Fun With Stereotypes

This morning, as I cruised Facebook for some fun articles to read, I was directed towards an interesting piece of writing on the Fox News site that got me thinking. As much as that is the opposite intention of most reporting done by that oh-so-biased conglomerate, occasionally they raise intriguing, if unintended, questions. The article itself was called 5 Feminist Demands She Wants You to Ignore and I decided to read it out of my morbid fascination with gender relations and the train-wrecks that so often ensue.

The tone of the article is pretty unforgivable. Clearly the author was aware of that, hence his decision to remain anonymous; but we shouldn't expect much more from Fox News, as their general mission statement is to stir the pot, fire people up, and distract them from what really matters. (Uh oh, this blog means I'm not writing about world hunger or the HIV vaccine... Well played, Fox News.) However, as flagrant and appalling as the sexism in the article is, its content is resoundingly dull. It says nothing that a small measure of common sense and dating experience couldn't tell you; but the fact that it was shared on Facebook implies that it struck a chord with some people. In this particular case, outrage is fully justified and I am on board with the sentiment that articles of this calibre have no place in the mass media, no matter how uncredible the organization presenting them.

The question that the article raised, at least in my mind, was one of how to approach writing about dating advice without coming off as at least a little sexist. It would be willfully naive of us to suggest that the sexes shouldn't be treated as unique. Just as each individual within a group is different, groups themselves often have different expectations in different contexts. This is where my fellow social psychologists could jump in and point out that the differences between individuals completely whitewash the differences between them, and the point is fair; but the de facto situation is that, in most cases, all other things being equal, you do not interact with men and women in exactly the same way. This is especially the case in dating.

Clearly we do not live in the 1950's. I am in no way suggesting that the Mad Men standard of gender relations should continue to apply. All I am saying is that there are certain elements of that standard that can be displayed in a modern relationship without jeopardizing the equality of each partner. I will avoid speaking for women because, for obvious reasons, I have no first-hand experience with what they really enjoy. Speaking from my own perspective, though, I like slipping into the suave and debonair stereotype of a man taking a woman out for a night on the town, if you'll pardon the clichéd turn of phrase. It probably has something to do with how clumsy and unmethodical I am in my day-to-day life, but on the exceedingly rare occasions when pull off a James Bond-esque level of competence while out with my girlfriend, I feel pretty good about myself.

I also don't think I am entirely off-base when I suggest that modern women might be able to reap some enjoyment from successful attempts to impress them. Who doesn't like to be doted upon, within reason? I love it when I am treated as if I am important to someone else. It seems to me a pretty basic part of the human condition is to take pleasure out of other people putting you on a pedestal, so long as don't harbour unrealistic expectations. Once in a while its fun to pretend that someone is perfect.

The key is balance, and in a lot of ways, that is what the original article seemed to be advocating. It's very fair and diplomatic to split the bill when you go out to dinner, but it's also fun to treat each-other once in a while. You need to acknowledge that women are fully capable of carrying their own bags and opening their own doors, but it's kind of nice to show that you are willing to be of service.

All too often in our uber politically-correct world we run the risk of offending someone by undermining their equality or unintentionally patronizing them in some way, but their needs to be some room for chivalry. Many people I know, myself included, romanticize the early half of the 20th century because is seems like a more care-free time. Everyone realizes that we are oversimplifying and that the way time periods are depicted on TV is no indication of what it would be actually be like to live through them. It is also patently obvious that, until a real-life Doc Brown comes along in a suped-up Delorian, no one is going to be able to fully disprove the notion that decades past weren't a little bit more romantic than now. What I suggest is that it's okay to take the positive, romantic aspects that make up our view of the past and pretend that things actually are that way. Let's treat each other with the dignity and admiration that our black-and-white brethren encourage of us and not read too much into it, because life is stressful enough when we only concern ourselves with actual affronts to equality.

Cheers,

Steve

Image courtesy of: http://menandwomen101.com/chivalry.html

Second Opinion

One thing that I have never been fully able to wrap my head around is the aversion some people have to rereading books. In my personal experience, many of the people I know who read on a regular basis are happy to fly through a good book once, drop it off at the library and be done with it. I suppose if you are a fan of fiction you can get away with this. There are plenty of movies that I've seen once, enjoyed, and have no strong urge to see again. Unfortunately for me, my tastes lead me more often to non-fiction and the onslaught of facts that usually brings.

The problem with non-fiction is that, no matter how interested you are in the subject, no matter how diligently you read and reread passages, some of the information goes the way of Larry David's hair. That is to say, it falls out of your head. Recently it occured to me that one of my classes this semester will focus on the subject of a book that I tried reading a few years ago, Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert. My first time through the book I have to admit, I wasn't all that interested. The subject matter is largely based on social psych studies and I had just come off four solid years of focusing on nothing but that. Needless to say, I shelved the book two thirds of the way through.

Reading the book over the past few days, however, has left me thoroughly enthralled. The findings are still familiar but the connections I am drawing are novel and interesting. Having learned more about evolution, ecology, economics, and environmentalism since my first attempt, I am seeing the information with new eyes. I am linking the concepts it presents to things I wasn't even aware of when I bought the book.

It really makes me wonder what I could draw from rereading the other books on my shelf. I reread my favourites often enough, but who is to say that books I was unimpressed with the first time around wouldn't offer more at this stage of my ongoing education?

I think we would all benefit from giving information a second look a little more often. As we grow older and learn more, our perspectives change. Information that seemed unimportant a few years ago might be life-changing now. It is important to recognize how much we grow as people based on the things we learn, and giving books a second look is the best method I can think of for staying open-minded and as informed as possible. Bookshelves are not trophy cases, they are meant to be points of reference that we can look back on as we form new opinions and rework old ideas.

I encourage you, avid reader, to reconsider some knowledge you might have glossed over in the past. Especially things that turned out to be less interesting than you expected. You might be impressed with what you find buried behind those old encyclopaedias... Does anyone still have encyclopaedias?

-Steve

Image courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nerdnest/4367429896/

Ever-Quest

Well the new year is here and we all know what that means... Resolutions! The idea has somewhat lost its meaning in the traditional sense, mainly because it has become exactly that. A tradition. When you do something year-in, year-out without giving it much thought it either becomes a cherished part of your life or it withers into a token gesture against what it once was. 

To try and avoid my resolutions becoming something in the back of my head that nags at me without ever spurring me to action, I try to stay creative. Last year I didn't really make any goals for myself. I had just completed a year long quest to go on one adventure each month for the entire year and I felt that my success had warranted a year of doing whatever I wanted. The end result was an even more adventurous year than the preceding one. The lesson there is that resolutions have a way of ingraining themselves into your life if you keep up with them for long enough. 

I guess that's the point. You choose something you want to be a part of who you are and you do it for so long that it becomes second nature. Now that I am living in BC and have ready access to mountains there is something I would like to try. In the true spirit of adventure and outdoorsiness, and inspired by the 12 year-old inside me who never quite learned how to give up on his dreams, my new year's resolution is to climb the equivalent height of Mount Everest. 

Granted, it won't be in one go. It couldn't possibly be, considering that Everest itself is a solid 30% taller than the highest mountain in North America, but climbing it in pieces seems like a safe and fun way to make mountaineering more of a fixture in my life. From the hilltop on which I live, on a clear day, I can see at least one peak over 10,000 feet/3,048 meters so that will make up a big chunk of the Everest goal. The rest will be filled in by the smaller 5,000-8,000 foot (1,524 - 2,438 meter) peaks with countless hiking trails that criss-cross the lower mainland.

I'm sure I will have help in achieving this goal from my Ontario friends who have vowed to come visit and from my new friends here in BC. One thing I know for sure is that even if I fail, I'll have one hell of a good time trying. Mount Everest is officially 29,028 feet/8,848 meters tall, so I certainly have my work cut out for me, but in my experience I have found that the loftiest goals are the one's that are the most worth achieving. 

Best of luck to you and yours in 2012.

-Steve

Feeling Festive

I am happy to report that I have officially given up on accomplishing anything this week before heading home. The Christmas spirit is just too infectious to not take advantage of. All the bad environmental news today is even having a hard time swaying me from the pure bliss of listening to Michael Bublé croon out some Christmas carols and "helping" my girlfriend bake cookies.

The life of a university student often doesn't lend itself to fully enjoying December. Even the stubbornly young at heart, a group that most assuredly includes me, have a hard time feeling festive when there are exams to be studied for and papers to be written. And real, full-fledged grown ups? Forget about it. Most adults are so overwhelmed by stress that they don't have time to get swept up in Yuletide cheer. I was fortunate this year in that the people in charge of my program were merciful and let us all be done our work and free of academic commitments as of December 5th.

In the time since then I have slowly fallen back into the mindset I took for granted as a child. The care-free, present anticipating, sugar ingesting, ornament hanging, carol singing state that filled me with the courage to tear fearlessly down steep toboggan slopes and truly enjoy the holidays. I have really missed it and I'm glad I have been able to find my way back. As much I would like to believe that its possible to feel this way all year, the fact is there is something special about the month of December. Maybe its the Christmas lights, maybe its the hustle and bustle of the shopping malls, maybe its the clichéd Christmas movies that are on perpetual repeat; but if you open your mind up to being a kid again, its an easy goal to accomplish.

And why shouldn't we all take advantage of that? Its very rare that the society we live in invites us to let go of our worries for a few weeks and really enjoy everything we have. If you are reading this blog you are part of a very small segment of people who are lucky enough to have their needs met in such a way that they have time to relax. Its very easy to forget that when you're bogged down with work, and bills, and meetings. The ubiquitous joy and spirit of giving that are at the heart of the holidays are a great way to escape the madness.

So this December, try to get caught up in it. Take a couple weeks for yourself. Stop worrying about the woes of the world and the obstacles you face in your own life and spend time with family and friends like it is the most important thing you have to do. The whole reason we all work so hard is so we can have some happiness in our lives. We would be foolish not step back and enjoy it when we are being bombarded with it from every angle.

I love Christmas. I always have. I always will. I understand that it is hard for some of us to get into the holiday spirit, but it should be a priority. Go out and find it if you have to. Don't be stubborn. Because when you finally find that you are able to view the world through a set of rose-coloured glasses, if only for a short while, all the bad things in life seem not to matter as much.

Happy holidays/Merry Christmas!

-Steve

Image courtesy of http://www.brothersoft.com/winter-wonderland-theme-201583.html

Rediscovery

I've been a nerd since long before it was cool. When I was ten years old we didn't have shows like Big Bang Theory and Numb3rs that exposed dorks to the wider world in a friendly and idolistic way. No, all we had were the shows that fostered our nerd-dom while keeping us firmly separated from popular culture. But man, did I love those shows. I can't tell you how many evenings of my childhood were spent watching Discovery Channel Special Presentations or National Geographic Explorer presentations. They made me the man I am today, and I truly miss them.

Unfortunately, I've had to watch as the Discovery Channel slowly became less about visually captivating documentaries and more about people doing physical labour in extreme situations or how matches are made. Occasionally though, they still hit the mark, and tonight was one of those nights. I saw an online advertisement a few days ago for a special entitled Drain the Great Lakes. This caught my interest for a few reasons. First off, I am a Southern Ontario boy, born and raised. I may have spent the past few months fulfilling a lifelong dream of living among the mountains, but the Great Lakes and the vast stretches of Boreal forest that make up my home will always hold a special place in my heart. Second, with a title like that, and a deep-running love for disaster movies, how could I not watch?

I'm happy to report that the show managed to exceed my expectations and took me back to the glory days of educational TV. I spent the hour learning about ancient fluctuations in lake levels that exposed cliffs hundreds of feet high. I learned how some of North America's first inhabitants hunted caribou along the now submerged escarpments. I listened intently to the story of undetected earthquakes of the shoreline of Toronto that have created geologic "pop-ups" up to three meters high and how these represent the astounding tectonic forces squeezing an area that many people think of as relatively stable. I even learned about the mysterious circular feature that is nearly two kilometers in diameter and could be one of the best preserved meteor craters on the planet, albeit under a few hundred feet of Lake Ontario waves.

I'm glad to see that, every once in a while, an eye catching documentary still comes along. It gives me hope for young nerds who are growing up in a time without Bill Nye the Science Guy or Popular Mechanics for Kids. Hopefully these fledgeling scientists are satisfying their curiosity in some other way. Possibly with the vast supply of BBC docs on YouTube or by way of some great education show that I am totally unaware of. 

Either way, one of the great things about being a kid is how all the fun facts that us grown people take for granted can still inspire awe. I remember, a while back, I was trying to explain the seasons to my little brother so I turned out all the lights in his bedroom, grabbed a globe and gave him a flashlight. The look on his face when he saw how the angle of the Earth effects the way that light hits its surface reminded me of the wonder I used to be able to find so easily. Now I have to dig a little deeper to learn interesting facts, but that dorky kid who dreamed of being a herpetologist is definitely alive and well inside me.

Until next time, stay curious; because the world is just awesome.

-Steve 

Photo courtesy of www.discoverychannel.ca

Alarmed and Disappointed

Recently I have taken to watching YouTube videos in a series called "What You Ought to Know." Most of the videos are delightful little quips about common misunderstandings that attempt to inform the general public about interesting bits of information using humour and a likeable, sarcastic host. Basically its right up my alley. Most of the videos are like this:

Fun, right? Well, yes. That video is a great example of why I grew to like these short information sessions and I will invite anyone who doesn't want me to burst their bubble to stop reading now. Because I'm about to tear this guy a new one...

Okay, well now that its just you scorn-loving readers and I, I'll get into the reason for this blog. As many of you know, yesterday I was watching some Rick Perry campaign ads and I ended up writing about why they are homophobic and wrong. As a consequence of yesterday's viewing, today when I logged on to YouTube one of my recommended videos was a "What You Ought to Know" rant called "Gay Marriage." I opened the video and watched in horror as the guy I had come to see as a bringer of fun facts explained why he voted yes on California's Proposition 8 - a bill that ultimately banned gay marriage in one of the most progressive states in the union. However, his arguments were based on what constitutes the proper avenue to change legal definitions and he made some decent points while remaining fairly even minded. So I cut him some slack.

The video that came next crossed a line, though. I'll share it will you now:

Yeah, he just broke my heart a little. He had so much potential. So well spoken. So charismatic. So sarcastic. But the house of cards has fallen and now I'm pissed. This video is taking people with a healthy curiosity about the world down a grossly misinformed path. First of all, he quotes Richard Dawkins from an interview given in Ben Stein's laughably ignorant documentery "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed." Dawkins has publically reprimanded Stein time and time again for the nature of the film and how he was misled about its message before agreeing to do the interview. All of that is besides the point, though.

What really pisses me off is the perpetuation of misinformation. "If evolution ever happened, it isn't happening now"? "We have never seen evolution take place"? What? For a guy who comes off as being well-read and well-informed, he must not have looked very hard for evidence in favour of the accepted scientific fact that is evolution. I'll let Dawkins do the rebutting by using examples from his book "The Greatest Show on Earth: The evidence for evolution." These examples, fittingly enough, are from a chapter titled "Before Our Very Eyes," its almost as if he saw this video coming:

1) The Lizards of Pod Mrcaru: A population of lizards was caught on a piece of driftwood and transported to an island they had not previously inhabited. Within a period of 25 years the lizards, because of a modified diet based on plants rather than insects, had developed much stronger jaw muscles and an entirely unique digestive tract. Given enough time, this population will surely diverge far enough to prevent breeding with the original population. That, by the way, is what defines speciation, its not arbitrary with living animals like our friend in the video suggests.

2) Dr. Richard Lenski's Long-Term Evolution Experiment: Researchers in Michigan have been tracking the evolution of E. coli using rigorous methods to avoid contamination for over 20 years. That totals to over 45,000 generations of bacteria. Over that time, certain populations of bacteria taken from an origin sample have evolved the ability to exploit entirely novel food sources based their environment. This has led to a dramatically improved ability to reproduce only in those populations. If the separate experimental groups were mixed back together the forms that could more efficiently feed and breed would undoubtedly outcompete their cousins and wipe them out. That's natural selection driven by evolution.

3) Guppies: Basically the same story as with the lizards, but over a period of a little over a decade scientists have monitored adaptations to guppy populations based on their specific environments and based on what predators are present. This demonstrates how animals can drive each other's evolution. There is even a fascinating side-bar about sexual selection on the far of the female guppies, but you'll have to read the book to get that.

To sum up, if the guy in the video could think as well as he could speak, we might have a formidable debater on our hands. Unfortunately he has fallen victim either to laziness in his research, willful ignorance, or a desire to mislead people because of some vested interest in denying evolution. Its amazing that people still need to stress this point but: Darwin was right. Evolution happens. There is ample evidence of it from genetics, fossils, geology, and yes even from experiments that have taken place in the span of one human lifetime. Saying that new species aren't evolving right now is to demonstrate how little you actually understand how speciation happens. I've lost a lot of respect for the people in charge of "What You Ought to Know" and if I watch any of their videos in the future, it won't be with the same sense of solidarity... and that's a shame.

This whole example just goes to show how important discussion is. Even when you think something is common knowledge, it might not be to everyone. Talk about what you know. Have intelligent conversations. Be curious about the world and question things. All that is necessary for ignorance to triumph, is for informed people to be silent.

Cheers,

Steve

Bigotry, Misdirection, and Other Political Tactics

Politics are a funny business. When you get elected to represent a huge number of people you take on a lot of responsibility. Not only are you charged with representing the views of the electorate in the formation of laws and allocation of tax dollars, but you are also forced to make decisions that are in the best interests of people regarding issues that they may not understand in enough detail to know what is best. In a very real way, you take on the role of a parent for the people who elected you. It is your job to guide them to success in the future and ensure their happiness in the present.

At least that is how its supposed to be. I would even like to believe that that is how it once was. I'm fairly confident that the first couple Prime Ministers and Presidents had the legitimate best interests of people at heart when they were forming the foundations of Canada and America. Whether that is true or not, things have fallen a long way from the ideal state they are supposed to represent. Modern politicians often lack even the most basic respect for their constituents. They try to scare us with appeals to nationalism, saying that the Canadian or American way of life is in jeopardy and that we must act to restore things to the way they used to be.

Some of the rhetoric can even sound appealing until you stop to think about it for five seconds. Hell, who wouldn't want to live in an idyllic "Wonder Years" fairy tale that never actually existed anyway. But alas, many of us are cursed with the ability to think for ourselves and realize that "traditional values" and "The Canadian/American dream" are not at all what is at stake as our countries move forward; we are being presented with scare tactics meant to freeze us in our tracks and vote for the guy who promises to do the same for the country.

Times change and laws need to keep up in order to avoid stagnation. Think of where we would be if women couldn't vote, if we didn't have a constitution that guaranteed racial equality, if the government could declare martial law whenever it wanted. Progress is a good thing and it in no way threatens societal morals and future prosperity. That is why I get so angry when I see ads like this one:

A classic example of how modern day "conservativism" is so far removed from what it is supposed to be that most people can't even begin to relate to it. The priorities of conservatives have shifted from decentralized government to extremist propaganda. Rick Perry might not explicitly blame gay people for the "war on Christmas" but he comes outrageously close.

I may not be American, but the trends that I see in Canadian political ads aren't much better. I'm sick of being treated like an ignorant, bigoted child. The worst thing of all is that the guys who are running for president don't even care about gay marriage. Its all smoke and mirrors meant to distract people from the things they really do care about. Namely, perpetuating inequality by failing to tax the wealthy, degrading the environment as they attempt to put more money into the hands of "the 1%", and taking money away from scientific research that continues to point out how screwed we will be if they are able to fulfill their first two objectives.

It really scares me that in 2011 an ad like that can make it to air. It shows a huge amount of disrespect for the average American and promotes ignorance and intolerance on a level that is full-on disgusting. Its encouraging that the YouTube tally stands at nearly 300,000 dislikes to 6,000 likes, but that still means 6,000 people are buying what Perry is selling.

The tide is beginning to turn and people are tolerating less and less of this nonsense. In the last Canadian Federal election, the only party that didn't resort to using attack ads was the NDP and their support grew to the point that they are now the official opposition. I'm proud to be alive at a time when the average person is once again thinking for themselves and slowly bringing about the changes that need to happen. The fact that we have a Conservative majority government and that the House of Commons is broken beyond repair tend to wash out a lot of my optimism, though.

I guess I'm just left with hope that, next November, reason will once again trump fear and that Obama will become a 2-term president. I'll be biting my nails until then.

-Steve