The Message

It sounds like a plausible analogy. The person was being interviewed about text messaging and Twitter. She was asked if this might have a negative effect in human interaction. Her response compared it to what would have happened when the telephone came on the scene. People long ago, she stated, probably complained that not seeing somebody face to face would lessen the human interaction.

And for two seconds I believed it. Then I thought, "Didn't Marshall McLuhan say that the medium is the message?"

You could say that television is just radio with pictures, but that's not true. In the same way the affect of Twitter and instant text messaging is not the same as what happened when telephones came on the scene. Sure, some of the questions might be the same, but if McLuhan is right, the answers should be quite different.

What amazes me is how people have no problem writing the script of their life as it unfolds. You get this a lot on Facebook, too, but it is intensified on Twitter. You get the play-by-play of everything they choose to reveal. And it is broadcast to everyone that person chooses to allow to tell. Interesting.

Not quite like the telephone, is it? When I pick up the phone, I am speaking to a specific person, not broadcasting it to an audience.

You could say that writing this blog is even worse. Here I am expressing my thoughts to many people and I don't even know who is reading this. There is very little feedback. And while I stick my thoughts and emotions out there for anyone to see, I wonder from time to time if exposing my inner feelings does any good. Perhaps it is a waste of time. Why do I keep on writing, then? I enjoy writing. To be a better writer, I feel you have to write, so I keep at it.

So is Twitter ultimately good for society? I don't know. Like all technology, my suspicion is that it depends how you use it. My only concern is that we seem to be approaching a world that is becoming more and more like what George Orwell predicted. The other fear is that we are not sure what the real message of this medium is in the terms of McLuhan. Is it hot or is it cool?

Susan Boyle

Imagine the Miss Universe Pageant. The contestants parade onto the stage in their evening gowns. Suddenly one of the judges feels that one of the girls is not dressed in the proper attire and asks if she has something else. She instantly says she has and goes backstage and just as quickly emerges in another costume, much to the approval of everyone.

What would you say if this happened? Now watch this.

Shaheen's performance

In this clip you will see the latest sensation on Britain's Got Talent, Shaheen Jafargholi, sing a song. The crowd and two of the judges seem to appreciate his offering. Simon does not. He stops the kid, tells him he has it all wrong, and asks if he has anything else. He replies that he has and instantly belts out another tune.

What's happening here? Here are my thoughts.

This was planned. The kid would have probably made it through this round with his original performance. Why would a judge force somebody to change? This is supposed to be a competion. Look at the lack of emotion on Shaheen when he is told to stop. Listen to how quickly the second song is ready to roll. Am I the only one who is suspicious? I don't think so.

Then why did the producers of the show plan this? My answer is money and power. The success of Susan Boyle the previous week was phenomenal, one could even say astronomical. Unfortunately, this was not good for the future of the show. An outpouring of this proportion amounts to a crowning of the winner early on in the game unless .... another challenger can be found.

That is exactly what happened through the magic of television. Jafargholi overcame the power of the evil Simon to win everyone over and create the controversy of who is the better talent.

Richard Ouzounian of the Toronto Star enters the debate with the suggestion to shut your eyes and listen to Susan Boyle and you will discover that her voice sounds the same on the two songs you can find on YouTube. That is why she is destined to lose the competition. Nice try, Richard. Your logic doesn't convince me. I could do this with Celine Dion or Shania Twain or Faith Hill. Many of their songs sound the same. Why? Unless you are an impersonator, you are born with one voice.

However, I do agree with Ouzounian that Sarah Boyle may well lose. Why? Just like Hollywood will often plan different endings for movies and select the one based on controlled screening approvals, my guess is that the producers of Britain's Got Talent will do the same. What ending will create the most controversy? Which one will give it the highest ratings and generate the most media coverage? They are well on their way to achieving that already. What concerns me is that few seem to care about or understand this manipulation.

Have you ever wondered why on Survivor, for example, why it only takes a majority to get somebody off the island, but it always seems to come down to a final vote? My logic tells me that once in awhile the result should be determined early on in the game, just like if you roll the dice often enough, you will consecutively roll numbers under seven several times in a row. Then why do they do this? For the same reason you have to wait to see who is eliminated on Dancing with the Stars. It heightens the emotion and boosts ratings - artificially. You are not being told the whole truth.

Having seen the Shaheen clip on Britain's Got Talent, it makes me wonder how much Susan Boyle's performance was manipulated to create the desired effect.

Both Susan and Shaheen have great talent. They deserve all the accolades they earn. It is a pity when third parties sully the competition for motives that may, indeed, help both of them, but are designed, in my opinion, to line the pockets of the people producing the show.

Dominoes

A friend asked me today how it was going. It’s a question that is often asked and the reply is usually as automatic as the request. Today was different.

Rather than just mutter, “OK,” or “Great,” I felt a bit more philosophical. Let’s face it. Most days are pretty normal. I certainly don’t experience fireworks every day. My guess is that you don’t either.

If you have been reading my blog on a regular basis, you know that I am an occasional teacher. I fill in for others when they have a day off. Some days are fantastic; the odd one is not so great. A lot has to do with my attitude in front of the students. However, what has happened in the lives of the more than twenty faces in front of me can make a difference in the experience. It only takes one person to announce that he has peed in the pool to empty it. Sometimes that happens.

As mundane as each day is, I have recently looked at things differently. I love imagery and this one has helped me realize how even the ordinary days can be special.

My reply to my friend that my life recently has been filled with days where I feel I have been like the people who set up dominoes in a pattern. I am not wasting my time at all. What I am doing is building the complex design, placing the small rectangles, one by one, in the proper configuration to start a wonderful chain reaction. One day the first domino will topple and crash into the next, starting the whole process. It will all unfold the way it was supposed to happen.

The important part is that I am faithfully placing the dominoes in place. Sure, the process is tedious. It may be boring. There may be times when I want to give up. I could do that – give up. The result would be a lot less spectacular.

I just keep laying them down, waiting for that day, and having the faith that it will come.

It Tastes Funny

Ask people to name a type of national cooking and Italian will be close to the top every time. There’s a good reason. It tastes great.

When I was in Italy a couple of years ago, I didn’t feel I had very many delectable meals. Not very much was appealing to my palate. Don’t blame the chefs. It wasn’t their fault. My taster was off.

Blame it on pain and drugs! We went to Italy prior to my hip-replacement surgery. The discomfort was so great that I was on Oxycontin, a narcotic to take it away. When I felt sore, I really couldn’t concentrate on the quality of a meal. If I took the drugs, it sort of made everything a blur and definitely lessened the enjoyment of food. The only things I really savoured were gelato (Italian ice cream) and wine.

Regardless, the trip was a great success and I look back on it fondly.

A few months later I had my hip surgery, which turned out to be a success. I get around quite well without pain and can participate in many of the activities I enjoyed before.

There are times in my life and others where our taste for living doesn’t have the same gusto either. Often something has caused pain or we are masking our day-to-day existence with some activity or practice to help us forget.

I think of this sometimes when I encounter other people. Their actions or attitude may not be exactly what I would like to encounter. Rather than merely react in a negative way, I try to see if I can take away some of the pain or cause of the bitterness. Sometimes I succeed.

In a similar way, I hope that people realize that I may not act in the most appropriate way all of the time either.

Why is such an important question? I could have departed Italy thinking what people think about the food is grossly exaggerated. Knowing why I thought this helped me come to opinion that the problem wasn’t the food.

Asking why people behave the way they do and say what they say is equally important. Sometimes the answer is not so obvious, but it is worth a try.

Proof The World is Crazy

They say we are losing the war on drugs. No wonder! When you take away all of the amunition, it is difficult to win any war.

Recently a man was foud unconscious behind the wheel of his car at an intersection. While searching the Jeep Cherokee for any clues why this might have happened, the police came across crack cocaine. In case you don't know, this drug is illegal.

Well, it seems as if finding the cocaine in this manner has breached the man's constitutional rights. Why are we protecting the criminals? When I cross the border, customs officers can check my car for drugs. What's the difference? I can understand why our police officers sometimes get pretty frustrated with the legal system. They do their best to make our society safer, yet they have to put up with decisions like this. It is as if they are made to look like the bad guy, not the person who is in possession of an illegal drug.

I wonder what the response of the judge would have been if the police officer had found explosives instead of drugs. Perhaps many innocent people could have been killed without the discovery, but that doesn't matter. It is more important for the criminal to be protected. When are we going to get it right? The answer seems to be never. Read on.

A man has a gambling problem. He has joined a self-exclusion program that allows gamblers to sign a form granting casinos and racetrack staff to use their best efforts to bar or remove them if they are caught inside. Well, it seems as if they didn't catch this man and he blew about $350,000 in a four-year period.

Who's fault is this? Apparently it is the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation's. This man is suing them for - get this - $3.5 BILLION! I think Dennis, the name of this person, has another problem. It is called lack of taking responsibility for his own actions.

I have not led a perfect life. I have made mistakes. I have dealt with them and tried my best to correct them. The only way I could have grown through these episodes is admitting to them. As long as I am in denial of my part in the process and claiming resposibility for my actions, I am powerless.

I wonder what Dennis will do if he wins his $3.5 billion? Probably go put some money on the horses. And why not? He will have won his jackpot and his luck will be on a roll.

Facebook, again!

I really wonder about Facebook, and let's not talk about Twitter. I visit my page once a day and most of the things I read could fall into the category of interest on my part as if somebody announced, "I farted." In fact, "I farted" would generate more interest, since the consequences of ignoring this message could prove fatal.

My major concern is that people are spending time in relationships that are not face to face. I feel we are trying to replace quality with quantity. If I can get many quick hits from my squad of "friends", then this will make up for the lack of time I spend with the few very close people in my life.

Yes, I love to hear what is happening to people, but I would far rather have a phone call or a visit once a year or every six months than reading much of the mundane, everyday stuff that I see on Facebook. The way I see it, I don't have to look at the lives of others to realize that life can be pretty ordinary at times. I have a life of my own to do that. Anyway, I would rather spend my time working on turning the ordinary into the extraordinary than reading information that has little impact on my life.

I often wonder if people use Facebook and Twitter so they can appear to be part of the cybercrowd. They will feel that they are being left behind technologically and feel like a dinosaur in today's world, somehow not hip and with it. There seems to be a pressure to be friends with the world.

I will still check in, though, to my Facebook account now and again. However, if somebody wants to go out for coffee or dinner and spend a few hours of quality time discussing face to face, looking into each other's eyes instead of a computer screen, let me know.

Facebook

"Hi John .... long time since the Haig." That's what the message said. It was somebody asking me on Facebook to be added as a friend. My reply went something like this, "I'm not trying to be unfriendly, but I seem to forget who you are. How do you know me?" She replied that she really didn't know me, but since we both went to the same high school, she thought I might add her as a friend.

Don't you just love Facebook? It can really put you on the spot. Once in awhile, you are put on the spot when somebody asks you to be a friend and you don't know what to do.

As far as I can understand there are only a few reasons why I wouldn't add her as my friend.

First, I don't really consider her to be a friend, thus I feel I am under no obligation to add her. This is exactly how I feel about the request I just had. I have no idea who this woman is, so I have no intention of adding her as my friend. She admits that she really doesn't know me. She could have lied and told me that she used to admire me from afar many years ago, but, no, she was honest (which was appreciated) and confessed that I was only a name in a list of people who attended Earl Haig Secondary School in Willowdale.

Also, I could just forget to add her as a friend. It could completely slip my mind. I don't think I can do it with this former graduate of my high school. I have sent her two or three messages asking for clarification. There will be no doubt in her mind that not accepting her offer of friendship is not due to forgetfulness.

Reason number three is that I have some pretty important people on my list. For example, if the Prime Minister of Canada was on my list, I would be hesitant to have many others on my list of friends. Mind you, I could create an alternate identity for one set of friends and another for people like the Prime Minister, couldn't I? However, if she is a really good friend, can't she be trusted not to bother these people? Anyway, do I really want to go to all the effort of having two identities? I'm having enough trouble leading one life, let alone two.

The next two reasons are painful. Four is that I don't want anyone to know that she is my friend. Ouch! If that is the case, then I am not really a friend. I want to show my friends off to the world, not hide them. Hidden friends are only friends of convenience. In my books, they are being used.

Finally, the only other reason I would reject people is that I wouldn't want them to see my friends. It reminds me of George in Seinfeld when he doesn't want his girlfriend to meet his other friends. He doesn't want his two worlds to collide. Again, if people are my friends, they are my friends. And all of my friends can meet my other friends. It is as simple as that for me.

Even so, I have come close to adding this person as a friend, even though I don't have the foggiest idea who she is. The social pressure Facebook puts on me is pretty great. But I guess I have one other reason to ignore her request. Really, do you think she is interested in reading all sorts of stuff about somebody she really doesn't know? I would prefer that she spends her time developing relationships with those close to her, not somebody she has never met.

In spite of all these pressures, there is one thing I do like about Facebook. It can help you get in touch with people you have somehow lost. I reunited with a great friend of mine, Birnie. In fact, if you ever read The Corsage in my blog, he is the one who set me up on a blind date. He also helped me through a difficult time in my life. And, yes, I asked him to be my friend and he accepted. Of course he did. He was a friend and always will be.