I have been conspicuously absent from social media for a couple of weeks. I just haven't had anything nice to say, and it has been bothering me. Am I really that much of grump? Well, maybe I am, but this morning I realized what has had me residing in Grumptown; social media.
I open up my Facebook feed and it is littered with angry people, hypocritical people, and whiny people. Read a few posts from these folks and see if you can live on the sunny side of life!
I have read post after post of political propaganda from all three sides of the fence. Each of them taking a quote out of context, throwing out a number that sounds outrageous, but isn't true, or just bad-mouthing the other side because they can.
I won't go into my political viewpoint, because it really doesn't matter. I don't care what side of the fence you sit on, when you distribute lies, YOU are the idiot; not the president, not the guy running against the president, not the NRA, not the anti-gun.
If you want to tout the virtues of eating healthy, eating organic, eating right, don't follow that post with a status of your location being a pizza house, or a burger joint. Unless you're protesting fatty foods, you just negated your earlier posts.
And really? I don't care how unfair life has been to you when you get on your iPhone/Pad, or personal computer to type that message out, while your munching on food you don't need, living in a climate controlled environment, thinking about where you are going to go to in your car that costs more than someone in Mexico makes in a year. There's an undernourished kid in Uganda that would like to speak with you.
With all that said, I unfollowed a lot of people this morning. Life is already looking brighter! I haven't had anything nice to say because the people I surrounded myself with in the social media world didn't either. Problem fixed.
When the world gets in your face
I say
Have a Nice Day!
Showing posts with label idiots. Show all posts
Showing posts with label idiots. Show all posts
Monday, April 22, 2013
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
A Question of Money
A common misconception I have heard/read on several occasions is that epic storylines (longer than the traditional trilogy) are all about the money. You know, I could be a bit naive about this, but I will have to strongly disagree.
23 years and 14 books long, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series was wrapped up last week. For those who have read the books, we know the length of the story was in large part due to Jordan's penchant for foreshadowing. Chapters of non-consequential scenes littered the series, but those scenes were used to set up things that often didn't happen until two or three books later.
Millions of people enjoyed his writing style. Millions of people, not two or three friends at work, but millions of people around the world. I enjoyed his style, my wife doesn't care for it. His writing style and the breadth of the story contributed to the length of the series. Did I mention that millions of people liked it?
Money was not the bottom line.
Jordan had a story to tell, and if he was anything like myself, he wasn't going to cut it short just to meet some arbitrary number of acceptable books. Sure, there were ways to crop the story; cut down on the characters (which he had aplenty), don't tell the readers about the sub-plots that contribute to the final page, knock it off with the foreshadowing, etc. Jordan stuck to his guns and told the story HE wanted to tell and the story the READERS wanted to read.
My Drums of Rallinwar story is being told in the same manner. I am telling you the story that I want to tell, and I hope the you want to read. Granted, my story isn't fourteen volumes. My story may only last three books, or it may go four books, but there is no number that I am tied to. The story will end when it chooses to end. Money has absolutely no bearing on the length of the tale. I have other stories to tell.
While I'm rambling on, keep in mind that some author's tire of their stories and want to wrap them up. Some have wrapped them up despite the cries for more from their readers. Aren't they losing money by not continuing the story?
Just because your world revolves around the money that other people make, does not mean that their world revolves around your desires.
Here you go, shameless plug: BUY MY BOOK! Blood of Two: Book One in the Drums of Rallinwar series. Available where you buy your ebooks and you can even find it in paperback on Amazon (do a search for C. Hollis Gunter). Buy it, rate it, review it, and if nothing else, I hope you enjoy it. However long the series is.
23 years and 14 books long, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series was wrapped up last week. For those who have read the books, we know the length of the story was in large part due to Jordan's penchant for foreshadowing. Chapters of non-consequential scenes littered the series, but those scenes were used to set up things that often didn't happen until two or three books later.
Millions of people enjoyed his writing style. Millions of people, not two or three friends at work, but millions of people around the world. I enjoyed his style, my wife doesn't care for it. His writing style and the breadth of the story contributed to the length of the series. Did I mention that millions of people liked it?
Money was not the bottom line.
Jordan had a story to tell, and if he was anything like myself, he wasn't going to cut it short just to meet some arbitrary number of acceptable books. Sure, there were ways to crop the story; cut down on the characters (which he had aplenty), don't tell the readers about the sub-plots that contribute to the final page, knock it off with the foreshadowing, etc. Jordan stuck to his guns and told the story HE wanted to tell and the story the READERS wanted to read.
My Drums of Rallinwar story is being told in the same manner. I am telling you the story that I want to tell, and I hope the you want to read. Granted, my story isn't fourteen volumes. My story may only last three books, or it may go four books, but there is no number that I am tied to. The story will end when it chooses to end. Money has absolutely no bearing on the length of the tale. I have other stories to tell.
While I'm rambling on, keep in mind that some author's tire of their stories and want to wrap them up. Some have wrapped them up despite the cries for more from their readers. Aren't they losing money by not continuing the story?
Just because your world revolves around the money that other people make, does not mean that their world revolves around your desires.
Here you go, shameless plug: BUY MY BOOK! Blood of Two: Book One in the Drums of Rallinwar series. Available where you buy your ebooks and you can even find it in paperback on Amazon (do a search for C. Hollis Gunter). Buy it, rate it, review it, and if nothing else, I hope you enjoy it. However long the series is.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
It's Over So Shut Up
There are certain topics that get banned from conversation during family get togethers for one reason or another: religion, sports, politics etc. Usually because the passion involved makes even the most likable person a true ass.
We all just suffured through another presidential election. I think in many ways we suffered more than ever before. In one sense, I am lucky. I live in the state of Oklahoma. In the grand scheme of things, Oklahoma doesn't matter. We aren't one of those states that can decide an election, so no money isn't wasted on television commercials. For that matter, if you are a democrat in Oklahoma, you may as well stay home on that one Tuesday every four years.
This time around it seems that social media was just littered with election garbage. And it was just that; garbage. The falsehoods propogated on Twitter, Facebook, etc. were astounding. The sad part of it was that people presented these falsehoods as fact. This of course makes them no better than the morally lacking candidates that ran for office.
Republican, Democrat, or whatever other not-a-chance party, it didn't matter. The lies spread like an egg in a lopsided frying pan. What really throws me off is that people that I thought were intelligent human beings shared, retweeted, reposted stories that were just outright lies, or misrepresentations of photographs. So, either these intelligent people are liars, or they are dumber than I gave them credit for. Either way, a lot of people, from all sides, lost a lot of my respect for them.
It all goes back to something I have said before on this blog: Don't believe everything you see on TV, read in the paper, or find on the internet; research the facts.
If you share, retweet, repost a story without finding out whether or not it is true, then you have been made the fool. Don the cute little hat with bells on it and do a little jig, because you are qualified for one thing, acting the fool.
And now that the election season has passed, I still get inundated with propoganda on the social media outlets. It's over. There is nobody that needs to be convinced that your side is the only side to be on for another four years. And really, do you actually think that your lies will change someones mind?
It's over, so shut up.
My favorite line this election season, that says more about the speaker than it does about who they are speaking too:
"If you don't vote for Obama, then you are racist."
Shameless plug:
Blood of Two (Drums of Rallinwar: Book One) is available in electronic format at your favorite e-book outlet, including Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, Diesel, and Smashwords. Buy it, rate it, review it.
We all just suffured through another presidential election. I think in many ways we suffered more than ever before. In one sense, I am lucky. I live in the state of Oklahoma. In the grand scheme of things, Oklahoma doesn't matter. We aren't one of those states that can decide an election, so no money isn't wasted on television commercials. For that matter, if you are a democrat in Oklahoma, you may as well stay home on that one Tuesday every four years.
This time around it seems that social media was just littered with election garbage. And it was just that; garbage. The falsehoods propogated on Twitter, Facebook, etc. were astounding. The sad part of it was that people presented these falsehoods as fact. This of course makes them no better than the morally lacking candidates that ran for office.
Republican, Democrat, or whatever other not-a-chance party, it didn't matter. The lies spread like an egg in a lopsided frying pan. What really throws me off is that people that I thought were intelligent human beings shared, retweeted, reposted stories that were just outright lies, or misrepresentations of photographs. So, either these intelligent people are liars, or they are dumber than I gave them credit for. Either way, a lot of people, from all sides, lost a lot of my respect for them.
It all goes back to something I have said before on this blog: Don't believe everything you see on TV, read in the paper, or find on the internet; research the facts.
If you share, retweet, repost a story without finding out whether or not it is true, then you have been made the fool. Don the cute little hat with bells on it and do a little jig, because you are qualified for one thing, acting the fool.
And now that the election season has passed, I still get inundated with propoganda on the social media outlets. It's over. There is nobody that needs to be convinced that your side is the only side to be on for another four years. And really, do you actually think that your lies will change someones mind?
It's over, so shut up.
My favorite line this election season, that says more about the speaker than it does about who they are speaking too:
"If you don't vote for Obama, then you are racist."
Shameless plug:
Blood of Two (Drums of Rallinwar: Book One) is available in electronic format at your favorite e-book outlet, including Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, Diesel, and Smashwords. Buy it, rate it, review it.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Don't be a lazy American
This topic gets me wound up; well, as wound up as my personality allows. The subject of immigration, legal and illegal, is a polarizing topic filled with misconceptions, half-truths, and outright lies. Much of which is propagated by the media and politicians.
Let me make one thing clear, before I move on; illegal is illegal. People come to this country for reasons that most of us take for granted. Many come by following the proper, legal channels, while many come here by skirting our laws. Those that come here illegally know that they are breaking laws, and they know that if they are caught, they will be sent back to their homelands. I don’t have a problem with deporting people who are here illegally. Until we change our laws, this should happen. What some people fail to recognize is the fact that we do not enforce these laws with any kind of consistency.
I encourage you to do your due diligence and research the truths of immigration. In most cases, what you read in your paper, see on the news, or hear from your politicians, is not fact. You have to dig to find the truth. You have to be able to recognize propaganda, from either side of the argument. Do not bombard me with stereotypes. Do not try to impress me with generalizations. You will only make me laugh at your ignorance.
Illegal aliens take jobs from Americans that need them. Really? Americans do need jobs, but we Americans have come accustomed to making more money than what some of the industries that illegal’s work in are willing to pay. I’m not sure that we, as consumers, are ready to pay American wages for these jobs. How much are you willing to pay for that tomato? Do your research. Give this subject due diligence. Don’t just go off what MSNBC or FOX is telling you. YOU must find the truth.
Illegals are a drain on the economy. Again, do the research. What you find may surprise you.
So, what is the answer? If I knew that, I wouldn’t be wrestling to survive from paycheck to paycheck. I do know that Alabama’s recent actions are not the answer. Of course, coming from a state with a heritage of racism, their new laws are hardly abnormal.
The answer can be found through intelligent discussions. A solution that does not adversely impact your well-being, because that is what most concerns you, can be reached. Do not approach this topic in ignorance. Do not approach this topic armed only with the knowledge gleaned from the national media and politicians who want your vote. Learn the facts. Find the truth. Arm yourself with the knowledge to make your own decision. Don’t be the stereotypical Lazy American.
Until you have actually researched the topic beyond the six o’clock news and talk radio, please keep your ignorance to yourself. You will appear much smarter for it.
Let me make one thing clear, before I move on; illegal is illegal. People come to this country for reasons that most of us take for granted. Many come by following the proper, legal channels, while many come here by skirting our laws. Those that come here illegally know that they are breaking laws, and they know that if they are caught, they will be sent back to their homelands. I don’t have a problem with deporting people who are here illegally. Until we change our laws, this should happen. What some people fail to recognize is the fact that we do not enforce these laws with any kind of consistency.
I encourage you to do your due diligence and research the truths of immigration. In most cases, what you read in your paper, see on the news, or hear from your politicians, is not fact. You have to dig to find the truth. You have to be able to recognize propaganda, from either side of the argument. Do not bombard me with stereotypes. Do not try to impress me with generalizations. You will only make me laugh at your ignorance.
Illegal aliens take jobs from Americans that need them. Really? Americans do need jobs, but we Americans have come accustomed to making more money than what some of the industries that illegal’s work in are willing to pay. I’m not sure that we, as consumers, are ready to pay American wages for these jobs. How much are you willing to pay for that tomato? Do your research. Give this subject due diligence. Don’t just go off what MSNBC or FOX is telling you. YOU must find the truth.
Illegals are a drain on the economy. Again, do the research. What you find may surprise you.
So, what is the answer? If I knew that, I wouldn’t be wrestling to survive from paycheck to paycheck. I do know that Alabama’s recent actions are not the answer. Of course, coming from a state with a heritage of racism, their new laws are hardly abnormal.
The answer can be found through intelligent discussions. A solution that does not adversely impact your well-being, because that is what most concerns you, can be reached. Do not approach this topic in ignorance. Do not approach this topic armed only with the knowledge gleaned from the national media and politicians who want your vote. Learn the facts. Find the truth. Arm yourself with the knowledge to make your own decision. Don’t be the stereotypical Lazy American.
Until you have actually researched the topic beyond the six o’clock news and talk radio, please keep your ignorance to yourself. You will appear much smarter for it.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
You Just Don't Know
Two controversial verdicts were handed out this past month: A pharmacist in Oklahoma was found guilty for killing a would be thief in his store, and a mother was found innocent of killing her child.
In both cases cries of foul were heard across the nation. I even saw a photograph of a sign that accused the jury of murder, because they found the mother not guilty. Even one of my favorite idiots (Bill Maher) called Republicans murderers. Sometimes stupid stands out like meth addict in a monastery.
Take both of these cases, and you have twenty-four people that know the full story. Twenty-four, not twenty-four million. There are laws that these people need to consider when making their decision. Whether you agree with the verdicts, or not, the justice system worked exactly as it was designed. These jurors did their jobs.
The day that jurors begin to listen to public opinion is the day that the judicial system fails YOU.
IF there were any failures in either of these cases, the failures lie with the lawyers. IF these verdicts were wrong, it was because the lawyers failed in presenting their cases.
If you want to be assinine and accuse innocent people of murder, at least direct your ignorance in the right direction.
In both cases cries of foul were heard across the nation. I even saw a photograph of a sign that accused the jury of murder, because they found the mother not guilty. Even one of my favorite idiots (Bill Maher) called Republicans murderers. Sometimes stupid stands out like meth addict in a monastery.
Take both of these cases, and you have twenty-four people that know the full story. Twenty-four, not twenty-four million. There are laws that these people need to consider when making their decision. Whether you agree with the verdicts, or not, the justice system worked exactly as it was designed. These jurors did their jobs.
The day that jurors begin to listen to public opinion is the day that the judicial system fails YOU.
IF there were any failures in either of these cases, the failures lie with the lawyers. IF these verdicts were wrong, it was because the lawyers failed in presenting their cases.
If you want to be assinine and accuse innocent people of murder, at least direct your ignorance in the right direction.
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