THE TRUTH ABOUT THE TEENAGE BRAIN

While touring a local book store, I happened upon the October 2011 edition of National Geographic  - “The New Science of the Teenage Brain”. As an high school educator, it peaked my interest immensely, and so I grabbed it (and paid – of course), feverishly reading through the article on the latest research on the neurology of that dark abyss of perplexity we parents and high school teachers fondly refer to as the teenage mind. I must say, David Dobbs’ research and insight left me dumbfounded and so I felt so compelled to share what I read that I decided to write a brief synopsis of its content for my colleagues. Since I seldom have the chance to make blog posts, I opportunistically decided to kill two birds with one stone by posting it here. I hope it’ll be interesting enough to get you to go and buy it today. If you’re a parent, teacher, coach or anyone who actively interacts with teenagers, this is the article for you. Yes, some of it we already knew by experience. What’s different here is that it really explains in scientifically clear terms why teenagers think and behave the way they do. From this, depending on the capacity in which you interact with teens, you’ll be able to adjust how you guide, correct, discipline and relate to them. A truly enjoyable article…

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE TEENAGE BRAIN
A report on key observations and findings in “Beautiful Brains” by David Dobbs as published in the October 2011 edition of National Geographic

ADOLESCENCE – SEPARATING FACT FROM FICTION

FICTION
i. The adolescent brain is similar to earlier
evolutionary/developmental stages of the human brain.
ii. Teens do not weigh the risks involved in their actions.
iii. Teenagers are idiotic and impulsive.
iv. Teenagers lack discipline and focus – they are too easily
distracted
v. Teenagers are inconsistent.

FACT
i. The adolescent brain represents the highest stage of human
adaptability.
ii. Teens and adults have the same degree of risk awareness,
but teenagers find potential rewards more appealing.
iii. Teenagers are not foolishly impulsive. In adolescence, the
brain’s most developed processing areas prioritise impulsive
decision-making
iv. Teenagers are very focused and disciplined when
incentives are adequate. The problem is that they’re naturally
drawn to “novelty” – anything new or different. They’re
instinctively indifferent to familiar things and experiences.
v. Teenagers are not inconsistent – they are flexible.

THE BIOLOGY BEHIND THESE CONCLUSIONS

The first extensive neurological scans conducted in the 90s demonstrated that, contrary to previous thought, the human brain continues to develop significantly during adolescence, completing its maturation by around age 25. 90% of the brain’s growth is complete by age 6. It is in the course of adolescence that the brain specialises through extensive remodelling.

This remodelling involves a number of changes:
a. The brain’s axons, the long nerve fibres that neurons use to send signals to other neurons, gradually become insulated with myelin (the brain’s white matter), a fatty substance that maximises axon transmission speed by up to 100 times.
b. The brain’s dendrites, the branching extensions that neurons use to receive signals from axons, branch more and the synapses (the chemical structures that allow the axons and dendrites to pass information) become richer and stronger.
c. During this increased branching and accelerated information sharing, the unused synapses wither. This process of discarding unused synapses thins the outer grey layer of the brain, the cortex – which is used for conscious and complex thought. This thinner cortex is more efficient.

These modifications make the brain not only faster, but more sophisticated.

d. This developmental process moves slowly in waves from the rear of the brain (where more behaviourally fundamental processing
occurs such as vision and movement) to the front (where complex thinking occurs).
e. The corpus callosum (or bridge between right and left hemispheres of the brain) gradually thickens.
f. Stronger connections develop between the hippocampus (a memory log of sorts) and the frontal areas that are used for setting goals
and prioritising targets.
g. During these adjustments, the teen brain is much more responsive to pleasure by having a heightened sensitivity to dopamine – a hormone that heightens the appreciation of reward and facilitates the fast learning competence of teens. It also contributes to his/her
apparent melodramatic reactions to success and failure.
h. The teen brain is also highly sensitive to oxytocin, the neural hormone makes social connections more special and more rewarding. When these two neural hormones actively intersect (as is the case in adolescence) it makes everything feel and appear more intense.

These combined developments integrate memory and experience into the decision-making process which then enable the thinker to weigh variables more effectively than before.

THE MANIFESTATION OF THIS REAR-CENTRED AND ADAPTABLE, NOVELTY-ORIENTED TEEN BRAIN

• Teens love “thrills” – They will take risks, however absurd, for pleasure and heightened sensations.
• Teens enjoy the company of their peers – They are naturally attracted to their own age group because they find other teens more adept at offering “new” experiences.
• Teens challenge each other with dares and implicit rites of passage – These can take healthy forms like sports, dance or academic performance or unhealthy forms like sex, recklessness and drug abuse.
• Teens are more likely to take risks and act on impulse among their peers – Peer pressure, even in silence, is very real. However, beyond this, it also prepares them “to invest in the future rather than the past. We enter a world made by our parents. But we will live most of our lives, and prosper (or not) in a world remade by our peers” (p. 55). Essentially, although born into and raised in the world of their parents, they will live in the world remade by their generation. Peer-exclusive interaction and the desire to please, impress and challenge one’s adolescent peers establishes pecking orders and hones skills that will be useful in adult life within their generation.

QUOTE FOR REFLECTION: “ When this development proceeds normally, we get better at balancing impulse, desire, goals, self-interest, rules, ethics, and even altruism, generating behaviour that is more complex and, sometimes at least, more sensible. But at times, and especially at first, the brain does this work clumsily. It’s hard to get all those new cogs to mesh” (p. 48).

CONCLUSION 1: This is an on-going developmental process which means that, from time to time, and more often than not – depending on external factors – the very best teenagers, and particularly the youngest among them, will stumble neurologically just as they do physically in their new pubescent bodies.

CONCLUSION 2: Due to the late completion of myelination, the brain is able to wait until the average age of home-leaving to finalise the characteristics, propensities and processing priorities until the adolescent (now turned adult) is ready to truly enter the adult world with all the accompanying challenges s/he will face.

CONCLUSION 3: Once myelination is finalised, what you see is what you get and it will be very difficult for that individual to change – THEREFORE, TRAINING AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT DURING ADOLESCENCE IS CRITICAL FOR PROFESSIONAL AND SOCIAL SUCCESS IN ADULT LIFE.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CLASSROOM AND SCHOOL LIFE

• Teen brains are attracted to novelty – Lessons must be dynamic, highly creative and rich in variety – incorporating a range of presentation styles and activities.
• Teen brains are reward/pleasure sensitive – Teachers must explicitly encourage student academic effort by offering teen-appropriate incentives – trips, social gatherings, privileges, public recognition and so on.
• Teen brains are unspecialised, but in the process of becoming highly specialised – Emphasis should be placed on cultural and intellectual exposure to provide the brain with stimuli that will allow it to establish its own talents and areas of interest.
• Teen brains are more profoundly impacted by emotion – Accommodations must be made for the melodrama in their lives. What may seem minor to adults can actually feel catastrophic to them: a break-up, rumours, embarrassment. Similarly, positive emotions can feel beyond ecstatic: affection, joy and excitement.
• Teen brains are prone to seemingly reckless decision-making and readily challenging authority – Classroom management, discipline and social guidance are CRITICAL in order to establish favourable reflexes, sensibilities and general conduct in teens. Left unmanaged, teens can become VOLATILE.
• Teen brains are in rapid evolution and are therefore be unreliable – Forgive them when they stumble. Just remember to make them always aware of what you expect and what you believe they can achieve. Be firm, but gentle when possible and allow them some margin of latitude to negotiate this difficult transition to adulthood.

QUOTE FOR REFLECTION: “Adults can guide teens as conductors, coaches, and cheerleaders. You just have to know when to pull back and let the teen do the work.” – B. J. Casey, Neuroscientist. 

Modern Approaches to Modern Language Instruction

We as language teachers have the singular task of teaching a discipline that requires extensive practice, application, analysis, reflection and energy. Failure to update and modernise methodology can gradually leave us lagging behind. This is a brief guide to ensure that, even in a difficult teaching environment we maximise our students’ learning experience.

Planning progressions

In our approach to themes and vocabulary, it is important to lay a lexical foundation to facilitate language acquisition. There’s little point talking about dates, addresses, telephone numbers or the number of rooms in a home if your students haven’t thoroughly mastered numbers. Before presenting any topic, always leave ample preparatory time to introduce foundation themes that will make the process more meaningful for students.

Incorporating integration

Teaching vocabulary themes and grammatical topics will have little lasting linguistic impact if the lesson does not have adequate content integration. Everything we teach should be tied to something else to reinforce connections. Studies have shown that doing isolated lexical themes like animals, the house, or food result in minimal acquisition. Instead, applied linguists encourage integration. If teaching a topic on animals, one can also discuss geography (Where do these animals live?), physical description (what do they look like?), social disposition (Are they aggressive or shy? Are they gregarious or solitary?), biology (Is this animal a mammal or a reptile?) and so on. One can also explore other language structures or practice those previously learned (Do you like crocodiles? Which is your favourite animal? Do lions live in Asia? – No they don’t. They live in………. – negation).

Grappling with Grammar

Teaching grammar is a delicate manoeuvre. On one hand we have required structures that must be covered within clear deadlines. On the other hand, by explicitly teaching grammar, we reduce the meaningful acquisition time that students have to speak, express ideas and listen to those of others. I find that one of the most effective methods of teaching grammar, particularly to younger children (7^th & 8^th grades), is to briefly present the grammatical item to students so they see what it is you are doing. Once you have demonstrated how a given rule is applied, you should initiate production as soon as possible. The goal is not to confirm that students have understood the concept. Some students take a while to fully internalise grammatical concepts and this is normal – not a sign of slow learning. In addition, some students will quickly master the mechanics of a grammatical concept but will quickly lose this grasp as well. Why? This is because the grammar lesson was essentially discreet. Lasting grammatical competence requires meaningful production. So, rather than present a topic then give simple practice exercises, present and then initiate dialogue. By allowing students to express their own perspective immediately after the a brief demonstration, even while making mistakes at first, the grammatical structure becomes useful, salient and necessary and this in turn forces the student to actually incorporate the concept into his or her speech to make him/herself understood. After extensive communicative practise with the grammatical item, one can then assign homework or class activities in subsequent lessons to enable students to refine their technique.

Activating awareness

If you have ever realised one day that a word is spelled a particular way in your native language after years of being oblivious to that fact, you will be able to relate to the notion of awareness or “noticing” in language acquisition. Too often, we as language teachers simply teach grammar lessons and language without allowing students to think critically and observe carefully their own discourse as well as that of their peers.

Strategies for increasing awareness should be included in lesson planning whenever circumstances will permit. Foreign language learners are most successful when they increase their linguistic awareness or sensitivity to the morphology and phonology of the language. Even among beginners of all ages, this can be achieved. One can design games that foster linguistic analysis and attention. For example, games can have students earn points for accurately identifying the linguistic errors made by an opponent.  These errors can be phonetic, lexical or grammatical. Increasing your students’ awareness gives them a greater sense of involvement in their own learning and will make your job a lot more pleasant and effective in the long run as awareness increases exponentially in learners once that process has been activated and sustained.

Facilitating fluency

Oral fluency in foreign language learning remains one of the fundamental shortcomings of our educational system. Certainly, the standard curriculum in Jamaica and other countries across the region and the world leaves little room for developing oral fluency in the classroom. Yet, this alone cannot explain why our students remain so limited in their ability to speak fluidly and meaningfully in their foreign language. It would seem that there are two factors to consider – the teacher’s competence and the teacher’s readiness to make oral communication a mainstay of each lesson. Many foreign language teachers around the world face the same dilemma when they begin their profession. They have made the transition from student to teacher, but are not necessarily comfortable enough in their foreign language to speak fluently. Now in a position where they believe they should be above and beyond mistakes, they become reticent to speak in class due to insecurities about their own oral production. They therefore turn to reading exercises and choral repetition, using them as crutches to feel they have provided the students with oral practice without risking their own discomfort of having to practice what they preach. This kind of fear is somewhat understandable. No one likes to be wrong in front of his or her students (and this is the case in all disciplines). Indeed, the burden of teacher as the model and source of knowledge is a heavy one and some of us are therefore reluctant to show our imperfections. This mindset is crippling and will prevent the teacher from doing his or her job well. The first step to addressing this is to remember that no one is perfect. Native speakers, even the most refined, do sometimes make lexical and phonetic blunders. It is therefore more than acceptable for a foreign speaker to make a mistake. Furthermore, students who are intimidated by the language find much comfort in knowing that even their teacher can sometimes have a linguistic lapse. It is, for them, an inspiration to see their teacher speak well, make a mistake, acknowledge it, show what was incorrect and move on. Never forget: children are much more astute than we would like to admit. They know when their teacher is frightened or when they are being short-changed. Speak to your students in the target language as much as possible. This rule is to be applied even when giving instructions – pages numbers, stand, sit, silence, turn around… Don’t forget that WE the teachers are the sole language source for most of our students. To refuse to speak to them primarily in the target language is to deny them the chance to really learn. Language teaching leaves little room for insecurity. Both students and teachers must be willing to take risks together.

 

Connecting the dots in comprehension

It is an evident truth: listening comprehension is, for most language learners, the hardest skill to acquire and master. It is therefore incumbent upon as language teachers to work on this skill regularly.  In the absence of adequate audiovisual materials, every effort should be made to train students as often as possible. Listening comprehension is arguably the only skill that students cannot really refine without assistance. There must be a constructive medium in which students can negotiate listening to develop their oral comprehension. Listening at home to CDs can help, but, particularly in beginners and intermediates, listening comprehension must be approached with the guided hand of the teacher with carefully planned documents that present old, recent and unknown material. The same should be done with written material. Old material reassures students as they read; recent material challenges them; unknown material develops their ability to negotiate meaning. Instead of having students listen, listen then listen some more in blind desperation, we can craft our texts so that that they train, refine and develop students’ comprehension skills. Every topic and arguably most lessons should incorporate all four competences whenever possible.

Positive production

Students are to produce in the language. Even if our external exams have minimal requirements in this regard, we can still make every effort to ensure that our students are able to express themselves orally and in writing. At the end of every themed lesson or unit, students should be provided with the opportunity to write and speak holistically on the topic by incorporating all the grammatical items involved in the previous lessons. “Holistic” production exercises should incorporate material from previous lessons. This further strengthens connections between different aspects of the language and also enables students to revise while learning new material. If your students have already covered topics concerning, the home, family, animals, and foods, craft an assignment that will oblige them to speak about all of these topics in a personalised way. While practice communication should not be too closely monitored for errors (as the key at that stage is practice), post-lesson projects should be closely evaluated for explicit mistakes that could become habitual and consequently detrimental to the acquisition process. Students should also be encouraged to be creative. It is okay to play with expression as opposed to only relying on what they have been taught. This builds their autonomy and dexterity – essential qualities to achieve near-native competence.

CASE STUDIES

Below you will see an example of how a theme can be exploited in the classroom:

THEME	QUESTIONS INTRODUCING LINGUISTIC CONCEPTS	TARGET LINGUISTIC COMPETENCES	RELATED THEMES	PRODUCTION AND COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
Animals	What is this?How many _______ do you see? Where do ______ live? What do they eat? What do they drink? What do they look like? What are they like? Is it a mammal or reptile? Have you got one? Which animals are similar? Is it a carnivore? Which would you like to be? Which one do you prefer? It isn’t a ____, it’s a ______ Has it got feathers? Fur? Hair? Scales? Is it a marine organism?	DifferentiationLocation Enumeration Identification Description Negation	GeographyBiology Description Reporting Art Natural sciences Anatomy	IdentificationDialogue Design/Drawing Letter Tale/Story A skit

To actually make some sense of these ideas, create a convincing lesson that incorporates all the pedagogical considerations previously outlined. Be sure to provide for ample oral, written production and comprehension-building exercises in your lesson. Ideally, your lesson should provide content inclusion from other subject areas, disciplines and themes. Diversifying content exposure is a sure way to facilitate language acquisition.

Choose one of these topics and brainstorm on your own or with a colleague to see how much you can harvest from the theme you have selected. Plan within the realistic constraints of time and materials at your school.

FOOD

TIME

HOUSING

TRAVEL

CLOTHING

HOBBIES

FAMILY

SPORTS

Enjoy!

A Nation of “Faux” English Speakers

Hello blogger world. I’ve been off the radar for a long time. It’s been a challenging year personally and professionally and this left little time for other pursuits. The other day, I read a letter to The Jamaica Observer in which someone was decrying the value of using patois in the classroom as a part of the language education of primary school children. Passionate about the topic after seeing the disastrous outcome of our neglect of this sensitive issue, I felt compelled to respond. The Jamaica Observer was indulgent enough to publish my response in its entirety and so I thought I would share it here with you.  I hope you like it.

Dear Editor,

It is time that we acknowledge that the vast majority of Jamaicans are not native speakers of English, in the linguistic sense, as native competence is acquired in the home from one’s earliest years and is used both to receive and convey information to members of one’s family and community.

In Jamaica, we see a wholly different phenomenon in which there is a dominant language used in media/braodcasting, business and by the judiciary (in formal court proceedings and so on), while another is the norm for everyday interactions within families, among friends, among colleagues and even between strangers in mundane settings like on public transportation.

Hearing a language on TV and speaking it throughout your formative years are two very different things. Language must be heard, understood and used to be mastered by an infant and thus become a “native” mastery. Hearing and understanding simply aren’t enough, and yet, this is the presumption upon which our educational system is based. The singular linguistic context that characterises Jamaica and many others nations throughout the region and the world (North Africa also has a similar dynamic in some nations) has serious implications for child learning as we currently teach our children English Language using the same skill-building approaches that are used for native speakers of English (children who grow up in a household and an environment where English is not only heard on TV but is also the main means of communication within the family).

So, essentially, we are teaching children who are native “creolophones” or speakers of patois/creole with the assumptions of standard English sensibility and this has led to the current scholastic mess in which we find ourselves where students are simply not grasping the essence of what is being taught and have alarming comprehension difficulties throughout their primary and secondary school careers. Children who are not native speakers of English cannot and will not perform efficiently if they have not been given some ESL (English as a Second Language) initiation to standard English so they have points of reference to better understand the syntax, morphology and mechanics of English.

This familiarisation process will also require a parallel introduction to the structure and foundations of Jamaican patois — how the verbs are applied, how negation is expressed, how tense is conveyed and so on. It is not by accident that the same child who is considered “dunce” in English classes often can excel in French or Spanish. If the child had a real linguistic handicap this would not be the case, but again and again I encounter students who appear to be incompetent in their other subjects (because of their poor mastery of English), but who excel in foreign languages.

Why is this? Because in foreign language instruction, prior knowledge cannot be assumed and so the child is introduced to every aspect of the language in terms of structure, meaning and sound from the very first class. In the end, the student develops a solid understanding of how it works and then applies this information to communicate accurately. I have seen many “creolophone” students struggle with a grammatical concept in French (which I teach) until I gave an equivalent in patois and then you literally saw the lights turn on in their eyes. They got it, because they could relate to it in their native language which is not English.

It is time that we develop a real policy on this issue — one that goes beyond mere biblical translation, tourism guides and poetry — to discover, appreciate and help our students understand their language; their native language better so that they are not hindered in their learning. The notion that teaching patois turns students away from the progress that English represents is a fallacy. Teaching any child the structure of his or her native language is always a positive step towards knowledge and greater understanding.

Until we surmount the post-colonial baggage and shame that distort how we see patois, we will never enable our children and nation to excel as they ought. In short, a time wi teach wi pickey dem ‘ow fi undastand weh wi waan’ dem learn.

 

Feminine virginity: What’s it worth in the 21st Century?

Once upon a time, the lineage of an entire family and the legitimacy of monarchical governments and vast empires hinged on the presence of one very small, but culturally significant trans-vaginal membrane called the hymen – the (supposed) physical proof of sexual abstinence in women. Girls of all social classes had to be mindful to protect it at all costs. For the poorest girls, virginity was the only chance at securing a husband and having some sense of respectability in the absence of wealth and consequence. For the middle class, virginity secured a girls prospects of marriage and, indirectly guaranteed that, presuming there were no male heirs, any fortune her parents had could be hers as it was not uncommon for girls of proven extra-marital sexual activity to be disowned by their parents. For the upper class and aristocracy, the hymen was more than a badge of decency and ticket to heaven: it was also a matter of economics and politics. Virgins were the method of payment for securing commercial and political alliances through marriage (as marriage could only be authenticated once the groom could confirm that there was indeed a hymen to be broken). In many noble families, particularly those closest to the throne or seat of power, wedding nights were no private affair. The court would surround the bed of the newly married couple during the bride’s presumed first experience of sexual penetration. Once the act was complete, appropriate senior members of court would examine the sheets for signs of anticipated vaginal bleeding. If the sheets were indeed blood-stained, then she could breathe a sigh of relief as she would have proven that she had fulfilled her political and economic responsibility of no sex before marriage, thus affirming the bloodline of the new alliance. If the sheets were not spattered in the slightest, then the very unlucky bride would have some serious explaining to do. The absence of some benign explanation that could be confirmed through medical examination (such as hymen that was intact but did not bleed significantly enough to show on the sheets) would mean the ruin of not only the bride, but that of her entire family. Unlucky brides and betrothed girls who were presumed to have lost their virginity before marriage have been stoned, flogged, whipped, beaten and burned alive in cultures around the globe. Indeed, the hymen has historically been a very powerful pawn of power and social rank. But that was then…

Today, with the exception of some more archaic cultures in some dark corners of the planet, virginity has become more of an issue of public health and moral standing. For this reason, in western culture, the choice of remaining a virgin is a very personal one and is usually influenced by upbringing, education, socialisation and sexual outlook. Of course, in most societies of Judeo-Christian faith (where Catholic, Protestant, Jewish or Muslim ideology prevails), female virgins are still held in high regard as symbols as purity, decency and discretion (the opposite applies to male virgins who are generally looked down upon and considered to be less than masculine due to their lack of sexual prowess and inexperience). However, in a modern society where women are presumed to be the equals of their male counterparts; societies in which sex is no longer presumed to be the sole territory of married couples, what does it mean to be an adult female virgin? How can this social anomaly hope to find love and happiness in an environment where “test it before you buy it” has become the order of the day? Scientists have asserted that men, regardless of their culture, upbringing, religious identity, ethnicity and socio-political persuasion, do not bond at the psychic level with a prospective mate until they have actually had an orgasm with their partner. This means, in layman’s terms, unless a man has had sex with his female consort, he never really truly “falls” for her at the hormonal level. If this is true, it would mean that many men have married spouses without truly being in love 100%; that their desire to have that woman as a partner (for any number of reasons other than pure “love” – professional ambition, religious requirement, socially conservative context, tribal tradition etc.). If science is accurate, how does the modern virgin find real love? How does the modern virgin prepare herself psychologically for the process of sex with a lifelong partner to whom she is married before having that experience?

To explore this state of being, I asked an attractive, bright  female friend ( who shall be called “Anne” to protect her anonymity) who is a virgin to express her point of view on what led her to abstain and what difficulties she has encountered along the way as a result of this lifestyle choice.

Anne, 32, a college graduate residing on the East Coast of the United States

“These are my reasons for being abstinent:

Objectification

Strangely enough, I have never been self conscious about my chest but – full disclosure – I naturally wear a 36DD bra which is quite big and because of that most men tend to view me more as an object than a person. They tend to talk to my breasts and not look into my eyes and I understand men are visual and all but most men tend to approach me and objectify me in that way. Very few approach me with respect though I think I carry myself well and I never wear tight clothes and am appropriately dressed. Most men make it obvious that they really only see me in a sexual way which is very frustrating. I want to be with a man who is my friend because the looks will go (and my breasts could too considering the high incidence of breast cancer and the necessity for double masectomies in my family history) so meeting a man who really wants to get to know me as a person is something I definitely need and if I don’t get it, I’m fine with being single for the rest of my life. I’ve been the “trophy girlfriend” before to a very attractive man who was a nice guy but who really only liked my body/face and the fact that his friends found me attractive too so at first it was cool him wanting to show me off and then it was just weird and off putting. He didn’t really want me to talk and he didn’t really want a real relationship. It was like I was his show pony or something. In any case, I do like when men find me attractive but if they don’t want to know the person behind the looks (and I’m no Halle Berry, but you know what I mean) then I don’t want to go any further.

Spirituality

For me, only part of my being abstinent comes from my spirituality. I actually came to my faith/spiritual beliefs through two things: 1.) a belief in the concept of Divinity/The Trinity, and 2.) Reason (inclusive of logic & science since I was always fascinated by science growing up and proved to myself that God existed through scientific evidence) Because of science/logic or what I call it most often -  “Reason” – there are things I don’t do. For example, I am an overly affectionate and emotional person. I have bipolar disorder as well which greatly affects both my moods and my perspective so I know that sex to me would mean a LOT more to me emotionally than to my male partner. I just think men don’t really think of it the same way most women do and it would crush me to have someone just use me for sex and then leave. I mention all this to say that,  bottom line: I don’t think I’d handle premarital sex well emotionally. I’m more fragile than your average person I guess you can say.

Temptation

I definitely am fascinated and attracted to the male body and enjoy looking at nude pictures from time to time to admire  but here’s where my “reason” comes in again…I just don’t look at it all the time because logic/reason has taught me in the past that if I look at it too much, then my desire to have sex just gets stronger which will put me at odds with the discipline with which I want to live my life.

STDs/Pregnancy

The incidence of STDs in my hometown of the Washington DC area was and still is ASTRONOMICAL. They have a very high incidence of HIV which further deters me from having even protected sex which isn’t 100% safe. I also have a friend who contracted an STD so it’s very real to me and just isn’t worth the risk of getting something or having a baby which coincidentally leads me to talking about childbirth issues…

Kids

My situation is unique…I don’t want to have biological children because I think I was telling you a while back how horrible my mother and grandmother and great-grandmother had it…they all had terrible cramps growing up (as do I) and fibroids and a really terrible time carrying children overall. My maternal great-grandmother had a little girl when she was 21 that died shortly after birth and then another little girl when she was 23 that died shortly after birth…my grandmother had a horrible time during pregnancy with miscarriages and only carried one baby to full term (my mom). Then my mom nearly died of toxemia giving birth to me, and then she had my little brother when I was 2 years old but he died after living only a day then she had many miscarriages after that so I feel uncomfortable reproducing in much the same way as a woman would feel if she knew she were a carrier of hemophilia or something – to me the risks of giving birth to a child who will suffer greatly somehow are just unfair to the unborn child. Also, I’m nearing my mid-thirties so my eggs aren’t as “fresh” as they could be. But I do think very highly of adoption and foster parenting, though. I’ll probably take those avenues if and when I’m ready for a child.

I think decisions regarding sex also have a lot to do with the way you see yourself…

Maturity

I think having sex requires a degree of maturity and emotional stability that, honestly, I don’t have right now. I say if you’re mature enough to handle it, then go for it but if people like me who really have wild emotional swings – both on and off medication - should be extra cautious…

View of Self

I have always seen myself as a loner. I’m definitely an introvert. People think I’m extroverted but I’m really not. I grew up abandoned by my dad and also as an only child raised by a single mother who worked overtime most of the time. So, since I was 9 or 10, I was home alone by myself and I’m most comfortable being by myself. I do think about marriage from time to time but I don’t really feel like it’s in my destiny (but who knows…if a decent guy comes along I wouldn’t push him away!!!) So I mention all this to say that I see myself as being single for the rest of my life which has the effect of dulling (but of course not entirely cutting off) my sex drive. I think people who really want to be in relationships and want to form connections with people probably have a greater need to physically consummate.”

I would like to thank Anne for taking the time and having the courage to discuss something so personal and profound with me and my readers (the few of you weirdos out there! ). I hope this sheds some light on the phenomenon and I hope some of you will leave a comment to let me know what you think about it. Feel free to send a post on the topic and I will feature it on this blog as an extended forum.

The ‘Dudus’ Affair: A Jamaican Recipe for Destruction

How does a democratic state with an army and police force end up shackled by a drug lord and his supporters? It’s a simple recipe:

I. Ingredients

1. One century of lawlessness

For decades, Jamaica has been functioning under a dual system of law. There is a microcosm of citizens that make up the core of the middle class. These persons pay their taxes, bills, mortgages and rent. They are, essentially, law-abiding, decent human beings. Then there is an aristocracy that is even smaller, comprising entrepreneurs, investors and political leaders who own the vast majority of the nation’s wealth through legitimate and questionable means. These persons are above the law and will use criminal or clandestine associates to circumvent the system, but never get their hands dirty. Then we have a substantial cross-section of low-income communities living in what are called garrisons (enclaves of ghettos). Each garrison is run by a Don (note the similarity to the Italian for “Lord”) or mafia kingpin who acts as a judge, commissioner of police, credit bureau, arbiter, human rights advocate and just about everything else in between. That person often provides financing for the community’s children (education, medecine, clothing) and their parents (employment, clothing, food). The ‘Don’ also represents the material interests of his community (they are historically all male) and will use violence , subterfuge and bribery to protect and promote the interests of his district/community. As many in these communities feel forgotten by and invisible to the state (due to human rights violations of the innocent and frequent extra-judicial killings), they pledge allegiance to their Don and represent a small army of supporters who are very willing and ready to die to defend their only source of material stability. The poor relations between the ghettos and the police (notorious in other countries as well) and a veiled but very tangible class system that inhibits the upward mobility of the poor only strengthen the loyalty of these communities to their respective Dons.

2. A tonne of underground weapons

If the US is the land of the free and the home of the brave, Jamaica is the land of the arms dealer and the home of the arms user. It doesn’t take much to get an illegal firearm here, and, despite recent efforts of the security forces, the inner cities remain heavily armed. The fact that armed militias were able to sustain their assault on a police station on May 23 until the police officers RAN OUT OF BULLETS, tells you what kind of firepower these people are packing. What is ironic about this, however, is the fact that arms dealing in Jamaica was initially facilitated by politicians to arm their own henchmen decades ago during major elections. It appears their pit bulls have broken their leashes.

3. A fat-free Ministry of Defense

There are currently approximately 2,830 soldiers in active duty, 953 reserves and 3,783 paramilitary officers. That means that, per 1000 capita, the island has 1.4 military officers. This is no surprise since only 0.6% (2007) of the country’s GDP is devoted to defense. The Jamaican Constabulary Force numbers in the rage of 9,985 with an actual strength 8441. Its first reserve unit, the Island Special Constabulary Force, is currently 2,091 with an actual strength of 1,446. So, at best, if we do the math, the island of Jamaica, with a population of 2.7 – 2.8 million (according to recent UN estimates) has a total of around 12-14,000 to defend its citizenry, resources and stability. That’s a ratio of 1 security officer to every 215 Jamaicans. Ask yourself how much you could do, even with the best training in the world and the best car and gun that money can buy, to manage, guide and protect 215 people (some of whom are the very criminals who would kill you in a heartbeat).

4. A well-established drug trafficking destination

Jamaica is known for sunny beaches, reggae, dancehall music, and coral reefs, but few know much about its rapidly emerging reputation as a major transit point in global drug-trafficking. Indeed, due to its geographic location, poor security infrastructure, 638 miles of mostly unwatchable coastline, 100+ clandestine airstrips and open waters for the  go-fast boats so frequently used by drug cartels to ship merchandise safely, Jamaica is a haven for drug-trafficking. According to US Customs, over 63% of all cocaine possession arrests in US airports involve passengers flying from or via Jamaica. Little wonder that the US Drug Enforcement Administration has officially declared the island as a major transit hub for illegal drugs.

II. Procedure

Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, the drug lord (also the son of a former notorious criminal) stuck in a major extradition case between the US and Jamaica over the last few months, is the crucial ingredient in what has resulted in the ongoing state of emergency (scheduled to last a month) in Jamaica as of May 23. In short, Coke is wanted on over a thousand charges of murder in the US (killings carried out by his gangs) and is reputed to be one of the world’s leading drug lords, the 2010 version of yesterday’s Pablo Escobar. Jamaican Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, found himself in a pickle when the US issued the extradition request for Coke’s arrest because the drug mastermind is not only a resident of Golding’s constituency, but is also alleged to be a major financier of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) headed by Golding himself. The Jamaican Prime Minister sought to use the constitution to stall the extradition process by claiming that the evidence against Coke was not collected in a manner in keeping with Jamaican domestic law. However, this manoeuvre backfired by straining US-Jamaican diplomatic relations. As the months went by, Jamaica remained without a new US ambassadorial appointee and more and more official visas were being cancelled. Then, weeks ago, things began to simmer when an American law firm admitted lobbying the US government on behalf of Jamaica to resolve the extradition affair. The Jamaican government denied it unequivocally in parliament. Then, as fortune (or misfortune) would have it, an email issued by Golding was leaked to the public in which it was evident that, within his capacity as party leader, he authorised JLP senior officials to hire the American firm, Manatt Phelps & Phillips. His deceit exposed, Golding would later issue a public apology in which he expressed his regret and hope to regain the trust of the Jamaican people. He closed his swan song by announcing his decision to sign the extradition request. Immediately following this broadcast, tension began to mount in Coke’s community where he is the beloved Don, father figure and provider. His supporters have ransacked and burned one police station, killed two police officers, injured others and stolen a police car equipped with the official police radio. They also blocked off community entrance and exit points with electrified barricades topped with barbed wire. Citizens wishing to leave the melee are being held hostage and external secondary examinations have had to be relocated to safer venues. All of this has sprung from a community’s willingness to protect its bread and butter at all costs even though their Don is a confirmed killer and drug-trafficker and a head of state’s poor management of an obvious conflict of interests, not to mention his party’s questionable financial relationship with the accused. With such chefs in the kitchen, there can be no amazement at Jamaica’s diplomatic, social, political and material heartburn. Does anyone have antacid to spare? If you do, kindly FedEx it to Kingston, Jamaica!

Black Women and Hollywood

Gabourey Sidibe’s recent critical acclaim for her role in the movie, Precious (directed by Lee Daniels and based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire), as well as that of stand-up comedian, Mo’Nique have revived a longstanding question in Hollywood: How far can a woman go in Hollwood when she’s black and overweight?

If history is any indication, Gabourey may have already acted her first and last oscar-worthy performance. Her talent cannot be called into question. She has already achieved what many actresses dream of for an entire lifetime – delivering a performance of depth and integrity. Many have rightly said that she is the embodiment of the character she played, but how many other “Precious” roles will Gabourey be able to play? In an industry so obsessed with image, conventional beauty and sexuality as a marketing tool, how will Gabourey compete with other African-American actresses? The roles for women of colour in Hollywood are few and far between – a maid here, a house wife there, a police officer, an athlete’s wife, a musician; the cliches are endless. While we are happy to see that the palette of opportunity has expanded, the fact remains that the scope of possibility for African-American talent (both male and female) remains sadly narrow. Leading actresses of colour who have even come close to becoming household names are on a coveted list – Halle Berry, Angela Basset, Thandie Newton, Gabriel Union, Queen Latifa, Whoopi Goldberg, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, Alfre Woodard and Jada Pinkett-Smith. But really, if we were going to be honest about it, from among these stars, only six really are household names today – Berry, Newton, Union, Latifa, Woodard and Pinkett-Smith. Certainly, Goldberg, thanks largely to her amazing performances early in her career (The Color Purple, Ghost…), secured her spot in Hollywood annals, but today she’s essentially a TV personality, not a “film star”. Some adoring fans will readily cry foul due to the absence of other rising talents such as Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson in my selections, but we can’t honestly consider them to be full-fledged actresses yet. Perhaps in a few years, but not now. One or two films of moderate success at the Box Office cannot an actress make.

Among these few actresses, we don’t see many Gabourey Sidibes. Berry, Union, and Pinkett-Smith are icons of conventional beauty with svelte figures, pixie noses and alluring smiles. It is difficult to overlook Berry’s numerous cosmetic campaigns for the world’s leading fashion houses. Woodard has been a discrete force in the ‘character actress’ sphere (much like Kevin Bacon – great, talented but not a true Hollywood A-lister like Brad Pitt or Denzel Washington).

So when will the next role for a bright-eyed, dark-skinned, cute, bubbly, morbidly obese African-American girl come by? Who knows? Without a drastic change in diet and exercise, Sidibe will not only have her complexion to contend with in a very racially discriminatory industry, but also her inability to sell sexuality to the masses as most actresses are expected to do today. Goldberg was one of the greatest talents of her generation and yet, after her stellar performance playing a poor black girl in the deep south, she did little of the same calibre.  One cannot help but wonder to what extent her own unconventional appearance contributed to her short-lived journey on the big screen. In Hollywood, a black woman’s failure to fit in the beauty box means being relegated to the traditional token role of maid, friend, angry baby mother, grandmother and hairdresser that black women sought for decades to leave behind. But should she change for Hollywood? I think not. She should make changes for herself – for her health and her well-being. However, if she is fine with her weight, then it is Hollywood who will have to change to acknowedge the amazing Gabourey and others like her. If anyone can change Hollywood, she can.

HACHIKO: Much more than a dog’s story

When a friend invited me to watch Lasse Halström’s Hachiko: A Dog’s Story, I must admit I had my reservations about seeing yet another “canine adventure” flick. However, as the film began and progressed, it quickly became apparent that this was no movie to bark about with disdain. Certainly, it isn’t exciting and it will hardly make you laugh. Indeed, for some, it will even seem rather slow. Yet, with all of these apparent shortcomings, this film will touch your heart profoundly (unless you’re as jaded as a piece of marble), because the story is just as much a human one as it is canine.

Through the eyes of a middle-aged professor’s newly adopted dog, the writers, Stephen P. Lindsey (screenplay) and Kaneto Shindô (who did the original Japanese motion picture) explore and challenge our understanding of love, loyalty and destiny. They modify an already very touching true story to add a more spiritual dimension to the film by having a dog enter a family’s life and touch its members and the community around them without anyone ever knowing anything about Hachiko’s origins (discovered at a train station). Some scenes are shot in black and white to reflect the dog’s visual perspective on what is occurring (in case you didn’t know, dogs and cats only see in black and white). We witness several key familial, social and romantic benchmarks all take place spanning three generations: the dog’s master, ‘Professor Wilson’ (Richard Gere) and his wife Andy (Sarah Roemer), his daughter Cate (Joan Allen) and her son, Ronnie (Kevin DeCoste). As their lives unfold, Hachiko (Forest – a male Akita) teaches the Wilsons, their town and movie lovers about love, loyalty, grief, sacrifice and strength. Often, remakes of foreign films and adaptations of true stories can be seriously disappointing. Yet, this production, which is both a remake and an adaptation, successfully pleases, instructs and inspires us.

This is a must see for anyone who really loves good movies. However, if you prefer blockbusters and donut flicks (most comedies and romantic comedies by Disney, for example) this is not for you. The only downside of this work is the casting of Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander (‘Carl’ in the movie), whose role and humour in the film are awkward at best. In fact, as I watched, I kept struggling to forget his face on the screen. Surprisingly, even that slight drawback did not ruin the film. Watch it and share your insights with me. I hope it will have you wagging your tail too!

Debt before dishonour

An aquaintance of mine is in his forties, drives a luxury European car, vacations at least once a year abroad and loves to go out. Some would look on and believe him to be a picture of success, but there’s one tiny problem – he’s up to his eyeballs in debt! In fact, he’s so in debt he sometimes has to mooch off his housemates. Yes, your eyes have not misled you: this 40+ year-old with a “good job” is unable to afford groceries, pay all his bills on time (or even late for that matter) or even afford to live on his own at a stage in his life when he should feel moderately at ease about his financial future. Hard times can fall anyone, but when you have chosen to drive a luxury car at the expense of your own financial well-being, then you are a prime example of “debt-before-dishonour” syndrome. What is this condition? A preoccupation with appearing financially comfortable in public, even at the expense of your financial stability.

Can you be cured?

Yes, but not easily. Why? Because debt is a result of the frame of mind that leads you to spend more than you earn and, in most cases, has everything to do with how you want to be perceived and feel and virtually nothing to do with what you earn (unless your wage is below the poverty threshold – in which case you obviously have major financial obstacles to overcome and that is not your fault). But there are things you can do to avoid falling too deep into the debt hole.

1. Establish a realistic budget and stick to it

Take a good look at your finances – your income and expenses – and identify everything that you know you can do without. Once you have eliminated “optional” expenses (and I don’t mean expenses that you FEEL are necessary, but those that really ARE NOT necessary), design your budget by ensuring that your income covers all your REAL expenses.  Whatever pushes you into negative digits is something that has to go – no ifs ands or buts! If you’ve covered, all expenses and put aside money for retirement/savings, you can allow yourself a small amount for “treating” yourself.

2. Save!

We all know that the more money you have, the more you want to “improve” your standard of living. However, these improvements should not cancel out the gains you have made at work (if you got a raise for example) or at home (by eliminating frivolous expenditure, making energy saving adjustments, or even adopting income-earning approaches such as subletting). Ensure that, no matter how little you earn, you put something aside. Start with an amount that you think you could forego without feeling desolate and then gradually increase it. Don’t go the other route of starting off with insane savings’ goals only to abandon them once they going gets rough. Once you’ve begun to save, if you find that you could save more, put more aside. Ideally you want to have enough in the bank to cover emergencies (illness, sudden unemployment, damage to your home, car repairs, and other “surprises”) while continuing to pay your regular bills. Life happens, so never take saving for granted. And if you have to “dip” into your savings to help cover unforeseen costs, do it with a sad heart then commit to increasing your savings contributions in the following months to top-up your nest egg.

3. Remember you’re worth it

If your self-esteem is healthy, you won’t expose yourself to the ravages of debt just for the sake of keeping up with the Jones’. In fact, have you ever stopped to think that maybe the Jones’ are trying to keep up with the Campbell’s and the Campbells just might be trying to keep up with the Smith’s? So, why bother to worry about where OTHER people appear to be in life when they might be doing to same thing? Everyone has his/her own financial journey and everyone can’t be rich or even comfortable. Instead of worrying about what you have, focus more on how useful you can be in life and how well you can do your job. If you commit to working hard, and being helpful to others (whatever your profession), you may never be rich, but you’ll be unlikely to ever be financially destitute either, unless you become distracted with spending to appear to have more than you do. Remember your greatest possession is not what you own, but how you live your life and how much you enrich the lives of those around you.

Last year we saw TV personality Ed McMahon lose his home to foreclosure and discovered that, despite his millions, Michael Jackson left his estate in a tragic state of financial uncertainty. It’s not how much you earn that determines your viability. It’s how you use what you earn and how wisely you spend your money. Life is short so no one is saying spend your days in  a shack while hoarding millions or thousands in the bank. When you die, you’ll be very dead and won’t be able to spend a cent of it! Just remember that life does require money and so you’d be better off managing it as best as possible to minimise the stress that sometimes comes with being broke. Smart spending and disciplined saving will leave you with more time to focus on the things and people that REALLY matter –  your family, your friends, your hobbies and your pets. Don’t end up living like John Doughless. His life and worth are wrapped up in German engineering that won’t make him happy. He’s committed to life in debt for the sake of avoiding what he would believe to be dishonour. But there’s nothing honourable about being desperately in debt, is there?

Are you a romantic…racist?

The word ‘RACIST’ usually conjures up images of Klansmen, rednecks and cool corporate executives who mysteriously never hire ethnic or racial minorities. But where does the label fall when you discriminate against certain skin tones within your own minority ethnic group or refuse to date across the colour line?

I brought up the question among friends last night and was stunned by the whirlwind that followed. Some African-American friends openly acknowledged that while they would “screw around” with someone of darker skin tone or complexion, they would not seriously date that person. Others said they could not and would not date someone of another ethnic or racial identity, but didn’t really care about the colour of the person as long as s/he were ‘black’. Very few (myself among them) admitted that they had no hang-ups at all with the colour of anyone’s skin – and would therefore date just about anyone of any ethnic or racial group provided the criteria that mattered to them were satisfied (education, background, physique – in terms of proportions, fitness etc.). So, the fundamental question is: “Where does preference end and bigotry begin?”

The heated discussion until 4:00 am this morning lead to a number of observations…

I. Skin colour is not a “normal” consideration for determining compatibility

It is perfectly understandable for people to select a mate based on compatibility in terms of family/social background, religion, hobbies and interests and so on. But what would make skin colour/tone have any direct correlation with these values and interests.  Of course, in some geographical zones, due to a number of historical and demographical factors, there can be a deep-rooted tradition of “certain” ethnic groups being poorer or less educated. These same factors can also shape your worldview. However, no one with a functioning brain could dare to claim that the colour of your skin (on its own) directly impacts your value system and moral/social profile. There are dark-skinned (or black) surgeons and fair complexioned (or white) garbage collectors. Someone who is without racist leanings is able to make that distinction.

II. Skin colour is not an inherent determinant of sexual attraction

Physical characteristics that attract others to you generally concern your height, weight, musculature, smell (both explicit – perfumes, your natural scent, and implicit – pheromones) proportions and facial symmetry (or lack thereof). None of these things is directly affected by ethnicity or race. Despite all the clichés and stereotypes that are awash, all black men are NOT well-endowed and defined, and all Asian women are NOT graceful and docile. In other words, the attraction or lack of attraction must be influenced by cultural considerations. If you like big-breasted women, all things being equal, you should be attracted to large breasts no matter what their colour. If you like chubby men, you should be attracted to any man with that body type (presuming, again, that everything ELSE is as you would like it to be). When you have two individuals of similar body types, similar features of beauty (in terms of symmetry of face, hair length, fitness, age, height etc.) and similar professional/religious/familial background and one is immediately excluded as a potential mate, the only deciding factor would have to be skin colour/ethnicity and that alleged preference, whether intended or not, could only be characterised as a subtle form of racial/ethnic discrimination.

III. Skin colour should not be irrelevant for sex…but relevant for love

When someone is “fair game” for a romp in the hay but not for a walk down the aisle, you may have some issues to deal with. Obviously, if you’re physically inclined to having sexual relations with an ethnic group OR, though without preference, you enjoy such experiences, why would you be unable to love, date and commit to them? On most people’s list of priorities, love and marriage are much higher than “casual sex”. So, logically, if you’re okay with having sex with a racial/ethnic minority or someone of darker complexion but could never imagine spending your life with one,  then somewhere deep inside, you are unable to accept the beauty and equality of your sex partner as a human being, which, be default, could allude to latent racial/ethnic tendencies.

IV. Skin colour should not be unimportant for friendship…but crucial for romance

Friends, generally, are people you admire. They’re people you love because of the issues that matter to them, the music they enjoy, the way they do things… In essence, minus “chemistry” – that intangible thing that grabs you deep inside when you meet the one for you – your friends are often the kind of person you can enjoy. So, with these things in mind, why would you be able to have “black” or “dark-skinned” friends but never be able to date one? If you’re one such person, it’s time for some serious soul-searching because you obviously are able to find the social make up you need in these people but mysteriously can’t imagine sharing your life with one.

The romantic racist will argue that it’s a preference like any other. But what is there to dislike or like about the colour of someone’s skin? Sure, healthy glowing skin is always sexy. A smooth even complexion is always nice to look at and touch. But ALL ethnic and racial groups can and do have amazingly beautiful skin. Rejecting someone because of the colour of his or her skin is quite different from rejecting someone because of the quality” of his or her complexion. Whether you’re white, black, Asian, Native American or of mixed heritage, if your only justification for overlooking a great, gorgeous human being is the colour of his/her skin, it’s time you took a really good look in the mirror and ask yourself what brought you to this place in your life. What has made you SEE colour and what has led you to flee those who are or are not like you? I say “are” or “are not” because there are people who are not at all attracted to anyone of their own ethnic identity. Some would say you can’t be racist against your own skin colour while preferring another, but I disagree. I believe, depending on the circumstances that shaped your self-perception and your perception of those who look like you, you could be racist or discriminatory against your own ethnic category. Some whites consider blacks to be more exotic, sexual and vibrant. Some blacks consider whites to be more sensual, sexually liberal and more caring. Some blacks have equally unfounded impressions of people of their own skin colour. The fact that the discrimination is self-imposed doesn’t make it any less limiting or unfortunate. Anything that automatically separates you from billions of people on the planet before they’ve even uttered a single word to you, prayed for you, laughed with you or dined before you, is something that is robbing you of the full human experience. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that preference and prejudice are two sides of the same coin. You can have many healthy preferences – skin colour simply isn’t among them. Not in 2010 anyway. Do yourself a favour – overcome your ethnic hang-ups and get to know the human being you encounter BEFORE you throw him/her on the “not-an-option” pile or run after him/her with false expectations that are certain to remain unfulfilled. Colour is a wonderful thing – in all its gradients…even in your romantic life. If you don’t believe me – just try to imagine everything around you in a single colour or shade. Pretty insipid, isn’t it?

When opinion infects fact…

There was a time when journalism really was about dispensing information – objective, balanced, factual information on social, economic and political issues. Once or twice a day, you  and your family (if you have one…if you don’t, good luck with that) would sit before the almighty television and watch some baritone-voiced male or poofy-haired former pageant queen read the news. Back then, they didn’t even have teleprompters so they literally read right in front of your very eyes (Ah… it seems so long ago that I’m sure future anthropologists are already digging up artifacts on that lost phenomenon known as the news). Today,viewers need not subscribe to pay-per-view television to have heart-pounding, side splitting, blood boiling, hair-raising entertainment. They can find all of that on just about any nationally syndicated “news” channel. Instead of just presenting the news, many “journalists” began presenting their “spin” on the events of the day; inviting leading intellectuals and experts to provide their expertise on the matter. This was already a dangerous step away from the deontological base of journalism – to dispense and confirm the truth. But they didn’t stop there… As the years went by, we witnessed the emergence of “journalists” who did little or no reporting, but did a great deal of  “presenting”. The justification for this misfortune was the common belief that audiences needed the news to be “put into context” for them. In short: the viewers needed to know how they ought to feel about a giving issue. So, experts (however biased) were not enough. We, the “slow” viewers, needed someone to become the veritable face of the truth. This person was not to challenge our sensibilities. This person was not to push us to see, analyze and understand more of the world around us. This “news icon” was to tell us the news we wanted to hear instead of the news we needed to hear. This trend resulted in the mess we have today – societies that are segmented based on political and social ideology as opposed to united, informed communities. We now have FOX News (aka. The Republican Party’s Propoganda Corporation), MSNBC (aka. The Democratic and Liberal Based Channel), and CNN (aka. “Centrist Wanna-Be but will try anything that can boost my slipping ratings”) all still enjoying the status of journalism without actually doing any journalism at all. Sensationalist, inflammatory extremists (Glen Beck, Bill O’Reilly, Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews and Lou Dobbs mysteriously come to mind) and sugar-coated more articulate versions of the same ill (Campbell Brown), along with their guests (Amy Holmes) smile at us and espouse their own thinly veiled political platform. And we watch even more, because we like what we hear and we truly believe that because we like what we hear, it must be true.

So, what’s the problem with this scenario?

The ambiguity. News is news and political/social commentary should remain just that – political and social commentary. The latter has no place in the news or even being associated with the news. I admire Bill Maher for not making his show into anything more or less than it is. Though entertaining to many, it has no place on a news channel or in journalism. His show is an opinion piece – nothing more. Understandably, he shares his thoughts and stirs up his audience which essentially comprises liberals, democrats and their friends. No harm in that. It’s a free country. But when Brainwasher Beck, On-Crack O’Reilly, Meandering Matthews, Outrageous Olbermann, Bumbling Brown and Deport-them Dobbs begin to present their perspectives as credible, objective journalism, then many among us begin to confuse THE truth with THEIR truth. But the truth has a definite article for a reason. You can’t say a truth, or some truth. It’s THE truth because it MUST be objective, factual and complete. The burden that befalls real journalists is the unending quest to uncover and share the truth. Empty-headed Entertainers and Opinion Ogres need not be on news channels. They should try to start their own show on another channel. Of course, given the baseless trash that they spew and their complete lack of ethical integrity, it is hardly surprising that, minus a radio gig here and there, most don’t stand a chance of ever being so fortunate.

Hopefully, one day, the American public and wider international community that watch such channels will  demand that the news be newsworthy and authentic and not simply desperate attempts at improving dismal ratings to attract more advertising revenue. In the 21st century and beyond, now is definitely NOT the time to be playing around with the truth. There are  too many wars, too many diseases, too many social issues and too few informed people around for us to afford to endure more journalistic fraud.

Is there a real news network in the house?