With the new year upon us, we usually take time to reflect on what has occurred both around and to us. For myself, I would normally just think about the great times I've had with family and friends. While this still happened, I think upon today, December 30th, as the one year anniversary of when my father was ran over by a truck in the parking lot of Starbucks and began a journey of recovery that is ongoing to this day.
The (extremely) short version of the story is that my father's blood sugar was incredibly low at 36. (For those of you that aren't aware, that is dangerously low to the point of a possible diabetic coma.) He was not acting right at all. Somehow, he drove himself to Starbucks to get a coffee and a bagel to raise his blood sugar since he knew how low he was. When leaving, he misjudged the height of the curb (low blood sugar leads to depth perception issues) and fell. As he was slowly getting up, a large truck ran him over. He was taken to the ICU at the hospital where he would end up spending six weeks before being able to come home. This wasn't the end as he would stay in a hospital bed that was at his home for several more weeks while working on rehab. Although he can move around fine today, he still goes to a gym and swims laps to build up strength in his body.
I was eating dinner with friends when I was told of this news. I could not even comprehend what I was told. You hear about tragic events all the time, but it has a whole new sting when the event happens to a loved one. That first night...I honestly did not know if my father would still be alive that morning. I can honestly say I cried myself to sleep that night. My pillow was soaked as I prayed constantly through sobs for my father to be okay and pull through. This event would be how my family brought in the new year of 2012.
A couple of days later, while trying to see if my college had any sort of grants or hardships for me since my father would be unable to work, I found out that I filled out my FASFA incorrectly. By clicking the wrong answer on ONE question, the school would have to look over all of my financial aid to see if I would be able to keep any of it. (Except the scholarship since that is based on my GPA) I was at a complete loss for words. Not only was my father in critical condition in the hospital, I could very easily lose all my aid for school (causing me to leave due to expenses) and perhaps even OWE the school money for previous semesters I received aid under the wrong information.
I still went to school since the financial aid office told me that they would not make a decision on my enrollment status until a few weeks into the semester. I go to college four states away from my hometown and I was driving alone. It was the hardest trip I have ever taken. Although everyone in my family, including my dad when he was awake, said I had to go to school, I still felt like I was abandoning my family in their hour of need. I was reassured that the best way to help my dad would be to go to school. Even my dad told me that I could not give up school for him and that he would make it. To anyone that is reading this...I honestly pray that you NEVER have to feel like I did as I put nearly 1000 miles between myself and my family as they dealt with this tragic event. I offered to take a semester off and get a full-time job so that money would not be an issue, but they insisted I go back to school.
Fast forward about three months. God rained blessings down upon me and my family. My father, although he broke many bones, had no organs punctured, and with rehab, would be able to recover. My financial aid was working itself out as well. I would not owe the school for past semesters and although I did lose some aid, it was very manageable. I did have one last hurdle as my girlfriend, that I had dated for over a year, and I broke up. Now I know that may not stack as high as nearly losing the life of my father, but I truly loved her, so I had heartache once again.
Needless to say, I was very happy for summer. Having schoolwork on top of all of those issues is a burden that I have not experienced before. I was physically, mentally, and even spiritually exhausted by the time I finished my finals and left the campus. I saw my dad during spring break, so I had visual confirmation of the progress he was making health wise, but I wanted to be at home to help. By this time in his rehab, he was able to care for himself on most things, but it felt like I was making up for the four months that I wasn't there and I owed both him and my mother. I also was getting away from the campus where I dealt with all the financial aid issues and with my ex-girlfriend, so that was a comforting thought for me.
I share these events and memories because as I stated earlier, today marks one complete year since all of this began. I do not, repeat DO NOT, mention these things as a means to build myself up. If anything, these events I share show the grace of God and his amazing strength as a family banded together. It taught me how to work through adversity since I wanted to give up on school MANY times throughout that semester and only through the encouragement of my family and friends I continued on. 2012 was a hard year for hundreds of people with the Colorado shooting, Newtown shooting, Oregon shooting, and numerous other crimes and tragedies that took place. People dealt with loss of loved ones, the healing process of wounds, and the seemingly impossible task to be able to still go on with life both during and after the mourning.
As 2013 approaches, I want anyone that has read down to this part to hug your loved ones. Make sure that anyone that truly matters to you knows this because tragedy does not take a day off. If there is truly one thing that everything that occurred over the course of 2012 taught me, it is that Robert Frost's famous response when asked how to sum up life is incredibly true, "It goes on." I want to personally add to this with something that my father has begun to tell me. He quotes from the Bible when it says, "This too shall pass," meaning that no matter how bad things may seem or get, it will pass. On the other side of every storm is clear skies and the sun ready to shine down and dry you off.
For those that read this, I thank you for hearing a piece of my story. Always lean on God during the good and the bad times. I know I typically don't get personal in the other topics I post about, but this is something that I felt that needed to be said since I know others have gone through similar struggles. God Bless, and have a great new year!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
We Love to Hate
If the title seems right to the point, that is on purpose. It will help me in getting my point across if you know right from the start what I'll be getting at.
When I say we love to hate, I mean it. I believe that there are many reasons behind this, but at the end of the day, it is quite a phenomenon to watch people flock to something to hate on it. Now this hatred can be applied to anything; from TV shows, movies, people of all types/professions, music, and even videogames. Anything is fair game, and if you are of dissenting opinion, just prepare yourself for the firestorm that will be awaiting you.
Now one of the reasons I believe this takes place is the fact that we have to have something to hate. This may sound strange initially, but it should make sense. People never seem satisfied either liking something or disliking something. That dislike has to turn into hatred, it can't just stay as dislike to where the person just ignores it. This is how issues get blown up into proportions that should never be touched. For those involved in the hating, it seems perfectly logically when you are going over-the-top with insults and slurs towards people/groups/events, but to those of us outside it, it looks completely idiotic.
Another reason is the fact that hating is so much easier to do, especially on the Internet. On the Internet, we can abandon all forms of politeness, manners, and just all around good behavior in favor of the exact opposite. As I discussed in an earlier blog, this stems from the fact that we are anonymous on the Internet, so there is rarely, if ever, consequences to what we say. With this freedom in hand, we go to such great lengths to hate and abuse. This of course makes hating so much easier than liking, defending, or just ignoring all together. Also, when you combine that with the mob like mentality that people have when hating, choosing to do the same as them is made even easier since it avoids conflict.
Are there times when being upset and vocalizing your opinion is important? Of course there is, but there is a limit even then. There is a fine line between voicing displeasure over something and suddenly threatening the lives of the people, and their families, involved. This may seem a bit vague, so I will use an example.
My example is with videogames. One of the best to use since it still gets brought up for reasons I've stopped trying to imagine, is Resident Evil 5. As one can guess, this is a sequel to a franchise called Resident Evil. The games are based on survival horror, which is exactly as it sounds, just with zombies. The previous game, Resident Evil 4, was a huge success. Reviewers loved it, gamers loved it, and apparently if you were to ask some people, God himself shed a few tears over it. RE5 was loved as well...at first. This game focused more on action and co-op than horror, though there were still times of horror, just spread out. Where the hate came from was people complaining about the lack of horror. Now this is a fine complaint since there of course will be people who dislike a game no matter what. (Just ask Mario) Where the hate got strange was seeing how just mentioning RE5 in an online conversation would result in yelling matches, or pure caps lock, that never went anywhere. People claim it is the worst game ever made, not just the worst in the series, but the worst EVER. They can go on rants that would tire out even the best public speakers to support themselves and/or bash those that think otherwise.
I bring this up because if you break it down, 90% of the hatred can be boiled down to the 2 reasons I listed earlier. Since RE4 was so universally liked, and because most of the people most likely never played the 3 before that one, RE5 gave them something to hate. With something to hate and the freedom of the Internet at their disposal, they were able to vocalize their dislike as it slowly turned to hatred. As more people joined in, either because they felt the same or because it gave them a chance to fit in, the hate grew until you had a great number of people. For those of us that did like the game, we were quickly targeted and bashed heavily. Now when you see what people say, it has reached the point of absolute idiocy. Maybe I was just taught differently, but when I dislike/hate something, I don't talk about it. I don't go and complain on anything and everything that deals with whatever I don't like.
I know this blog will not suddenly stop pointless hating because as the title says, we love it too much. As I read on an article, there are 4 things that the Internet will ALWAYS love to do/talk about.
4. Ruining childhoods/making great discoveries about childhood things
3. Anything cat related
2. Porn
1. Complaining/hating (Yes, I did place it above porn. That should tell you how much people like it.)
My goal is to make awareness of such things. If you're like me, you have found yourself hating something that you have no clue as to why you're hating it. Perhaps, like me, you just get way to riled up over something that is no big deal. Whatever it is, hopefully this helped in lowering a touch of the hate out there because there sure is enough to last several lifetimes.
When I say we love to hate, I mean it. I believe that there are many reasons behind this, but at the end of the day, it is quite a phenomenon to watch people flock to something to hate on it. Now this hatred can be applied to anything; from TV shows, movies, people of all types/professions, music, and even videogames. Anything is fair game, and if you are of dissenting opinion, just prepare yourself for the firestorm that will be awaiting you.
Now one of the reasons I believe this takes place is the fact that we have to have something to hate. This may sound strange initially, but it should make sense. People never seem satisfied either liking something or disliking something. That dislike has to turn into hatred, it can't just stay as dislike to where the person just ignores it. This is how issues get blown up into proportions that should never be touched. For those involved in the hating, it seems perfectly logically when you are going over-the-top with insults and slurs towards people/groups/events, but to those of us outside it, it looks completely idiotic.
Another reason is the fact that hating is so much easier to do, especially on the Internet. On the Internet, we can abandon all forms of politeness, manners, and just all around good behavior in favor of the exact opposite. As I discussed in an earlier blog, this stems from the fact that we are anonymous on the Internet, so there is rarely, if ever, consequences to what we say. With this freedom in hand, we go to such great lengths to hate and abuse. This of course makes hating so much easier than liking, defending, or just ignoring all together. Also, when you combine that with the mob like mentality that people have when hating, choosing to do the same as them is made even easier since it avoids conflict.
Are there times when being upset and vocalizing your opinion is important? Of course there is, but there is a limit even then. There is a fine line between voicing displeasure over something and suddenly threatening the lives of the people, and their families, involved. This may seem a bit vague, so I will use an example.
My example is with videogames. One of the best to use since it still gets brought up for reasons I've stopped trying to imagine, is Resident Evil 5. As one can guess, this is a sequel to a franchise called Resident Evil. The games are based on survival horror, which is exactly as it sounds, just with zombies. The previous game, Resident Evil 4, was a huge success. Reviewers loved it, gamers loved it, and apparently if you were to ask some people, God himself shed a few tears over it. RE5 was loved as well...at first. This game focused more on action and co-op than horror, though there were still times of horror, just spread out. Where the hate came from was people complaining about the lack of horror. Now this is a fine complaint since there of course will be people who dislike a game no matter what. (Just ask Mario) Where the hate got strange was seeing how just mentioning RE5 in an online conversation would result in yelling matches, or pure caps lock, that never went anywhere. People claim it is the worst game ever made, not just the worst in the series, but the worst EVER. They can go on rants that would tire out even the best public speakers to support themselves and/or bash those that think otherwise.
I bring this up because if you break it down, 90% of the hatred can be boiled down to the 2 reasons I listed earlier. Since RE4 was so universally liked, and because most of the people most likely never played the 3 before that one, RE5 gave them something to hate. With something to hate and the freedom of the Internet at their disposal, they were able to vocalize their dislike as it slowly turned to hatred. As more people joined in, either because they felt the same or because it gave them a chance to fit in, the hate grew until you had a great number of people. For those of us that did like the game, we were quickly targeted and bashed heavily. Now when you see what people say, it has reached the point of absolute idiocy. Maybe I was just taught differently, but when I dislike/hate something, I don't talk about it. I don't go and complain on anything and everything that deals with whatever I don't like.
I know this blog will not suddenly stop pointless hating because as the title says, we love it too much. As I read on an article, there are 4 things that the Internet will ALWAYS love to do/talk about.
4. Ruining childhoods/making great discoveries about childhood things
3. Anything cat related
2. Porn
1. Complaining/hating (Yes, I did place it above porn. That should tell you how much people like it.)
My goal is to make awareness of such things. If you're like me, you have found yourself hating something that you have no clue as to why you're hating it. Perhaps, like me, you just get way to riled up over something that is no big deal. Whatever it is, hopefully this helped in lowering a touch of the hate out there because there sure is enough to last several lifetimes.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Politics and the Media
Now I know that in the world with the Internet, mentioning politics is like having a dirty bomb on the lawn of the White House, nothing good will come out of it. I also know that most people that read this post after seeing the title will think I'm about to go pro-liberal, conservative, democrat, republican, or whatever, but the fact is I'm tired of all sides. The media is also on my list because of how close politics and the media tends to be. Also for the fact that I want to shed light on something rather important, and that is how most issues that people become passionate about issues is due to the attention the media gives it and people are simply unaware of this.
Now, the reason I am tired of all sides in politics is due to the fact that both sides are exactly the same. I know this sounds like blasphemy to people on either side because "I can't be like them!" and that kind of helps in proving my point. Both sides are so bent on being so different, if not the exact opposite, that all they ended up doing is having the exact same stories, just conveniently switching some of the dialogue or circumstances so it fits with their agenda. The biggest way I've seen this is when you ask them why things are in the current state they're in. Their explanations will nearly be identical except for who the ultimate person responsible for the situation is. For two sides claiming to be intellectual, they sure aren't living up to that moniker.
The true irony from the division comes from what George Washington said after his 2 terms as President ended. He warned against political parties because they would divide the nation. He looks like a prophet cause American History is full of division due to political parties, and it only worsens today now that people have flocked to the Internet as a new means of pushing their ideals down other people's throat. (Both sides are guilty of this) Political parties, to be fair, are necessary because the people running for election have to have a backing of some kind, but my focus is how divided it makes everyone as compared to what the parties should be doing; working together towards the same goal.
Now I mention the media because they will turn a story that is no big deal into the biggest thing to happen since Jesus Christ came down to Earth. I do put a big amount of blame on the media itself because they are the ones that make the stories, but I believe the majority of the blame goes upon the people because if they didn't tune in, the ratings would go down, and the media would move onto something else. I say media instead of the news because the Internet does fall under the umbrella term of media and the Internet is just as, if not more, guilty than any news outlet. The biggest, and most recent example, is the whole Chick-fil-a fiasco. The CEO of the company gets asked a simple question, gives a simple answer, and now he is being accused of hate crimes like this is the second coming of Westboro Baptist Church.
Now I don't know how people have been raised, I can only truly vouch for myself, but growing up I was taught that you don't assume things about people. There are 2 simple reasons for this: 1. You wouldn't want the same thing being done to you, 2. You end up turning someone into something they aren't. The sad thing is that is exactly what people have done to not just the CEO, but to everyone that works at Chick-fil-a period. Simple employees have been labeled bigots, homophobes, and other far meaner things depending on their gender. As much as I roll my eyes at this entire situation, it also bugs me that we care more about someone's opinion than about a bad economy or people suffering. What also bugs me is that the same people who are trying to go full riot on the entire company would of been throwing the CEO a parade had he said he agreed with gay marriage.
Sorry, that was a bit of a tangent, but I point those things out because the media, including the Internet, began to assume things about the CEO and his company from his one answer. Before you could really have a chance to know what happened, there were protestors, supporters, YouTube videos, posts on Facebook, pages across all other websites, and just an all around explosion over something that should not of been THIS big of a deal. Now perhaps it could of caused some backlash because that happens whenever you stand by your beliefs, but what is happening here is just ridiculous. This isn't the first time that the media has elevated something far beyond what it should of been. What I'm wanting people to do is to become educated on what exactly is the big deal. Some situations are so big of a deal that educated won't calm things down, but it will hopefully cause people to be more thoughtful with what they say in response. An example is that instead of automatically labeling someone a bigot, see what their true beliefs are. Also, ask yourself this one question; is my going around and name calling and judging not the EXACT same thing I'm accusing the other side of? Does perhaps tolerance mean that I have to be ok with people who don't think the same way I do? (I sure hope the answer to that question is obvious)
So in summary, educate yourself over a situation before getting sucked in the latest bandwagon issue. I won't lie, an issue may be a big deal, but a person should decide that for themselves before going around mudslinging and bashing with secondhand knowledge.
Now, the reason I am tired of all sides in politics is due to the fact that both sides are exactly the same. I know this sounds like blasphemy to people on either side because "I can't be like them!" and that kind of helps in proving my point. Both sides are so bent on being so different, if not the exact opposite, that all they ended up doing is having the exact same stories, just conveniently switching some of the dialogue or circumstances so it fits with their agenda. The biggest way I've seen this is when you ask them why things are in the current state they're in. Their explanations will nearly be identical except for who the ultimate person responsible for the situation is. For two sides claiming to be intellectual, they sure aren't living up to that moniker.
The true irony from the division comes from what George Washington said after his 2 terms as President ended. He warned against political parties because they would divide the nation. He looks like a prophet cause American History is full of division due to political parties, and it only worsens today now that people have flocked to the Internet as a new means of pushing their ideals down other people's throat. (Both sides are guilty of this) Political parties, to be fair, are necessary because the people running for election have to have a backing of some kind, but my focus is how divided it makes everyone as compared to what the parties should be doing; working together towards the same goal.
Now I mention the media because they will turn a story that is no big deal into the biggest thing to happen since Jesus Christ came down to Earth. I do put a big amount of blame on the media itself because they are the ones that make the stories, but I believe the majority of the blame goes upon the people because if they didn't tune in, the ratings would go down, and the media would move onto something else. I say media instead of the news because the Internet does fall under the umbrella term of media and the Internet is just as, if not more, guilty than any news outlet. The biggest, and most recent example, is the whole Chick-fil-a fiasco. The CEO of the company gets asked a simple question, gives a simple answer, and now he is being accused of hate crimes like this is the second coming of Westboro Baptist Church.
Now I don't know how people have been raised, I can only truly vouch for myself, but growing up I was taught that you don't assume things about people. There are 2 simple reasons for this: 1. You wouldn't want the same thing being done to you, 2. You end up turning someone into something they aren't. The sad thing is that is exactly what people have done to not just the CEO, but to everyone that works at Chick-fil-a period. Simple employees have been labeled bigots, homophobes, and other far meaner things depending on their gender. As much as I roll my eyes at this entire situation, it also bugs me that we care more about someone's opinion than about a bad economy or people suffering. What also bugs me is that the same people who are trying to go full riot on the entire company would of been throwing the CEO a parade had he said he agreed with gay marriage.
Sorry, that was a bit of a tangent, but I point those things out because the media, including the Internet, began to assume things about the CEO and his company from his one answer. Before you could really have a chance to know what happened, there were protestors, supporters, YouTube videos, posts on Facebook, pages across all other websites, and just an all around explosion over something that should not of been THIS big of a deal. Now perhaps it could of caused some backlash because that happens whenever you stand by your beliefs, but what is happening here is just ridiculous. This isn't the first time that the media has elevated something far beyond what it should of been. What I'm wanting people to do is to become educated on what exactly is the big deal. Some situations are so big of a deal that educated won't calm things down, but it will hopefully cause people to be more thoughtful with what they say in response. An example is that instead of automatically labeling someone a bigot, see what their true beliefs are. Also, ask yourself this one question; is my going around and name calling and judging not the EXACT same thing I'm accusing the other side of? Does perhaps tolerance mean that I have to be ok with people who don't think the same way I do? (I sure hope the answer to that question is obvious)
So in summary, educate yourself over a situation before getting sucked in the latest bandwagon issue. I won't lie, an issue may be a big deal, but a person should decide that for themselves before going around mudslinging and bashing with secondhand knowledge.
Friday, July 27, 2012
My Repsonse to an Article on America
I just read quite an interesting article thanks to a link on Facebook. The name of the article is "The 10 things Americans don't know about America." (That may not be the word for word title, but that title does sum it up) To read the article for yourself, just follow this link http://postmasculine.com/america. I found this to be a great read, but I also found fault with it. Now I am not going to be going through all 10 points and break everything down. I don't have the time and I know that nobody wants to read a post that would end up looking like a small novel.
Before I say what I didn't like, I want to first point out what I did like. I liked the fact that this person made it clear that in the grand scheme of things, other countries don't care about us. This meaning that they don't like, or hate, us nearly as much as the media, including the Internet, wants us Americans to think. People in other countries are just like us; they have jobs, families, and lives to attend to, they don't sit around thinking about America just like we don't sit around thinking about their countries.
Now my biggest issue was being compared to the alcoholic relative that someone dislikes being around. Now I know that within the article, the author pointed out that they are not perfect either and that every country has issues, but it is like when someone says "No offense but..." knowing that whatever they are about to say will be offensive. I know that since the author is an American, or so it was claimed, they are just showing tough love, and the article says this, but it also seems like a bias is showing. Another analogy that is used is when a person moves out and after being around other families, notices the weird things that their family did. They may also discover that some of the values were flat out wrong. Now while I somewhat agree, I have also learned through personal self-experience that when you are separated from your family due to something like college, you see what your parents had correct all along. You will also see what was wrong, but if you came from a good family, then the good outweighs the bad. (I know not all families are good/functional, so that's why I put a bit of a disclaimer)
I know that America is far from perfect, but I just got the feeling that the author saw more bad than good. Not only does this contradict my experience when I traveled to Japan, it also contradicts what I've heard missionaries tell when they return. In both my experiences and theirs, they spoke how much the people liked being around an American. I think the biggest thing this article failed to touch on was the fact that most people don't hate Americans, they hate the American government. To that, I say get in line and join the party cause most of us here feel the same way. What I would like to find out is if the reason why people from other countries dislike the American people is due to actual interactions with Americans, or if it is due to what happens on the Internet? If it is due to the Internet, then I will laugh since it is hardly fair, or justified, to base judgement on an entire country due to what someone does online since the whole issue of anonymity online causes people to act in ways they never would online.
Now the author did point out that part of the dislike is due to the odd way most people in America express themselves. While I agree to an extent, that is also just a culture difference. I know that in Japan for instance that making direct eye contact during the entirety of a conversation or interaction can be taken as offensive. In America, we're taught the opposite. Avoiding eye contact makes people think you're hiding something or that you dislike the other person speaking.
I know that I don't have a large audience to speak to with my blog, but this is something I wanted to speak on because as an American, it just rubbed me the wrong way reading everything that is wrong with this country without listing positive with it, or at least something redeemable. I know the author most likely did not want to offend, or at least I hope not, it still slightly came across that way. Like I said at the start, I enjoyed this article because it is nice to have voices from different views. A person learns and becomes a better person from seeing what others say. A person shouldn't just seek out sources that agree with their opinions either since it doesn't help them in seeing what other people may think. For those reasons, I enjoyed the article.
I know that I didn't cover the entire article, just like I said I wouldn't at the start, but if anyone believes I missed a big point that needed addressing, feel free to comment. If you want to know my opinion on the history aspect of the article, I will share. I didn't mention it since it would seem random with the rest of the post.
So, like always, don't panic, and never forget your towel.
Before I say what I didn't like, I want to first point out what I did like. I liked the fact that this person made it clear that in the grand scheme of things, other countries don't care about us. This meaning that they don't like, or hate, us nearly as much as the media, including the Internet, wants us Americans to think. People in other countries are just like us; they have jobs, families, and lives to attend to, they don't sit around thinking about America just like we don't sit around thinking about their countries.
Now my biggest issue was being compared to the alcoholic relative that someone dislikes being around. Now I know that within the article, the author pointed out that they are not perfect either and that every country has issues, but it is like when someone says "No offense but..." knowing that whatever they are about to say will be offensive. I know that since the author is an American, or so it was claimed, they are just showing tough love, and the article says this, but it also seems like a bias is showing. Another analogy that is used is when a person moves out and after being around other families, notices the weird things that their family did. They may also discover that some of the values were flat out wrong. Now while I somewhat agree, I have also learned through personal self-experience that when you are separated from your family due to something like college, you see what your parents had correct all along. You will also see what was wrong, but if you came from a good family, then the good outweighs the bad. (I know not all families are good/functional, so that's why I put a bit of a disclaimer)
I know that America is far from perfect, but I just got the feeling that the author saw more bad than good. Not only does this contradict my experience when I traveled to Japan, it also contradicts what I've heard missionaries tell when they return. In both my experiences and theirs, they spoke how much the people liked being around an American. I think the biggest thing this article failed to touch on was the fact that most people don't hate Americans, they hate the American government. To that, I say get in line and join the party cause most of us here feel the same way. What I would like to find out is if the reason why people from other countries dislike the American people is due to actual interactions with Americans, or if it is due to what happens on the Internet? If it is due to the Internet, then I will laugh since it is hardly fair, or justified, to base judgement on an entire country due to what someone does online since the whole issue of anonymity online causes people to act in ways they never would online.
Now the author did point out that part of the dislike is due to the odd way most people in America express themselves. While I agree to an extent, that is also just a culture difference. I know that in Japan for instance that making direct eye contact during the entirety of a conversation or interaction can be taken as offensive. In America, we're taught the opposite. Avoiding eye contact makes people think you're hiding something or that you dislike the other person speaking.
I know that I don't have a large audience to speak to with my blog, but this is something I wanted to speak on because as an American, it just rubbed me the wrong way reading everything that is wrong with this country without listing positive with it, or at least something redeemable. I know the author most likely did not want to offend, or at least I hope not, it still slightly came across that way. Like I said at the start, I enjoyed this article because it is nice to have voices from different views. A person learns and becomes a better person from seeing what others say. A person shouldn't just seek out sources that agree with their opinions either since it doesn't help them in seeing what other people may think. For those reasons, I enjoyed the article.
I know that I didn't cover the entire article, just like I said I wouldn't at the start, but if anyone believes I missed a big point that needed addressing, feel free to comment. If you want to know my opinion on the history aspect of the article, I will share. I didn't mention it since it would seem random with the rest of the post.
So, like always, don't panic, and never forget your towel.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The Progress of Only 10 Years in Videogames
This one is more geared towards video games, but it is still something I believe should be discussed. For those of you who are unaware of HD remixes, it simply is an older game that is brought back to the current console generation with updated graphics and perhaps new features added to enhance the experience. Now this has been fantastic for the most part since it has brought back many games that I enjoyed back in the day, and like just as much now. Where I am just blown away is seeing the progress that has been made in just 10 years in video games. What showed me this was on the Halo Anniversary Collection that came out last November. In the game, with the press of one button, you could switch between the old graphics of the original Xbox, and the current graphics of the Xbox 360. This game was a revival of the first Halo game that came out in 2001. I was stunned to see just how different the two graphic sets were. I am aware of the progress that has been made since the days of the original Xbox, but this game helped put things in perspective. Now where something negative that can, and in some cases has, come in is with the position it puts game developers of long standing franchises.
Now if the franchise is new, or relatively young like Mass Effect or Bioshock, this is something that they don't have to worry about. This deals with older franchise games like Mario, Sonic, and Zelda. I read an interview with the minds behind the latest SSX game, simply called SSX, and the mixed reception it has received since being released. Where the interview ties with this discussion is that the biggest thing the producers wanted to avoid is a HD remix of an older SSX because this was a reboot of the series that had gone quite awhile without a sequel. Where this statement is significant is that a lot of people simply wanted a SSX that was just like past titles instead of something new and going in a different direction. Now there isn't anything wrong with having a sequel being similar to past titles, or at least borrowing things from it, but at the same time, a game has to attempt to evolve and grow. If not, it grows stagnant and ends up being stale.
I believe the best examples of seeing franchises that has successfully, and not so successfully, balanced old and new is Mario and Sonic. For those who are savvy with videogame history, this are the two appropriate characters to use since they were bitter rivals in the 90's, back when Sega had their own consoles. Now Mario, for the most part, has done great with balancing old and new. One could be cynical and say that every open world Mario game is the same, just put in different settings with a few tweaks to mechanics, or that any platforming Mario game is the same as it has been since the 80's. While there is some truth to these statements, the fact is that each Mario game, whether open world or platforming, introduces new things that keeps everything fresh.
Now on the other end is Sonic, though saying this franchise has been a complete disaster would be a lie. The irony in the title is that 10 years ago in 2002, Sonic was riding pretty high with the success of the Sonic Adventure games and handheld games. Then 2006 happened. Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 was terrible. There is no way around it. In fact, the next couple of games after it were no better. Since 2009, Sonic has been trying to find the same balance that Mario has discovered. The fans have not helped since it seems that no matter which direction Sega attempts to take Sonic, the fans fight back demanding that it go another way. It has been very hit and miss, to say the least.
Now all of this is to say that we as gamers need to make sure that we don't force long-running games into a rut by limiting them to "back in the day" only, like with Sonic, and never trying new things. We also need to realize how far games have come in merely 10 years. It is very easy to think that as soon as we moved on from 8 and 16 bit animations to 3D scale animations that the progress has been in small jumps only. The truth is that even from the blocky animation seen in 2001 to the amazing, life-like graphics now in 2012, progress has been rapid and there is no indicator of slowing happening. In 10 more years, we could very easily look back on these games we hail now and just laugh at the graphics. It may seem ridiculous, but I'm certain that if you told people how games would look now in 2001, they would believe it, but not in such a short amount of time.
So in summary, for those of you brave enough to read this far, we need to be open to changes and innovations within a popular and long-running game franchise so that it can continue to grow and stay relevant. Second, we need to recognize the shear amount of progress made in graphics and presentations.
Now if the franchise is new, or relatively young like Mass Effect or Bioshock, this is something that they don't have to worry about. This deals with older franchise games like Mario, Sonic, and Zelda. I read an interview with the minds behind the latest SSX game, simply called SSX, and the mixed reception it has received since being released. Where the interview ties with this discussion is that the biggest thing the producers wanted to avoid is a HD remix of an older SSX because this was a reboot of the series that had gone quite awhile without a sequel. Where this statement is significant is that a lot of people simply wanted a SSX that was just like past titles instead of something new and going in a different direction. Now there isn't anything wrong with having a sequel being similar to past titles, or at least borrowing things from it, but at the same time, a game has to attempt to evolve and grow. If not, it grows stagnant and ends up being stale.
I believe the best examples of seeing franchises that has successfully, and not so successfully, balanced old and new is Mario and Sonic. For those who are savvy with videogame history, this are the two appropriate characters to use since they were bitter rivals in the 90's, back when Sega had their own consoles. Now Mario, for the most part, has done great with balancing old and new. One could be cynical and say that every open world Mario game is the same, just put in different settings with a few tweaks to mechanics, or that any platforming Mario game is the same as it has been since the 80's. While there is some truth to these statements, the fact is that each Mario game, whether open world or platforming, introduces new things that keeps everything fresh.
Now on the other end is Sonic, though saying this franchise has been a complete disaster would be a lie. The irony in the title is that 10 years ago in 2002, Sonic was riding pretty high with the success of the Sonic Adventure games and handheld games. Then 2006 happened. Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 was terrible. There is no way around it. In fact, the next couple of games after it were no better. Since 2009, Sonic has been trying to find the same balance that Mario has discovered. The fans have not helped since it seems that no matter which direction Sega attempts to take Sonic, the fans fight back demanding that it go another way. It has been very hit and miss, to say the least.
Now all of this is to say that we as gamers need to make sure that we don't force long-running games into a rut by limiting them to "back in the day" only, like with Sonic, and never trying new things. We also need to realize how far games have come in merely 10 years. It is very easy to think that as soon as we moved on from 8 and 16 bit animations to 3D scale animations that the progress has been in small jumps only. The truth is that even from the blocky animation seen in 2001 to the amazing, life-like graphics now in 2012, progress has been rapid and there is no indicator of slowing happening. In 10 more years, we could very easily look back on these games we hail now and just laugh at the graphics. It may seem ridiculous, but I'm certain that if you told people how games would look now in 2001, they would believe it, but not in such a short amount of time.
So in summary, for those of you brave enough to read this far, we need to be open to changes and innovations within a popular and long-running game franchise so that it can continue to grow and stay relevant. Second, we need to recognize the shear amount of progress made in graphics and presentations.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
My Generation is Better than Yours
This is a constant argument seen across the Internet. The examples range from TV shows, music, video games, you name it, it has been used. Now going down memory lane and enjoying the nostalgia isn't a bad thing whatsoever, but it becomes bad when those memories give you elitist views towards new trends.
If you have been on popular websites, or even liked certain pages/groups on Facebook, then odds are you have seen pictures and/or posts proclaiming the greatness of the 1990's or whatever the person in question liked in their childhood. As I said there's nothing wrong with remembering great things from earlier times, but in many ways, we have turned into the very people that looked down on us when we were kids. I remember being told how some of the shows I liked to watch were dumb and not like shows from (fill in the era or show name here). I would just blow them off and watch what I wanted. Now that my generation is older, we have become those very people that look down upon the generation in front of us and say "These shows are terrible, shows in my day were much better." This has also been seen in video games in saying how much harder or scarier games were back in the day. Although I love how the Internet is great at bringing people together that have common interests or likes, it has served as a component that worsens this elitist view. It is kind of similar to that view when you're a freshman in high school or college and you swear you will not treat freshmen the same way you were treated when you're a senior and then when senior year comes around, you find yourself treating the freshmen in the exact way you were treated.
Now am I saying we have become our parents/older siblings? In this case, yes we have. People will of course deny this, so don't expect some revelation to occur and suddenly everything gets taken back. If I have learned anything from the Internet, it is that people will rarely, and I do mean rarely, go back on something they said beforehand. This issue can stem from nostalgia, but that is a different conversation that I have attempted to tackle twice now in this blog. Another thing that I believe contributes to this is the fact that people are unable to come to terms with the fact that their preferences or tastes in media will change over time. They can't handle the fact that a genre of music or type of TV show that they loved as a kid doesn't have the same flair now that it had then. I have seen it in my own life with old internet videos that I will watch sometimes because I will think to myself how great they were back in the day, but as I watch, it just isn't the same. The video itself hasn't changed at all, but my tastes in humor, or whatever the video dealt with, has changed as I have matured. This isn't a bad thing at all, and it should never be treated as such. People and things change over time, and we are only fooling ourselves if we think otherwise. Now are there shows, songs, movies, and games that have that timeless ability? There are many that are considered timeless. In fact, on Xbox 360, PS3, and the Wii, they have an entire section on their online store where you can buy old games to play once again. In the video game industry, there has been a big revival of having old games that are classic brought back and redone in HD so people can get a chance to play them again. Hollywood is cashing in on this as well with all of the movies they are re-releasing in 3D or having put out on DVD or Blu-Ray.
The reason I bring up this issue is for one reason:
1. This isn't something new and the cycle needs to be stopped
The 1st reason might be surprising. Unfortunately I could not find the source of this quote, though I swore it was from Mark Twain, but it fits very well here: "Every generation thinks that it is smarter than the one before it, and wiser than the one in front of it." Seeing people brag on the 90's being greater than the 2000's is no different than what people from the 80's said of people from the 90's and so on. There are pros and cons to when we were born and because of that, it doesn't magically make one generation greater than another. We should always cherish the things that helped us or gave us joy and entertainment in our childhood, but we shouldn't use it as a means to be elitist. So my hope is that the cycle can be broken and we just learn to get along just a bit better because the world is messed up enough with issues without us adding senseless arguing to the mix.
So here's hoping that this has perhaps shed a new perspective to you. If not, well then, I tried.
If you have been on popular websites, or even liked certain pages/groups on Facebook, then odds are you have seen pictures and/or posts proclaiming the greatness of the 1990's or whatever the person in question liked in their childhood. As I said there's nothing wrong with remembering great things from earlier times, but in many ways, we have turned into the very people that looked down on us when we were kids. I remember being told how some of the shows I liked to watch were dumb and not like shows from (fill in the era or show name here). I would just blow them off and watch what I wanted. Now that my generation is older, we have become those very people that look down upon the generation in front of us and say "These shows are terrible, shows in my day were much better." This has also been seen in video games in saying how much harder or scarier games were back in the day. Although I love how the Internet is great at bringing people together that have common interests or likes, it has served as a component that worsens this elitist view. It is kind of similar to that view when you're a freshman in high school or college and you swear you will not treat freshmen the same way you were treated when you're a senior and then when senior year comes around, you find yourself treating the freshmen in the exact way you were treated.
Now am I saying we have become our parents/older siblings? In this case, yes we have. People will of course deny this, so don't expect some revelation to occur and suddenly everything gets taken back. If I have learned anything from the Internet, it is that people will rarely, and I do mean rarely, go back on something they said beforehand. This issue can stem from nostalgia, but that is a different conversation that I have attempted to tackle twice now in this blog. Another thing that I believe contributes to this is the fact that people are unable to come to terms with the fact that their preferences or tastes in media will change over time. They can't handle the fact that a genre of music or type of TV show that they loved as a kid doesn't have the same flair now that it had then. I have seen it in my own life with old internet videos that I will watch sometimes because I will think to myself how great they were back in the day, but as I watch, it just isn't the same. The video itself hasn't changed at all, but my tastes in humor, or whatever the video dealt with, has changed as I have matured. This isn't a bad thing at all, and it should never be treated as such. People and things change over time, and we are only fooling ourselves if we think otherwise. Now are there shows, songs, movies, and games that have that timeless ability? There are many that are considered timeless. In fact, on Xbox 360, PS3, and the Wii, they have an entire section on their online store where you can buy old games to play once again. In the video game industry, there has been a big revival of having old games that are classic brought back and redone in HD so people can get a chance to play them again. Hollywood is cashing in on this as well with all of the movies they are re-releasing in 3D or having put out on DVD or Blu-Ray.
The reason I bring up this issue is for one reason:
1. This isn't something new and the cycle needs to be stopped
The 1st reason might be surprising. Unfortunately I could not find the source of this quote, though I swore it was from Mark Twain, but it fits very well here: "Every generation thinks that it is smarter than the one before it, and wiser than the one in front of it." Seeing people brag on the 90's being greater than the 2000's is no different than what people from the 80's said of people from the 90's and so on. There are pros and cons to when we were born and because of that, it doesn't magically make one generation greater than another. We should always cherish the things that helped us or gave us joy and entertainment in our childhood, but we shouldn't use it as a means to be elitist. So my hope is that the cycle can be broken and we just learn to get along just a bit better because the world is messed up enough with issues without us adding senseless arguing to the mix.
So here's hoping that this has perhaps shed a new perspective to you. If not, well then, I tried.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
More Problems with Nostalgia
Hope you guys enjoy the new setup! I'm kind of experimenting right now with different looks, don't be afraid to let me know what you think.
I arrive back to the very first thing I wrote about when this blog was created, and that deals with the nostalgia problem. A quick summary of my definition of this; when someones past experiences and good feelings with something, be it a movie, video game, or whatever, clouds their judgement towards new things being made. This is best seen whenever there is a new movie or game made from a long running franchise, especially if this new installment came after a long gap of waiting. I am visiting this issue again because it seems like things are getting worse, not that I expected my first post to suddenly fix everything, but the way I see arguments happen and with how intense they become, more needs to be said on this.
A new twist to the nostalgia issue comes when someone's nostalgia has been "broken." This means that they find themselves not liking something now that they may have adored years ago. Sadly, even though I personally enjoyed the game, Duke Nukem is a great example of seeing nostalgia in both ways. The initial way was how Duke Nukem Forever was put up to such a high standard due to nostalgia building up his reputation. It also didn't help that with the Internet becoming the huge hype factory it is now was just fueling the expectations for this game. Once the game came out, people were shocked to see how they no longer approved of Duke's humor. His typical one-liners and macho-manness to any and all situations worked great in the 90's, but in 2011, that was no longer the case. While I personally enjoyed the game, it got blasted by old fans and newcomers alike. With their nostalgia "broken," they began to reevaluate everything about the game and if it really is all that good, but in the end the simple manner is that the game was made in the same fashion, mostly, as the previous ones and what most likely happened is that the people who liked it then have matured in their humor and playing preferences. Though I must say that bashing a game just because the graphics aren't state of the art is completely idiotic, but that is a whole other conversation.
The reason I believe this is worsening is because people get upset whenever a long standing franchise makes a new addition to their franchise, but they add new twists so that it stays fresh. These same people will also get upset if a franchise always sticks to the same thing when making new additions. This is very much a love-hate relationship. As stated with Duke Nukem, the core of the game in terms of the character and thin plot is the same as it was in the 90's, yet it got bashed heavily; then you get something like the newest Legend of Zelda which introduced some new concepts and tricks to use so that the series doesn't become stale, and although it has been adored by reviewers, other people have just gone crazy with flaming it. There is a phrase in theatre that perfectly sums up this situation, "You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't."I know I have focused on games in this, but it can be seen in movies, TV shows, and books.
My suggestion for this is to take away the cloudy goggles of nostalgia when looking at new things. Yes, I enjoyed games I played back in the 90's as well. Street Fighter 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 & 3 are special to me since they're amongst the first games I've ever played, but I won't get so caught up in old memories that I will think that all new Street Fighter games or Sonic games are instantly horrible because they aren't exactly like what I remember back then, of course remembering is the key word since our memory tends to be selective. Now, new games can be terrible, but what I'm saying that we need to at least give them a chance, not just cut them out at the knees before they even have a chance to show how good or bad they are. On the flip side, we don't need to build up things to such a high standard that there is no way they could possibly succeed. I believe if this is done, people will just be happier in general, because although some amount of entertainment can be derived from reading pointless arguments on the Internet, it can also be depressing/angering. Angering because you find yourself getting caught up into the argument, and depressing because it is sad to think that some people appear to have that much hate and anger just boiling inside them.
On a final note, never forget that all forms of media are meant to do one of three, possibly four, things. These things are inform/teach, persuade, and/or entertain. We tend to forget that movies and games are meant to do one or more of those things, though it is usually to just entertain. So in the end, take a deep breathe, relax, enjoy your good memories, and don't get so caught up in the "all new things are terrible, it was better in my day" arguments.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Are We Too Free on the Internet?
I almost forgot that I even had a blog, but now I am writing again and I wanted to discuss something that I have been wondering quite often for the past couple of months and that is, are we too free on the Internet?
What I mean by this is that on the Internet, we have to ability to openly mock, threaten, demonize, support, sympathize with, or any other verb you can imagine with any person, place, or thing with little to zero consequences. Now while having this much free speech is a great thing, I will always support it, there is a negative consequence that comes from it as well. Because of the fact that 99% of what one will do and say will not harm them whatsoever, it has clouded how we conduct ourselves virtually as compared to reality. It is no secret of how "bloody" forums, chat rooms, and comment sections can get if there is any sort of dispute amongst Internet users, or if someone is purposefully picking a fight in an attempt to get an out of control argument going, they are commonly referred to as trolls. This has led to "cyber-bullying" and although commercials have tried to get a hold on the Internet by saying that whatever you post will last forever and doesn't "truly" come off, just going to any typical website with comment abilities will show that it hasn't really sunk in.
This has caused us to basically treat topics in one of these ways: we agree and type about how much we support it, we don't like what we're reading so we bash, ridicule, and say any and all insults we can think of, or we just move to something else/just express our dislike peacefully (that never happens). There are even stories of kids who end up getting bullied at school because of what they said or did on Facebook, and it turns out that the kid in question does not have a Facebook, and someone else created a profile for them, befriended people from school, and began harassing them. In this case, this kid is being harassed for things they genuinely did not do. Other examples come from online gaming where people will be as nasty and as cruel as possible, and even if their account is banned after being reported, they just create another profile and start over.
So I pose this question because with bills like SOPA, PIPA, and others being proposed, and luckily shot down, it got me thinking. While I NEVER want any of those type of bills passed due to the implications of what could, and would, happen, but I still wonder if perhaps the Internet isn't due for a little humility? I believe SOPA scared so many users because it actually showed how vulnerable the Internet actually is as compared to thinking it is something invincible. For a short period of time, the Internet users were somewhat united against this, but as one could expect, the unity broke away quickly once the bills were gone. This is why I think that perhaps we are too free because if we don't like someone, we can create profile, harass them is they do have a profile on whatever website, or just hack them and either ruin them virtually or in real life. That is A LOT of power to give to millions...scratch that...billions of people especially when the software, hardware, and ability to hack or just create chaos isn't that difficult at all to find or use.
This isn't an easy, "This solution works for every situation," kind of problem, which is exactly what SOPA and PIPA were trying to do with piracy, but it is something that needs discussion. Some would just suggest some maturity on the issue since the tantrums typically seen in chat is reminiscent of an immature child, but that may only work in situations where you are talking to people that personally know you and where you have a profile that has pictures and information of yourself so people will know it is you. In situations where you can be an unknown, or just a fake profile with the picture being taken from using a search engine, then there truly is no consequence to your actions. It is no secret of how vulgar people can be online and the typical rebuke being "You would never say that in real life/to my face" and there is truth there. People have so much security thanks to the computer screen that they act out like they never would normally. So my question is two fold; do you think Internet users have too much freedom and if so, how can we make it more user-friendly? I by no means want to cut down on freedoms, when I say too free, I mean if the freedom of there being little consequence to actions too great?
What I mean by this is that on the Internet, we have to ability to openly mock, threaten, demonize, support, sympathize with, or any other verb you can imagine with any person, place, or thing with little to zero consequences. Now while having this much free speech is a great thing, I will always support it, there is a negative consequence that comes from it as well. Because of the fact that 99% of what one will do and say will not harm them whatsoever, it has clouded how we conduct ourselves virtually as compared to reality. It is no secret of how "bloody" forums, chat rooms, and comment sections can get if there is any sort of dispute amongst Internet users, or if someone is purposefully picking a fight in an attempt to get an out of control argument going, they are commonly referred to as trolls. This has led to "cyber-bullying" and although commercials have tried to get a hold on the Internet by saying that whatever you post will last forever and doesn't "truly" come off, just going to any typical website with comment abilities will show that it hasn't really sunk in.
This has caused us to basically treat topics in one of these ways: we agree and type about how much we support it, we don't like what we're reading so we bash, ridicule, and say any and all insults we can think of, or we just move to something else/just express our dislike peacefully (that never happens). There are even stories of kids who end up getting bullied at school because of what they said or did on Facebook, and it turns out that the kid in question does not have a Facebook, and someone else created a profile for them, befriended people from school, and began harassing them. In this case, this kid is being harassed for things they genuinely did not do. Other examples come from online gaming where people will be as nasty and as cruel as possible, and even if their account is banned after being reported, they just create another profile and start over.
So I pose this question because with bills like SOPA, PIPA, and others being proposed, and luckily shot down, it got me thinking. While I NEVER want any of those type of bills passed due to the implications of what could, and would, happen, but I still wonder if perhaps the Internet isn't due for a little humility? I believe SOPA scared so many users because it actually showed how vulnerable the Internet actually is as compared to thinking it is something invincible. For a short period of time, the Internet users were somewhat united against this, but as one could expect, the unity broke away quickly once the bills were gone. This is why I think that perhaps we are too free because if we don't like someone, we can create profile, harass them is they do have a profile on whatever website, or just hack them and either ruin them virtually or in real life. That is A LOT of power to give to millions...scratch that...billions of people especially when the software, hardware, and ability to hack or just create chaos isn't that difficult at all to find or use.
This isn't an easy, "This solution works for every situation," kind of problem, which is exactly what SOPA and PIPA were trying to do with piracy, but it is something that needs discussion. Some would just suggest some maturity on the issue since the tantrums typically seen in chat is reminiscent of an immature child, but that may only work in situations where you are talking to people that personally know you and where you have a profile that has pictures and information of yourself so people will know it is you. In situations where you can be an unknown, or just a fake profile with the picture being taken from using a search engine, then there truly is no consequence to your actions. It is no secret of how vulgar people can be online and the typical rebuke being "You would never say that in real life/to my face" and there is truth there. People have so much security thanks to the computer screen that they act out like they never would normally. So my question is two fold; do you think Internet users have too much freedom and if so, how can we make it more user-friendly? I by no means want to cut down on freedoms, when I say too free, I mean if the freedom of there being little consequence to actions too great?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)