Last Guys Don't Finish Nice

I am a Robert Greene fan.  If you have no idea who that is, look him up here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/dec/03/robert-greene-48-laws-of-power

That book he talks about? I have that one. And 4 of his others.  People's opinions of him vary--some think he is a psychopath, some credit him as being the most brilliant strategists since Sun Tsu.  Both are extreme impressions and I dislike eveything about extremism, so it is unlikely any of these reviews sway my opinion of the man. But, he's a smart guy and he gets people.  So, he makes my list of influential authors.  In many ways, we are very like-minded, Greene and I.  We share many of the same opinions on people, on relationships, on power and the power of power.
I guess his outlook could best be described as pessimistically real. So, I suppose that makes him a pessimistic realist.

The following quote may be a tangible example of that theory:
"Niceness is a decision. It is a strategy of social interaction; it is not a character trait."  --Robert Greene

So, dive right in.  Forget about what anyone will think or say.  Be as honest as you can when you consider and answer the question: Is Robert Greene correct about his assertion regarding niceness?
Include explanations, examples, proof etc.

The Winds of Change

On January 20, the 45^th President of the United States will be sworn in, and approximately 6 billion people globally will watch it happen. And there are some who won’t.  But, that won’t stop it from happening.  That seems to be the thing about life—when we least expect it, when we’re not ready for it, when we think we need more time—it happens. Life, that is. So, no matter what side you are or were on during the past 15 months of the election debacle, here we are.

Tensions are high; you don’t have to be an expert in emotional intelligence to recognize that some people are dealing with the upcoming inauguration in very different ways, and those ways don’t often reflect the views of their friends, family members or maybe even general society.  This often creates even more tension.  So, let’s try to take the anxiety down a notch.  Let’s try to remember that at the end of the day, most people try to be decent citizens and quality humans.  Let’s try to extend kindness to one another so that kindness becomes the norm, rather than the exception.  Let’s all remember who we are.

To do that, maybe we should take a look at some of those who came before us.  Let’s look at someone who dared to stare down the hostility and degradation of racism not with the arrogance of a pointed finger and a rolled eye, but with the kindness of a smile and a soothing word or two.  It seems fitting now, one day passed, to talk about MLK and what he stood for then, as well as what his legacy stands for now. 

You all know the “I Have a Dream” speech, and you all know that it is a rhetorical masterpiece, ripe with all the devices and strategies that good literature is famous for, but what it also is is one man’s blueprint for his own American Dream.  54 years ago, Dr. King delivered that speech about his dream of equality.  In some ways, the world is a very different place now than it was then.  However, there are some who would say it is not nearly as different as it should be.

So, your challenge this week is to carefully consider the upcoming National event of the inauguration and what that means to people, as well as think about the state of the world you currently inhabit.  If Dr. King were alive today, do you think his dream would be different?  How so?  If you think it would be the same, how come? What is your own dream about the future of the world? Construct your own “I Have a Dream…” and show me how you conceive of the American dream.  What kind of impact will the next four years have on that dream?   

"Everything has Beauty, but Not Everybody Sees It"--Confucius

It has never really bothered me, (much), but, I have never been called "beautiful," so that word has always held for me a foundation of unattainability, and therefore, mystery.  Kind of makes me wonder--What makes something--or someone--full of beauty?

The great and powerful Sophia Loren once said, "True beauty is a mirage." True beauty? What IS that, anyway?  In your mind, what is "true beauty?"

Myself, I am awed by things of beauty, no matter what--or who--they might be (Johnny Depp...ahem…sunsets...butterflies...puppies...creme brulee).

This week, I would like you to muse with me about this concept. Over time, across cultures, the mystery of beauty has both vexed and captivated all walks of life. The animal kingdom even has its own notion of what makes them attractive—peacocks fluff their plumage, ducks wiggle their butts, all in the name of beauty.  They do it to attract mates--is that why we do?

Do we chase beauty?  Do we worship it?  Are beautiful people treated differently that those considered less so?

Men and women have been frustrated and fascinated by beauty, have been rendered powerless in their attempts to capture it, bottle it, enhance it, ignore it, use it and celebrate it. WHY??  Why do you think human beings are so enthralled with the idea of trying to capture "beauty?" (this is kinda the same question as the one earlier, but as you can see, I feel strongly about this.)

Why? Its importance and its role in our lives will be the subject of this blog discussion, and I would like you to seriously consider what your definition of “true beauty” is. Why is beauty the object of both admiration and envy? Why does the pursuit of beauty bring us pain as well as pleasure? Consider both sexes when you ask yourself these questions—think about the pursuit, the pain, the pleasure from all angles.
Do you see yourself as beautiful?  How do you measure it?  Who is the most beautiful person you know?  Why?

New Beginnings

Whew.  So, it's over.  2016--the year of...well, there are really too many adjectives, verbs and hyperbolic phrases that could be inserted there, so that's where I think we should start.

I am a huge fan of moving forward--I don't even like to put my car in reverse if I can help it--true story--but I also recognize the value of taking a backward glance from time to time. I mean, how else can you see:

1) how far you've gone
2) how much you've left to go
3) where the twists, turns and pot holes in the roads were

Now, for me, of all of those, #3 means the most.  Like I said, I am a fan of moving forward, but most of the time, the natural enemy to forward thinking or really any kind of positive progression, is repetition.  The repetition of a mistake is the most obvious deterrant to progression because it usually means going backward, but even repeating things that worked out for you can be detrimental to progress because it could mean that you are comfortable and not taking any more risks, and then, consequently, you can't "really" progress. Personally, I like to see where things went bananas for me, or where I made a wrong turn, or how taking the shortcut would've helped me had I only listened to someone else.

So, usually right around now, I allow me the time I need to take stock of my personal and professional situations.
I should do this more often than just the start of a new year, I know this, but something about the symbolism of starting at 1 just speaks to me, so here I am.
What I noticed I did way too much last year was to let things that were either out of my control, or not really fixable in the first place, define who I was.  As a result, I spent too much of 2016 feeling like a colossal failure. Thus, for 2017, I have decided to form BOTH an interpretation and a life plan from something I read by accident over break. It was a quote from a long-dead German author named Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (that G name is actually pronounced "Gert-A), and it states: "Things that matter most should never be at the mercy of things that matter least."
I am trying to find a sign that says that, but so far, no luck.

Now, its your turn.
First--I want you to fill in that sentence I started at the beginning: "2016--the year of ____________". Explain your choice.
Second, of the three reasons I listed for why looking back is good, which one do you see the most value in and why? Explain in detail.
Finally, moving forward in whatever area of life you want to focus on, how would you like to proceed that is AT LEAST marginally different then whatever you did last year?

Tis the Season

First, some holiday humor!

What do you call an elf who is afraid of Santa Claus?



CLAUStrophobic!!!!   :) Tee heeeeeee :)

Ok, onward and upward.

So, as we all know, the holiday season is upon us. Theoretically, we know it is a time to bring tidings of great joy and all that, but you don't have to be Scrooge to recognize that Christmas & Hanukkah & holidays in general really, tend to get more commercialized and commerce-driven each year. There is an entire DAY dedicated to the notion of spending money on holiday gifts. Crazy, right?

So, this week, let's do something different and instead of focusing on THINGS we would give to people as holiday gifts, let's instead talk about abstract concepts, feelings or ideas we would like to bestow (look it up) on another person--or, in this case, on two other people in our Lang fam, and one or two of whomever you choose.
Here is the idea: choose any two people across all three sections (both people cannot be from your own class), and talk about what you would like to "theoretically give" them as gifts.  I will give you an example of something I thought of earlier:

For Jana I would give the power of healing self-love--both the ability to pass on to others, AND to fully appreciate its remedial nature.  I would want her to call upon this power in her darkest of days when she is caring for herself and when she is emotionally recovering from the trauma of caring for herself. Healing self-love would soothe Jana's spirits and allow her the time necessary to build herself back up. Healing self-love would bring the shine back to Jana's eyes, and her smiles would be real again.

You've got some time for this task-today is Wednesday and this blog isn't due until next Wednesday the 28th (it's not real work in the traditonal Lang sense), so naturally that means I expect you will have put some thought into this. By thought I mean supporting details, varied syntax, and impassioned diction. Comprende?

Have fun with it--spread the joy.  Who knows?  Maybe AP Lang can save Christmas and we'll get a movie made!

Lost in Translation

I must confess that for as long as I can remember, I've felt felt a tinge of loneliness; ok, more than a tinge. It isn't because I don't have tons of friends--I mean, I don't, but I don't need tons. The scant few I've got are all I need because I've never been the type of person who judges herself on popularity. That seems stupid to me, given how fleeting popularity really is.
No, the truth is that I've almost always felt lonely for one reason: the sinking feeling that there are precious few people who view the world and those in it the way I do. For some reason, this matters a great deal to me. And this is the reason that I sometimes feel like I'm miles away even while surrounded by humans.


Often, when I'm feeling alone, I like to keep moving. Specifically, I like to go for walks.  Well, first I drive to a place I've either 1) never been OR 2) always go.  It's the drive before the walk that allows me to let go of the day and absorb the night. These walks of mine always happen at night. I feel like that's an important detail. Don't ask me why. So this is the state of affairs that brought me to Center City Philly last Friday night. As I roamed Old City, a place I once lived,  I found myself replaying some of the interactions with various people I'd had up to that point in the day. When my mind settled on one of the day's conversations--I don't remember which--I distinctly recall feeling a rising tide of frustration. And while I'm sketchy on the details of the conversation which sparked these thoughts, I know precisely what frustrated me that evening, because it's something that consistently frustrates me to no end: the realization that most people seem to have no handle on what it means to be "intelligent." Not that I feel that I have a monopoly on the definition. It's just that I feel that people throw the word around like it's a hacky sack, with little to no thought about how their use of the term speaks volumes about what they value in terms of mental capacity.


So, you guessed it. I'd like you to weigh in on the subject. What does it mean to be "intelligent"? Who's the smartest person you've ever known? What is it that makes them so intelligent in your view? Be specific, cite examples and do your best to arrive at a definition. But DON'T consult a dictionary. If you absolutely can't resist the temptation to chew on someone else's thoughts on the subject, I'd like you to google quotations on intelligence and tell me if you come across one that sums up your views on the topic--or one that doesn't if playing devil's advocate is your thing.  Share the quote with us and connect it with your response. Don't rush your thinking. Let it marinate...

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." ---Rudyard Kipling

I love words.

Good thing I suppose, given my chosen and hard-fought-for occupation. Every time I sit down at a keyboard or have a pen poised over a blank sheet of paper, I feel overwhelmed with excitement, with possibility, with anticipation. With a few key strokes or swipes of a pen, you can find the right combination of words that can make someone LOVE you.
Conversely, you can break a heart, manipulate a mind or sever an allegiance…all with those same strokes or swipes. Think about that. Legends are immortalized because of words. Nations go to war over words. Couples are united in matrimony with words. Hearts and lives are shattered due to words. The power they wield is, in a word, awesome.

“Every time I come around the corner and see your car in the driveway I get sick to my stomach.”

I sat on the couch during yet another face-off with my mother when she let fly with that condemnation, effectively shattering any sense of comfort and belonging I may have been clinging to at the time. I was 17. I’m 46 now, and I can hear those words in my ear as clear as if they were uttered 10 minutes ago. I can’t say that it was those exact words that led to the eventual, unsurprising demise of my relationship with my mother, but I know it was certainly a huge chunk out of the already crumbling foundation. It stands, to this day, as one of the worst things anyone has ever said to me.

But, as I said, words are powerful. They have healing properties. Let me give you a scenario. I was visiting a friend at what is now, TCNJ (back then it was Trenton State College). My boyfriend of about a year had just broken up with me, quite unceremoniously, at a party the night before. I was feeling kind of blue, just sort of moping around the campus waiting for my friend’s class to end. While aimlessly wandering through the bookstore, I saw an old friend from high school, a guy who graduated a year ahead of me. We got to talking about life after high school and what my plans were and all of that idle small talk, when he looked me right in the eye and said, “Well Cass, the thing is, I hear you’re an excellent writer.”

What followed is not a Cinderella-like ending of fairytale romance (this is me we’re talking about) between Matt Opacity (that was his name--Opcaity. Sounds like something other than a name, but I don't know what) and your Lang teacher. We didn’t fall into each other’s arms and swear undying love—it wasn’t even a romantic moment. He wasn’t trying out a brand-new pick-up line or even trying to soothe my bruised, dumped ego. It was a simple declaration that I am quite sure he would never even remember saying all these years later. But it’s impact on me was and is undeniable. Because of him, when I went back home, the first place I looked for a summer job was at a local newspaper called The Sandpaper. I landed a job as a stringer and at the tender age of 18, got my first ever piece of writing published. I even got paid for it! (It was an article on Tonkinese cats—don’t laugh!) Such is the power and the beauty of words.

So, that is the focus of this week’s blog question. I would like you to think about conversations you have had, arguments in which you’ve been embroiled, moments of bliss you have experienced. They all have one thing in common—WORDS.
The Yin: What is the worst thing anyone has ever said to you? Why do you think it was the worst thing? How did it make you feel?
And for the Yang (because there always is one): What was the best compliment you have ever received?
Who said it? Why do you think was it was the best compliment?
And finally, perhaps even MOST IMPORTANTLY, reflect on the fact that you highlighted these two particular comments. What do you think your choices of what was the best and worst thing anyone could say about/to you reveal about your personality? Much to think about, I know. Don’t delay!!