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The Catholic Church recently held a synod and discussed how they treat LGBT members. This week, we talk about whether it's all PR or if there has been real change.
You may also download the podcast file here.
Posted on 18 October 2014.
The Catholic Church recently held a synod and discussed how they treat LGBT members. This week, we talk about whether it's all PR or if there has been real change.
You may also download the podcast file here.
Posted in Media, Podcast, Religion, Society, Video0 Comments
Posted on 16 October 2014.
Jennifer Laude was found dead in the bathroom. She was slumped on the toiled seat, peppered with black and blue bruises. She also had bruises on her neck. Her feet were also bruised. Reporters are not sure whether she died from the injuries she sustained from the beating that she took, or from being strangled. She was murdered.
Let's try that again.
Jefferey Laude was found dead in the bathroom. He was slumped on the toilet seat, peppered with black and blue bruises. He also had bruises on his neck. His feet were also bruised. Reporters are not sure whether he died from the injuries he sustained from the beating that he took, or from being strangled. He was murdered.
I'm not here to discuss whether Jeffrey/Jennifer Laude should be considered a he or a she. People can debate on his or her gender all they want, but what we can't debate about is that this person was the victim of a crime. This person was murdered.
When a person is murdered, regardless of sex or gender, the ethical human response should be outrage or, at least, sorrow. If this tragedy happened to a straight woman or a straight man, that's exactly the kind of response we could expect from the majority.
However, I don't think some Filipinos see transgender individuals as people. That's the only reason I can imagine why there are over 200 comments posted on inquirer.net insulting, cursing, and mocking the murder victim.
Many of these comments express disgust and indignation, not because a person was brutally murdered, but because "a tranny tried to have sex with a straight man":
Many comments expressed satisfaction that karmic justice was served, not because a murderer was caught, but because "a sinner was punished":
Some comments even suggested that it was funny, and it was Jennifer's fault that she was murdered because she was "pretending to be a woman":
The insults and curses hurled at the victim has even inspired its own photo album in Facebook:
This attitude towards the transgender is not surprising though, especially in a country with a reputation for being religious and conservative. The Philippines, for one, is the last country without divorce and many of our religious countrymen are proud of being the last stronghold of idiocy.
Unfortunately for the LGBT community, research done by Wade Rowatt and colleagues from Baylor University in the States learned that religiousness and conservatism are the top two factors that account for a person's homophobia.
Here's a graph:
It should be no surprise that hate crimes against the LGBT community are tolerated in a country where majority of the people identify as Catholics, Christians, or Muslims; all of them, religions that hate homosexuality.
I can provide a litany of research proving how those who believe themselves to be the holiest of the holy, the most righteous of the righteous, the most faithful of the faithful, the most religious of the religious, the closest to God, are the most determined advocates of hate and bigotry. The most fervent believers of homophobic religious doctrine inevitably become the most homophobic people. When a person is indoctrinated and trained from childhood to hate homosexuality, it's rather difficult to unlearn it as an adult.
The suspect, obviously, is himself transphobic. He probably can't tell the difference between a homosexual and a trans-woman. He probably doesn't give a shit about those subtle differences either. This may sound a little racist, but studies do prove that Americans are less accepting of homosexuality than other westerners and religion may have something to do with it.
Many Filipinos have no empathy for the murder victim, Jennifer/Jefferey Laude, simply because of religion. They were raised to believe that any non-heterosexual person is a Sodomite; a disordered sinner that deserves divine punishment, in the same way the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were punished – with the righteous vengeance of a brutal God.
The Philippines' religiousness and conservatism simply can't peacefully co-exist with homosexuality. In the minds of some Filipinos, it might as well be God beating up the victim.
It doesn't take a genius to understand that the Catholic hierarchy hates LGBT people. Just recently a bishop said that homosexuals should not be invited to the dinner table if there are children present, because impressionable children should not be exposed to something so "intrinsically disordered."
Some people would argue that homophobic doctrines, like the Bible, don't necessarily cause homophobia. They say things like, "But the Bible also has verses about love and tolerance…"
Are you serious? The Bible said that homosexuality is an abomination. The Bible also said that an adulteress should be stoned to death. The Bible also said that a rape victim should marry her rapist. Unfortunately, the context for these verses are not explained because the Bible doesn't have editor's footnotes. Many believers also suggest it's "open to interpretation." Well, anything can be open to interpretation. Even "Dora the Explorer" can be interpreted from a Marxist perspective.
However, there is a limit to the number of ways one can interpret, "Gay = Abomination." If you think that these verses, as they appear in the Bible, do not at all, inspire prejudice or bigotry, you need a mental health evaluation.
The Bible, along with other homophobic religious doctrines, are books filled with hate. These books don't belong in any society that aspires for gender equality. As long as there are people who adhere to Biblical authority, to verses that call homosexuals abominations, there will always be members of the LGBT community found dead in toilets and there will always be people celebrating the torture of the victim.
Posted in Gender Rights, Politics, Pop Culture, Religion, Society6 Comments
Posted on 11 October 2014.
How is Islam related to extremism? This week, we talk about criticism of Islam and how liberals tend to discuss Islam.
You may also download the podcast file here.
Posted on 10 October 2014.
The site Jezebel reports that a week ago, a man has slashed a woman's neck after she refused to talk to him. At around 5:20 am, on October 1, a woman was in the lobby of a building in New York when a man approached her in an attempt to make conversation. She refused to talk to him and turn away. As soon as she did, he grabbed her from behind and slashed her neck.
Two days ago, Mary Spears, an engaged mother-of-three was harassed in a bar. A man came up to her and said, "Can I get your name, your number?" She told him that she was in a relationship, but he persisted. Because of the constant harassment, the man was asked to leave the venue. However, he later confronted Spears and shot her three times, killing her.
Last May, Elliot Rodger posted a video complaining about how women have rejected his advances, even though he was a gentleman. He also ranted about still being a virgin at the age of 22. Because of these perceived slights, he promises 'retribution' and 'punishment.' Later, he killed 6 people.
These men shared a similar attitude towards women; they felt entitled to a woman's affection, or at least, attention. When they encountered resistance, they felt as if they were being deprived of something that they deserved. This frustration has led them to commit violence.
I'm not saying that all men are capable of killing a woman out of frustration. I'm saying that there is proof that a sense of entitlement is a predictor of violence toward women.
According to a study found by ScienceDaily
"…for men, entitlement was associated with hostile views of women. Entitled men were more likely to endorse views of women as manipulative, deceptive, and untrustworthy — attitudes, which past research has shown are predictors of violence toward women."
A common complaint made by men about women who reject them is, "She never even gave me a chance." Some men perceive that "not being given a chance" represents an opportunity they were deprived of. What most men and women should start to understand is that the attention another person provides is a privilege, not a right.
I get where entitled men are coming from. I used to harbor the same illusion that "girls should, at least, listen to my pickup line when I try to talk to them in bars."
Here's what men might be thinking:
"I am entitled to this opportunity, because I live in a society that has essentially required me to approach a woman to reduce the odds that I'll die single. This is 'me,' taking matters into my own hands; being a man. The choices are clear: it's either I approach a woman, or I never get a date, because women will never approach men."
This type of logic holds a number of sexist assumptions. For one, a man who thinks this way may have associated the idea of pursuit with his own masculine identity. He may be thinking that he's simply performing a gender role. To some extent, when a man approaches a woman, he may actually believe that he's simply being "masculine." If he gets rejected, he may feel slighted, because he may see the rejection as a hostile act that robs him of his ability to express his sexual identity as a man.
In other words, he's being told to stop his inappropriate advances, but he may interpret it as being told to stop being a man.
I'm not surprised that entitlement and sexism are correlated. Sexist people think in terms of binaries. A sexist man believes that he is supposed to be the "active" participant in the courtship dance, and a woman is supposed to be the "passive" recipient of his advances. When he's told to stop being "active," to stop advancing, he feels like he's been robbed of his birthright – the right to pursue.
However, men are just one half of the entitled, sexist club.
In the same article, it was mentioned that:
"Conversely, the researchers found women who have a high sense of entitlement are likely to demand men take care of them because they are weak and frail. A large body of research shows that such demands lead to women being viewed as too weak and placed in roles where they are not allowed to advance in education and jobs."
The research also reports on how feelings of entitlement affect men and women differently. Generally, entitled men are more prone to exhibiting hostile sexism; many of them held misogynistic beliefs and viewed women as manipulative and demanding. On the other hand, entitled women exhibited benevolent sexism. They harbored the "princess mentality" and thought that women deserved special care and treatment, because they were, you know, women.
That's not even the bad news yet.
According to a report by Richard Alleyne, the science correspondent of The Telegraph, there's a study that shows how "Those who were born into 'Generation Y' have an over-inflated sense of entitlement, [but] lack the work ethic to achieve their goals." What the study reveals is that our generation, those born between 1980 and 1990, is fostering an entire generation who think they're "special" and should be treated as such.
According to the article:
"Professor Paul Harvey, of the University of Hampshire, carried out a series of studies measuring psychological entitlement and narcissism on a group of Gen -Yers and found they scored 25 per cent higher than respondents ages 40 to 60 and 50 per cent higher than those over 61."
Entitled men believe that they deserve a woman's adoration and desire, by default, or by simply being "nice guys" (See: "Nice Guy Sydrome"); they feel that they don't need a woman's permission to pursue her romantically or sexually, by default, because they are men; they feel that if they are sexually attracted to a woman, being the woman's friend is something they are entitled to complain about (See: "Friend Zone").
Women feel that they deserve to be taken care of and provided for, by default, because they are women (In fact, 75% of women will not even date an unemployed man).
However, although entitlement corrupts both men and women, entitlement in men have worse consequences.
Let's take a closer look at the behavioral disparity between the sexes:
The only conclusion I can think of from the material I've read is that entitlement turns men and women into horrible people, but it makes men significantly more horrible. Unfortunately, we're living in an era littered with an entire generation of psychotic, narcissistic, entitled assholes. I think that this might be the only generation in history that would benefit from being told, "You're not entitled to a beautiful woman, or a wealthy man, or even a job, really."
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Posted in Gender Rights, Personal, Philosophy, Pop Culture, Science, Society1 Comment
Posted on 08 October 2014.
A special episode of "The Bottomline with Boy Abunda" aired last Sunday. In the show, Boy Abunda was asked if he believes that living the life of a gay man is a sin. Boy Abunda explained, "I do not agree to all the teachings of the Church, and one of them is saying that, 'We're okay with homosexuality, but the moment you practice, the moment you have sex, it is a sin.'" He later added, "How can love be a sin?"
I'm glad that Boy Abunda asks the right questions about love and faith, but I don't think he has the right information. I'm sorry, Boy, but The Church is not okay with homosexuality.
John Finnis' article, "Reason, Faith and Homosexual Acts," provides a very thorough breakdown as to why homosexuality can never be "okay" from a Catholic perspective.
The article mentions that:
The Church refuses to consider the person as a 'heterosexual' or a 'homosexual' and insists that every person has a fundamental identity: the creature of God and, by grace, his child and heir to eternal life.
The Church does not believe in sexual orientation or sexual preference. There is no such thing as a homosexual. People are not gay or straight, and their preference for men or women is irrelevant. People are either men or women, period. So, The Church doesn't consider Boy Abunda a "homosexual." The Church was never okay with Boy Abunda being a homosexual; they were okay with him being a man who has homosexual inclinations, but doesn't do homosexual acts.
What The Church wants Boy Abunda to do, really, is to not have sex with boys, and start having sex with a girl that he has married, because The Church believes that although Boy Abunda may prefer men, they don't think he's incapable of having sex with women.
According to the article:
That is to say, most people who engage, or have an inclination to engage, in homosexual activity also engage, or are more or less inclined to engage, in sexual activity with a person or persons of the opposite sex. Very many homosexual persons – persons with homosexual inclinations – marry and have children by their spouse.
The Church thinks that the only reason Boy Abunda doesn't want to have sex with girls is because something went wrong with his sexual development, or because he saw gays having sex, or because he didn't get a proper education, or he developed a habit of homosexuality. But, even though there are a lot of disordered gays out there, it's okay, because gayness, according to The Church, might be curable.
According to the article:
The Church observes that in some homosexual persons the homosexual inclination (= orientation) comes, it seems, "from a false education, from a lack of normal sexual development, from habit, from bad example, or from other similar causes, and is transitory or at least not incurable.
Although The Church acknowledges the fact that a person's homosexuality may have been inborn, meaning it wasn't a choice, they still think it's wrong.
According to the article:
The Christian teaching from the outset, has been that no homosexual acts are ever justified, even the acts of someone whose inclination to engage in them is 'innate' (that is, present at birth) and, in one sense of the word, 'natural.'
The main reason homosexual attraction can never be morally justified from a Christian perspective is because they view homosexuals as inevitable adulterers.
The article says:
As Jesus makes clear, this natural communion requires for its integrity not only the sexual intercourse of the spouses (Matt. 19: 5), but also the complete and unwavering mastery and overcoming – by everyone, married or unmarried — of every desire for sexual contact or enjoyment outside marriage (Matt. 5: 27).
What that means is that it is morally wrong for anyone to lust outside of marriage. Unfortunately, for gays, they can't ever lust within a marriage, because they're not allowed to get married. The Church is basically telling Boy Abunda, "It's okay to be a man with gay inclinations as long as you don't do any sex outside of marriage; but you can't get married, so doing sex in any circumstance is immoral."
The Church doesn't accept Boy Abunda, or any homosexual for that matter. But in my opinion, Boy Abunda shouldn't worry. I personally think Boy Abunda has more moral authority than The Church. Here are 5 reasons why:
1. Boy Abunda did not have Galileo arrested and imprisoned for being right about heliocentrism.
2. Boy Abunda never burnt a 19-year-old girl at the stake for heresy.
3. Boy Abunda didn't start an Inquisition to drive Muslims out of Europe.
4. Boy Abunda didn't cover up child abuse crimes by priests. Neither did he spend over 4 billion dollars in settlements to shut victims up.
5. Boy Abunda never threatened his followers with eternal damnation just so he can sell them Indulgences, to buy back their salvation.
If The Church doesn't accept Boy Abunda, he doesn't have to accept them. They don't have monopoly on God. Boy Abunda can worship, love, believe, and serve his God from the comfort of his own home, or his new Hummer, free from any discrimination based on gender, orientation, or preference.
The good news is, you can too.
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Posted in Gender Rights, Personal, Pop Culture, Religion, Society0 Comments
Posted on 05 October 2014.
Did you just waste another evening on Metro Manila traffic? This week we talk about a proposal to ban private cars on EDSA. We discuss why the Philippines has consistently failed to address a problem that costs the country billions of dollars in lost productivity.
You may also download the podcast file here.
Posted in audio podcast, Society0 Comments
Posted on 04 October 2014.
Did you just waste another evening on Metro Manila traffic? This week we talk about a proposal to ban private cars on EDSA. We discuss why the Philippines has consistently failed to address a problem that costs the country billions of dollars in lost productivity.
You may also download the podcast file here.
Posted on 03 October 2014.
We have at least once in our lifetime, met a weird but fascinating character. They sometimes may be extremely annoying but brilliant. Sometimes, from an indispensable genius, they turn to totally useless. If you yourself, are thinking that you might be one of them or that someone close to you is, then it might be good to have a little introduction on what a mental disorder is. This may help you decide if you or your friend needs to see a doctor or if it's just a quirkiness one could easily cope with.
Let's all think of a hypothetical character named Tom. Tom is a brilliant, creative individual whose charisma and optimism inspire a lot of the people that he meets. However, those who are truly close to him know that his mind runs too fast, and sometimes gets overloaded. He tells his friends, at some point that he feels so happy, like he was flying or is on top of the world and then he crashes. Upon crashing, he feels as if dark clouds are hovering above him. Sometimes, this crash is triggered by a dreaded event, too much stress or sometimes, the dark clouds just come with no apparent reason. Hopeless, unfocused, lethargic, he stays in bed all day. Occasionally, his kindness gets shrouded by his irritable mood that manifests itself by his snide remarks or sometimes coldness. He would also bang his head on the wall, smash an expensive piece of equipment on the floor or walk along the streets hoping that a car would just hit him. Tears would not stop falling even if he is in a place full of strangers. He pushes people away. His work and relationships suffer. He entertains the idea of taking his own life.
Tom's extreme moods characterized by elation and sadness are nothing but symptoms of what psychologists call Bipolar Disorder. On one pole there is the depressive condition, on the other pole, there is the manic state – a state of intense optimism, happiness and delusions of grandeur. Some of Tom's concerned friends tell him he should seek professional help but some others tell him that it is all a matter of control and that takes practice. As one of his friends says, "arent' we all a little crazy?". What then distinguishes someone with a mental condition from a "normal" person? Are the boundaries between disorders that clear cut? Tom, in his readings finds that he could also be someone with Aspergers Syndrome or ADHD. What does he really have? Should he take pills? Should he see a shrink or should he just simply exercise, meditate and practice Deepak Chopra's tenets? (No, he does not follow Deepak Chopra.)
In diagnosing individuals, psychiatrists have a guidebook called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM -5) [1]. The book is the culmination of more than a decade's work of revising the classification of mental disorders. Depression is not just some short feeling of sadness. The DSM V characterizes someone who is suffering from depression as someone who has experienced at least five signs of depression for more than two weeks. [2] Some of the symptoms are, moroseness, hopelessness, significant weight loss and gain, too much or too little sleep, feelings of worthlessness, fatigue, decreased interest in activities that s/he usually enjoys, difficulty concentrating or making decisions and recurrent thoughts of death and suicide. Someone with Bipolar Disorder however may flip back and forth between overexcited states of mania and depression within a single day, week, or month or year. With the manic state he can also be hyperactive, he also overestimates his abilities and his self.
While Tom did entertain the idea of visiting a psychiatrist, it took him seven long years before he went to one. His parents warned him that, consultation might be too expensive. He might also be too dependent on the drugs and he might suffer from unwanted side-effects. His intelligence made him very self-aware. He tracked his moods. He exercised, meditated, ate fish which has a lot of omega-3 fatty acids that are supposed to "heal" the brain and he wrote a lot of poems and reflections in his journal. They all helped his character. However, he has noticed that in times of extreme stress, pressure from school, work, financial and family problems still get the better of him despite all his efforts of preventing a fallout. The tipping point came, when he ran away and took a 24-hour trip by land and sea to the south of the country. Without clothes and not enough money to last him a week, he left. It almost destroyed him and his dreams. He finally decided to meet a doctor.
The doctor admired his self-awareness and noted that this is one of the most important abilities one should have. He should be able to recognize the feelings that are coming to him so that he can gain full control of his so-called demons. He must come up with a strategy or a game plan.
Fig. 1 Tom came to his doctor with a piece of paper describing the mood swings he was experiencing. He made a rough sketch of his 'highs' and 'lows' over time when he was off and on medication. With medication, Tom's mood became more stable.
One of the strategies suggested to him was cognitive behavioral therapy[3]. Specifically, he was asked to write his thoughts and feelings whenever he feels like he is bound to do something that has dire, irreversible consequences. For example, reasons for suicide, things he might look forward to the next day, week or year, snapping at someone, quitting a job instantly, among many other things. Writing his thoughts and how he dealt with them, helped become even more self-aware and things that are needed to be done to are clearer to him. He was also asked to try certain drugs that will address the chemical imbalance in his brain. Exercise and eating food rich in omega-3 fatty acids, are no longer enough.
In the beginning, Tom's medicine worked well with him until he experienced lethal side-effects. While others were afraid, Tom was willing to experiment to get the right balance and dose so that he could get the quality of life he wants. He had experienced rashes, extreme sleepiness for over 12 hours, and vomiting. He has also arrived at a point that he is confident enough to skip a couple of days without medication just so he could experience the "creative highs" of a typical bipolar. He just has to prepare for the "crash" that will ensue.
So to answer the question, "Do you need to see a shrink?". If you think that you have been undergoing prolonged distress, your behavior has been negatively affecting your work and the people you love no matter how you try to control yourself, then it is best to seek professional help. Seeking professional help will not magically take away your troubles. The pills, the strategies, the changes in perspective are all part of a delicate balancing act in having a well-lived life. It will be a lifetime of management and the first step is to recognize that you do need people who can understand what is going on in your gifted but differently-wired brain. The next question is, how does your shrink know what kind of condition you have?
Preview for Part II: Standardized measures in psychiatry, Learned Helplessness and Comorbidity. Tom thinks he has Aspergers Syndrome and ADHD too. We will introduce another hypothetical character named Sylvia who "demands" understanding for her bad behavior just because she has a disorder.
Useful Links
[1] Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSM-5
[2] Crash Course Psychology on Psychological Disorders: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwMlHkWKDwM
[3] Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:
Posted on 01 October 2014.
In the research writing classes I teach at Asia Pacific College, I often argue that research should be seen as a social and personal responsibility, rather than as a practice done exclusively for academic reasons. I believe that it should be an individual's duty to approach information he encounters online and elsewhere with a healthy dose of skepticism. I also believe that it should be an individual's duty to refrain from making unfounded accusations prior to actual research.
Earlier today, I read an article from GetRealPhilippines.com that says, "Filipinos' obssession (sic) with 'happiness' is what keeps them mired in chronic poverty."
According to benign0, "You wonder why the Philippines continues to fail? It is because Filipinos have been led to believe that simply being "happy" makes them "winners". That is a nice philosophy to live by — when you are happy being a loser for the rest of your existence, that is."
One reason why people need to research more is to prevent their fingers from typing ridiculous statements. The only thing such a statement reveals is that the writer doesn't understand poverty.
There are three questions the writer is trying to answer in his poorly researched article:
1) Why are many Filipinos poor?
2) Why are many Filipinos happy even if they're poor?
3) If a poor Filipino is happy, is it a bad thing?
His answer to question number one is, "Because they're obsessed with happiness." His answer to question number two is, "Because they have a loser mentality." His answer to number three is, "Yes, because it's their happiness that is making them poor." What data were used to support the validity of these answers? None.
The writer was guessing, or making up information, or making an erroneous observation. Basically, all his answers are wrong.
I like teaching research. Every time I correct a student who makes assumptions based on nothing, I feel warm and fuzzy inside, like, maybe I made the world a slightly better place by reducing the number of people who say dumb things by one. So, as a public service, I'm going to demonstrate how to use simple research data to make defensible conclusions about the world we live in.
Why are Many Filipinos Poor?
There are many reasons why a Filipino could be poor. We can blame a rapid population growth that our economy can't keep up with. We can blame unemployment, inflation, inequality and corruption.However, if we wanted to simplify the subject, we can definitely say that most Filipinos are poor because they were born poor to begin with.
According to an SWS survey, self-rated poverty in Luzon is at 45 percent, 74 percent in Visayas, and 71 percent in Mindanao.
Needless to say, many Filipinos become poor before they can even spell "happiness." Filipino babies become poor before they can obsess about happiness.
Once these babies grow up and realize that they're poor, why don't these people just decide to be rich then? Well, for one, life doesn't work that way. A poor person can't simply "decide" to be rich. In fact, even if he wanted to, there are factors that may prevent a poor person from being rich, and it has very little to do with the often blamed Filipino laziness.
People Who Grow Up Poor Experience More Negative Emotions as an Adult
With regard to how difficult it is for a poor person to be rich, it's possible that people who are born poor struggle to become rich because kids who grow up poor have less impulse control. According to ScienceDaily, "Researchers found that test subjects who had lower family incomes at age 9 exhibited, as adults, greater activity in the amygdala, an area in the brain known for its role in fear and other negative emotions. These individuals showed less activity in areas of the prefrontal cortex, an area in the brain thought to regulate negative emotion."
What that means is that a person who experienced chronic stress from childhood to adolescence may be less capable of suppressing negative emotions such as fear. In fact, according to surveys, 1/6 people raised in poverty develop mental disorders.
The psychological consequences of childhood poverty and stress are the same psychological barriers that may prevent a person from becoming more successful in adulthood. Furthermore, impediments to the development of the prefrontal cortex can also affect a child's ability to learn, making it more difficult to compete with children who did not grow up in poverty.
Poor People Make Bad Decisions
A common gripe against the poor is that they're poor because it's their fault. They're poor because they make bad decisions. However, according to this, this, and this, it's actually the other way around.
Bad decisions don't cause people to be poor. Poverty causes people to make bad decisions. The research article, "Poverty Impedes Cognitive Function," suggests that stress experienced due to poverty impede cognitive function. In other words, people who are poor are at greater risk to make decisions that further perpetuate their poverty, because their brain is so exhausted by, well, poverty. The poorer are person is, the higher the likelihood that he'll make decisions that will worsen his situation.
"Previous views of poverty have blamed (it) on personal failings, on an environment that is not conducive to success. We are arguing that the lack of financial resources itself can lead to impaired cognitive function," says Jiaying Zhao.
Why are many Filipinos happy even if they're poor?
Benign0 implied that he's seen too many Filipinos who are poor use "happiness" as an excuse to not try to improve their own economic situation. He even mentioned that, "It is easy to retreat to the 'happiness' metric when all other success indicators suck. That's the loser approach to rationalising one's existence. There's a a simple colloquial term that encapsulates that attitude: sour grapes."
In other words, he's saying that unless you are "successful," you can't be happy; and if you're poor, and you say that you are happy, you're probably lying, because the Philippines, as a country, is not among happy countries.
Here's the thing, according to most studies, happiness can be attained by people who are poor for various reasons.
Happiness is Determined More by Genetics than by Economics
A person's capacity for happiness have very little or nothing to do with other indicators of "success." In the research report, "Happiness is a Stochastic Phenomenon," David Lykken and Auke Tellegen write:
"Are those people who go to work in suits happier and more fulfilled than those who go in overalls? Do people higher on the socioeconomic ladder enjoy life more than those lower down? Can money buy happiness? As a consequence of racism and relative poverty, are black Americans less contented on average than white Americans? Because men still hold the reins of power, are men happier than women? The survey in this journal by Myers and Diener (1995) indicated that the answer to these questions, surprisingly, is "no." These authors pointed out that people have a remarkable ability to adapt, both to bad fortune and to good, so that one's life circumstances, unless they are very bad indeed, do not seem to have lasting effects on one's mood."
In other words, people who are poor are just as capable of happiness as people who are rich. A more productive question to ask is "Why do rich people think that they are happier than poor people?"
Would You Be Happier If You Were Richer?
Two professors from Princeton, economist Alan B. Krueger and psychologist and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, along with several colleagues wrote the research paper, "Would You Be Happier If You Were Richer? A Focusing Illusion."
According to the paper, a lot of people believe that a high income is associated with a person's good mood. However, it's not true. The correlations are illusory. Wealthy people are content with their lives, but they're not much happier than poor people. They don't spend more time doing cooler, more enjoyable, activities either.
According to Kreuger, people with a higher income report more satisfaction only because they think that they should be more satisfied because of the high income they enjoy. He says, "If people have high income, they think they should be satisfied and reflect that in their answers. Income, however, matters very little for moment-to-moment experience."
If Anything, We Should Encourage Poor People to Be Happy
If someone wanted to help poor people, discouraging them from happiness and calling them losers, like benign0 did, will not help them. The article, "Self-worth boosts ability to overcome poverty," from ScienceDaily discusses how encouraging the poor to improve their feelings of self-worth will help them overcome the psychological and emotional barriers that prevent them from seeking help or making good decisions.
According to Jiaying Zhao, the study's co author, "This study shows that surprisingly simple acts of self-affirmation can improve the cognitive function and behavioral outcomes of people in poverty."
In addition to that, happiness improves a person's motivation and actually causes an individual to work harder. A study on the relationship between happiness and productivity was done by Andrew Oswald, Eugenio Proto, and Daniel Sgroi. According to the study, "Happiness and Productivity," happiness made people around 12% more productive.
"The driving force seems to be that happier workers use the time they have more effectively, increasing the pace at which they can work without sacrificing quality," says Dr. Sgroi.
Based on the evidence gathered from multiple reliable sources, we can make the following defensible conclusions:
1. Filipinos are poor NOT because they have an "obsession with happiness." In fact, there is no evidence that suggests that "contentment" can cause poverty. Through inferences made from reading the evidence, we can say that it's possible that many Filipinos are poor simply because they are born poor. Their experiences of poverty in the crucial years of their mental development negatively affected their capacity to learn and their ability to regulate negative emotions – factors that may impede their economic progress as adults. Furthermore, poverty itself impedes their cognitive function, making them prone to bad decisions that could worsen their situation.
2. Some poor Filipinos are happy NOT because they have a loser mentality. Some poor Filipinos are happy simply because nothing is preventing them from feeling otherwise. Although depression is twice as common among poor people, poor people who don't have depression are not much less happy than rich people. In fact, a study suggests that, "one's life circumstances, unless they are very bad indeed, do not seem to have lasting effects on one's mood," implying that there are genetic factors to be considered when measuring a person's capacity for happiness.
3. Happiness has a tendency to increase a persons productivity and make him work harder. If a person thinks that the problem of poverty is due to a poor person's lack of productivity, the scientifically correct thing to do is to help them recover their self-esteem and encourage them to be happy, to improve their cognitive function and increase their productivity. In any case, one should not call poor people losers, because doing so will only reinforce the psychological barriers that impede their cognitive functioning.
Based on the same evidence, we can also conclude that benign0's article, "Filipinos' obssession (sic) with 'happiness' is what keeps them mired in chronic poverty," is wrong about a lot of things. THAT is why research is important.
It's the difference between being a writer and being a ranter.
benign0. (2014). "Filipinos' obssession with 'happiness' is what keeps them mired in chronic poverty." Retrieved on October 1, 2014. From: http://getrealphilippines.com/
Brady, D. (2013). "Poverty strains cognitive abilities, opening door for bad decision-making, new study finds." Retrieved on October 1, 2014. From: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Examined Existence. "The Profound Effects of Childhood Poverty and Stress on Adult Brain Function"Retrieved on October 1, 2014. From: http://examinedexistence.com/
Flores, H. (2014). "Number of 'poor' Pinoy families up by 600,000." Retrieved on October 1, 2014. From: http://www.philstar.com/
Kahneman, D. Krueger, A. Schkade, D. Schwarz, N. Stone, A. (2006) "Would You Be Happier If You Were Richer? A Focusing Illusion " Retrieved on October 1, 2014. From: http://
Kim, P. Evans, G. Angstadt, M. Ho, S. Sripada, C. Swain, J. Liberzon, I. Phan, K. (2013). "Effects of childhood poverty and chronic stress on emotion regulatory brain function in adulthood." Retrieved on October 1, 2014. From: dx.doi.org/10.1073/
Lykken, D. Tellegen, A. (1996). "Happiness is a Stochastic Phenomenon" Retrieved on October 1, 2014. From: http://cogprints.org/767/3/
Mani, A. Mullainathan, S. Shafir, E. Zhao, J. (2013). "Poverty Impedes Cognitive Function" Retrieved on October 1, 2014. From: http://www.sciencemag.org/
Oswald, A. Proto, E. Sgroi, D. (2014). "Happiness and Productivity" Retrieved on October 1, 2014. From: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/
ScienceDaily. (2013). "Self-worth boosts ability to overcome poverty" Retrieved on October 1, 2014. From:
Retrieved on October 1, 2014. From: http://www.sciencedaily.com/
ScienceDaily. (2013). "Growing up poor, stressed impacts brain function as adult." Retrieved on October 1, 2014. From: http://www.sciencedaily.com/
Starecheski, L. (2014). "This Is Your Stressed-Out Brain On Scarcity." Retrieved on October 1, 2014. From: http://www.npr.org/blogs/
Weller, C. (2013) "Poverty Lowers IQ: How Financial Strains Put Pressure On Cognitive, Logical Reasoning." Retrieved on October 1, 2014. From: http://www.medicaldaily.com/
Yglesias, M. (2013). "Bad Decisions Don't Make You Poor. Being Poor Makes for Bad Decisions." Retrieved on October 1, 2014. From: http://www.slate.com/articles/
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Posted in Society2 Comments
Posted on 29 September 2014.
What is the appeal of authoritarians? This week, we talk about Rodrigo Duterte threatening to kill the instigator of his presidential campaign and why authoritarians have such great appeal to Filipinos. We also talk about vigilante justice and Budget Secretary Florencio Abad being pelted with objects by UP students.
You may also download the podcast file here.
Posted in Audio, audio podcast, Media, Politics, Society0 Comments
Posted on 29 September 2014.
Victim blaming, which is said to occur when "the victim of a crime or any wrongful act is held entirely or partially responsible for the harm that befell them," is perceived by many as irrational because it shifts the blame or at least a part thereof from the real offender to the innocent victim. They contend that the victim has zero responsibility every time regardless of the circumstances.
I intend to challenge this absolutist position.
When comedian Ricky Gervais posted a tweet about the leaked nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence and other celebrities, people called him out for victim blaming. In his tweet, which he later deleted, Gervais wrote:
"Celebrities, make it harder for hackers to get nude pics of you from your computer by not putting nude pics of yourself on your computer."
The following are some of the responses he received:
@rickygervais, Ah, victim-blaming at its finest. "If you don't want people to break into your house and steal your things, don't own things." – Brian Herbert
@rickygervais this is like telling women, make it harder for rapists to rape you by not going outside. – Jen Italia
While Gervais' tweet was done in bad taste, I do not find it necessarily illogical as what the responses seem to suggest with their analogies. My position is that there are certain instances where victims can be held at least partially responsible for the harm that befell them, and those instances are where they acted negligently, and especially if they were grossly negligent.
Negligence is defined as "failure to exercise the care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in like circumstances." Now whether the celebrities' act of uploading their nude photos on the Internet constitutes gross or even simple negligence is an issue beyond the scope of my contention, because in order to resolve it certain facts need to be established, like how secure were the sites they used, how strong were their passwords, and what other necessary precautions they took or did not take.
For sure, however, not uploading one's nude photos if you don't want them leaked cannot be equated to not owning things if you don't want people to break into your house and steal your things, or to not going outside if you don't want to be raped. The analogies used by those who responded to Gervais' tweet certainly do not constitute even simple negligence. We only need to ask the question: Would a reasonably prudent person not own things, or never go outside?
On the other hand, uploading nude photos involves a presumably unnecessary risk to one's privacy. Of course, it is also entirely possible that the person actually did not know the risks, or had a compelling reason to back up photos online. These factors would certainly modify the dynamics of blame, but their existence is not to be presumed. Someone who knows how to upload photos will probably have a basic idea of the risks involved, and I cannot think of a compelling reason for a person to upload naked selfies. But even if you can come up with something, such "compelling reason" would probably be the exception rather than the norm, hence, its existence is not to be presumed.
For a better perspective, let us say person A, a famous actress, uploads to a non-secure site, not her naked photos, but those of her friend, person B, another famous actress. The site gets hacked and the photos are leaked. Would person B not have the right to blame person A – to hold her at least partially responsible for compromising her privacy? Can person A raise the defense that it is the hackers who should be held entirely responsible for the leak?
The problem with the term "victim blaming" is that it seems to imply that a person is being blamed because he or she is a victim, when in fact the reason for the blame is that he/she acted negligently. This is made clear in the above example where the one who acted with negligence and the victim of the privacy breach which the negligent act helped make possible are not the same person.
Moreover, we must distinguish between criminal liability and the non-criminal culpability arising from negligence. In the case of hacking, no amount of negligence on the part of the person uploading private photos to a non-secure site can remove or even diminish the hacker's criminal liability in invading other people's privacy. Just because the victim acted negligently does not mean that the hacker acted less criminally.
A friend of mine expressed this in another way:
"What people who keep bandying about the 'victim-blaming' argument seem to scarcely understand is that blame isn't a zero-sum game where holding the victim partially responsible for her victimhood (i.e., if she can be said to have done something she knew would significantly increase the likelihood of being victimized) removes a proportional amount of blame from the victimizer; a victimizer can be 100% responsible for a crime (whatever it is) while the victim can be partially responsible for knowingly placing herself in a situation that increased the odds of said crime taking place. There is no contradiction there."
Suppose a guy who jogs at night decides for no compelling reason to change his route and passes through a dangerous part of town known for its alarming number of muggings. He enters a dark alley and, sure enough, gets mugged and robbed of his wallet which contained a lot of cash and all his IDs and credit cards. At this point some people would probably say that the jogger should not be held even partially responsible for his loss and that all the blame should be laid on the mugger because it was the latter who committed the entire crime and the jogger took no part in it.
But let's suppose that hours before his evening run he went to a wedding for which he borrowed his friend's gold watch that happens to be an heirloom. He didn't remove the watch when he went out jogging to that dangerous part of town. He gets mugged and loses his friend's watch along with his own wallet.
If you were his friend, would you hold him responsible, not for the mugging because the criminal liability solely belongs to the robber, but for losing your watch because he was being grossly negligent for wearing it when he knows he'll be passing through a dangerous area?
If you say yes, would you also hold him partly responsible for the loss of his own wallet in the same mugging incident? If your answer to the second question is no, then how do you distinguish between losing his own wallet and losing your watch? What fundamental distinction lies between a person's negligence that contributed to his own loss and the negligence that contributed to another's such that the negligent person can be blamed for the latter but not for the former?
But if your answer to the first question about holding your friend responsible for losing your watch is no, then I'd be very interested to hear your reasons for finding no fault on his part. And if you decide to play with words and say that you blame him for acting negligently but not for losing your watch (since it's the mugger who's solely to blame for that), then would you still blame your friend if he returned home safe and sound with your watch in one piece?
To blame means "to say or think that a person or thing is responsible for something bad that has happened." If nothing bad happened, there is nothing to blame. A person can be blamed for something bad that has happened, or he can be blamed because of his role in allowing that bad thing to happen in that particular instant.
It must be stressed, however, that life is full of risks, some of which are unavoidable, and not acting negligently does not guarantee that one will not be mugged or that no nude photos will be leaked, or that one will never suffer any tragedy. But to knowingly place oneself in a situation where risk is unnecessarily increased is to act with gross negligence. Even if the jogger in the above example never went to that dark alley or even if he invested in a treadmill and stayed at home, he could still be mugged elsewhere, or he could be robbed of his friend's watch at the parking lot right after the wedding. The only difference is that he could not be blamed for losing it in that particular incident because he did not go out of his way to increase the chances of a bad thing happening.
After all, in this so-called "victim blaming," what's being blamed is not the victimhood.
It's the negligence.
* * * * * * * * * *
Some readers might be tempted to draw a simplistic analogy from the mugging scenarios and relate them to rape. I caution them from doing so. Rape is a far more complex issue than mugging and nude photo leaks, and the dynamics of rape requires a deeper analysis than what this article provides. Here is an article that discusses victim blaming in rape cases. It is up to the reader to decide, after reading that other article, whether the principles laid down in this article apply to rape cases.
Posted in Advocacy, Gender Rights, Society3 Comments
Posted on 26 September 2014.
TRIGGER WARNING: This article or section, or pages it links to, contain information about sexual assault and/or violence which may be triggering to survivors.
Let's say a person left his iPhone unattended in a public place and it was stolen. Can we say that he contributed to his fate by being negligent? Yes. Is this victim blaming? Yes. Can the same logic be applied to rape? No.
But some people would say, "Yes." Some people think that women get raped because they wear "slutty" clothes. Some people think that women get raped because they drink alcohol. Some people think that women get raped because they stay out late at night. Some people think that women get raped because they don't pray. Some people are ignorant, yes.
I feel extremely frustrated right now to have to explain the distinction between a man who leaves his phone unattended and a woman who was raped.
Here's the deal. In the case of the iPhone, to prevent the same occurrence from happening again, all the man has to do is to put his iPhone in his pocket. Needless to say, putting his phone in his pocket, instead of leaving it in a public place, would reduce the risk of theft greatly.
The problem with victim blaming in rape is that the common precautionary measures advised – don't get drunk, don't wear slutty clothes, don't talk to strangers – do not reduce the likelihood of rape. Sober girls are just as likely to be raped as drunk girls. Girls who don't talk to strangers are just as likely to be raped as girls who talk only to acquaintances. Girls who wear completely normal clothing are just as likely to be raped as girls who wear what some people consider "slutty" clothing.
"Take the Necessary Precautions"
In a conversation, I was asked this question:
"Let's say a woman spends an average of 8 hours a day at home. Are the chances of her being raped at least once in her lifetime the same as if she spends an average of 8 hours a day in that dangerous part of town known for its alarming number of sexual assaults?"
It's easy to make the assumption that avoiding a dangerous area could reduce the odds that a person was sexually assaulted. But we have to recognize the implications of such a statement. To suggest that avoiding a dangerous area could prevent rape is to imply that if a woman chose to spend time in an area where she could be raped by a random stranger, she didn't do a good enough job of avoiding rape and may have been partially responsible for what happened.
The problem with this assumption is that it's wrong. It's also offensive. For one, a woman is more likely to be raped in a familiar venue, by a familiar person, than she is to be raped by a stranger in an area with a "dangerous" reputation. In the case of rape, the places that she "could be" raped in are exactly the places that she "should be" safe in: her own home, the home of an acquaintance, or an indoor venue near her home.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Statistics, "More than 50% of all rape/sexual assault incidents were reported by victims to have occurred within 1 mile of their home or at their home."
What advice should we give women then to "avoid rape" then? Avoid your home and areas within 1 mile of your home because majority of rapes happen in these places?
Furthermore, a "Full Report of the Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women" says:
"64% of women who reported being raped, physically assaulted, and/or stalked were victimized by a current or former husband, cohabiting partner, boyfriend, or date."
So, to "avoid rape," should we advice women to avoid their husband, their live-in partner, their boyfriend, and their date?
To pursue the analogy further, rape survivors did not "leave their iPhones unattended." They were keeping them in their pockets and they got mugged while sober, in normal clothes, by familiar people, in familiar places that may include their own home.
In other words, there is very little a victim could have done if someone has decided to rape them. The "preventive measures" people usually bring up (stay sober, don't wear slutty clothes) aren't really factors at all when we consider the evidence.
To simplify, leaving your iPhone lying around will increase the odds that it will be stolen. Putting your iPhone in your pocket, will reduce the odds that it will be stolen. So, if you choose to leave your phone out in the open, when you could have placed it in your pocket, means that it is your fault if it was stolen.
However, dressing slutty or talking to strangers will not increase the odds that you are raped. Dressing modestly and talking only to acquaintances will not reduce the odds that you are raped either. If a person is raped, it is not his or her fault.
It's a completely different issue altogether.
"Don't Get Drunk"
This statement is also commonly provided as a precautionary measure to "prevent rape." It's also wrong. If drunkenness was a direct contributor to the prevalence of rape, then a statistical increase in alcohol consumption should lead to a statistical increase in the prevalence of rape.
However, in the article "To Prevent Rape on College Campuses, Focus on the Rapists, Not the Victims," Amanda Hess reveals that:
"According to the Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey—which surveys Americans ages 12 and older about crime they've experienced, whether or not they reported it to the authorities—rape has declined markedly in the United States since 1979, even as female binge drinking has risen."
In the article, "Actually, The Link Between Sexual Assault And Alcohol Isn't As Clear As You Think," Tara Culp-Ressler explains that:
"Even though alcohol is associated with sexual assault, it's not actually a direct association. Getting intoxicated only leads to rape when there's someone present to commit that rape. When you remove rapists from the equation, the risks of getting drunk — which, of course, do involve serious public health consequences — don't include getting raped."
"Sexual Violence is Predatory"
According to the study "Understanding the Predatory Nature of Sexual Violence" by David Lisak, perpetrators of sexual violence:
are extremely adept at identifying "likely" victims, and testing prospective victims' boundaries;
plan and premeditate their attacks, using sophisticated strategies to groom their victims for attack, and to isolate them physically;
use "instrumental" not gratuitous violence; they exhibit strong impulse control and use only as much violence as is needed
to terrify and coerce their victims into submission;
use psychological weapons — power, control, manipulation, and threats — backed up by physical force, and almost never
resort to weapons such as knives or guns;
use alcohol deliberately to render victims more vulnerable to attack, or completely unconscious.
In Culp-Ressler's article, she admits that alcohol may be one of the tools a rapist uses. However, she says that it's just one of many tools at a rapists disposal, and the unavailability of alcohol won't necessarily prevent a rapist from raping if the rapist decides to rape.
In other words, alcohol is just one of the things a rapist may use AFTER they have selected a victim. It's very likely that a rapist who has raped an intoxicated girl already decided to rape her, before she even took a sip of alcohol. If alcohol is not available at that moment, he would simply chosen another tactic to rape her.
The common myth surrounding rape is that a drunk woman, in a dark street, wearing "slutty clothing," is more likely to be raped, than a sober woman, in her home, wearing normal clothing, having lunch with an acquaintance. This leads people to think that if the drunk woman was raped, she may have contributed to it by being "negligent." That's not true. The odds that either would be raped is zero, if there was no rapist nearby to rape them. These odds increase drastically if there was a nearby rapist who wanted to rape them. What a woman is wearing or what she was doing before she was attacked is irrelevant. She would have been attacked anyway if a sexual predator has decided to attack her.
Why Do We Blame the Victim?
Two years ago, there was a thread on Reddit asking sexual assault perpetrators what their motives were, "Reddit's had a few threads about sexual assault victims, but are there any redditors from the other side of the story? What were your motivations? Do you regret it?" It has since been deleted, but not before parts of it were featured in several articles.
The article "If You've Ever Wondered What It's Like To Be A Rapist, Have We Got A Reddit Thread For You!" features a very chilling, first-hand confession copied from Reddit's rapist thread.
Here's the entire confession:
I am a post-colleged age male who raped several girls through use of coercion, alcohol, and other tactics over a course of 3 years.
First off, I must say, I was at a dark and horrible place in my life, that I've since grown from. I'm ashamed of the person I was, if the people who I'm close to now knew who I was, I would be ruined. I'm known for being a great guy, friendly and easy to get along with, a community/political activist, a fervent volunteer in the community, and a person who rises through the ranks quickly due to successes at work. That was my mask, and I was good at it, so good that maybe I convinced myself along the line that was who I could really be, and that may of helped me change, and stop doing what I did.
I'm somewhat remorseful for what I did to those girls, but I don't think I could ever face them to apologize. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I had this certain insatiable thirst that brought me to do what I did. I didn't know how to stop, and just when I thought maybe I could, I'd find myself back in my pattern, back on the hunt.
I'm a good looking guy, and I can get girls pretty easily. I'm currently married to a beautiful woman that I met during this time of my life (not someone I raped, but someone who knew my mask during this time). So, anyways, after a while it became boring to go after the sluts and sorority girls that would easily throw their cunt after you. I wanted the thrill of the chase, and that's what led me to forcing myself on girls. I would find attractive girls that were self-conscious about their looks. Girls who were pretty in their own unique way, but not the outgoing sort, mostly introverts, and girls that didn't party or do wild things. Hopefully a girl who was a bit damaged, had a shitty ex-boyfriend, or family issues, came from a small shut in town, that sort of thing. So, when I showed interest in them they'd be completely enamored, they'd almost be shocked that a popular, good-looking, and well liked guy would be talking to them. I'd have that initial meeting at the library, a coffee shop, a work function, or a party where I had them convinced of what a great guy I was. I listened to them, and made them feel special, like they were a princess. Sometimes we might sort of hook-up that night (kissing, making-out, never anything more). The next day I'd call, and see when they wanted to get together again. I'd feign some excuse for not going out somewhere, but having them come over late in the night. It was college, and not a lot of people had transportation off campus, so it was typical for people to come over and watch a movie or something on a date.
They would come over, and I'd always make sure it was real cold in the room, cold enough so that when we started watching the movie I'd say something about being chilly, and grab a big fleece blanket for the both of us. We'd get kind of close, and then maybe ignore the movie for some kissing. After a while, we'd talk some more, and I'd start edging my hands around the under strap of the bra, or maybe a bit into her pants, just kind of playing on the edge to gauge her response. Some girls would stiffen up a little, and that's when you knew they didn't like what was going on. We were in my studio apartment, so the bed served as the couch, and it was easy to start sliding down throughout the movie so we'd be laying down. It was then that I could turn around and get on top of her. The girls usually didn't know how to respond. Some of them were into it, and those nights were usually consensual and boring sex, sometimes followed up by a few more nightly visits before getting the boot. However, the great nights were the ones who squirmed, ones who didn't want to give in. I'd have to shush them down, and try to work on them slowly enough so they didn't know what was going on until it was pretty much already happening. I'm a muscular guy, over 6′ around 200 lbs. and most of these girls may have been 125-130, really tiny and easy to pin down. To be honest, even remembering it now, the squirming always made it better, they didn't want it to happen, but they couldn't do anything about it. Most girls don't say no either. They think you're a good guy, and should pick up on the hints, they don't want to have to say "no" and admit to themselves what's happening.
Alcohol helped. Having a few drinks during the movie, or doing a few jello shots that were "prepared for a party that weekend" would usually do the trick.
The aftermath was always different. Some girls left after about 15 minutes after. Some girls would stay until the morning and then leave. A few tried to call back, maybe blaming themselves for what happened or something. I never worried too much about being caught. Everyone knew me, and I worked with the police a lot, with administrators, and campus officials. I was on first name basis with the Chancellor and the President of Student Affairs, so if anything came down to a he/she-said I figured I'd be in the clear. Having her come over to my place also made it seem less predatory, as she came into my domain, and "could leave at any time".
I guess that's about it…seeing as just about everything has been said I'm gonna call it a day. I hope this view into a dark part of my history offers some insight into the mind of a serial rapist.
As the confession reveals, the rapist is not the stranger hiding in a bush, ready to attack you as you walk by at night, in a "dangerous area." He could be popular. He could seem friendly. He could be attractive. He could be a date, an acquaintance, or even a close friend. This fact shatters our sense of security. We don't want to believe that any one of us could be a victim of rape. That is why we victim blame.
In the article, "Why Do We Blame Victims?" Juliana Breines explains that:
"Victim blaming is not just about avoiding culpability—it's also about avoiding vulnerability. The more innocent a victim, the more threatening they are. Victims threaten our sense that the world is a safe and moral place, where good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. When bad things happen to good people, it implies that no one is safe, that no matter how good we are, we too could be vulnerable. The idea that misfortune can be random, striking anyone at any time, is a terrifying thought, and yet we are faced every day with evidence that it may be true."
The very idea that sexual assault can happen anytime, to anyone, violates our personal sense of control, so we refuse to accept that reality. We want to tell ourselves that, "I will not be raped, as long as I don't get drunk." We want to tell ourselves that, "My daughter will not be raped, as long as I make sure she doesn't wear tube tops."
When an anonymous girl gets raped, we tell ourselves, "Surely, she must have done something my mother, my sister, and my daughter is not doing." We tell ourselves these things because it's too disturbing for us to accept the reality that our sisters, daughters, and mothers can be raped anytime, anywhere, by people that they know, and in places that we thought they were safe in.
We blame the victim because we are afraid; for ourselves and for our loved ones. But instead of victim blaming, we should look for more productive ways to respond to this threat. We should be disturbed enough to do something about rape. We should be afraid enough to educate ourselves and our loved ones. At the very least, we should be human enough to empathize with the rape survivor; a person unfortunate enough to have had to endure the assault of a skilled criminal.
Survivors deserve our support, not our scrutiny.
Breines, J. "Why Do We Blame Victims?" Retrieved on September 26, 2014. From: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-love-and-war/201311/why-do-we-blame-victims
Culp-Ressler, T. (2013, October). "Actually, The Link Between Sexual Assault And Alcohol Isn't As Clear As You Think." Retrieved on September 26, 2014. From: http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/10/29/2844951/link-alcohol-sexual-assault/
Hess, A. (2013, October). "To Prevent Rape on College Campuses, Focus on the Rapists, Not the Victims." Retrieved on September 26, 2014. From: http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/10/16/it_s_the_rapists_not_the_drinking_to_prevent_sexual_assault_on_college_campuses.html
Lisak, D. "Understanding the Predatory Nature of Sexual Violence." Retrieved on September 26, 2014. From: http://www.middlebury.edu/media/view/240951/original/
National Violence Against Women Survey. "Full Report of the Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women." Retrieved on September 26, 2014. From: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/183781.pdf
Rape Abuse and Incest National Network. Retrieved on September 26, 2014. From: https://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/sexual-assault-offenders
The Cajun Boy. "If You've Ever Wondered What It's Like To Be A Rapist, Have We Got A Reddit Thread For You!" Retrieved on September 26, 2014. From: http://uproxx.com/webculture/2012/07/rapists-explain-why-they-rape-on-reddit/
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Posted in Education, Gender Rights, Politics, Science, Society1 Comment
Posted on 21 September 2014.
This week, we talk about the Pennsylvania kid who is facing two years in prison for simulating oral sex with a Jesus statue.
Posted in Audio, audio podcast, Freedom of Expression, Religion, Secularism, Society1 Comment
Posted on 20 September 2014.
I commute to work on a daily basis. I wake up at around 6:00 AM to make sure that I arrive at the MRT station before 6:30 AM. If I arrive any later than that, I basically missed my chance to make it to my 7:30 AM class in Makati.
My teaching obligations end at 5:30 PM. Everything that happens before 5:30 PM, I consider a privilege. I get paid to talk about things that I like talking about. But after 5:30 PM, that's when the real work begins.I'm talking about the rush hour commute between 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM. The experience is unpleasant, stressful, unproductive, and time-consuming.
In the station I often ride the train from, the MRT platform has a pathway that links it to the Alphaland Mall. The platform links to the third floor. The line, however, often extends to the entrance of the mall. During rush hour, it would take more than 30 minutes just to get to the MRT platform. And let's not talk about the shoving, grinding, swearing, and cramping that happens once inside the train.
Deep inside everyone who takes the MRT at this time feels that something about this experience is extremely wrong. Everyone that takes alternative means of transportation, via buses, feels equally as miserable. I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but the feelings we all have about our commute is correct – it's bad for us.
In the article "Your Commute is Killing You," Anne Lowry discusses how long commutes can make us fat, cause neck pain,increase our feelings of loneliness, cause stress, and may even lead to divorce. According to her, researchers at Umea University in Sweden discovered that, "Couples in which one partner commutes for longer than 45 minutes are 40 percent likelier to divorce."
In the same article, she mentions how a survey done by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman and Princeton economist Alan Krueger reveals that among common activities that 900 Texan women share, they find commuting in the morning the most unpleasant.
The misery of the commute extends to other areas of a person's life. It was revealed in a report by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index that workers with lengthy commutes report more adverse emotional conditions.
Commuting Isolates Us from Fulfilling Relationships
Robert Putnam is another name that was mentioned in Lowry's article. Robert Putnam is a Harvard political scientist and is the author of "Bowling Alone." According to Putnam, every 10 minutes we spend on our daily commute results in 10% fewer social connections. He warns that our social capital is plummeting, and our lives and communities are becoming impoverished. We, as a society, belong to fewer organizations, know our neighbors less, meet with friends less often, and spend less time with our families.
Personally, I spend almost 10 hours a week commuting to and from the office. As much as I can, I try my best to spend Sunday lunch with my siblings and my grandmother. We would sit at the same table and chat from around 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. That's 3 hours.
Sometimes, if I am lucky, I can spend an evening having dinner with a few friends. We'd meet at around 7:00 PM, but we'd have to part ways before 11:00 PM because I have to be at the MRT platform by 6:30 AM. I can honestly say that I spend more time at the commute with strangers than I do with my friends and family. That sucks.
Commuting is Unpaid Work
Mentioned in Lowry's article is another study by Thomas James Christian of Brown University. According to Christian's research,each minute spent at the commute reduces our exercise time, our food preparation time, and our time for sleep. The length of our commute also determines our propensity for making non-grocery food purchases.
In other words, if we often find ourselves in long commutes, we tend to buy unhealthy food knowing that we will have no time to prepare healthier meals when we get home. Other people,in their desire to avoid the rush hour, would have dinner at a fast food instead to kill time. In both cases, we'll be spending more, eating less healthy, and we'll be having less time and energy for exercise because we're too tired.
When we compute for how much we're earning, one of the invisible liabilities we often forget to acknowledge is the cost of commuting.
According to Lowry's article, two economists at the University of Zurich quantified the value of how much more a worker should be compensated to make even just an additional hour of commute worthwhile.
In the paper entitled, "Stress That Doesn't Pay: The Commuting Paradox," economists Bruno S. Frey and Alois Stutzer found that for an extra hour of commuting, a worker has to be compensated with a 40% increase in salary, just to make it worthwhile.
In other words, don't work for a far location if the salary difference is minimal. If you're working at an office 15 minutes away for P14,000, the same work SHOULD pay you P19,600 if it's 1 hour and 15 minutes away. If it's 2 hours away, the same work SHOULD pay you P27,440. Anything less and you're incurring a loss.
The time we spend commuting takes a major toll on our lives. We experience neck and back pain,spend less time with friends and family, experience loneliness, spend more, get fat, exercise less, sleep less, worry more, and get stressed.
80% of Filipinos are commuters. 80% of Filipinos will have their happiness and their health compromised. Every minute we spend in the MRT line or on a bus along EDSA is a minute of work that we did for free. It is a minute with a loved one that was taken from us. It is a minute we could have invested in our own physical or intellectual development. It is a minute we could have spent preparing a healthy meal. It is a minute we could have spent with our children. It is a minute of our lives that was wasted.
Apparently, it's not just our money, our taxes, that corrupt and inefficient government officials can squander. They're wasting our lives: one minute at a time, one peso at a time.


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Classes and Education
Prenatal Yoga 6 Week Series
Prenatal Yoga classes are designed to help pregnant women connect with their developing baby, to increase comfort and fluidity in their rapidly changing body, and to alleviate common discomforts of pregnancy such as back pain, sciatica, swelling, anxiety and fatigue. Prenatal yoga classes complement birth education courses in assisting women in preparing for and meeting the physical and emotional demands of childbirth and motherhood. Each 90-minute class includes: meditation and visualization, breath practice, discussion and yoga poses. Combined, these elements safely stretch and strengthen the body and mind in preparation for labor and birth. Each class is tailored to meet the unique needs of all participants. The class is open to pregnant women with a doctor's written approval. While we encourage partners to attend most classes, the Prenatal Yoga class is designed specifically for mothers-to-be. Classes occur on six consecutive Mondays except for times when the schedule conflicts with a holiday. THE 2014 SIX WEEK SERIES START DATES ARE AS FOLLOWS: JAN 6th, MARCH 3rd, APRIL 228th, JUNE 16th, JULY 28th, SEPTEMBER 15th and NOVEMBER 3rd. A Prenatal Yoga Consent Formmust be signed by your health care provider and faxed to 415-752-0469 or mailed to Newborn Connections™, 3698 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94118.
Dates available for this class:Click a date to view more information
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM | San Francisco
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM | San Francisco
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM | San Francisco

subset: commoncrawl


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Folly Beach, SC, USA < change city >
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Seventh Annual Golden Goldys Handed Out at TCF Bank Stadium
Athletics and academics were celebrated in Gopher Athletics
Ross, Lesser Qualify for NCAA Championships
The two advanced to the Championships March 28-30
Results from Day Two of NCAA Zone Diving
3 meter diving wrapped up at Zone D at the University of Houston
Gophers Finish Day One of NCAA Zone Diving
Mikey Ross finished third in 1 meter to lead the Gophers
Gophers Finish Fourth at Big Ten Championships
Minnesota concluded the Championships with 378 team points .
2012-13 Freshman Season: First-year letter winner competed in the Big Ten Championships his first year at Minnesota had 47 total points in dual meets in the year for the team added 26 points at the Big Ten Championships earned all three career-high top scores at the Big Ten Championships fifth at Minnesota for the 1 meter and platform seventh at Minnesota in the 3 meter finished third in the 1 meter and second in the 3 meter in the Iowa dual (11/2/12) took third place in 1 meter against Wisconsin (10/26/12) posted second-place finishes in both 1 meter and 3 meter at Michigan (10/5/12).
Pollard's Top Scores
More Headlines
11/22/2014Gophers Finish Strong at Grand Prix
11/20/2014Gophers Through Day One of Grand Prix
11/19/2014Gophers Host USA Swimming Grand Prix
11/18/2014Minnesota Welcomes Class of 2019
11/8/2014Gophers, Gators Split Wins
11/7/2014Gophers to Face Gators
11/02/2014Senior Sunday: Erik Larsen
10/31/2014Gophers Take Down Hawkeyes
10/29/2014Pack The Pool
10/24/2014MN Sprints Past UND
10/23/2014Minnesota vs. North Dakota


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The Sports Network
DATE & TIME: Saturday, November 30, 12:30 a.m. (ET)
FACTS & STATS: Site: Sullivan Arena (8,700) -- Anchorage, Alaska. Television: None. Home Record: TCU 1-1, Harvard 3-0. Away Record: TCU 2-0, Harvard 0-1. Neutral Record: TCU 1-1, Harvard 2-0. Conference Record: TCU 0-0, Harvard 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.
GAME NOTES: The TCU Horned Frogs and Harvard Crimson will duke it out for the championship in the Great Alaska Shootout when they meet at Sullivan Arena on Saturday night.
The Horned Frogs are rolling as they get set for this title tilt. A 72-65 victory over Tulsa on Friday night marked the fourth straight victory for TCU, which has risen from the ashes of an 0-2 start to open the year.
Harvard held off a challenge from Green Bay in the semifinals as the team pulled out a 76-64 victory on Friday night. The win was the second straight for the Crimson and sixth in seven tries this season.
This bout marks the first-ever meeting between the Horned Frogs and Crimson on the hardwood.
TCU jumped out to a halftime lead and then held on down the stretch to take out Tulsa. The Horned Frogs netted 52.2 percent of their shots from the floor in the opening period and finished with just enough of an advantages from 3- point range (15-12) and the free-throw line (17-13) to secure a victory.
Even with a winning record, the Horned Frogs have fought to about even both on the scoreboard and the glass through six games. TCU holds just a +1.3 scoring differential on the campaign despite hitting a solid 45.8 percent of its shots from the field. Additionally, TCU is collecting just as many rebounds (34.2 pg) as its opponents. Amric Fields (16,.3 ppg) has been a nice spark off the bench in the three games he has played. The Horned Frogs' leading scorer was at it again versus Tulsa as he finished with a team-high 17 points. Kyan Anderson (12.2 ppg, 6.3 apg), Jarvis Ray (13.5 ppg) and Brandon Parrish (11.2 ppg) are also key contributors.
Harvard's efforts from the free-throw line pushed them over the edge in the semifinals against Green Bay. The Crimson hit 21-of-25 attempts from the charity stripe, while giving the Phoenix only 11 tries. Harvard also doubled up Green Bay in points off turnovers (24-12).
The Crimson was on point offensively, at least in terms of their season averages, against Green Bay. Harvard is now netting 75.6 points per game, while hitting more than 45 percent of their shots from the field. Wesley Saunders (16.4 ppg) is the leading scorer for the Crimson, a role he filled yet again versus Green Bay. In that contest, Saunders connected on 6-of-12 field goal attempts to finish with 20 points. Laurent Rivard (8.1 ppg) had one of his best nights in terms of scoring, as he tallied 17 points while Siyani Chambers added 12 points and Steve Missi-Moundou nearly finished with a double-double (10 points, nine rebounds).
The Crimson have a battle-tested nucleus led by Saunders. That experience and depth will be the difference in another Crimson win on Saturday.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Harvard 75, TCU 67


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7 Tips to Prepare for Your Appointment
The key to a successful appointment is communication. To get the most out of your visit, prepare ahead of time so you can lead the conversation with your doctor. These 7 tips will get you ready
Appointments & Offices
Check insurance plans, locations and make an appointment
Is Dr. Cabales accepting new patients?
- Yes.
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- Aetna
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Dear Dave,
I have old credit card debt that goes back a few years. The account has been sold and re-sold to several collection companies. The limit on the card was $300, but with late charges and fees I now owe $1,500. Am I liable for the extra $1,200?
Dear Monica,
You agreed to their terms, which included the right to charge fees and penalties. Legally, they can do this. The honorable thing would be to send the company you contracted with a check for the full amount.
However, that company no longer owns the debt, and they won't get the money. They sold the debt. The present holder is just hoping to get something out of it. They buy debt in volume, dirt cheap, and whatever they can collect from any creditor is profit.
The current collection company would probably be thrilled to settle for a lot less than face value. Make them an offer, but start really low. You can probably meet them somewhere in the middle and settle this for around $500.
Do not give them any money until you have in your hand – on paper, in writing – a statement showing the amount for which they will settle, and do not give them electronic access to your bank account, either.
Once you have this in hand, send them a cashier's check or money order, and keep a copy of that payment and the letter for the rest of your natural life!
Dear Dave,
Your plan has been a real blessing to us. Last week, my mother-in-law told my husband they haven't paid their property taxes yet. Three thousand dollars is due. I love my in-laws, but they're big spenders. They've got plenty of money and love to take lots of trips. We make good money, too, and could help them out, but we're afraid this may be just the tip of the iceberg. What's your advice on handling this?
Dear Kelly,
This is a really touchy situation. First of all, you shouldn't do anything. Your husband needs to handle this, because he's their son. Even if you make kind, polite suggestions, they'll assume you're the one withholding from them. You don't want to be labeled as the evil daughter-in-law!
I understand your position and agree that you don't want to enable their bad habits. Giving a drunk a drink is never a good idea. But this is family we're talking about. You should try to find a way to help them if you can. If that help includes money, make certain you know exactly where it goes. When you give someone $3,000 (the amount needed for the taxes) you earn the right to have a say in what's happening.
NEW TIME Today, at 9:30 AM PT: Get the Market Movements in Advance; Williams Edge Webinar for November 26th, 2014 | John Ransom


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Written by Peter Frost Friday, 15 November 2013 18:04
Jeff B e z o s'
Amazing Amazon ace's anxiety
eyeing his everything store aim.
15 Nov'13
Wall Street Journal's Farhad Manjoo has written a fascinating insight into the paranoid behaviour of Amazon Founder/CEO Jeff Bezos, in multiplying sales of the omnivore 5x in the 7 years, to $100Bn by 2015
Written by Peter Frost Wednesday, 13 November 2013 01:20
Proficiency Profile
The Essence
of ZEN Office
"We deliver personalised
productivity services"
13 Nov'13 (Complete)
Earlier last month we visited an ex-OfficeSMART member, Les Kerr and his Zen Office team. The leading edge office facilities, based in North Manchester (UK), were an impressive example of a progressive productivity services provider in action...


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Halloween 2014
A couple of replacements for the newly missing tooth!
First tooth down!
[attach 1]
[attach 2]
Halloween 2014
Pumpkin Patch Time
Well it's that time of the year again. Time for pumpkins and all the assorted fun.
This year we all headed off and rounded up some good ones with some adventures in between!


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Reebok ZigKick AlphaSKU: #8336881
Product Information
- With its game-changing ZigTech system, the ZigKick Alpha from Reebok® runs circles around the competition!
- Features Reebok ZigKick technology designed with unique energy return properties for cushioning where it's needed mosrt—at the point of contact.
- A seamless, ventilated upper made of open mesh and abrasion-resistant overlays provides exceptional breathability.
- Padded collar and tongue adds support and a comfy fit.
- Mesh lining and a lightweight, molded sockliner for comfort and added impact protection.
- Traditional lacing closure for optimal fit.
- Low-cut design for added mobility.
- Dual-density midsole for shock attenuation.
- Spring plate cradles through the gait cycle—improving forward propulsion at the toe off.
- ZigKick outsole cushions at the point of impact while maintaining stability through the midfoot and responsiveness in the forefoot.
- Imported.
- Measurements:
- Heel Height: 1 1⁄2 in
- Weight: 11 oz
- Product measurements were taken using size 10, width D - Medium. Please note that measurements may vary by size.