Oh, Politicians

"Sarah Palin is charming, attractive, and likeable. But she needs to hit the books," one political commentator says.

I tend to agree with this. If you’ve ever watched Sarah Palin, you can see that she’s kind of sweet and definitely not malicious. You can even argue that you have to be pretty smart to be able to deflect even the most pointed questions the way she does and to work in as many hits against Democrats as she does.

But if there’s one thing I learned from school, it’s that no one studies unless they are truly passionate about the subject or otherwise extremely motivated. Right now, there is no need for her to study up, because she's not losing supporters over her mistake since she's not ADMITTING her mistake.

Another newspaper article commenting on Palin's "Paul Revere warned the British" gaffe says her lack of historical knowledge is a reflection of our nation’s general historical ignorance. (Note to self: take a history course next semester, no matter how many reams of course packets you have to buy).

I think a way to enlarge the significance of Palin’s mistake is to see how it reflects our political system. I think Palin misspoke, and she knows it. But she insists, even when given the chance to correct herself, that she was right because our political system encourages lying as a means of going into public service.

Now let’s assume that Palin has good intentions, that she really intends to implement changes that she believes will help our nation. But in order to get there, she has to save face. To win votes, you have to reveal as few shortcomings as possible, and that practically necessitates lying.

There are already too many cases to count, but the most recent are Anthony Weiner and Arnold Schwarzennegger (he actually stopped lying when his governorship ended).

We all understand that lying to win votes is just a stepping stone to getting elected, where the politician hopes he can then earn the people’s trust by bettering our country. My concern is, has our political system gotten to the point where it pushes politicians to lie in order to get ahead, get votes (but only in order to do good once he's in office), but the lying itself already does more harm than any good that can be gained from it?

Politicians are going further and further in the content and methods of their lies. Let’s reexamine the 3 cases:

-Palin: her followers went so far as to change the Wikipedia entry about Paul Revere’s ride and then to keep insisting that Revere warned the British that the Americans were armed. So her lying has distorted an important historical event for millions.

-Weiner: he was going to open a federal investigation to find out who hacked his Twitter. He refuses to resign, saying that he never had any physical contact with the women he had online relationships with. I am actually ambivalent on this one. Yes, his lies were atrocious and his morals and personality is kind of disturbing, but he is smart, and really well-informed. I think there's the same issue with Bill Clinton - does morality in private life necessarily translate to public morals? I suppose it's the fact of lying (not the content of the lies) that connects the two.

-Schwarzennegger: his mistress was living in his house for years and gave birth at the same time as his wife. Trust me, he won't be back.

Not-so-Teeny Boppers

I was watching some interviews with today's teen stars on YouTube - girls like Victoria Justice, Miranda Cosgrove, and Selena Gomez - the names you hear mostly among the preteen demographic.

In one clip from Regis & Kelly, Kelly mentioned to Victoria Justice that in her generation, "real performers" did singing, acting, and dancing well... It seemed like a jab, especially given that these younger actresses - and their shows - just seem frivolous.

I confess I've watched some of their shows, and a lot of it is pure silliness. I don't think iCarly episodes ever really have a message - just a lot of manic plot lines and acting. Same goes for Glee.

Do kids today grow up in a generation of vapid TV programming for teens? Are the highest-paid actors (Miranda Cosgrove is the highest-earning teen actress) a reflection of our cultural values, of what we find entertaining?

If what our generation has lost is "serious actresses" what we've gained are relatable girls. Girls who say "like" and collect purses but who actually have a lot of confidence and insight to share (Victoria Justice: "The exterior doesn't matter - be giving and have good energy and be the best person you can be"; "When I go out onstage the important thing is to feel comfortable in your own skin"). In the interviews, these celebrity teens are fun, down-to-earth, and have interesting things to say. I think we've entered a new era where things are more laid-back, lighter, and sillier - and their message of "Just have [good, clean, smart] fun" - should be taken seriously.

So they're not Jodie Foster or Julia Roberts but they're weirdly inspiring and needed in this generation. As the Millenial generation, we've lost face-to-face interaction. Human connection, realness unmediated by polished, pre-scripted interviews, is refreshing.
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On a related note, Amanda Bynes (personally one of my favorite teen stars) talks about how texting can connect you to people and skirts the trashy nature of being in Maxim magazine.

Angry Me. Beginning of a Diary.

So after Alison Bechnel's talk, I realized I want to archive my life. "Real life is more interesting than any story I could make up," she says. Although I don't necessarily agree that my life is THAT interesting, I do believe in precautionary measures - because what if it is? So, without further ado: Wednesday, April 13. A wakes me up this morning to tell me the news about a girl who died in the machinery shop of SCL. Of course, there were feelings of sadness. It seems like there have been so many student deaths during my time here. I didn't want to go to work tutoring at Wexler Grant this morning. I thought about quitting. Why had I taken the job in the first place, though? It was to get myself up in the morning, so I would use my time wisely, and so that I'd be awake when my 11:35 class started. So I went. And I snapped. Normally, when the kids do not cooperate, I remain patient. When they say "I don't want to read this book" I coax them into reading another one. I turn the freaking page for them. Today, I was Miss Nice Girl no longer. I told them to focus, I used a stern voice. When they got distracted, I read the word where they left off loudly. I made them sound out unfamiliar words. I FORCED them to read. When I got back to the suite, E wanted to clean up the common room, because the prefrosh were coming. I was still in a hurried and irritated mood, and I resisted her attempts to get me to clean the room, feeling that it was not my responsibility to do so. I had left no mess, I always took out the trash, and though some stuff on the floor was mine, I did not think we should vacuum because A was still sleeping. I told her all this, uncharacteristically so. And though I felt like a jerk (though I feel I was right in some ways, I could have been more mature and cleaned up). A came out and picked up her stuff; I think she heard us. But the anger, more than anything, has exhilarated me, made me bolder. The boldness carried on during English class. I asked whether the bibligraphy we have to turn in has to be annotated, because finding articles without reading them defeats the point, doesn't it? Only then do I realize I have almost made the class do more work, a girl shoots me a half-kidding/half-serious menacing look. I back down and apologize, my bold high coming down. In class, I have thoughts about the emboldening effect of my sudden meanness. My meanness is not always just and it doesn't always lead me to be liked. Duh. And there is a way to be nice and still assertive. But for some reason, I feel that I need to be unjustifiably grouchy first, as if assertiveness in all areas of life needs to happen before you learn how to direct and filter it properly.

Two things Yalies are good at...

1.) Hiding stress

I ask, "How was your weekend?" and she manages a big smile and after a pause she says, "Good, I did... nothing." But you see the tightness of her smile, the bags under her eyes, and the blemishes on her normally radiant skin.

2.) Being socially awkward

It's important to believe that you are a fundamentally good person. Because when you accidentally slight people or push the boundaries of social propriety, you don't have to feel horrible, because had you been more comfortable around the person, you know they would forgive you.

The first two years will be filled with more uncertainty and anxiety. The last two, God grant, will be more secure and relaxed.

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Education is...

learning how to live in the world you've come into. And a really good education is learning how to change it.

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Potential opening to a novel?

I have this narrator complex. I’m always reading people and writing (in my head) what happens next. I know the characters well, I know the plot well.

I resist being pulled into the story.

Today I learn that the narrator can be a character in the story. So I’m trying to figure out who this narrator-as-character person is, and how she fits in with the other characters. How much can she interact with them, whilst knowing all she knows about them and their fates and the unsaid narratorial connections between them?