Sent to the editor of the Mensa Bulletin on 1/16/05, printed in March 2005:
In the January Bulletin Bob Gomola writes that active Mensans tend to be essentially unmotivated, which is what he claims enables them to be social. I must disagree: It is not only possible but advisable to be motivated AND social, as taking time away from endless work, if nothing else, enables one to gain some perspective on that work when one returns to it refreshed. Plus, making a wide variety of acquaintances of extremely high intelligence has another name that is very familiar to highly motivated people: Networking. There may always be "more work to do and something new to learn," but there are also always more places to go and people to meet - and one can learn many, many new somethings in those ways as well.
Jessica B. Burstrem
Gainesville, Fla.
Sent to the editor of the Mensa Bulletin on 1/16/05; printed in the March 2005 Internet Companion to the Mensa Bulletin:
Evan Jon Wright, I was just doing the same kind of exercise the other day. Here you go: "That 'that' that that student used in his paper is a little ambiguous."
Jessica B. Burstrem
Gainesville, Fla.
Sunday, January 16, 2005
On urban sprawl and what to do about it (printed in the Mensa Bulletin in March 2005):
I think that our urban has been sprawling in this country since its colonization by and the subsequent westward migration of Europeans and their descendants. It's part of our imperialist and property-honoring mentality: We like space and land, and we like to own it, so we have to spread out. It certainly has problematic roots, and the potential eventual loss of open, uninhabited spaces would be unfortunate to say the least, but it would be very, very hard to do much about it, deeply ingrained as it is into the mainstream American psyche.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Rush Limbaugh first read his revised "35 Undeniable Truths," which you may read, if you like, along with the originals, here, on Friday, February 18, 1994.
The originals were published in 1988 and are certainly outdated. They include, for instance, number seven, "There is only one way to get rid of nuclear weapons - use them," which is probably true, since doing so would also likely get rid of everything else as we know it; number ten, "Communism Kills," which is as true as "Religion Kills," "Atheism Kills," "Hate Kills," "Love Kills," or any other abstraction; and number eleven, "Neither the US, nor anyone else, imposes freedom on the peoples of other nations." Right.
Here are my (very sarcastic) responses to the most personally offensive of his revised "Truths" anyway:
1. There is a distinct singular American culture - rugged individualism and self-reliance - which made America great.
After we got done relying on the slaves to make White male individuals great, of course.
4. Evidence refutes liberalism.
The "right" evidence can refute anything.
8. The most beautiful thing about a tree is what you do with it after you cut it down.
Unless you're hiding behind it while aiming your gun for a deer, right, Rush?
13. Poverty is not the root ("rut") cause of crime.
It's sure not the solution to it either, since we still have both, and that's the only tangible evidence here....
15. If you commit a crime, you are guilty.
Except when your commanding officer tells you to do it, right, Rush?
16. Women should not be allowed on juries where the accused is a stud.
Why, studs aren't entitled to the benefits that accrue to them from their appearances? Then men should not be allowed on juries where the accused is a babe ... OR a stud, since that certainly wouldn't be a jury of his peers either....
17. The way to improve our schools is not more money, but the reintroduction of moral and spiritual values, as well as the four "R's": reading, 'riting, 'rithmatic, and Rush.
The way to improve our schools is not more religion or politics but the introduction of parents having enough time to teach moral and spiritual values to their kids so that the schools can get back to teaching rather than disciplining or indoctrinating their students.
21. There is something wrong when critics say the problem with America is too much religion.
But not when you say that the problem with another country is too much of ANOTHER religion, right, Rush? You know, like those people that want to elect religious leaders and have religious values made into laws, taught in schools, etc....
24. Feminism was established as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society (a carryover from the originals).
So you admit that there are a significant number of women who cannot access the mainstream of society? Would you call them excluded, perhaps? Have I written enough that I've become unattractive yet? Or was it being a woman writing in the first place that made me unattractive? How convenient if you could just push me to the margins now....
29. Liberals measure compassion by how many people are given welfare. Conservatives measure compassion by how many people no longer need it.
Then perhaps you guys should just start shooting poor kids. Wait, didn't Jonathan Swift write something like that?
30. Compassion is no substitute for justice.
Good thing we've got Christianity to preach moral and spiritual values like showing compassion to everyone who offends you and leaving the justice to God....
33. You could afford your house without your government - if it weren't for your government.
You mean your listeners can't afford their houses without our government?! Those freeloaders!
Sent to the editor of the Mensa Bulletin on 9/6/04, printed in Nov./Dec. 2004:
In the September 2004 issue, Louis Vierhaus wrote that there must not be a lot of unemployed people in this country because there have not been massive demonstrations for jobs in Washington, DC, in recent years. This reasoning is flawed; it would be equally fallacious to say that everyone who does have a job must be perfectly happy with it because nobody is striking. Instead, Mr. Vierhaus should consider that not having a job generally means that one is not earning money, and, as it costs money to travel, expecting the unemployed to prove that they are so by getting themselves to the capital first is irrational. Perhaps they are also too busy looking for work to take a trip right now. Whether or not that is the most constructive use of their time is, of course, dependent upon the answers to the same questions that prompted this letter in the first place....
Jessica B. Burstrem
Gainesville, Fla.
Sent to the editor of the Mensa Bulletin on 3/23/04, printed in the June 2004 Internet Companion to the Mensa Bulletin:
Re: Rap Music, March 2004
While I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. or Ms. Cuttle (such a pity that no completely generic, i.e. gender- and occupation-free, title exists) in his or her favorable opinion of the value of rap music in general, I would like to point out the oft-forgotten but crucial fact that dictionaries themselves are the product of, by nature, biased and fallible humans. Different dictionaries often provide very different definitions, especially when it comes to controversial issues. Just like people, there are conservative and progressive dictionaries. Thus someone using a dictionary as a source should, if they're honest, identify the specific dictionary and edition cited in order to give their audience the tools with which to make an informed decision about the amount of credence due to the argument.
Likewise, dictionary definitions, because they contain other words, are themselves based upon other definitions, which becomes a very tricky business as you move down the line. It's actually quite amusing to pursue the "real" meaning of a word through the definitions of the words in the definitions of the words (and so on and so forth) in its definition and to compare the results between a couple of dictionaries. Looking for somewhere to start? Try "gay marriage."
It is a philosophy of rhetoric that an argument by definition can be quite convincing if presented in the right way. If, for instance, I were to say that democracy means representative government, and you accept that, then how could you oppose children's right to vote?
Jessica B. Burstrem
jburstre@umich.edu
2/21/04, 4:30 p.m.
Bad news for tall dark handsome men everywhere: Barbie, the world's favorite specimen of tall slender busty blonde perfection, has just broken up with Ken after 43 years, according to PEOPLE Magazine (March 1, 2004, page 87). Apparently she has instead chosen Blaine, a "hunky Australian surfer." Perhaps once they've blessed the world with plenty of blond offspring, blondness won't seem so special anymore and we apparently too-typical brown-haired brown-eyed creatures will get to see more equal representation of our own characteristics in our children's playthings (and in the standards up to which they will hold themselves all too soon). Kudos to Barbie for providing us with another example of an older woman attached to a younger man, anyway: Barbie is 45; Blaine, 5.
2/16/04, 6:15 p.m. EST
The older generations of this country are still agitating about the Halftime Show, which has all been conveniently blamed on the woman involved, while OutKast's later performance at the "cleaned-up" Grammy Awards show, for which CBS apologized to Native Americans but not the rest of us who might have been offended by the misapropriation of someone's culture for entertainment purposes, has failed to garner the attention that it deserves. Meanwhile, my son is at risk of being corrupted by commercial and violent network television. All I have to say is thank goodness for public TV, and the rest of you can just disappear.
Sent to the editor of The Flint Journal on 2/2/04; printed 2/11/04:
I am a white female, a recent graduate of the University of Michigan, and a strong supporter of affirmative action, despite the race-based distinctions that Vaughn noticed ("Blacks, whites split by drive to ban affirmative action, 2/1/04). I recognize that affirmative action is an imperfect solution to some embarrassing problems - unequal opportunities and racism - but the problems are very real, and ignoring them is not going to solve them. Even the conservative U.S. Supreme Court recognizes this situation, and while their argument - that diversity enriches education - is valid, doing what is fair and right is more important to me. The American Dream is not yet accessible to so many Americans because the cycle of poverty is still so hard to break. Lack of access to equal means of self-improvement and advancement is to blame, and, for now, affirmative action helps a little. As I see it, a little is better than none at all.
2/1/04, 1:35 p.m. EST
Anyone who has ever studied even basic psychology should know the importance of the earliest years of a person's life to their future success. It has been documented in numerous research studies and is supported by scientific theories, but ultimately it is simply a matter of common sense. I describe the phenomenon as follows:
To what age do you date your earliest memory? For most people, it is around age three. Not coincidentally, it is at three that most people begin to have a real grasp on language. Human memories, you see, are established through language.
And how do we learn our language? We learn from the people around us. We cannot, therefore, learn what our caretakers do not know. Do you see where I'm going with this discussion? If our parents - particularly our mothers, who are still our primary caretakers in this culture - are uneducated, we will begin life with a disadvantage because we will have had less opportunity to learn during those all-important early years. Underfunded early childhood education programs for low-income children cannot solve the problem either, as they by nature can only afford to employ young, less educated workers who are probably only in that position because - guess what? - their parents are low-income as well. I believe that this difficult situation, more than anything else, is the reason for many people's economic problems in this country today.
So naturally the problems that are contributing to this particular problem need to be solved. You knew that this was coming, right? I support affirmative action because it's a solution to a problem that must be solved, and even an imperfect solution is better than none at all. (I don't like complaining, you see: I like constructive criticism. So if you can't think of a better way to do something than the way that it's being done, just KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT so that you don't distract the people who ARE trying to do something.) If we have to put an end to it, though - and the Supreme Court says that we do, in the next 25 years (see p.5) - we need to begin to forestall the problems that are making something like affirmative action a necessity.
Better funded early childhood education programs for all children, low-income or not, is one way, and it would benefit everyone too: First the children themselves, of course; then their classmates in school, who won't have to be subjected to a watered-down curriculum to accomodate them; later their employers, who will find training easier or even unnecessary and productivity higher; then consumers, who will get lower prices and be able to purchase more; next investors, whose stocks will increase in value; also the politicians, whose popularity will increase as the economy improves; and finally the elderly because those better-educated, more successful children will be taking care of them - and that's all of us in thirty or sixty years.
So tell your representatives that early childhood education is important to you, and then give a local harried single mother a call and offer to read a couple of books to her children.
1/31/04, 10:45 p.m. EST
I am concerned about the media's ability and willingness to create news. I am disillusioned by the hypocrisy of the party elected into power in this country, who, for instance, say that they push for less government but try to govern what people do with their own bodies; and say that they want to uphold the institution of marriage but try to prevent those who wish to uphold it themselves, instead encouraging those who would contribute further to its erosion; and say that everyone, out of patriotism and in a show of solidarity, should support our President through good times and bad once he (or she?) is elected, even though they certainly failed to do so for Clinton (and for Gore, who would be President now if they had). I am ashamed of people who claim to be Christians and yet presume to judge others in ways that only God has the right to do. I am saddened by the hatred that people allow themselves to feel in response to their own ignorance and fear. I pray for the lives of the poor mothers and fathers and sons and daughters that are bravely fighting in the name of this country a rich man's war that was supposed to be over and, for that matter, should never have begun.
On the subject of affirmative action:
Thursday, September 23, 1999
A man approached me this afternoon while I was sitting outside between classes to ask me to sign his petition. He was trying to get a proposal that would allow Michigan public school students to choose what school they attend on the ballot this November.
"So all of the good students will go to the good schools," I said.
"That's a concern that has been raised," he responded.
"And then the schools with less impressive averages and test scores will do even worse, and the gap will increase," I continued, "thus creating even more need for programs like affirmative action."
"You're not going to sign this, are you?"
"No."
It's an issue that I have thought about before - affirmative action. I don't really disagree or agree with it, for while I understand the need for it - one side of the argument - I also recognize that it is not exactly an ideal response to that need. My feelings on the subject are this: Wouldn't it be wonderful if all of the time and energy that is spent fighting about affirmative action were instead directed toward eliminating the need for it?
Sunday, July 27, 2003
And just so that we�re clear, I backed the University of Michigan 100% in their court case. The problems that affirmative action was meant to solve have been ameliorated some but are not gone. I have several stories myself of how my gender has caused people to try to hold me back throughout my life. Some may be offended by me talking about repression as a white person, but let�s not forget that women were historically considered nothing more than property and not even human just like slaves, and black men were even given the right to vote before women were. That�s why women were so active as abolitionists: They were in a better position to feel empathy for the slaves. Just like I believe that most people of "color" have stories like these, so do most women.
On the war in Iraq:
How we got to this place amazes me. If you all remember, at first it was all talk about fighting and punishing terrorism and the countries that harbored terrorists (again, with "not revealing" being synonymous with "concealing" here). It was about Osama bin Laden and the leaders of Saudi Arabia, who in my opinion have always appeared to have far more of a connection to September 11, 2001, than anyone else who has been implicated as evil along the way. Then suddenly it was like we were back in World War II: there was an "axis of evil" and a new kind of Joseph McCarthy. And then we were being herded like cattle or sheep and all of our anger and patriotism and fear were being redirected and it was all about Saddam Hussein all of a sudden, and I find myself wondering now: Why? Because that was a fight that we COULD (sort of) win? Or because it was finally taking care of those loose ends in the old family business? Hey, I�m as happy as everyone else that Iraq has finally been (sort of) liberated from Hussein. But I have to question if the move was wise simply from the standpoint of maintaining consistency as a nation. We charged in there because of the risk of a threat to our national security � and to our oil supply. In that case, Iran should definitely be next. And North Korea�s not even just a risk anymore � they ARE a threat, and they�re flaunting it. Moreover, if we�re going to start taking over other countries as a preventative measure, surely punishment for actual wrongs already committed must be worse, so Saudi Arabia�s definitely got some hell coming. But somehow it�s not the same with those countries, and it has still remained a diplomatic rather than military crisis with them � for now.
There are still American troops in Afghanistan, and now there are American soldiers heading to Liberia too. 250,000 members of the Reserves and the National Guard are on active duty. Our military is being spread very thin. If anything else, though, September 11th should have taught us what Pearl Harbor apparently didn�t: Attacks CAN and DO happen on American soil. Would I be putting us at any greater risk by saying that, now that so many of our servicemen and women are out of the country, it�s a better time than any for another terrorist attack? I don�t think so. I think that our enemies have probably already noticed it themselves � probably even expected it. Of course the nation who polices the world is going to send out more reinforcements � but who�s going to protect the stationhouse, folks? Maybe it is time for a draft after all. I�ve got a child now, but otherwise I�d serve too. I�d stay right here and stand at the door to my country and protect it for all that I�m worth. But who knows � maybe I�ll have to do that anyway. Maybe we�ll all end up doing that, and maybe it will happen sooner than we think.
Saturday, July 26, 2003
A lot of people criticized the celebrities who used the Oscars as a forum for expressing their political views on the war in Iraq. Some of them, it seems, disapproved because of the nature of their views, but I�m not going to address that right now. I am responding to the people who don�t think that celebrities should voice their political views publicly at all, calling it abuse of power. I strongly disagree. I think that celebrities, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, have every right to express their opinions to anyone, anywhere, at any time. In fact, again LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, AS AMERICANS, they have a responsibility to do so. I commend them for providing the rest of us with such a good example. Furthermore, they have more to lose than the rest of us because their entire livelihood depends on their image, but rather than being vague in order to avoid alienating anyone (hmm, like a politician), they are true to themselves, and that makes them far more admirable in my eyes � EVEN if they are expressing views with which I might disagree.
It is particularly disturbing to me to see people saying that celebrities are not qualified to express their opinions on the war because most of them are less educated than those at the top who are running it. Do I really need to explain WHY it is so troubling to me?!
We have all heard stories of people who were beaten to death while a crowd of onlookers did nothing. We call the folks who do get involved in such situations �heroes,� which in and of itself indicates that most people turn the other cheek to wrongs and injustices. Some say that the Bible advocates doing that, but in my opinion not standing up for what you believe to be right is the same as denying it, just like not objecting when a bully teases someone else is the same as participating in the teasing or not telling the truth is the same as lying. The Bible only advocates turning the other cheek to someone who has committed a wrong against YOU � in other words, leaving the justice part to God. The Bible does not advocate silence in the face of disagreement. It actually demands that followers of God evangelize for Him, which presumably would involve speaking what you believe to people who do not agree with you. How do you suppose the martyrs died in the first place?
I believe that God WANTS us to question our faith. Why did he allow Job to be tested? Why did he allow Adam and Eve to make their own decisions? He knows that only a test of faith will weed out all but the true believers, and THEIR faith will be made stronger through that crucible and thus enable them to hold fast to it through the really hard times that are an inherent part of this life. It is unquestionable that the last thing that God wants any of us to do is to NOT state our beliefs � to deny them. That is what Peter did to Jesus three times, and he has never been hailed for it. Peter knew that what he did was wrong, so why don�t we?
All I will say about Iraq for now is this:
There has not been a lot said about Pfc. Lori Piestewa in the headline news. For those of you who don�t know HER whole story, she was Pfc. Jessica Lynch�s best friend. She too was still alive when the Iraqi soldiers pulled them from their wrecked vehicle, and what actually happened to her after that is also unknown. But unlike Lynch, she did NOT come home alive. Lori Piestewa was the first American female EVER killed in battle. AND she was a Native American � and a SINGLE MOTHER, to two very young children. She, like so many others in the military these days, joined in order to provide for her family, and in the end it deprived them of the most valuable provision that they had: their mother.
But the military WANTS people like Piestewa to join. With all of those financial incentives, they are marketing themselves directly to people with limited opportunities like minorities and the poor. The result is disturbing at best: There is an underclass fighting all of this country�s battles. We are selectively putting our Native Americans, Hispanics, blacks, and poor people on the front lines while the rest of us watch from the comfort of our upper-middle-class living rooms. There is a �joke� in the South Park movie about an all-black unit being put on the front lines and strapped to the outside of tanks and airplanes to protect the more valuable military assets, presumably based on this country�s historical tendency to do just that. (Heck, in the Civil War the slaves were in the majority among the people who fought for the South.) But guess what, people: That tendency is NOT just historical.
It has been proposed that veterans be given hiring preference for civil service positions (an idea that is interesting in and of itself in light of the recent outcry over affirmative action). Obviously that would only make this problem worse. On the other hand, a draft is not the right answer either, because I have no doubt that the rich could still buy their way out of that, one way or another. Still, this situation is something to which this country really needs to give some thought as we become increasingly militaristic. And for heaven�s sake, pray for that poor dead woman�s kids.
From 12/07/98, 4:30 pm EST and earlier:
Sometimes in high school I used to watch this science fiction drama on FOX about four people traveling through "wormholes" in another dimension to parallel worlds that were often very similar to our own. Their purpose: To find this world again. It was called, "Sliders."
In one episode, they actually did land on this world, but by some fluke they only had sixty seconds to decide whether it truly was this world before they had to either slide through another wormhole or stay here forever. Suddenly a newspaper blew by, and one of them picked it up and read the headline of the top story aloud: "O.J. Simpson on trial for murder." They didn't believe it and chose to slide. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
So what would the sliders see if they landed on our world and read the front page today? "Republican leader announces expectation of president's impeachment," "Online textbooks increasingly replacing printed page," and "Hoffa takes helm of teamsters' union." What a strange little world we are living in.
Hey, folks! Get ready for some hypocrisy!
I have just decided that the media has waaaaay too much control over our minds. How so, you say? Aha! Let me answer that question with a few of my own. To begin with, who chooses what stories make the front page of the newspaper or the first few minutes of the news on TV? Who chooses what stories to cut out altogether? Even I don't include even most of the details of the news or the other sides of the issues right here on this web page. So where is all of this going, you ask? Simple: Click here to read about something that you should have heard about on the news.
You know, people, we could find ourselves in the midst of a war just about any time now. What if it was a full-fledged war this time instead of the "operations" or "crises" that we usually have? Do you know anyone who's taking a year off to work before starting college? He could be drafted next week to be sent to serve on the front lines in Iraq or maybe even North Korea. He could even be killed.
Imagine that.
At the same time, I'm not surprised that Saddam Hussein is not cooperating with U.N. weapons inspectors. I mean, what does he have to fear? That the United States will back down on its threats of military response again? As much as I dislike violence, it is my opinion that we should always stick to our word, however wise or unwise it was.
What is it about tradition that is so darned attractive to some people? In the British House of Lords, the lords are not even allowed to wear remotely modern clothes!
Lately some pretty significant concerns have been raised about legal jurisdiction on cruise ships. If you're unfamiliar with the issues involved, Click here to read a NEW YORK TIMES article about it. Bottom line: Be really careful if you go on a cruise - especially if you're female.
"A review of New York City Police Department records shows that officers found guilty of domestic abuse... are rarely fired, and that some are punished with suspensions of just 15 days--the same penalty given to officers caught sleeping on the job or taking an unjustified sick day."
--November 1, 1998, THE NEW YORK TIMES
!!! Watch how much fuel and other energy resources you use, for never in the entire history of this country have we consumed more energy than we are right now.
In my prayers: Dr. Barnett Slepian, an obstetrician and abortion-provider of suburban Buffalo, NY, who, according to the New York Times (10/25/98), "returned home from synagogue Friday night with his wife, Lynn, and greeted his four sons. Then he stepped into his kitchen, where a sniper's bullet crashed through a back window and struck him in the chest, police said."
Some people say that history repeats itself. Some say truth is stranger than fiction. Well I've got a true story that reminds me of fiction that was based on history. It's pretty scary.
These days it seems that everyone has read THE CRUCIBLE. We all know about the Salem witch trials of 1692, and the Senator Joseph McCarthy-led treason trials of the 1940's and '50's, and the current problems with child abuse investigations that often cause them to be portrayed as "witch-hunts." Now there's another one for the list.
As you read this, hysteria is sweeping Indonesia. It has been for months. Any person even just suspected of being a sorcerer - outsiders, those lacking identification, non-Muslims - anyone really - is beaten and burned or beheaded, then, naked and misshapen, dragged through the streets of the city, head mounted on a bamboo stake. People line the streets for miles, and the parades last for hours.
They ascribe their actions to the service of God.
It all started when sorcerers were blamed for the unsolved murders of dozens of Muslim leaders. Now the cycle of retaliatory killings has escalated to the point at which it is completely out of control. Over 150 people have died, and the law can do nothing.
I am reminded of the end of Homer's ILIAD by the headless corpses dragged through the city streets, as there is a similar scene in Book XXIV, when Achilles, in his ceaseless wrath over the death of his friend Patroklos, abuses the body of Hektor, the great Trojan, for days on end. The heads on stakes are reminiscent of Conrad's HEART OF DARKNESS and Golding's LORD OF THE FLIES, both very dark books about how civilized man, left in the wilderness too long, will become completely barbaric.
And hasn't just about every horrendous ethnic cleansing been attributed by its perpetrators to the service of God?
And then there are the revenge murders. How many great works they bring to mind! in particular the three plays by another Greek poet, Aeschylus, that are called THE ORESTEIA ("Agamemnon," "The Libation Bearers," "The Eumenides"). Agamemnon kills his daughter, so his wife kills him, so their son kills her, so her ghost sends the black relentless Furies after him....
A newspaper reporter asked a few of the vigilantes how to tell who is a sorcerer, and was told that if he flees and tries to disappear, that is the proof.
But how is it that any of them can be caught then, if they have the ability to make themselves disappear?
Well, they reply, sorcerers are unable to use their magic in the presence of a Muslim leader who knows about it, hence if they don't disappear, that is the proof as well.
Read more about it.
Return to Jess's Home Page
© 1997 Jessica B. Burstrem
