Distracted: A Reflection of 9/11 (#afterseptember11)

I was in the fourth grade when 9/11 happened. I remember the teacher describing what happened early that morning to other students while I was leaving for the bus. I don't really remember much else.

But what I do remember is what happened some weeks after. Along with the Pledge of Allegiance, it was now a requirement to sing God Bless America and Star Spangled Banner. We now stood facing the flag for maybe 40 minutes to an hour, but I kind of understood because of the tragedy. I say "kind of" because I recognize I didn't understand how drastic the tragedy was at the time. I was between 10 and 11 years old. But one day, I decided to look at my kid newspaper instead of the flag during all this, and I was severely rebuked for it by my teacher.

Look, I know most of the parents reading this think it was a bad thing because I didn't understand that I deserved the scolding, but keep reading. My intention wasn't disrespect, nor am I implying I did not care what happened, I had ADHD and ADD. This means that there were times where 2 things had my attention, with one overriding the other (not what you think). I had this weird kind of focus: I could be aware of what's going on around me, but could be looking or doing something completely different. This happened a lot during age 10/11. For example, there was another time I got in trouble for "playing with a paperclip" during a math lesson. I knew we were on the question, "What's 7 + 8," and heard every question before that, responded too, but I guess my "focus" on the clip mattered more to the teacher as she paused and scolded me then, too. I wasn't even "playing" with the clip, I was cleaning my nails. To put it simply, just because I was looking at the newspaper, doesn't mean I was reading it. My main focus was really on what I was saying: My brain was on the Pledge, my eyes just decided to stare at something else.

I share this with you because in an odd way it relates to 9/11. I'm not trying to downplay the severity of the attacks by comparing it to a childhood scolding, I use it to reflect how most of us think of Muslims. 

It's not often discussed, but Muslims have been discriminated against since 9/11. The reason for these reactions is the same reason my teacher scolded me: it's an open wound. People are acting out of pain and anger. 

Pretty obvious, right? But I think what's not so obvious is most of us don't realize there is a person, just like us, receiving the anger. A human being, just like us. And most of us don't realize that human has his/her own tendencies and mentality, separate from the extremists who orchestrated the attacks.

Yes, there are good Muslims. Just because someone is in a certain group doesn't mean they all have the same mentality. But those translations get lost in anger. But just as you can take a life through murder, you can take a life through mistreating a person. You don't have to kill them, you eat away at them through beating on them, making policies against them and spewing hateful rhetoric. Which, now reading it, is the same struggle my people have with police and others.

I encourage you today, as we honor those who died on 9/11, to look up the #afterseptember11. There you can find Muslim tragedies birthed from the angry grief of 9/11. See where hate gets us, or better yet, where a lack of understanding gets us. See what happens when you do focus on the wrong thing, but more importantly, realize who has misdirected focus. Did the Muslim come after you and your country as you claim from the mountain tops, or did you just knock out another person because she had on a burka? 

Who is really distracted?

Mandela Effect (a silly poem conversation)

"But Sinbad was a genie!"

No, he was not.

"But Frebreze had 2 e's!"

No it didn't, STOP.

"You mean to tell me,

Bernstein has an 'a',

And Curious George's tail somehow ran away?"

You were probably drunk,

You were probably high,

Or you probably were so tired

Your lids half-covered your eyes,

But there's no dash in KitKat,

No fy in Jif, 

No monocle for Pennybags,

And no "Clarice" to greet with.

"But in King Henry's picture, there's a turkey leg, right?"

I'm going to bed, Carl. STOP VAPING. Good night.

FNAF Observations #1

This is a subset blog series about the indie game horror hit, Five Nights at Freddy's. These are a bunch of "small theories"  and hypotheses I have based on things I have seen about the game on the internet. You need to KNOW FNAF in order to read this.



1. "Spring" for Spring - "Spring Bonnie" and "Spring Freddy" are possibly spring (as in the season of) versions of the animatronics, which would probably explain the placement of FNAF 4 in the overall timeline. Consider their role as "additions" to the original 4 in the setting of FNAF 4, and as part of the TV series. It's probably the reason why they're yellow/gold, just like most spring flowers. Also consider all of the holiday animatronics presented in FNAF AR, (Shamrock Freddy, Freddy Frostbear, EasterBonnie, etc.) 

2. Chica's True Identity - This is an afterthought from the "Is it actually the Emily family?" episode of Game Theory (not the actual name of the episode.) It concerns the Mangle toy sitting in the little girl's room in FNAF 4. What if it's actually Susie's room? It's highly unlikely, but you never know with Scott Cawthon. If we accept the idea from Mat's theory that Mangle is Susie's dog, it would make sense. But there is another way this can go...

3. Carl the Cupcake's True Identity/2 dogs - What if Mat's statement about William reuniting Susie with her dog "forever," is more literal than we think? Remember, Carl the Cupcake is just as personified as the animatronics we know and love, and on top of that, he finally moves on his own in FNAF VR! But what does this have to do with Mangle? Think of this as a possible story: The dog from Fruity Maze in FNAF 6 was discovered and fought over by Susie and Elizabeth. Since Elizabeth wants the dog and she is Afton's daughter, William, as an excuse to use the dog's remnant for experiments, runs it over. After the dog is buried, the heartbroken Susie visits Freddy's, and we get the infamous scene of her talking to Spring Bonnie in FNAF 6. He tells her that the dog is Mangle now, and proceeds to lead her to the backroom, when she sees Elizabeth in the restaurant with the Mangle toy, and fights her again because she thinks it's her dog. William stops the fight by showing the Mangle animatronic moving in the backroom, and Susie runs back there. Little does she know, it's just a robot. William reveals to her that her dog is actually Carl, and then asks her if she wants to be with him forever...

4. The old pigtail girl IS Baby - Here is something from that previously mentioned theory. Notice in that theory, Mat also mentions the pins being in Baby in FNAF SL and shown in one of the books to be devices that change Baby into a passable human. He said the pigtail girl was just a design choice, but what if she was really the "pinned" human form of Baby? This would explain why she knows from PERSONAL experience "when you die, they hide your body underground and never tell."

5. Foxy a.k.a. Fritz is the older brother - Whether you believe the house is Afton's or Emily's, I think it is a good guess if you believe the older brother gets stuffed into Foxy. Not only would it be ironic, but there is a possible storyline there. If we assume William is the father, then this could be the messed up punishment he gave to his older son in response to Michael being killed due to his bullying. Assuming he's Henry's son, he could just be another lured child/teen as a result of William saying he can bring his brother back. Either way, Foxy's jumpscare in FNAF 1 is eerily similar to the older brother's scaring of Michael, as pointed out in the Dream theory episode. Also, there's the Foxy's trait of being more aggressive than the rest, which would match the brother's personality.

6. The Green Connection in FNAF 6 - In the Security Puppet minigame, there are 3 significant green things: the puppets eyes, Charlie's bracelet, and green bouncer guy. Speculating on the color, I think it's possible green bouncer dude is Henry, with the color connecting him to his daughter. Going off this speculation, I don't think he knows his daughter died or that William is the killer.

7. The Forgotten Party Goers from the Happiest Day: If you play through or look at the Happiest Day minigame from FNAF 3, there are 2 characters that switch depending on your game play: one is a blue masked child, and the other is a black masked child. They're the same design as the pink "Pigpatch" mask, but I think the black one is Left-E. Minigames in the FNAF franchise don't always show events that are happening at the same time as the main gameplay. For example, the Afton-getting-springtrapped minigame happens before you work at Fazbear Fright. And since we now know FNAF 6 is backwards compatible with FNAF World, I think it's possible the Happiest Day is really taking place after everything is burned in Pizzeria Simulator.

8. Shadow Bonnie is the Toy: The shape of Shadow Bonnie resembles the shape of Toy Bonnie, not Original Bonnie. Examine his eyes and teeth, and you'll see they're big and wide like Toy Bonnie's. This is just an interesting insight. I don't know what it could mean in the story.

 

That's it for now! Comment below what you think!

Unconventional Opinion: Standing up to Bullying episodes SUCK

"WARNING: This is an Unconventional Opinion Article. It will go against an idea many people live by. Please do not read unless you are very open-minded. Negative comments will be treated as hostile."


Admittedly, this post is something I really didn't want to write, because I believed I was just complaining or in the wrong, but these kinds of episodes from The Bernie Mac Show, The Andy Griffith Show, Recess, TMNT, The Parenthood, and Rurouni Kenshin have been literally haunting my thoughts for years, so I have to expose them as the blog for this week.

Episodes like these always start out the same, a kid, more than likely a boy, is being bullied in school, he goes to his parent/parents, and the parents most likely argue over what they should do. Usually, the father wins because "sometimes in life you have to fight battles" and the mother is made to look stupid because her peaceful option usually leads into more trouble. Cliched phrases include "he has to stand up for himself" or "we can't protect him forever" or some form of "we can't bail him out all the time."

First of all, why do I the mom's have to be shamed/humiliated in these episodes? Is this really how it plays out in real life, or are these male writers trying to make a statement? Are they trying to say it's not a woman's place to deal with contention or peace isn't always the answer and thus, is sometimes simply stupid? I don't know, but it comes off that way. I think women and the ideal of peace should be shown a little more respect.

Second, this idea of if as parents you try to protect your child from bullying is "bailing them out," is, in my opinion, fabricated. Not intentionally made-up, but made out of a fear which says "I'll be raising a punk if I do that." It's unwarranted. What I mean is, "bailing them out" implies you can completely stop bullying which in turn stops your kid from becoming strong enough to protect himself, which is just not true. I guess you could argue constantly taking away your kid from bad situations is teaching them to "run away from their problems," but again, that's unwarranted. Here's why:

In real life, the kid only wants one thing, to get rid of the bully or stop the bullying. All of this philosophical crap is in the parents' head, not the child's. And why not? Isn't that the parents' job? Am I suggesting they teach the kid to "cower off?" No. I don't even believe in the concept of "cowardice" but that's a blog for another day. What I'm trying to say, is you don't need to be a jackanus to your kid or any other kid via TV screen when it comes to bullying.  

I know many parents want their kids to be independent/self-reliant, but your child doing for him/herself does not rely on how far you separate from them, but how you teach them how to do for self. Self-reliance does not equal severance. You can teach your kid how to defend themselves and take them away from a school. Parents act like there are no other options, where there are clearly many in today's world. There are self-defense classes. Your child does not have to be bullied to get stronger, there are better solutions and we need to stop acting like there isn't. I mean, there are even things you can watch at home to teach you self-defense.

And for those of you who would hate for your child to get distracted, punk out, or run away, why? Everyone gets scared. They can't vent out their fear? Just teach them everything will be okay if they get into conflict. Teach them that there is healing for such events. You don't have to force your child to stop running and "stand up" for  themselves, really you just have to teach him how to get people or things to leave them alone. That's it. It's what the kids want anyway. Adults are the ones who put it into a complex philosophical nutshell.

Anyone I hope this helps someone. If not, at least I got this rant off my chest. And if you are a writer of any sort and this "touched" you, don't make full episodes or books or whatever on this topic. Some things are better left to the home or the pulpit. I'm tired of waking up to these thoughts everyday. I don't even have a problem in protecting myself. 

Ten Random Quotes #6

1. Never take quietness as naivete. Some of the deepest people keep their mouths shut, because their mind is doing the talking.

2. Life isn't about being enough, it's about being.

3. Weakness is not something to be ashamed of or put on the scale of good or bad. It just means you need empowering help. 

4. Bullies hitting a real low point in Life later is predictable because the fact they were bullies means they were too focused on looking for the worse in others rather than bettering themselves. 

5. Courage the Cowardly Dog is often complimented on his "courage", but the only reason he got into those dangerous and scary situations was because of his love for Muriel.

6. There are some people in this world who treat introverts like test animals instead of people: They study introverts by only pricking, prying, and questioning them to "see what they do," or to make them do something, making the introverts feel more lonely and abnormal. Extroverts and extraverts need to be more aware of this.

7. Kindness will never have to switch gears but rarely, but roughness always will.

8.  Embrace the corny, cheesy, and soft. For those are the things worth living for.

9. (Christian Quote): God has blessed us to much, for us to warn and talk of trouble in the spirit of joy and inevitability.

10. You know you're older when you have to force and schedule your rest time.

The Burgerjoint Babel

    Once upon a time, there was a Caucasian Lady who always went to her local burger joint for lunch. She was an older lady, who lived on the proper side of town. She just came in there to get her usual, a #2 with a Diet Coke. She would order and sit at her regular seat, a corner at the opposite end of the restaurant, where a lone tree stood looming outside the window, its leaves bent over just enough to shine a dab of light and warmth. Just as she was finishing her meal and about to take the last sip of coke, a Latino couple walked in, speaking fluent Spanish, joking around and having the time of their lives.

    Immediately, she was unfettered. She sat up in her chair, pressing her back flat against it and folded her arms, as if to readjust and shield herself. The cashier was Brown, too. He could speak perfect English, but in taking their order, he started rolling his tongue, just like they did, laughing and joking with those same "ya" sounds that they do. The Lady had no hope of understanding because she figured she was too old to learn the language and more importantly, to old to want to. As she was done with her meal, she began to leave, but hesitated. She should've given them a piece of her mind, but nowadays that kind of talk never ended well. She knew she would only end up on every news outlet for being rude. The next "Tattletail Sally," or whatever they called it. So she decided to let it go.

But before she left, the wife noticed her Edgar Allen Poe scarf.

"Excuse me," she asked, "Are you a writer?"

The Lady blinked, then smiled, "In a way. I'm the head Research Librarian at the local library."

The wife replied, "I teach Literature at the university up the street. Would you mind coming to my class and discussing the era of Romanticism to my students?"

The Lady's face lit up, "Oh yes, of course! Are your students having trouble distinguishing Romanticism from Modernism? I've heard that's a major problem."

The wife responded, "Why, yes! They just don't understand that Romanticism is the era of indulgence while Modernism is the era of divergence."

"Precisely," the Lady said, "There is a major severance between Hemingway's icebergs and Poe's unities of effect." They giggled to each other, then the Lady turned to the husband, who was sitting next to them, looking confused.

He finally said, "What kind of language are you two talking?"

Reading Rants: Proverbs 24:10

Yeah, I don't think this scripture is written in the way God intended. Some things get lost in translation. I guess it could make logical sense, but I don't think it's supposed to. Just a thought.