Politically Correct This
Last night's Baseball All Star Game was only the latest example of something insidious that is eating away at this nation's consciousness. The game I'm talking about ended in an 11-inning, 7-7 tie, and the insidiosity (haha) I'm referring to is the so-called "PC" revolution; that is, a society's obsession with being politically correct in everything it does.
To put this tie-ballgame thing in perspective, it was only the second tie in the game's history, and the only one ended because of baseball's ineptitude (the other was called because of rain). There is no clear scapegoat in this situation, but I can only say that there must be something really messed up if two teams can play a game, which so happened to tout itself as "the only All-Star game that matters," and finish with neither team winning (and everyone losing). You can't lay all of the blame on Commissioner Bud Selig, nor the players or either manager, but you can blame all of them (and a little of ourselves as fans) for succumbing to this dumb phenomenon called political correctness.
Two ideas borne out of the politically correct school of thought were the biggest factors in causing this travesty to occur. First, the rule that a player from every team must be chosen for the All-Star team. Not only does this rule cause less deserving players to be chosen over the more deserving, but it severely limits the effectiveness and power of the managers who are supposed to be running the team (I will acknowledge that this rule was not instituted just to be PC, but there were economic reasons that were more prevalent. Just bear with me, please).
The other idea, that all players on the roster should appear in the game at some point, is an even bigger cause of last night's result. While it's understandable that players don't want to be overworked for an exhibition game, using a pitcher for 1/3 of an inning is simply a joke. You're better off leaving him on the bench to rest and watch the game - doing that doesn't take away from the honor of being chosen for the All-Star game. And when you use pitchers like that, no one should be shocked when the teams run out of players in an extra-inning game, which was exactly what happened. By that time, it's too late.
So while the game might be more politically correct these days, it is obvious that the outcome is not important anymore; you definitely can't call it "the only All-Star Game that matters." Not that winning or losing is all that counts, but this is baseball at the Major League level (not little league), players are there to compete and win. Fans paid $175 to watch them compete and win. And after playing a great game for a few hours, all was for naught, because we had to be politically correct about everything.
I know not everyone who reads this blog cares about baseball as much as me, so I'll move on and make my point more general. It's not just about baseball, but it is about almost everything we see and hear nowadays. Only a few months ago, a pair of Russian figure skaters won the gold medal in the Winter Olympics over a pair of better performing Canadian skaters, because of shadiness and scandal within the ranks. Amid controversy, the Olympic Committee decided to award the Canadians a gold while letting the Russians keep theirs as well. A great solution, eh? Not in the least! Such an action is an insult to all intelligent life - it diminishes the value of the gold medal for both pairs, basically saying that "neither of you are the best in the world, we just majorly f---ed up so here you go, have a gold medal on us." You might also argue that all past and future gold medal winners should feel a little less proud about "earning" that honor.
In case you are wondering if my whole life is sports, the answer is no. I'm getting to making a point about the big picture. So how does this political correct crap relate to our lives? I'm not talking about the euphemisms we hear so much of these days, even if those are annoying. If you must, use the phrase "biologically inactive" instead of "dead" or say someone is "vertically challenged" instead of "short." As for stuff like the All-Star Game, I didn't waste $175 but I did waste a few hours of my time following an exhibition that was insulting to me as a fan. Even that much, I can deal with.
But the fact is, it starts with these little things that seem like they don't matter, but translates into bigger things that do affect us. Example: affirmative action. I'm not bashing all of affirmative action, but in most cases it has been taken too far. I know that some of it is necessary to account for the disparity in opportunities between the different groups, so we shouldn't get rid of it completely. But, there is this strange idea that in everything we should have a certain percentage of this type of person, a certain percentage of another, etc. in all our institutions and organizations. Recently, in my last semester at U of I, a friend came across an ad to be a "model" for pictures to be used in University brochures and stuff. He emailed responding to the ad, and the guy emailed back with a message that sounded something like this:
"We are still looking for a limited number of candidates. To provide a more diverse representation of our school, we are especially welcoming models of underrepresented minorities or possibly individuals that have facial piercings (nose ring, etc.) or dyed hair."
I wish I had kept a copy of that email, but as silly as it sounds, believe me, it read pretty much exactly like that, no lie. You can ask Chras if he remembers. Now this type of thing is pretty trivial, but what I'm trying to say is, think about it: if this type of thing goes on in something this small, it goes on in the bigger things too. Just the other day I was told about how cliques are a fact of life at UIC medical school. This is partly because Urban Health Program (UHP) students benefit over other "normal students" from more access to TA help and lab study, based purely on the fact that they are identified as underrepresented minorities. This is happening even though they are in the same class, take the same tests, and will eventually seek many of the same positions as the other med students. And there's no doubt in my mind that any time I apply to a school or interview for a job, I am at a disadvantage to someone if they have the exact same credentials, but belong to an "underrepresented minority." Is it fair that two people can work equally hard, achieve equal performance, but get treated unequally because of race, gender, or whatever else? Racism against minorities isn't right, but reverse discrimination is not a solution.
To better show how dumb this kind of thing can get, imagine if each NFL team (yes, I am resorting back to sports) were forced to have at least 3 Asian players. Not that there's no good Asian players around, but this would be an absolutely ridiculous rule and everyone knows it. Players don't get to the NFL by chance, they get there because they are the best at what they do. That's how it is, and that's how it should be, whether it's the NFL, NBA, MLB, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, IBM, Intel, or Price Waterhouse Coopers. That may make me sound overly capitalistic, but this country was built on capitalism. We shouldn't have to drive on roads and bridges designed and by any less than engineers and construction workers who got there by being the best in their field. We all use and benefit greatly from computer software and operating systems every day because someone used their genius to develop such a thing (and that someone deserves to be as rich as he is now). Kmart is soon out of business, but Walmart is still here and going strong because it is the best at what it does, selling good products at lower prices.
Affirmative action is not the only idea spawned by PC that is hurting America. Consider how the country reacted to the Sept. 11 attacks and the fear of further terrorist threats. Suddenly, President George W. Bush could do no wrong. It's not wrong to support your leader when your country is in precarious times, and even cut him some slack when you don't agree with everything he says or does. But it seemed like the guy had morphed overnight from the man everybody thought was dumb as wood to the man with the highest approval rating. Criticize Bush, and you border on the risk of being considered a traitor. This example might not exactly fit with the all of my points about political correctness. But it certainly rings quite loudly in my mind that the poster boy of all that is not PC in this country, Bill Maher, did happen to criticize Bush after 9/11, and quickly found himself out of a job hosting his show, which was so aptly titled "Politically Incorrect."
Or, what about the whole Eminem controversy of a couple years ago. There's nothing cool about describing the killing of your wife and daughter, and using words like "bitch" and "fag" a lot is probably such not a great thing either, especially in music that little kids seem to listen to a lot. Still, why did people make such a huge deal about a rapper? Gay rights activists and women's groups are obviously gonna be insulted, but it wasn't just them. Politicians jumped on the bash-Eminem-for-destroying-our-kids bandwagon because it was the easy way out. What they shouldv'e been doing, but were too sissy to do, was say something more to the tune of "it's a free country, and we have free speech. We don't necessarily condone Eminem's lyrics, but it's the parent's job to keep an eye on what their kids are listening to, not the government's."
Unfortunately, all this PC sentiment has been growing for at least a few years now, and I don't see it going away any time soon. Quite frankly, I'm getting real tired of it. All PC really comes down to is saying something because "it seems like the right thing to say" or doing something because "it seems like the right thing to do." It doesn't matter if we're talking about the Baseball All-Star Game, affirmative action, supporting our President, or bashing Eminem, we should all just say and do what we believe is right, without having to care about being politically correct.
Once again, it seems I've managed to write a horrendously long blog such that people who have read this far will be bored by now, but the always insightful Chris Rock knows exactly what I mean. I'll just let him sum things up for me:
"a lot of politics this year... people saying 'Colin Powell, Colin Powell! He should run! He could win!' ... Colin Powell can't win - Colin Powell's got a better chance of winning the bronze in female gymnastics, than being President of the United States ... white people ain't voting for Colin Powell! they say they are, they are not ... white people say they're gonna vote for Colin Powell cause it seems like the right thing to say ... it just seems like a cool thing to say, 'yeah i'm gonna vote for him' [snicker snicker] ... just like if you ask somebody if they wanna be an organ donor, they're gonna say 'yeah' ... nobody want's to be an organ donor, it just seems like the right thing to say!!"
Wednesday, July 10, 2002
Tuesday, July 09, 2002
Girls
All I really want is girls
and in the morning it's girls
cause in the evening it's girls
I like the way that they walk
and it's chill to hear them talk
and I can always make them smile
from White Castle to the Nile - Beastie Boys
Since it might seem like I always rip on girls, I thought I should write a more positive piece. Maybe I don't obsess about girls as much as the Beastie Boys, but I do appreciate the female gender more than you think. We all know the obvious reason to value women in life: without them, there would be no babies. Not to overlook that fact, but I'm here to point out some of the finer things I've noticed which I like most about girls.
Exfoliating soap. I never knew about this stuff up until a couple years ago when my sister bought some at Bath and Body Works and put it in our bathroom at home. But now, I don't think I could go back to plain soap. Especially after my hands get dirty from doing manly things like mowing the lawn or changing my engine oil, there's nothing like the feel of those lovely exfoliating agents to make my hands feel thoroughly cleansed. I even had to get a couple bottles for my apartment so I could use it there. Now, the most common reaction I get when I talk about this (from both guys and girls) is "dang, you're pretty flaming aren't you." All I have to say is, give it a try and tell me it doesn't feel good. If you are then willing to deprive yourself of that sensation each and every time you wash your hands, just to avoid feeling gay, then fine. As for me, I choose clean, baby.
Candles. I would never be caught dead with a candle on my desk, but since Olivia gave it to me, then it's okay. Unlike exfoliating soap, it's not something where I recommend everyone go get, but I like to have it around and light it now and then. If you do want some candles, though, don't get too many, and get lightly scented or non-scented kind because no matter what, people are quick to question your manhood when it comes to things like these. Candles are pretty good to light so your room doesn't smell and if you're bored, it's kind of mesmerizing to watch the flame. I'm not a pyromaniac but still...
I could probably write a lot more, but to keep things short, let's just try to appreciate the little things about girls and not belittle their quirks.
And since we all came from a woman
got our name from a woman
and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
why we rape our women
do we hate our women?
I think it's time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women
be real to our women
... so would the real men get up?
I know you're fed up, ladies
but keep your head up - 2Pac
All I really want is girls
and in the morning it's girls
cause in the evening it's girls
I like the way that they walk
and it's chill to hear them talk
and I can always make them smile
from White Castle to the Nile - Beastie Boys
Since it might seem like I always rip on girls, I thought I should write a more positive piece. Maybe I don't obsess about girls as much as the Beastie Boys, but I do appreciate the female gender more than you think. We all know the obvious reason to value women in life: without them, there would be no babies. Not to overlook that fact, but I'm here to point out some of the finer things I've noticed which I like most about girls.
Exfoliating soap. I never knew about this stuff up until a couple years ago when my sister bought some at Bath and Body Works and put it in our bathroom at home. But now, I don't think I could go back to plain soap. Especially after my hands get dirty from doing manly things like mowing the lawn or changing my engine oil, there's nothing like the feel of those lovely exfoliating agents to make my hands feel thoroughly cleansed. I even had to get a couple bottles for my apartment so I could use it there. Now, the most common reaction I get when I talk about this (from both guys and girls) is "dang, you're pretty flaming aren't you." All I have to say is, give it a try and tell me it doesn't feel good. If you are then willing to deprive yourself of that sensation each and every time you wash your hands, just to avoid feeling gay, then fine. As for me, I choose clean, baby.
Candles. I would never be caught dead with a candle on my desk, but since Olivia gave it to me, then it's okay. Unlike exfoliating soap, it's not something where I recommend everyone go get, but I like to have it around and light it now and then. If you do want some candles, though, don't get too many, and get lightly scented or non-scented kind because no matter what, people are quick to question your manhood when it comes to things like these. Candles are pretty good to light so your room doesn't smell and if you're bored, it's kind of mesmerizing to watch the flame. I'm not a pyromaniac but still...
I could probably write a lot more, but to keep things short, let's just try to appreciate the little things about girls and not belittle their quirks.
And since we all came from a woman
got our name from a woman
and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
why we rape our women
do we hate our women?
I think it's time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women
be real to our women
... so would the real men get up?
I know you're fed up, ladies
but keep your head up - 2Pac
Monday, July 08, 2002
Dear Diary
Dear Diary
Today I saw a boy
And I wondered if he noticed me
He took my breath away
Dear diary
I can't get him off my mind
And it scares me
'Cause I've never felt this way
No one in this world
Knows me better than you do
So diary I'll confide in you
um.... ok, actually I didn't write that myself. It's from a Britney Spears song (track 12 in Oops I Did It Again, in case you don't believe me and are wondering if I turned gay. it's a JOKE! not that funny, I'll admit). Anyways, I've never had much of a real diary before. It's always seemed more like a girl thing to me, kind of like Sanrio characters and sticker pictures. Not that having a diary/journal type thing makes you girly... but if you write daily in a Hello Kitty notebook and put lots of sticker pictures in it, be careful, that's what we call a warning sign.
This blog isn't supposed to be a diary or a record of everything I do. I started this thing in the hopes of writing down some thoughts now and then to clear my head, but also just to post anything I feel like posting. Since I've been busy this past week, though, here's a short summary of some of the things I've been up to and some of my thoughts along the way.
Taste of Chicago
I went to the Taste on the 3rd, mainly to watch the fireworks. It was completely packed with people that day, even more than the times I went in the past few years. I guess all that terrorism fear didn't really stop people from going out, which is good of course. It will be a sad day when a small number of religiously deluded people ruin life for the rest of us. As far as the food goes, it wasn't the best year I've experienced but I did get a good CheeseburgerCheeseburgerCheeseburger and some quality cherries. The fireworks were good. I know that they do it every year, and that people should be bored with the same old by now, but 4th of July is one day when fireworks are always appropriate and it just doesn't seem right without them. By the way, is it me, or can we not call it "Independence Day" any more without thinking of Will Smith and aliens? Same with Pearl Harbor and Ben Affleck. Stupid movie titles are going too far...
Ping Pong
I don't think you can be Chinese and not have played ping-pong. Not that white people or other races can't play, but there are very few Chinese friends of mine who don't play. It's probably because every Chinese dad plays and taught his kids how to play. At least that's how I learned, because my dad would always say he needed some exercise and get me to play him. It wasn't for the exercise, I'm sure, it's probably because he liked to destroy me in the game. Anyways, I played some of the boys last week (not all Chinese) and let me say that ping-pong is a very underrated game. It's simple, but fun, and as long as you're not way out of shape, you should be able to play for hours without getting that tired. You can play singles or doubles, and half the fun is talking smack to the other people when you're playing. It seems like the hugest feeling when you make an awesome slam, but when I step back and think about it, it's just a smacking a little plastic ball around on a table so it's probably overkill to celebrate like Terrell Owens when he scores a touchdown.
BBQ
Besides fireworks, probably the only other given for the 4th of July is people having barbeques. Props to anyone who offers up their house and time to prepare one. It takes a good deal of work, but I've honestly never been to a barbeque and not had a good time. TM is very cool for letting me chill with them even though I'm not Thai. Nobody's perfect, right?
At the Movies
If you have the time to burn, theater hopping is the way to go. Since me and Olivia had nothing better to do, we decided to go illegal and enact our own Buy 1 Get 1 Free. Being the nerd I am, I printed out the showings ahead of time knowing that we were gonna see Minority Report and Lilo & Stitch, then figured out the optimum combination for our plan of action. So we ended up seeing Minority Report first, then moseying our way around the whole theater while trying to subtly peek at the titles at each door until we found the 10:30 Lilo & Stitch. You should have seen us acting all sneaky, James Bond would be envious. I would feel bad for not paying to see the second movie if it weren't for the fact that I always seem to waste about 10 bucks getting a drink, popcorn, and Sour Patch Kids there. It's a ridiculous amount to pay, but no matter how many times I swear I will never be ripped off again, the smell of popcorn and those cute little colorful sour children always manage to reel me in.
Now would also be the time to point out that there is this high school dude that works there who is on a major power trip. If you ever see this kid at AMC Cantera, you will know who I'm talking about. It's kind of funny that there's a social hierarchy at the movie theater, but the employees are separated by the color of their shirt. I think this guy was wearing a dark red shirt while everyone else was navy blue, plus he was toting around his walkie talkie instead of a broom and dustpan so he must have been the big cheese there. Basically, he does stuff like check people's ticket stubs for the matinee showing of Undercover Brother or tell people to move to the center seats in each row when the theater starts getting full, kind of like what the conductors in Japan do when they prod people into the subway cars trying to fit the maximum number of passengers. I think it's pretty amusing, and I'm just waiting for the day when he tries to boss around some big angry man in a bad mood and the guy throws him across the room.
As for the movies, Minority Report was intense and weird, but thought provoking and pretty filled with action. I'd recommend it to whoever doesn't mind some unpleasant scenes. It seems like Tom Cruise is developing a penchant for doing weird movies. I think the last two of his movies I saw were Magnolia and Vanilla Sky, both of which left me scratching my head and feeling somewhat flabbergasted. Lilo & Stitch was kind of weird too, but in a less threatening way of course. This is one of those movies that I have to give a "FG-13" rating - female guidance strongly suggested, especially for ages 13 and over. Yeah, I would not be caught dead seeing this movie by myself ever, but it was okay because I had a girl with me. But if you were to see a movie like this, might as well go with Disney. When I was growing up, the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and the Lion King were all solid, and I haven't watched too many since then but Mulan and Lilo were both decent for someone my age watching a kid's movie. Though I remember Mulan pissed me off cause they even drew her horse with slanty eyes.
Wisconsin
For the second time in three weeks, I made the drive north up 94 to the 'Sconz. This time it was to Milwaukee to visit my roommate from school (interning at GE) and check out Summerfest like I did 2 years ago. If you don't know what Summerfest is, it's basically like Taste of Chicago, except it's in Milwaukee with a $11 admission and has pretty famous bands performing there. One thing about Milwaukee is that it looks like a city, with the buildings, streets and all, but it is nothing like Chicago because the streets are empty and there is nothing to do. When I went to Summerfest, I could probably guarantee that the entire population of Milwaukee was either there or sitting at home drinking beer and talking about Ray Allen.
This time, Summerfest was pretty good but not nearly as fun as the last, but you just can't expect to duplicate the Britney experience, even if we got to see Sugar Ray (they suck by the way). But once again I was reminded that it's usually not about what you do, but who you're with, and being with about 10 of my best friends made it a good time right there.
Another thing that I noticed is that it seems like no matter where you go, there will be radio stations that are called "Kiss-FM," "The Mix," or "The Lite." Interesting, eh.
The best part was driving back at around 1 and getting back at 3 or 4, only to find that every door was locked in my house and I did not have a key to anything. I resorted to calling my sister's cell phone, and thankfully she woke up and opened the door for me. Then I proceeded to fall asleep till 1pm, missing church completely. Oops...
Dear Diary
Today I saw a boy
And I wondered if he noticed me
He took my breath away
Dear diary
I can't get him off my mind
And it scares me
'Cause I've never felt this way
No one in this world
Knows me better than you do
So diary I'll confide in you
um.... ok, actually I didn't write that myself. It's from a Britney Spears song (track 12 in Oops I Did It Again, in case you don't believe me and are wondering if I turned gay. it's a JOKE! not that funny, I'll admit). Anyways, I've never had much of a real diary before. It's always seemed more like a girl thing to me, kind of like Sanrio characters and sticker pictures. Not that having a diary/journal type thing makes you girly... but if you write daily in a Hello Kitty notebook and put lots of sticker pictures in it, be careful, that's what we call a warning sign.
This blog isn't supposed to be a diary or a record of everything I do. I started this thing in the hopes of writing down some thoughts now and then to clear my head, but also just to post anything I feel like posting. Since I've been busy this past week, though, here's a short summary of some of the things I've been up to and some of my thoughts along the way.
Taste of Chicago
I went to the Taste on the 3rd, mainly to watch the fireworks. It was completely packed with people that day, even more than the times I went in the past few years. I guess all that terrorism fear didn't really stop people from going out, which is good of course. It will be a sad day when a small number of religiously deluded people ruin life for the rest of us. As far as the food goes, it wasn't the best year I've experienced but I did get a good CheeseburgerCheeseburgerCheeseburger and some quality cherries. The fireworks were good. I know that they do it every year, and that people should be bored with the same old by now, but 4th of July is one day when fireworks are always appropriate and it just doesn't seem right without them. By the way, is it me, or can we not call it "Independence Day" any more without thinking of Will Smith and aliens? Same with Pearl Harbor and Ben Affleck. Stupid movie titles are going too far...
Ping Pong
I don't think you can be Chinese and not have played ping-pong. Not that white people or other races can't play, but there are very few Chinese friends of mine who don't play. It's probably because every Chinese dad plays and taught his kids how to play. At least that's how I learned, because my dad would always say he needed some exercise and get me to play him. It wasn't for the exercise, I'm sure, it's probably because he liked to destroy me in the game. Anyways, I played some of the boys last week (not all Chinese) and let me say that ping-pong is a very underrated game. It's simple, but fun, and as long as you're not way out of shape, you should be able to play for hours without getting that tired. You can play singles or doubles, and half the fun is talking smack to the other people when you're playing. It seems like the hugest feeling when you make an awesome slam, but when I step back and think about it, it's just a smacking a little plastic ball around on a table so it's probably overkill to celebrate like Terrell Owens when he scores a touchdown.
BBQ
Besides fireworks, probably the only other given for the 4th of July is people having barbeques. Props to anyone who offers up their house and time to prepare one. It takes a good deal of work, but I've honestly never been to a barbeque and not had a good time. TM is very cool for letting me chill with them even though I'm not Thai. Nobody's perfect, right?
At the Movies
If you have the time to burn, theater hopping is the way to go. Since me and Olivia had nothing better to do, we decided to go illegal and enact our own Buy 1 Get 1 Free. Being the nerd I am, I printed out the showings ahead of time knowing that we were gonna see Minority Report and Lilo & Stitch, then figured out the optimum combination for our plan of action. So we ended up seeing Minority Report first, then moseying our way around the whole theater while trying to subtly peek at the titles at each door until we found the 10:30 Lilo & Stitch. You should have seen us acting all sneaky, James Bond would be envious. I would feel bad for not paying to see the second movie if it weren't for the fact that I always seem to waste about 10 bucks getting a drink, popcorn, and Sour Patch Kids there. It's a ridiculous amount to pay, but no matter how many times I swear I will never be ripped off again, the smell of popcorn and those cute little colorful sour children always manage to reel me in.
Now would also be the time to point out that there is this high school dude that works there who is on a major power trip. If you ever see this kid at AMC Cantera, you will know who I'm talking about. It's kind of funny that there's a social hierarchy at the movie theater, but the employees are separated by the color of their shirt. I think this guy was wearing a dark red shirt while everyone else was navy blue, plus he was toting around his walkie talkie instead of a broom and dustpan so he must have been the big cheese there. Basically, he does stuff like check people's ticket stubs for the matinee showing of Undercover Brother or tell people to move to the center seats in each row when the theater starts getting full, kind of like what the conductors in Japan do when they prod people into the subway cars trying to fit the maximum number of passengers. I think it's pretty amusing, and I'm just waiting for the day when he tries to boss around some big angry man in a bad mood and the guy throws him across the room.
As for the movies, Minority Report was intense and weird, but thought provoking and pretty filled with action. I'd recommend it to whoever doesn't mind some unpleasant scenes. It seems like Tom Cruise is developing a penchant for doing weird movies. I think the last two of his movies I saw were Magnolia and Vanilla Sky, both of which left me scratching my head and feeling somewhat flabbergasted. Lilo & Stitch was kind of weird too, but in a less threatening way of course. This is one of those movies that I have to give a "FG-13" rating - female guidance strongly suggested, especially for ages 13 and over. Yeah, I would not be caught dead seeing this movie by myself ever, but it was okay because I had a girl with me. But if you were to see a movie like this, might as well go with Disney. When I was growing up, the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and the Lion King were all solid, and I haven't watched too many since then but Mulan and Lilo were both decent for someone my age watching a kid's movie. Though I remember Mulan pissed me off cause they even drew her horse with slanty eyes.
Wisconsin
For the second time in three weeks, I made the drive north up 94 to the 'Sconz. This time it was to Milwaukee to visit my roommate from school (interning at GE) and check out Summerfest like I did 2 years ago. If you don't know what Summerfest is, it's basically like Taste of Chicago, except it's in Milwaukee with a $11 admission and has pretty famous bands performing there. One thing about Milwaukee is that it looks like a city, with the buildings, streets and all, but it is nothing like Chicago because the streets are empty and there is nothing to do. When I went to Summerfest, I could probably guarantee that the entire population of Milwaukee was either there or sitting at home drinking beer and talking about Ray Allen.
This time, Summerfest was pretty good but not nearly as fun as the last, but you just can't expect to duplicate the Britney experience, even if we got to see Sugar Ray (they suck by the way). But once again I was reminded that it's usually not about what you do, but who you're with, and being with about 10 of my best friends made it a good time right there.
Another thing that I noticed is that it seems like no matter where you go, there will be radio stations that are called "Kiss-FM," "The Mix," or "The Lite." Interesting, eh.
The best part was driving back at around 1 and getting back at 3 or 4, only to find that every door was locked in my house and I did not have a key to anything. I resorted to calling my sister's cell phone, and thankfully she woke up and opened the door for me. Then I proceeded to fall asleep till 1pm, missing church completely. Oops...
Saturday, July 06, 2002
My Patriotic Blog
Well, tis the season for some patriotism, so I thought I'd write about some national pride. I've already written some stuff about why I'm proud to be Chinese, but I'm "Chinese-American" so I should be proud to be American as well (which I am, of course).
Even though this country is currently dominating the world as the lone economic and political superpower, Americans are generally thought of by other people as having little culture. Basically, Europeans think of fat, ill-mannered slobs when it comes to Americans, and Asians think all we have is Michael Jordan and crappy cars. When it comes to history and tradition, the United States and its 226 years of existence is of course no match compared to other civilizations that have been around for thousands of years. But, I personally find that it is just as rich in culture as any other country, if not more. There's a lot more to be proud of as an American than hot dogs and TV.
While the US has a relatively short history, it's a great and unique story which alone should make Americans proud to be Americans. It started with a few settlers that came to this land and start a new life, do some farming and trading, but grew to overcome its oppressive rulers and become an international giant that now dominates the rest of the world with the strongest military, economy, and Olympic Basketball team. Endless monuments have been built, books been written, and movies been made about our history because it is so unlikely and inspiring. We all appreciate the underdog story because if it hadn't been for the underdog colonists that were brave enough to fight the high and mighty British, none of us would be here.
One thing that I think is great about America is that it is pretty good at just about everything it does, and simply the best at anything else. Look at the Olympics, for example. We blow away the competition in many events, but in the others, our athletes are almost always competitive. Like the Russians are always awesome in gymnastics, Canada at Hockey and Curling, Kenya good at track and field, but Team USA is up there in all of those. It's not just sports, though. People (like me) joke about how domestic cars suck so much, but the fact of the matter is that people buy Fords all over the world. Japanese make more reliable cars that cost less, and Germans make the coolest and most finely engineered cars, but American makers are still respectable in their own way, and this is typical of Americans across the board.
It's also interesting to me that while other countries like to rip on the US for having no culture, they like to watch American movies, listen to American music, and follow the NBA more than anything. The extent of culture is not limited to popular entertainment, but Americans should be appreciated for being today's trendsetters, even if it's "just" Britney Spears and Mel Gibson.
Politically, the US has a lot to be proud of as well. It hasn't always been pretty, but despite the fact that the US military is by far the most powerful in the world, we've never had the urge to take over other countries and expand our own empire. With the Romans, the British, the Nazis, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, their goal was to rule the world and use their power to get more power. When we get involved in international affairs, it's almost always to "protect our interests." It hasn't always been pretty, and as with anything else, there are exceptions, but for the most part, Americans use their military strength to defend ourselves and our allies, not to attack (it's like the dark side vs. the light side of the Force... haha).
I don't know why it is that everything I write turns into a long drawn out essay, but I am trying to become a more disciplined writer. Anyways, to make things short, happy late 4th of July, we should all be proud to be a part of the greatest nation in the world.
Well, tis the season for some patriotism, so I thought I'd write about some national pride. I've already written some stuff about why I'm proud to be Chinese, but I'm "Chinese-American" so I should be proud to be American as well (which I am, of course).
Even though this country is currently dominating the world as the lone economic and political superpower, Americans are generally thought of by other people as having little culture. Basically, Europeans think of fat, ill-mannered slobs when it comes to Americans, and Asians think all we have is Michael Jordan and crappy cars. When it comes to history and tradition, the United States and its 226 years of existence is of course no match compared to other civilizations that have been around for thousands of years. But, I personally find that it is just as rich in culture as any other country, if not more. There's a lot more to be proud of as an American than hot dogs and TV.
While the US has a relatively short history, it's a great and unique story which alone should make Americans proud to be Americans. It started with a few settlers that came to this land and start a new life, do some farming and trading, but grew to overcome its oppressive rulers and become an international giant that now dominates the rest of the world with the strongest military, economy, and Olympic Basketball team. Endless monuments have been built, books been written, and movies been made about our history because it is so unlikely and inspiring. We all appreciate the underdog story because if it hadn't been for the underdog colonists that were brave enough to fight the high and mighty British, none of us would be here.
One thing that I think is great about America is that it is pretty good at just about everything it does, and simply the best at anything else. Look at the Olympics, for example. We blow away the competition in many events, but in the others, our athletes are almost always competitive. Like the Russians are always awesome in gymnastics, Canada at Hockey and Curling, Kenya good at track and field, but Team USA is up there in all of those. It's not just sports, though. People (like me) joke about how domestic cars suck so much, but the fact of the matter is that people buy Fords all over the world. Japanese make more reliable cars that cost less, and Germans make the coolest and most finely engineered cars, but American makers are still respectable in their own way, and this is typical of Americans across the board.
It's also interesting to me that while other countries like to rip on the US for having no culture, they like to watch American movies, listen to American music, and follow the NBA more than anything. The extent of culture is not limited to popular entertainment, but Americans should be appreciated for being today's trendsetters, even if it's "just" Britney Spears and Mel Gibson.
Politically, the US has a lot to be proud of as well. It hasn't always been pretty, but despite the fact that the US military is by far the most powerful in the world, we've never had the urge to take over other countries and expand our own empire. With the Romans, the British, the Nazis, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, their goal was to rule the world and use their power to get more power. When we get involved in international affairs, it's almost always to "protect our interests." It hasn't always been pretty, and as with anything else, there are exceptions, but for the most part, Americans use their military strength to defend ourselves and our allies, not to attack (it's like the dark side vs. the light side of the Force... haha).
I don't know why it is that everything I write turns into a long drawn out essay, but I am trying to become a more disciplined writer. Anyways, to make things short, happy late 4th of July, we should all be proud to be a part of the greatest nation in the world.
Wednesday, July 03, 2002
Baseball Politics: Sammy Sosa, Steroids, and Sports Illustrated
This week in Sports Illustrated, columnist Rick Reilly publishes his story about testing for steroids in the Major Leagues. Apparently, he recently asked Sammy Sosa personally to help clear his own name and do a positive thing for baseball by submitting himself to a test for steroids, even providing the information for a local clinic. Sosa angrily declined, yelling at Reilly for his suggestion, to which Reilly decided that Sosa must be hiding something to react in such a way. There are many different ways to look at this thing, but here is the dudo509 blogspot breakdown.
First of all, neither Sosa nor Reilly is the good guy in this story. Sammy, for all his home run hitting and MVP numbers, is a very egocentric man. Beneath that wide friendly smile, that dumb little home run hop he does, and the kissing his fingers and pointing at his chest and the camera is an attention-hungry and image-driven player. While he's put up some amazing numbers the past few seasons, his game could be even better. He's too talented to strike out and pop up as much as he does in clutch game situations. Compared to Barry Bonds, his home runs are much less meaningful to the team if you look at the relevant stats. Still, mention even a hint of these facts to him and you'll see the shiny happy Sammy disappear and transform into a defensive, ill-tempered man. Rather than humbly accepting the challenge to improve his game and further his talent, Sammy will quickly remind you that he hit 66 home runs in a season or that his teammates aren't backing him up, and that's why the Cubs are losing. Which isn't untrue, but from the man's reaction you can see the true person's attitude.
I guess you can't blame Sammy for being that way. I mean, he's become such a media darling the past few years, and he's used to hearing nothing but praise from everyone around him. Every time I see someone interview him, I can't help but be reminded of the SNL sketch with Chris Farley interviewing some actor or rock star with questions like "Dude, why are you so awesome?" or "You know that time when you did [this or that, fill in the blank]... heh .... that was cool."
Anyways, how does all that relate to this steroid thing? Well, weeks ago when the hot topic was "who's on the juice in baseball?" and people were clamoring for steroid testing to be implemented in MLB, Sammy took it upon himself to come out and say that if testing were approved by the Players Union, he'd be the "first in line." Well, this statement means very little to begin with. If testing is eventually approved, it won't be for at least a year, and by that time players would be stupid to be still taking steroids. Plus, what exactly is "first in line" supposed to mean? It doesn't matter if you're first in line or last in line, Sammy, it's the results that matter. What it comes down to is, he figured nobody would take him up on his words anyways, why not try to make some bold statements and be a hero? (since Piya loves this song so much, why don't we cue the cheesy electric guitar riff once again "and they say that a hero could save us, i'm not gonna stand here and waiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit......"). Nice try, Sammy, it turns out that someone actually tries to hold you accountable and now you don't know what to say, do you?
As for Rick Reilly, let's not kid ourselves here. He's been a writer for many years now, fairly well-respected, but he definitely didn't cook up this little Sammy steroid test thing to help Sammy or the MLB look better. Reilly knew he had a huge story on his hands and went with it. Also, he could have chosen anybody: Bonds, Luis Gonzalez, Roger Clemens, Jeromy Burnitz, or Herbert Perry; why Sammy Sosa? Maybe it was because of his "first in line" statement. Maybe it was because everyone loves Sammy. Or maybe it was because he had a feeling that Sammy would respond this way. Whatever it was, as a writer, Reilly did this thing with an agenda of his own, not so he could help these poor accused players.
It's not like Reilly had the right to do any of this, either. Basically, he's going up to a player and saying, "if you're not using steroids, prove it by taking this test!" and if the player declines, then he's guilty as sin. We're still innocent until proven guilty in this country. That is like if someone is accused of being gay, then you say if he doesn't show us a tape of him with a woman, then he must be gay (I'm surprised nobody did that to Mike Piazza). We might as well go back to the McCarthy era or the Salem Witch trials if reporters are allowed to do this.
In the end, we still don't know for sure if Sammy is using steroids. Maybe by his angry reaction, one might lean more towards thinking he's trying to hide something. But there are legitimate reasons for not wanting to take a test. For example, if he agrees to be tested, where does this type of thing end? Who's gonna stop every reporter in America from hounding each and every baseball player with the address of the nearest clinic, saying "Sammy did it, why don't you?" And if he agreed, it's also undermining the cause of the Players Union to which he belongs, even if it's not a great cause at all. Or it could just be that he felt insulted by the way he was approached; some writer trying to impose his will on a prideful sports star isn't gonna fly too often.
It's not my place to accuse, but if you ask me what I think, I would almost be surprised if Sammy Sosa (and more than half the stars we see on SportsCenter these days, for that matter) were using steroids. Not that it's right, but if there's no testing for it, a lot of these players probably think, "everyone else is doing it, I've got to stay competitive." And if all you desired was fame, attention, and glory, then steroids would be an easy answer. Unfortunately, we'll never know who's using and who isn't. Whether players get tested or not isn't going to be mandated by a magazine columnist. Ultimately, it comes down the fans. Speaking as someone who loves the game of baseball, it's disgusting that these players are binding together to collectively avoid being tested for something that undermines their credibility, takes away from the game's integrity, and shrinks their testicles! Nobody pays these players to play except for the fans. How sad would it be for people to be forced to stop attending games and buying jerseys in order for these stupid players to take notice and show some respect.
This week in Sports Illustrated, columnist Rick Reilly publishes his story about testing for steroids in the Major Leagues. Apparently, he recently asked Sammy Sosa personally to help clear his own name and do a positive thing for baseball by submitting himself to a test for steroids, even providing the information for a local clinic. Sosa angrily declined, yelling at Reilly for his suggestion, to which Reilly decided that Sosa must be hiding something to react in such a way. There are many different ways to look at this thing, but here is the dudo509 blogspot breakdown.
First of all, neither Sosa nor Reilly is the good guy in this story. Sammy, for all his home run hitting and MVP numbers, is a very egocentric man. Beneath that wide friendly smile, that dumb little home run hop he does, and the kissing his fingers and pointing at his chest and the camera is an attention-hungry and image-driven player. While he's put up some amazing numbers the past few seasons, his game could be even better. He's too talented to strike out and pop up as much as he does in clutch game situations. Compared to Barry Bonds, his home runs are much less meaningful to the team if you look at the relevant stats. Still, mention even a hint of these facts to him and you'll see the shiny happy Sammy disappear and transform into a defensive, ill-tempered man. Rather than humbly accepting the challenge to improve his game and further his talent, Sammy will quickly remind you that he hit 66 home runs in a season or that his teammates aren't backing him up, and that's why the Cubs are losing. Which isn't untrue, but from the man's reaction you can see the true person's attitude.
I guess you can't blame Sammy for being that way. I mean, he's become such a media darling the past few years, and he's used to hearing nothing but praise from everyone around him. Every time I see someone interview him, I can't help but be reminded of the SNL sketch with Chris Farley interviewing some actor or rock star with questions like "Dude, why are you so awesome?" or "You know that time when you did [this or that, fill in the blank]... heh .... that was cool."
Anyways, how does all that relate to this steroid thing? Well, weeks ago when the hot topic was "who's on the juice in baseball?" and people were clamoring for steroid testing to be implemented in MLB, Sammy took it upon himself to come out and say that if testing were approved by the Players Union, he'd be the "first in line." Well, this statement means very little to begin with. If testing is eventually approved, it won't be for at least a year, and by that time players would be stupid to be still taking steroids. Plus, what exactly is "first in line" supposed to mean? It doesn't matter if you're first in line or last in line, Sammy, it's the results that matter. What it comes down to is, he figured nobody would take him up on his words anyways, why not try to make some bold statements and be a hero? (since Piya loves this song so much, why don't we cue the cheesy electric guitar riff once again "and they say that a hero could save us, i'm not gonna stand here and waiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit......"). Nice try, Sammy, it turns out that someone actually tries to hold you accountable and now you don't know what to say, do you?
As for Rick Reilly, let's not kid ourselves here. He's been a writer for many years now, fairly well-respected, but he definitely didn't cook up this little Sammy steroid test thing to help Sammy or the MLB look better. Reilly knew he had a huge story on his hands and went with it. Also, he could have chosen anybody: Bonds, Luis Gonzalez, Roger Clemens, Jeromy Burnitz, or Herbert Perry; why Sammy Sosa? Maybe it was because of his "first in line" statement. Maybe it was because everyone loves Sammy. Or maybe it was because he had a feeling that Sammy would respond this way. Whatever it was, as a writer, Reilly did this thing with an agenda of his own, not so he could help these poor accused players.
It's not like Reilly had the right to do any of this, either. Basically, he's going up to a player and saying, "if you're not using steroids, prove it by taking this test!" and if the player declines, then he's guilty as sin. We're still innocent until proven guilty in this country. That is like if someone is accused of being gay, then you say if he doesn't show us a tape of him with a woman, then he must be gay (I'm surprised nobody did that to Mike Piazza). We might as well go back to the McCarthy era or the Salem Witch trials if reporters are allowed to do this.
In the end, we still don't know for sure if Sammy is using steroids. Maybe by his angry reaction, one might lean more towards thinking he's trying to hide something. But there are legitimate reasons for not wanting to take a test. For example, if he agrees to be tested, where does this type of thing end? Who's gonna stop every reporter in America from hounding each and every baseball player with the address of the nearest clinic, saying "Sammy did it, why don't you?" And if he agreed, it's also undermining the cause of the Players Union to which he belongs, even if it's not a great cause at all. Or it could just be that he felt insulted by the way he was approached; some writer trying to impose his will on a prideful sports star isn't gonna fly too often.
It's not my place to accuse, but if you ask me what I think, I would almost be surprised if Sammy Sosa (and more than half the stars we see on SportsCenter these days, for that matter) were using steroids. Not that it's right, but if there's no testing for it, a lot of these players probably think, "everyone else is doing it, I've got to stay competitive." And if all you desired was fame, attention, and glory, then steroids would be an easy answer. Unfortunately, we'll never know who's using and who isn't. Whether players get tested or not isn't going to be mandated by a magazine columnist. Ultimately, it comes down the fans. Speaking as someone who loves the game of baseball, it's disgusting that these players are binding together to collectively avoid being tested for something that undermines their credibility, takes away from the game's integrity, and shrinks their testicles! Nobody pays these players to play except for the fans. How sad would it be for people to be forced to stop attending games and buying jerseys in order for these stupid players to take notice and show some respect.
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