One question in my mind, which I hardly dare mention in public, is whether patriotism has, overall, been a force for good or evil in the world. Patriotism is rampant in war and there are some good things about it. Just as self-respect and pride bring out the best in an individual, pride in family, pride in teammates, pride in hometown bring out the best in groups of people. War brings out the kind of pride in country that encourages its citizens in the direction of excellence and it encourages them to be ready to die for it. At no time do people work so well together to achieve the same goal as they do in wartime. Maybe that's enough to make patriotism eligible to be considered a virtue. If only I could get out of my mind the most patriotic people who ever lived, the Nazi Germans.
This myth of meritocracy and equal opportunities encourages individualism over collective action, because when people believe this myth, they obviously see no need for protest movements around particular classes or identities, such as the Women's Movement or the Civil Rights workplace, education or in their personal lives, they are more likely to blame themselves, rather than sexism, racism, class oppression or homophobia; concepts which in current society are often seen as out of date. This type of blame even applies to experiences of actual violence or harassment with too many people believing that it is their fault if they are sexually harassed in the workplace or at school, abused by a partner or are a victim of sexual violence. Our society encourages this view, and in turn, that keeps people isolated and alone, rather than providing them the opportunity to get involved in collective struggles against such common experiences.
Dear Hunger Games :Screw you for helping cowards pretend you have to be great with a bow to fight evil.You don't need to be drafted into a monkey-infested jungle to fight evil.You don't need your father's light sabre, or to be bitten by a radioactive spider.You don't need to be stalked by a creepy ancient vampire who is basically a pedophile if you're younger than a redwood.Screw you mainstream media for making it look like moral courage requires hair gel, thousands of sit ups and millions of dollars of fake ass CGI.Moral courage is the gritty, scary and mostly anonymous process of challenging friends, co-workers and family on issues like spanking, taxation, debt, circumcision and war.Moral courage is standing up to bullies when the audience is not cheering, but jeering. It is helping broken people out of abusive relationships, and promoting the inner peace of self knowledge in a shallow and empty pseudo-culture.Moral courage does not ask for - or receive - permission or the praise of the masses. If the masses praise you, it is because you are helping distract them from their own moral cowardice and conformity. Those who provoke discomfort create change - no one else.So forget your politics and vampires and magic wands and photon torpedoes. Forget passively waiting for the world to provoke and corner you into being virtuous. It never will.Stop watching fictional courage and go live some; it is harder and better than anything you will ever see on a screen.Let's make the world change the classification of courage from 'fantasy' to 'documentary.'You know there are people in your life who are doing wrong. Go talk to them, and encourage them to pursue philosophy, self-knowledge and virtue.Be your own hero; you are the One that your world has been waiting for.
“Under the school policy, they would be able to come back to school. They have to reapply. All of them have been encouraged to do that, and it will just be up to them if they would like to do that. I know some have already made plans to come back to summer school to get their credits and all that, so we will be in good shape for next year.”
“While we certainly encourage donations to worthy relief organizations, NOW is the time when we need help in order to 'pick up the slack' as more than 100 U.S. Border Patrol Agents have been reassigned from Arizona and New Mexico to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina, ... Click Here to help with your best contribution now!”
“The economy has fought us every step of the way, and for us to have delivered that kind of result is a real tribute to the men and women of this company, ... We've been encouraged most recently with lumber prices starting to firm up, and we're very pleased with lawn and garden starting to firm up. People are reinvesting in the exteriors of their homes that were brutalized by the long winter.”
“I think not dating reduces drama and kids are just too young emotionally to handle drama, ... Encouraging kids to grow athletically, spiritually, artistically, culturally, all that is beautiful. I know some therapists would argue with me and say they are missing out on some social interaction, but I actually think it protects them emotionally through vulnerable years.”
“Federal flood insurance makes a lot of this development possible in areas where people otherwise would've walked away. And federal spending on beach replenishment encourages continued development of the coast, putting more people at risk. It's time for a national discussion about whether we should pull federal money away from certain areas of the coast.”
“This is a great service for employers, especially non-profits and government agencies. Employers can save money and reach a talented audience of job seekers. Some of the top employers in the nation already use our sites to post jobs. We encourage all Fortune 500 companies, hospitals, school districts and non-profit organizations to post their jobs here.”
“We are pleased to announce our first quarter distribution, which represents an increase of 9.1% above the fourth quarter distribution amount. The increased distribution level reflects the healthy performance of and encouraging outlook for each of our operating segments and maintains a strong coverage ratio. Management anticipates that the Board will continue to consider further distribution increases on a quarterly basis.”