The Haitian earthquake happened earlier this year in January. Larry King of CNN celebrities like Jennifer lopez, diddy, Ben stiller on his show. They were all there to raise money for the Haitian victims.
Before the earthquake, everybody mama knew that Haiti was an improverished nation? Not many people donated as they donated after the earthquake now? There were ten thousand humanitarian aid agencies in Haiti before the earthquake yet, Haiti was still a poverty stricken nation.
So what should the people living in poverty-stricken nations such as Darfur, Sudan and Congo do? I suggest that they start praying for their own natural disaster. The world will only come to their rescue if a natural disaster nearly wipes out everybody in city. Why did it have to take the death of a hundred thousand people before the international community paid attention?
I came across this quote by Martin Luther King which states, ""A man who won't die for something is not fit to live." I struggled with this quote because I was wondering what if the something that is worth dying for is also worth killing for? What then would be the right cause of action?
Are there no good causes that are worth killing as well as dying for? Consider the Islamic extremists/terrorists, most of them are willing to die for whatever cause they are fighting for, but they also feel that that cause is worth killing for as well. And there have been numerous times in history where killing innocent people was seen as worthy enough because the cause was that important.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
RALLY TO RESTORE SANITY VERSUS RALLY TO RESTORE FEAR
When it comes to Television shows, my two favorite hosts are Jon Stewart of the Daily Show and Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report. On October 30, 2010 the two TV hosts announced that they would both be holding rallies at the National Mall in Washington D.C. Jon Stewart announced his 'Rally to Restore Sanity" while his colleague Stephen Colbert announced his "March to Keep Fear Alive".
I admire the way that the two comedians use humor to tell the truth about the current and malcontent political climate in the United States. I recall when Stephen Colbert appeared at the Annual Press Dinner in Washington D.C in which former President George Bush was a special guest of honor. Most human beings standing in the presence of the most powerful man in the world would think twice before making any statements that would incur the wrath of the president. Stephen Colbert went up on stage and cracked jokes about the Iraq War, 9/11 and the policies initiated by the Bush Administration.
Watching the video made me realize that comedians have an unique position in society that allows them to speak the truth without fearing any significant backlash. This reminds me of the Oscar Wilde quote that says "Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he will tell you the truth." In my opinion, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and other comedians wear the mask of comedy that permits them to flourish and tell the truth about any situation in a humorous fashion, which leaves little room for significant backlash or repercussion.
WORKS CITED
JON STEWART & STEPHEN COLBERT
Rally to Restore Sanity
March to Keep Fear Alive
I admire the way that the two comedians use humor to tell the truth about the current and malcontent political climate in the United States. I recall when Stephen Colbert appeared at the Annual Press Dinner in Washington D.C in which former President George Bush was a special guest of honor. Most human beings standing in the presence of the most powerful man in the world would think twice before making any statements that would incur the wrath of the president. Stephen Colbert went up on stage and cracked jokes about the Iraq War, 9/11 and the policies initiated by the Bush Administration.
Watching the video made me realize that comedians have an unique position in society that allows them to speak the truth without fearing any significant backlash. This reminds me of the Oscar Wilde quote that says "Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he will tell you the truth." In my opinion, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and other comedians wear the mask of comedy that permits them to flourish and tell the truth about any situation in a humorous fashion, which leaves little room for significant backlash or repercussion.
WORKS CITED
JON STEWART & STEPHEN COLBERT
Rally to Restore Sanity
March to Keep Fear Alive
Monday, September 13, 2010
A SATISFIED PIG OR AN UNSATISFIED HUMAN BEING???
My professor and I where having a conversation after class concerning the issues that we had talked about during lecture. A question was posed in class which asked whether everybody in the class would rather be a "satisfied pig" or an "unsatisfied human being". Naturally, everybody in the class said "Unsatisfied human being" and that answer jolted me into serious reflection. After class I decided to share my thoughts with the professor.
I asked the professor whether it did not strike him as amusing that everybody in the class, preferred to live their lives as "unsatisfied human beings" than as "satisfied pigs". Most students in the class chose the former instead of the latter because nobody wants to be compared to a pig but in reality, most of us including myself live our lives as satisfied pigs. Socrates once noted that "the unexamined life is not worth living." The life of a satisfied pig is a life that has not been thoroughly examined, the life of an unsatisfied human being is one that has been examined and reexamined daily.
My professor conjured up an example in which he reminded me that in a previous class I had taken with him the previous semester, all the students in the class had admitted to ignorance being blissful. In that particular class, the professor had asked us to think back to a time when we were "MOST HAPPY" and most of us referred to our childhood as a time when we were at peace with the world, and not burdened with any responsibilities. He then pointed out to me, that most people preferred to remain as children, ignorant but still in bliss.
I then made a point to him about how most people always say "life is to short, to be anything other than happy,' but they never seem to realize that the source of one's happiness could stem from them living in ignorance. Would they still pursue knowledge if they knew that with knowledge came misery?
In conclusion, I believe that most people would prefer to live their lives as an unsatisfied human being rather than a satisfied pig. But in reality, most of us live our lives as satisfied pigs. We do not ponder, we do not investigate, we do not care to know about how kids in China are toiling day and night to make our precious Nike sneaker etc.
I asked the professor whether it did not strike him as amusing that everybody in the class, preferred to live their lives as "unsatisfied human beings" than as "satisfied pigs". Most students in the class chose the former instead of the latter because nobody wants to be compared to a pig but in reality, most of us including myself live our lives as satisfied pigs. Socrates once noted that "the unexamined life is not worth living." The life of a satisfied pig is a life that has not been thoroughly examined, the life of an unsatisfied human being is one that has been examined and reexamined daily.
My professor conjured up an example in which he reminded me that in a previous class I had taken with him the previous semester, all the students in the class had admitted to ignorance being blissful. In that particular class, the professor had asked us to think back to a time when we were "MOST HAPPY" and most of us referred to our childhood as a time when we were at peace with the world, and not burdened with any responsibilities. He then pointed out to me, that most people preferred to remain as children, ignorant but still in bliss.
I then made a point to him about how most people always say "life is to short, to be anything other than happy,' but they never seem to realize that the source of one's happiness could stem from them living in ignorance. Would they still pursue knowledge if they knew that with knowledge came misery?
In conclusion, I believe that most people would prefer to live their lives as an unsatisfied human being rather than a satisfied pig. But in reality, most of us live our lives as satisfied pigs. We do not ponder, we do not investigate, we do not care to know about how kids in China are toiling day and night to make our precious Nike sneaker etc.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
A MUSLIM CANNOT BE PRESIDENT OF AMERICA.
I have been following the proposed mosque on Ground Zero debate which has polarized both political parties and different factions across the nation for awhile now. I have gleaned from numerous TV news stations that the role of pundits in the American political arena is to foment controversy and this particular issue has reached a level where some people have started to question President Obama's religious affiliations. A Fox News survey showed that "Nearly 1 in 5 Americans think that Obama is a Muslim"
I then started to wonder, so what if Obama is a Muslim? How does that affect his presidency anymore than him being a Christian could affect his presidency. I asked some christian friends of mine whether Obama being a muslim would stop them from voting for him. They all said No, I was pleased with their answer but I still pressed on. I asked them why Obama being a Muslim did not bother them? After all, Obama as a Muslim would not have Christian values, his moral standards should naturally come into question. They all said that they would still vote for him because his religion should be different from his candidacy. According to them, religion is a private thing, it should be different from public office.
I changed the question to "If Obama was an atheist, would you still vote for him?" and that is when it got interesting. A lot of them said NO. Now this begs the obvious question, if religion should not play a part in his candidacy why then would you refuse to vote for him if he's atheist? From their responses, I gathered that subconsciously or even consciously, religion does play a huge role in the way some of us make a decision on who to vote for as candidates for public office.
Works Cited
Fox News Survey
I then started to wonder, so what if Obama is a Muslim? How does that affect his presidency anymore than him being a Christian could affect his presidency. I asked some christian friends of mine whether Obama being a muslim would stop them from voting for him. They all said No, I was pleased with their answer but I still pressed on. I asked them why Obama being a Muslim did not bother them? After all, Obama as a Muslim would not have Christian values, his moral standards should naturally come into question. They all said that they would still vote for him because his religion should be different from his candidacy. According to them, religion is a private thing, it should be different from public office.
I changed the question to "If Obama was an atheist, would you still vote for him?" and that is when it got interesting. A lot of them said NO. Now this begs the obvious question, if religion should not play a part in his candidacy why then would you refuse to vote for him if he's atheist? From their responses, I gathered that subconsciously or even consciously, religion does play a huge role in the way some of us make a decision on who to vote for as candidates for public office.
Works Cited
Fox News Survey
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
TRUTH VERSUS DELUSION
My name is Echeme Emole. I am a junior political science major at San Jose State University, my hope is to become a lawyer after I graduate college and after the completion of law school. The blog title "Truth Versus Delusion" appealed to me when I was trying to come up with a blog name because I firmly believe that most humans face a dilemma in their lifetime between believing the truth about a person or situation or believing in the delusion.
For example, in my Religion and Political Controversy class today. My professor was forced to come to terms with the fact that Billy Graham her hero was a bigot as pointed out by one of the students in class. She admitted that she already knew this but she preferred to maintain the noble picture of Billy Graham that she had always had. On one hand, the truth about Billy Graham was that he was a bigot, the delusion about him was that he was a saint.
Another example given in the same class was Martin Luther King's infidelity while he was married. Martin Luther King is viewed as a role model by modern day society, rarely does the topic of him sleeping with other women while he was married come up. There is the truth about Martin Luther King on one hand, and on the other hand there is the delusion of Martin Luther King.
In conclusion, that is how the title of this blog came about.
For example, in my Religion and Political Controversy class today. My professor was forced to come to terms with the fact that Billy Graham her hero was a bigot as pointed out by one of the students in class. She admitted that she already knew this but she preferred to maintain the noble picture of Billy Graham that she had always had. On one hand, the truth about Billy Graham was that he was a bigot, the delusion about him was that he was a saint.
Another example given in the same class was Martin Luther King's infidelity while he was married. Martin Luther King is viewed as a role model by modern day society, rarely does the topic of him sleeping with other women while he was married come up. There is the truth about Martin Luther King on one hand, and on the other hand there is the delusion of Martin Luther King.
In conclusion, that is how the title of this blog came about.
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