Call me crazed but is anyone else tired to the teeth of the hype that surrounds the anniversary of the eradication of the towers?
I don't mind the ceremonies, and I certainly believe that the brave souls who worked there and lost their lives trying to save people should be honored. '
Are we honoring them by the things we are doing?
Is promoting what happened repeatedly and showing videos of the original events a means of honoring those who died, or are we simply keeping alive the fear and anger and reminding people who it's acceptable to hate?
Why aren't we concentrating on the strength that is our heritage, and the aftermath where those who lost family and friends pulled together and the firefighters and workers spirit when they raised a flag on the site.
Today is my fiftieth birthday. If I had a wish for it,
I for one, would like to see us concentrate less on who perpetrated the horrors that took place there, and a bit more on what was the response of Americans everywhere, not just the New Yorkers who were affected directly.
The American spirit that sent workers from nearly every state, and the men and women who donated millions in money and time to see some relief sent to New York.
Those things just don't seem to be mentioned very often.
9-11 should not be just a ceremony that remembers a very sad time, a loss of innocence in our country, but also a celebration of who we are, and what we stand for as a country.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
What Ever Happened to Manners
"Thats very old fashioned" she replied to me when I, responding to her comment, "you must have been a young mother to have a child that old" told her that I had my son when I was 18.
True enough I supposed given that the trendy way to do it is to choose a career, or failing that, choose a career and do the mothering thing with nannies, day care or babysitters.
"old fashioned". Interesting choice of words.
I tend to think that it was common sense, to choose to have a child while I was young and could play games, roll down the hill and hit a home run.
The fact is that at 48, with two granddaughters, I still play ball, I still use the water slide and I still hit home runs.
Trendiness aside, I'd prefer not to be a mom at 40, a gramma at 60 at the earliest, and NOT be able to match my grandchildren in their activities..
All those things aside. Granted, I was a young mother. I made mistakes, I did things the wrong way, GASP, there are times I even shouted "NO" when he was about to pull a lamp onto his head, and when he ran into the street, I grasped him to me with one hand while actually striking his little bottom with the other.
I wasn't the mother of the year, and in fact he's probably lucky he lived through my feeble efforts. My son achieved his adulthood without help from Dr Spock or the myriad baby and child care books that were available at that time.
My son also achieved his adulthood with a modicum of tact, with principles and ethics and with a few manners, in spite of his lack of a middle aged mommy.
True enough I supposed given that the trendy way to do it is to choose a career, or failing that, choose a career and do the mothering thing with nannies, day care or babysitters.
"old fashioned". Interesting choice of words.
I tend to think that it was common sense, to choose to have a child while I was young and could play games, roll down the hill and hit a home run.
The fact is that at 48, with two granddaughters, I still play ball, I still use the water slide and I still hit home runs.
Trendiness aside, I'd prefer not to be a mom at 40, a gramma at 60 at the earliest, and NOT be able to match my grandchildren in their activities..
All those things aside. Granted, I was a young mother. I made mistakes, I did things the wrong way, GASP, there are times I even shouted "NO" when he was about to pull a lamp onto his head, and when he ran into the street, I grasped him to me with one hand while actually striking his little bottom with the other.
I wasn't the mother of the year, and in fact he's probably lucky he lived through my feeble efforts. My son achieved his adulthood without help from Dr Spock or the myriad baby and child care books that were available at that time.
My son also achieved his adulthood with a modicum of tact, with principles and ethics and with a few manners, in spite of his lack of a middle aged mommy.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
In The News
As a general rule I hate the local news. The financials and world events are enough to give me a headache and a queasy stomach so more than that I don't usually subscribe to. Still this was one I had to read. it comes from my home state, sadly enough, and it is a real testament to our attention to our kids and what they are thinking and feeling.
A thirteen year old young man stabbed and killed his brother over who got to play the next turn on the video game.
The story goes on to state, that " Something failed in this situation that had absolutely nothing to do with video games. Normal people don't go from arguing over who gets to play a video game to murderous rage in the blink of an eye."
Granted. It is normally the province of the sociologists to blame the game, or the parent.
In this instance I choose B..
Where were you mom and dad. This young man did not go from a perfect child to one who considers, let alone acts on, an instinct like this. There were signs of that kind of rage which showed in aspects of his daily life.
I am all for spanking a child and telling him no.. these are the consequences of your actions..
My mother did it. it didn't kill me, nor in fact maim me or warp my fragile psyche beyond all hope of redemption.
it did have the effect of letting me know there were limits.. if I hurt someone else, I could depend on not having the video game and a not so pleasantly warm backside as well.
When we stepped in and said.. lets legislate your childs punishment, lets legislate your parenting, and lets legislate every aspect of your life, THEN we began to see events such as these on an upward spiral.
and so it goes..
A thirteen year old young man stabbed and killed his brother over who got to play the next turn on the video game.
The story goes on to state, that " Something failed in this situation that had absolutely nothing to do with video games. Normal people don't go from arguing over who gets to play a video game to murderous rage in the blink of an eye."
Granted. It is normally the province of the sociologists to blame the game, or the parent.
In this instance I choose B..
Where were you mom and dad. This young man did not go from a perfect child to one who considers, let alone acts on, an instinct like this. There were signs of that kind of rage which showed in aspects of his daily life.
I am all for spanking a child and telling him no.. these are the consequences of your actions..
My mother did it. it didn't kill me, nor in fact maim me or warp my fragile psyche beyond all hope of redemption.
it did have the effect of letting me know there were limits.. if I hurt someone else, I could depend on not having the video game and a not so pleasantly warm backside as well.
When we stepped in and said.. lets legislate your childs punishment, lets legislate your parenting, and lets legislate every aspect of your life, THEN we began to see events such as these on an upward spiral.
and so it goes..
Sunday, July 15, 2007
ethics and other such drivel
where is it written that because you want to look good, or feel good about yourself, that its okay to be an ungrateful unethical little jerk from hell to accomplish it.
For example, a certain author, who bills himself in every corner of the web as an "expert author" has many of his articles ghost written..
Now thats not bad in and of itself,and a great many people do it, yet to take them, purportedly as your own and use someone elses work to then elevate yourself to the level of an expert author based upon things you haven't written, is probably low rent ethics on some level.
Example #2. last week I did a web site. I wasn't paid to do it, but I tend to think that we really should do a few things that we aren't compensated for because its the right thing to do.. Money isn't the be all and end all of our existence unless we aren't very nice people.
Living means helping a few other people you share the worlds space with.
HOWEVER.. the individual in question complained rather incessantly about the font, about the graphics and about the content until it took me a whole week to finish it rather than a couple days.
Now I don't mind spending that time span but I do think, and call me nuts if you like. that after dumping a thousand dollars worth of work into something you give away, you should at least hear the words thank you.
a short sentence and it takes very little time to accomplish the task. As if that wasn't enough to tick off an impatient person, she then reportedly claimed that she'd done the site herself in ""just a couple days".
If you can't stretch yourself far enough to say thank you and mean it, and not claim someone elses work as your own unless its work for hire, then probably the next time you ask me, "do you have a few minutes to help me with my site" I will be out of time for this particular millenium.
and you..well given your level of understanding .. probably won't understand what I'm irritated about..
For example, a certain author, who bills himself in every corner of the web as an "expert author" has many of his articles ghost written..
Now thats not bad in and of itself,and a great many people do it, yet to take them, purportedly as your own and use someone elses work to then elevate yourself to the level of an expert author based upon things you haven't written, is probably low rent ethics on some level.
Example #2. last week I did a web site. I wasn't paid to do it, but I tend to think that we really should do a few things that we aren't compensated for because its the right thing to do.. Money isn't the be all and end all of our existence unless we aren't very nice people.
Living means helping a few other people you share the worlds space with.
HOWEVER.. the individual in question complained rather incessantly about the font, about the graphics and about the content until it took me a whole week to finish it rather than a couple days.
Now I don't mind spending that time span but I do think, and call me nuts if you like. that after dumping a thousand dollars worth of work into something you give away, you should at least hear the words thank you.
a short sentence and it takes very little time to accomplish the task. As if that wasn't enough to tick off an impatient person, she then reportedly claimed that she'd done the site herself in ""just a couple days".
If you can't stretch yourself far enough to say thank you and mean it, and not claim someone elses work as your own unless its work for hire, then probably the next time you ask me, "do you have a few minutes to help me with my site" I will be out of time for this particular millenium.
and you..well given your level of understanding .. probably won't understand what I'm irritated about..
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
In keeping with my choice to use this blog, I've decided to port over the older posts to this one, and continue from here.
As a consequence, those of you who read me, (god knows why) will read some posts you've already seen today..
I promise to "new it up" tomorrow..
Have a great day.
Bigotry and assorted character traits.
May. 22nd, 2006 | 10:28 am
mood: annoyed
Recently I had the interesting experience of being a target of bigots..and had it repeated again this week.
Of course they didn't title themselves so, but being a woman of strong opinions I did it for them.
There are a large number of Hispanics in my community.Where I live there are about fifteen families, many of whom do not speak English.
They had a vehicle stuck, and because I believe that it is our obligation to help people when they need it, I took a shovel and went out to help them get the car out of the deep rut.
Only to find them making fun of me in Spanish, which they assumed I could not understand.
making it clear to them that I could understand it did not impress them..*EG* Strange how people are unhappy with such revelations.
They then proceeded to write letters to the lady who rents property to my sister, who lives across the street from them, telling her that the white people in the community permitted their dogs to run loose, and had not cleaned their yards of animal waste.
Because this was patently untrue, I phoned her, offered her photographs of both their yards, which looked like a used furniture store, and the others about whom they had complained, which did in fact look reasonably nice.
She replied to them that perhaps they should attempt to make a community atmosphere and work together..
I suggested that we have a neighborhood cleanup, and plant some plants to make it somewhat nicer.
That was a suggestion that was not received well.
Yesterday a small child ((approximately 5) rode his bike in front of my sisters van, and refused to leave the street so they could leave the community.
This is happening on a daily basis now.
Last night, as she attempted to leave the park, a little girl, of about 4, walked some twenty feet in front of the van, for three or four minutes, all the while holding up her middle finger.
This is not something a child of this age does without some adult coaching.
So yes.. you are bigots, and in fact.. people who we now do not want to associate with, because in fact,we try to protect our children from that behavior, and to teach them that people are just people.. and we don't encourage obscenities in our toddlers.
Granted, it is perhaps not politically correct to accuse a minority of being a bigot..
I am not a politically correct person.
I believe that we call it what it is..
For ten families, all Hispanic, to point fingers, refuse friendship to do that to only what they see as "white" people.. is prejudice, bigotry and frankly.. bullshit.
I work very hard to teach my family that color is just color.. to look at the heart and the mind, and the character of a person.
To see such a vast array of bigotry and rude behavior in one place, by one race, undoes all that we try to teach..
It teaches them by example that these are not nice people, and regardless of how we try, if we have no pleasant Hispanics to point them to, what do they learn?
So to those people.. when in fact, you are viewed in a less than favorable light, when people look at you and see a color and choose not to visit with you, or to try to get to know you, or to be your friend, speak your language.. think that perhaps it is not what a society of caucasians taught them..but what YOU taught them by your actions and behavior.
Prejudice is learned behavior, yes.. and you are the ones teaching it..
Bigotry in any race, by any person.. is always wrong..
and it is always ugly.
-------------------------------------------------------
Internet Service providers.. Where does the word service fit in here?
Mar. 5th, 2007 | 06:46 pm
mood: amused
Charter Communications.,. the operative word is communication.. and they don't have it.. Today for the third day this week, I've attempted to communicate with them.. yesterday, in consideration of the fact that my converter wasn't working, I phoned them, and said.. my converter box says .. under configuration.. disconnect. yes..
Well she replies with a distinct and barely understandable accent.. its not off.. its working..
No, I reply, it isn't working.. its a black screen for which I am paying a fairly premium price..
I will reset it, she says. and telling me she has done so, asks me if I know how to connect it correctly..
I reply in the affirmative, and say, it is still not functional..
two more phone calls in like vein.. they say.. your box is connected.. it should be working, therefore, we will send a technician..
I say no, thank you.. The last time you did so, what occurred was that they removed one of the lines into my home, and did nothing else.. I fixed my own internet..
HOWEVER>. if, each time the technician comes, he removes a line in.. then this time, I'm screwed because I have only one more line..
She says.. thats all I can do to help you..
I hang up, recall, hoping against vain hope to find another tech who speaks English. To my dismay, I do not.. they do however tell me that they have no internet currently and so, are unable to help me.. SURPRISE.. neither do I..
Last phone call.. failing in my earlier attempts, I choose to use the automated system, and reset my own converter box.. SHOCK.. it comes immediately on./
I phone back and issue a complaint.. asking why it was not turned on.. they say.. well .. it was.. I say no, I just reset it myself.. she checks the cable and says.. oh,.. well that was a mistake.. If you had our business account, we take care of those a bit more rapidly..
I ask.. so let me get this right.. you want me to pay you twenty odd MORE dollars per month, for something that doesn't work now..
Why didn't I think of that..
She says.. well we will issue you a credit.. it was a mistake that you lost two days..
I say. well which is it.. it was either still working perfectly, or it was a mistake..
She asks. in a perfectly mirthless voice.. Is this a complaint??
I reply.. equally as lacking in humor.. Yes, this IS most assuredly a complaint.. Imagine.. the ONLY thing they got right out of five phone calls..
Saddened and Dismayed..
Feb. 13th, 2007 | 03:02 pm
mood: apathetic
I wish with all my heart you had chosen to behave differently.. and just let our parting of the ways happen. I have no ill will toward my former site, and I have not in any way attempted to take chatters from it. To the point that I even did not invite those who used to chat in my room .. I find it strange that having completely left him alone, and not one of us spoke anything detrimental in all these months,a business owner cannot behave in the same fashion and simply agree to disagree, but many many months later, chooses instead to resurrect an ancient argument.
I cannot dislike or hate this person regardless of our past. I will not speak rudely of him because I think its wrong. I don't think.. I KNOW its wrong..
There were mistakes and miscommunications on both sides.. There was outside input that wasn't entirely upright.. These things happen..so it goes.
We parted company months ago, and thats the end of it... NOT ONE person heard anything I knew, or had saved, and I think thats as it should be.
I am apparently mistaken.
He who breathes the breath of scandal the most times in his life, dies a winner??
No they don't..they die a fool.
If MY fragile psyche cannot handle the fact that someone makes mistakes, corrects them as they can, and moves on with their life after a nearly year, then I submit it is not their issue, but mine..
I suggest to you that if such a heinous person was part of my site, and left of their own volition, I think I should be happy simply to be rid of them.and pleased that all the problems they caused now belong to another site owner..
THERE I GO.. doing my own thinking again..
Originality.. is overrated.
May. 18th, 2006 | 02:09 pm
mood: thoughtful
Not long ago I heard a friend decry the youth of today, much as they did us just a few years ago.
He stated categorically that they had no real originality of thought, were a brady bunch lot with no real fire or passion, and that many if not most of them were being led around by the schools that had spawned them.
While there are aspects of that commentary I may agree with, it is still a theory that is fraught with flaws.
We, in our society do not encourage free thinking, nonconformity, but rather conformity.
We tend to penalize those who think differently, who don't belong to the "pack"
What do we teach in our public schools.. to surpass others in your book, or to stay abreast of them..
What rewards do we offer to those who want to move faster in their learning..
None, but rather, we encourage them to stay with the class and to do uniform studies.. not to forge ahead, but to work as a unit...
Who is completely original??
Absolutely no one you know..
Each of us has been taught by someone who formed us, gave us ideas and opinions,put a spin on our way of thinking, or impressed us enough to want to emulate them.. They, in turn were taught what they taught us, in the same fashion.. and even if we, at some point take that knowledge a step further, it is not, in point of fact, originality.
Merely , we are standing on the shoulders of giants to arrive at new places using old thought processes.
Just as did those who complain that there is no real originality..
Curious, isn't it..
Online communities
Apr. 29th, 2006 | 05:04 pm
Does it seem to anyone but me, that we tend to forget those people we meet online more easily..
To injure them more readily because we can do so with impunity?
Three stories I've heard in as many days give me real pause for thought.
Someone who is convinced they need to get off the internet. Understandable if you haven't really the spare time, or the self control to limit your input.
But those people you've met there.. its okay to simply forget them? To not be concerned that they may miss you after years of interaction.. It's fine to be so self absorbed that who you injure isn't troubling to you??
Someone else is convinced by a family friend that people you meet on the internet, are somehow less important.. less.. human, than those you meet in .. a bar for instance.. or the laundromat..
Aren't people, just people, regardless of how you meet you them..
THe internet has some definite drawbacks, due largely to the fact that it can be so anonymous, that we may be just about anything we like.. Isn't that true of the guy in the bar, who says hes a doctor.. do you ask him for his physicians license??
There seems to me to be no less number of ways to be dishonest in the "real" world, if we choose to do so.
In fifteen years online I have never been taken advantage of by a person I"ve met there.. I wish with all my heart that I could say the same is true of what you all refer to as the "real" world..
A word to end the rant.
People are just people.. they are as close or as far away as you make them. If you find someone who shares your thoughts and goals and dreams with you.. Take advantage of that, and hold onto it tightly.. you may never find it again,,. not online and not in your oh so real life.. to waste it is the work of a fool.
As a consequence, those of you who read me, (god knows why) will read some posts you've already seen today..
I promise to "new it up" tomorrow..
Have a great day.
Bigotry and assorted character traits.
May. 22nd, 2006 | 10:28 am
mood: annoyed
Recently I had the interesting experience of being a target of bigots..and had it repeated again this week.
Of course they didn't title themselves so, but being a woman of strong opinions I did it for them.
There are a large number of Hispanics in my community.Where I live there are about fifteen families, many of whom do not speak English.
They had a vehicle stuck, and because I believe that it is our obligation to help people when they need it, I took a shovel and went out to help them get the car out of the deep rut.
Only to find them making fun of me in Spanish, which they assumed I could not understand.
making it clear to them that I could understand it did not impress them..*EG* Strange how people are unhappy with such revelations.
They then proceeded to write letters to the lady who rents property to my sister, who lives across the street from them, telling her that the white people in the community permitted their dogs to run loose, and had not cleaned their yards of animal waste.
Because this was patently untrue, I phoned her, offered her photographs of both their yards, which looked like a used furniture store, and the others about whom they had complained, which did in fact look reasonably nice.
She replied to them that perhaps they should attempt to make a community atmosphere and work together..
I suggested that we have a neighborhood cleanup, and plant some plants to make it somewhat nicer.
That was a suggestion that was not received well.
Yesterday a small child ((approximately 5) rode his bike in front of my sisters van, and refused to leave the street so they could leave the community.
This is happening on a daily basis now.
Last night, as she attempted to leave the park, a little girl, of about 4, walked some twenty feet in front of the van, for three or four minutes, all the while holding up her middle finger.
This is not something a child of this age does without some adult coaching.
So yes.. you are bigots, and in fact.. people who we now do not want to associate with, because in fact,we try to protect our children from that behavior, and to teach them that people are just people.. and we don't encourage obscenities in our toddlers.
Granted, it is perhaps not politically correct to accuse a minority of being a bigot..
I am not a politically correct person.
I believe that we call it what it is..
For ten families, all Hispanic, to point fingers, refuse friendship to do that to only what they see as "white" people.. is prejudice, bigotry and frankly.. bullshit.
I work very hard to teach my family that color is just color.. to look at the heart and the mind, and the character of a person.
To see such a vast array of bigotry and rude behavior in one place, by one race, undoes all that we try to teach..
It teaches them by example that these are not nice people, and regardless of how we try, if we have no pleasant Hispanics to point them to, what do they learn?
So to those people.. when in fact, you are viewed in a less than favorable light, when people look at you and see a color and choose not to visit with you, or to try to get to know you, or to be your friend, speak your language.. think that perhaps it is not what a society of caucasians taught them..but what YOU taught them by your actions and behavior.
Prejudice is learned behavior, yes.. and you are the ones teaching it..
Bigotry in any race, by any person.. is always wrong..
and it is always ugly.
-------------------------------------------------------
Internet Service providers.. Where does the word service fit in here?
Mar. 5th, 2007 | 06:46 pm
mood: amused
Charter Communications.,. the operative word is communication.. and they don't have it.. Today for the third day this week, I've attempted to communicate with them.. yesterday, in consideration of the fact that my converter wasn't working, I phoned them, and said.. my converter box says .. under configuration.. disconnect. yes..
Well she replies with a distinct and barely understandable accent.. its not off.. its working..
No, I reply, it isn't working.. its a black screen for which I am paying a fairly premium price..
I will reset it, she says. and telling me she has done so, asks me if I know how to connect it correctly..
I reply in the affirmative, and say, it is still not functional..
two more phone calls in like vein.. they say.. your box is connected.. it should be working, therefore, we will send a technician..
I say no, thank you.. The last time you did so, what occurred was that they removed one of the lines into my home, and did nothing else.. I fixed my own internet..
HOWEVER>. if, each time the technician comes, he removes a line in.. then this time, I'm screwed because I have only one more line..
She says.. thats all I can do to help you..
I hang up, recall, hoping against vain hope to find another tech who speaks English. To my dismay, I do not.. they do however tell me that they have no internet currently and so, are unable to help me.. SURPRISE.. neither do I..
Last phone call.. failing in my earlier attempts, I choose to use the automated system, and reset my own converter box.. SHOCK.. it comes immediately on./
I phone back and issue a complaint.. asking why it was not turned on.. they say.. well .. it was.. I say no, I just reset it myself.. she checks the cable and says.. oh,.. well that was a mistake.. If you had our business account, we take care of those a bit more rapidly..
I ask.. so let me get this right.. you want me to pay you twenty odd MORE dollars per month, for something that doesn't work now..
Why didn't I think of that..
She says.. well we will issue you a credit.. it was a mistake that you lost two days..
I say. well which is it.. it was either still working perfectly, or it was a mistake..
She asks. in a perfectly mirthless voice.. Is this a complaint??
I reply.. equally as lacking in humor.. Yes, this IS most assuredly a complaint.. Imagine.. the ONLY thing they got right out of five phone calls..
Saddened and Dismayed..
Feb. 13th, 2007 | 03:02 pm
mood: apathetic
I wish with all my heart you had chosen to behave differently.. and just let our parting of the ways happen. I have no ill will toward my former site, and I have not in any way attempted to take chatters from it. To the point that I even did not invite those who used to chat in my room .. I find it strange that having completely left him alone, and not one of us spoke anything detrimental in all these months,a business owner cannot behave in the same fashion and simply agree to disagree, but many many months later, chooses instead to resurrect an ancient argument.
I cannot dislike or hate this person regardless of our past. I will not speak rudely of him because I think its wrong. I don't think.. I KNOW its wrong..
There were mistakes and miscommunications on both sides.. There was outside input that wasn't entirely upright.. These things happen..so it goes.
We parted company months ago, and thats the end of it... NOT ONE person heard anything I knew, or had saved, and I think thats as it should be.
I am apparently mistaken.
He who breathes the breath of scandal the most times in his life, dies a winner??
No they don't..they die a fool.
If MY fragile psyche cannot handle the fact that someone makes mistakes, corrects them as they can, and moves on with their life after a nearly year, then I submit it is not their issue, but mine..
I suggest to you that if such a heinous person was part of my site, and left of their own volition, I think I should be happy simply to be rid of them.and pleased that all the problems they caused now belong to another site owner..
THERE I GO.. doing my own thinking again..
Originality.. is overrated.
May. 18th, 2006 | 02:09 pm
mood: thoughtful
Not long ago I heard a friend decry the youth of today, much as they did us just a few years ago.
He stated categorically that they had no real originality of thought, were a brady bunch lot with no real fire or passion, and that many if not most of them were being led around by the schools that had spawned them.
While there are aspects of that commentary I may agree with, it is still a theory that is fraught with flaws.
We, in our society do not encourage free thinking, nonconformity, but rather conformity.
We tend to penalize those who think differently, who don't belong to the "pack"
What do we teach in our public schools.. to surpass others in your book, or to stay abreast of them..
What rewards do we offer to those who want to move faster in their learning..
None, but rather, we encourage them to stay with the class and to do uniform studies.. not to forge ahead, but to work as a unit...
Who is completely original??
Absolutely no one you know..
Each of us has been taught by someone who formed us, gave us ideas and opinions,put a spin on our way of thinking, or impressed us enough to want to emulate them.. They, in turn were taught what they taught us, in the same fashion.. and even if we, at some point take that knowledge a step further, it is not, in point of fact, originality.
Merely , we are standing on the shoulders of giants to arrive at new places using old thought processes.
Just as did those who complain that there is no real originality..
Curious, isn't it..
Online communities
Apr. 29th, 2006 | 05:04 pm
Does it seem to anyone but me, that we tend to forget those people we meet online more easily..
To injure them more readily because we can do so with impunity?
Three stories I've heard in as many days give me real pause for thought.
Someone who is convinced they need to get off the internet. Understandable if you haven't really the spare time, or the self control to limit your input.
But those people you've met there.. its okay to simply forget them? To not be concerned that they may miss you after years of interaction.. It's fine to be so self absorbed that who you injure isn't troubling to you??
Someone else is convinced by a family friend that people you meet on the internet, are somehow less important.. less.. human, than those you meet in .. a bar for instance.. or the laundromat..
Aren't people, just people, regardless of how you meet you them..
THe internet has some definite drawbacks, due largely to the fact that it can be so anonymous, that we may be just about anything we like.. Isn't that true of the guy in the bar, who says hes a doctor.. do you ask him for his physicians license??
There seems to me to be no less number of ways to be dishonest in the "real" world, if we choose to do so.
In fifteen years online I have never been taken advantage of by a person I"ve met there.. I wish with all my heart that I could say the same is true of what you all refer to as the "real" world..
A word to end the rant.
People are just people.. they are as close or as far away as you make them. If you find someone who shares your thoughts and goals and dreams with you.. Take advantage of that, and hold onto it tightly.. you may never find it again,,. not online and not in your oh so real life.. to waste it is the work of a fool.
Need and Greed.,
On a site I am part of, Get a Freelancer, I've noticed a fairly disturbing and unethical trend in how things are arranged.
many, if not most of the freelance article writers there, bite off ten times more than they can ever comfortably chew,taking on literally thousands of jobs, taking advantage of the one or two they may or may not have actually done to achieve a positive rating on the site.
many, if not most of the freelance article writers there, bite off ten times more than they can ever comfortably chew,taking on literally thousands of jobs, taking advantage of the one or two they may or may not have actually done to achieve a positive rating on the site.
These they then outsource themselves.
This isn't necessarily a horrid thing if done with a few ethics, but ethics it seems are not a trend thats on any great upward surge.
I've personally watched as someone who pays just 2.00 per article, places bids to her buyers at 7.00$ USD.
Now making a profit is what we are in business for, however, making a 300% profit on your workers is just a bit over the top.
In this case however it lacks not only ethics, it lacked several things which constitute good business too.
Most of these would be business people do not in any way shape or form state that this is work for hire and they own it.. thats a phrase lacking in nearly all of their second string outsourcing and one they should be smart enough to include to prevent the author from claiming it a month down the road..
Still..you'd have to consider it poetic justice if that happened wouldn't you??
What disturbs me the most, is that these would be Shylocks are accepting the job at a rate of sometimes 3 to 5 times what they pay the author.
Now I'm all for making a profit
Trust me when I say that Capitalism works.
However, when you accept a job at 6 dollars an article and pay the actual author to write it just 1.50, then you are not an entrepeneur, you are a charlatan.
Still, if they find so many people, who are so completely willing to be so taken advantage of, what can you say??
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