Left Field Wanderings

Ignore

2011-08-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

I'm felling a little ignored today, so I thought I'd translate a poem I wrote in Esperanto.

Why is it that
No one
Pays me mind?
At least it seems that way;
sometimes.

What must I do
To be perceived?
Sometimes I feel that
No one
Cares that I succeed.
It is my normal.
Why should one perceive what's normal?

"Judas" — What It Means

2011-04-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

In the due course of events regarding the following of Lady Gaga and the music that she releases, I've come across a plethora of videos, commentaries, articles, etc. that have attempted to demonize Gaga. Normally, they have reasonable points that they bring up—though they still can be easily countered—but the "discussion" that outspoken people like Bill Donohue have had with the general public brings up points that are inherently wrong due to the fact that they misinterpret the lyrics of the song (or don't even look at them) to fit their purpose of making Gaga out to be a demon. They look at the lyrics literally, and only in chunks, which drives them on to try and rid the world of Gaga's "blasphemy." In an attempt to alleviate the anger that these people fill me with and inform them quasi-politely that they're incorrect in the information that they're ~~spweing~~ giving out through the media, I'll translate the lyrics of "Judas"—which happens to be one of Gaga's most straightforwardly written songs, though no less beautiful on account of it—to something plain and simple to understand.

[Post-chorus]
Oh-oh-oh-ohoo
I'm in love with Juda-as, Juda-as [x2]
(Oh, I'm in love with someone who betrays me)

[Post-chorus Hook]
Judas Juda-a-a, Judas Juda-a-a, Judas Juda-a-a, Judas GaGa [x2]
(This effectively functions as a "lover's call," something frequently used in a form of theater called Commedia dell'arte to inform one's lover that one is present, usually used in a comedy bit where the two lovers look for each other in the same room using the call to alert each other to one's location.)

[Verse 1]
When he comes to me, I am ready
(When he approaches me, I'm ready to do anything for him)
I'll wash his feet with my hair if he needs
(Even if it means washing his feet with my hair)
Forgive him when his tongue lies through his brain
(I'll forgive him even when he lies)
Even after three times, he betrays me
(Even after forgiving him thrice, he betrays me; this is a reference to Judas betraying Jesus)

[Hook]
I'll bring him down, bring him down, down
(I'll conquer him, save him, fix his errors)
A king with no crown, king with no crown
(His flaws will have no hold over him; a king without a crown has no sovereign, so Gaga's lover being a king with no crown will have the status of a king, but not the power)

[Chorus]
I'm just a Holy fool, oh baby it's so cruel
(I'm just a fool, and it's so cruel that it's like this)
But I'm still in love with Judas, baby
(But I still love him, despite his betrayals)
[x2]

[Post-chorus]

[Post-chorus Hook]

[Verse 2]
I couldn't love a man so purely
(I couldn't love just anyone quite so strongly)
Even prophets forgave his crooked way
(Even the most holy and intelligent people forgave him)
I've learned love is like a brick, you can
(I've learned love has similar characteristics to a brick; you can:)
Build a house or sink a dead body
(Build up a romance with it or completely destroy one)

[Hook]

[Chorus]
[Post-chorus]

EW
(Ew)

[Bridge]
In the most Biblical sense,
(By strongly adhering to definitions put forth by the Bible)
I am beyond repentance
(I can't be redeemed for what I've done)
Fame hooker, prostitute wench, vomits her mind
(I may be seen as someone who will do anything for fame, promiscuous, someone who speaks her mind without thinking)
But in the cultural sense
(But along definitions put forth by our culture)
I just speak in future tense
(I'm only looking at what effects my actions will have on paving my future)
Judas kiss me if offensed,
(Lover, embrace me if I offend you)
Or wear ear condom next time
(Or just don't listen next time)

I wanna love you,
(I want to love you)
But something's pulling me away from you
(But something is telling me not to)
Jesus is my virtue,
(Jesus and the light are what I aim for)
Judas is the demon I cling to
(But betraying men and the dark are what I end up with)
I cling to
(I end up with)

[Chorus]

[Post-chorus]

[Post-chorus Hook]

There. Now while what I've posted as my translation is merely an articulation of my mental interpretation of the song, it should serve well enough to ensure that those who argue against Gaga's lyrical choice for fear that its blasphemous see that they've misinterpreted the lyrics (meaning they're not to be taken literally) and see what the song is truly talking about: being in love with someone who betrays you, knowing it, and not doing anything about it for the gravity that you feel.

Westboro Baptist Church: Stultulegoj

2010-12-09T22:31:00.000-08:00

I'm hesitant to write this as I feel that WBC is an attention whore and lives on the energy put off by sentiments such as this, but I also feel that a repression of the emotion with which they have just endowed me will be released on someone else if I don't release it here.

First, if you haven't already, read the Huffington Post's article "Elizabeth Edwards Funeral To Be Picketed By Westboro Baptist Church." Good. You're now up to speed on the cult's newest plot to attract attention to their façade of a church and "speak on the behalf of God." For, of course, God would only choose a very select group of people to share his true beliefs with and, being the infallible one He is, lie to everyone else and cause them to enter damnation. Right.

This is not the first time that these "terrorists" (more on this in a bit) have done something like this, and definitely not the first time that they have caused a swelling of anger within me. You see, it's the entirety of what they stand for that bugs me, their whole "make a big scene to satisfy our fetish for attention" that brings me them erased from the world.

To picket a funeral is childish. Elizabeth Edwards has done, to my knowledge, nothing to Westboro Baptist Church, so they were wronged in no way by her. This leads one to surmise that have an ulterior motive (which they do). As shown by the types of signs they carry—"Thank God for breast cancer"—they see maladies and deaths as God's form of punishment for being a nation of tolerance.

And this is where my sentiment lies: to say that we are to be damned for being tolerant is an idea that must come from the shittiest, most messed-up portions of the brain possible.

WBC misquotes both people and the Bible in an effort to make a point. In their memo, they surely must have taken Elizabeth Edward's words out of context and strung together the statements that they did. I can do that too. Former President George W. Bush must can be proven to have said, publicly, the words "terrorist," "I," "a," and "am." Strung together, that becomes "I am a terrorist." Whether you like him or not, that is a misuse of quotes and is akin to what WBC has done. And by this, WBC can be quoted for saying, "Thank God for" and "gays." So, WBC has said, "Thank God for gays." I'm glad that they've said that.

But they also misquote the Bible (or cite things badly), as seen when they picketed Comic-Con 2010, bearing signs that read: "God hates nerds. Rom. 9:13." Romans 9:13 says, "As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." The relationship between these two things is visibly non-existent. If WBC truly feels, however, that these two things are related, they need to go slap whoever it was who taught them to read and understand what they read across the face pretty hard, because they didn't do a very good job at all.

The terrorist organization WBC must be stopped.

Wait, what's that? You don't agree that they're terrorists? Well, according to About.com, the US legal definition of terrorism is:

"...premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents"

WBC has announced plans to picket, so their actions are premeditated. They have a political motive: to say that the US is in the state that it's in for being "tolerant" and "sinning." Last I checked, the people attending a funeral are not all members of the military and carrying guns, so they are noncombatant. And, seeing as WBC is not representative of nor affiliated with the US government, they're a subnational group. There. Proven by definition.

"But, wait," clever readers may be saying. "You've forgotten about the 'violence' portion of the definition." Well, since you brought it up, WBC is not being physically violent. However, they are being emotionally and ideologically violent, and are ready to fight to the bitter end to defend what they're doing as "free speech." So yes, they are violent.

And what do we do with terrorists whose plans are already known? We stop them. Someone should probably get on that.

A Day in the Life of a Conservative - According to Kurt from Yahoo! Comments

2010-08-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

"A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A CONSERVATIVE

Joe gets up at 6:00am to prepare his morning coffee. He fills his pot
full of good clean drinking water because some liberal fought for
minimum water quality standards.

He takes his daily medication with his first swallow of coffee. His
medications are safe to take because some liberal fought to insure
their safety and for them to work as advertised.

All but $10.00 of his medications are paid for by his employer's
medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their
employers for paid medical insurance, and now Joe gets it too. He prepares
his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs this day. Joe's bacon is safe to
eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat-packing
industry.

Joe takes his morning shower, reaching for his shampoo; His bottle is
properly labeled with every ingredient and the amount of its contents
because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting
on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside and
takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some tree-
hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our
air.

He walks to the subway station for his government-subsidized ride to
work; it saves him considerable money in parking and transportation
fees. You see, some liberal fought for affordable public
transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a
contributor.

Joe begins his work day; he has a good job with excellent pay,
medicals benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some
liberal union members fought and died for these working standards.
Joe's employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't
want his employees to call the union.

If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he'll get a worker
compensation or unemployment check because some liberal didn't think
he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

It's noon time. Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some
bills. Joe's deposit is federally insured by the FDIC because some
liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who
ruined the banking system before the depression.

Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae underwritten Mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some stupid liberal decided that
Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and
earned more money over his lifetime.

Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at
his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive to dad's; his car is among the safest in the world because some liberal
fought for car safety standards.

He arrives at his boyhood home. He was the third generation to live
in the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers
didn't want to make rural loans. The house didn't have electricity until
some big government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and
demanded rural electrification. (Those rural Republicans would still
be sitting in the dark)

He is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on Social
Security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could
take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to. After his visit with dad
he gets back in his car for the ride home.

He turns on a radio talk show. The host keeps saying that liberals
are bad and conservatives are good (He doesn't tell Joe that his
beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit
Joe enjoys throughout his day). Joe agrees, 'We don't need those big
government liberals ruining our lives; after all, I'm a self-made man
who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I
have.'"

I just wanted to share this as I got a kick out of it. This was from Kurt's comment on Yahoo!'s article about Glenn Beck's retraction of his calling Obama a racist. While I believe that the FDA was created under Teddy Roosevelt's administration, the points Kurt brings up are really quite valid. And, while I believe it would be more accurate to refer to the liberals as progressives to avoid any misinformation seeping into the comment, I feel that conservatives need to look at this, if only so I can hear their absurd refutations of this. ;-)

Selective Blindness - Pt. 1

2010-08-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

I feel that I may come back to this issue in one form or another, so I've labelled it as part one of a possible series. Anyway, this first segment of this series will be about looking past the overachievers to make sure that the underachievers and simply the achievers will get the work done that they need to.

My inspiration stems from the assignment we've been given for AP Spanish over the summer. We're to read El Alquimista (the Spanish translation of The Alchemist, which was actually originally written in Portuguese). That's fine. We're also to keep a "diary" about it was well. Also fine. The entries must consist of ten to fifteen sentences of summary, and we're to have at least ten of them by the end of the 112 page book. Not fine.

I find it ridiculous to ask for ten summaries from a hundred page book. That's a summary every ten pages, which interrupts the flow of the book and will leave students with a disjointed view of the story of the book. It's excessive, and students won't have a better idea of what's going on throughout the book. Sure, it proves that they're reading it, but if they feel that detriments will aid them, that's their choice.

I personally don't believe that I need the excess of this assignment, as I'm already fairly adept at Spanish, and summarizing a plot line every few minutes is busywork for me. I get nothing more out of doing it ten times that I would four. I know this from experience, as it's happened frequently.

For example, when writing essays in Sophomore Accelerated English, we were told that each body paragraph of a five paragraph essay should contain around twelve sentences. I tend to write long, winding, and possibly confusing sentences, and writing twelve of them for each paragraph will yield a lot more work for me and a paper that's much longer than that of the rest of the class.

It's this kind of one-size-fits-all mentality that is failing us. Some classes, even though they're accelerated or AP are, for me, easy. So easy, in fact, that I overanalyze things to the extreme, which actually makes it hard. In the AP Language and Composition that I took my junior year, I would search and search and search to find something that I thought would be correct, only to have someone volunteer an answer that was perfectly acceptable, good, and was on the surface that I dove right past. It seemed that I was beyond the ceiling of that class.

Each class has a floor and a ceiling. Most people in the class will fall into the room, and not be above or below it. However, it's necessary to tailor the class to those who fall through the floor or rise above the ceiling. The tailoring to those beneath the floor actually exists. It's called tutoring. But what exists for those who are above the ceiling? We seem to get swept under the rug, as if we're supposed to figure it out for ourselves. But our minds don't work like that. We'll overanalyze things yet again, and miss the problem entirely.

There's a reason that Gifted and Talented Education existed in elementary school: to nurture the minds of the "gifted" and "talented." Why then, does that not exist in the years beyond elementary school? Accelerated and AP classes exist, sure. But they still contain, as mentioned before, a floor and a ceiling, and we appear to be doing nothing to fix the ceiling and raise it up. And that is, certainly, a huge problem.

Things Like This Worry Me

2010-08-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

Whilst browsing the Internet, I came across this response to a thread on being unable to study for very long:

"Become a mad person 4 a month. Mad person dat studies like hell.. Doesnt care 4 anythin else in d world.. One thing only on mind- study. Sleep n study.. Eat n piss in between.. Nothin else.. K. Do it 4 every xam.. I become a doc by studyin only for 20 days before each final xam.. In total i studied 4 no more than 3 months in my 5 yrs in college.."

Honestly, if someone like this can become a doctor (if they aren't lying), I don't want to go to the doctor anymore. Doctors should be well educated, and at least be able to type something that makes coherent sense. If you can't tell the difference between "doesn't" and "don't," especially with regard to the verb mood you're using, please don't give people advice on how to stay or get healthy.

Animal Language

2010-08-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

Meow. Woof. Squeak. Such are the sounds we associate with animals. But do they actually mean something? I think they do.

Many times we perceive animals to be just making noise, when, in fact, they may be trying to communicate some idea with us. Think about it. The most important part of a language is the conveyance of thoughts and ideas, and animals must have such things, therefore, they must have their own language.

I don't think that the typical animal language is as complex as any of our living languages right now (except maybe elephants and dolphins), but it's a language nonetheless.

This is actually touched upon in The Once and Future King during many of the times that Arthur is transformed into an animal. For instance, ants had a language that they used, but it only contained two adjectives: "done" (for anything positive) and "not done" (for anything negative). I believe that animal languages may have these odd "intricacies" due to the fact that not everything we communicate needs to be available to be said or understood by an animal.

So, the next time your pet starts making noises, listen. Maybe it's trying to tell you something.

Overlooked Treasure

2010-08-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

Many people play video games, myself included. Frequently, however, video games are seen as nothing more than a hobby, something for enjoyment, nothing for study. Why is this? In classes dealing with language arts we study great and epic stories. Why then, do we look past the video game as if it were a beggar on the street?

Some video games have beautiful stories. Some have horrendous stories. Some have stories that could only be told through the medium that they represent. Take for instance, Final Fantasy VI (or III as it was originally released in the US). It tells one of the most wonderful stories I have ever experienced. The story, if I were to just write it out here would likely seem just above-average, but not spectacular. Its true beauty lies in the way its story is told. It's nearly operatic, and on that note, even includes an opera scene. Would it not make sense then, to study how a story can be made so much more grand just through the way its being told?

Another example, though from the same series, lies in Final Fantasy XIII. Again, this game contained one of my favorite stories of all time. Centered around a group of six who are anathema to the land they live in, it would be hard to find a novel that rivals the richness of this story. It contains many moments that many who can appreciate a rich story would find it difficult not to be moved by.

A final example, from a different series this time: Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey. An exploration gone wrong and happenings that cause you to question the entire world around you, as well as the very thoughts you have yourself, are all contained in this story. Why would such a philosophical tale be ignored by so many who claim to enjoy deep stories and passed off as another one of those time wasters?

We are looking right past a trove of literary material in a hobby that is now a part of so many lives. Why do we not look to these writings as a source for literary enrichment that can also be enjoyed just as much, if not more than books? People would likely feel relieved to find a change of pace in the way we digest stories. I know I would.

If language arts are truly a study of art formed by language, I challenge you to study the artful language created by those in the video game industry. You'll probably be surprised.

Assigned Summer Reading

2010-08-11T23:47:00.000-07:00

Oh, the concept that inspired me to start this blog. How I loathe thee, assigned summer reading. Why, oh why, do our teachers find it necessary for us to be forced to read books over our summer vacation?

Oh, right. Because studies say that a child (or adolescent in this case) not reading over the summer is approximately equivalent to missing two months of school. To keep this from happening, our teachers have decided to ensure that we read books over the summer, by making the accompanying assignments due within the first week-and-a-half of school.

But wait, what if we actually read on our own over the summer? What if we would actually get around to reading those books that English teachers find so vital to our enrichment on our own accord? Unthinkable, right? Not so. This summer, I've been assigned to read a children's version of The Odyssey, the actual text of The Odyssey, and a modern adaptation of The Odyssey, then we have to watch a movie which depicts the archetypal journey of Odysseus in a more modern story. While reading these texts (and watching films), we are supposed to look for common elements throughout the books.

That's all fine and dandy, but you know what? I don't find it necessary for these books to be shoved down my throat during my time off from school. I planned to read The Odyssey soon anyway, and when I caught word of the supposedly great literary achievement that Ulysses is (I don't know; I haven't read it yet), I would definitely have read that too.

See, I like (classical) literature, when I feel like it. However, this forced reading ruins it for me. I'm not an avid reader, but I will read casually (as in, on my own schedule). Having an assignment due in a few weeks doesn't allow me to read novels comfortably, as I like to savor the novel, and read it at my leisure. Not allowed here, due to the frenetic pace at which we need to read these books to stay on top of our assignments.

When I feel like I'm done reading, I want to be done reading. Impossible with the looming feeling of a deadline for three books to be read by. I feel like reading a chapter (or "book" in this case) and going off to do something else. Yet, I have to truck on to feel at ease with the due dates in a few weeks.

It's not like I waste my time doing stupid things. I love a good story. It's a very big reason why I play video games. It's a very big reason why I watch movies. It's a very big reason I like watching television. It's my summer vacation, which according to dictionary.com is "a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday."

So English teachers, I have two questions for you:

Why must our literary enrichment be dictated by you?
You majored in English, or Language Arts, or whatever you'd like to call it. Why, then, do you seem unable to understand what the "vacation" part of "summer vacation" means?