Previously posted on my Facebook Page.
Most Asians already had a degree back home before they venture/d in the U.S., speeding up the visa as well. They had to obtain another degree or “higher” education here. A U.S. diploma means better employment, better pay. Education though where we came from are comparable or not so different from U.S. universities. But a degree here means “better financial future.” But it doesn’t mean those who gained a PhD or 4-year degree in Tokyo, Manila, or Seoul are less smart. 📚👩🎓📚
Years ago, before this tiny gadget cut activism’s umbilical cord with the people, not much problem advocating to/with Christian/Catholic devout—because what I was bringing were economic facts over political truths. Not religious/irreligious arguments. I could get in because the door was open for deliberation per gut-level reality that the majority could relate with, not exclusive discourse on creed. These days, people talk to divide; not to unite. Sad. 🗣👥🫂
Surprised as well? Juvenile rudeness as Social Media language. Cool to let others know of our badder side over the gentler side? Me: I don’t think I am a sweet dude. I am mostly dismissive, aloof, and stand-offish. But mostly, in quiet. I cuss when angry but not as a “rule.” Why would I? Waste of mouth/muscle energy. A young personage was offended when I posted that I am offended by lots of cussing. Said she: “How’d you know a word is a cuss word, anyways?” LOL! There you go.☹️😳😡
Racism is primal in humanity. But education helps lessen it. Those who came from former colonized lands are dismissed as weaklings, dumb. Maybe that was a fact centuries ago. Not anymore. Yet many still cling to ignorance. “Correcting” the slur is imperative. But the “corrections” push the dagger deeper. An English word uttered in an “incorrect” manner, attendance in a Catholic church, and consumption of meat auto-consign people as “Third World savages.”☮️☮️☮️
Memes are fun, unless the political pitch gets annoying. Essentially though, memes are “influencing” tools. But everybody loves memes! So I ask: Why so much fuss about “banned books” when you prefer memes to read and share? The catch? Printed books are gaining again. Of the $26 billion in revenue made in 2020, $22.6 billion came from print books, while only $2.04 billion are eBooks sales. That’d be around a 13 percent increase. So hey “banned books” means BUY! Okay? 📚💵📚
Gun issue (1). Given the current wide divide or proliferation of hate in U.S. society, I’d rather do away with guns on civilian display. Or campus carry or AR 15s in the hand of school personnel—over improvement of law enforcement and community dialogues. Sure, people can holster up but it won’t stop the contrary mindset to question the tact. Then an argument ensues. With that gun ready for use? Do we trust the gut? What’d happen next is a no brainer? Primal instinct.☮️💝☮️
Gun issue (2). Guns are a tricky issue in America. At 102 per 100, it is almost undebatable. It is a cultural truth. A truth that we need to work around with, rather than used as fodder for community infighting. Legislative wrangling per gun control/regulation is all that: Partisanship wrangling. Meanwhile, guns are primal reflexes. Guns are deadly. Their function is to hurt, incapacitate, kill. Guns can be “controlled” as a tool but seldom the human instinct. That’s where I draw the line.☮️☯️☮️
Gun issue (3). I am not against guns per se. Not against the police/military, regardless of my anti-war activism. Currently, I have two nephews in military academy, Philippines and the U.S. Law enforcement and military defense are imperatives. Guns in residences as protection is fine. Yet it requires discussion. The #1 gun-related deaths in the U.S. are not mass shootings or murder/homicide, but suicides. With spike in cases of mental health breakdown, the issue gets more complex.☮️☮️☮️
Ah. How things go. Democrats vs Republicans. Instead of constructive discussion on issues that concern us all, the annoyance of reading Left vs Right caterwauls persists. Student loan forgiveness. Only 14+ percent of Americans have student debt; 80+ percent will have to pay in taxes or weakened social services for forgiveness. Etcetera. Meanwhile, Covid relief money was cut for Ukraine military aid and doesn’t FEMA with perennial budget shortfall needs help? 💰🧮💰
HBO took down classic episodes of “Sesame Street” as it prepares to combine with Discovery+. I grew up on “Sesame Street,” and it also helped me entertain my little kids then. In fact, I even briefly wrote segments for Manila’s version of the show. HBO removed nearly 200 episodes! Might as well rewrite the children’s favorite to New Moralism’s correctness and fantastic ideological purity! Oh well, if “Popeye” is too violent for kids, then I digress. LOL! I yam what I yam! 📺⏰📺
