The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

I recently stumbled upon an article, entitled, "There Is a War on One Gender," and it soon led me to realize there is such a thing as an anti-woman woman columnist. Her name is Adriana Cohen. In this article, Cohen makes the following comments: - "Forget the mythical war on women." - "What we're really seeing in American culture is a growing war on men. There's a bias against men that seeks to demean, devalue and ultimately emasculate normal, healthy men and boys in virtually all aspects of life - the U.S. educational and legal systems, the workplace, pop culture, and even modern-day families." - "It's no secret that the American public K-12 school system - in an effort to empower its female students - is now predominantly 'teaching to girls,' versus providing curricula and atmospheres that educate, support and empower all students equally." - "Turn on any sitcom or Hollywood movie and you'll easily find mal...

Enslaved (verb): "cause (someone) to lose their freedom of choice or action." Slavery may have technically ended in 1865, but I can guarantee you it still takes place today, especially when it comes to black men. Let's look at this. When slavery was abolished, African-Americans, whom had not attained proper education, were set off into the world. It was akin to a long-time prisoner being set free. Unless strong connections are in place post-imprisonment, it's incredibly common for the prisoner to delve back into his/her old habits and wind up back in a penitentiary. So while it had to have been an indescribable feeling for slaves when slavery was abolished, once they stepped away from the only place they've ever known, it had to also have been overwhelming and stress-inducing. Not only that, but the legal system has been biased against black men pretty much since slavery was abolished. Let's face it, it is possible for money to transcend crime. Slaves en...

It's pretty amazing to stand back and think about how differently Republican congresspeople, media personalities, and voters have treated the past two presidents, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Their knack for the double-standard is really quite incredible. Let's look at the long laundry list of examples: - They criticized Obama for being a "celebrity." At no time was Obama the centerpiece of a reality television program. Donald Trump was exactly this on The Apprentice . - Even Donald Trump himself poked fun at Obama for reading from a teleprompter. Guess who's also read from a teleprompter since his inauguration? That's right - Donald Trump. - One word: Benghazi. Guess what? A similar ambush occurred under Trump's watch in Niger. - Remember The Donald's critical tweets of then President Obama's golf outings? Well, funny story, Barack Obama didn't finish his 102nd round of golf until his 1,273rd day in office. For Donald Trump, that f...

As many of my long time readers should know, I'm extremely nonpartisan when it comes to sports. While I have always loved both participating and spectating many sports, I'm not a homer for any one team. I enjoy sporting events like I enjoy movies. I appreciate good coaching/directing, solid execution/acting, can't seem to get enough twists and turns in the plots, and love a good, unexpected climax. Having said that, I similarly try not to hop on or off a player's bandwagon too quickly, which places me at odds with a majority of sportswriters/ESPN talking heads. This is especially the case with NFL quarterbacks, whom analysts seem to fall in and out of love with more quickly and more frequently than middle schoolers named Romeo and Juliet. When columnists fell in love with Andrew Luck and Colin Kaepernick of Indianapolis and San Francisco, respectively, I said, "Let's hold up just a minute. They certainly have potential, but let's wait a couple more years to...

Many Christian conservatives and even atheist liberals complain that progressives like myself are inconsistent when it comes to our views and defenses of religion. They often times say, "You guys have a double-standard, where you openly mock and criticize Christianity, but oddly defend Islam. Look at how Muslim countries treat women!" I, for one, am not a big fan of organized religion. I was raised in a Christian household, regularly attended a nondenominational church with my mother and brother growing up, yet reached a point in my teenage years where I could no longer espouse myself to the typically sexist, anti-LGBT, anti-progressive rhetoric. The pastor's sermons started sounding progressively more like a Rush Limbaugh rant and it turned me off from the Christian faith, and honestly, organized religion altogether. Through my high school years, college, and even after, I found myself still oddly fascinated by the concept of religion. I read books about: Christianity...

Maybe it's all but inevitable for us to have prejudices of some kind; I couldn't be 100% certain. Then again, whenever I hear such a statement being made, I immediately think, "I wonder if he/she is trying to provide themselves an excuse for their own prejudices." But overall, even if everyone possesses some form of prejudice, I'd say a decent majority is able to typically cover such irrational, derogatory beliefs when in a public setting. That's not always the case, of course, and following tragic isolated incidents, it seems many believe this provides reason to their prejudices and leaves them more prone to making those hateful beliefs come to light. As fed up as I am hearing about mass shootings in this country, a pair of them over the past couple of weeks has helped expose this country's prejudices and double-standards. When a Christian man attacked a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado, killing multiple people in the process, ...

Recently, at Oakleaf High School in Florida, Miranda Larkin, who was new to the area, attempted to make a good first impression on her peers by dressing up and wearing a skirt. Unfortunately for her, the school viewed her as dressing down, said the skirt was too short, and she'd need to change into the school's "dress code violation outfit." This outfit consisted of a neon yellow t-shirt with the words "DRESS CODE VIOLATION" being displayed in all caps, as well as bright red shorts, where those same words were also displayed. Miranda's mother, Dianna Larkin, has referred to the outfit as the "suit of shame," and plans on filing a complaint under FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), because she feels the school crossed the line with their actions. She told ABC News, "I really do believe in punishing my kids if they do something wrong, but this is not about punishing kids. This is about humiliation." She's ri...

It kind of bothers me to constantly hear extremely religious-minded people condemn others based on their sexual orientation, deciding to have an abortion at some point in their lives, etc., yet they'll be finishing a pack of cigarettes at this time, on their 5th shot of tequila, getting ready to sleep with the 10th different guy/gal that month. Do as I say, not as I do, eh? It's alright to damage one's (and others') lungs, liver, spread sexually transmitted diseases through promiscuity, but if one engages in intercourse with a person of the same gender that they've been with for five years, then that's going too far! I'll never understand people like that. They worship a man who says to love all, yet while they make their own mistakes in life, they'll point to others' actions and deem them mistakes of truly great (eternal) significance. This is how they tend to come across to me - "Yes, I messed up, but I'm a believer in Christ. With your mi...

Republicans Ask Jesus Questions Michael Buffer: "Before we get started today, I must go over a few things. As you all know by now when we gave you body cavity searches, cameras are not allowed at this event. Our speaker could be blinded by the flash and as a result, the world could end. Guns are allowed, however. I see a couple of rocket launchers over there. Very nice. How are you doing, junior? Is that too heavy for you? No? That's my boy! Well, since our guest knows everything, there really isn't a need for you to ask the questions. However, as no one else here knows everything, I'm sure our guest will understand us doing so. When any of you ask a question, please be kind, courteous and halfway intelligent. With all of that in mind, I ask that you put your hands together to welcome the man who guides the Republican Party, who makes robes and sandals look cool, who saved every one of us...here is the one, the only Jesus H. Christ!" JC: "Alright. Far out...

In one way or another, we're all hypocrites. It doesn't matter what job one has, what gender they are, where they come from, what orientation they have, we're all hypocrites. I think it's kind of funny in a way when we really look at it, because deep down, I think we all know what we believe is right or wrong. Most of us aren't shy to speak about those beliefs either. If a friend has a problem or makes a complaint, most of us won't even think twice about it and blurt out what we believe to be true. But at that very same time, when the person blurting out the truth is put into the same situation as the individual they were speaking to, they may do the exact same thing their friend did and then complain to this friend about it. This is all especially humorous to me, at times, because I don't forget things. When a friend, girlfriend or family member of mine tells me something or does something, chances are good that I'm going to remember. If someone mak...

Ever know a person who would openly discuss things with you, regardless of the topic, but if and when you got to the topic of religion, that all changed? I know some people like this and just heard a story from a friend of mine a couple years ago that illustrates it. She, we'll call her Lucy, was raised Catholic and he, Adam, is Jewish. All throughout the relationship, Adam said he had to marry a Jewish woman. Lucy, because she cared about him so much, showed an interest and was willing to convert. All throughout the relationship, Adam made it known that he was the ever omniscient one when it came to the topic of religion. He read in one book that a person felt Catholics believed that Jesus was God, so he told Lucy about this and Lucy came back with, "No, we believe he's the son of God." Adam argued and said, "You should do some reading and studying on your own religion before you come talk to me about it." There it was, a conversation closer, becaus...

Why is it that the majority of people can analyze a situation properly when they're on the outside looking in? But, those same people are blind as bats if they were put in the same situation? This is especially common when it comes to relationships. Ever hear about a friend's problem with someone they're dating? Or hear about their relationship story and fully be able to analyze what it is they're going through? Yet, when that same thing happens to you and your friend is there for you, you say, "Oh, but it's different." I've heard this I don't know how many times. It's because every relationship is, in fact, different on some levels, and yet, there are more similarities between them than we'd like to admit. We want to believe that ours is the exception to the rule. Ours is worth saving. Our boyfriend or girlfriend is different and better than the others we've heard about. If Bubba was caught cheating on his girlfriend, Clarissa, the...