What do flags stand for?

Human beings have used symbols as a physical manifestation of ideas since the dawn of man, whether in drawing, story or invention. A symbol is an "outward sign" of something else. The empty cross, in Christianity, stands for the triumph of life over death. A ribbon stands for awareness of some cause- breast cancer, autism, AIDs. We use symbols to show off what we stand for and what we're proud of.

We use symbols to remember- what was going on at the time this symbol was conceived? How has it been used, what comes to mind when someone sees it, not simply just when I see it? In particular, flags (FUN WITH FLAGS TIME!) have been used as a signal or declaration. Flags have been used as a means of communication, particularly during warfare or the establishing of a territory.

Let's consider another symbol, the statue. A flag, like a statue, is often used in the process of commemorating some bit of history, or to show pride in roots. Most statues I've seen in the US seem historically neutral, or else a celebration of some accomplishment the people in that area are proud of, something that moved history forward. Flags can be used in the same way to show that history has moved forward, such as the flag of a newly united nation, or the founding of a country/smaller area). Founders get statues, heroes get statues. One person is not commemorated in a flag, like in a statue, but a group of people can be. We hail flags in the way that we hail a hero- almost giving them a strong reverence that is else-wise reserved for spiritual worship. In this way, this symbol holds power and weight, and symbols can bring up mighty strong emotions in people.

We use symbols to define us and stand for us. Our clothes, our hobbies, even the food we enjoy- all full of symbols. But the symbols of companies and clothing brands rarely have centuries of history behind them. Companies are under the curse of constantly rebranding themselves, changing their images and symbols to fit what they think will sell to the consumer. A company's brand symbol may change a little or a whole lot, but it continues to stand, in most cases, for the same cause- the products created by that company.

Flags are rarely "rebranded" in modern history, because they continue to stand for what they stood for at their conception. Some flags are added to over time, but rarely do they lose their original meaning. The Confederate flag we recognize today, with its blue starred cross and red background, was not a symbol of the Southern states of America. This flag was used as a battle flag during the Civil War. This flag bore a lesser resemblance to the stars and stripes flag we know today, as it was meant to stand out in the battle field against the Northern states. Out of battle, the national flag for the Confederacy was a "stars and bars" design which did not so much resemble the battle flag, though the battle flag we know today (confusingly) as the Confederate flag became a symbol of fallen heroes on the Southern side of the Civil War, a constant reminder of what was lost in the war over slavery (mainly, the right to hold slaves, but also lives lost). http://www.historynet.com/embattled-banner-the-convoluted-history-of-the-confederate-flag.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/22/confederate-flag-racist_n_7639788.html

The Sugar Rush

We are supposed to have under 50 grams of added sugars daily, according to the American Heart Association. Men are supposed to have no more than 36 grams, and for women the number is 25 grams. Americans normally consume up to 100 grams of sugar daily, or up to 1/4 of their daily calorie intake from added sugars (1).

Well I took a good look at a lot of things marketed as healthy, such as wheat breads, milk and nutmilks, heart-healthy cereals, and I started tallying up in my head how much added sugar one might consume daily, if they are health-conscious - A tuna fish sandwich with two slices of wheat bread, 6 grams total. One serving of bran flakes (not raisin) with a serving of 2% milk- 21 grams of sugar (and most of that is from the milk!). If you're female, that's it! That's your sugar intake for the day. No teaspoon in your nightly tea, no dessert (other than the natural sugars found in fruits and some vegetables). A little added sugar is OK if you're giving your body enough fiber to slow down digestion and process it, although added sugars have no nutritional value to begin with, so it's good practice to try to burn it off with regular exercise.

What about people who aren't looking at what they're buying, and are just listening to what the advertising claims? They might figure a salad is the healthiest thing to have at a restaurant, but then there are added sugars in many of those. Or like me, they may have grown up with canned fruit (which to me is better than none I suppose)- added sugar in the syrup if the fruit is not in its natural juices. Juice, for adults or children- I've given up on buying most juices marketed as healthy because some of them have as much sugar as a soda, and although some (not all!) claim to be naturally derived (such as 1 cup of juice equaling 2 cups of grapes), that's your serving of fruit for the day, as even too much fruit (more than 2-3 servings per day) can lead to blood sugar spikes and health issues. I would rather get the fiber and vitamins straight from the fruit than feel not in the least bit full from a cup of it. Or how about those with a busy lifestyle who would just like to indulge now and then. Take for example a small coffee from Dunkins- you want to indulge in a flavored, fun coffee from the drivethrough to jumpstart your day- a cookie dough swirl iced latte, small, with skim milk, gives you 25 grams of added sugar. That's most of your added sugar, or most of it, for the day. And we don't even think twice about it. A lot of my gripe with sugar has to do with the fact that you can eat a ton of it, but not feel full. That brings meaning to the phrase "empty calories". As they add up in your system, even as you feel you are generally eating healthy otherwise by getting your fruit and vegetables, fiber and healthy fats for the day, your waistline may grow (2). You might get frustrated, thinking that you're doing everything right and only indulging in the REALLY unhealthy stuff on occasion. Maybe you eat more fruit than is recommended, because it's fruit and can't hurt you. Too much of virtually any healthy food can harm your body, so it's good to be mindful of your limits, and look for a balanced diet that will lead to you being full, satisfied, and not sighing when you hit the bathroom scale.

(1) https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/eating-too-much-added-sugar-increases-the-risk-of-dying-with-heart-disease-201402067021 (2) https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/added-sugar-in-the-diet/

In response to "The Gender Gap is a Myth" articles: As We Learn to be Human

I cannot buy into the gender pay gap being fabricated. If a woman and a man have the same education background, women earn less to the dollar than men. Controlling for education and work experience, the wage gap actually appears to grow. Some people account for a loss of pay when one becomes a parent and is not able to work as hard/as many hours. When a woman has a child, no matter if she gets right back to work, she earns a "motherhood gap" in pay, as opposed to childless workers of both sexes. Fathers, for some reason, see no "fatherhood gap" in their pay despite equal involvement (hopefully) in their kids' lives. This could of course also show a sexist truth that our society does not value a man's involvement in their childrens' lives like we try to value a mother's involvement. Thinking of how much either sex earns, at every pay level it seems the gender gap is there. However, the gap seems to be more prominent for higher paying positions. April of this year, a bill passed that OKed paying women less than men, for the same position, based on past salaries. You spoke of the rights outlined in the Equal Pay Act, which previously prevented women earning less. It is more likely, despite equal education, that a woman is paid less than a man in the first place. Thus, lower salaries are reinforced even as a woman tries to "move up" in the work force just as a man might do. Of course not all companies will do this, but the loophole is there to profit off of. There's a lot to research and consider when talking about this stuff. Psychology of Gender classes go over this stuff briefly, like a "Whelp, it's not fair but we've gotten better" sort of conclusion. But it's okay to admit that things still aren't equal between the sexes. As touched on previously, men experience sexism during parenthood as well. They are discouraged in Western society from staying at home with their children, and are expected to work long hours to provide for their families. A man who has just become a father in the US is likely to have a very small time for paternal leave from work, comparing to their wives. Just as a woman is adjusting to life as a man, the man is adjusting to a new life as a father, and as an equal partner in parenting. In countries outside of the US, paternity leave can be as long as three months. One parent is encouraged to be distant and career-focused, while the other is encouraged to be tender and child-focused. In the late 1800s, women in the field of Psychology were beginning to study under masters in the newly emerging field, such as Freud. If they wanted to have a family, they were encouraged to leave their careers and tend to their children instead, while fathers were never encouraged to do anything of the sort. This has been the status quo in the history of science fields. Women felt the injustice of this back then, when they worked hard for a degree that turned out to be useless upon entering motherhood.

We live in a day and age in which women are being encouraged to pursue more STEM related fields. Some men are falling away from the general machismo attitude encouraged by male peers and are beginning to get more in touch with their emotions. Both men and women are being encouraged to express stereotypically masculine and feminine feelings and passions which, in the past, were more taboo to either biological sex. There are many people who are questioning how much of gender is learned or socialized into us from an early age. Nonetheless, equality has got a ways to go, before men and women can consider themselves on equal footing in careers and other social settings. When we consider ourselves as both masculine and feminine, despite our biological sex, we grow closer to celebrating the true depth of our humanity. Society imposes superficial standards by which to compare one another, but just as these standards are woven in with type and the progression of civilizations, so will we come to realize how very human it is to celebrate what we truly feel, what we like and dislike and what we feel called to do and be in life, despite the societal imposition of gender norms and the negative consequences of these norms that we may experience daily..

The media defines gas-lighting to the general public

We have a man, el presidente elect, granted a position of power, who says things and then blatantly denies them, despite evidence of the truth. Will you believe him, or your eyes? Him, or the playback video of his evil-twin saying the opposite? 

All of the damage and confusion you've caused, fabricated and then denied without real, substantial evidence to back your claims. Making people deny what is clearly before them or, worse, to not care about a few "white lies". A person's word is their honor. You either mean what you say, or you haven't a leg to stand on. Own up to your words, coward. There are a million fools who will stand with you despite every lie that slides through your lips, every broken promise made in the moment to pander to the gullible masses.

Consider what lies ahead, with eyes and ears wide open. These types prey on those who don't think for themselves or consider sound facts and data. Those who would deny their own birth if reasoned with long enough from the right side. Out the window goes intellectual discourse and political progress. Think. Critically. 

After denial of the truth, I fear for the quieting of adverse opinions. Eight days. God help us. It's not exactly the end of the world, but it is the start of something more visibly unseemly. 

More bloodshed in France

July 14, 2016.

Location: Nice, France. Bastille Day (a National Holiday) celebration

A man drives a truck (lorry) through the crowd, mowing down civilians. 84 deaths reported so far, with over a hundred injured. A few civilians made efforts to stop the truck, including one cyclist who was run over. The attacker was shot and killed by police.

I feel as if the more resigned, the more desensitized we become to violence, the less we feel the need to help. Empathy deigns us, normally kind and loving people, frozen in place. The more we do not feel in control and the more we feel helpless, the more we defend ourselves by not caring.

We should we shocked, angry, scared, confused, hurt. These are people like us with families, friends, communities, dreams and aspirations. They garden, go to the movies, tell their children bedtime stories. Those who commit mass murder have no such concept of humanity and no respect for human lives.

We cannot stoop so low as to feel the same.

At the same time, emotions can make us numb. We must feel, but not too much as to overwhelm us. Problems are more overwhelming if you take them all in at once, and all seems lost.

Yes, all lives matter. But we don't act like it.

“All lives matter”. It’s a nice thing to say, but it misses the point. Some lives, according to policies, people in power and other citizens, don’t matter as much. They are more easily wasted and forgotten. Compared to your race, another race is being discriminated against and yours isn’t- so we HAVE to make statements like “Black lives matter” to get this point across- black lives matter but we aren’t acting like they do. 

Everyone faces discrimination of some kind at some time in their lives, but some will face more than others.

Discrimination is linked with higher rates of mental illness and disease, and poverty. PTSD is linked with racial discrimination. 

Discriminators are not limited by social class or financial class.

You may walk the streets safe, but others avert their gaze so as not to look “menacing”. You may drive carefully around the cops, but others are more likely to be pulled over or stopped on the streets by police if they are not even breaking the law. Some are afraid of cops. No one should be afraid of authority. That is not leadership or protection, but tyranny.

You are not facing the problems they are. You have your own unique struggles, but yours may also be common to them, plus all of this crap, all for the stupid pigments in their skin.

Black lives matter is a fight for equality, equality to *you*. Equality to all other citizens. The same goes with feminism fighting for equality for women- it is not about being better, nor about putting others beneath you, but about creating equality where there are currently discrepancies.

You want the freedom to walk the streets, or in a crowded building or elevator, feeling safe? You have it. Others don’t. That's a very basic freedom being violated, and that's a problem. 

Police brutality and brutality to police- what's going on here?

I would like to talk about the recent murders of black men, and the horrifying retaliation by one man at an otherwise peaceful Black Lives Matter protest.

This all started with a man named Alton Sterling being held to the ground by a police officer, while another officer shot him in the chest. Police claimed he was "grabbing for his gun", a claim that was found to be false. We didn't understand if anything happened between Sterling being held on the ground and being shot, until a second video emerged showing Sterling completely defenseless on the ground, and the officer shooting him to death multiple times.

In a second shooting in Minnesota, during a traffic stop, a man calmly tells an officer that he is licensed to carry. His girlfriend is shooting a video of the stop, as the officer is shouting and there is a four year old child in the back seat. They have a broken taillight. The officer tells the man to get his license out. As the man reaches for his license, the officer shoots his arm off. The girlfriend remains calm as the officer swears repeatedly and says he shouldn't have reached into his pocket. The girlfriend says calmly, "You told him to get his wallet, sir... Oh he better not be dead" as the four year old says she will protect her mom from the back seat. Here is where the girlfriend breaks down and starts sobbing.

These horror stories follow a trend in this country of police brutality towards civilians. The officers, though sometimes claiming "self-defense", sometimes make a mistake that is filled with regret, as in the case of the Minnesota traffic stop in which there was a four year old in the back seat. But sometimes, as we see in the case of unarmed citizens, a larger problem is at hand. Black Americans are fearing police authority, resorting to a "Yes ma'am, Yes sir" attitude for fear of being unfairly treated and unheard.

Are we doing anything about it?

Yes, in fact, social justice is in the making. A peaceful "Black Lives Matter" protest bears witness to this. Except this protest turned into a bloodbath when a black man shot 5 white officers and harmed 7 other people in cold blood. Civilians were injured- one woman shielded her children from the attacker and was hurt.

People in society take matters into their own hands if they believe that current efforts aren't quick enough. Change is slow and in the meantime, people are hurting. This is why we have countries divided against themselves, communities divided by race and religion.

If you want to change the way things are, speak with your community and present your case to local policy makers. The mayor, governor, sheriff, police. Come with intentions to make peace, and present all of the ways your communities are hurting. Speak about your children, your families. Bring facts and figures, really testimony. And speak to bigger and bigger policymakers and rulemakers if you feel like you are not being heard. Make a voice for yourself and others where there is none. Only then can you be a part of real, lasting change. Only by uniting together can we solve our problems.