garytalksaboutstuff-blog

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My Thoughts on: Evergreen State College

Damn. So, I’ll be honest. I’m a little too exhausted to go and give any background on this issue. There are plenty of sources to look up. I promise to do better next time, but I’m doing a pretty intense summer semester. And now, my not-so-important opinion on the topic!

For a decent part of my life, I had considered myself a strong liberal. I had felt that all conservatives were evil and could not back their opinions. I was the classic “entitled liberal millennial” to the point of absurdity. However, while I still consider myself very left leaning, I am far from being an extreme liberal anymore. The reason I talk about this is because it is stories like these that humble me. They remind me that there is no perfect ideology.

With all of the information out on the protesting, I cannot stand by the students here. Many of the videos I watched were from the students themselves. And they did not make themselves look very good. Now, I have never had an issue with discussion and debate. But from what the students were doing, they were yelling. They were doing nothing productive.

It seriously hurts me whenever I see stuff like this on the news. It really puts liberals into a terrible light. At least with many of my friends that are liberal are always down for discussion. We are often respectful and we wait for the other person to finish their points before we chime in. These students do not represent liberals as a whole. However, they definitely didn’t do much to help. It is often important to remember instances like these do not discredit a whole ideology. This even stands for people you disagree with.

[garytalksaboutstuff-blog]

My thoughts on: YouTube vs News Outlets

YouTube has always had a special place in my heart. Growing up with the internet, most of my time spend on the internet has been on YouTube. The platform has truly become something great. allowing many creative people the ability to take their talents and turn it into a full time job.

As many people already know, YouTubers are paid through ad revenue. The more views, the more they are paid. However, recently there have been some news articles that are attacking this system. The argument that some of these news sites share is that these ads are being place on some controversial videos. This has resulted in many major companies pulling their ads. And with YouTube’s current financial situation, this could hurt the platform.

From what I understand, YouTube has been losing money since Google bought the company. YouTube is not very profitable. This has resulted in YouTube implementing many automated measures to combat issues such as copyright and offensive material. This on its own has resulted in much controversy, where many channels are being falsely punished due to this system. That, however, would be three posts on its own.

What really surprised me was a strike that was recently given to Joerg Sprave, the man behind the Slingshot Channel. I’ll concede that I’ve been a fan of his for a while, so my opinion may be a little bias. His strike was received after a popular news platform published an article about how his videos promote violence and terrorist acts. The video in question is one where he tests a “stab-proof” vest sold on Amazon. According to Joerg, the video was never meant as a “how-to” video for terrorists and trouble-doers. It was meant to show the false advertising on the vest. From the test, he found that the vest was extremely ineffective at blocking his knife.

I personally saw the video and I completely agree with Joerg. The article in question is called “Google blood money: Web giant cashes in on vile seven-minute video showing ‘knife expert’ penetrating a stab vest like the one worn by murdered Westminster PC”, They call for the removal of the video. This article is one of the many examples of the deteriorating nature of news outlets. Unfortunately, factual and impartial news articles don’t get the views. Only the articles that stretch the truth and make outrageous claims do.

Now, the question is: who’s fault is this? It’s important to remember that there is never an issue where a single group is at fault. It’s easy to blame the news outlets, but there are also other players in the game. We could also look at YouTube because they are the ones who caved to the news article and removed the video. We can also blame ourselves. We as the consumers don’t give enough support for factual and impartial articles.

So, who’s fault is this? I don’t know. All I know is that we need to find a solution. YouTube has become the career for hundreds of creators. If we want to see some of our favorite creators continue doing what they do, we must look towards fixing these issues. These are people’s livelihoods at stake. The least we can do is voice our opinions and tell these companies and news organizations what we think through as way that they will listen: With our views, or the lack there of.

[garytalksaboutstuff-blog]

My thoughts on: Dear White People

Yeah, I’m about to jump onto the current bandwagon talking about the trailer. I’m honestly a little nervous talking about this as I’m sure many people are going to disagree with what I think. But I hope people will hear me out when I say that I feel that boycotting Netflix is a knee-jerk reaction to something that we do not have enough context about.

I want to start off by saying I understand why people are upset about the trailer. When MTV released their horribly racist video with the same title, many people were rightfully angry. Right now with all the conflict from the election, it is extremely hard to not fuel the divide. And honestly, we’ve all been seeing a lot of cases of “anti-racism”. But I want to talk about why I don’t think we know enough about the TV series to declare it racist.

I want to start off why I understand why I understand, and in some ways agree with the outrage. Firstly, one of the writers is a guy named Jack Moore. Just spending a couple minutes of twitter, he definitely isn’t the most calm figure. He definitely seems like the anti racist type who thinks all white people are racist. This can be shown with some of his tweets. Here’s an example of his rhetoric.

https://twitter.com/JackPMoore/status/796216633177972737

If you do not want to support the series because of this guy, I understand. Just recently, the main writer for the series, Justin Simien, did just tweet about Jack Moore and his help in creating the series. It’s clear that Jack Moore has done a considerable amount of work on the series.

Also, afterwards, if Netflix releases the series and it turns out that everyone’s suspicions were true, then I would completely understand the outrage.

However, I feel like we still don’t know enough about the whole story to jump to conclusions yet. We’ve only seen a few scenes from the actual show. Some people are angry about the blackface that is shown within the trailer. Some people claim it overgeneralizes white people and their use of blackface. I am huge on context. I want to find out the context. The trailer doesn’t show any of this context. Now, I haven’t seen the movie that this is based off of, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. I’ve only heard about others who have seen the movie. A reason why blackface is used is because a black student sends out an invitation to a party that advocates for this. Maybe the message from this is to show the damage from fake racist attacks. I remember a story not too long ago about a waitress who personally wrote a racist message onto her own check that sparked some outrage. Maybe the film was trying to call out this type of behavior.

In the end, I’m not going to tell people how to think. If you still believe this series is against your beliefs and want to boycott Netflix, more power to you. But I do hope I’ve provided some insight.

[garytalksaboutstuff-blog]

My Thoughts on: The Berkley Riot

Man, can’t we have a single day where no one has to get hurt over their opinions? I want to start off saying that I believe everything that happened was not a “peaceful protest”. I believe that anyone who believes this is a part of the problem. The only outcome of what happened is those who you disagree with now have more reasons to ignore what you have to say.

I don’t like Milo. I generally disagree with a lot of what he says. However, I also believe that anyone should have the right to speak about what you believe in. What happened at Berkley was a disgrace. It was a disgrace to those who fight with words instead of fists. Nothing good will come from this senseless violence.

I’m going to reiterate about something I’ve already talked about. There are many who still claim “peaceful protest is ineffective”. This is wrong. Peaceful protest is the only protest that has any power anymore. From the Berkley Riot to the punching of an alt-right speaker, it only accomplishes the opposite of what you stand for. Remember Keshia Thomas? She was the black woman who was photographed protecting a KKK member from an angry mob.

This should look familiar. Many of us have seen this image. It is one of the rare moments where someone is willing to fight using a message of peace and humanity. Now, think back to the video of the alt right member being punched in the face. Who was more likely to change for the better, the KKK member or the alt right member? This is a loaded question. Within weeks, the story of the alt right guy getting punched in the face will be brushed under the rug. This image has still been relevant since the day it was taken.

At times like this, we need some more love and compassion in this world. I believe that we all can live in a world where no one has to get hurt over their opinions and beliefs. I want to get rid of the “us vs them” mentality. I want to see people get along.

Who knows, maybe I’m just a delusional college student that has too much hope in this world.

[garytalksaboutstuff-blog]

My Thoughts on: The Women’s March

I’m going to start this off with a quick note. I 100% support the right to protest and I commend those that are out there trying to spread your message.

So, right now there are strong emotions flying about. The first thing that bothered me in media were all the people opposing the march. I’m trying my best to sympathize, but anyone who actually believes this march is wrong or unjustified needs to take a good hard look at what they truly believe. If the idea of thousands of people peacefully protesting bothers you so much, then you need to learn how to take opposing views better.

I’ve heard quite a few people say things like “these protesters are acting like children” and “this will get nothing done”. First, the right to peaceful public assembly and protest is in our bill of rights. Those in the march are excising a right. Second, there are many cases in history where marches and protests have resulted in a lot of progress. From the Civil Rights movement to Women’s Suffrage, don’t let anyone tell you that this is all for nothing.

I would like to point out that I completely support PEACEFUL protest. If protesting ever leads to rioting, then it is no longer a protest. For example, there has been a video circulating where an Alt-Right figure gets punched in the face on live television. This is absolutely unacceptable. I personally agree with virtually nothing the Alt-Right movement stands for. From what I know about the guy who got punched, he’s a pretty awful person. However, the person who punched the man in the face deserves to be charged for assault. And anyone who is cheering on the person who uses unnecessary violence to spread a message needs to take a good look at themselves as well. Some people are saying it’s justified because “he’s a Nazi”. Just imagine for a second that a prominent Democrat is punched in the face on live television. Just imagine how you would react if there were people cheering the aggressor saying things like “He deserved to be punched in the face! He’s a liberal.” Same situation. Both are the completely wrong approach to spreading a message. And for those who claim that “we are more right than them”, no. I’m going to need more than that.

Overall, as long as these protests end in peace and the communities where this is all happening remains unharmed, then march on.

[garytalksaboutstuff-blog]

My thoughts on: Child Abuse in Hollywood

So, I just spend most of my Saturday evening binge watching random documentaries for hours on end. I ran into one that is called “An Open Secret” by Amy Berj. The overall issue discussed was the problem of pedophilia in Hollywood by many big name people. Long story short, it’s messed up.

What caught my attention was how they showed this one case of what seems to be a child trafficking ring, but no one was really punished. In the epilogue, they gave a statement on what happened to some of the pedophiles. And none of them were really jailed for any real amount of time. They even mentioned Bryan Singer, the man who directed the X-Men movies. One of the victims claimed that he was at one of these events where they were sexually abused.

My question is, why are none of these people being held responsible? For God’s sake the man recently released a new X-Men movie last year that ended up being the third highest grossing film in the series. Theses exists evidence of this man abusing children. Why is no one up and arms about this?

One user that watched the video claimed how this is because no one cares. At first I was pretty shocked, but then I realized that he/she were right. This documentary only has a few thousand views on YouTube. Otherwise, I’ve never even heard about it until someone posted the link. On Rotten Tomatoes this film currently stands at a 93% rating (while I agree that you should remain skeptical on what critics say, that doesn’t mean their words mean nothing). And in my personal opinion, it was one of the best documentarys I’ve seen in a while. Why is there no one watching it?

Some people claim that this is a result of people just not wanting to talk about gross, controversial, or simply uncomfortable topics. I can see this point of view. In the film, they talked about how if you support the movie industry, you are supporting an industry that abuses children. And to an extent, I believe that. This documentary was not the only documented case. There are sources everywhere telling the stories of these victims. But, no one wants to be told they are doing something wrong. I personally love movies. A lot of people love movies. It’s a pretty bold statement to tell the millions of movie goers that they support child abuse (which I believe is an overgeneralizing statement).

What I want is not for people to stop going to movies. I want people to actually become more proactive in finding these subhuman beings and bringing them into justice, even if that mean arresting a Hollywood billionaire. I’m going to provide a link to this documentary so anyone reading this can make an opinion for themselves.

[garytalksaboutstuff-blog]

My thoughts on: The New President

Man, everytime I look at the news and read a new news story about everything that’s going on, it breaks my heart. Specifically, it makes me incredibly sad to see how divided everyone is now. Over the course of this election cycle, I’ve seen so many fights break out. I’ve seen friendships end. I’ve seen so much violence. This has to stop.

One of the first things we are taught in elementary school is to have respect for everyone and their opinions. No one deserves to be physically harmed for what they believe in! This includes Trump supporters. I want to disclose that I am not happy at all about the outcome of the election. I am scared to see what happens these next few years. I disagree with Trump in many issues. HOWEVER, whenever I see stories about a Trump supporter getting jumped and egged, I express how much that makes me upset.

I am all for protesting. I believe it is a very effective tool to let your voice to be heard IF USED RIGHT. I’ve been seeing so many posts about how nonviolent protesting has “failed us” and how we must “resort to violence”. Unless your life is in danger, you do NOT need to resort to violence! One bad side effect of violent protesting (other than people getting hurt of course) is it devalues your message as a whole. You are giving the opposing side fuel for the fire. Whenever people think about your message, all they will look at is the violence.

This is what happened to Black Lives Matter. I honestly agree with a lot of what they stand for. I do believe the prison system is incredibly discriminatory towards people of color. Studies have shown that while youth of any race are equally as likely to cause crime, black youth take up the largest percentage of our juvenile system. I do believe that racism still exists in many aspects of life. However, whenever I have a discussion about BLM, they only discuss the case where BLM protesters blocked a freeway which resulted in a death of a father in need of medical assistance. They completely discount anything that group stands for.

Something I saw on Facebook that infuriated me were some Trump supporters who were bragging about how much Democrats are going to be underrepresented. Our current system for government does not do a good job at equally representing everyone’s views. We ended that last election with a massive vote difference in favor of Clinton. I’d argue about how the electoral college has failed us, but that will be a discussion for another day. And seeing how the Republicans took the presidency, house, and senate, I agree that Democrats are going to me MASSIVELY underrepresented for the next few years. It disgusts me how there are people essentially bragging how a flawed system is benefiting them. Just imagine how everyone would have reacted if the election turned the other way.

Now, I’m not demanding that Trump shouldn’t get the presidency. He won with our current system. As the saying goes, don’t hate the player, hate the game. I’m just asking for a bit of sympathy when looking at the opinions of those who you disagree with. If Trump won popular vote, but Clinton won the presidency, I would personally join the protesters trying to get rid of the electoral college. If the Democrats won the majority, I would personally fight for the Republicans to get proper representation. At this time, I will fight with the Democrats even though I don’t consider myself one (I don’t really consider myself as a Republic either by the way).

What I’m trying to say is we really need to keep everything civil. I understand those who are frustrated. I ask those who are frustrated, upset, or hurt by the results of the election to remember this feeling. Remember that there is a better future to strive for. For those who are excited, I ask that you help contain the excitement. I understand that feeling are high right now, but try to keep those who you don’t necessarily agree with in mind. Now is a time to offer some support. Now’s not a time to gloat, fight, or ridicule. I’m sick of seeing the divide. I want to finally see everyone come together and cooperate to fix our harsh world. But who knows, maybe I’m too optimistic for my own sake.

[garytalksaboutstuff-blog]

Why am I doing this?

To be honest, I just need an outlet to express some frustration with everything that is going on. As mentioned, my name is Gary and this is going to be my first post ever!

So, why am I starting a blog? I just want to talk. I want to talk about everything is that going on in the world. I want to give someone my input. But most importantly, I want to have a discussion. I’m probably going to hit on some touchy topics. I’d probably bet that no one will agree with me 100%. But that’s ok. I just hope that we can all keep this civil.

Throughout this blog, I hope to grow as a person. Nothing I say is completely set in stone. I am going to try and stay open minded and listen. I’m likely going to end up making states that are factually false. I’m going to try my best to avoid this, but in the end, I am a human being. I will inevitably make some mistakes.

As I said earlier, I want to use this blog as an outlet of frustration. Even if not a single person other than myself reads any of my posts, that’s ok. I’m starting this blog for myself. A benefit to writing down your opinions is it allows you to think more carefully about what you actually believe. I hope this blog will strengthen my beliefs.

I really want to promote discussion with my blogs. If you disagree with me, tell me. If you think my blog is one of the worst things to ever come out of this site, tell me! Don’t be afraid to offend me. I doubt you could even if you tried. But, as I mentioned in my description, just try to keep it civil. I can promise you that is you can keep a discussion civil, much more will get done. This is true in many parts of life.Anyway, I feel like I’ve covered a lot about what I’m trying to do. I’ll write my first real post soon.