Meme what you say and Say what you Meme or Does this post make my head look stupid?

     (Okie Dokie, lets take a swing at stupid.  Careful though, cause Stupid tends to swing back and for people with very few brain cells to rub together, they are surprisingly good shots.)
     Not really sure what year it is in the Chinese Calendar (Rat, Pig, Dragon etc) but sometimes I think the past few years should be lumped together to form the Year of the Meme.  For those who are unaware of what a meme is (Which rocks do you live under),  a meme (At least from my limited understanding) is some cute, buzz worthy picture or phrase that tends to float around the Interwebz that tries to boil down extremely complex issues into a couple of phrases and maybe a picture or three.  Because of the parsing of information nessecary to create a Meme, they are more often than not...WRONG!
     I tend to avoid Memes as much as possible except to confuse people and liven up my pages.  I often post ones that amuse me and that I think might have a grain of truth in them.  However, as a general rule, I don't make the meme the end all and be all of my argument.  If someone comes back and says, "Your Meme is a big stupid, doody head lie" I am usually prepared to back up what I posted with some semblance of an argument.  Or I come back with a witty rejoinder like, "OH YEAH!  WELL SEZ YOU!" and move on with my life.

(For those who are curious, its a song from Sesame Street.  Look it up they cute.)

     So an Interwebz/Vaguebook Friend that I really like and enjoy somewhat stimulating and mock intellectual arguifying with (Waves at John McDuffie) posted both of these memes today and believe it or not I am not using them to mock him or question his sanity/intellect.  I am using them because they are  perfect examples of how  a Meme may have a grain of truth in them, but that truth is  more often than not drowned out by the silo of pure BS.  (Get it grain...silo?  Come on folks this is prime stuff here!)  So let us briefly study each one with an eye on the truth vs BS.

Oh sing it with me!  "One of these things is not like the other.  Which one is different do you know?"

     The first one is one of hundreds of Interwebz Memes trying to draw comparisons between White on Black Violence and Black on White Violence.  Usually these memes are used to somehow justify the Police Shootings and outright murder of Unarmed Black People,so this one scores points for at least being different.  However, the wording is always  the same.  Usually Memers (New word, I get a nickle every time you use it!) try and make White on Black violence seem somehow not so bad because, "HEY LOOK BLACK FOLKS DO IT TO US TOO!"  Now this argument is kind of stupid for two reasons.

     Reasons the first.  Just because Black Person X does some horribly violent thing against White Person Y or even if a hundred Xs do it to a 100 Ys, that doesn't justify shooting a small child carrying a toy gun seconds after your arrival.  (Side note here, White Conservatives try to justify the Rice Shooting because the Cop had to make a split second decision and was unsure if the gun was real, but expect same cops to make all nice nice with a bunch of White Men running around carrying Automatic weapons and not assuming the White Men are dangerous until they actually shoot someone.  Gotta love that.  Anyhoo, side note done.)  Cops aren't supposed to assume that all White folks with guns are dangerous even though every single mass school shooting was done by White Christian kids so why is the assumption that they can judge any Black person they encounter by the actions of other Blacks?

     Reasons B.  This particular meme is moronic because it says "Liberals blame Racism."  Got news for you!  Liberals didn't blame Racism.  The Terrorist who shot and killed all of those Black Folks blamed racism.  He screamed Racist statements as he shot them.  He wrote (plagiarized) ream after ream about how Blacks were ruining the country and how they all needed to die in his Manifesto.  Liberals didn't make this about Race, he did.  Conservatives are desperately trying to make it not against race because this Racist White (Presumably Christian) Terrorist makes them look bad.  Its called Damage Control.  Look it up. 

     Now like any good but badly inaccurate Meme, this one also has a grain of truth in it.  Well I am presuming it does,  I am really too lazy to look up exactly how many glaciers the Earth has and how many are still left so we will give the creator of this one the benefit of the doubt.  Here the stupidity isn't on how many glaciers there were or how many are left, but the size of said glaciers.  Despite what  your wife may tell you, Size does indeed matter so pay attention.
     The question isn't how many glaciers are left on the planet, but how  big  they are.  Thanks to climate change  (used to be Global Warming but Conservatives decided that the phrase was too scary and changed it to CC.  Yes it was the Conservatives not Liberals, no matter what you want to think.) glaciers are shrinking at a rate that is actually perceivable to the naked eye.  An Observer can go to glacier X and study a section, then come back a week later and the section is  complete changed.  If the rate of thaw continues, areas that have been covered in ice for 10s of thousands of years will be ice free in just a few years.  So even if you assume the meme's numbers are correct, by the time your Dachshund is ready for senior food, it won't be anymore.
     Memes are cute and good for a quick media buzz.  However, anytime you try to use a meme to prove your point, you run the risk of making yourself look less that smart like and can drive all but the most simple minded/like minded people away from your argument.  Instead of simply posting memes willy nilly, try to find something that actually helps your cause.  Might take a bit longer, but you won't look quite as silly.

End of Rant

Flipping out or Both sides of the same coin.

   

On a one way, unpaved street.

     So earlier this week, while I was working I listened to live streaming radio on my Smartphone.  The channel I use switches between music and different types of talk radio just because I like a lot of variety in my listening.  It stopped on one talk between a Liberal type politician and a very Conservative host.  They were speaking about the various forms of social programs the US and State Government put out to help the poor and needy.  Needless to say (Ever notice that people always say, "Needless to say" then go right on and say it?  Kind of like "And now a man who needs no introduction."  Dude you just introduced him so obviously that's not true.) the Host took the usual "Well it is not the Government's job to take care of the poor, that is the job of charities and chuches" path and the Liberal took the "The Government needs to spend more money to fund programs that help the poor and needy no matter what!" path.  Usual dance going on, just on a different day.
     Now this got me thinking.  (Yeah I know, it is a bad habit and I am really trying to stop but its like eating bacon flavored, chocolate coated potato chips.  You can't stop with just one,)  I consider myself to be a fairly Moderate type person who can generally see the advantages of both sides of the political spectrum, so while I was scrubbing dishes and folding boxes, I really pondered the whole WELFARE (dramatic music inserted here complete with echos.) situation.  Sadly, as it often does, my thoughts went off on a tangent from where the thoughts began.  I began to ponder the people making the claims instead of the actual claims.
     Conservatives believe that there should be little or no Government sponsored support programs for the very poor and needy.  They believe that it is the job of the Churches, Charities and People to provide all of the things that might help people live a little better and maybe get out from under the burden of poverty.  Keep in mind that  most still believe (at least in spirit) that the Poor should be helped, just that the help should not come from tax dollars and the government.  To these people I say, "Great idea!  Noble sentiment!  So how much have YOU done to help the Poor and Needy today?  This week?  This month?"
     Now you'd think that the question would provoke overwhelming waves of how much good these Cantservatives have done.  Hours spent working in food kitchens.  Hundreds of dollars donated to to charities.  Dozens more hours spent helping out in Shelters and other places that help the poor and homeless.  I mean, if your entire political philosophy is based off the idea that it is the job of the common man to help make sure people have food to eat and shelter over their heads, then there must be an almost unending supply of people within your folds working to help, right?

Brother can you spare a dime?

     Well, not too surprisingly, the Cantservatives I have spoken too and the more vocal ones I see ranting on the news or in Interwebz articles listen to those questions and draw a completely blank look.  Most point out that they don't have time to help out and even  more point out that they don't have the extra cash to donate to charities.  Hells, most of them would be hard pressed to admit they tithe in church.  So they believe that it is the job of people and charities to help the poor, just not themselves.  There is the disconnect for Cantservatives.

Everybody dance!

     Now hold on there, partners.  Afore you Liberals get to dancing too much because of the nasty things I just said, let me tell you that y'all are next on this here hit parade.
     Liarberals believe that the Government should do everything it can to support and protect the Poor and Needy.  They think that billions of dollars should be spent willy nilly every single year to feed, clothe and house those that need help.  They feel that more and more programs should be designed to do this job all over the country.
     So, here is the disconnect when it comes to Liarberals at least as far as I can see.  Same sampling as the Cantservatives (personal experiences and listening to news and reading articles) shows me that when you ask them the same question as you ask the Cantservatives, "So how much have you done to help the poor and needy personally?" they get really vague and confused looks on their faces like they can't even begin to understand the question.  When you do get answers back it is generally along the lines of "Well that ain't my job, that is the Government's job.  That's why I pay my taxes."
     So you see, both sides have completely opposite reactions to how things should be done, but have the same opinion on what their personal responsibilities are.  It basically boils down to, "That ain't my responsibility, that is someone else's job.  The only difference is who they feel is supposed to do the job.
     Here is my personal two cents and you can take it for what it is worth.  It is EVERYONE'S responsibility to help people who need help.  The Government should do everything it can to help the poor and needy.  Charities and Churches should do the same thing.  Individuals should also do everything to help too.  It is not "someone else's job."  It's your job.

End of Rant.