The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Feminism: "noun, the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes." The right to work. That's feminism. The right to vote. That's feminism. Equal education and employment opportunities. That's feminism. Equal pay. That's feminism. Reproductive rights. That's feminism. Feminism is about equality. It's about women being treated as equals in and out of the home, in and out of the school, in and out of the workplace, in and out of any place where they step foot. In accordance with the law, all men and women should be treated as equals.  Here's what feminism isn't: feminism isn't seeking vengeance against innocent parties, due to the abuses and inequalities of the past. Feminism isn't seeking privilege over peers. Feminism isn't about power and control just for the sake of power and control. I'm an old-school feminist. I think it's wrong young women are often discouraged from taking an interest in cert...

I see that today is "Pan Visibility Day." Yes, go to your kitchens this instance and show some respect to your pots and pans! Okay, so this has nothing to do with kitchen appliances and everything to do with "pansexuality." What is "pansexuality"? I'm so glad I asked. It's when one is sexually attracted to all genders. But wait, aren't there just two genders, which would therefore make the person bisexual? Not necessarily, but I see your confusion. While many use the terms "sex" and "gender" interchangeably, there is technically a difference between them. When you think "sex," think genitalia (just the word, don't actually picture those odd looking things). So, with exceptions, there are two sexes - male and female (again, there are exceptions). However, gender has more to do with how a person identifies, which goes past just their nether-regions. Yes, this is where things get really confusing, but please bear ...

When debating the electoral college vote, Missouri Senator and man voted most likely to sell his children for a tiny handful of votes - Josh Hawley - uttered the "word" "irregardless." After poking fun at him for it on Twitter, I received one passionate dissenting voice. She even went so far as to claim I had the vocabulary of a grade-school kid, because I didn't consider "irregardless" to be a legitimate term. Yes, most dictionaries state that "irregardless" is a "nonstandard" word and tend to add something along the lines of, "It's not the recommended form of the term, especially in written papers. Also, whenever it is written or spoken by a person, he or she will immediately be viewed as an idiot." So, yes, a person has every right to use this word/non-word. At the same time, however, I have every right to tease said individual for expressing this word/non-word. Let's think about this for a second here... Regard...

Freshman Representative Ilhan Omar has come under scrutiny for a pair of tweets she posted over the weekend. Members of both parties have called her messages "anti-Semitic," to which she's now apologized. Delving deeper into the matter, though, were her posts actually anti-Semitic? I don't think they were and think politicians need to do a better job of looking at sensitive matters like anti-Semitism with nuance and not a black-and-white mentality. Rep. Omar's first tweet came in response to the following Glenn Greenwald post: "GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy threatens punishment for @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib over their criticisms of Israel. It's stunning how much time US political leaders spend defending a foreign nation even if it means attacking free speech rights of Americans." Ms. Omar responded with, "It's all about the Benjamins baby" When asked about who she was referring to, Omar said, "AIPAC!" (American Israel Pub...

Michelle Carter, a 22-year-old Massachusetts woman, will soon start serving a 15-month prison sentence on the charge of "involuntary manslaughter for coercing her boyfriend into committing suicide." The court stated the following in its ruling: "The crime of involuntary manslaughter proscribes reckless or wanton conduct causing the death of another. The statute makes no reference to restricting or regulating speech, let alone speech of a particular content or viewpoint. We are therefore not punishing words alone, as the defendant claims, but reckless or wanton words causing death. ... The evidence against the defendant proved that, by her wanton or reckless conduct, she caused the victim's death by suicide." Both Ms. Carter and the victim, Conrad Ray, came across as mentally and emotionally disturbed, in desperate need of professional help. I have three questions for the court: 1) How can a person be guilty of manslaughter for another person's suicide?...

Actor Bryan Cranston plays a quadriplegic in the new film The Upside  and some are not happy about it, claiming that it's wrong for an "able-bodied" (I hate that term) actor to play the part over a disabled one. While I can empathize with disabled actors and feel they should receive more opportunities than they do, I feel the critiques leveled toward Cranston are misguided. It may sound overly simplistic, but actors act. That's what they do. Those who receive the most acclaim are the actors who can master starkly different characters in an array of genres. Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, and Daniel Day-Lewis are all prime examples of this. Actors who consistently attempt to expand their horizons by going out of their comfort zones for parts tend to be the most widely respected. Those who are typecast for a single character or part, while they may be successful at the box office, they're often parodied by comics and shut out at awards ceremonies. What will impress audie...

I've always been a staunch supporter of the LGBT community. For as long as I can remember, as with all demographics, I've fought for them attaining equal rights in this country. Of what value is freedom if not every person is legally allowed to access it? Having said all that, I started feeling old over this past Christmas season when I was approached by a person who came out to me as "non-binary." LGBT: Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgenders. That's what I know. Non-binary ? What in the world is that? Hating the feeling of being ignorant on a topic, I decided to research the term and here's what I found. "Genderqueer, also known as non-binary, is a catch all category for gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine - identities which are outside the gender binary and cisnormativity. Genderqueer people may express a combination of masculinity and femininity, or neither, in their gender expression. Genderqueer people may identify a...

One concept I wish I fully believed in is karma. Karma basically suggests that, in the end, we get what we deserve. It's probably the biggest reason why I hope there's an afterlife and it exists there, because no matter how much I wish the contrary, it certainly doesn't exist in this lifetime. I hear it at least once a day: "Karma is a b*tch" or "Karma will get you" or simply just "Karma." Sure, there may times when we hear or read stories about an awful person receiving what seems to be justice, and perhaps in an unusual, almost ironic way, but what percentage of the times does this actually happen? My guess is less than 5%, and that's probably an overestimation. What about the reverse? How often do good people ultimately get rewarded for their kind deeds? Much less than I'd like to see. Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the name Donald Trump. Here's a guy who's spent his 70+ years in this world: Sexually hara...

As I so often do, I had a little fun with a trending hashtag on Twitter the other day. This particular one was #SecondCivilWarLetters, where I poked fun of bigots of all stripes. While most of my followers' responses were positive, the one which stood out the most was, of course, negative. She called me a bigot. Before fully tackling the accusation, allow me to first provide readers with the definition of the term bigot . It is "a person who is intolerant toward those holding different opinions." Now here is the tweet in question: "Dear Resistance: The war is over. We've won. About 30 seconds into our battle, the Trumpsters, as they were drinking moonshine & cleaning their loaded weapons with the muzzles facing them and shouting 'Guns don't kill!,' all shot and killed themselves." #secondcivilwarletters I was simply using the hashtag to satirize the large majority of Republicans' belief that "guns don't kill people; pe...

Just over the past week, I've seen two cultural appropriation stories go viral, one which included the legend musician Sting and the other dealt with a high school student going to prom, and I felt the need to write about them. Let me first give a brief overview of the two stories. It was announced that Sting has collaborated with Jamaican star Shaggy on a reggae album. After receiving criticism that he was guilty of cultural appropriation, the Police lead singer said this: "It's such an ugly term. For me, reggae is something I respect and value, and take seriously. It's something I've learned from. I owe a great deal to the whole reggae bass community. My spiritual, musical mentor was Bob Marley - who I knew - and I really feel that I'm doing something that feels authentic to me..." Keziah, an 18-year-old from Utah, also came under social media fire for cultural appropriation after she posted a photo of herself in a Chinese dress known as a qipao at...

Fraud: "intentional perversion of truth in order to induce another to part with something of value or to surrender a legal right; a person who is not what he or she pretends to be." The Christian right has long claimed they value: The teachings of Jesus, morality, family, etc. They've long contended that they vote the way God would vote. This is why they've tended to vote against politicians whom support women's reproductive rights and/or those that support marriage equality for the LGBT community. According to them, both abortion and homosexuality are abominations to God and of far greater importance than anything else mentioned in the book of Leviticus or the Ten Commandments. Well, dear readers, I'm here to tell you it's all a lie. The Christian right is a fraud, and whether it was intentional or not, Donald Trump ultimately proved this. Donald Trump's approval among the general public is at approximately 40%. His approval with evangelicals is a...

When it comes to the Trump-Russia probe and the possibility of an obstruction of justice charge, I hear two comments from analysts far more than any other: 1) Trump is likely guilty of it. and 2) It'll be difficult to prove. Why is this? Allow Cornell Law School to share with us the reason: "Obstruction of justice is defined in the omnibus clause of 18 U.S.C. 1503, which provides that 'whoever....corruptly or by threats or force, or by any threatening letter or communication, influences, obstructs, or impedes, or endeavors to influence, obstruct, or impede, the due administration of justice, shall be (guilty of an offense).' Persons charged under this statute based on allegations that a defendant intended to interfere with an official proceeding, by doing things such as destroying evidence, or interfering with the duties of jurors or court officers. A person obstructs justice when they have a specific intent to obstruct or interfere with a judicial proceeding. For ...

Oddly enough, besides love , no term seems to generate as much debate with regard to meaning as  terrorist . When a man in Las Vegas shot and killed hundreds of concert goers, while it may have been referred to as an act of terror, most were remiss of calling the individual a terrorist. Yet when a person destroys a building by bombing it, but no one is harmed in the process, and the individual's intent was religious/political, then it's said to be a terrorist act. So, what gives? The quantity of deaths obviously isn't a determining factor. The costs of an attack's destruction aren't either. All that seems to matter is the person or group's intent. If the attack was politically-motivated, it's said to be terrorism, but if it wasn't motivated by politics, that very terminology isn't used to describe it. Here's the technical definition of terrorist : "A person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the p...

Do you remember that game we used to play as a kid, often referred to as telephone ? You'd start by telling the person next to you something random, like, "Johnny has a crush on Maxie." The person next to you would then supposedly spread that same message to the person next to them, and so on and so forth, until the final person in the group blurted out what he or she was told, which often times wound up being something like, "On September 22nd of 1976, a little boy named Johnny once killed an ant he called Maxie with a magnifying glass. He was then grounded for 2 weeks." Unfortunately, social movements have often times followed the same path as this childhood game and, at a certain point, the initial purpose and message appears to be lost in the midst of varying tangents. This has rung true for the Black Lives Matter movement and more recently, the Me Too movement, both of which I'm a part. I'll focus on the Me Too movement. It initially started as a ...

So Celeste Katz of Newsweek  decided to write a piece the other day, entitled, "Trump Had Many Genuine Successes This Year, Despite Low Approval Rating," and I felt the need to comment on it. First off, let's look at the definition of the term accomplishment . According to the dictionary, accomplishment is defined as "something that has been achieved successfully." Based off that, let's now look at Ms. Katz's list of President Trump's supposed accomplishments: 1) "He got a new justice on the Supreme Court" "Trump promised on the campaign trail to appoint a conservative jurist to the highest court in the land as a replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia. He selected Neil Gorsuch, a Colorado federal appeals court judge who, at 49, was the youngest Supreme Court nominee since then-President George H. W. Bush nominated 43-year-old Clarence Thomas in 1991." So, in other words, Donald Trump's accomplishment here wa...

Liberals often like to pride themselves on being open-minded, accepting of change, differences, and diversity. They tend to believe in equality across all ages, genders, races, creeds, and orientations. They tend to favor life-imprisonment-without-parole over the death penalty, of felons being able to vote, of people being able to turn their lives around via rehab, and being rightly rewarded with a second chance due to this. So why is it many liberals showcase inconsistency when it comes to providing individuals with second chances in life, most notably, former NFL quarterback and convicted dogfighter, Michael Vick? Before I continue, it should be noted I'm a lover of dogs, animals in general, but especially dogs. My current Siberian Husky, Lexi, is my fourth dog, adds a great amount of joy to my life, and it pains me to think of her or any other animal/pet being abused in any manner. In saying that, Michael Vick was charged, convicted, and sentenced for his role in a dogfighting...

Unless you've been living in a cave 5,000 feet below sea level in an ocean off the coast of Neptune, chances are you've heard the term fake news . It's made its presence known on Facebook, cable news, fact-checking sites, and perhaps no more than via the mouth of the President of the United States, Donald Trump.  So what exactly is fake news? According to nonpartisan sources, it "refers to false information or propaganda published under the guise of being authentic news." Nobel Prize-winning fact-checking site, Politifact , defined the term a bit more colorfully, as they said, "Fake news is made-up stuff, masterfully manipulated to look like credible journalistic reports that are easily spread online to large audiences willing to believe the fictions and spread the word." In other words, fake news  is when a person spreads bullsh*t as fact. Oddly enough, Donald Trump and his supporters have arguably clamored the most about fake news, yet ten...

John Daniel Davidson, writer at the far-right website The Federalist , just released an article entitled, "Sorry, College Kids, There's No Such Thing As Hate Speech," and I felt the need to rebut. In the article, while Davidson made some fair points, especially with regard to the seeming irony of violence at hate-speech rallies, he lost me with his claim that there's no such thing as hate speech, yet he feels liberals define hate speech as any opinion which runs contrary to theirs. Here's what he had to say specifically on the matter: "By hate speech, they (liberals) mean ideas and opinions that run afoul of progressive pieties. Do you believe abortion is is the taking of human life? That's hate speech. Think transgenderism is a form of mental illness? Hate speech. Concerned about illegal immigration? Believe in the right to bear arms? Support President Donald Trump? All hate speech. But in fact, there is no 'hate speech' exception to the Firs...

Like many words, friendship is difficult to define in absolute terms, however, I do believe that there are some necessary components to a friendship which are nearly universal. In my opinion, here are some of those very components (with rare exceptions of course): - Friends try to life one another up, not tear each other down - Friends will be there to listen or give advice when needed, but not lecture whenever they feel like - Friends will give out of the kindness of their own hearts, not for something in return - Friends will make you feel like time with you is precious, not a burden - Friends will look out for your best interests, not how these interests will affect them - Friends will attempt to learn and be aware of your sensitivities, not try to learn them for the simple purpose of poking at them during future debates/arguments - Friends will show a consistent interest in you and your life, not just during the times when they need help - Friends will be forgiving,...

I know this seems like old news, but just recently I got into a debate with an individual about Donald Trump's leaked Access Hollywood tape, where he and Billy Bush engaged in what my debate opponent referred to as "locker-room talk." So, first off, what is locker-room talk ? According to the dictionary, it's, "Of, relating to, or suitable for use in a locker room; especially: of a course or sexual nature <locker-room talk>." Let's now look at the full Access Hollywood transcript between Billy Bush and Donald Trump: Donald Trump: "You know, and I moved on her actually. You know she was down on Palm Beach." Unknown: "She used to be great. She's still very beautiful." Trump: "I moved on her and I failed. I'll admit it. I did try and f*ck her. She was married." Unknown: "That's huge news." Trump: "No, no, Nancy. No, this was - and I moved on her very heavily. In fact, I took her ou...