Captain Digital

Random musings on politics, society, and pop culture from the Internet's marketing curmudgeon.

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common sense

I’ve got rhythm. (And you can, too.)

 

My daughter – let’s call her “Private Digital” – is studying the violin. She played with her symphony orchestra this past Saturday. Way cool. I wish I’d been able to play with a symphonic orchestra when I was in grade school. (I got to play with a lot of jazz combos and rock groups, but that’s another story.)

What I find interesting is that in many ways, she’s much like most of my better students, back when I taught music lessons for a living. I found that the ones that were pretty sharp had more trouble with the mechanics of music, because they relied on their ears instead of their eyes. That may sound odd, since music is an aural media, but using your eyes (to read music) is essential. It’s what makes the difference between someone who plays violin and a violinist. [Read more…] about I’ve got rhythm. (And you can, too.)

Economics and Perception.

One of my favorite stories involves a blind street vendor of hot dogs. One day, one his customers suggested that if business was good, he should consider expanding. The customer offered to help the blind vendor with introductions to a banker, and so the vendor ended up buying a second cart, and hiring someone to work for him. That worked out so well, that he was able to buy more carts, and hire more people. This gave him enough discretionary income that he was able to send his son to college. The son majored in business administration. When the kid graduated, he returned home to see that his dad had purchased a corner lot and an old diner trailer that he rennovated and opened as a freestanding restaurant. The son was horrified. “Dad…don’t you know the economy is lousy! You shouldn’t be expanding right now…you need to pull in your horns and hunker down for a long recessionary period. This has got “Depression” written all over it! You’d better be careful, or you’ll lose everything!” 

The father thought, “Well…my son did go to college, which I’ve never done, and he did major in business, and he did get a degree. Maybe he’s right.” So he sold the restaurant, sold off the other carts, and went back to working a single street corner, selling hot dogs. He thought, “Boy, my son was right. The economy is lousy.” [Read more…] about Economics and Perception.

Fatherhood.

I was at a banquet tonight given under the auspices of “America Supports You,” a group that helps Americans show tangible support for our military personnel and their families. It got me to thinking about tough jobs. Anybody serving in our military has a tough job. That almost (but not quite) goes without saying. Military families have a tough (and usually under-appreciated) job, too. Keeping things going stateside while your significant other is deployed can be every bit demanding (in a quite different way) from serving in harm’s way. Tonight, I’d like to talk about another tough job: Fatherhood. [Read more…] about Fatherhood.

Journalistic Malpractice.

Keeping to my pledge to lay off politics for a while is going to prove to be more difficult than I thought.

Yesterday, I heard a report of an on-air chat between reporters talking heads Charlie Rose and Tom Brokaw, where they sat around (basking in the post-election afterglow) and opined that nobody really knows anything about our President-Elect. They were somewhat mystified that anyone could get elected to the Presidency, without knowing what they think about the important issues of the day. (Keep in mind, we’re not listening to a couple of wet-behind-the-ears, 20-something bloggers here – these two gentlemen of the press have what amounts to a lifetime of experience between the two of them.) They both remarked that “we don’t really know anything about Obama.”

Whaaaa?!

[Read more…] about Journalistic Malpractice.

Gullible’s Travels

If you listen to the media, Al “I invented the Internet” Gore, and many of the self-appointed expert witnesses we call Hollywood stars, you’d count Chicken Little as an underachiever. It seems that, every other day, we get another politician telling us that we must limit carbon emissions, or that the pollution on our planet is all our fault (humans in general, and America, specifically). According to the prevailing wisdom:

  • America is the big villain when it comes to carbon footprints, global climate change (nee: “global warming”) and the destruction of the planet
  • The only way to save our planet is to allow the government to tax us out the wazoo
  • All the experts are in total agreement on the causes and effects of global warming and climate change.

Let’s look at the last one first. [Read more…] about Gullible’s Travels

Groupthink.

groupthink (grūp’thĭngk’) n. The act or practice of reasoning or decision-making by a group, especially when characterized by uncritical acceptance or conformity to prevailing points of view.

It is a part of human nature to want to belong. Belonging takes many forms – families, clubs, schools, sports teams and their fans, and even politics. In society, many of us classify themselves by labels that indicate to which group we belong. Conservative. Liberal. Republican. Democrat. But where things get weird is when one group takes hold of the idea that their ideas and beliefs are not only superior to the other groups, but that the other groups are stupid, wrong, and even dangerous.

Welcome to politics in 2008. [Read more…] about Groupthink.

The choice we face in this election.

 

NOTE: This post is a slightly edited version of a piece I wrote in response to an article published in Animation World Network magazine. 
— • —
As Election Day ’08 draws near, it’s obvious that this election represents the crossing of the Rubicon for America. As voters, We the People have a choice to make, and it’s a dramatically different one than we’ve faced before. In our generation, we’ve never had to face a decision that offers such stark contrasts – Obama, the anti-war, anti-big business, big-government candidate or McCain, the pro-business, anti-tax, political maverick – who in any other year would be described as a moderate (in almost every respect, except for his position the war). 
Those on the left would have you believe that the choice we face is between the “progressive” ideas of the cool, calm and collected Obama, versus a senile, mad dog (McCain) prone to rash decisions and irresponsible positions on the war, the economy, and our future.
But pause with me for a nanosecond, and let’s consider a few (verifiable) facts, and see if those on the Left have  all the answers. [Read more…] about The choice we face in this election.

Nothing like a little unbiased polling…

A week or so ago, one of the special-interests sites (for professional animators, if you must know) sent me a request to participate in a poll regarding how artists plan to vote in November. I responded, as it looked as if it was legitimate, and trying to get an honest sample from a specific demographic. 

They lied. 

What this was, in fact, was an agenda-driven poll, taken so that the person behind the poll, could spew his far, far left, Liberal point-of-view, and use the (very unscientific) poll results to justify his own hate-filled B.S. 

In case you think I’m exaggerating, here’s the link to the article in question: [Read more…] about Nothing like a little unbiased polling…

Saturday Night Comatose

Apparently like most of America, I was suckered into watching Saturday Night Live for the much ballyhooed Sarah Palin appearance. It had been hyped (by just about everybody) for so long, perhaps my expectations were too high. For the record, I thought that, in both her bits, Governor Palin was gracious, a good sport, and looked like the only adult in the room. Everybody else looked like what they were – entertainers who weren’t that entertaining, more spoiled kids riffing on a throwaway joke as if it were the next “Who’s On First” routine. And I’m not just talking about the Palin sketches. I’m talking about the entire show. (You know the show’s a dog when the best – and most memorable – thing on it is the musical guest. Where are the Muppets when they need them?) [Read more…] about Saturday Night Comatose

Cause and Effect.

I think I’ve figured out what the problem is.

Of course, to understand that, we must first agree on what problem we’re discussing.

I’m speaking of pretty much every problem we’ve got in society today, from child-rearing to the economy, from taxes to personal relationships. Look at any conflict, and then boil it down to the essentials, and I think you’ll find the same root cause.

We are, in virtually every case, denying how cause and effect are inexorably linked. Case(s) in point: [Read more…] about Cause and Effect.