Sarcasm

"This whole Transaction [General Braddock's loss] gave us Americans the first Suspicion that our exalted Ideas of the Prowess of British Regulars had not been well founded."-The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

You snarky little devil you! You wrote this years after the American Revolution as a sort of critique that we didn't leave British sooner, didn't you?

I'm okay with the sarcasm.  I really am.  It's interesting to see how Franklin plays with the ideas of a glorious foundation that the American Colonies were built upon.  Especially, considering how this was written in the 1780s (for the part I'm referring, 1788) and we had just recently agreed upon a constitution and whatnot.  Although this letters look like they were intended to be private, I doubt that this is the case.
However, they do come off as less disagreeable, and it is interesting to see how sarcasm (an underrated virtue) can really help to establish your point better than coming out and directly saying it.

An Acrostic for Ben

Brilliance is something that you possess.
Even if you're rude about it.
Not that your contributions weren't great.
Just that you feel the need to mention it.
Although, I do really like the bifocal.
Most of your inventions are useful.
I guess my main problem is that you're a hypocrite.
No one likes a hypocrite.

Frankly, I read of your list of virtues.
Resolution, you do have that one.
And I suppose that you were pretty industrious.
Not forgetting, of course, that you seem pretty tranquil.
Keeping these in mind, however
Let's just say that you seem to lack the others.
I've covered the chastity one...and you can guess my feelings on your humility.
Now, I'm sorry.  But you feel overrated.

Dear Ben Franklin,
I really don't like how smug you are.  Fine, you have a lot of accomplishments.  Fine, you have some good things to say.
But honestly, you keep trying to be offhand about your achievements, making you just sound plain smirky and smug and smarmy.  The last one probably isn't true, but I was going for some alliteration.

On page 92, you keep talking about how your stove heats a house and saves fuel.  This is dandy.  It is swell, I am happy for you.
But to be so offhand about that invention, going as far as to say "I should have mentioned this before..."  makes it sound like you're trying to brag without directly saying "I'm proud of this."
You know how I know you're doing this?  Because then you spend the rest of page 92 (which is just one of many offending pages buddy!) talking about how great everyone else thought your invention was.

Ben, you did do a lot for society.  I'm not denying that.  But why do you seek validation from us?  Why can't you just be proud of yourself without fishing for compliments?

I don't know if we can have a good relationship if it's full of one-sided adoration.  I don't want to lose you Ben, but we can't go on like this.

Love,
Beth
P.S. I'm pretty sure that you have syphilis.  That's really gross.  Have you told the wife that you so blatantly cheated on?  Also, this is incredibly amusing since one of your virtues is chastity.  :)

I have too much stuff.

My room is filled with argyle socks and Harry Potter books.  Is that so wrong?
The asterisk denotes if something is pink.

20 or so shirts
Argyle socks*
Argyle kneesocks*
Other socks
7 body towels*
8 washcloths*
2 bottles of shampoo and conditioner
1 shower caddy*
1 body wash (soy milk and almond!)
7 pairs of jeans
4 pairs mesh shorts*
9 pairs of flip flops*
1 pair of running shoes
2 pairs of dress sandals
2 pairs of high heels
1 shoe rack*
1 shelf
1 white drawer tower
desk
laptop*
notebooks
report protectors
1 robe*
2 dresses
headbands*
handmade bowl
necklaces
earrings
tape
notecards
posters
tacks
paperclips
clips
wands
candle
paper
1 wedding dress
wallet
highlighter*
coloring book
I.D.
keys
purse
backpack
water
chocolate
kleenex
cough drops
band aids
mascara *
eyeshadow
chapstick
aspirin
bowls
forks
pictures
picture frames*
white board
cups
laundry bag
detergent
dryer sheets
post-its
crayons
books (seven Harry Potter, and about ten other novels)
dvds
textbooks
buddha statue
stuffed dragon
stuffed bear
light up talleria
3 pillows*
2 sets of sheets*
2 cloth bins*
blue blanket
desk lamp*
floor cushion
bed lamp*
cell phone
cell phone charger
hair curler
water kettle
ramen
bin*
Dr. Pepper
water bottles
pretzels
cheez-its
fruit snacks*
triscuits
oatmeal
flavor packets*
carpet.

I guess the grand conclusion one could draw from this is that I, like most Americans, have trouble differentiating from necessity and want.

I'd also like it noted that my favorite color is green.

Happy Columbus Day!

No, the title is totally irrelevant to the blog posting.  This is just my 5th favorite holiday.
In the Pocahontas Perplex by Rayna Green, she mentions the idea that by stereotyping the natives we're actually raising questions about our own identity.  This intrigued me because no one thinks about stereotyping leading to a deeper assertion of ones own identity.
It's interesting to note how by stereotyping we seem to rip humanity from the figures that we're attempting to humanize.

Love in the Time of Heathens

 "But shal it please God thus to dispose of me (which I earnestly desire to fulfill my ends before sette down) I will heartely accept of it as a godly taxe appointed me, and I will never cease, (God assisting me) untill I have accomplished, and brought to perfection so holy a worke, in which I will daily pray God to blesse me, to mine, and her eternall happines."

John Rolfe is a great man, great tobacco farmer, and just a great guy.  I mean this.  In the reading "Letter of John Rolfe 1614" he really just honestly seems like he wants to do good and be good.  He loves Pocahontas but her beliefs conflict with his.  Thus, he hopes that he can love her without being smited.  So he tries to change her beliefs into his own.  Now, while this shows the usual European mindset of cultural arrogance/hubris it makes his intentions a bit more okay.  It really was for love, despite the cost.  Nothing wrong with that.  Well, there is a lot wrong with that, but it helps to humanize the European mindset.
 No, I'm not pleased that Pocahontas did eventually give up her culture for his wishes; but at least he didn't hold her at gunpoint and scream "REPENT!" Does that really make it better?  Probably not, but I'll just say that it keeps him from being a monster.

Grilled Cheesus

Glee talked about religion tonight...
Here's what upsets me:
Too many people confuse God with an entity that involves itself in daily life.  They say that God is cruel for allowing atrocities to happen.  Kurt says "I feel like God is Santa Claus for adults...and if he does exist, he is cruel."
My problem, in a nutshell:
Why does God have to be involved directly in human life?
There's this school of thought called Deism, and everyone seems afraid to address it.  People assert that if they can't directly contact God, he must not exist.  Or, if he does exist, he's cruel because he doesn't answer every single prayer or stop horrible things from happening.
Why are we not allowed to have a middle ground here?  Maybe there is a God, maybe there's not.  Is there a definitive case for and against him?  Absolutely.  However, I should be free to think that he doesn't concern himself with my daily life but still believe in his existence.  Yes, I can feel faith, but is it so wrong to think that it's selfish to expect God to be a genie?
Great episode, the songs were good and everything.  I loved the message for acceptance of religious beliefs (Being a universalist means that I have a tendency to do that).  However, I do wish that they had addressed (deeply) the alternate viewpoints besides faith and not having faith.  It's not a black and white thing.