And now for something completely different....

Since I'm on a roll of trying to offend people, here's a beautiful post by Drayton Bird that, I think, beautifully illustrates the deficiency in thinking that is so rampant these days.

That said, I laughed my "behind" off, and this should offend plenty of people, particularly journalists, politicians and the average person who gets all of their information from standard media outlets.

Frankly, I think that only leaves about half a dozen people in America over the age of 10 out of this group.

Now, I shall smugly walk along and continue my day, thank you. :-)

- John

P.S. And for a quick commentary on our education system and the adversarial relationship some "educators" have with parents, here's some food for thought. And people wonder why I don't trust a governmental penal... er... school system with the children of America.

Currently listening to:
Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
Nothing - Ballydowse (oh, how I wish these folks would get back together and record some more stuff...)

Nine Inch Nails' new cd

You know, I loved Ghosts I-IV by Nine Inch Nails (that first Creative Commons licensed cd they released. Get the free download here). It's just brilliant, but I didn't really care for the one they just released (The Slip).

Personally, I prefer Trent Reznor's work when he's either doing ambient or industrial (I LOVE the first three NiN cd's, Pretty Hate Machine, Broken and The Downward Spiral), but when he veers toward 80's new wave like some of his later stuff, it just doesn't grab me.

Oh, well.

I think I'll go listen to David Bowie's Outside (his best cd in the last 20 years).

- John

Currently listening to:
The Middle - Great Northern (don't know who they are, but this song from the 2006 SXSW compilation is great)
Donostia: Dolor - Andres Segovia
No Time To Cry - The Sisters of Mercy
2 Ghosts I - Nine Inch Nails
In the Face of All of This - Jesus Jones
Problems - The Sex Pistols
Switchback (album version) - Celldweller

Nature or Nurture?

I read this interesting article about Alice Walker's (The Color Purple) daughter and their relationship.

It made me think about the whole nature vs nurture question in regards to gender.

Now, to be clear, I do believe that nurture makes a big difference in our lives (look at the repetitive life patterns of alcoholism, physical abuse, poverty, and even wealth and business ownership. I don't think that's genetic. That's learned behavior.). However, that being said, anyone who thinks that male and female infants don't have behavioral (and, at least later, cognitive) differences purely based on the fact that they are genetically male or female is either delusional or still taking lots of drugs from the '60's.

Nurture is important, but my sons are much more physically active and have been since birth than my daughter.

Which brings me back to the article. Is radical feminism (not equal pay for equal work, but the radical kind that says things like all sex is rape and heterosexual marriage is a form of enslavement (what's their position on homosexual marriage?)) nature or nurture? I assert that it is nurture. I look at my daughter and the things she has cared about from birth, and I read this article, and I can't help but come to that conclusion.

The denial of nature that is so popular today is simply Skinnerianism taken to a ludicrous extreme.

That'll irk some professor at some college somewhere.

- John

Currently listening to:
Disposal - The Crucified
GOD - The Crucified
Procreation Chick - Splashdown
Letters To Emily - Julie Miller
The Reasons - P.O.D.