I’m going to put a more positive spin on the Tuesday social commentary stuff this time.
On the heels of my “Be the Change” post, I want to talk about what the mega-rich, power elite political and business leaders (and their media puppets) are utterly terrified of… YOU! Not just you actually, but Us… seeing through how we’re being set against each other to the point of needless, senseless violence so that we don’t see how they’re robbing us, keeping us down and and outright working against us.
I’m going to use a couple of short clips from Rise of Skywalker to make the point, since something like this IS their worst nightmare:
Perhaps it’s more appropriate to say it’s HOPE that they’re afraid of. Because when hope rises at a dark moment like today, THIS is what happens:
Note the shock and contempt in the officer’s voice also when he says “It’s not a fleet sir, it’s just… people.”
For the record, I’m NOT talking about violence either. I’m talking about all of us standing up and saying “NO MORE” in one loud, unified voice.
No more corrupt government that thinks we exist to serve it instead of it serving us.
No more divide and conquer, spreading hate.
No more false solutions that only make matters worse.
No more politicians becoming filthy rich at taxpayer expense.
NO MORE putting giant financial institutions and mega-corporations ahead of people, the environment and smaller businesses.
No more pretending too big to fail doesn’t actually mean they MUST be dismantled.
The day we FINALLY stand united and say “ENOUGH!” is when the world changes.
Right now, it feels about like 25 seconds into that clip, where even Poe has given up hope. As that fleet’s arrival shows though, everything can change in an instant. We just have to want it bad enough.
That’s right, I’m going out on a MAJOR limb here and I’m going to talk about how to TRULY change the world, specifically with regards to race relations here in the U.S. as they currently stand. You’re either going to be offended or love this. It’s a long one, but worth it. 10 to 15 minutes of reading for the chance to understand other people and start to change the world.
First a “Why?”
Skip this if you just want the meat of the discussion. Those of you following my blog know I swore off social issues just under a week ago. I was tired of the venom, and how it all made me feel. I hate failing and quitting though. I’m also a firm believer that you’re either part of the solution or you’re part of the problem. Ergo, I had to take a hard look at the situation and ask myself how much of my failure was on my end. Looking back at my previous posts, I think the tone was too negative. You can be right as rain, but if you bludgeon people with it, you’re only going to alienate them.
Proverbs 15.1 – “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Notice there it does NOT make exceptions for how correct somebody THINKS they are. So, I want to try this again, at least one more time… See if I can reach people via speaking plainly but kindly, and no longer holding back some of my religious and spiritual beliefs for fear of alienating people. Being genuine and authentic matter. On with the show!
The Actual Post:
I’m going to primarily be tackling the subject of race in America, and what I think folks on both sides need to do to come together. The general theme of “Be the Change You Want to See” is true for how to fix all the world’s problems though.
I’m likely going to offend a few white folks, and a few black folks. My only goal though is to challenge you all to look at the problem through each other’s eyes and develop a greater understanding of things.
If you want to say I have no right to speak here, you’re wrong. This country was founded on the idea that EVERYONE should have a voice. That’s why the First Amendment exists, so that you and I both always have the ability to peacefully make our opinion known.
For what it’s worth, I’ve also lived all over. Everywhere from “The Hood” to nicer middle-class areas. I’ve had friends of all races and also seen firsthand the worst that all people have to offer.
I’m going to start with white folks. We’re the largest ethnic group in the country and have the most ability to effect change.
What White Folks Should Know:
First, I get it. If you’re like me, you’re probably a decent person who genuinely wants all people to be safe, happy and have the equal opportunity to work for success in this country. You’re probably also sick of being lumped in with Klan members, told you have no right to speak, told you’re automatically a racist by virtue of your skin color, etc… It’s frustrating and hurtful.
If you genuinely are a racist or Klan member, I’ll be unduly nice and simply say “repent”. Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus say hate people of other races. Quite the contrary. We’re ALL God’s children. Enough said.
The rest of you, I’d simply ask that open your mind and try to understand the frustration on the other side. Up till 1964, Black folks were still dealing with segregation. That’s just 56 years ago, and almost 100 years after the end of slavery and The Civil War. Millennial black people and their children still have parents and grandparents old enough to tell them what it was like to go into a diner and see a bucket full of axe handles and bats near the door or counter in case they “Needed to be put in their place”. Things didn’t truly get better till the mid 1970s.
Yeah, I know… YOU didn’t do that. I understand that. I believe most black folks understand it also. What I am asking you to understand is that the wound runs deep. There is a small percentage of us that are determined to keep that wound open also. Black folks don’t know if you’re a good person when they first see you any more than you know if that young black man is really into hip hop culture and rap, or a thug.
The first part of bringing about change is realizing that we’re all human beings and just want to get by and be safe in our corner of the world.
When you hear somebody arguing that it’s “Black Lives Matter” instead of “All Lives Matter”, they still believe your life matters also, it’s just that they feel so incredibly threatened by what’s happening that they believe extra attention has to be put on the black lives being lost.
When you get upset over kneeling during the national anthem, understand that it has nothing to do with disrespecting the flag, etc… It’s about waiting 100 years even after freedom from slavery and still not feeling truly equal in society. How far would YOU go to draw attention to the issue of your rights if the situation were reversed?
It’s easy to sit back and say that everybody has the same opportunity in America. Yes, black folks do have more opportunity than some of them have been led to believe also. HOWEVER, equal opportunity depends on an equal education for starters. If schools have poor teachers and no equipment, how good an education is ANY child going to get? Financial education is also important if somebody is to stay out of poverty once they start to get ahead.
It’s also a different world when you live or work in a poor neighborhood. There is a higher percentage of desperate people there, so the police ARE more inclined to view everybody with suspicion. I’ve lived it. I’ve almost had a cop draw on me during a traffic stop, and I got politely (which is more than many get) questioned by a cop when stopping at a 7 Eleven store at 2am also. Some black folks live this every day of their life. When people are distrustful of you, it’s natural to start wondering about their intentions as well. YES, there ARE legitimately racist cops out there also. It’s a small percentage, but they’re still out there, as this video shows:
That poor guy’s only “crime” was Jaywalking on a completely dead RESIDENTIAL street. Something everybody does. Despite the police claim that he “threw down his jacket and challenged them to fight”, the video only shows him taking it off and putting it down. Note that when the cop grabs him by the collar, his hands are still at his side too.
I was in Sacramento when that happened. There was NO hidden stuff you didn’t see, no ‘he looked like a suspect’ even. That’s why he ended up with a huge settlement from the city. I’ve seen similar situations elsewhere a few times. THIS is exactly why black people say they’re afraid of “walking while black”. So, I ask you to understand, if you’ve only had good experiences with cops, that’s not everybody’s luck. We have to do all we can to support good cops, but also make sure cops like this are fired and never allowed to carry a badge again.
That applies to the cops in the George Floyd case also. Yes, he resisted arrest prior to ending up on the ground. He may have had some hidden health issues also. NONE of that should be an excuse for pinning him for roughly three minutes instead of cuffing him. If proper procedure was followed, George Floyd wouldn’t have had those secondary issues kick in and / or died of asphyxiation.
The whole situation is more complex than most of us think. What we as a people need to do is show genuine empathy and compassion. Be willing to listen and try to understand where what you’re hearing is coming from. Ask questions like “I truly want to understand where you’re coming from, so please tell me about what led to you believing that?”
You’ll learn a lot more than you would assuming that the other person is only motivated by hate and / or laziness.
You may not be able to change the world on your own, but just by doing your own little part to be more understanding and consider the other side… just treating everybody the way you’d want to be treated, the world will take one step closer to being a better place. Enough people do it and we’ve brought an incredible amount of light into the world. I’ve used Bayside Church’s Christmas service candle lighting as a perfect example here:
This IS all it takes too. Laws (new or old) can’t change a person’s heart, and a person with a good heart doesn’t need a law to tell them what’s moral and just.
A Note For Both Sides Regarding the Media & Politicians:
I’ve ranted time and again here about the media (left and right) twisting the truth. There are plenty of posts with examples here. No need to repeat it all. I imagine some of them even think they’re doing good and forcing society in a ‘better’ direction. I honestly believe most are just exploiting all of you for the sake of better ratings. You’re being fed a constant stream of half truths to promote conflict. Anger, suffering and violence are good for ratings.
Politicans… They will LIE to your face and say ANYTHING to keep or gain power, and do NOTHING to effect real change. They’re ALL the same. Enough said.
My point being is that too many of us depend on these two groups for facts and to guide us to proper conclusions. Question everything, and actively seek the whole truth. It will likely be something you do NOT want to hear, BUT acknowledging the whole truth is the ONLY way to begin to make real change. I come from a law enforcement family. I hate acknowledging dirty cops exist. Purging them from the system is the only way to protect and honor the good cops though.
What Black Folks Should Know:
Yep, I had my run at white folks, now I’d like to talk to you. PLEASE read the first part for white folks also. It will help you understand where the average, decent white person who wants to support you is coming from.
First and foremost… Realize that the vast majority of white folks absolutely DO care about you, think your lives do matter, and want you to have the same opportunities as everyone else.
You know how it makes you so mad your skin crawls when some gang banger kills his baby mama, or does a drive by on a kid’s birthday party, and you hear some idiot say “See, they’re all like that?”…
Well, that’s how we feel when we’re told that we are all like that (racists), or that we have no right to talk about our relationships with you or other races.
It simply comes down to two wrongs not making anything right, ever. If you justify bad behavior by pointing at other bad behavior, all you’re REALLY doing is lowering yourself to the same level as those bad people.
I really do get that you have decades of frustration over everything. It sucks having to be the one to take the high ground when you’re the victim also. It takes strength to lead by example, the same strength that you’ve displayed by making it as far as you already have.
Something else to consider; there’s an old martial arts proverb that “action beats reaction”. So, in any situation the person doing the acting is more in control than the one who is reacting to what the first person or group is doing.
Now, as far as this whole silencing others thing goes… two quick counterpoints beyond what I said at the beginning of this post:
Have you EVER listened to anyone that told you to shut up and do as your told? Outside of parents or a drill instructor, I bet not. 🙂 Nobody’s mind is changed by being lectured and brow beaten, no matter how much they deserve it.
No matter how ignorant a person’s beliefs may be, you can never change them if you don’t understand what’s behind those beliefs, and develop some sort of rapport with the other person. If you try to relate to them they’ll try to relate to you. This is the same thing I was telling white folks that we need to do with you.
History is full of stories of wars and great generals, but who are the people that are truly remembered and honored? It’s the people like Jesus, Ghandi, Mother Teresa, and Dr. King and similar leaders that have had some of the greatest impact on the world, and without ever resorting to violence. Remember that when you get out there and protest. Protest you should too, but do it peacefully.
On that note, I know it’s usually somebody else that’s starting the looting. It’s usually Antifa and occasionally even a really bad cop setting things up. Just realize despite what the media is telling you, that white supremacists have very little if anything to do with it, neither does Russia, China and Iran. This is what I meant earlier by they’re playing ALL of us for the sake of ratings.
Run the looters out of your protests, call the cops on them or just avoid them if they’re too dangerous. Do NOT let them drag your righteous cause down with them. Antifa ain’t your friend either. All they care about is causing destruction.
I’ve got to touch on a couple of sensitive areas now. Please hang with me and hear me out.
One of the areas where you lose support from people of other races is when you support cases where it wasn’t the cops’ fault. A good example is the Stephon Clark case in Sacramento. Part of the problem with cases like this is the media reporting only half the story. Stephon was a victim of a broken system though, not the cops. He was seriously depressed, had relationship problems, and was on drugs the night he was shot. He ran from cops into a VERY dark location and they couldn’t see what he’d suddenly pulled out of his pocket. I was in Sacramento, so I heard more of the story than most of the nation. The shooting was a tragedy. That Stephon ended up in that situation was a CLEAR failure of the system to have some sort of a safety net where he could get help or counseling. A case can be made that better lights for the police might have helped too, among other things. The media outright reported this tragedy as an execution though, and exploited you simply for the sake of ratings from protests and grief.
Those times when it IS a case like that, be willing to admit it and work peacefully to improve police procedure and social services, or whatever may be needed to prevent future occurrences. It will improve your relationship with the cops if they feel you’re trying to understand their end also. Most cops are legitimately good people too.
OK, last point and it’s a TOUGH one. I’ve lived in the hood and seen it though. I went to a high school that was nicknamed “Blood Bank” because it was overrun with members of the Bloods too. There is a SMALL percentage of the black community that trashes kids who want to learn and get ahead as “trying to be white”, label people like Ben Carson or Herman Cain who do get ahead as an Uncle Tom or Coon, and that consider gang banging as “black culture”.
I reject all of that, and you should also. Education is the key to a better life. Saying learning is “acting white” is really saying black people can’t learn. That’s complete crap. Dr Ben Carson is one of the best brain surgeons in the world (if not THE best), came up from the hood, and is proof positive some of you are smarter than any dang white person. Anybody that tells you not to learn is trying to keep you ignorant so they can play you. It’s that simple. I believe most of you accept all of this already. It’s a small. loud minority of folks pushing that. Don’t let them. Black folks are every bit as smart as any other race.
Same goes with crime. I’m not going to say much here. We both know the vast majority of black folks are NOT gang bangers and thugs. Do your best to minimize those voices, for the benefit of your entire community.
Ladies, YOU have the power here also. The person a black man is most likely to respect and listen to is a strong black woman. I’ve seen young black women take control of their fellow students and settle a class down. I’ve heard stories of mothers pulling their sons out of gangs, etc… Its up to you to stand up, lead the way and help heal your community and the country.
Wrapping It Up:
I try to look fairly at every side of any given situation. What I see today is two groups of good people that are having an increasingly hard time talking to each other. We’re all victims of a past we had little to do with.
We both need to change some.
We both need to be willing to talk more and actually try to understand each other.
We ALL need to come together as a united and equal people and prevent a corrupt media and leadership from trying to get us to destroy each other while they screw all of us.
That’s Obama administration Susan Rice too. Remember her boss told Mitt Romney that the 80s had called and wanted their foreign policy (ie Russia as a threat) back?
It’s NOT just Democrats though. Take a look at an excerpt from this CNN article:
Rubio, who was appointed acting Intelligence Committee chairman earlier this month, tweeted Saturday he was seeing “VERY heavy social media activity on #protests & counter reactions from social mediaaccounts linked to at least 3 foreign adversaries.”
Rubio may have been basing some of his information on analysis from Graphika, a company that helped the committee with its report on Russia’s social media influence during the 2016 elections. Graphika CEO John Kelly sent information to Senate Intelligence Committee leadership on Saturday, which was obtained by CNN.
“Yes, we are seeing very active engagement with the issue from clusters of social accounts in the social media influence networks of Russia, Iran, and China,” Kelly said. “Our team is actively monitoring the situation now, including growing activity around the ‘Boogaloo’ movement, which is pushing for a ‘Second American Civil War.'”
CNN has reached out to Graphika for comment about what is behind their analysis.
Everything is Russia nowadays, from both sides. No doubt Russia, China and Iran are trying to have SOME influence also.
Isn’t it about damned time the government was held accountable and cleaned up it’s act instead of continuing to turn the public against each other? What the hell ever happened to “The buck stops here?” and any form of accountability?
Actually the answer there is simple. The public cares more about holding onto it’s petty fears and hates based on lies and manipulation. American Idol and Survivor became more important than the power brokers ruining society.
With everything in the news, I think it behooves me to write about being a cop, what they typically think, and are motivated by, etc…
First, I want to make it clear that I am NOT going to defend bad cops. There is ZERO excuse for what happened to George Floyd, as one example. It’s not always about racism however. Bad cops can be bad for more than one reason. Likewise, good cops can sometimes seem bad just by the nature of the job.
As a note about my qualifications to speak on the subject, my dad was a career cop… Long enough to collect TWO pensions. If I recall the count correctly, four of my martial arts instructors were cops as well. So were a handful of my fellow students. I talked to all of them regularly about what the job is like. I also spent the first half of the 90s as a private security guard, which involved fairly regular interaction with cops, and even breaking up a smash and grab robbery once.
So, I understand a good bit more than the average person on the street about what law enforcement goes through.
Side Note: I know I’ll get asked so… The smash and grab was a lucky escape for me, as it were. I was an unarmed officer but always carried a maglite. The facility I was guarding had a shop across the street for maintenance of it’s trucks. I drove over there to check it during my rounds and scared off three huge guys in a rental truck who had rammed through the chain link fence’s gate, and were breaking into the facility to steal all the tools and equipment they could. Between it being dark, my uniform looking similar to local cops AND my driving a black Ford, they assumed I was a cop, hopped in the truck and hauled tail out of there. It could have gone VERY different very easily.
What Motivates the Average Cop?
Just about everyone who becomes a police officer is motivated by the desire to help people and keep their community safe. Yes, sometimes racists, victims of PTSD and just plain people with anger issues get in, but this is NOT the majority of people in law enforcement. The vast majority are like Officer Greg Anderson, who was suspended for this video:
Where Things Sometimes Go Sideways:
First, there’s the painfully obvious need for better screening during the hiring process. This is complicated though for two reasons. First, some people are just VERY good at faking normal. Second, there’s a shortage of people willing to be police nowadays. Given all the crap the profession takes, I can’t blame folks for not wanting to sign on either.
The Realities of the Job are the next factor, and an even bigger one. Think about this: what other job are you going to be expected to become a human target and be required to actively and constantly put yourself between the worst of humanity and the general populace? Soldiers do, but do it with better armor, weapons and far less limiting rules of engagement.
Do you know two of the absolutely most dangerous situations for cops? Routine traffic stops and domestic violence calls. You never know if you’re going to get shot by some nutcase that you stopped just for a broken tail light or expired license “tag”. Likewise, domestic violence calls have a high probability of ending up with one or both parties involved trying to assault the responding officer(s). Often it’s even the victim who suddenly doesn’t want the aggressor hauled off to jail.
My point being that the job itself has a way of turning good people into cynics who suspect the worst of everyone. It almost requires it of them in order to stay safe. Every call, officers are dealing with people at their absolute worst, be it self-entitled ‘victims’ demanding justice all the way to hardcore gang bangers.
35 or 40 years ago, THIS would have gotten a person the wood shampoo and a trip to jail. NOW cops are supposed to just stand there and take it. If anybody did that to a normal person, it would result in a throwdown. Cops are expected to have NO personal space though even though the person in their face could quickly pull a knife, gun or punch, and is far more likely to do so against a cop than another civilian.
Should people be able to protest the police? ABSOLUTELY! There’s a right way and a wrong way to do it however. Burning, looting and scenes like the above just convince some folks that the cops were right and need to be heavy handed though. What’s required is alot more of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s example and a hell of alot less of the “Karen” antics in the picture above.
Unrealistic Expectations of Officers is another big problem. I blame Hollywood for this. Years of martial arts movies and action movies along with pop psychology have convinced the average idiot that any police officer should be able to fight like Captain America or Bruce Lee, and yet never hurt anyone. It’s gotten so bad that police are even criticized for using non-lethal options like tasers in cases of self defense.
The pop psychology aspect comes in with the expectation that police should be able to talk EVERY suspect into a completely peaceful resolution and everybody walks away happy. That works fine for shows like “The Rookie“. I genuinely like that show and we all wish interactions with law enforcement could go the way they usually do on the show. Reality is, people drunk out of their mind, stoned, or just plain mentally ill do NOT always make the most rational decisions. Sometimes these people are spoiling for a fight and are NOT going to give a cop time to do an in-depth psycho-analysis.
The ones stoned or drunk beyond all reason can be remarkably resistant to pain as well. A fellow student in my original karate school was mugged delivering pizzas. He kicked his attacker 3 times square in the groin with steel toe boots and hit him several times in the temple also. The counter attack would have crippled a sober person, probably permanently. Because the attacker was stoned out of his mind, he shrugged off all of it though. It was a one time thing for that fellow student, but something cops encounter on a fairly regular basis.
Tying it All Together:
What I’m driving at is that there are reasons besides racism that cops get heavy handed or cop an attitude. Stress, anger over others being endangered, and anger and fear over themselves being put in danger are often major factors. “Respect my authority” is often more about the officer feeling safely in control of a situation (and thus more confident they won’t be hurt) than it is as seen on South Park:
It’s one thing to get stopped for jaywalking across a major road, and even then that just merits a “Hey, stay safe and don’t do that again, OK?” This guy was stopped on a residential street with NO traffic. Even the facts that he argued with the cops and threw down his jacket don’t excuse it because there was NO reason to stop him in the first place. Nobody could even say he looked like a suspect for anything.
My point with this article though is to point out that it’s NOT always racism and that every white cop is NOT out to kill every black person they see. It’s usually more about the dangers of the job, fear and adrenaline. This is why black men are just as likely die at the hands of black cops as white ones.
Also, If it was ALL about black folks there wouldn’t be over 22 seasons of COPS filled with cheese whiz sucking white trailer trash getting manhandled, the dog released on them, and cuffed and stuffed also.
One of my previous blog articles also mentioned how *I* was ALMOST drawn on by a nervous cop during a traffic stop when I too hastily reached for my glove compartment to try to find my proof of insurance. I’m as white bread as a cracker can be too, LOL.
Does It Excuse Any Of It?
In a word, NO. It doesn’t matter if it was racism, PTSD, a god complex, fear and adrenaline, or a desire to “teach this perp a lesson” that got George Floyd killed.
While we DO have to realize that cops are human, there are professional standards that come with the job. Whatever MAY have happened that got George Floyd in that position on the ground (i.e. *IF* he had resisted arrest), once those officers had him under control, they had a moral and legal obligation to cuff him and put him in a vehicle.
When racism or other issues such as anger management or PTSD show up, they should be dealt with swiftly. Get the officer off the street. If they’re a bad cop, fire them. If they’re damaged and have PTSD or something similar going on, maybe they can serve at a desk job. When it results in something like the George Floyd incident, the cops should be buried under the jail. Period.
The Role of the Media
I’d be sorely remiss if I didn’t mention this factor. The media is FAMOUS here for stirring up drama to the point of riots. More than one case has blatantly had facts withheld by the media that would at least make a widely publicized incident look more grey, if not outright clear the cop involved.
Very few media outlets are questioning the narrative that Ahmaud Arbery was just out jogging and killed for no reason for example. They do NOT report that the man with the shotgun was a retired Deputy Sheriff who had arrested Arbery before, OR that there’s video of Arbery walking through a house he broke into. Likewise there’s no questioning why he would first keep running toward two armed men in the middle of the street, NOR why he attacked and tried to disarm the shotgun wielding former deputy. Or even that both shots went off as Arbery tried to wrestle the shotgun away.
Does that mean those men are innocent? NO. There’s still enough in the infamous video to merit an investigation. There’s an intangible feel to me also that they were looking for an excuse to punish Arbery. What I *am* saying is that there IS enough there though to establish some reasonable doubt.
The media wants race riots though. They equal ratings. People dying and losing their businesses in those riots? That’s just extra ratings.
CONCLUSION:
Remember that ALL cops are human, and only a small percentage are bad. It’s a VERY dangerous job, and it’s only getting worse for them with people thinking it’s OK to verbally and physically abuse them on an ever growing basis.
A little courtesy and polite behavior can get anyone out of most encounters with the police completely safe and unharmed.
Let’s focus on getting the bad cops fired or prosecuted where appropriate, while still supporting the good ones.
Want to know the rarely discussed conspiracy theory around one of the greatest movie franchises in history? The one only a few old time fans discuss? No, it’s not that Jar Jar Binks was secretly a Sith Lord and helped Palpatine engineer the clone wars (that one IS on YouTube). LOL
It’s that George Lucas didn’t actually write Star Wars at all!
The theory or story is that George Lucas was approached by an unknown third party with the manuscripts for (at least) the original trilogy. Lucas liked what he saw, bought the story outright from this mystery author, and went on to make a fortune from the manuscripts while leaving our poor unknown author to fade away in obscurity.
I’m going to take a rational look at this theory and it’s evidence here.
First, there’s the original 1976 copies of the books for Star Wars (A New Hope). All the early printings had a note on them that said either “Based on the Adventures of Luke Skywalker” OR “From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker”.
I owned a copy similar to this one LONG ago.
What IS known and admitted to is that Alan Dean Foster ghost wrote the novels for the original trilogy for Lucas. Part of his reward for that was being able to author “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye”, which was the only other Star Wars novel for ages.
Great book also.
The naming inconsistency between the New Hope film and novel is something that points towards Lucas and Foster working with an outside manuscript. Even in 1976, the movie was “Episode 4: A New Hope”, but the book (which actually was released shortly before the film) was not. Lucas otherwise kept VERY tight creative control and branding over the franchise for decades, but couldn’t keep his branding consistent at the start?
Lucas not writing the original manuscripts would also explain some of the inconsistencies with canon between the original films and the prequels. The biggest of which is how “the Force” is defined. In the original trilogy, the Force is described in terms that are nearly identical to the concept of chi / qi / ki / prana in Eastern cultures; “…an energy force created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us and binds the galaxy together.” Jedi seem to be equal parts Zen Buddhist warrior and Taoist chi wizard.
The other big indicator of a different author’s mindset is the infamous “Han shot first” drama over Lucas adding in an attempted shot by Greedo before Han kills him in the Mos Eisley cantina. That’s a BIG change in mindset by an author OR it never was Lucas’s belief system to begin with. The original author understood that when a known killer is holding a gun on you and says he’s marching you out of the building to kill you, it’s a reasonable use of lethal force in self defense to shoot them before they can shoot you.
Lucas gets typical West Coast far, far left wishy-washy on self defense and adds Greedo shooting first. Worse, he turns the Jedi into monastic unfeeling robots. The teaching of every Eastern philosophy that the Jedi were remotely based on is NOT that emotions are to be completely eliminated, it’s that they’re to be controlled. Unlike Catholic monks, the monks of most Eastern religions and philosophies are permitted to marry also. Part of my dislike of the prequels is in fact that Lucas’s ideas of the Jedi come across as the badly bastardized and distorted idea of Buddhism that exists among the new agey white folks on the West Coast looking only to virtue signal and pretend to be more enlightened than those around them.
The force… Reduced to a virus, or more accurately some microscopic symbiotic parasite. That from a energy source created by and surrounding all living things. The former is as unspiritual and illogical as you can get while the other reflects at least a casual understanding of martial arts or Eastern philosophy. It’s just FAR too big a change in view to make it likely that they both came from the same author.
We can also look at some of the things that were leaked EARLY on also. For example, it was known / leaked shortly after “The Empire Strikes Back” and Vader was first seen without his helmet that he needed his armor because he was disfigured in a duel with Obi-Wan at a volcanic site. Yet it took almost 30 years to see this come to life on the big screen. Either Lucas was planning far, far, far in advance OR he had a manuscript he was working from.
The tipping point for me came when a friend of mine actually talked to Alan Dean Foster. My friend said that Foster was cagey about outright confirming that Lucas was working with somebody else’s earlier work. He did confirm some of what’s known elsewhere though, such as Luke’s original last name was going to be Starkiller (hence the tribute name of the character in the game “The Force Unleashed”). Foster also said that (quoting my friend here) “alot of Lucas’s visions were borrowed”.
MY conclusions from all of this: Lucas VERY likely did buy the manuscripts from a third party. Lucas and Foster probably spent a great deal of time fine tuning the manuscript into a workable trilogy. A New Hope probably got the least amount of modification from the original as Lucas worked on getting it to the big screen. The other two likely got a little more.
So, do we go out and burn Lucas at the stake for profiteering off of somebody else’s work? Nope. We have no way of knowing exactly how close the movies are to a theoretical original manuscript. As somebody who has followed the franchise since it’s inception, I can also say unequivocally that the movies wouldn’t have succeeded without all the other work that Lucas put into it. Just about EVERY special effects technique used in film for 30 years following the original trilogy has it’s roots in Star Wars. Blue screen (later green screen) being one of the biggest example. It also takes connections and resources to bring a book or books all the way to a blockbuster film franchise. This alleged other writer doubtless didn’t have them and Lucas did. For all we know, this mystery author (maybe Foster himself) is also getting quiet royalty checks to this day from Lucas.
As an author and fan however, I *do* wish Lucas would have been more true to the original vision of the franchise.
I’m going out on a limb here, but I am soooo tired of the inflammatory rhetoric on both sides of this issue. I think it’s damned well time I try to inject a little common sense here.
I’m really tempted to rant at both sides individually, but I believe I’ll lose most readers so let’s skip the rant and get to the fixes. Novel concept in today’s society, eh?
First, you can’t confiscate everybody’s guns. Period. It’s morally and legally wrong to hold 43% of the US population accountable for the actions of a handful of lunatics.
Second, the existing laws have to be better enforced. In so many cases, there were processes that failed when they shouldn’t have, law enforcement agencies that dropped the ball regarding reports and warnings, etc… What good does making a new, stricter rule do if it’s also going to fail to be executed properly? You have to fix what’s broken to build newer systems on top of it. That’s just common sense.
Yes, We NEED New Laws Also… Better background checks that are collaborated between agencies so things are not missed. I’m very open to reasonable increases in restrictions also. Maybe waiting periods like here in California, with exceptions if an applicant can show a legitimate need for protection (domestic violence separation for example)
Red Flag Laws. I’ve been saying for YEARS we need these. I’m so pissed off at the gun lobby and the far right for saying that they wont work and saying that they’ll be used to arbitrarily take innocent people’s guns away. Don’t tell me it can’t be done! Find a way to make it work and set up processes to protect the rights of people who might be falsely accused. It’s WAY past time we got the guns out of the hands of mental defectives.
Mental health in General: This country has swung from the extreme of persecuting and in some cases torturing the mentally ill to the opposite extreme of excusing everything they do in the name of false compassion (ie enabling). It’s time to find a reasonable, compassionate middle ground. People who struggle with issues like depression who aren’t a danger and deserve our compassion and understanding. If somebody is a violent psychotic though, I want them locked up in a mental institution! It’s not prison, it’s having the compassion to protect them and others from their violent tendencies. Yes, we need to make sure said institutions are run in a way that gives patients human dignity also.
Quit Glorifying These Shooters and Giving Them Press! Far too many of these people leave some sort of statement or manifesto behind that they want to be famous, often like some other shooter or movie character. The Aurora Colorado theater shooter wanted to be The Joker. See above mental illness and red flag paragraphs there. If these folks know that their faces will never be shown and their names will never be spoken by the media in any way, they lose alot of incentive.
Gun Show & Private Sale Loopholes: Sorry, it’s not popular with other gun owners, but these need to be closed to prevent psychos from getting around checks. Gun shows dealers can set up background checks on wifi enabled laptops and private sales can be brokered though a licensed gun dealer like here in California.
Friends and Family of Shooters: Another one that’s likely to ruffle some feathers. Too many times though, these folks have gotten guns from family members either willfully or because they weren’t secured properly. If that’s the case during a shooting, the friend or family member should be tried as a co-conspirator. Harsh? No, it’s taking securing your weapons seriously. Understand however, I would NOT apply this to anyone who did make a real attempt to secure their guns (locked in a safe), and the shooter still got them. It’s a sticky subject, but people have to start being held accountable for their actions.
STOP THE HATE: This goes for more than both sides of the gun debate. There are so many issues, causes and beliefs out there than have taken to vilifying anyone who disagrees with any part of their dogma. Hate and fear are damned near a universal tactic now. It DOESN’T help the cause, it just makes you look bad, and undermines the cause. That’s true no matter how righteous you think your cause is. Worse, this kind of constant bombardment of hate, fear and negativity does take a toll on the human psyche.
Stop the Political Bullshit: Plain enough? Yes, there are almost as many extremists involved in these shootings as there are just plain crazy folks. Most are alt right, a fair number are also far left, like the Washington DC congressional softball team shooter. It’s NOT a left vs right thing, except for politicians trying to exploit this for their own power gain (and ONLY that). A comprehensive solution will take admitting shooters come in all flavors of mentally ill.
Responsible Gun Ownership: Gun owners, if you want your rights protected, you have to start putting your foot down when a fellow gun owner acts like a jackass. The guy who waltzed into a Walmart a few weeks back wearing body armor and carrying multiple weapons… Not to shoot anybody, but to show he had a right to bear arms. This isn’t protecting your rights, it’s trying to intimidate those who disagree with you and only makes people who fear guns further believe that gun owners are psycho.
This includes shutting down the idiots on YouTube that make videos glorifying destructive and dangerous gun use. Blowing up SUVs loaded with BBQ propane tanks for example (yes I’ve seen it). For every one of those videos, there are 10 more safely demonstrating how to use a specific gun, or how much penetration another gun has via shooting at wood or metal fixed targets. I’m fine with those. The rest of my fellow gun owners have to realize that these other bad apples are dragging you down with them. You can cut them loose or go down with them.
Gun Mentality Education: We need some sort of a public service campaign to change the mindset of people. Guns do not make you macho. They are also not self automated killing machines or tools of evil that possess their victims and prompt them to murder. A gun is a dangerous tool that needs to be respected. It has multiple uses including hunting and amateur and professional target shooting as well as self defense.
Improve Police Response Times: Yes this is aVERY real issue. It literally takes over 7 hours to get a police unit dispatched in my city sometimes. If you want people to feel safe in giving up their guns, they have to believe that when they need protection, the police will be there in minutes, not hours.
Punishment for Shooters: The draconian side of me says execute them right on the scene. Treat them as domestic terrorists as the Trump administration has started to do sounds good too (off to Gitmo), but there’s a question in both cases of suspension of constitutional protections. Once anybody starts losing those, it’s all bad. At the very least however, I’d make sure they spend their lives in solitary confinement and never get to become a celebrity inside prison or out… or even talk to another human being again. Execution should definitely be a possibility for them too. If they don’t respect life, there’s no reason we should respect theirs.
Alot of what I said came down “against” my fellow gun owners. I’m very second amendment, but we have to realize that all freedoms are balanced by responsibilities. We can’t yell fire in a crowded theater despite having freedom of speech. If we’re not willing to take reasonable steps to protect the public from the bad apples among us, we’re ALL going to lose our rights. Let’s do something now that weeds those folks out while protecting our rights.
You folks on the other side of this issue… I said it at the start of this post. When you condemn almost half of the population of the country for the actions of a few, you lose any pretense of the moral high ground and turn those people against any ideas you might have. It’s human nature.
My advice to you? Talk like human beings. Realize that people have valid reasons for owning guns. Collecting for investment, farmers protecting livestock from predators, women fleeing abusive relationships, people who sport target shoot, hunters in poor rural areas trying to feed their families, etc…
Education is the antidote to all fear also. Learn about guns, if only to discuss and debate more intelligently. Properly respected and handled, a gun is no more dangerous than a kitchen knife. Target shooting at a range is intimidating at first, but can be fun. You also learn things like an assault rifle is not a machine gun. It’s a class of rifle under 5 feet in length that came into existence around or after World War 1 when armies were finding their 6 foot long rifles impractical for fighting in tight spaces. The civilian copies are not the same as the military versions either. I’m not specifically defending assault rifle ownership here. I *am* saying understanding makes them a little less intimidating and you able to better discuss the issue.
Help promote the idea of responsible gun ownership also. Speak out against extremists groups. Remind responsible gun owners not to approve of the conduct of people with a Rambo mentality. Urge gun owners to keep their guns secured properly. And let them know you appreciate those who do it right. You’ll gain alot more allies than you will by kicking people in the teeth.
All that said, I’m done on this topic. I’m leaving the comments off with this topic because I know I’m going to have infuriated the extremist idiots on both sides of this issue. Most of them are also trolls with exceedingly poor reading comprehension who will take everything out of context as well. That’s if they just don’t blatantly lie about what I said. Ergo, no comments.
If you read and liked this at all, feel free to hit the like button or reblog me. If you disagreed, that’s fine also. Let’s just simply leave it at we respect each other’s right to their own opinion and keep things friendly.
Payoff for something hinted at a couple days ago. 🙂
Some of my readers may still think of comic books as a kid’s media. Reality is, that started going away in the 60s. They deal with all kinds of social issues and topics that would be considered more mature. They just also do it in a grandiose setting much like ancient myths. I’ve read them for decades, and I’ve seen the good and bad in the work. I believe there are multiple lessons for other writers to take away from them as well. So, here we go:
Begin with the end in mind: I know about half the writers out there at least partially fly by the seat of their pants. That’s OK, BUT, know the direction you’re heading. If you have an outline (mental or written) of how that final chapter is going to go, you will have an easier time getting your characters to that point. For better or worse, this is one thing the comic companies are good at doing. We have a 12 issue story arc that will end with X being defeated this way.
2. Think About the Long Term Implications of the Story’s Events: This is mainly for authors writing sequels. You never know when that one shot story or novel will inspire you to write more however. You may have fans push for a sequel also. This is something the comic companies have done very poorly since the 80s, hence all the reboots. Actions have consequences, even in good fiction. Destruction will cause public insecurity and backlash. Captured doomsday devices are potentially going to end up in wrong hands again, etc…
My favorite example here it Geoff Johns unleashing a whole rainbow of different Lantern rings on the DC Universe. It was pretty clearly, “oh this is cool, let’s take it a step farther” thinking with no thought for the impact on the story universe. So we went from Sinestro having a yellow ring, to him recruiting an army of yellow ringed psychos terrorizing the universe with the yellow rings. Then there were Red Rings based on rage, then came Blue rings based on hope, and Violet rings based on passion (not love), Indigo rings based on Compassion, an Orange Ring based on greed, White Rings based on Life, and Black Rings based on Death that reanimated dead characters as zombie black lanterns… By the time all was said and done, DC had the universe overflowing with various lanterns running amok. They had to go back and destroy most of the rings to restore some semblance of balance to the story universe. Recently, not having learned, they started doubling down and introduced non-visible light spectrum rings for hidden emotions like shame.
Learn from this. It doesn’t matter if it’s a spy story and the bad guy discovers our secret agent’s real name and that they have a family. There’s long term implications there of the bad guy repeatedly coming after the family, and selling the information to other villains so they can do the same. It’s OK to do that, just have a plan on how to handle it long term, like the family being relocated with new identities.
3 Every Character Should Have A Purpose: The comic companies have gotten big the last decade or so on throwing out new characters in the hopes of appealing to new readers. On the surface, that may seem logical. It’s really trying to side step the fact that the story telling is suffering. It’s treating a symptom, not the cause. The characters are frequently introduced with little though and poor or no backstories also.
Principle characters should have a decent backstory to define their motivations and goals. It can be as simple as the heroine works with the hero because they’re childhood friends and she has a secret crush. It’s a reason for them to be there, then all you need is what skills, observations, connections, etc… do they add to the story, and how those will come into play in the story.
Even minor or cameo character should have a reason for being there. The co-worker passed in the hall tells the protagonist about an event, etc… If they’re just there to show the office has a staff, they’re not needed in the story.
Note that major characters / the protagonist should have as much depth as possible also. Stan Lee talked about how what made Spider-Man successful was that it wasn’t his powers that let him win the day so often, it was Peter’s heart and scientific knowledge. The more clearly the character is defined, the easier it is to avoid that Mary Sue ending where the protagonist is simply better than the antagonist at their game.
4 Make your heroes actually be heroes and your villains be villains: A major failing of almost all mass media anymore. There’s precious little difference between protagonists and antagonists in so many TV stories, movies, etc…
A villain with depth is great. Magneto from the X-Men being a classic example. He has a cause, and a reason why he goes about it the way he does. At the end of the day though, he’s still a villain. The irony of the character that’s lost on many modern readers is that he was oppressed by Nazis so he feels justified in using the same logic and ideology as Nazis to protect mutants.
Nowadays, everything is moral relativism though, and some try to justify that as realism. It’s about as realistic as saying there’s no difference between a peace loving Muslim and a suicide bomber. Think about all the best selling books and movies in recent memory also. Every one of them had a hero that was standing up for what was right. Everything from Hunger Games to Avengers. The heroes may be flawed, and should be to some degree, but at their core, they’re still heroes. Likewise no matter how the villains try to justify themselves, or how tragic a character they might be, they’re still villains.
5 Do NOT Get Overly Preachy with Social Messages: Something the Twitter crowd doesn’t understand. You LOSE and outright alienate more readers this way than you gain. Comics have gotten BAD about this the last decade also. It’s the same kind of mentality that led Jussie Smollett to do what he did, with the same result that less people are going to be willing to listen to similar issues in the future.
Social issues have had a place in story telling since the dawn of time. Comics started with them in the 60s. They did a fine job up until the 90s also. My favorite old example is a Captain America storyline where the government tried to compel him back into gvernment service. It was a great story about the meaning of patriotism. Steve ultimately told the government to stuff it, and that while he believed in the country and the American Dream, the government had no right to control a citizen’s life. It was a good story that acknowledged the good and bad of patriotism and loyalty in general; how there had to be common sense and balance. Compare that with today how everything is about how horrible the West is while more and more of it’s critics flee TO the West.
Even when part of a story is racism or sexism; things with no upside… Don’t aggressively beat people to death with it, or portray any group as all bad. Yes, there are sexist men out there, but labeling every straight male in your story as a rapist is unrealistic and will alienate the average reader. Strive for a rational portrayal of social issues and you’ll reach more people.
OK, long post. Took forever to write also. Hopefully I gave some of my fellow authors some food for thought however. 🙂
OK, trying this one more time since it didn’t format worth a damned last time…
Anyway, some advice from Rudyard Kipling via PoetryFoundation.org
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
This one is going to be an odd mix of writing, movie review and spirituality, so be warned if it seems random, LOL.
Last night we finally went to see Aquaman. Great movie. The only recent DC movie that’s as good is Wonder Woman. There MAY be hope for DC movies after all. As a side note, I’m amazed that movies can turn second rate heroes like Ant-Man, Aquaman and the Falcon into real, butt kicking heroes with star power while they continue to largely languish as second stringers in the comic books. I don’t get the creativity gap.
Minor spoiler: The general plot of the movie focuses around Aquaman’s quest for the trident of the first king of Atlantis. It’s a vastly powerful weapon and is needed to prevent a war with the surface world. That’s as close to a spoiler as I’ll get.
What blew me away is the origin story for the trident and the story behind it being missing. It was 80% similar to past life memories I’d had years ago of living during the end of Lemuria. The similarities really rattled me. I tweeted about it once I got home also, and doubtless weirded out my pack or twitter followers, LOL.
Because of that, I wanted to explain a little. Past lives, like most things that fall into spirituality, are things that can’t be proven. I’ve also seen people become utterly unhinged studying the paranormal. More oft than not actually, it seems. ERGO, I never take anything at face value.
Past lives are a great example there. The easiest explanation is that it’s your subconscious trying to tell you something important and other ways of getting your attention have utterly failed. Standard psychology answer there.
Another common potential explanation among new agers is you’re picking up leftover psychic energy from that event and “seeing” things through a participant’s eyes. There are several other theories I’ve heard. The bottom line for me though is to stay grounded in reality.
I think it helps me that I have no spiritual “sight”. I just get weird premonitions and, in the case of past lives, things come back to me like a forgotten present life memory that’s triggered by something. They feel very real, but again with no real world proof or connection.
I asked my subconscious / higher self about the whole Lemuria thing and the answer I got was “write, and the answers will come”. If nothing else, at this point I know I have to start that spiritual blog now. It’s needed to help me finally come to terms with this weird, uncannily accurate intuition I have and the ability to pick up and be influenced by others’ emotions.
As for Lemuria… I still have NO real idea if this is some strange parable that my subconscious or the universe / God is trying to get through to me, something that I possibly did experience, or what. After that movie though, I’m more than intrigued and ready to try to find out more.
For what it’s worth, after I get that blog set up, I’ll only post this kind of thing there. I realize much of the spiritual community isn’t interested in erotica, and that erotica fans aren’t always interested in conspiracy theories and such.
I’m sure I’m confusing people on twitter with my moderate’s disdain for the political extremes running amok there. I’m grateful that some people seem to get it though.
My “No Politics” post didn’t make things as clear as I’d have liked. I have TWO big problems with politics and the way people talk to others:
1) Issues are NEVER as simple as the extremists and demagogues on either side make them out to be. For example, gangs are just one good reason for a border wall, BUT we have to overhaul our immigration system as well and allow good people a chance at the American Dream, take an honest look at what we may be doing to contribute to problems in Latin America, and see if we can do things to help them help themselves.
2) These extremists not only shut down thinking and discussion, they spread hate and poison. There’s a principle of metaphysics that says hate only attracts more hate and conflict. It doesn’t matter how righteous you THINK your cause is, if your answer is trashing and threatening violence against those you disagree with, you are part of the PROBLEM, not the solution. You are also actively working to make the world a DARKER place.
I keep saying be more like Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Theresa, Jesus, Buddha, etc… I have a perfect story that illustrates the point also. The Christmas Eve service is the one time this heathen is guaranteed to turn up at church. The closing part of the services; the same every year, are exactly why:
The Pastor talks about the need to carry the Christmas Spirit into and through the new year, and how the world is a dark place if everybody withholds their love, compassion and caring from the world. To illustrate the point, the lights are turned off in the chapel.
Now, everybody is given a candle entering the service. They’re all being lit as the Pastor speaks. He tells everyone to keep the candles low at first also; withhold their light from the world metaphorically. Then he starts talking about how people can be the light, and make the world a better place. Then all 3000 people (It’s a big church) hold up their candles. It’s beautiful and amazing the difference it makes
Afterwards everyone sings Silent Night and the service are over.
Watch the YouTube video through to the end and see if it doesn’t have the same impact on you as it did me. It’s alot of light, and it’s people wanting said light to better the world, NOT burn it down. THINK about that. Remember the people you disagree with are human beings with legitimate reasons for feeling and thinking the way they do. If you actually talk to them like human beings, you will PROBABLY find out that you have more in common than you realize once you get past artificial labels.
Think win-win and you can probably also find a solution that’s not perfect, but works for both of you.
Silk Chatters 