Look how cute!
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Journalism, done right, is enormously powerful precisely because it does not seek power. It seeks truth.
Here’s a really nice piece that uses the Sonia Sotomayor nomination as a backdrop to discuss the difference between traditional journalistic reporting versus modern blogger style reporting. There are, of course, blessing and curses with each side – traditional journalism takes longer and costs more but produces a high quality product, while the blogger style reporting is arguably faster and costs less but produces a lower quality product.
The Story Behind the Story (The Atlantic)
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My fear is, and has been for a number of years now, that we’re letting marketing guide our choices rather than a genuine understanding of the complex issues our country faces. And both sides are vulnerable. Obviously we’re having a hard time these days, and no one’s been spared.
Lots of good stuff here:
The wackiness is increasing, not diminishing, and it has a great potential for destruction. There is a real need for people who know better to speak out in a concerted effort to curb the appeal of the apostles of the absurd.
But there is another type of disturbing behavior, coming from our political leaders and the public at large, that is also symptomatic of a society at loose ends. We seem unable to face up to many of the hard truths confronting the U.S. as we approach the end of the first decade of the 21st century.
My 20’s marked a tremendous, fundamental change in my private discourse; I feel today as if my 30’s will be defined by a tremendous, fundamental change in the public discourse. Just as I found myself years ago at a grand junction of completely untenable choices, I’m coming to the slow realization that we’re coming up there in public life too. Among them:
how to live within our means, the benefits of shared sacrifice, the responsibilities that go with citizenship, the importance of a well-rounded education and tolerance.
By “well-rounded” education, my hope there would be that education would grow beyond essential knowledge and focus on the wisdom found in asking questions of understanding rather than choosing an ideological side and reverse engineering the argument from there. Seek first to understand, rather than to judge. How I long for a time of nuance, reason, and dignity & respect for our neighbors, regardless of their social, political, or religious beliefs.
And, meandering to my point: go read “It’s Time to Get Help.”
We’re in a defining time. We just can’t afford to continue to be so weak – willed and minded.
(Soup for dinner.)
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This bears repeating and applies to all relationships (spouses, parents, children, relatives, & friends) :
1. Real love is development of self love first. Toxic love is development or obsession with the relationship.
2. Real love wants everyone to grow. It gives love room. Toxic- Security, comfort in sameness; intensity of need seen as proof of love (may really be fear, insecurity, loneliness). For example if he says he will kill himself without you, this is most likely because he is insecure and cannot imagine living without you.
3. Love – Separate interests; other friends; maintain other meaningful relationships. True love relishes in many relationships an self development. Toxic love – Total involvement; limited social life; neglect old friends, interests. People in toxic love have a need to isolate and be alone together.
4. Love – Encouragement of each other’s expanding; secure in own worth. Toxic love – Preoccupation with other’s behavior; fear of other changing (this is seen when one of the spouses gets a new job, or promotion. Anything that changes or threatens the partners security causes anxiety.
5. Love – Appropriate trust (i.e. trusting partner to behave according to fundamental nature.) Toxic love – Jealousy; possessiveness; fear of competition; protects “supply.”
6. Love – Compromise, negotiation or taking turns at leading. There is a balance within the relationship. Toxic love – Power plays for control; blaming; passive or aggressive manipulation.
7. Love – Embracing of each other’s individuality. Toxic love – Trying to change someone so they fit your image of what they should look like.
8. Love – Relationship deals with all aspects of reality. Toxic love – Relationship is based on delusion and avoidance of the unpleasant.
9. Love – Self-care by both partners; emotional state not dependent on other’s mood. Toxic love – Expectation that one partner will fix and rescue the other.
10. Love – Loving detachment (healthy concern about partner, while letting go.) Toxic love – Enmeshed. No clear boundaries between yourself and your partner. If your boyfriend or girlfriend is upset you cannot function for the rest of the day.
11. Love – Sex is a free choice growing out of caring & friendship. Toxic love – Pressure around sex due to insecurity, fear & need for immediate gratification.
12. Love – Ability to enjoy being alone. They like being different from their partner and having their own interests. Toxic love – Unable to endure separation; clinging. They are fearful of the partner having their “own thing”.
- Beattie and Gorski (via Mary Jo Rapini, chron.com)
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Hoodwinked by Obama
by angela on September 8, 2009
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