Thursday, September 10, 2009

Obama scores big with last nights address but I'm still fuming....

.....about the widespread refusal to air his presentation on educaton in the classroom. All was not lost in Texas, however, where 28 fifth grade students boarded district busses to see President Bush yuk it up with the Dallas Cowboys football team. I wonder which speech will be discussed in class today?

10 comments:

  1. Michael you have me thinking...When my daughter first came home and told me that all schools in our state had watched a speech the president had given on Education I was upset. I thought they didn't ask my permission? However, I was unable to watch the speech myself and that concerned me too. What was the biggy? Well honestly I am a little ashamed to say that I was a paranoid bitch. He is OUR president who has been elected by a free society. What he spoke of though is old news. We know that education puts on a pretty face while the whole time the government is cutting their budget left and right:) In my children's schools; NO MUSIC classes! There aren't any ART classes! We need well rounded children emotionally too. Explain that Mr. Governor! Florida Let's have a psychodrama group with the entire government of the United States attending!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Paranoid maybe, but you seem a ways away from the "b"word. One reason I posted the video was to clear up all the mystery around the content...you are on target as there was nothing we didn't know nor was there any reason to keep this away from the kids. We should be concerned about the absence of art, music and who knows what's next to get cut. If nothing else, maybe the kids will make some noise.

    Switching subjects...since I like to talk about communication...if someone names themselves the "b" word, is it ok if I later reference them in this way? Is there a gender difference here? If a woman calls herself a "b" can a woman then call her a "b" but a man cannot? Hmmm...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good Afternoon Micheal! Sorry I did not get back to you sooner. I have been so busy with my internship. They like to work you to death for very little pay. Alright Mr. Communicator, yes it is fine to call a woman a b word if they are not being a b word. If they are then watch out. However, generally no man should call a woman a b word. It is like African Americans. Here where I live they can call themselves or each other the N word. But I am a white woman and I would get killed or beat by an African American if I said the N word. Society is weird. The university I attended for 6 years is majorally black (That is not a good word either). I have lived through some tough times with the issue of the N word. I do not feel they nor I should use it! So I guess your question is answered. Sometimes it is okay for a man to call a woman the b word just not when they are being one. Did that help clarify your thoughts? Yes, paranoid is true but you are right I am not really as b*tchy as I would like sometimes. Have a great day Michael. I look forward to communicating with you soon. Laurie

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the very definitive response. Now we have the two bigger questions to answer. 1)Are the rules for woman-to-woman use of the "b" word any different than man-to-woman? 2)Once we get finished with "b" we can move on to "c," but as I understand it there's no questioning this one - men don't use the "c" word and women, well, I'm just glad that is not a decision that will affect me.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Michael, you have a great sense of humor! 1) Yes, it is not alright civilly for a woman to call another woman a b*tch. Where I come from those are fighting words. However, if a man calls a woman a b*tch I would think maybe she needs to take a life lesson from it. 2) Never ever is the "C" word appropriate for either sex. In my business you do hear it a lot as far as cause and effect to marital war. I wonder where the origin of that word comes from. Food for thought. I do not believe it is in the dictionary. :) I think words are made up to make people ugly... talk soon. Laurie

    ReplyDelete
  6. This may sound silly, but in the dog show world we use the "b" word to simply mean a female dog--male dogs are called a dog (?) I always felt uncomfortable with the word even in dogs--just has such an ugly feeling behind it, and would hear trainers use that word in a very nasty way... So weird to me!!!
    Some women use it proudly about themselves, I just don't get it. Seems they feel the "b" word means being tough and assertive ... Why is it that women who are stong are called a "b" ? Interesting subject!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Marie I understand how you feel about the word bitch. However, I use the word bitch in place of complaint. Men or women can bitch. It is not a word to feel ugly about. The word empowers one to complain. So I am not a bitch. However, I do bitch. I appreciate the interesting opinion! BitchingRead

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ah, I did not contemplate the word in that context--that use of the word does not bother me at all, I can B-- and complain when I need to and it is OK. I meant it in the context of a label ... funny how a word can be OK in one case and be totally "mean" in another!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Marie, glad I made you think. Yes, it is funny how the word is used. I have the blog BitchingRead however I am not a bitch. I just bitch. I have found that the word itself is misunderstood all the time.Infact, bloggers or tweets call me a bitch all the time. I think they like typing the word. :) Yes, I agree it can be used in a mean way that is not productive. Many words are misunderstood. Thanks for your input Marie. Have a bitching Friday!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey Laurie and Marie...I like how Laurie's approach can diffuse the often felt response to the word...it's like you are giving us permission to do what we all do at times and sometimes feel guilty about doing and then...you offer this forum that gives us permission to call what it is...b*tching!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking time to comment...with your help and feedback I will best maintain useful, interesting and thought-provoking content
Michael