I was a tad anxious and even apprehensive about watching Ann Coulter perform at this Roast of Rob Lowe. I wanted to watch the moment I discovered she would be on the panel of roasters because I was curious what she would say but, I was scared about what the others were going to say. I adore Ann but let's face it, she's not everyone's cup of tea; she certainly is not appreciated by the elites of Hollywood. Still, there was a glimmer of hope that her invite might also be a sign that perhaps some in Hollywood are at least willing to kid around with a conservative - a huge step in the right direction for them, and not just any conservative - this is Ann Coulter we are talking about.
Over the last few months I have been burying myself into the topic of modern-day feminism, which is commonly referred to as third-wave feminism. My next book will be an attempt to provide subtle advise for young women. As a woman myself and a mother, I want my daughter to grow up to be independent and have a healthy view of men. The current culture we see through the eyes of the mainstream media have me feeling a bit concerned about what types of messages we are sending to young women.
The story that acted as a catalyst for me to venture into this project was the story of Emma Sulkowicz, better known as the mattress girl. The young Columbia student who claimed she was raped in her dorm room eight months after the event occurred and resulted in her obtaining a degree after she chose to carry around the supposed crime scene (her mattress), for 2 years. She even carried this mattress across the stage when she accepted her degree. Little did I realize that this research would lead me to a movement called Gamer Gate. It even has it's own hashtag - #gamergate.
What is Gamer Gate?
The shortest possible answer is a movement dedicated to demanding ethics in gaming journalism.
Ethics in journalism? As a fellow conservative, you may be asking "WHAT? Does that even exist? Is that possible?" as it pertains to mainstream media.
Well, let me back up a bit. Here's the story, (the best I can make out)...a young woman named Zoe Quinn who apparently developed some silly game called "Depression Quest" received accolades and attention over her contribution to the gaming world and ended up being caught by her now ex-boyfriend cheating on him - with several other people. Those people were a part of the gamer media and apparently they had been the moving forces behind the scenes that helped her game to become noticed. Some people argue this point but, this situation was interpreted as Zoe sleeping her way to the top.
The game sucks. You can play a free version on-line but I warn you, it's mostly just reading and then you choose your own adventure based on the options given. Apparently many people became suspicious of how the game was able to garner so much attention but, it did have all the typical elements of what liberals love - awareness of [insert politically correct topic here], depression in this case, and it was developed by a young women. So the discovery of Quinn's special connections to the movers and shakers of the gaming community became a topic of discussion and gamers decided to demand the media reviewing games should be more objective in their analysis and recommendation of games.
Okay but what does this have to do with feminism? Well, I'm glad you ask because the second part of this Gamer Gate concerns feminists attacking the gaming culture and games in general - especially those violent and sexist games. Little did I know that many of these games have sexy women in them. In some games you can even have sex and objectify these women or worse kill them.
Enter Anita Sarkeesian. I don't know much about her personal history or how in the world she became relevant but she's a self-described feminist and she is to feminism what Al Sharpton is to racism. She runs some website and started doing videos attacking gamers and the industry declaring everyone to be misogynists. She also talks about the various effects of being exposed to violence towards women in video games, claiming one can be affected even if they are not aware yet, Anita apparently has a special power that allows her to view these games and they somehow do not affect her.
Oh and just like Sharpton she needs money. She has apparently raised a large sum of money with the promise of producing a series of videos that will be used to educate the masses about the horrors of the video gaming world. So far, she's produced one video - that I know of but, don't quote me because I could be wrong so, feel free to correct me if I am.
Sarkeesian also enjoys playing the victim-card. She and a few others like her have claimed that members of #GamerGate have made bomb threats and other various threats of violence towards her. However, many skeptics find these claims to not be credible. Let me just say...
I'm not a gamer. I do like some games and back in the day I was damn good at Tetris but, I hardly believes this qualifies me as a "gamer." I am also still a novice as it pertains to this overall subject and I'm still trying to make sense of it all so, please forgive me if I missed something or got something a bit wrong.
The overall movement on Twitter and on YouTube is gamers feeling attacked by the media and by feminists. They are being lied about and attacked from various angles. Generally they enjoy their games and merely want to be left alone. Yes, it does seem as though many of these popular games are geared toward men but, that's hardly a reason to believe that women cannot participate. Nothing is stopping them from developing their own games but, like any true liberal, it's much better to shout at and tear down what others have built rather than build yourself.
Some things never change:
Drunk or not, Kerouac's point is as valid today as it was back then. It has long been the left's tactic to shout down and tear down others, while the right's main message has always been to do for yourself in order to help others.
Here's what I don't understand...
There are a number of YouTube commentators for GamerGate and I've subscribed to a number of them. I'm definitely a new fan of them and very much enjoy most everything they have to say. I also note that many of them are atheists which doesn't bother me. I have yet to let go of Jesus myself but, I can understand their points and concerns over religion. What I can't get over is how they will continually make the most conservative points - they make the case that modern day conservatives make daily and then claim to be left leaning liberals.
WHAT?!
I have even heard some claim they agree with mainstream media but, it's just the "gaming media" they see problems with.
WHAT?!
They see how the media has treated them; they understand their ideas and points have been twisted and quote-mined; they know they have been lied about yet, they seem to have some cognitive dissonance when they try to separate gaming journalism with the general media. How do they not realize this is exactly what conservatives deal with on a daily basis?
Classic liberalism IS modern-day conservatism. Sure we have some crazy folks on the right but, that's the point! We DO tolerate people and we are not all the same, which can be a strength but it's also one of our weaknesses.
Ludwig von Mises wrote in prescience,
“In the United States “liberal” means today a set of ideas and political postulates that in every regard are the opposite of all that liberalism meant to the preceding generations. The American self-styled liberal aims at government omnipotence, is a resolute foe of free enterprise, and advocates all-round planning by the authorities, i.e., socialism.”Liberalism (1929)
As the Socialist Party candidate for president, Norman Thomas said in a 1944 speech:
“The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name of ‘liberalism,’ they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened.” He went on to say: “I no longer need to run as a presidential candidate for the Socialist Party. The Democratic Party has adopted our platform.”
So I guess for myself, I'm a bit confused because I'm just not sure if any of them are truly aware of this? Do they understand conservatives or do they understand conservatives from the perspective of a liberal viewpoint? For example, if someone were to only read about Gamer Gate from feminists, they would have a distorted view of the movement. Could this be what is going on? Is their view of conservatives distorted?
Now, of course I don't know for sure. Maybe they are indeed well aware and will never be conservative. Maybe they are just more libertarian. I do know many of them are younger than me so, it's very possible they are like so many of us conservatives when we were young and believed in the left's idea of liberalism. I'm not completely sure but, even if they do still identify more with the left, it's a good feeling to know they still side with general freedom and it's always nice to find points for which we can all agree on.
In the much anticipated interview of Bruce Jenner by Diane Sawyer, Bruce bravely admitted to being a conservative Republican! [Gasp!] This was extremely brave to do and I fully support and congratulate him!
He also mentioned something about turning into a women.
I wasn't planning on watching this interview but, when I noticed it was about to come on while surfing the channels I decided - why not? I have actually always liked Bruce Jenner. Out of the Kardashian-clan Bruce was the one to be admired and most respected. After all, he's the 1976 Olympic decathlon gold medal winner and they are - well, they are ... they are Kardashians.
I'm actually glad I did. As always, Bruce was a class-act who explained he was interested in just being himself.
While the show itself tried desperately to make him look like a victim of some sort, Bruce told the audience, that if this was the only problem he has then he's doing quite well and I completely agree.
This was a great interview. Bruce is truly a likable guy - errr... women. She is required to live a year as a female. Then Bruce will decide if s/he wants to have reassignment surgery. Bruce did not reveal if he was a woman who wanted to be with a man or a women who wanted to be with another women. It seems he has merely felt like a women inside for a very long time.
Let me just first say that I have always, always LOVED Robert Downey Jr. Ever since I was a young kid I have adored him because he has always been so incredibly talented. Even in his dark days, I really liked this guy. I always had hope for him and to watch him climb from the gutters of addiction and become the star he is today is just incredible and makes an American proud.
This interview that was done by some dullard from the UK starts off with asking questions about the new movie coming out for Iron Man.
Finally the guy decides to badger Downey about a quote that was from Downey several years ago. Here is some history...
Downey did an interview after he got himself cleaned up and he made a quote that became rather controversial in Hollywood but was celebrated among the conservatives in America. This was from The New York Times in 2008: “I have a really interesting political point of view, and it’s not always something I say too loud at dinner tables here. But you can’t go from a $2,000-a-night suite at La Mirage to a penitentiary and really understand it and come out a liberal. You can’t. I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone else, but it was very, very, very educational for me and has informed my proclivities and politics every since.”
I have always believed that Downey was not necessarily speaking about being a Republican but rather that he changed in such a way that showed him the importance of taking personal responsibility for his life. Rather than externalizing blame, one needs to find strength inside of themselves.
If you have ever known people who have battled with drug abuse or alcohol abuse, it is clear that many of them carry along a victim type mentality. Now couple all this with Downey's fairly privileged background being born into Hollywood royalty, it's easy to see how a person can become full of themselves. Indulging in drugs and leading a careless life eventually led him to reach a bottom that many in Hollywood never see. That type of change clearly led him to becoming more humble and in turn generally more conservative. It goes along with the same old adage, "If you're in your 20's and you're not a liberal, you have no heart but if you're in your 30's and you're not a conservative you have no brain."
It's about growing up and it's about maturing. Some people put labels on it but, sometimes these labels change and sometimes the labels are accurate. I believe Downey was there to do an interview and not discuss politics. He's an actor and ultimately he's representing the studio. He's not there to isolate audience members talking about politics or philosophy. The questioning as it pertains to this type of interview was uncalled for and confrontational.
I'm very glad to see Downey walk out. It doesn't matter what he believed then or now. This type of questioning did not belong in this interview.
I was browsing YouTube and came across this video. I'm glad I did. As always, Krauthammer is brilliant. In this debate/discussion/interview with Jon Stewart he does a brilliant job at explaining the Obama heath care law and why so many conservatives oppose it.
Jon is also brilliant and I appreciate how he expresses himself and his ideas as well. I don't often agree with Stewart but I do think he's hilarious and he really does seem to think about what he believes, rather than just spouting off the typical liberal rhetoric that we are so used to hearing. Both of them really make an effort to be respectful of one another and demonstrate how most of us would like our politicians to discuss issues.
There are other places to see the full interview but I thought just isolating the audio would be much more powerful. I find Zimmerman to be very calm and melancholy. He seems fairly depressed in my opinion and who wouldn't be, considering what he has gone through?
His story has not changed and I feel as though this interview may have been a good thing for him in the sense that it allowed him to try and engage the public that has been so relentlessly judgmental upon him. Hopefully it helped him on a personal level. However, those same people that do not like him are not likely to change their minds about him or what happened that night. Some people are much more comfortable basing their opinions on emotions rather than logic or facts.
I pray for justice. I can't imagine being the target of such hatred over self-defense. Our rights to defend ourselves, our lives, and our communities have been called into question concerning this case and that should never have happened. The people against Zimmerman seem to suggest that people have no right to question suspicious characters in their neighborhoods. I guess living in fear of everyone the way many of them do is considered "freedom" to them? No thank you.
President Barack Obama pauses during his speech on America's energy security, in this photo taken Wednesday, March 30, 2011, at McDonough at Gymnasium Georgetown University in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
If you consider the words of Obama in 2002 pertaining to the war in Iraq, it does seem as though our leader is now putting his foot deep inside his oral cavity.
"Freelance jihadists" are said to have joined Libyan rebels.
Okay, first off, what is a "freelance jihadist"? Really? LOL! Excuse me, the title just seems so odd. I've heard of mercenaries before but, never "freelance jihadist."
According to the article in the Washington Times, al-Qaeda has many people moving in on Libya and they are fighting with the rebels against Gadhfi (oh, look another spelling).
The rebels are also said to be hiding their true beliefs in order to maintain Western support.
Last week, Libyan rebel leader Abdel-Hakim al-Hasidi told the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore that he had recruited 25 Islamic fighters in Dernaa and gave his view that al Qaeda members were “good Muslims.”
Like Mr. Benotman, Mr. al-Hasidi is a former member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) that in the 1990s was affiliated with al Qaeda but moved away from Osama bin Laden’s organization a decade later.
Mr. Benotman said he knew Mr. al-Hasidi and had seen the interview.
“What I do care about is not this commander’s opinions, but his actions,” Mr. Benotman said. “If he thinks al Qaeda members are good Muslims, it’s his opinion. But we should say out loud, ‘We do not allow for al Qaeda tactics, al Qaeda agenda and al Qaeda strategy in Libya.’ These are not welcome.”
During a taping of Judge Judy, Justice Judith Sheindlin, started speaking incoherently and, finally said that she needed to stop.
"She was just sitting on the stand during her show taping and she started saying things that didn't make any sense," a source close to the situation told RadarOnline.com, exclusively.
"She said, 'I need to stop, I'm not feeling well.'"
She was rushed to the hospital and it is being reported that they were keeping her overnight.
Click tittle of this post for full article.
I pray for Judge Judy and hope she is okay. I would hate for anything major to happen to her. She truly is an American treasure as far as I'm concerned. She's conservative and, she is very reasonable. She is also extremely respectful and is a great representation of the justice system. I absolutely love Judge Judy.
Jon Stewart is usually a smart cookie and on this issue, he proves it again. It seems as though Stewart is questioning why Obama made a huge point to tell the American people that the Libya operation was being handed over to NATO, when the US makes up the biggest part of NATO.
Is it not safe to say that Obama, like many democrats in this country, thinks the American people are STUPID? They are correct; they're supporters are, in fact, STUPID!
Click title of this post to watch the video. I apologize, I'm not sure if it's on my end or theirs but, I can't seem to get the code to embed the video player directly on this page.
Okay, you're probably going to flip your lid when you read this and watch the video below. Obama was questioned by an illegal about why she kept receiving deportation letters.
Obama states that the government is focusing on illegal criminals. Umm...aren't these idiots already criminals by being here illegally??!!
Just what the hell is an illegal doing asking the president a question like this? Why was she not immediately arrested? This girl certainly has quite a bit of balls coming forward and admitting that she broke the law and then, has the unmitigated NERVE to complain about getting a letter!??! A deportation letter that she should be adhering to!!
So, if you can't tell, I'm literally screaming this out as I type! What in the hell is wrong with this president? He can't tell her to stuff it and GTFO?! Seriously. It might be a good thing I'm not president because if I were, I certainly wouldn't be giving this ILLEGAL ALIEN some softball answer like that. The only thing I want her to succeed at is packing her bags and going back home and getting here the legal way!!! Oh, and LEARN ENGLISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For G-d's sake! Asking a question in Spanish? Really?
