladiators are the men that play football for the National Football League (NFL). We’ve made them our heroes and our gods. During every week of the NFL season millions of spectators witness and admire the physical prowess and gifts of these men, thrilled and enthralled by how they put their bodies, their limbs, on the line during each play.

Well, due to the recent revelations about CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), it appears that this society’s gridiron warriors may very well be putting their minds- and even their lives- on the line. CTE is a progressive degenerative disease that is found in individuals who have experienced multiple concussions and other forms of head trauma. It is a condition that is commonly found in pro athletes who engage in contact sports.

Individuals with CTE may show symptoms of dementia such as memory loss, aggression, confusion and depression which may appear within months of the trauma or many decades later. Several former NFL players have been diagnosed post-mortem with CTE. Just recently it was determined that Owen Thomas, a 21-year-old defensive end for the University of Pennsylvania who committed suicide by hanging himself, showed early stages of CTE, making him the youngest person- and also the first amateur athlete- to be diagnosed with the condition.

As someone who has passionately enjoyed watching pro football for most of my life and who has somewhat of an understanding of the role that football- at all levels- plays in this society, I am more than a little intrigued by what all this means as it concerns the future of the sport.

In January 2009 NBC set a Super Bowl record by garnering $206 million in advertising revenue, and that was in the midst of fears of an economic collapse in this country. Super Bowl XLIV, played in February 2010, was the most-watched American television program in history, drawing an average audience of 106.5 million viewers.

And now here comes CTE, which I believe could change the very nature of the game. Just a few days ago I watched a game featuring the Dallas Cowboys against the Chicago Bears. A key player for Dallas hit his head on the turf while being tackled, walked off the field woozy, and was kept out of the game because of heightened awareness and sensitivity regarding concussions. It was absolutely the right thing to do. But I also believe that it had a significant impact on the outcome of the game.

So, how will the NFL respond? To it’s credit, earlier this year the NFL gave The Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE) at the Boston University School of Medicine a $1 million grant to support it’s research of CTE.

How should we respond as Americans, as fans of the sport, as human beings? I realize that we as Americans take our partying and entertainment very seriously. We sometimes become annoyed during those moments when the realities of human misfortunes and frailties infringe upon our revelry.

I can only pray that we as a nation never get to a point where we tacitly applaud death, no matter how spectacular it is…

Storro: Burning Our Faces To Spite Our Foes

Maybe the screams that they heard were echoes of their own, their own skin still aflame from the condescending stares of the sidewalk saints that mockingly danced around them as they descended into yesterday’s story…

These thoughts were triggered from reading that homeless witnesses stated that Bethany Storro, the woman living in Vancouver, Washington who claimed to be a victim of a vicious acid attack was “alone when she fell to the ground screaming.” (Vancouver Voice)