My two-cents worth and then some. An online journal by LP Brown.

Posts Written By L Parker Brown

Truth and Consequences

by on ·Race Matters, The Way I See It

This commentary was co-written with a gentleman who chooses to remain anonymous.

N-word--15952934Truthfulness, sincerity, and honesty are qualities to which conscientious people aspire. In fact, the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution affords us the right to speak the truth; and a court deposition – like that which brought an outcry of “foul” to Paula Deen –requires an oath or affirmation of truth.

Deen is paying the price for her decision to be truthful about her past use of the “N Word.” She has been dropped by the Food Network and will likely lose other endorsements, because big businesses do not always appreciate honesty and loyalty from its promoters or consumers. Many organizations perceive their employees as mere pawns used to generate profits, and those pawns are quickly disposed of when their words or actions threaten a potential loss of profits.

Deen chose to be truthful about something that occurred in her distant past and — just like that — the very industry that celebrated her dropped her like a hot potato in order to distance itself and avoid financial repercussions. I commend Deen for speaking the truth, but shake my head at her naivety in trusting an intolerable and hoggish capitalized society.

Sides are being taken on the issue of Paula Deen’s use of the “N Word.” If truth be told there are numerous Caucasians in all walks of life who use that word in the privacy of their home or among their close friends and trusted co-workers. Deen admitted to using the word, and for being truthful she faces the consequences. We live in a hypocritical society, where pretence brings more rewards than honesty and truth; and where it is better to pretend to go along for the sake of getting along, then to risk being ostracized and penalized by a public where political correctness is the rule of the day and the so-called “new norm” sets the standard.

What is very troubling about this matter is the fact that it is acceptable for some people to indiscriminately use the “N word” while others are ostracized for it. Is the use of the word “Reserved” for use only by a select group?

Do I think Deen should have been fired from the Food Network and then figuratively stoned? No.  Do I dislike hearing that word with all of its negative connotations being used at all? Yes.

Paula Deen will not sink into poverty because she loses a few endorsements, but she may be distraught because she told the truth. Any white people who may decide in the future to admit to using the word consider this (and I am paraphrasing an old cliché): “It is better to be thought to be a racist, than to open your mouth and be accused of being one.”

 

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Resistance to Change: Baby Boomers Thrashing in the Digital Pool — Part II or II

by on ·Baby Boomers, Technology

TOE in the water 12847022

I know that many of you readers already know about e-books, because sometime between the early days, when the e-book landed on the digital landscape (Amazon released the Kindle in 2007, and Barnes and Noble followed with the Nook in 2009) and the present, you ran out and bought one; while we procrastinators held back. So this commentary is not for you pioneers. It is simply to enlighten my uninformed Johnny-and-Jill-come-lately cohorts, who have not yet submerged themselves in the digital pool.

In simple layperson’s terms, the Kindle Fire is an e-book reader, an electronic version of a printed book. Now, I will tell you why I am tickled pink — err, make that tan — about it.

As my son predicted, KF solved my book storage problem. But unfortunately, it did not cure my addiction, because now I buy and read more books, e-books that is, and at a faster pace than before. I recently saw a promo ad that said the KF will hold 6000 books. Hold up, wait a minute, I’d have to be a reading fool to download that many books, unless I have a joint bank account with Jeff Bezos. (Founder and CEO of Amazon.com.)

My Kindle Fire has many features that I enjoy. Aside from the nice crisp colors on the touchscreen, there is a nifty text-to-speech function. While the reader’s voice is not distractingly robotic it is not precisely Audible book quality either. There are some occasional, figurative hiccups, as when the elocution is interrupted by the inability of the automated reader to decipher certain words. Recently, I was listening to a book, while simultaneously reading along, and the reader read St. Louis as Street Louis. Resume — as in a job application — was pronounced resume, like let’s resume reading this story. And there were occasional inadvertent pauses and restarts, like the abbreviation for Doctor of Philosophy. PhD was read as ph — pause, as if the “h” ended the sentence. D was then read as if it were the first word of the following sentence. But such tiny glitches I could overlook.

The audio-text feature advances each page automatically; however, when the audio is muted – my preference – I must touch the screen to turn the page. An adjustable backlight makes reading easier, and it is an excellent feature when reading in a darkened room if you don’t want to disturb your spouse.

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Resistance to Change: Baby Boomers Thrashing in the Digital Pool — Part I of II

by on ·Baby Boomers, Technology

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”~Dr. Wayne Dyer

Lifebuoy-and-help-concept-44209912Just like me, a lot of my friends will dip a toe in the water, but stay out of the pool. In this case I am talking about the digital pool.

Computerized gadgets are flooding the landscape faster than a cashier can run a credit card through a swipe machine. Unlike the millennials and their offspring, who were born into a computer-dominated society with a digital age mentality, many baby boomers and our predecessors play an ongoing game of catch-up and keep-up. And we are hung-up in a constantly rotating cycle of technological changes.

I dislike change. I realize that change is an inevitable fact of life, but that doesn’t make change my friend. I don’t even like to change my mind. But – my aversion to change does not mean that I don’t enjoy a challenge, even when that challenge involves change. My most recent challenge involved a significant change of habit for me. Grab a cup of coffee and let me tell you about it.

During my lifetime — I have acquired enough hardcover and paperback books to start my own public library. Although I have given away hundreds of books over the years, the shelves of my floor-to-ceiling bookcases are still crammed to capacity. In addition, I have boxes of books in the closets, in plastic containers under the bed, and in the storage room. I considered joining Book Lovers Anonymous, but before I could look into a 12 step program my computer-geek son, as I affectionately call him, suggested a solution – for the 99th time . “Mom,” he said, “Why don’t you buy an e-book?”

While teetering on the brink of the 100th pitch to save my literary soul, I decided to woman-up and face my dilemma, and I asked myself do I continue to resist change or accept the challenge? 

Although I told you that I am open to challenge, what I failed to add is that I am not a gadget person. My son knows this.  So, when one of  his disguised challenges involves me learning to use a new device that requires more to operate than simply turning it on and off, the needle on my “angst-ometer” swings sharply from normally functional to highly dysfunctional. Nevertheless, I bit the bullet and under the guidance of my personal geek, I bought a Kindle Fire.

Was it a blooper, blunder, or wonder?  If you care to know what happened after my crossover to the e-book side continue reading Part II.

 

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Jodi Arias Dethrones Casey Anthony

by on ·Opinion, The Way I See It

Mirror15460337Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who’s the most hated woman of them all?

Not since the Casey Anthony trial aired in 2011, have I been so captivated by a live televised courtroom trial; albeit one that features yet another woman who — in the court of public opinion — is the queen of evil, more familiarly called the “most hated woman in America.”

I admit that I am hooked on live courtroom programs. If I could I would rather view every live courtroom trial on TV than watch a single episode of Scandal. Okay, I perjured myself with that statement and request that it be stricken from the record. In my opinion Scandal trumps all other TV shows. But this is not about Scandal. It is about the reigning courtroom drama queen.

My research reveals that the first woman to hold the title was Madalyn Murray O’Hair, founder of the organization American Atheists. O’Hair was born on April 13, 1919, decades before courtroom trials became a television staple. But because her U.S. Supreme Court case contributed to the removal of prayer in public schools, proponents of universal prayer dubbed her America’s most hated woman. In August 1995, O’Hair, her son Jon, and granddaughter Robin suddenly disappeared. Six years later, in January 2001, one of the men convicted of kidnapping and murdering O’Hair and her relatives led police to a Texas ranch. Buried there law officers discovered the mutilated and dismembered bodies of the trio. Some considered it poetic justice.

The second infamous person to hold the uncomplimentary title was Casey Anthony, accused in 2011 of the death of her two year old daughter, Caylee. The child who lived in Orlando, Florida with her mother and her maternal grandparents had not been seen by the grandparents since June 16, 2008. She was reported missing to 911 a month later by Casey’s mother after Casey could not substantiate her daughter’s whereabout. Caylee’s decomposed remains were found in a garbage bag, in the woods, in December 2008. On July 5, 2011, despite overwhelming evidence including the then 25 year old’s proven web of lies, the jury found Casey not guilty. Outside the courthouse, TV cameras revealed the outrage of numerous nail-biting angry people. They, like many spectators who had been in the courtroom or  had viewed the proceedings on TV asked, about the jury, “What were they thinking?”

Now, Casey Anthony — who has been in hiding since her release — has been dethroned by the infamous Jodi Arias.

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When Sparky Lost His Spark: A Dog Dies of a Broken Heart

by on ·General, The Way I See It

Old ShepherdMy Aunt Sarah died over 16 months ago. During a recent conversation I had with her husband, my Uncle James, he shared with me a story about their dog’s unusual behavior following my aunt’s death.

As a dog lover, I’ve always been impressed with stories I’ve heard about the instincts and loyalty of animals and how some of them travel great distances to reunite with their owners. And research has proven that dogs have an innate sense of protection for the people with whom they live. After my uncle told me about their family dog’s performance following my aunt’s death, I am even more convinced that just as dogs are “man’s best friend” we are theirs also.

When my aunt died not only was she mourned by numerous relatives and friends who traveled from far and wide to celebrate her homegoing, unbeknownst to us her absence was also felt by her family owned German Shepherd named Sparky.

My aunt and uncle had owned Sparky for many years and although I never knew the dog’s precise age, I do remember him being a frisky, energetic young canine that could easily intimidate anyone entering my aunt and uncle’s yard. Back then, when my aunt saw our family arriving at her home and then backing away when the dog appeared from around the side of the house, her confident words before shooing him away, “He won’t bother you.”  didn’t make me feel any less afraid of that dog. It’s like a dog owner telling me, “He won’t bite.” and me thinking, “He’s got teeth, doesn’t he?” As I said, I do like dogs, providing they don’t frighten me. I remember being wary of Sparky even after he grew old and slow; because as is a dog’s nature, he was no less territorial.

Long before Sparky became a member of their household my aunt and uncle lived in New York City. After retiring from their jobs in the Big Apple, they built a spacious brick house on family-owned land in Eastern North Carolina, outside a small town with a Mayberry feel to it. Several feet across the lawn from my aunt and uncle’s place, within shouting distance, is an old wood frame house built by my grandparents during the period dominated by World War II. They lived there until their deaths. Grandpa, the town’s popular Baptist preacher, who I never had the pleasure of knowing, died in 1946. Grandma left us in 1987. I cherish memories of the wonderful times that my immediate family and I spent visiting between the two houses over the years when grandma was alive.  After grandma died, my aunt and uncle’s home became the primary gathering place for many family members on holidays, getaway weekends, and other occasions.

In the rear of those two houses, partially encircled by a forest, is the small, family cemetery, the final resting place for a number of our family members. It is a quiet place where the living who visit the gravesite can connect spiritually with our departed loved ones. Apparently, Sparky connected there, too. 

I will tell you Sparky’s story as my uncle told it to me. 

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