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Histrionics 101

September 7, 2017 by Pops 1 Comment

“Histrionics” are dramatic, overdone, emotional actions and words that are done to influence someone. Unlike real emotional reactions, histrionics are fake and intended to manipulate others.

Stilettos in Houston? Aaaaahhhh!

There is no better word to describe the current state of affairs in the U.S.

People organize protests over the most inane subjects, rant and rave about mundane and inconsequential events, and actually engage in violence under a faux umbrella of staged indignation.

Whether it is the shoes worn by the first lady, public statutes of confederate democrats from the civil war, university cafeterias that dare to serve GMO food products, or public appearances by persons that have contrary opinions, there will invariably be exaggerated offense taken by somebody. Guaranteed. From something as mocking by eyeball rolling and tongue clucking, to out-and-out rioting and destruction of property, or physical attacks on people, histrionics has now become a staple of American society. And it isn’t done for any other reason than to manipulate other people.

Extreme abnormal behavior (Histrionics) must be a required course in higher education, because there is no greater place to observe histrionic behavior than on university campuses. There is always a new march in favor of “whatever,” or a march in protest of “something,” or a sit-in demanding that the administration either do something, or stop doing something, and overly emotional students are always prostrating themselves and tweet storming and chanting and cutting classes and making signs because they insist that other people must change their behavior to conform to the latest fad or behavioral construct.

Histrionics is not confined to the campuses, either. At any hour of the day, on every TV or radio news show or talk show, and in every issue of every newspaper and magazine, there is a headline story about how terrible something is, or how cruel somebody is, or how unfair something is, or how we should be terrified or indignant or unaccepting of something or someone. Progressives and the media are adept over-emoters, finding topics for feigned outrage under every rock and behind every door.

And while the histrionic behaviors are ongoing, the important stuff is slipping by unnoticed. Nuclear war? Terrorist attack? Natural disaster? Economic collapse? Plague? Moral decay? Societal breakdown?

Nah, let’s get incredibly upset about how it is unacceptable to stand up to our enemies, or to consider extreme vetting, or about why urban planners don’t build disaster proof cities, or how trade policies shouldn’t favor Americans, or how bad it is to get vaccinations, or how unfair it is to criticize drug users, abortionists, or three parent families. You get the picture – “How dare you use tap water to put out a house fire!?”

Chicken Little obsessed that the sky was falling after having been hit by a falling acorn. Nowadays, people obsess on Chick-fil-A. The bigger picture seems to always be missed.

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We Can Learn from NFL Players

August 22, 2017 by Southpaw 1 Comment

Taking a knee during the National Anthem is a hot button issue.

Conservative media pundits practically explode every time an NFL player does it, usually reverting to the notion that athletes should stay in their lane and just focus on the game. While I think that everyone has the right to express their personal opinion, it’s excessively hypocritical for a public figure to ask another to stick to their day job. Sorry, but athletes aren’t your average, every day American citizens and we’ve never treated them as such.

Athletes have always been larger than life. Society expects them to act as role models and exemplify traits that our children can look up to. In that sense, their presence in the public eye differentiates them from your typical American worker. This is what qualifies every professional athlete as a public figure. We’ve been known to hold these individuals to certain ethical standards and express that they should be involved in worldly issues, yet condemn them whenever they express a controversial opinion. This is a savage hypocrisy.

My issue isn’t that Americans are criticizing the opinions and subsequent actions of NFL players. If someone is going to throw out their opinion on a given topic, they should be ready to defend it. My issue is that Americans are opposed to NFL players having an opinion at all. It seems that Americans are okay with athletes serving society’s moral purpose, yet aren’t okay with them serving their own. Sorry, but life doesn’t work that way. Even worse are the conservative media pundits who criticize athletes for promoting liberal ideologies, saying that they aren’t in tune with reality, yet they’ll praise the athletes who project conservative values. If they don’t want one side expressing their political opinions, they shouldn’t be okay with their own doing so.

However, though they are a target for national criticism, it seems that NFL players might be the only people qualified to express their opinions at all. Whether or not you agree with Colin Kaepernick, or the other NFL players who knelt during the National Anthem, it seems that they were the only ones who promoted awareness through peaceful demonstration. Something that the members of the extreme left have been incapable of doing for the most part. Most recently, white players began to stand in solidarity with their black teammates. Derek Carr placed his arm around Khalil Mack during the National Anthem, and Justin Britt and Jeremy Lane stood next to a Michael Bennett as well. These NFL players seem to be the only people calling for peace and unity. On the other end of the spectrum, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (a black NFL player) honored fallen police officers in Florida by writing the names of 4 fallen officers on his cleats. While the rest of us are squabbling in the streets, creating further racial division amongst people in this country, NFL athletes are acting like the role models we want them to be.

Maybe we can learn something from them.


Pops says:

Daenerys Targaryen of Game of Thrones

Oh, little one.  How innocent you are!

“Bending the knee” is a formal act of submission to a king, queen or lord, a recognition of authority and a demonstration of fealty. It is common for surrendering parties to bend the knee after being defeated in a war or rebellion.

Perhaps some people see rebellion in kneeling in the face of power.  If so, they are mistaken.

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Did Jesus Have a Choice?

July 19, 2017 by Pops 3,186 Comments

The Christian bible is quite clear that Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross. And Christians universally accept that their Savior willingly gave his life for them to assume the burden of human sin upon himself, freeing humanity from their sin in order to accept God’s love and eternal salvation.

But there is some conflict in the scriptures as to whether or not Jesus actually had any choice about God’s plan for him.

The Jewish Scriptures (the Old Testament) predict the coming of the Messiah in multiple books, and are quite detailed as to where he would be born, the circumstances of his birth, and his familial bloodline. Details of Jesus’ betrayal and crucifixion, his death and burial, and his resurrection were arguably predicted in the books of Isaiah, Zachariah, and the Psalms, hundreds of years before the birth of the Son of God in Bethlehem.

And Christ himself foretold of his impending arrest, trial, and death in discussions with his disciples. The Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke each have quotes of what they were told by Jesus in anticipation of his death and resurrection.

The scriptures not only foretold the circumstances of the coming of the Christ, but Christ himself knew that he was destined to suffer terribly and die at the hands of men. Christ apparently had little say in the matter. It was the will of God that his Son should die for the sins of man.

However, 1 John 3:16 reads “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” John 10:17-18 reads “The Father loves me because I give my life. I give my life so that I can get it back again. No person takes my life away from me. I give my own life freely. I have the right to give my life. And I have the right to get it back again. This is what the Father told me.”

But then again, while suffering on the cross, Jesus states “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:45-50). Contrarily, approaching death, Jesus says “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:44-49).

The unavoidability of fulfilling God’s will, and the idea that Jesus had any choice to reject his fate, create a conflict that cannot be reconciled. If God’s will must be done, could Jesus have changed God’s plan? Had Jesus opted not to go to Jerusalem, or had he avoided the garden at Gethsemane, or had he excluded Judas Iscariot from ever entering his group of disciples, would the will of God been thereby thwarted?  A good question, it seems, but if it is true that “God’s will be done,” the answer is “no.”

Perhaps the best interpretation of the scriptures on this issue is to conclude that while Jesus did not have any ability to change the plan that God had for him, he nevertheless willingly accepted his fate as his earthly obligation was to become the Savior of mankind. He embraced the fact that he would be rejected and scorned by both his people and his closest friends, suffer greatly, and then die a slow and excruciating death on the cross.  And as the result of his gracious acceptance of this unavoidable sacrifice, lives were changed throughout the world for the next two thousand years.


(As bad as it was going to be, Jesus knew he could handle it.  After all, he was only going to be dead for a few days, anyway.)

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