On June 22nd, 2004, the nation, and indeed the world, lost a very powerful little boy. Mattie Stepanek died, after a lifelong fight with Muscular Dystrophy, at the age of 13. His funeral is today, where he'll be eulogized by former President Jimmy Carter, his "perfect hero."
Unlike most 13-year-olds, Mattie has left us with some of the most powerful verses ever written with respect to Peace. Every poem, all the prose, and every verse that exited his lips were surely works of art. He had a heart that was so compassionate that the very reading of his words in conjunction are enough to make the cruelest of criminal's eyes water. He had a vision that was beyond his time and in fact beyond our time. And, he had a wisdom that might have suggested his age to be 76 when he was but a mere lad.
I remember the first time that I heard him speak on television. I was incredibly astounded at the pristine nature of his language, and even more intrigued by the depth of his thought. I am glad that someone found this young man, and published those resplendent expressions that exuded from his heart.
I find it interesting that he died when he did. He seemed to die when war seems to be ever-escalating. It's as if the songs from his heart could take no more of the destruction that his eyes saw and the anguish that his heart felt. I might argue that it wasn't Muscular Dystrophy that stole him away from us, but rather the hateful, violent nature of war that is seemingly omnipresent.
I hope that his "Heartsongs" haven't fallen on deaf ears and that one day he will be even more cherished for ushering in an era of Peace. I just think that it is sad that this 13-year-old understood the depths of war, and the value of peace, but for some reason, we who are yet living (and have seen the destructive nature of war) just don't get it!
-Maelstrom
You can read some of his writings and his short autobiography at this site:
http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=mattieStepanek
Monday, June 28, 2004
Friday, June 25, 2004
The Diet Craze
Although most people claim to be unique and individual, it would only require one to take a friendly stroll down the street to see that most people are followers rather than trendsetters. From tattoos, to 20-inch rims, to Reality TV, human nature seems to dictate that we follow fads. Above all the major fads that are currently available, I find the current diet-craze to be the most sickening (pun intended).
Atkins, South Beach, Mediterranean, and the list goes on. This diet “culture” is taking up a significant portion of not only people’s everyday lives, but also all media outlets. How and why have dieting become a fad? Why is dieting all of a sudden in vogue? Why are we making people rich off of something that we could be doing ourselves?
The answers to the first couple questions are quite simple and very apparent. For some reason, in the last couple years, people realized that it might be detrimental to their health if they remained significantly overweight. I should be careful to note that there is a difference between being overweight and obese. Being obese is a serious health risk. Unfortunately, multitudes of people in this country are certainly obese as opposed to overweight.
With images from Shape, Flex, Cosmopolitan, and Seventeen magazines glaring at us as we walk through the grocery store, we’ve become enchanted with the notion of “a perfect body.” Indeed, we have become psychologically bombarded as these likenesses become ever-so-prevalent.
There are many facets to the reason as to why dieting has become so important. Among them is the suburbanization of America. I surely believe one cause is that as more and more people flea the city and move outward, they are faced with a different mind-frame. Included in that mind-frame is “Bally’s Total Fitness Center,” and the like. Typically, people who move from the city to the burbs have ascended to a higher social class. And what’s important to the upper-echelon of society becomes a part of the mainstream for all of society. Hence such diets as the “South Beach Diet,” from Miami’s South Beach, where the rich and the famous often reside.
The problem of obesity has grown to enormous proportions in recent years. Many recent reports have noted that obesity is set to overtake smoking as the #1 leading preventable cause of death in the US (see the link below). On March 10, 2004, CNN reported that in the year 2000, 400,000 deaths were attributable to obesity-only 25,000 shy of tying Tobacco for deaths that are considered preventable. I find it interesting that this was not nearly the case 50, 27, or even 11 years ago. So, the question is, what has changed since 11 years ago?
Well, obviously the onset of McDonald’s and its many look-alikes has become amazingly problematic for the prospect of good health. The burgers, fries and everything, are all greasified and completely fattening (I know because I used to work the grill at my hometown McDonald’s). Furthermore, the proliferation of TV lends itself to less activity and more docile behavior. Finally, the depleting of many mandatory Physical Education classes in K-12 schools.
A very good friend of mine, whom I’ve known all my life, was once very much in shape, and now would fall under the category of obese. A while back, she told me that she didn’t begin to be overweight until High School when she was only required to have one semester of P.E. in a space of four years. Having known her, I watched the trend, but had not made the connection until she said that.
The point she makes is a good one, and one that I would call very accurate. Unfortunately, as society becomes more enchanted with math and science, many of the gym classes that were once requirements are being squeezed out. This is sad because science has shown us that an active lifestyle can increase metabolism, which is a common trait amongst those who are in shape.
Finally, I think the lack of parental prowess is also to blame. I find it shameful that people always want to pass the blame from themselves onto others. This is the case with the myriad of lawsuits that have been brought against establishments like McDonald’s. Some of these lawsuits involve parents who want to sue McDonald’s for not warning them of the potential for obesity by eating their food. Anybody with taste buds and nostrils should be able to detect the high grease content in the food. These parents know the food is not healthy, but insist on buying it for their kids-some on a daily basis. Yet when their kids are overweight, they want to pass the blame (maybe over guilt that they feel when they discover that their progeny is being teased at school because of their weight, but that is another topic for another time). They seem not to have the capacity to deny their kids a Happy Meal, or lack the capacity to urge their children to be physically active. Consequently, we have many children growing up overweight.
Thank God my parents had good enough sense to use their authority and a simple one word response when my siblings and I begged for McDonalds, “NO!” As a result, we came to cherish the opportunities that we had to eat out or to eat fast food. We were often reminded that the food is not healthy and-important to my family-wasn’t economically frugal if eaten everyday.
My point is that I do believe that most of the diets out there are effective if followed like they should be. However, I contend that the best way to stay in a safe weight bracket is to be active and develop better eating habits-and that goes for everyone. However, much like most things in life, it is easier to learn these positive behaviors when we’re but small children. So instead of suing major corporations, we should be encouraging our school systems to add more effective and consistent P.E. courses, while holding parents accountable for what they allow their children to consume. This way, children will grow up healthier, and will have developed eating habits and active lifestyles that are conducive to overall good health. This seems, to me, to be the most feasible method, the next diet to appear on bookstands nationwide is not!
Check out this link: http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/diet.fitness/10/29/obesity.threat.reut/
Atkins, South Beach, Mediterranean, and the list goes on. This diet “culture” is taking up a significant portion of not only people’s everyday lives, but also all media outlets. How and why have dieting become a fad? Why is dieting all of a sudden in vogue? Why are we making people rich off of something that we could be doing ourselves?
The answers to the first couple questions are quite simple and very apparent. For some reason, in the last couple years, people realized that it might be detrimental to their health if they remained significantly overweight. I should be careful to note that there is a difference between being overweight and obese. Being obese is a serious health risk. Unfortunately, multitudes of people in this country are certainly obese as opposed to overweight.
With images from Shape, Flex, Cosmopolitan, and Seventeen magazines glaring at us as we walk through the grocery store, we’ve become enchanted with the notion of “a perfect body.” Indeed, we have become psychologically bombarded as these likenesses become ever-so-prevalent.
There are many facets to the reason as to why dieting has become so important. Among them is the suburbanization of America. I surely believe one cause is that as more and more people flea the city and move outward, they are faced with a different mind-frame. Included in that mind-frame is “Bally’s Total Fitness Center,” and the like. Typically, people who move from the city to the burbs have ascended to a higher social class. And what’s important to the upper-echelon of society becomes a part of the mainstream for all of society. Hence such diets as the “South Beach Diet,” from Miami’s South Beach, where the rich and the famous often reside.
The problem of obesity has grown to enormous proportions in recent years. Many recent reports have noted that obesity is set to overtake smoking as the #1 leading preventable cause of death in the US (see the link below). On March 10, 2004, CNN reported that in the year 2000, 400,000 deaths were attributable to obesity-only 25,000 shy of tying Tobacco for deaths that are considered preventable. I find it interesting that this was not nearly the case 50, 27, or even 11 years ago. So, the question is, what has changed since 11 years ago?
Well, obviously the onset of McDonald’s and its many look-alikes has become amazingly problematic for the prospect of good health. The burgers, fries and everything, are all greasified and completely fattening (I know because I used to work the grill at my hometown McDonald’s). Furthermore, the proliferation of TV lends itself to less activity and more docile behavior. Finally, the depleting of many mandatory Physical Education classes in K-12 schools.
A very good friend of mine, whom I’ve known all my life, was once very much in shape, and now would fall under the category of obese. A while back, she told me that she didn’t begin to be overweight until High School when she was only required to have one semester of P.E. in a space of four years. Having known her, I watched the trend, but had not made the connection until she said that.
The point she makes is a good one, and one that I would call very accurate. Unfortunately, as society becomes more enchanted with math and science, many of the gym classes that were once requirements are being squeezed out. This is sad because science has shown us that an active lifestyle can increase metabolism, which is a common trait amongst those who are in shape.
Finally, I think the lack of parental prowess is also to blame. I find it shameful that people always want to pass the blame from themselves onto others. This is the case with the myriad of lawsuits that have been brought against establishments like McDonald’s. Some of these lawsuits involve parents who want to sue McDonald’s for not warning them of the potential for obesity by eating their food. Anybody with taste buds and nostrils should be able to detect the high grease content in the food. These parents know the food is not healthy, but insist on buying it for their kids-some on a daily basis. Yet when their kids are overweight, they want to pass the blame (maybe over guilt that they feel when they discover that their progeny is being teased at school because of their weight, but that is another topic for another time). They seem not to have the capacity to deny their kids a Happy Meal, or lack the capacity to urge their children to be physically active. Consequently, we have many children growing up overweight.
Thank God my parents had good enough sense to use their authority and a simple one word response when my siblings and I begged for McDonalds, “NO!” As a result, we came to cherish the opportunities that we had to eat out or to eat fast food. We were often reminded that the food is not healthy and-important to my family-wasn’t economically frugal if eaten everyday.
My point is that I do believe that most of the diets out there are effective if followed like they should be. However, I contend that the best way to stay in a safe weight bracket is to be active and develop better eating habits-and that goes for everyone. However, much like most things in life, it is easier to learn these positive behaviors when we’re but small children. So instead of suing major corporations, we should be encouraging our school systems to add more effective and consistent P.E. courses, while holding parents accountable for what they allow their children to consume. This way, children will grow up healthier, and will have developed eating habits and active lifestyles that are conducive to overall good health. This seems, to me, to be the most feasible method, the next diet to appear on bookstands nationwide is not!
Check out this link: http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/diet.fitness/10/29/obesity.threat.reut/
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Addendum
As an addendum to my opening blog, though I will try my best to use clear, concise language, I may at times not fulfill this goal. Since these entries are not assignments subject to grading, eye MAy naught spel e'rything corecly, and errors grammar in possible are. I must warn that I have an affinity for the vernacular, and will use it occasionally. The goal is to get my point across. And if I'm not doing that, please let me know!
-Maelstrom
-Maelstrom
What's a Tip Drill?
A number of months back, I was up late watching BET. As I was watching, I saw quite an alarming video by the rapper, Nelly. The video was titled “Tip Drill,” and displayed a cacophony of young black women gallivanting around in next to nothing. In fact, many of the women were partially nude (as in no bra/shirt/top). In the ensuing weeks, I heard the buzz from many of my guy friends first, then from many of my lady friends. The fellas often mentioned the video gleefully, seeming to want everyone to witness this “awesome” video. The women were taken aback and appalled; rightfully so. Many of the women expressed their disgust at Nelly and vowed that they would decline their support of his music and videos in the future. Though their outrage is certainly warranted, my opinion is that their upsettedness is long overdue and in a sense, kind of cheap.
The objectification of women is more than an age old problem. In the past, in some cultures, women were regarded as property (and still are in many areas of the world today), much like one’s vehicle. This meant that women could be traded, and only served certain purposes. Most of those purposes were for the benefit of men. Without doubt, we have significantly moved past such overt materialization of women in this country, however, with the advent of television, the trend continues in a different fashion. From magazines, to news broadcasts, to movies, to music videos, the sexualized images of women serve no good purpose to the end of gender equality. Women are portrayed in a way that suggests the only value that they have to offer society is their body. And given well-known institutional social disadvantages like lower pay than men, less upward mobility potential, and disproportionately small political representation, many women find themselves in situations where the only obvious option is to “sell” their “goods” just to survive. Some do it gladly (I’d argue because of a lack of education or the lack of another obvious way out) and others do it reluctantly. No matter the route, many women find themselves in such circumstances.
That same misogynistic society, which severely discriminates against women, once gave birth to Carnell Haynes Jr., known to most of us simply as Nelly.
In the mold of many of his rap predecessors, Nelly has found that one easy way to get your music videos run in constant rotation is to have copious amounts of sexual lyrics laced over gratuitous amounts of semi-pornographic visuals. The latest video, “Tip Drill,” has caused somewhat of a minor boycott amongst many women. The uproar caused women at a prominent Historically Black Women’s College in Atlanta, Georgia, Spelman, to cancel Nelly’s planned concert there in direct response to his video (http://www.africana.com/articles/daily/mu20040414tipdrill.asp).
Only in doing research for this particular blog did I finally come upon the meaning of the phrase “Tip Drill” (It is a phrase that refers to a girl who most men find ugly, but has a nice body). To denigrate women and then to compartmentalize them into less than a whole human being, like a rather specific body part (as “It must be yo’ ass cuz it ain’t yo’ face” implies) is completely outrageous and uncalled for and deserves reprimanding.
Though my strong black sisters at Spelman are to be commended for their efforts, I would expect more out of them than a vendetta against one artist for one video. If they have a problem with Nelly now, with the onset of his “Tip Drill” video, well here’s a list of other prominent artist that they should also be upset about: Jay-Z, P. Diddy, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Master P, Trick Daddy, Lil Jon, Ludacris, Eminem, 50 Cent, Chingy, Timbaland, Nas, OutKast, Kanye West, Slum Village, Usher, Ginuwine, R. Kelly, Tyrese, and the list goes on.
In fact, an argument could be made (though not nearly as strong) that many female artists are also guilty of further propagating stereotypes that lead to the degradation of women in society by portraying themselves as only sexual beings when it is obvious that they have other valuable talent to offer. That list might include the following: Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, Trina, and all former, present, and future members of Destiny’s Child (including but not limited to Beyonce).
My point is that all Nelly is doing is pushing the envelope a little further than it was before, while committing the same trespass as even lil ‘ole Kanye West (who has his share of sexualized lyrics and images to boast). You can’t be mad at Nelly today and then go out and buy Jay-Z’s Black album tomorrow, and watch Chingy's "Right Thurr" video Thursday afternoon. If you truly want to stop the objectification of women in music videos, then you’ve got to start at the lowest level possible (to be sure, maybe the show that runs the video, BET’s oft-soft porn outlet Uncut, should be canceled). By doing this, everything that is beyond the strict standard also becomes unacceptable. For instance, if you are mad at Nelly, but not Ludacris (who happened to have the most graphic video that I’d seen, “Booty Poppin,” prior to Nelly), then Ludacris can always say “well, I’m not doing what Nelly is doing, so I’m OK.” On the flipside, if you say that Slum Village’s song “Selfish” is bad, then Nelly, Ludacris, and a whole hosts of artists would have to think twice about the conduct that is presented in their videos.
So, at the end of the day, I wish that people (namely those who are advocates for women’s rights…fellas, where you at?) will realize that Nelly is merely a branch on a tree. It is easy to cut off a tree branch, but it is quite daunting to dig up its roots.
Here are some related sights about Nelly you might want to check out:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4816719/
http://blackcollegeview.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/04/08/4075b78e3b036
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/04/24/Worldandnation/Spelman_College_swipe.shtml
The objectification of women is more than an age old problem. In the past, in some cultures, women were regarded as property (and still are in many areas of the world today), much like one’s vehicle. This meant that women could be traded, and only served certain purposes. Most of those purposes were for the benefit of men. Without doubt, we have significantly moved past such overt materialization of women in this country, however, with the advent of television, the trend continues in a different fashion. From magazines, to news broadcasts, to movies, to music videos, the sexualized images of women serve no good purpose to the end of gender equality. Women are portrayed in a way that suggests the only value that they have to offer society is their body. And given well-known institutional social disadvantages like lower pay than men, less upward mobility potential, and disproportionately small political representation, many women find themselves in situations where the only obvious option is to “sell” their “goods” just to survive. Some do it gladly (I’d argue because of a lack of education or the lack of another obvious way out) and others do it reluctantly. No matter the route, many women find themselves in such circumstances.
That same misogynistic society, which severely discriminates against women, once gave birth to Carnell Haynes Jr., known to most of us simply as Nelly.
In the mold of many of his rap predecessors, Nelly has found that one easy way to get your music videos run in constant rotation is to have copious amounts of sexual lyrics laced over gratuitous amounts of semi-pornographic visuals. The latest video, “Tip Drill,” has caused somewhat of a minor boycott amongst many women. The uproar caused women at a prominent Historically Black Women’s College in Atlanta, Georgia, Spelman, to cancel Nelly’s planned concert there in direct response to his video (http://www.africana.com/articles/daily/mu20040414tipdrill.asp).
Only in doing research for this particular blog did I finally come upon the meaning of the phrase “Tip Drill” (It is a phrase that refers to a girl who most men find ugly, but has a nice body). To denigrate women and then to compartmentalize them into less than a whole human being, like a rather specific body part (as “It must be yo’ ass cuz it ain’t yo’ face” implies) is completely outrageous and uncalled for and deserves reprimanding.
Though my strong black sisters at Spelman are to be commended for their efforts, I would expect more out of them than a vendetta against one artist for one video. If they have a problem with Nelly now, with the onset of his “Tip Drill” video, well here’s a list of other prominent artist that they should also be upset about: Jay-Z, P. Diddy, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Master P, Trick Daddy, Lil Jon, Ludacris, Eminem, 50 Cent, Chingy, Timbaland, Nas, OutKast, Kanye West, Slum Village, Usher, Ginuwine, R. Kelly, Tyrese, and the list goes on.
In fact, an argument could be made (though not nearly as strong) that many female artists are also guilty of further propagating stereotypes that lead to the degradation of women in society by portraying themselves as only sexual beings when it is obvious that they have other valuable talent to offer. That list might include the following: Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, Trina, and all former, present, and future members of Destiny’s Child (including but not limited to Beyonce).
My point is that all Nelly is doing is pushing the envelope a little further than it was before, while committing the same trespass as even lil ‘ole Kanye West (who has his share of sexualized lyrics and images to boast). You can’t be mad at Nelly today and then go out and buy Jay-Z’s Black album tomorrow, and watch Chingy's "Right Thurr" video Thursday afternoon. If you truly want to stop the objectification of women in music videos, then you’ve got to start at the lowest level possible (to be sure, maybe the show that runs the video, BET’s oft-soft porn outlet Uncut, should be canceled). By doing this, everything that is beyond the strict standard also becomes unacceptable. For instance, if you are mad at Nelly, but not Ludacris (who happened to have the most graphic video that I’d seen, “Booty Poppin,” prior to Nelly), then Ludacris can always say “well, I’m not doing what Nelly is doing, so I’m OK.” On the flipside, if you say that Slum Village’s song “Selfish” is bad, then Nelly, Ludacris, and a whole hosts of artists would have to think twice about the conduct that is presented in their videos.
So, at the end of the day, I wish that people (namely those who are advocates for women’s rights…fellas, where you at?) will realize that Nelly is merely a branch on a tree. It is easy to cut off a tree branch, but it is quite daunting to dig up its roots.
Here are some related sights about Nelly you might want to check out:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4816719/
http://blackcollegeview.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/04/08/4075b78e3b036
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/04/24/Worldandnation/Spelman_College_swipe.shtml
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Welcome to the Vortex!
Welcome to the Vortex. This particular blog has been created in order for me to expel my various thoughts on the current state of the planet. In some ways, this will be a sort of current events blog. Topics discussed will range greatly in variety, but will generally be applicable either economically, politically, religiously, or socially.
My goal is to draft at least two new blogs each week, however, in the first few weeks, I intend to post significantly more than that. It is my goal that these blogs will force people to think in a fashion that they’ve never thought before, and to bring to the forefront issues that are incredibly important, but are often swept and kept under the rug.
As for the opinions that I express here, I do not purport to know it all, nor to have the or even an answer to every topic. Furthermore, I cannot guarantee that my opinions will be enjoyed by the majority, but I can guarantee that each of my opinions will be well thought out and there should be a clear and intellectual path to my conclusions. In the event, however, that I have overlooked a key point/argument, or one feels that I am off base, please feel free to email me and express that concern. Incidentally, some of the postings that are on this page may indeed be published in the future. For this reason, I ask that if anyone intends to use any of my writings, for whatever the reason, that I receive credit or that I am referenced in the process.
Finally, I have a number of friends that I know enjoy writing, and would like the opportunity to post a blog here. Hopefully I will be able to oblige, but I reserve the right to post or not to post any blog that anyone sends me and wishes to have put up.
Please do enjoy this blog, send the address to your friends, and give me any feedback on how to improve it.
ENJOY!
-Maelstrom
My goal is to draft at least two new blogs each week, however, in the first few weeks, I intend to post significantly more than that. It is my goal that these blogs will force people to think in a fashion that they’ve never thought before, and to bring to the forefront issues that are incredibly important, but are often swept and kept under the rug.
As for the opinions that I express here, I do not purport to know it all, nor to have the or even an answer to every topic. Furthermore, I cannot guarantee that my opinions will be enjoyed by the majority, but I can guarantee that each of my opinions will be well thought out and there should be a clear and intellectual path to my conclusions. In the event, however, that I have overlooked a key point/argument, or one feels that I am off base, please feel free to email me and express that concern. Incidentally, some of the postings that are on this page may indeed be published in the future. For this reason, I ask that if anyone intends to use any of my writings, for whatever the reason, that I receive credit or that I am referenced in the process.
Finally, I have a number of friends that I know enjoy writing, and would like the opportunity to post a blog here. Hopefully I will be able to oblige, but I reserve the right to post or not to post any blog that anyone sends me and wishes to have put up.
Please do enjoy this blog, send the address to your friends, and give me any feedback on how to improve it.
ENJOY!
-Maelstrom
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