A Little Too Big for Our Britches...

A friend and I were discussing the state of the American culture earlier with regard to the influence technology has had and whether or not our country is capable of returning to a "traditional" America. Yes, think June and Walt Cleaver. And who could forget The Beav? These characters represent a time when the American culture was devoted to hard work; people were more concerned about integrity and character than the bottom line; logic and reason outweighed emotion; morals were definitive; the free market economy thrived; government stayed in its appropriate place...out of the private sector.

That was then...

In today's America, instead of growing up doing chores, learning responsibility and right from wrong, kids are raised by MTV. Parents are working to buy the right jeans for their kids or to have the right car so they fit in with the neighbors. We are a society driven by consumerism where keeping up with the Joneses is simply the status quo. The mass media only feeds this mindset. As a society we are inundated with luxury brands and celebrity worship. We want what we want when we want it. Integrity and character are out the door as long people get whatever it is they feel is owed to them. The American people have grown lazy and cocky and seem to believe that simply because we are Americans we are entitled to anything we please. So what happens when a society reaches it's apex of entitlement and self assurance? Can we return to the days of "America Past", and if so, how do we do that?

Not long ago I read a book by a man named Erwin Lutzer called "Is God on America's Side?" The book points out that for quite some time it seems as though America has abused it's privileges as the most powerful nation in the world. I agree completely. Unfortunately, there are repercussions for our actions. I do not necessarily wish to have this article go in a religious direction, but I would like to say that Lutzer noted that America has turned its back on God. I am inclined to agree. I want to address the topic from a more broad perspective though.

I believe that America is destined for a major upset in the not too distant future, whether it be an economic collapse or perhaps some catastrophic attack on our own soil. I think that we have earned such a fate because of our lack of responsibility, our cockiness as the dominant world power, and our lack of integrity. However, in light of such a dismal forecast for the American future, I am hopeful. I believe that the result of such heinous events could in fact be quite positive. I believe that should we suffer such tragedies, the American people would return to their roots. That is my great hope. I pray that I am able to see the day when America is once again a nation based on integrity whose citizens are primarily of upstanding character and who work hard without a sense of entitlement. I do not hope for horrible things to happen to our country, but I do believe our downfall is inevitable. Plan for the worst, hope for the best, and maybe we need to buy some bigger pants with all this stimulus money.

"God-Mart"

First of all, let me say that I did not come up with the title of this entry. I wish I could say that I did, but in fact, a very clever friend of mine thought of it. Now, to what is he referring?
Well, we were having lunch the other day and began to discuss the enigma that is the mega-church and our sentiments about that concept and discussed one particular church specifically. Apart from each other we came to the same conclusion: that the services are far too produced, thereby evoking false emotions; the people seem to be clones of one another; the staff members appear to have all taken the same class as the door greeters at Wal-Mart; and well, it's just not for us. Not to say that this sort of church isn't for some people. Like anything else, it serves its own purpose, but to me, these churches seem to miss the point of Jesus.
So much of the service is based on being top-notch and perfect. All the musicians are groomed to be like rock stars. The sound systems are equivalent to those at major arenas. The visual tools are in line with a high end cinema. Essentially church has become a rock concert, a show. Then when one looks out at the crowd, all the people are very pretty and put together. They all have the right jeans, the most trendy bags, and without a doubt have a skinny double latte in their Starbucks cup.
How is it that church has become THE place to see and be seen? Wasn't it supposed to be a place to gather to worship Jesus and learn more about Him? Weren't we as Christians supposed to join together as one body to honor our God? How can we do that in such a seemingly exclusive environment where we talk about loving people, but in reality do that only from afar?
I love designer labels as much as the next person, but not at the cost of excluding anyone from anything, least of all from Jesus. God is not exclusive, but it would appear that we have made Him so.
So, if we could lose the God-Mart vibe and just go back to loving people as they are, and where they're at in life, wouldn't we then be more in line with what Christ asked us to do instead of being in line with the most current sound technology and wearing the hottest new jeans?

Shades of grey

Fashion is full of vibrant colors swirling about and sashaying down runways. Then every other season or so, fashion magazines are full of graphic black and white printed dresses, skirts, shoes, etc. All the trendy women from NYC to LA quickly don that stark contrast as something somewhat resembling a uniform. It's edgy. The lines of the clothes are feminine, yet that black and white combo gives even the frilliest dress a bit of a tough, hard appearance.

And then there's grey. This muted color often becomes the subject of editorial spreads not long after "black and white" has its proverbial heyday. Soon enough those women who before prided themselves in their tough but semi-sweet image turn into softer, less noticeable ladies quietly going about their lives.

I love grey. I think it's a lovely color, and I wear it often. However, I do not at all find it well suited to life. I possess a very defined black and white perspective. I believe grey to be for those who refuse to accept responsibility for their own actions and decisions, and leave a mess in their wake for the responsible people to clean up when their gone.

Not only do a vast number of people in America subscribe to the trend of using poor grammar, but they also appear to be firm believers that nothing is actually truly their fault. They simply are victims of their circumstances. Please. Really, give me a break. Everyone has really awful things happen in life. It's the people who don't allow those things to determine who they are or where they go in life whom I respect. The black and white people who see things as they are instead of making excuses for what might have been. The grey people need a dose of reality in my opinion. Wake up! Life is what you make it. We all have freewill, it's just that some people happen to use it more wisely than others and accept the repercussions of their own decisions instead of blaming someone or something else. And yes, some people may have more challenges to face than others, but that old adage is true: "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger."

I'll take that tough, hard appearance over the soft, muted grey any day. I don't want to blend in with the crowd. I like that black and white stands out on its own. I choose to be different. I want to be bold.

Fashionably Ignorant???

I was driving my car the other day with the sunroof open and some upbeat music playing on my radio. A commercial came on so I switched stations. I heard "Up next we have a new song from Flow Rider." At least I was under the impression that this particular fellow spelled his name that way, but then I looked at the screen in my car and realized that he spells it "Flo Rida". Apparently he's paying homage to his home state, which I can respect, but really, does he need to do so by acting so ignorant? When did misspelling words and using poor grammar become so fashionable?
What I wouldn't give for a return to the 1940's culture when women were ladies and men were gentleman. It was fashionable to be classy and maintain some semblance of dignity. Instead this thug lifestyle seems to have become the status quo for today's America. Never, can I imagine, Grace Kelly, Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, or Ingrid Bergman using incorrect grammar to express their ideas. Somehow many of today's celebrities have made fortunes doing so though, and seemingly have become a driving force behind the ignorance of the youth of our nation.
Isn't it about time that class, dignity, and intelligence once again become defining factors in what is or is not fashionable? Is it so much to ask for people simply to spell words correctly, speak clearly, and behave as though they may have at least some modicum of self respect?

Someone who wasn't afraid to be different...

Don't get me wrong, Edie had her own set of issues no doubt, BUT, she wasn't ever afraid to just be Edie. For that reason, she is one of my favorite pop icons. I admire her courage to be herself. Now THAT is cool.

Just be cool baby

I am sitting here thinking about being "cool" as is in what is dictated to be cool by society. The thing about being "cool" is that really, the "cool kids" are just a bunch of sheep following the rest of the herd. None of them are brave enough to dare to be different.
Let's go with a superficial example to begin with here. Take Coach purses--I personally hate them. I think that ridiculous monogram pattern is WAY overrated and was created simply because someone was smart enough to know that the masses of "cool" people would all latch onto something so simple and easy to spot. I'm not only against the lack of originality in Coach's designs. I think Marc Jacobs really dropped the ball with the LV monogram on Louis Vuitton bags as well. Marc is a creative genius, but really, that's all he could come up with? For those of you who don't know, Marc Jacobs not only has his own lines, but he's also the creative director for Louis Vuitton. At any rate, point being...what happened to "cool" being different instead of simply becoming part of the crowd?
Is it so awful to be a little unique? Doesn't that just mean you can think for yourself? Isn't a little eccentricity a good thing? Why on earth would anyone want to simply be like everyone else?
Now this is where the politics play in, thanks to the same friend who recommended I start this blog. "How do we make conservatism cool?" I like the approach of being authentic. I also like the idea of being original and maybe even seemingly a bit radical. The problem, I think, lies in the fact that so many people fear standing out from the crowd. No one seems to understand that being different is actually a good thing.
The moral compass of our nation is spinning out of control. Yet the majority of people, instead of choosing to do the right thing, simply go along with everyone else and make poor choices and foolish decisions. We hail Brittney Spears as an icon with her triumphant return after her stint as the poster girl for trainwrecks everywhere. We laud Kanye West as a great man, and somehow, despite the fact that he doesn't even have a high school diploma, he has garnered enough credibility from the public to speak on political issues as though he is an authority on such matters. Celebrities now not only dictate what the citizens of this country should wear, but how they should think. Clearly, we have gone awry from the initial standards of our founding fathers.

So, how to make conservatism cool...quit caring about what is socially accepted as "cool"; think for yourselves; maintain the courage to stand out from the crowd; stand firm in your beliefs; do not falter from doing what is right because it's right, regardless of the popularity of the decision. That's the cool crowd I want to be in--the people who toss Louis Vuitton aside and get something unique and different that no one else has; those who aren't afraid to think for themselves.

PETA People...

I suppose I should preface this posting by saying that I am a vegetarian. I have been for about 5 years now. I am not a vegetarian because I feel that eating animals is cruel though. I am a vegetarian because I think eating meat is...well, icky. That's right, eating muscle tissue and flesh revolts me. Eating other things revolts me too...I'm equal opportunity in that department: doughnuts, yellow soft drinks, red and yellow peppers, mushrooms, and things that jiggle all fall under the revolting category. At any rate, back to the animals...

So I went on a pseudo-date with this guy once who I can only imagine was trying to impress me with his conversational skills. The entire time he talked about the awesomeness of PETA and Ingrid Newkirk. For those of you who don't know, Ingrid is a co-founder of this organization. Anyway, said date went on and on and on and on some more about how great PETA is, all the while assuming I agreed with him. Why? Because I'm a vegetarian. Well, WRONG! PETA people are crazy! No way do I think they should be throwing paint on perfectly good mink stoles or silver fox furs! Are you kidding me?! I'm all for the humane treatment of animals, but they aren't here just to roam the earth freely. They're here to be eaten and to be worn.

That being said, I had another run-in with a lovely gentleman who was a PETA supporter. This old chap was marching in a protest downtown. I have no idea specifically what these people were protesting, but they had signs supporting PETA, and I'm sure other signs said something dumb about eating fried chicken and wearing fur. Whatever. The point is that I kindly pointed out to this one man that while I understood his position of supporting the humane treatment of animals and not wearing fur, etc. I found it quite odd that his shoes were in fact leather. It seemed like a perfectly legitimate point to me, but he, however, did not view it as such and was rather displeased with my observation.

All this to say...settle down PETA people. No need to get crazy and ruin fur coats. I mean an animal has already died for the coat. No need to make the animal's death in vain. At least let the wearer happily go on wearing a perfectly good coat. And if you're wearing any sort of leather shoes, accessories, etc. might I suggest removing them before claiming to be some devout PETA supporter.

Oh, and the pseudo-date ended fast. I cut out quick...but not before I pointed out I was wearing leather stilettos, a cashmere sweater, and a fur trimmed coat, all while carrying an oversized leather bag.