Oscar Nomination Pettiness

  I have noticed a lot of petty whining over scarcity of recommendations for Black artists in this year’s Oscar nominations. One of the opinions I read was that overall quality for all the 2015 movies was not as high as it has been in past years.

     Opinions are like noses. Almost everybody has one. Awards recommendations tend to be very subjective and that is why I think the whole awards culture is over-rated.  

     I confess I don’t go to a lot of movies. Therefore, I am automatically disqualified to make any kind of judgment as to who or what may be award-worthy. I would respectfully suggest that anybody who is not a regular moviegoer and who has not seen all the movies under consideration, is equally unqualified to have a legitimate opinion.

         To automatically assume that the lack of award nominations for certain kinds or categories of artists is the result of racism, is ignorant and reflects an insidious form of cultural rot that is ripping our world apart.  It degrades everybody and everything rather than lifting up the highest and noblest that is within and among us.

    To assume that every decision is or ought to be guided by special considerations for race, culture, gender, and sexual orientation -- demeans the entertainment industry as a whole and everybody associated with it. If people are going to squabble and descend to this kind of pettiness, maybe the best solution would be to do away with the awards all together. That would be my preference at this point.

   Yes, of course it is nice to be recognized for one's efforts, but I have observed that people who are mature and comfortable with themselves don't need fancy medals and trophies or to have folks fawning all over them.

    True leaders and heroes do the best they can with what they understand. They find joy and meaning in doing the work for its own sake and have dedicated themselves to accomplishing the mission often in the face of overwhelming opposition.

    Awards sometimes honor maturity and professionalism. Sometimes it gets overlooked. But it doesn't really matter. In the words of the great American essayist and philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The reward of a job well done is to have done it.”

Cruz Or Trump?

   Everybody has an opinion about Donald Trump.  There is a lot of drumming and humming about the fact that Trump, though running as a Republican candidate, is not a conservative.

   I agree, Trump is no conservative.  But so what? 

   People I consider to be the most reliable truth-tellers about current political trends have made the point that far too many folks in the mainstream Republican party have been moving away from true conservatism for decades. 

   I think Trump is an astute businessman whose occupational endeavors have been complicated and frustrated by growing government incompetence, encroachment and interference. 

    Maybe Trump believes that his best hope for stopping government tampering and rolling it back to insure the success of the Trump dynasty for himself and his heirs, is to be President himself and put some of his own executive orders and some of his own “people” into place while doing his best to get rid of the worst ones that others have effected, especially Obama.  

   That may explain why Trump is getting so much adoration and support from Democrats as well as Republicans.

   Ted Cruz might be more conservative, and therefore a more attractive candidate for conservative voters.  Cruz is certainly less arrogant and less of a bully.

  But who would have the most strength of purpose and be able to wield enough influence and power to roll back oppressive government regulations and policies and force better legislation that would exact immediate improvements in commerce? 

    In the short term, what is most important --  repealing and replacing regulations, legislation and people who obstruct commerce in order to gain a quick reprieve to improve commerce or propping up conservative idealism that dies on the vine in the face of a decades-long deterioration that will require decades-long diligence to transform it?

Writing and Living Our Own Stories

  We are often so consumed with trying to influence other people’s stories -- to control, change or convert other people to our way of thinking and doing things--  that we neglect our own story.   We fail to live up to the best that is within us. How can we expect other people to think better of us than we think of ourselves?  Why should others have more care, understanding and respect for us than we have for ourselves?

Phone Solicitors

Phone solicitors are people who think they know more about me and what I want-- or ought to want, than I do. They call here peddling home loans, roof repair and replacement, lawn care, insurance, home security systems and even religion. Then there are politicians and people conducting annoying surveys. I remember a time when it was considered immoral -- if not illegal-- to call strangers on the phone and try to "solicit" them. If these people really knew me, they wouldn't like me, and they would have better sense than to disturb themselves and their peace (as well as my privacy) by dialing my number. But if they insist, I am happy to be rude to them. It gives me an opportunity to hone my skills in witty sarcasm.