05 June 2014

Some Thoughts For Thorsday...
Now, while we didn't hear any thunder or see any lightning during yesterday's rain event, today has one of those sunrises that comes up LIKE thunder.
A spectacular morning out here in the Hoosierland, with plenty of sunshine on tap for today, temps into the mid-70s and after some outlying early morning fog burns off, perhaps a mild breeze or three to top it off.
Not bad...at all, is it?
So, as we greet the gift of this day, let's pause to get that morning cup of our favorite beverage filled or refilled and get busy seeing what has been going on elsewhere, shall we?
*** First out of the classroom today is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"The first idea that the child must acquire is that of the difference between good and evil."
This was spoken by none other than Maria Montessori (31 August, 1870 - May 6, 1952) , a familiar name with anyone who is in education or even has a child going through school. And here is her WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Montessori
While you may find her early life a bit banal, her later years, when she got into the education of disabled children were truly ground-breaking.
She was an advocate of special schools for such children with educators specially instructed to work with the kids.
She was also instrumental in the opening of the first Orthophrenic School, which trained teachers in the education of mentally disabled students.
This school was an immediate success with children in a model classroom drawn from those considered "uneducable", due to their deficiencies.
Some of the students later passed public exams given to so-called "normal" children.
And all of this occurred while she was still in Rome, Italy (her country of birth).
In 1911, she had received worldwide notoriety for her accomplishments, and it was in the USA where Alexander Graham Bell (yep, the PHONE guy) and his wife became proponents of her teaching "method" with the opening of the first Montessori School in Tarrytown, NY.
In just two years, there were more than 100 Montessori schools in America.
Maria was not without her critics, though.
The National Kindergarten Association (they actually have one of those?) claimed her methods were too rigid, overly reliant on sense-training, and left too little scope for imagination, social interaction, and play (today we don't even allow dodge-ball, so what'd the diff?).
One major point of controversy was Montessori's insistence upon tight control over the elaboration of her method, the training of teachers, the production and use of materials, and the establishment of her schools.
She has left a lasting legacy in our own educational system, as well as around the globe, and it's a really good read.
And while the rote of a traditional classroom with all that entails is still something I personally feel is needed today, we are seeing more of a Montessori influence in earlier year education in ALL aspects.
Moving on...
*** Got to watch a REALLY good movie last night on the FX channel...RED TAILS (2012).
It's a movie about the 332nd fighter wing during WW2, also known as The Tuskegee Airmen, and it paints a vivid picture of honorable men devoted to fighting the axis powers, who just happen to be Negroes (that's what they prefer to be called in the movie). They performed in such an exemplary manner and are to be held in high esteem..
There is one scene where some bomber pilots take a few of the fighter pilots into a (formerly) all white officer's club in Italy, and while they're sitting around having a drink together, one of the bomber pilots asks. "DO we call you colored? Is that what you prefer?"
To which one of the Tuskegee men (nicknamed "Smokey") replies:
"See, you guys get angry, you turn RED...you get sick or jealous, you turn GREEN...you get scared, you turn YELLOW...and you call US colored? Call us NEGRO."
First time I ever saw a rapper play a DECENT role in ANY movie
 Ne-Yo plays Lt. Andrew "Smokey" Salem.
Other nicknames for the pilots include "Easy", "Lightning", and "Ray-Gun".
The above was just one of many great scenes in the film starring Cuba Gooding Jr, and Terence Howard.
To me, it was a movie that made me laugh (and not AT any of these brave men but along WITH them), had me on the edge of the chair, and even got me a bit misty when one of them dies in combat, while another one believed to be dead returns to the unit.
The REAL Tuskegee Airmen
THESE are the type of men many of our "neighbors" should be trying to emulate, and not ones that promote stereotypical behaviors.
*** And that brings me to another point to those I made yesterday when I spoke about the EVIL in the world, and how the media is attempting to make what is EVIL seem more GOOD than bad.
There is a new show starting this weekend on the STARZ channel (thank God we don't get it), called "POWER", and it deals with a black drug kingpin and his wife (former single mom from Queens who grew up poor).
Now the review in today's paper makes it appear like this drug-lord, capable of killing anyone at the drop of hat, is also an entrepreneur, in that he runs a "club", so that is supposed to give some level of legitimacy to his lifestyle.
Here's the source article:
http://triblive.com/aande/moreaande/6140557-74/ghost-says-drug#axzz33lV3yDaJ
Now, one might look at this as a form of "redemption", but it's just another ploy to make us think that evil isn't THAT evil...it's just MISUNDERSTOOD or MISGUIDED..
When the reviewer compares this drug kingpin to(of ALL people) Bill Cosby's Dr. Cliff Huxtable, in that they're both"family" men, I have to draw the line there. That's a "record-scratch" moment for me.
There is NO comparison, because Bill Cosby was a GOOD father with a GOOD background with GOOD values and GOOD principles.
(which he passed on to his TV children)
WAY better...by FAR!
Also, Dr. Huxtable has a GOOD marriage, unlike the person in POWER, who will be having some sort of tryst along the way...hey, that's what drug lords DO, people.
They might MASK their evil and it's intent for a while,. but it always resurfaces.
And we're supposed to take it in stride as not REALLY evil, but another "form" of GOOD.
Please, give me a damn break.
We don't want to wind up here again.
If this were true to life, this drug kingpin would have been in and out of jail a LOT, if not tossed away for a good LONG time, but that story would be boring.
Also, he'd probably wind up DEAD due to power struggles with rivals, so it would be a brief story...again...boring.
SO, we sensationalize it, and as a result, we are made to become more "desensitized" to the REAL issues here...
Well, it IS supposedly FICTION, but people today take much of that as FACT...that's why we have 12-year olds stabbing classmates in the woods as a ritual for the "Slenderman"., which is creepier than Freddy Kruger on a bad day (or is that a bad night?).
*** Last back to the lockers is the fact that we are allowing things to go unnoticed, such as the wussification of this country, a willingness to allow government to run our lives, and a perpetual bombardment by media sources upon us and our children with such nonsense and untruths, and as human nature (and history) teaches us...if you tell lies often enough and long enough, people WILL tend to believe them...thereby negating the real truth in the world.
And the truth is, there is something terribly WRONG in this country.
We have to be on guard to see past the facade...past the deception...and past the smoke and mirrors that seem all too enthralling for the masses.
It takes diligence, hard work, perseverance, and persistence.
But, isn't that what this nation USED to have a lot more of in generations past?
-- Tomorrow, the 70th anniversary of D-Day...stay tuned for that.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

7 comments:

John DuMond said...

Haven't watched RED TAILS yet, but I'm anxious to see it. HBO made a movie about the Tuskegee Airmen a few years ago. If memory serves, it was called THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN. Cuba Gooding Jr. was in that one too. Not a bad movie.

Bob G. said...

John D.:
If you're referring to that 1995 movie with Lawrence Fishburn and Malcolm Jamal-Warner...I've seen that flick, too, and like that a lot.
And yes, a younger Cuba Gooding, Jr was a supporting actor.
In RED TAILS< he has the starring role alongside Terence Howard.

RED TAILS goers one better than the first film in that the CGI scenes in the air with scores of planes are fantastic.

It's not a TOTALLY factual film, yet it is historically accurate (with fictional "events").
George Lucas did give his "blessing" to this most recent film and had begun working on this as far back as 1988.

Both films are worthy of a few viewings.

Thanks for stopping by today and commenting.

Stay safe out there.

Slamdunk said...

Red Tails sounds like a good one. I am familiar with that story, and will have to check out how they did with it.

Bill Cosby will certainly tell someone what he thinks--he does not hold punches in getting at things that are the problem in communities today. He is obviously not a fan of many of the things you note on your streets. I think he would join you in shouting "Pull up those pants!"

Have a good weekend Bob.

Bob G. said...

Slamdunk:
I think if Bill Cosby were to live around here...he'd MOVE...after calling out all the idiots first.
It certainly isn't for the faint=-of-heart.
I liked both movies, and I think you would as well.
Take it easy an stay safe out there.

Bob G. said...

Gadflu:
I have noticed than even as far back as the Civil War, such men as Frederick Douglass referred to blacks as "the negro". Even MLK mentioned it often in his speeches.
When I was in school, I didn't use ANY "term" for my friends of color...they were just FRIENDS.

But I can understand the "Hollywood" aspect to the dialogue...it was BASED on actual events, so I'm sure some "dramatic license" was involved.
That's what sells at the box office.
--You bring up a great point about RACIAL hierarchies.
There were blacks that DID make distinctions within their OWN race...guess that explains a LOT of how that evolved over the decades, hmm?
Things HAVE changed since then.

Hey, thanks for stopping by to comment.
Stay safe out there.

CWMartin said...

Late to the party- I guess I didn't read ANY blogs yesterday, despite convincing myself I did. The Cosby thing just shows you the disconnect from reality people with an agenda (pick one, any one) have these days. If Bill were dead, he'd be spinning so fast he'd power Dallas for a year.

Bob G. said...

Chris:
Better late than never, hmm?

Sadly, The Coz is not getting any younger, because I for one, would love to have him around a LOT longer so that he can keep doing what he's been doing...speaking the simple TRUTH.

Thanks for stopping by to comment.
Stay safe out there.