Unpopular opinion: Inclusion is not always welcome

A couple of Facebook groups I am a member of have lately been bombarded by irrelevant or offensive posts, including porn. They’re both public groups. 

The problem with public groups is, if the Admin chooses to change it to private, the group can never be changed back to public ever again due to privacy issues (some people join a group only if it is private).

 
According to one Admin, Facebook opened public groups to be more inclusive. What this does is allow irrelevant or offensive content to be posted before someone notices and reports it to the Admin(s) for the post to be taken down. If people report irrelevant or offensive posts to Facebook instead of Admin(s), Facebook can actually deactivate a group due to numerous complaints. It can be effective sabotage by someone bent on causing mischief. It also creates a lot of work for the Admin(s) to weed out spammers.

So, yeah, sometimes being inclusive is a bad thing.

Thoughts on World Cup 2022

While I agree politics should stay out of sports, human rights should not.

I’ve read a lot of comments along the line of “It’s their laws. Respect their culture or shut up.” Yeah, if their laws include denying basic human rights to women, LGBTQ+, migrant workers, etc., everyone should speak up against such laws. 

We’re not talking about laws like littering, murder, theft, etc.; we’re talking about laws that treat certain people as less than second class citizens (or not even citizens at all) just for who they are, not the choices they make. Well, some people seriously think gender and sexual orientation are choices, so there’s that.

So, yeah, it’s been a dilemma for me. I love soccer/football, but I don’t want to support a host country that does not respect basic human rights.

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

We want to be thankful for what we have, and Thanksgiving is one day (almost) the whole nation comes together to give thanks and usually spend time with family (friends in my case). 

However, it is a reminder that it is because of atrocities committed against the indigenous people that the United States came into being. It is also because there is a United States as it is that we have immigrants who have come here for better opportunities.

So, I am ambivalent. I am a beneficiary of the existence of this country, and therefore a beneficiary of the atrocities against indigenous people.

I appreciate a day to give thanks, but its origin isn’t very savory. To be honest, most people are not thinking of how Thanksgiving Day came about. Most are grateful for the concept of a day of thanksgiving. Of course it has evolved into big business where people are just waiting for Black Friday and the sales. While I am grateful for Thanksgiving despite knowing how it came about, I’m even more against retail being open Thanksgiving Day and the push to make sales on Friday. 

If this truly is a time to give thanks, the usual Black Friday chaos reminds you how ungrateful and uncivilized people really are.

I know this isn’t very coherent. It’s more a ramble than an essay.

Why is “Ethnic” Food Unhealthy?

There is a misconception that “ethnic” food, at least the Americanized version of it, is unhealthy. A lot of biased articles claim they’re high in salt, MSG, fat, etc. Truth of the matter is, the versions we get in the US aren’t from the old country. They’ve been adapted to lower the cost or to suit the American palate.

This is why when Americans travel overseas to sample the foods where they originated, they hate it. And to think these civilizations have been around for thousands of years. They had been doing it right, possibly by trial and error. It’s the American version that isn’t healthy.

What is bad is American influence on local cuisines, where international conglomerates and big money marketing have convinced locals that fast food is “better” for them. Slick advertising convince them that they should embrace American fast food. 

I say, down with American fast food! Embrace local traditions, even if many have been borrowing from other cuisines over the years. Organically evolved fusion food is not the same as forced fusion food.

I personally don’t like the word “ethnic.” It implies an otherness. Is German food less “ethnic” than Chinese food? Why do Americans accept pizza and pasta without question but consider kimchi and injera exotic? It pisses me off when people hear the word “dumpling” they immediately think Chinese dumplings or gyozas.

Unpopular Opinion re Social Media

I personally don’t think people who spread rumors and untruths should be banned from social media. It’ll just drive them underground. They cannot and will not be silenced. Like-minded people will just seek them out, anyway.

I personally find them a source of amusement, and when it gets too much I’ll just ignore them.

Let them spew their hatred and lies for the whole world to see (and ridicule). Banning them will only play into their sense of victimhood. Let them say what they want to say so they have to defend themselves. Intelligent people will either debunk or ignore. People who are easily manipulated or influenced will believe them anyway.

It is up to the rest of us to be patient and meticulous and refute their untruths and lies. Silencing them will only make them more determined.

Social media should not be the primary source of information, anyway. They use algorithms to manipulate feeds. Don’t be passive in how you consume the news. Seek out neutral sources that do their research and don’t try to influence your opinion. Sources that only attack their opposition and tell you how evil the “enemies” are should not be trusted.

Ok. Rant over.

More Thoughts On Elections and Voting

Have you noticed? Almost none of the wins are landslide wins. Even the clear winners didn’t take a significant majority. Left and right are almost half and half when it comes to voting. 

I don’t know if it means it has to do with people not turning out. Voter turnout certainly has not been 100%. The highest turnout hasn’t even been 2/3!

So, reader, I am asking for your thoughts. Are we really split down the middle most of the time?

As always, please keep it civil and relevant. I promise I will refrain from commenting on your experience, but I might be curious enough to ask questions to better understand your story.

Thoughts on Elections and Voting

Ok. Here’s a subversive thought. It’s really not about politics and more about strategy. 

We’ve been doing it wrong, and JB showed us how to do it right. He “supported” Darren and got him on the ballot just to trounce him.

If you’re really worried about Donald running again, register as Republican and vote to get someone else on the ballot. The first step is to prevent him from being a candidate in the first place.

Choose your opponent wisely!

Mental Illness and Racism

People who suffer from mental illness, especially when it comes to paranoia, psychosis, and delusions, are also more prone to racist attitudes and beliefs. They are more likely to see danger lurking everywhere where none exists. Due to their beliefs, they may act on those beliefs, whether it’s verbal or physical assaults.

How do you balance the need for compassion with protecting the public? If they don’t understand right from wrong, is punishment the best option? Do victims have the right to demand and expect punishment?

There are no easy answers. I don’t really know what the solution is.

Conspiracy Theories

I don’t understand conspiracy theories.

No, I take that back.

Academically, I understand them. Intellectually, they baffle me.

Conspiracy theories are so farfetched, ridiculous, baseless, and illogical, it is difficult to understand why otherwise educated and reasonable people believe them to the point that they will publicly defend them even as the conspiracy theories are convincingly debunked WITH EVIDENCE.

Yes, I know there is confirmation bias. A theory that aligns with their beliefs is more likely to be believed. It’s human nature. 

But what’s sad is that common sense completely goes out the window even if a conspiracy theory has been completely, utterly, and totally debunked. They would rather hold on to the sliver of untruth than consider the overwhelming amount of evidence.

No one likes to be proven wrong. That’s not the issue. It’s the refusal to engage intelligently and use critical thinking that makes me fear for humanity, and these are the people who are the most vocal and willing to commit crimes, even violence, to support their beliefs because they truly believe they are defending the truth.