#i am willing to expound upon my opinions

[proship-cafe]

sollux, kankri, and meulin? or just kankri

rubs my hands together

Sollux

man it's been forever, but sollux was a character i enjoyed playing with, roleplay wise! though i dont think i ever did him justice, i wasn't grumpy enough

Meulin

she's absolutely a lovely girl, but she didn't set up shop in my head! alas, because she's a genuinely cute character

Kankri

i have... many thoughts about kankri. some of this is colored by friends i've had previously who have identified strongly with him, however for the most part i sort of hate-love him. he's a little shit <3 and i like him that way

[lauraliansol]

After having watched all of the series of Star Trek from TOS up through ENT i want to expound some opinions:

As nerds there is constant comparison in our lives. Always one against another. Well, I've been told this is the goblin market so here's more of that pointless shit for my own personal trash pile.

Preface: I did not watch the series in any kind of order and i've only seen some of these episodes once so I'm gonna forget some details.

I started with TNG several years ago. That's how I fell in love with Star Trek. Captain Picard was the ultimate Space Dad. A man of ethics and conviction running around on an enormous starship handling dilemmas great and small.

Onward through the years I've watched DS9, VOY, and then TOS and I am just finishing ENT at time of writing.

After having gone through all of the available episodes of Star Trek and coming to love so much about all of the series I've always wanted to kind of put my thoughts together about some things.

My favorite captain is Sisko.

Truly the ultimate Space Dad. Literally starting out as being a dad is a big step. He's got a young son and he's a great father. Managing to balance running that Cardassian monstrosity while also caring for his boy. It touches me deeply every time I get to think about it.

Then you add in some of the very questionable choices he's made. Obviously we can talk about In the Pale Moonlight for eternity.

So let's

At this point we have seen Sisko as a definite Starfleet officer. A man who's ethics and morality is on par with Picard and yet he's willing to truly compromise his ideals for what he feels is the best. PIcard has made several compromises but never would he blow up a politician for any kind of gain. Even associating with someone who has Garak's reputation would have Picard questioning his involvement from the drop. Even if he were in that position PIcard would have done everything else in his power to ensure the proper solution was reached with no underhanded approaches. I'd rather blow up a Romulan and learn to live with it.

Sisko, though, Sisko will ensure his ends are met so his means can be justified. How would these other humans try and face down the Dominion? They're just right over there, on the other side of that wormhole and they know more about us than we even could have thought and can summon an overwhelming attack force, seemingly at will.

Sisko faced it down, though. He leveraged his connection to beings who don't even exist as we do, called on Gul Dukat to help execute infiltrating a party for Gowron and had every one of his officers kidnapped and tortured in some manner. What a fantastic place Terok Nor turned out to be.

Picard is a fantastic captain. The man is standard for Starfleet officers. If you know anything about Star Trek you know Kirk and Picard. He set a standard of how not only officers should conduct themselves but Starfleet in total. Thinking of the Drumhead and Measure of a Man and those wonderful speeches, those ideas and perspectives that are laid bare when grappling with personhood and corruption.

What does come to mind, however, is the episode The Wounded. The whole affair is Picard attempting to keep the peace between the Federation and Cardassia. With the context provided by DS9 this episode takes on a whole new context. Information on how a 50 year occupation left its mark upon the Bajoran people. Hindsight and all that, but I want to offer a different - possibly forgiving - approach. I think this episode gets better on rewatch. The Captain knows the evils Cardassia committed. He knows that Cardassian's would stoop to using metagenic weapons, torture, anything to get whatever they wanted.

Knowing this Picard still defends the peace between them, even at the end of the episode he shows that he has very little trust for the Cardassians but he wouldn't compromise his morals or Starfleet for anything, not even if the Cardassian's are going out of their way to break whatever rules they can.

Captain Kathryn Janeway got the short end of the stick in every way you could think. Her writers bungled the character, the show and half the episodes of VOY. There's tons of good stuff in VOY, the premise is intriguing and dangerous. The crew is fun and varied in age and experience, rife for conflict and fun character moments.

Janeway is fantastic. She always gives me those excellent Picard vibes. Her application of a similar morality is very different from both the captain's before her.

There's no way Janeway could blow up a senator. Even in the most dire of circumstances she is surprisingly rigid. Always attempting to push the moral and Starfleet ideal but she's faced with just such a harsh situation that holding onto those things is beyond commendable. Even in the finale - Endgame - young Janeway is absolutely still devout and upright in her view of rules and regulations, you don't break the Prime Directive or the Temporal Prime Directive.

Balancing this with the fucking Delta quadrant is just... I can't even describe my feelings. The Phage, the Borg, Species 8472 and the Krenim is just the long series of nonsense that Janeway had to deal with and desperately try to protect her crew and failing almost every other week.

She never stops, though, that Janeway. To push through all that shit, threaten to destroy the whole ship and crew just to protect her people from months of torture. A well deserved coffee break is all that she wants and deserves far much more. Yes I will continue to make jokes about her needing to be jailed but that's purely for the meme.

It's very hard when you turn the comparison lens onto VOY. It's got so much going for it. The characters are fun and the captain is sharp, observant and motivated and ship is really cool with the integration of biological components into the infrastructure. Justice for Janeway.

Archer is fun.

I love Archer and Enterprise. A man who let the chip on his shoulder dictate his behavior for over a year actually grew up to be a captain as good - I feel better - than Kirk.

For me that's the appeal of ENT. At first I was very turned off. The crew are all kind of mean to each other. It was very jarring to see how fast they are to distrust T'Pol in those early episodes. Through the series, though, Archer really comes into his own. He proves that he really does belong on that bridge.

Talking about willing to compromise morals seems to be half of Archer's deal. I love how it's portrayed because it's clear that he's presented with multiple, horrid scenarios.

The Xindi is the obvious arc to focus on, but I was immediately drawn to the Prime Directive implications and the formation of the Federation at the end of the series.

Mother Sun, please offer your blessings upon Jeffrey Combs. Who else could have given Shran the life he has on screen. Not only is his presence so weighty he's pulling it off next to Scott Bakula.

Handling the Romulan aggression and managing to physically best Shran to keep the Tellarites and the Andoreans on board was really kind of tense. Sure they're not going to have Archer die, but Shran was a reoccurring character, there was no guarantee he was coming back. Archer managed to learn the rules and made it work and kept one of his most important allies.

ENT really had this feeling of the crew of NX-01 being really on the edge. Archer could call back to Admiral Forest but that's it. There was no backup and there were no rules. We hit Warp 5, go have fun now that the Vulkans are in agreement.

This all leads me to Kirk.

An anomaly in comparison. The beginnings of working out a template always feel more noncomforming than what came after. The four other captains all feel like they fit this mold of Starfleet. Kirk is a man who somehow managed to get ahold of a starship and he just kept getting things right enough no one told him no. Hell, half the time Spock looks like he's just enjoying the ride as this insane human just cowboys his way around the quadrant giving him interesting issues to solve.

Kirk, I would say, is largely a good captain. He cares about his crew. He looks for alternatives and asks advice. Facing down the Gorn, the Tholian's, Romulan's and Klingons

There's always that issue of the sexism when you talk about Kirk, though. After having watched TOS it was there the whole time. One of the first things he talks about is that a captain is not allowed to fraternize with the crew. In the conversation - if you want to be generous - his tone could be interpreted as either somber and forlorn or neutral.

Kirk is very hard to reconcile because he feels out of place when thinking about the rest of the captains and how they conduct himself.

TOS is clearly a show of its era. Kirk is definitely a swashbuckling adventurer type dealing with fun science fiction scenarios. He really just feels like an action hero a lot episodes.

The feeling changes in certain instances, however. When there's a moment to sit down and there's a simple, low bass note playing over and over again as they discuss the issue. TOS has these quiet moments that are like a maelstrom of tar. Where No Man Has Gone before is really the first instance of this occurring and it really has a way of setting the tone.

It gave me chills the first time I watched that conversation between Kirk and Gary Mitchell. Mitchell's feelings and realizations and the very quick, but no overly insisted upon changes are horrifying as we watch a mortal man learn that he is becoming more.

In the end the Captain's are hard to compare. They all have their own ways and they fit so many different personalities. I am cursed, however, to enjoy these things. I must discuss, compare and contrast and prepare to fling my opinionated idiocy around as if it has any weight.

To round this off to complete the opinion in total:

Sisko is the best,

Picard, Archer, and Janeway are fantastic.

Kirk didn't show up for the meeting, he stole a ship and broke orders. We believe he's saving earth so it's whatever.

[orthodoxydaily]

The Attributes of the Orthodox Church of Jesus Christ ( part 3_end)

by Saint Justin Popovich

The Apostolicity of the Church  

The holy apostles were the first god-men by grace. Like the Apostle Paul each of  them, by his integral life, could have said of himself: “I live, yet not I, but Christ  liveth in me” (Gal. 2:20). Each of them is a Christ repeated; or, to be more exact,  a continuation of Christ. Everything in them is theanthropic because everything was  recieved from the God-man. Apostolicity is nothing other than the God-manhood of  the Lord Christ, freely assimilated through the holy struggles of the holy virtues:  faith, love, hope, prayer, fasting, etc. This means that everything that is of man lives  in them freely through the God-man, thinks through the God-man, feels through the  God-man, acts through the God-man and wills through the God-man. For them, the  historical God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the supreme value and the supreme  criterion. Everything in them is of the God-man, for the sake of the God-man, and in the God-man. And it is always and everywhere thus. That for them is immortality in  the time and space of this world. Thereby are they even on this earth partakers of the  theanthropic eternity of Christ.  

This theanthropic apostolicity is integrally continued in the earthly successors of the  Christ-bearing apostles: in the holy fathers. Among them, in essence, there is no  difference: the same God-man Christ lives, acts, enlivens and makes them all eternal  in equal measure, He Who is the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Heb. 13:8).  Through the holy fathers, the holy apostles live on with all their theanthropic riches,  theanthropic worlds, theanthropic holy things, theanthropic mysteries, and  theanthropic virtues. The holy fathers in fact are continuously apostolizing, whether  as distinct godlike personalities, or as bishops of the local churches, or as members of  the holy ecumenical and holy local councils. For all of them there is but one Truth, one  Transcendent Truth: the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Behold, the holy ecumenical councils, from the first to the last, confess, defend, believe, announce, and vigilantly  preserve but a single supreme value: the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ.  

The principal Tradition, the transcendent Tradition, of the Orthodox Church is the  living God-man Christ, entire in the theanthropic Body of the Church of which He  is the immortal, eternal Head. This is not merely the message, but the transcendent  message of the holy apostles and the holy fathers. They know Christ crucified, Christ  resurrected, Christ ascended. They all, by their integral lives and teachings, with a  single soul and a single voice, confess that Christ the God-man is wholly in His  Church, as in His Body. Each of the holy fathers could rightly repeat with St. Maximus  the Confessor: "In no wise am I expounding my own opinion, but that which I have  been taught by the fathers, without changing aught in their teaching."  

And from the immortal proclamation of St. John of Damascus there resounds the  universal confession of all the holy fathers who were glorified by God: "Whatever has  been transmitted to us through the Law, and the prophets, and the apostles, and the  evangelists, we receive and know and esteem highly, and beyond that we ask nothing  more… Let us be fully satisfied with it, and rest therein, removing not the ancient  landmarks (Prov. 22:28), nor violating the divine Tradition." And then, the touching,  fatherly admonition of the holy Damascene, directed to all Orthodox Christians:  "Wherefore, brethren, let us plant ourselves upon the rock of faith and the Tradition of  the Church, removing not the landmarks set by our holy fathers, nor giving room to  those who are anxious to introduce novelties and to undermine the structure of  God's holy ecumenical and apostolic Church. For if everyone were allowed a free  hand, little by little the entire Body of the Church would be destroyed."  

The holy Tradition is wholly of the God-man, wholly of the holy apostles, wholly of  the holy fathers, wholly of the Church, in the Church, and by the Church. The holy  fathers are nothing other than the "guardians of the apostolic tradition. " All of them,  like the holy apostles themselves, are but "witnesses" of a single and unique Truth:  the transcendent Truth of Christ, the God-man. They preach and confess it without  rest, they, the "golden mouths of the Word." The God-man, the Lord Christ is one,  unique, and indivisible. So also is the Church unique and indivisible, for she is the  incarnation of the Theanthropos Christ, continuing through the ages and through all  eternity. Being such by her nature and in her earthly history, the Church may not be  divided. It is only possible to fall away from her. That unity and uniqueness of the Church is theanthropic from the very beginning and through all the ages and all  eternity.  

Apostolic succession, the apostolic heritage, is theanthropic from first to last. What is  it that the holy apostles are transmitting to their successors as their heritage? The  Lord Christ, the God-man Himself, with all the imperishable riches of His wondrous  theanthropic Personality, Christ—the Head of the Church, her sole Head. If it does  not transmit that, apostolic succession ceases to be apostolic, and the apostolic  Tradition is lost, for there is no longer an apostolic hierarchy and an apostolic Church.  

The holy Tradition is the Gospel of the Lord Christ, and the Lord Christ Himself,  Whom the Holy Spirit instills in each and every believing soul, in the entire Church.  Whatever is Christ's, by the power of the Holy Spirit becomes ours, human; but only  within the body of the Church. The Holy Spirit—the soul of the Church, incorporates 

each believer, as a tiny cell, into the body of the Church and makes him a "co-heir" of  the God-man (Eph. 3:6). In reality the Holy Spirit makes every believer into a God man by grace. For what is life in the Church? Nothing other than the transfiguration of each believer into a God-man by grace through his personal, evangelical virtues; it  is his growth in Christ, the putting on of Christ by growing in the Church and being a  member of the Church. A Christian's life is a ceaseless, Christ-centered theophany: the  Holy Spirit, through the holy mysteries and the holy virtues, transmits Christ the  Savior to each believer, renders him a living tradition, a living life: "Christ who is  our life" (Col. 3:4). Everything Christ's thereby becomes ours, ours for all eternity: His  truth, His righteousness, His love, His life, and His entire divine Hypostasis.  

Holy Tradition? It is the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man Himself, with all the riches  of his divine Hypostasis and, through Him and for His sake, those of the Holy Trinity.  That is most fully given and articulated in the Holy Eucharist, wherein, for our sake  and for our salvation, the Savior's entire theanthropic economy of salvation is  performed and repeated. Therein wholly resides the God-man with all His wondrous  and miraculous gifts; He is there, and in the Church's life of prayer and liturgy.  Through all this, the Savior's philanthropic proclamation ceaselessly resounds: "And,  lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Mt. 28 20): He is with the  apostles and, through the apostles, with all the faithful, world without end. This is the  whole of the holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church of the apostles: life in Christ =  life in the Holy Trinity; growth in Christ = growth in the Trinity (cf. Mt. 28: 19-20).  Of extraordinary importance is the following: in Christ's Orthodox Church, the Holy  Tradition, ever living and life-giving, comprises: the holy liturgy, all the divine  services, all the holy mysteries, all the holy virtues, the totality of eternal truth and eternal righteousness, all love, all eternal life, the whole of the God-man, the Lord  Christ, the entire Holy Trinity, and the entire theanthropic life of the Church in its  theanthropic fullness, with the All-holy Theotokos and all the saints.  

The personality of the Lord Christ the God-man, transfigured within the Church,  immersed in the prayerful, liturgical, and boundless sea of grace, wholly contained  in the Eucharist, and wholly in the Church—this is holy Tradition. This authentic  good news is confessed by the holy fathers and the holy ecumenical councils. By  prayer and piety holy Tradition is preserved from all human demonism and devilish  humanism, and in it is preserved the entire Lord Christ, He Who is the eternal  Tradition of the Church. "Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the  flesh" (I Tim. 3 16): He was manifest as a man, as a God-man, as the Church, and by  His philanthropic act of salvation and deification of humanity He magnified and  exalted man above the holy cherubim and the most holy seraphim.  

Originally published in Orthodox Life, vol. 31, no. 1 (Jan.-Feb., 1981), pp. 28-33. Translated by Stephen  Karganovic from: The Orthodox Church & Ecumenism (in Serbian), by Archimandrite Justin (Popovich)  (Thessalonica: Chilandar Monastery, 1974), pp. 64-74.  

[slingsendarrows]

To His Coy Master

“I have often reflected on upon the new vistas that reading opened to me. I knew right there in prison that reading had changed the course of my life. As I see it today, the ability to read awoke inside me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive…My homemade education gave me, with every additional book I read, a little bit more sensitivity to the deafness, dumbness, and blindness that was afflicting the black race in America.” — Malcolm X “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”

Photo by Will Small

It never ceases to amaze the length, and breadth white people will go to willfully deny history in as much as it tells them the truth about themselves. I don’t blame them. It is a bitter pill to swallow owning up as a member of a people that has wreaked such havoc and extended so much unmitigated violence. Your domination in pursuit of betterment for your people and racial superiority was at the unquantifiable expense of others.

Now, before we get bogged down in the mire of wilfully confusing terms, let me resentfully explain what I mean by the words I am using. I say resentfully because expounding upon the injustices heaped upon my people requires I justify my position and take care not to offend the sensibilities of those I am addressing. It is dormant trauma indicative of the master/slave dichotomy I still have yet to shed. For it is only the oppressor that necessitates the oppressed exercise restraint and caution in stating and expressing his grievances, however vile and repulsive, adjusting for nuances and individual circumstances as if his subjugation wasn’t abrupt, violent, and complete. What is the virtue of incremental progress if the oppressor committed the original sin with absolute expediency? But, I digress.

“White people” or “white men,” refers to the collective white man, woman, and child as befits the ideologies of white supremacy, meaning those originating from Europe and the inheritors of their ancestors’ misdeeds. I will not deign to account for individual acts or attitudes of “good” white people because it is irrelevant. It is a tactic the oppressor uses to detract from the larger truth about himself.

Also, in speaking collectively, I will use the masculine pronouns, reflexive and otherwise, in an umbrella fashion similar to holy writ, signifying patriarchy as the apex of privilege and tyranny. Occasionally, I may address collective “white people” as women and men, specifically. “Master” is not restricted to those who owned slaves in actuality but those who propagated ideas of white superiority and black subjection.

Finally, and for what I hope will be the last time, privilege is a Russian doll ladder in that some have more than others in the broader context of the hierarchical structure as well as within each rung. Privilege is the exemption from specific experiences due to the inherent characteristics of race, ability, sexuality, gender identity, sex, socioeconomic status, etc. I have privilege within my rung as educated, able-bodied, cis-gender, and heterosexual. I shall leave it there.

I know you are, but what am I?

There are things you can’t unsee. I can neither unsee injustice nor abide civility for civility’s sake. Living as a black woman person is a burden, but one I am learning to carry with pride. You live in the depths of a valley with a clear perspective of the surrounding landscape. I look about me these days, and I yearn to be free. Natural freedom, not granted, but inborn and awakened through the conscious effort. Freedom rising from truth and understanding, painful though it may be. But master, I must tell you the truth about yourself, for I see now, as Malcolm X stated, you love yourself so much you’re often surprised to discover we do not share your “vainglorious self-opinion.”

Bettmann Archives/Getty Images

The cyclical nature of oppression angers me: outcries and marches, cosmetic salves for change, and disingenuous support that lasts just long enough for us to return to business, as usual. I don’t want to mince words anymore. It no longer serves to be palatable. You must swallow whole my incredulous raging despair and dubious hope for change. You will taste every unpleasant bite as I tell you the unflavored truth about yourself. I will not be distracted by dog-whistle racist dismissals of reverse-racism and black supremacy. Pipe down! You know I do not have the power to alter a fraction of your daily existence fundamentally.

For all your talk of progress, history shows very little of significance and import has materially changed. Individual achievement is pointless if institutionalized racism persists, unimpeded since the advent of colonial conquest when you left your lands to “discover” ours. It matters little that some of us make it if most of us continue to suffer the same injustices bereft of reprieve through education, wealth, and status. In short, your surface efforts at woke-ness and allyship are of little use if, in your white homes and white spaces, you propagate or remain silent in the face of racist sentiments and ideologies.

I reason real change calls for radical action. The how eludes me. Real change requires rooting out the problem in its entirety, a problem so deeply ingrained and pervasive it infects every facet of our daily existence. It is institutionalized. But our subjugation was so final we forgot our names. We have been in the wilderness far too long, thirsting for understanding and starving for identity. You hope we never figure out our freedom was never a matter for your consent.

In the midst of my hungering, I have awakened to two fundamental realizations: 1) we are and have only ever been as free as you have allowed us to be, 2) truth comes through knowledge of self, and knowledge of self comes through self-education.

It’s been a long, long time coming, but I know change is gonna come.

During moments of considerable racial unrest, you remind us to be grateful for the crumbs that fall from your feasting tables and make it into our mouths. With each protesting hamster-wheel cycle for change, you erroneously juxtapose our grievances against your apparent signs of progress, as if the two are analogous. You caution against violent reactions when your institutions murder us, and you selectively misquote our advocates out of context to suit your purposes and invalidate our rage. The conversation inevitably becomes about how we are not decent people, and our behavior courted death; therefore, we deserve to die. There is no need to mourn, much less to protest. Still, during our tear-gassed and rubber-bulleted peaceful protestations, you implore us, once again, to be patient. Someday we’ll all be free. Incrementalism over expediency!

Photo by Charles Moore

You ask us to remember Abraham Lincoln and his hundreds of thousands of Union soldiers. Do we not recall the numerous, albeit contradictory, supreme court decisions that have brought us thus far? Lyndon B. Johnson and his predecessors awarded us civil rights, benefitting the electorate with the sacrifice of black bodies. The matter of reparations is a non-starter — sins of the father, and all that; it’s in the past. See our constitutional amendments, white abolitionists, James Meredith, northern white liberalism, and lest we forget, the progressive black achievement permitted in your industries and society.

But the fact that we’re still witnessing black firsts 400 years later is not a sign of progress; it is the opposite.

Our schools teach the efforts and white generosity of Abraham Lincoln liberated black people in America. However, a cursory glance at your records will show this is factually incorrect. I am tired of being reminded to pay homage to the “Great Emancipator,” whom we remember, in large part, due to this astounding act of condescending deference. Master Lincoln is an excellent example of your self-conceit that our freedom is yours to grant or deny. And to add insult to injury, you congratulate yourselves for it. The overarching white supremacist belief you can deign to give us freedom is a glaring reminder we are only as free as you enable us to be. Your love for this lie is so profound; you pull it out each time issues of race arise. But Lincoln, a white man, freed you! He might have been black too.

So let’s set the record straight.

Lincoln did not free slaves out of moral imperative but political expediency. A cursory study of his papers and thinking at the time show he was willing to maintain slavery if it meant keeping the Union intact because “a house divided against itself cannot stand.”

Before the Missouri Compromise of 1820, a carefully maintained 1:1 ratio determined the slavery status of newly admitted states. This balancing act was codified when Maine and Missouri sought admittance; the former was free, and the latter legally permit slavery. The law also prohibited slavery north of the Mason-Dixon line.

At the onset of the Civil War, Missouri demographically split between confederate and union allies. In 1861, witnessing Missouri’s descent into chaos, Union Major Generals Fremont and Hunter issued emancipation proclamations calling for the execution of those found guilty of taking up arms against Union and the confiscation of their property, including freeing their slaves. Shortly after that, Lincoln fired the generals and annulled the proclamation. He issued a Second Confiscation Act in July 1862, allowing for the confiscation of slaves owned by the rebels, freeing them at the discretion of the court.

District of Columbia. Company E, 4th U.S. Colored Infantry, at Fort Lincoln

Slaves were commodities of considerable economic value. Slaves were mortgaged collateral and settled debts. Losing slaves would result in a substantial financial loss for southern masters. The Union knew that, so they exploited it. Freeing slaves robed the Confederacy of its free and disposable labor, eliminating the possibility of slaves fighting against the Union army at the behest of their rebel masters. Lincoln did not issue the Proclamation of 1863 because he thought black people were inherently equal and deserving of justice under the law. Asked about his decision-making process, he stated, “…if I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that…” The Civil War did not end slavery in acknowledgment of black equality. Slave emancipation crippled the Confederate economies and, in so doing, weakened the southern rebellion. Emancipation was a means to an end.

Lincoln could not conceive of a nation with black people as equal if not, primary stakeholders. Nevermind their backs built the wealth of the country. Now that the problematic part of nation-building over, he could simply return them from whence they came and be done with it. He thought it better to return black Americans to Africa and failing that, create a whole separate nation unto themselves.

Reportedly the only known photo of a black American Union soldier and his family. (Library of Congress)

In 1854, before the Civil War, Lincoln stated, at a speech in Illinois, his “…first impulse would be to free all the slaves, and send them back to Liberia.” It was the only foreseeable solution to the race issue. He considered the coal-mining prospects of the Chiriqui region in modern-day Panama an option for deportation and resettlement. Still, the idea met fierce abolitionist opposition when he tested it on a sample slave population in Delaware. He supported a congressional bill that would “…aid in the colonization and settlement of such free persons of African descent […] as may desire to emigrate to the Republic of Haiti or Liberia or such other country beyond the limits of the United States as the President may determine.” After signing the Second Confiscation Act, in August 1862, Lincoln invited a delegation of five prominent black men to the White House to clarify that white and black people cannot coexist; therefore, separation was the most direct path to peace. He wanted their support for a mass black exodus.

Liberia presented a logistical nightmare. The Chiquiri coal was worthless, and the land in dispute with Costa Rica. Approximately 450 black people moved to an island off the coast of Haiti, of which almost 25% died of poor nutrition and illness before the remainder returned to the U.S. Defeated, Lincoln, considered deporting “the whole colored race of the slave states into Texas.” Days before his death, he stressed, “I can hardly believe that the South and North can live peace unless we can get rid of the negroes…I believe it would be better [for the whites] to export them to some fertile country…”

Getty/Library of Congress

In conclusion, asking me to celebrate a white master for granting me what is rightfully mine is ludicrous — honoring him for a decision that only benefitted me as a secondary consequence of his primary purpose is the height of white arrogance. It merely cements you don’t believe freedom is ours by right; it is yours to give in the manner befitting your white sensibility stretched out over the expanse of time. Time to legitimize the numbing effect of revisionist history and position us in gratitude toward master’s acquiesce and tolerance, however slow. Master is doing his best. After all, his wife, at a time, condescended to teach Frederick Douglass to read and write.

And yet, here we remain, yearning for crumbs off of master’s table. Asking, begging, pleading, for what is ours.

The real nightmare scenario for white supremacy is an actualized black mind, educated and conscious of its pervasive and pernicious effects. Global black unity jellies the white man’s spine in fear of retribution for his crimes. It is why you champion incremental progress and hail peaceful protest as the height of moral discourse. You only understand violence for violence is what it took to achieve your dominance. You cannot conceive of any other possible outcome, and you cannot revise history with enough “good” white people committing “good” white acts to cover the rancid stench. You know it stinks, and since you cannot find a solution outside your oppressive playbook, you must deny, obfuscate, distract, appease and roll the ball down the road of historical replay.

To that, I now turn a deaf ear. We must educate ourselves about our people and history if we are to be truly free. We cannot depend upon you to what is right. You have made it abundantly clear.

[naesoonghonors]

Sita Sings the Blues, and not much else

Sita sings the Blues

 In history and mythology women have a tendency to be written a certain way. By that I mean they are written about in a certain way, in large part due to the fact that historically many women did not write. Yes, women have the common storyteller role but are not often the ones writing it down for any sort of historical record. That is true even with Sita, she tells her story to a monk and he is the one to write it down and preserve it for historians. And due to sexist views, that persevere through a majority of cultures women of mythology come off in these certain ways. Namely passive, but bitchy and nagging or either strong but unwilling to use their powers actively or completely weak damsels. And this movie has a very interesting take where it explores Rama and Sita’s story through her lens, giving her a bit more of an active character.

The first we see of our main duo has Sita lovingly massaging Rama’s leg. And I do believe Sita would be happy to do this for the rest of time if she were allowed. Her life is very much focused around Rama. She multiple times throughout the story contemplates suicide only to be turn away from it due to her beloved Rama. She is disgraced and banned from her home and only stays alive in order to give birth to Ramas boys. This paragon of womanhood for Hindu women is both suicidal and overemotional while living only to serve her husband. This is no way for any human being to live. This one-sided dedication is nearly admired by the story at large. Sita sings the blue almost exclusively about Rama being mean or ignoring her and her needs. This is paralleled by the other story presented, one that ends in an emotional divorce. So I do believe this relationship dynamic between Sita and Rama is ultimately unachievable, and completely unwanted, in this modern era. This because a real woman cannot have her emotional needs filled by a man willing to pack up and leave her for 14 years. Not to blame Hindu culture in particular, this is just the standard most goddess and mythological women are held to. It is more a reflection of the author and their fantasies as opposed to any realistic reality. While one may want a doting wife the idea of her being unwilling to leave you alone would soon drive most insane. That is to say there is no cultural figure not molded by the passage of time. As opinions of women grow and women’s right progress some aspects of the story are left behind or become outdated. As the narrators explain these events in a tongue in cheek way it is an affirmation that women are really no longer expected to behave like this.

As the story picks up Rama was to be crowned king, but he was banished from the kingdom for 14 years. Rama is looked back upon as an exemplary ruler, so he behaves as a big honorable man and does not question his father on this. So it would seem culturally the need to respect ones (male) elders is bigger than a mans need take his rightful place. So decides to dedicate his time to protecting holy men from the demons who would destroy their fires. And he wants to do this alone. Seemingly with no consideration of his wife and willing to just leave her to her bidding for fourteen years. So before he can run off for the foreseeable future Sita proclaims that a wife’s place is next to her husband. “but Rama a woman’s place is next to her husband. I cannot live without you”. As a goddess Sita is touted as a paragon of spousal and feminine virtues for all Hindu women. Most beloved for her devotion to her husband and her purity. Not to say these are not very coveted and lovely traits but then why is she such a passive role in this story? As Rama and Sita continue their lives in the woods, Rama killing demons and Sita mostly singing about her darling husband and not helping. This strikes me as an outsider as odd as later in the story Sita claims she does have marvelous power but is not using them because she is not commanded to by Rama. Just why. She only uses her great power at the end to prove a point about her purity and return to her earth mother from which she came. While extremely hilarious I find it hard to expound upon what this is supposed to mean or say to the audience. At this point she seems to have fulfilled her role as the perfect wife, and mothers Rama twin boys, only to top it off by once again proving her purity. I guess as she has borne sons her role here as the faithful companion to Rama is complete. And that is a bit sad.

Despite how manically devoted Sita is portrayed throughout the story she is ultimately rejected by her husband. As the demon king taunts her, she continues to reaffirm how she is Rama’s forever; she belongs to Rama as the rays belong to the sun. So Sita shares her genius ideas with the audience, she will either wait patiently for her husband comes to get her or kill herself if he takes too long. She is not going to try and sneak out to rejoin her beloved she misses so much. NO as her man it is Rama’s job to come get her. Even as Rama sends a monkey soldier to come help her, she refuses to go unless Rama gets her. Like do you want to see your man or not? So she winds up spending a bit of time stuck at the demon king’s palace. She is so excited her man came to save her and restore her honor. Rama however is not having it. Because she has lived at another man’s house, he thinks she is no longer fit to be his wife. He has done his job in avenging the insult of the demon king stealing his wife, so he is done with her. He does not believe her claims of character and conduct. So Sita ever the active protagonist as his one last request of having HIM build her a funeral pyre to throw herself on. I cannot believe I’m saying this, but girl make your own funeral pyre. Ultimately Rama does not make her that fire but in order to prove herself still pure and virtuous she has to stand a trial by fire. So Rama believes she is impure and 100% ready to watch her burn to death in order to prove her purity. But she survives the trial and proves herself. Flowers literally rain from the sky.

As an outsider to this culture I thought this story was wild. Rama falls to peer pressure and literally exiles his pregnant wife because a guy said something that made him feel bad. But I imagine this is the same as anyone not raised Catholic feels about any bible story. So no matter how intense these stories may get we know, whether or not their content it true, they are deeply ingrained with culture and biases of their respective times. So I just wanted to acknowledge that some of my interpretations of the story are either dead wrong or comedy bits from the movie itself. There is nothing wrong with Sita or the virtues she is intended to reflect. This reflection is all in good fun. The world is now simply a different place with different values; but that does not mean collectively humanity cannot look back on the past. Overall I hope you enjoyed this, and I did not manage to offend anyone. If I got something wrong or someone wants to discuss I am completely open to listen and learn. Thank you.

[pamphletstoinspire]

Saint Joseph of Cupertino - " The Flying Friar" - Feast Day: September 18th - Latin Calendar

Patron saint of students:

Student prayer to St. Joseph before undergoing an examination.

O Great St. Joseph of Cupertino who while on earth did obtain from God the grace to be asked at your examination only the questions you knew, obtain for me a like favor in the examinations for which I am now preparing. In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked. Through Christ our Lord. St. Joseph of Cupertino, Pray for us. Amen

St. Joseph of Cupertino (1603-1668) was an Italian mystic whose life is a wonderful combination of a complete lack of natural capacity and an extraordinary supernatural efficiency. He lacked every natural gift. He was incapable of passing a test, maintaining a conversation, taking care of the house, or even touching a dish without breaking it. He was called names by his companions in the monastery.

He was born on June 17, 1603 into a family of poor artisans. Because of his father’s debts, he was born in a shed behind the house, which was in the hands of bailiffs. He was sickly and often at death’s door during his childhood, and at age seven he developed a gangrenous ulcer which was later cured by a religious man. He was always despised by his companions who called him a fool. Even his mother wearied of him and repudiated him for his lack of any human value.

Later, when he entered the religious life, he faced worse difficulties. The Capuchins received him as a lay brother but his ineptitude and abstraction made him unbearable for the other religious. Often he was taken in ecstasy and, oblivious of what he was doing, he would drop the food or break the dishes and trays. As a penance, bits of broken plates were fastened to his habit, both as a humiliation and reminder not to do the same again. But he could not change. He could not even be trusted with serving the bread because he would forget the difference between the white and brown breads.

Finally, considering that he was good for nothing, the religious took his habit and expelled him from the monastery. Later, he declared that having the habit taken from him was the greatest suffering of his life and that it was as if his skin had been torn from his body.

When he left the monastery he had lost part of his lay clothes. He was without a hat, boots, or stockings, and his coat was moth-eaten and worn. He presented such a sorry sight that when he passed a stable down the lane, dogs rushed out on him and tore his apparel to worse tatters. He escaped and continued along the road, but soon came upon some shepherds, who thought he was a miscreant and were about to give him a beating, when one of their number had pity on him and persuaded them to let him go free.

He went to the house of his uncle, who, ashamed of him, scolded him and sent him back into the streets with nothing. Reaching his native town, he came to the house of his parents, where his own mother berated him.

Finally the superior of the Monastery of Grottela discerned his sanctity and decided to take him in as a servant. He was appointed to the stable, and was made keeper of the monastery’s donkey.

It was there that the sanctity of St. Joseph of Cupertino began to be recognized. He was always humble, willing to serve, and of good cheer. The Superior decided to admit him to the monastery with hopes that he might learn enough to be ordained, but the effort seemed hopeless. Joseph could not comment on any passage of Scriptures except one: " Beatus venter qui Te portavit" [Blessed be the womb that bore Thee].

When the time came for his examination for the diaconate, the Bishop opened the Gospels at random and his eyes fell on that one text Joseph knew well. Joseph was able to expound on it with success. A year later came the tests for the priesthood. All the postulants except Joseph were very well prepared. The Bishop called on a number of the candidates, who responded superbly. Supposing that all were at the same intellectual level, the Bishop approved all of them without questioning the rest. Joseph was among the candidates who were asked nothing. Therefore, on March 4, 1628, Joseph became a priest at 25 years of age despite his limitations and the opinion of men.

During this period of his life, the spiritual consolations he had enjoyed since his childhood abandoned him. Later he wrote to a friend about that difficult time: "I complained a lot to God about God. I had left everything for Him, and He, instead of consoling me, delivered me to mortal anguish."

He continued: "One day, when I was weeping and wailing in my cell, a religious knocked on my door. I did not answer, but he entered my room and said: 'Friar Joseph, how are you?' "'I am here to serve you,' I answered. "'I thought you did not have a habit,' he continued. "'Yes, I have one, but it is falling apart.' I responded. "Then, the unknown religious gave me a habit, and when I put it on, all my despair disappeared immediately. No one ever knew who that religious was."

From this time on, the life of St. Joseph of Cupertino changed. He became famous for his ecstasies, miracles, and for the gift of levitation, reported by numerous eye-witnesses. He experienced this so often he became known as "the flying Friar." He began to attract so many pilgrims to the monastery that his superiors had to transfer him from one monastery to another to avoid the commotion. Finally he arrived in Osimo in 1657, where he continued to experience supernatural manifestations of God’s favors daily until he died on September 18, 1663 at age 60.

*

The Flying Friar

The first time Joseph levitated, he was praying in church, when he suddenly sailed into the air with a shriek of ecstacy and landed on the altar. And then, giving another shout of joy, he flew back to the spot where he had been praying before.

Word of his amazing levitation powers reached Rome, and Pope Urban VIII summoned the young Priest to the Vatican. Joseph became so joyous in the Pope’s presence, that he rose into the air in a trance. The Pope was stunned. He promised that he would personally vouch for Joseph’s rare and obviously holy talent. Joseph’s fame quickly spread beyond Italy, and pilgrims from other countries flocked to his church to see him fly. He once floated in the air for 20 yards, hovering among burning candles, without being burned!

*

St. Joseph’s incorrupt body may be venerated in the sanctuary altar beneath the Basilica of St. Joseph of Cupertino in Osimo, Italy.

[coldtomyflash]

You go on & on in the Leonard Snart tag about how he's OOC in LoT but then attack someone for downplaying Mick's importance to him- when Coldwave is not at all like that in the Flash (Mick abandons him/Lisa when they're attacked by Lewis, Len points his gun & threatens to kill him for losing control) & only in LoT. And then you never acknowledge that while Len's different, Sara+Mick+Stein are all significantly different too because different writers & they are now mains not supporting characters

(same anon) I wanted to clarify because I thought the lack of allowed characters made my message come off as more critical than I intended. All I was trying to say is you take this very hard opinion where you say romantic captain canary/Len's development are OOC but then never acknowledge the similar drastic changes Coldwave & other characters had. Like I find Mick's development far less believable since it had no Flash buildup & he legit tried to kill Sara in S1 but you act like that's not OOC

To your first point, for me, the issue of changes in his characterization across shows and the issue of what canon LoT gives us are totally different? I’ll answer a question or make a post with a specific point or goal, really. I was asked about changes due to Sara and I answered that question, vs. I was asked about his changes across shows and I answered that one. (And yes, I’ve made other posts about him changing on Legends, but it was only a short post about 8 months ago, so I assume you mean my recent long one on the topic).

Cross-show and meta about the show’s writing more broadly (which I did touch on in my answer) is different to me than choosing to analyze only what we have in canon. The changes in his characterization is more me remarking on something the writers had done, whereas the recent meta was about me commenting on canon.

I will concede that I referenced the Flash a bit, in part for necessity, but I was still trying to stick to Flash canon rather than discuss differences in writing.  

But largely, I was disagreeing with someone who argued that the changes came down to his feelings for Sara and that he’s more honest and closer to her than he is with Mick. I find that to be untrue, and I expounded upon why. It wasn’t an attack on them personally, or even on their ship, and if the anon took it that way I’m sorry. It was mostly a meta reply addressing the points they made and why I disagreed with them. I write long posts with lots of gifs and links, this is pretty much par for the course when I do meta. And I’m honest about my opinion, even though I try not to be a jackass about it.

As to your point, while I agree that the relationship between Len and Mick changed across shows. They’re definitely implied to be close and to have known each other for a lot longer in Legends than The Flash (which had a piece in the ‘Season Zero’ comic about their first meeting as adults, but honestly that whole comic doesn’t line up with show canon so there’s that). But even on The Flash, Leonard “if you’re out then you’re out” Snart still pulls back his gun and tells Mick to take the painting and go if he wants out, in 1x10. There is still something of trust and connection there, even if it’s not implied to be as deep and is a lot more ambiguous.

(As to what happened in 2x03, Lisa said Mick ditched them. That’s entirely possible but we don’t know the details or if she only thinks that’s what happened. It’s hard to say because we didn’t see what went down and there’s more than one possible headcanon. But even in Legends, Len’s fear that Mick might go after Lisa in 2x07 implies that Mick isn’t as close or protective over Lisa, so if he had ditched her after waking up and finding Len gone, I wouldn’t be horribly surprised, even with his Legends characterization).

As to why I talk about Len in particular and his changes, that’s because... I’m mostly focused on Len? I’m focused on others as well, but he was the reason I watched Legends and the character I’ve spent the most time analyzing and trying to understand, for whatever reason.

But yeah, Mick absolutely did change across shows. I actually mentioned in my speech analysis post that part of why his speech patterns are hard to write is because they changed a lot across the shows. But he was a lot more of a blank slate for me than Len was. Not a pure tabula rasa, but still someone I’d spent a loss less time thinking about the characterization for and who had a lot less screentime on The Flash. With him, after Legends started and I noticed the (honestly massive, it seemed) changes in Mick’s characterization, I just started to think of him as a somewhat new character on Legends, as an almost different person, one inspired by the guy on The Flash. I know that’s weird, but they’re very different in my mind.

Beyond that, those other characters aren’t ones I’m used to analyzing. I’d agree they’ve changed, but it’s a lot harder for me to articulate how, and because I’m less attached to most of them than I am to Len (especially to trying to write him and having changes in his characterization trip me up), I’m a lot less likely to try and put those changes into words, or to feel frustrated by them. And with Sara and Ray it’s especially tough because I wasn’t really attached to Arrow and haven’t seen Sara since she died in season 2. 

But if you ever want to see me talk about changes across shows, especially for the characters I know better, feel free to ask? I’ll rewatch footage and read some other people’s meta and see what I can pinpoint. I’m at least willing to try, even when I’m less familiar with the character.

Anyway, to your final point, just for the record, I don’t actually think romantic CC is OOC. I think attributing all or even most of Len’s changes and development within Legends to Sara is inaccurate, but I totally accept that Len wanted to be with Sara romantically and had those feelings for her. I genuinely don’t read Sara as having returned those feelings, not as more than a “maybe one day we could’ve seen where this was going”, but I also don’t fault anyone for shipping it. And what I see about Len being OOC in Legends isn’t so much that the character developed, it’s about some of the sudden jumps in characterization early on and how rapid some of it was. People change, and Len changed, and I agreed with a lot of it but also had a hard time wrapping my head around some of the subtler, deeper personality things that wouldn’t be easy to change, certainly not so quickly.

Anyway, this is probably long enough. This, again, isn’t an attack. It’s just how I talk. But if you don’t want to see my posts or my meta, I tend to tag longer things with “long post for ts” and Legends commentary with “lot commentary”. I’m open to making another more specific tag than the word ‘commentary’ to put my rambling under, if you want something specific for blacklist to pick up so you don’t have to see my rambling in the tag. Just let me know.

[perdujungeco]

Equality.

There is no better age for man to live upon this earth. That is no hyperbole. When I say that the current era is quite literally a proverbial utopia, that is quite accurately and precisely the term to describe what we have constructed hereupon.

I have a nostalgic soul that seems to have been born into the wrong period of time, so I thought. Imagine that the impossibility of a time machine were now feasible. Although one could never select the part of history into which he or she was born, if one decided to live during a specific time period, said person would have to accept everything that occurred - both the good and the bad - equally the great accomplishments, as well as the daunting and horrible parts. But for this completely pathetic and utterly worthless exercise, all is good in the world - yes, I am a dreamer! Let me fabricate the world in the fashion which I desire. Stop your judgmental thoughts, you, for who are you? As this being my escape, play along, or simply cease reading. I have no qualms of losing a reader, for if by me speaking the truth of what I feel inside you feel anything at all, I have done my duty.

Anyway..

I was raised in a family who taught me the old-fashioned manner of living. It seems in our modern society that simple acts of refinement and humanity are quite rare. What happened to chivalry and respect for women; what happened to someone’s word having the weight in gold; what happened to having true standards? These are the aspects about which I speak. But my family, being military officers, raised me to possess these attributes and more. I shall define by entire upbringing with one word: respect. But I am entirely digressing from the main point which I was essaying to make.

The days of old had their pros, and the past most definitely possessed its negatives. But today’s society differs from the classical days. With the increased use of social media, anyone can be anything they may wish to be - remember, you and I will focus on the POSITIVE aspects of our society. There are many negative aspects which merit our attention, but who would want to place their attention on such things; the media does an excellent job of that already. 

In the world as we currently know it, we are all free to live according to our desires. We are truly free. Since the sexual liberation of the nineteen-sixties, the focus on the pleasure of both men and women has surfaced to the attention of all. No longer can men simply care for themselves; women have the right to live equally to men, as it should have always been! However, even after centuries of bravely combatting the oppression of these misogynistic swine who call themselves men, the worldly community still has much work to do to ensure true equality, safety and general well-being of women - I hope that you, whether man or woman, believe as I do, that we are all created equally, for what makes man better than woman, or woman better than man? We need each other and must fight incessantly against those who believe otherwise and wish only for the continual oppression of those who they falsely and ignorantly deem unworthy.

Respect must be at the vanguard of any social interreaction, regardless of sex or gender, especially in encounters that are sexual in nature. Men! We must learn that our pleasure is not the only pleasure which merits attention. We love the intensely blissful and addictive pleasure with which women bless us when they willingly, and without pressure, choose to do so, but what about their own pleasure. In my own humble opinion, we men should ensure the full and complete satisfaction of women, before we even commence attempting our own voyage to the sensation which quite literally transports us to the heavens and back, leaving us craving it just once more, which leads to a lifetime of slavery to that euphorically powerful trance. 

Ponder it from a different perspective. If we men so desire to erupt in the presence of goddesses, we should ensure they receive their due share as well! These women are so beautiful that they cause us to literally lose control and give in to that carnal bliss until we awake from the reverie bestowed upon us by a willing woman who, by her own volition, causes such a powerful climax that we would be content with death if he were to call upon us whilst inside of said goddess who is in accord with us. I stress VOLUNTARY and WILLING, for this is a gift which should be given and NEVER forced by any man or women. Plus, the beauty of experiencing what is too beautiful - too intensely pleasurable - to be described in words IS the willingness of our partners to don it upon us. Fuck those who take without consent; what cowardly worthless lifeforms they are!

The beauty of living in this modern age, despite the many problems we have, is that all are free. This society still has much distance to cover in regards of true equality for all regardless of any social factor. But what I believe is one positive aspect is the equality of the sexes. We men must remember to act according to the basic laws of respect, for that is how we would want to be treated. Women are our equals and deserve to be treated as the queens that they are. Try to place more of your attention on the pleasure of your woman, for she desires it just as much as you do as a man, for there is no difference in the equality of the two sexes! In this age where we all have a voice, let us truly listen to each other, in all of the issues, not simply sexual ones. What we do today should lead to a better future. We should ensure it is a better place for all.

Now that you have read my perspective on the matter, act upon your feelings. Go and make the world a better place spreading unselfish love and giving orgasms, rather than focusing on selfish desires. For when has a blissful experience between two willing beings ever caused strife? The world will be a better place for all with the spreading of this indescribable pleasure.

I truthfully have no experience in this matter, but these are my thoughts. Although I am well acquainted with giving pleasure - I am most definitely not a selfish lover - for reasons upon which I shall expound at another time, I have never experienced that sensation of ecstasy with another. As embarrassing as it may be to admit, I am innocent, in that regard. I will have the opportunity to travel to that place of utopia with my own goddess at some point - so I most eagerly hope - but until that occurs, I will heed the advice of my own conscience and gladfully continue to please her who desires that I cause her own gratification, for there is nothing more beautiful on this earth than a woman adrift in the midst of her own pleasurable voyage.

[vtcollegecounseling]

The College Admission Scandal: my reactions and hope for an improved system

My reaction in a nutshell was patently unsurprised. When the college admission scandal broke, I was inundated with understandably shocked friends seeking my thoughts, and it saddened me to tell them I glimpsed clues of this stuff my entire career in admission, and was even directly asked to participate in indiscretions.

The college admission industry in the US has favored and perpetuated privilege since its nascence. In the past four decades, colleges have made tremendous strides in extending opportunities to those less-privileged, perhaps most importantly students of color and first-generation college-goers, but is still rife with broken systems that advance the privilege and allow for crazy (illegal!) transactions, as seen in this recent scandal.

Ways privilege was perpetuated

I’m fortunate to have attended the nation’s oldest higher education institution. Harvard was founded in 1636, which, as The Social Network reminds us, is older than the our country itself. Thus began an endemic perpetuation of the upper class and upper-middle class, sustained by the following classist (and thereby racist) circumstances:

1. College costed a lot

2. Lofty references were an essential factor

3. Students of different backgrounds had to work for money in their teens, and certainly in their twenties

4. Prep schools were “feeders”

5. Parents who didn’t attend college didn’t understand the process or embrace the concept

6. Students of different backgrounds would not feel comfortable at colleges, anyway

7. The careers that colleges furnished were not welcoming to them

8. Super-affluent or famous parents were able to finagle or buy their kids’ admission

9. Measurements for admission - grades, test scores, high school quality, co-curricular activities - were skewed towards privileged applicants

10. If and when privileged students under-performed, they had access to support, special attention, tutoring, and systems to ameliorate their records

Essentially, college admission was founded on prejudice. The first African American attended in 1823, facing horrible harassment. The first woman didn’t attend until1840, Jewish students faced intimidation well into the 20th Century, and don’t get me started on the hesitant introduction of non-western international students. I could expound on each item on the above list with a dissertation, but I want to get back to the scandal.

What’s been done

We have come a long way. A sea change began in the late 19th Century, and in the past few decades, drastic efforts have been installed to combat this issue. I applaud two key factors in improving the system: the boom of remarkable funding for and improvement in public institutions (both state schools and community colleges), and affirmative action.

IMHO, the latter is a gods-sent elixir for centuries of prejudice. In the context of the allocation of resources, Google defines affirmative action as “the practice or policy of favoring individuals belonging to groups known to have been discriminated against previously.” Colleges adopted this process several decades ago, giving a relative leg-up to applicants of color or at least African American and Native American students. More recently, colleges have extended the preferential admission to “first generation college goers.”

The topic is rife with nuances and controversy, such as the most famous case of Grutter v. Bollinger and the University of Michigan, and the topic remains highly contested, but in my professional opinion, affirmative action in the allocating resources is seemingly the only way for to affect staggering discrepancies as quickly as possible, and I stand by my statement.

Moreover, and only from what I can tell, which may be inaccurate, there has been less wheeling and dealing of affluent parents and elite prep schools “buying” their kids’ admission. But then again, check the news recently.

Problems that remain

We have come a long way since the endemic problems I listed above, but I see still see the following as remaining problematic:

1. College costs a lot

2. Students of different backgrounds might have to work for money in their teens, and certainly in their twenties

3. Parents who didn’t attend college don’t understand the process or necessarily embrace the concept

4. The careers and industries that colleges furnish may be skewed towards the more affluent

5. Super-affluent or famous parents are obviously able to finagle or buy their kids’ admission

6. Measurements for admission - grades, test scores, high school quality, co-curricular activities - are still skewed towards privileged applicants

7. If and when privileged students under-perform, they have access to support, special attention, tutoring, and systems to ameliorate their records

8. Merit awards, not to be confused with financial aid, are granted more heavily to affluent applicants

You’ll notice only a few subtractions from the above list, but did you also notice one major addition at the end? That’s right: although merit awards and financial aid help a fraction of needy students, awards are showered more heavily upon the affluent as reputable colleges channel funds from their endowments to woo “full-pay” families. Thus, privileged students are more apt to attend private institutions that may lead to more successful outcomes, thus perpetuating class status.

Of course, the most alarming problem above is #5. When this recent scandal broke, people were shocked. Were you? I was not, but I’m in the industry. That this recent litany of tragic unfairness was able to occur is proof that the college admission industry still needs major fixing.

Hope

I don’t mean to be so negatron! Indeed, my frustration with the system is one of the reasons I left admission to work on the proverbial “other side of the desk.” I truly want to make a difference in the new age of college admission. Fortunately, I have three chief glimmers of hope:

1. State programs - crazy cool things are happening at public institutions!

a) Honors Colleges alá the University of Oregon Clark Honors College offer tremendously high-quality and challenging academics, as well as specialized student life programming. That they take diversity into account in admission and funding means hosts of under-privileged students can get a world-class education for free. Awesome.

b) State schools in general have tons of opportunities for scholarships for needy students. If a student is a high-achiever, is willing to stay in state, and applies early enough to be considered for scholarships, it’s very possible to get a full ride, or at least to graduate debt-free.

c) Community Colleges might offer four year degrees. The Oregon State Senate Committee on Education will soon be considering Bill 3, transitioning some Community Colleges to to Bachelor degree institutions. This potential is so exciting to me because transferring out of Community Colleges is actually rare despite intentions going in, especially since it’s way harder to get financial aid as a transfer.

2. This scandal - although I am not surprised, I am pleased to see these recent infractions come to light, and so virally. Much like the #METOO movement, I hope this scandal incites further whistle-blowing, exposure, monitoring, and a general movement towards buttressing the system from illegal shenanigans.

3. The “kids” - I know, they’re not kids, but our current bastion of college students won’t stand for their colleges’ infractions. It’s not fair to them, and they’re protesting. On March 11th, students at Sarah Lawrence who call themselves the Diaspora Coalition, occupied part of campus to protest against “injustices imposed on people of color by this institution on a daily basis.” I protested at my boarding school, college, and my graduate school (don’t ask me the causes as I am actually a little fuzzy on those deets). Tianamen Square, Kent State, the Anti-Apartheid movement, the Greensboro sit-ins...all of these protests actually led to change.

In summary, the recent scandal didn’t even make me flinch since I wasn’t surprised in the slightest. It did serve as an effective reminder to me, however, of why I am a college counselor. I honestly want to affect change by helping my students with integrity, and to always work pro bono with at least one “first-gen” college-seeking student. I also need to continue to contribute to the larger convention among my colleagues by attending conferences and meeting frequently with my buddies in admission. The scandal also reminded me to champion the above three glimmers of hope, ignoring the ineffectual noise of the media in the spirit of remembering that it’s all about the kids.

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Constitution faculties: Having a desire in training blessings all

The private and non-private conversations over the training of our youngsters have constantly been emotional for mother and father and faculty professionals. The affirmation of Secretary of schooling Betsy DeVos this month will, among other things, shine a brighter light at the already debatable Constitution public school global.

  It all began with a vision to transform and enhance the traditional public college system, an imaginative and prescient that commenced in 1991 with the Constitution school Act in Minnesota and speedy unfold to California simplest a year later. The aim turned into to re-examine the successes and screw-ups of public schooling, and are searching for out new methods to help college students learn to seriously suppose and trouble resolve, talk efficaciously, and gain academically, socially and professionally.

The California Charter public school movement has flourished, and revolutionary procedures and new mastering fashions have joined the public college panorama. As an end result, mother and father now revel in faculty preference. The motion as a whole has had the political and personal choose of U.S. Presidents spanning from Invoice Clinton and Barack Obama to Donald Trump. The seed that changed into planted has taken root and tens of thousands of students are enrolled in Constitution public schools.

Yet in spite of growing pressure to open Charter public faculties on their network, no longer every college district is welcoming, and now not each Charter college has a successful operation or student final results. Simply as with conventional school packages, we have to sift thru the best practices to be able to improve all education.

So what will our new secretary of schooling, Betsy DeVos, add to this ongoing communicate? I accept as true with her 30-plus years promoting applications and companies that offer desire for dad and mom will significantly benefit all students whether they may be enrolled in traditional, Constitution or personal schools. She knows that not each pupil learns or keeps facts the same way and is familiar with that a part of the greatness of us is selling innovation and possibility for all, in particular in faculty choice. Alternatives in public education serve the extra true. DeVos has grown to be a champion for that dad and mom who choice options in training their kids.

In DeVos, President Trump decided on a figure advocate and chief whose revel incomes from a place of valuing schooling, paying attention to and operating with dad and mom. He selected someone who promotes the movement for the sake of enhancing academic opportunities. Listening to that she might be analyzing, auditing and reviewing all the programs of the schooling Branch with the intention to define a core assignment is a step within the proper route. “Because simply, whilst it comes right down to it, schooling and the supply of schooling are clearly a state and nearby duty to a big quantity,” DeVos stated last week.

Studying that the San Diego Unified school Board of Trustees rescinded an invitation for DeVos to go to San Diego because of union member pushback jogged my memory that at the heart of schooling must be a willingness to examine from one another. If we expect our college students to assume critically, accept variations and grow thru debate and dialogue, then the adults in this example did not lead through the instance. The SDUSD board have to have respectfully welcomed DeVos, been willing to have an open dialogue, and appeared ahead to showing her the numerous and remarkable successes of SDU schools. DeVos isn’t always an enemy of traditional public faculties — merely someone with a distinctive opinion and a treasured voice.

I am hopeful inside the coming months that DeVos will expound at the blessings of duty, the function that it plays in faculties and the significance of last packages that don’t connect with great and success of scholar gaining knowledge of. We cannot have preference for choice’s sake, but instead in the desire of getting public faculties for each kind of learner. If warring parties fail to have healthy discussions, we stifle increase and intellectual know-how of one another.

I’ve high hopes for Secretary DeVos’ fulfillment. For me, her achievement is grounded in choices that go back strength to the local groups. improving The united states’s schools will most effective benefit our college students and go back us to a standing as a world leader on the subject of imparting advanced public education. It is most useful to college students, dad and mom and groups to keep away from attacking one public faculty gadget over another. The historical African proverb, “while elephants fight, It’s miles the grass that suffers” is an ideal analogy.

Curry is executive director of The Classical Academies, an organization of Constitution colleges in north San Diego County.

VA training advantages for Today

America veterans earn VA education advantages while in service to their united states. It’s miles critical to realize the policies of the program and to preserve abreast of the state-of-the-art adjustments to make certain you have an adequate budget to finish your schooling.

New GI Bill

Current modifications within the GI Invoice had been made to overhaul the previous Sir Bernard Law GI Invoice. The 1st viscount Montgomery of Alamein Invoice, though beneficial, had ways outlived its time, and many of the functions of that gain bundle were not especially helpful to previous military employees.

The new GI Invoice become formerly known as the Put up-September 11 GI Bill, and it remedies some inadequacies of its predecessor by way of together with training bills that go proper to the college, a e-book and supply stipend, and a housing allowance. In different words, it offers you extra of the gear you need to undertake efficaciously your training Post-navy.

The new advantage became effective August 1, 2009, and veterans are eligible to apply at every time.

Who’s Eligible?

Navy, Army, Air Pressure, and Marine service participants which are presently on energetic obligation can use their blessings, in addition to individuals in training overseas. Veterans should have at the least 90 days service after 9-11/2001 to be eligible for VA training blessings beneath The new GI Bill. Reserve members and National Defend participants ought to have not less than 3 years energetic time given that 9-11/2001 to be eligible.

Veterans are deemed eligible by way of a percent of the maximum amount primarily based upon how long the lively responsibility carrier became. Finding out what the one’s probabilities imply in bucks and cents can help with the decision about which degree or schooling will paintings first-rate for the person situation.

Placing matters Up

Take a look at into the one of a kind alternatives for schooling or educational program. As soon as the selection is narrowed to just a few picks, affirm that those packages are permitted to just accept VA education advantages. Questions like those can generally be responded via the financial aid workplace in every particular faculty. Also, if you need to assist choosing an application, meet with a counselor and examine the available degree programs.

Filling out an application is straightforward. The form is referred to as the Veterans Online software (VONAPP) through finishing shape 22-1990. if you are eligible as far as length of service and aside from a dishonorable discharge, you do no longer have to had been eligible or have participated within the old Bill to qualify for this new package deal of VA schooling blessings.

When you observe, you can Also qualify for a month-to-month housing allowance equivalent to the quantity to be had to an E-five with dependents. Of route, energetic obligation army college students do not get to double dip on housing.

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