Check Your Rhetoric: What kind of leader are you?

We want to take a moment to acknowledge the power of rhetoric, especially in a room that teeters on the edge of an information vacuum.

We all live in an information universe, where (more than ever before) almost anyone is able to make use of free space. We have an entirely new economy based on this information age—largely a positive in a world that otherwise is at a loss for new free space available to those in need of basic survival. But, we're in the midst of a push against it.

As it's been throughout time, it is rare for a people to continue to freely, mutually and equally, enjoy shared space. The inescapable politics of life occur as easily as sharing a simple, small room, and it's no different in a bigger one. Without responsible rhetoric that leads to equitable solutions and progress, there is risk that can lead to disastrous endings. Further, in order to survive harmful rhetoric, means to redirect it must be developed.

How rhetoric matters to the room, weighted against goals of the speaker, should be the first consideration of any audience. Second? How these things will matter to those outside the room. Inclusion must be forefront in the minds of a successful organization.

You could use the exact same verbiage in one kind of atmosphere and feel it hit the floor with the screaming-silent thud of mutual rejection. The same choice of words in another kind of space can effect a completely different outcome. Therefore, it's important to implement a viable solution of positive progress through an approach of empathy, not of challenge—unless you're willing to admit to yourself that you only care about one perspective and that you will resort to division of the otherwise whole community solely to that end.

Disability and the Workplace Community

The modern political landscape encompasses an ever-morphing progression of issue-related events, with both positive and negative interpretations—and reactions to—various difficulties brought to light in efforts to redress grievances or quality of life. Among these concerns are the implications of disability.

Disability occurs in many forms, with the condition that one has a "reality to be accommodated", or possesses "a form of human variation", and there exists a long history of persons with disability, who have undergone life-affecting struggles to coexist in within their communities. This includes a relatively recent foray into the politics of bringing about significant change that positively impacts the lives of those who would benefit from improvements in the approach of whole communities.

While perceptions of (and treatments for) disability have continuously improved over the years, it's important to realize the reason for the shift: the activism of those with, and who care for those with, disabilities. There are several key references to historic political activities designed to bring needs of the disabled to light, from which we can begin to learn more about the process. 

Recent progress includes the primary benefit of social media: its capacity to assist in reaching the public with pertinent information designed to boost and forward such efforts. For example, the National Association of Democratic Disability Caucuses works through its Facebook page to enlighten activists as to the breadth of options available in developing and sustaining both organized and individual efforts for the cause.

There are a number of things anyone can do in the interest of creating a continually civilized culture that is not only accepting of, but as favorable to the environmentally disabled as anyone. One of the most effective strategies to change the landscape for the better rests on our ability to communicate effectively in a manner that does not diminish the disabled through ableist language.

ableism - discrimination in favor of able-bodied people

A person can use damaging ableist language in a couple of ways. When subconsciously used, ableist language is a learned habit that inhibits our capacity for complete understanding. When consciously used, ableist language is designed to inhibit progress that might be considered costly to detractors. 

Perhaps one of the most critical environments for the importance of language use is the workplace. When working with, or speaking about, a person with a disability for any reason, we can effect communication that equalizes the environment that person must navigate in order to meet their needs. By putting the person first in our perceptions and interpretations of circumstances, we avoid becoming the dreaded ableist in the lives of those with circumstantial disabilities. 

Avoiding ableist language in regard to wheelchair users

In order to better understand the relationship between ableism and language, dedicate some time to learn about all the intricacies involved in disability awareness communication. Resources today are many.

Recovered Marcos riches to be redistributed via auction, supporting the idiom: what goes around comes around

It often takes too long, but what goes around comes around—often, in bits and pieces.

A small, yet not insignificant, amount of 'Marcos money' is about to be recovered for the Philippines' public coffers, via auction, through the recovery efforts of a Philippine government commission tasked with tracking down wealth accumulations of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos (largely stolen from their subjects).

Gen X and Baby Boomer generations will recall some of the 80s news-program broadcasts regarding the Marcos' fall.

Ferdinand Marcos won his first Philippine presidency in 1965, after gaining popularity as a political leader and accomplished lawyer who'd promised to continue in the footsteps of his predecessor by forging ahead with the goal of ridding the Philippine government of all corruption.

Marcos rode the coattails of a liberal forerunner's strong relationship with U.S. dignitaries, as well as those of his wife, Imelda, whose popularity and drive heightened his own. His country's economy, despite U.S. restrictions pertaining to competition, had been boosted by post-WWII, democratically-principled, practices that encouraged formal cohesion among various political parties of the Philippines and its trade countries. The Philippines, being the first Southeast-Asian country to gain independence after World War II on July 4, 1946 when the U.S. granted formal independence to the Philippines with strings attached, nonetheless experienced great strides in economic power.

However, being a "Nationalista" followup to a previously liberal leadership, Ferdinand did not continue to root out corruption as promised, but instead fed the cycle of rich vs. poor, primarily through a "U.S.-style" judicial system that undermined and impoverished the economically poor by catering to powerful land-holders through judgments rendered by "judges who were landlords and enforced by sheriffs and officials who were landlords".

For example, at the end of the Marcos' reign over Philippine welfare, hard questions were leveled at the matriarch regarding billions in amassed wealth being held (in the form of gold) being until such time as legal statute would run out—idea being that when the disadvantaged people ignorant of such law failed to stake claim to that fortune, the ownership of it would 'legally' revert to the Marcos. Too, all along, the Marcos had stored wealth acquired off the people in offshore accounts in Switzerland, for example,

Himself being corrupt, Ferdinand took advantage of a fascist power to control and censor media, which otherwise may have been sooner able to redirect the peoples' resolve in their own interests. Instead, the Philippine media was integrated into a machine that was used to disseminate propaganda in favor of Ferdinand and Imelda's reign. Ultimately, they would declare marshal law and use that domestic uncertainty to further establish their wealth and advantage.

Toward the end of their governance, Imelda's ostentatious preparations (and grotesque construction disaster coverups), designed to impress visiting foreign dignitaries, continued to turn people off of their negative influences. In fact, some would not take advantage of offered quarters on properties considered too lavish, only willing to stay elsewhere than where Imelda Marcos had intended.

Oft' referred to by the disparaging nickname "Marie Antoinette, with shoes", Imelda Marcos continued to be a popular inspiration to followers. She continued to win leadership positions after fleeing to the U.S. in exile with her husband in 1986 and—five years later—being allowed to return to the Philippines (without Ferdinand, since deceased) where, as of today, she continues to live.

Subscribers to Bloomberg are privy to further details regarding the auctions of some of the stolen wealth. These are public auctions: even the Marcoses may bid.

First inauguration of President Ferdinand Marcos held at the Quirino Grandstand, Manila, December 30, 1965. (PD img via Wikimedia Commons)

FURTHER READING

"Duterte hopes to hand presidency to dictator Ferdinand Marcos' son"

"With 'hero's' burial for Marcos, Duterte endorses Philippines' authoritarian past"

"International Realities and Philippine Foreign Policy Under Ferdinand Marcos" 

Handmaid's Tale Comparisons Reflect Reality of Modern Politics

Margaret Atwood wrote The Handmaid's Tale in 1984, a near-decade before the Gulf War and during the burgeoning of the worst Wall Street behavior: "Greed is Good" power brokers leveraging operational companies out of business over time, creating a vacuum of wealth that transferred more financial and political power up the proverbial ladder of success and away from those yet at the bottom rung.

That Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale series has experienced widespread popular success in the third millennium and prompted many to comment on its eerie, gut wrenching significance prompts recognition of the unfortunate timing of a toppled U.S. economy (along with it's prior successful, hope-inducing middle class) and how this relates to adversarial politics today and major events described above.

Although the hideous circumstances of modern American politics and the merciless world of The Handmaid's Tale aren't directly associated, it's impossible to deny the ubiquitous instinctual associations conjured which result in a kind of public awareness—a disquiet that begs political response. 

Background of Desperation in Handmaid's Tale

Set in New England in a near future, The Handmaid's Tale introduces a setting of post-reconstruction rule by enforced sectarian divine law. Atwood presents a view of a bygone society that lost sight of its paragons of individualism and equality among people. Common ideals of independence, social progress, and justice are long faded. 

That this fictional society happens to be patriarchal is of some significance, considering its complete lack of women's rights or choice (voting, reproductive freedom, choice in partnering, etc.) after a continuous regression of gender-equalizing measures to an utterly defeated state in which women are subject to the social views of others. Alongside these issues, a strict caste system has developed, complete with uniform classification for the female into four distinct, official grades.

The main substance for correlation between Atwood's fictional story and modern politics lies heavily in recent campaigns aimed particularly away from women's interests, with detrimental results.

Writing for Forbes, Shivaune Field presents us with some background as to Atwood's experiences during the time Handmaid's Tale was written over thirty years ago, and the two observe apt comparisons between the contrasting scenes of Cold War Berlin (where Atwood resided while drafting her novel) during the 1980s, the United States at that time, and the U.S. today. 

Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale reflects a particular type of dystopian society through fiction, while using actual aspects of established social behavior and politics. In mind of real and potential consequences of power struggles in U.S. politics, Atwood tentatively correlates the malevolence of The Handmaid's Tale with the dim reality of modern party politics and social expectation. 

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Read The Handmaid's Tale for Free (limited time) at
Amazon, via Kindle. 

Trust in Journalism: Headed to Tech Giants?

Historically, manuscript titles have been a function of convenience (sorting, picking, etc.) in writing and weren't necessarily given by authors. Titles were applied by organizers, or subject to change by organizers, in order to suit categorization and presentation needs.

Similarly, titles in modern media such as electronic news headlines are often adjusted, not by authors but by media managers and personnel, in order to attract readers. Thus, titles are sometimes manipulated and used for organization and targeting.

The challenge that we as readers are presented with, in any title, is in the ability to decipher what our attention is being directed to, and why. Many times we find that the why holds much more weight, and we should always be cognizant of that aspect of our information intake.

To read, or not to read, is the question. The answer is often exhibited in negative ways. So-called "click-bait" titles and blurbs are an unfortunate reality that drive the tendency to absorb inauthentic sentiments and played-up blurbs and intros, with no commitment to the main content . . . which is the entirety of information behind the face of the presentation (often from a juxtaposed perspective).

Behavioral Shortcomings in Media

Our behavior is closely related to the information we receive. It is therefore tantamount to reason and logic that we maintain our ability to decode the multitude of messages completely into a form of data that we can then use to make responsible decisions in our relay of information and actions. 

• Too often, we choose not to read the content, and who can blame us. It didn't take us long to learn that a hyperbolic title or lead didn't necessarily culminate in any news, so we stopped clicking through nearly as often as we once did.
• We sometimes share what we haven't read, because we agree with an intro or cannot resist sharing a funny image. This space is where a lot of neglect occurs. The reality is that there may be more work beyond this immediate, facing content (for the responsible reader and accountable community). Social media titles, blurbs and commentary can be bad indications of content, and often have been completely changed from an author's intended messaging.
• Compounding these above, social media blurbs are sometimes written to 'wrap up' content for readers in ways that indicate a completion of sentiment, which can encourage readers (especially of distinct groups) to move on without inspecting actual content or source. This is especially prevalent in social communication and politics.

These are steps back that put us farther behind where we would be if our only neglect had been an absence of confirmation research beyond the presented content.

The Constant Challenge of Truth

This scenario isn't much different from any historical dissemination of information to the public—a process long fraught with deluders. The vessel, or platform, is an encasement, adorned with the impressions of a producer's intent in sending messages. At this stage, there may or may not have been a bevy of editorial attention to the message.

As in works of art, such as paintings, the audience sees a surface but usually must decipher any meaning that may apply to them, the artist, or to others. This has become more evident in modern journalism's many iterations and multitude of access points. In reading, watching and listening . . . whether to social media content, news or commentary publications and programs . . . published books . . . we're at our most accountable when we evaluate the content, the source, and other factors of presentation.

A free public shouldn't need a governing entity (state, tech giants) to do this kind of evaluation for them. Powerful tech giants like Facebook and Google should refrain from attempts to govern civic journalism and communication under the auspice of guardianship of the truth, or 'stopping fake news'-- all risks inherent in both traditional and AI applications of the information business.

Beyond any particular publication, it is the public's privilege, in a free society, to have access to information and freedom to distribute it. It is much better to do the work, as they say: each person with their individual instinct to root out the wrongful propagandists and fake news outlets. In fact, there are resources—new and old—designed to help us do just that, one prime example being Media Bias/Fact Check.

Facebook and the like are each distinct business models, and constantly evolving. In a sense, under new demands of accountability, they must go beyond their original intent of free and open platform provision in order to retain profit, trust and survival. Currently, such platforms are threatening to become the publishers, in a sense, in the interest of not only profit but also national security. Our Tech Giants are well on their way to becoming our new Giants of Journalism.

Another apt prediction might be that we'll find the new top-paid research editors working for the these new tech/journalism giants more often than for any traditional publication. It's already begun. 


RELATED READING:

America's Dirty, Global War on Journalists, by David Sirota (2013)

The Interesting Mystery Behind the Death of Edgar Allan Poe (and his first writings)

Edgar Allan Poe died a mysterious, sudden death en route to work on a writing project. Most of the public assumed self-inflicted causation, and media death reports suggested as much with descriptors like 'congestion of the brain' and 'cerebral inflammation'.

Rumors around his demise included such ailments as drugs, syphilis and heart disease . . . and one about nefarious politics: some believed Poe fell after having been cooped up in a voter fraud scam known as "cooping"-- a practice wherein targets were drugged and shut into holding, in "room or coops", then dragged around to polling places to cast [often multiple] votes.

This curious account of Edgar Allan Poe is one of the great literary mysteries, brought to our attention in reading today via Bustle article penned by Charlotte Ahlin. Learn about this and four other literary mysteries "that have never been solved".

Other little-known facts about Edgar Allan Poe

On this day, 1815 June 22, Edgar Poe moved with the Allan family from Boston to London, where the young and recently orphaned boy would attend school for approximately five years before returning to America. Then, in four more years, Edgar's first-known poem was penned:

"Last night, with many cares & toils oppres'd,/ Weary, I laid me on a couch to rest." -Via Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore

Fourteen years later, Edgar landed a job as a gentleman's magazine editor and soon followed that opportunity with publication of his first novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket.


Further Reading:

Did you know that Poe is considered the father of detective stories? Learn more about Edgar Allan Poe's life and work: Edgar Allan Poe WebQuest

Edgar Allan Poe Remembered, via The Twilight Zone Vortex

 
REF:

• Meyers, Jeffrey (1992). Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Legacy. 

• Shmoop Editorial Team. (2008, November 11). Edgar Allan Poe Timeline of Important Dates. Retrieved June 22, 2018.

• Wikipedia contributors. "Edgar Allan Poe." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 5 Jun. 2018. Web. 22 Jun. 2018

January: Our New Year Flag of Awareness to Modern-Day Slavery

As we approach mid-January headed strong into the new year, holiday concerns fade and attentions turn to daily news and community awareness. Particularly during this mid-term election year 2018, our most troubling societal issues in the U.S. should be brought to our collective conscience.

We needn't look far to recognize society's greatest ills . . . among them, slavery. There exists a continuum of privilege in the minds of some that prevents realization of every person's inherent value and right to fair exchange of valued human resource. Far from an idea born of a burgeoning American society, slavery has been a negative aspect of humanity for about as long as we care to look back. Unfortunately, modes of slavery continue to adapt to political circumstances.

Modern slavery is rampant in sex work (roughly 20% children) war and labor. Average cost of a slave in the modern global economy is $90, in stark contrast to early nineteenth-century valuations with an inflation rate adjustment to $40,000. The value of a human slave in a well-stocked market has plummeted significantly, same as can happen in any industry. Under these circumstances, it's safe to say that the proliferation of modern-day slavery is almost without bounds.

Slavery in the United States

While the informing image above floats the web courtesy of Free the Slaves, an organization that particularly works against slavery in India, Nepal, Congo, Ghana, Haiti and Senegal, it is representative of their global advocacy figures. No country is immune. Slavery in the United States may not seem obvious, but it exists . . . and not all of it is hidden in our nooks and crannies.

Some will reasonably argue that U.S. citizens, despite their infamous freedom, exist in an ever-increasing vacuum of serfdom that could only be described as a form of slavery (wage slavery). While this development contains truth, we're drawing attention today to forms of slavery that exist beyond the pattern of regular, civilly-endorsed working life . . . at the particularly frayed edges of society that are typically ignored or written off as cultural consequences.

We're specifically referring to hidden aspects of domestic labor, sex trade, marriage and other areas capable of that dark bleakness where both citizens and undocumented immigrants may easily fall due to lack of resources, knowledge, or will to effect their own lives of freedom.

We mention marriage not because marriage itself is a negative institution but because it and pregnancy, separately considered, can still be vessels of free labor, non-consensual sex, and other manifestations of human usage. These problems exist as unlawful yet largely overlooked aspects of human trade. These otherwise common, rightful and fruitfully-regarded relationships and health statuses still hold much power over some individuals and thus remain tools of exploitation.

Civilly-Accepted Forms of Slavery in the U.S.

Forced marriage and cut-rate pay to the undocumented laboring denizen are possibly the least recognized forms of slavery, and they can each lead to generations of subjugation. With airs of indentured servitude, these scenarios are an unfortunate consequence of ineffective economic and legal systems.

Forced marriage in the U.S. can be defined as marriage without the consent of one party. In the U.S. as well as abroad, the young may be forced into marriages via "familial deception, cultural tradition, emotional blackmail and threats of abuse or even death" to meet needs or wishes of often unknown origin.

There are servile marriages that exist and are compounded by the problem of foreign bride purchases in deals that seemingly offer some benefit to each trading party. Often, foreign brides are sought in efforts to replace a formerly occupied familial position of a household or as an alternative to dealing with a potentially independently-minded 'American woman'. Poverty-stricken children from around the globe are sometimes entered into sexual relationships and eventual marriages according to the opportunity to receive money back home to their families. This specific problem takes root in an unbalanced economy, attitudes of revenge or retaliation against women's liberation or a generalized lack of loyalty to the tenets of a free and equal society as has been established and that we continually work to reestablish and maintain in the United States.

A More Obvious Issue of Modern Slavery: Sex Trade

Some will distinguish between prostitution and trafficking, but they are closely related and intertwined as a result of unstable homes as well as educational, economic and job opportunity structures. If we lifted bans on sex as trade, we'd still have trafficking because we civilly support the indulgences of the predatory and create spaces for this behavior to thrive through economy. Prostitutes, underage runaways, playing children and walking women remain susceptible on the streets, in schools and churches, and at home to predatory sexual deviants and sex traffickers fueled by an acceptance of societal mediocrity.

At least, there are lines are drawn, and we have some way and hope to combat the madness. Human trafficking involves the use of fraud, coercion or force to obtain labor or sex. Our main trick is to be able to identify immediate issues when we see them, and to recognize pervasive cultural standards that contribute to the problem. By paying attention to our surroundings and being aware of the signs, we can provide an enlarged effort at eradication of the most severe transgressions of mutual respect and human capability. Instead of looking away in favor of our own more fortunate lots in life, we can be open to and capable of identifying issues and work to resolve them.

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Action Steps to Stop Human Trafficking:

• Learn to recognize human trafficking via DHS awareness training
• Report suspected human trafficking (save this number to your phone for quick access): 1-866-347-2423
• Get help via hotline: 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to: BeFree (233733)

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Further Reading:

-Read about the common myths of slavery
-Learn about a young girl who only wanted to work
-Maid service in the Middle East
-Read about Lola Pulido, one of many domestic slaves in the U.S. She worked for 56 years without pay.
-How domestic workers become slaves
-Domestic servitude has ever been a gateway to suppression and poverty
-U.S. Construction industry contributes to modern slavery
-"Farm workers are some of the most oppressed workers in the United States"
-Forced labor "more common that you might think" in the United States

Quotes, Communication, Politics & Propaganda: How words and stories affect us

Fake quote?

Words have a way with us. Our chats are often misconstrued, and we're in general danger of words being fabricated into webs of propaganda intended to stir emotion and direct reactions. Our most fantastical displays of this human behavior are prominent in governmental, workplace and family politics.

Nuances of communication have always been important . . . critical, under certain circumstances. Yet, in our 'advanced' age of vetting and recordings, we still grapple with fake news and word of mouth (overrated) that flies at us from every direction. Such a problem with fake news propaganda has developed that the entirety of our media is suffering a form of association fallacy.

Via guilt-by-association and exacerbated by the claims of a sitting president, The Media battles itself for the trust of its subjects. Where media fails, people are left with a responsibility to set the record straight-- difficult or impossible as that may be. Take the following quote, for example:

There’s a plot in this country to enslave every man, woman, and child. Before I leave this high and noble office, I intend to expose this plot. - President John F. Kennedy, 7 days before his assassination 

It seems real. It feels like a statement that man could have penned, knowing what we do about the kind of equanimous morality he espoused. In fact, it seldom occurs to us who were (or, would have been) followers of his politics that we should question the veracity of this quote. The sentiment of the quote appears to be generally in line with the political awareness and responsibility to our nation that people grew to expect from John F. Kennedy, of the democratically-inclined Kennedy family dynasty.

But, while the quote is an example of idealistic equanimity in itself, so is the responsibility of vetting it! It doesn't matter which slice of political pie we prefer. What matters, is that it's a supposed quote from a specific person used to bolster not only the idealistic nature of equanimity but also to bolster a feeling of dread in those who read it.

Is there a foundation that would support that fear? Maybe. Beyond that, is the claim true? This should be our most sought-after answer.

Greater than espousing the need for equanimity is the responsibility of exposing a damaging lie when it occurs. In this example, what could have been an innocuous statement by any of a number of politicians (or, no statement at all) ends up being a dishonest, indirect dismantling of the processes of a democratic society . . . no more or less than a lie told in furtherance of a plot to win a party battle-- aka, propaganda.

Ultimately, it's likely that JFK never said it. It's at least as likely that he didn't as that he did. The only thing we know for sure, is that we don't know. The only thing we know, is that it's not verifiable, and as such shouldn't be recirculated as truth or has a JFK quote. Unfortunately, this known, dated meme's deconstruction bears repeating.

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If you know of a quote that has been attributed incorrectly yet still sees wide distribution, let everyone know about it in comments.

Promotional Tour Takes Unexpected Toll

It seems most likely that the Maleficent promotional tour's purpose was not to offend, especially on any large scale, as this would quickly defeat it's own end. Take a quick read below and let us know what you think. Angelina Jolie deserves a break here, right?

Post by Copy, Edit, Etc.

 
It's relevant to also add here an RT tweet by Kurtis Vanous, and Albert Einstein quote referring to interaction (communication), noticed today as I fed on social:

I fear the day technology will surpass our human interaction-Albert Einstein

— Kurtis Vanous (@MysteryBrandMan) April 8, 2014

 
What are some actions that could be taken to avoid these types of misunderstandings? 

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