The Fossil Fuels of the Future

T-rump Courtesy Daily KOS

Culture; commonly defined as customary beliefs, social forms and norms, material traits of a racial, religious, or social group, foods, and laws shared by people in a place or time.  

All humans, whomever and wherever we are, tend to establish these defining characteristics as an extension of who we are by assuming our cultural identities as our own, sometimes to the detriment of the very cultures with which we identify.

Throughout human history, cultures have influenced virtually every aspect of our lives.  It determines what and how we eat, how we view and interact with one another, our religious and political preferences, our housing and even our sexual behavior.

We can certainly reject some of the attributes of our cultures, however, none can authoritatively claim the overly coveted “self-determined individual”, for there are far too many factors influencing our lives.  From the moment we’re born, until we’re pushing up daisies, we become little more than the sum of our surroundings, influenced by other people and the cultures in which we’re born.

Likewise; merging and converging cultures, or “transculturation”, has unavoidable effects on all aspects of life for us.   As with each human, cultures influence and change other cultures as well.  Through the technological advances influencing today’s trade, exploration/tourism, migration, and even war, cultures change via appropriation of the attributes of other cultures.

From food to dress; from religion to politics, cultures have and will continue to impact others.

This phenomenon is not without conflict, however, and those vociferously opposing the idea of blending cultures, desiring to remain isolated, fail to realize that all modern cultures are, and will continue to be, representative of almost every other culture on the planet.

And this fact creates opportunity for two very distinct choices; hegemony and harmony.

The convergence of cultures screams opportunities in education, personal growth, and expansion of one’s understanding of the world; in short, wisdom.  And, in todays world, it also screams necessity for change, for acceptance of and growth within this challenge, much in the same manner as biological evolution, will ensure survival of the culturally fit.

Regardless of personal preferences, converging cultures WILL evolve and survive.  It is inevitable, for one cultural identity simply cannot exist in a global society of many cultures, and we are now, much to the dismay of some, a global community.

The technological advances shrinking Planet Earth have ensured inevitable changes, and they will continue to drive cultural evolution, leaving behind those who cannot, or will not, evolve.

And what of those who are themselves products of the very enculturation of generations before them, yet, in their own hegemonic bigotry, intolerance, and xenophobia, choose to ignore this evolutionary fact?

Like the prima donna dinosaurs they are, they will be left to decay, leaving behind nothing but fossils for a culturally advanced civilization to marvel upon.

Insert Trump comments below.

THE POLARIZED YOU AND ME

Image courtesy Wealthy Choices Network

There’s a huge problem with mainstream media today; we all know that. We're pummeled by influence-peddling in every mainstream media outlet in the nation.  So much so we can no longer trust, with even a modicum of certainty, what we’re reading.

You shouldn't even read and blindly accept what I'm writing here.

Yet, in our quest for alternatives, scrutiny takes on a whole new depth, for the “blurred” lines of the mainstream media are completely non-existent in the alternate universe of the Net.  In fact, it's clear that anyone can say just about anything their misguided little brains can conjure up.

Such vile, polarizing "reporting" can be found here in an article at Breitbart.

In less than five minutes, any reasonably intelligent individual can conduct a simple review of both the cafe and endowment program mentioned in the article.  Yet sadly, viewing the ensuing comments on the page, it becomes abundantly clear that few bother.

The blog has but one intent which is utterly impossible to miss; pure politically motivated horseshit, written at the expense of all credibility, sacrificing reader confidence in a lame attempt to defame John Kerry and his wife.

Politics as usual!

Manipulation of information in this manner, be it via blogs or mainstream media outlets, damages not only reader credibility, but the good reputation of Conflict Cafe and the contribution they in fact make to their community; and for what gain?

From Conflict Café’s Webpage:

"Each Conflict Kitchen iteration is augmented by events, performances, and discussions that seek to expand the engagement the public has with the culture, politics, and issues at stake within the focus country. The restaurant rotates identities every few months in relation to current geopolitical events."

Enclosing their meals in wrappers printed with quotes/statements from those living within the various highlighted cultures sparks discussions and debates.  In doing so, the cafe is light years beyond simply serving authentic ethnic cuisine.  Conflict Cafe uses the atmosphere and food to create outstanding educational opportunities through experiencing cultural diversity in personal interactions and food alike.

Extraordinarily popular in the Pittsburgh community, the restaurant has received rave reviews from many mainstream and alternative media outlets alike, including NBC, LA Times, Christian Monitor, BBC, NPR, PBS, Al Jazeera, and even the traditionally ultra-conservative Fox News.

Whether one of the many students from the neighboring University of Pittsburgh, or a retiree seeking to expand his or her knowledge of the cultures of the world, one could not find a more potent, exciting, and memorable way to learn.

This purported odious purveyor of evil and political treachery, Conflict Cafe, boasts 300 customers per day.

A very successful business venture from just about anyone’s perspective, Conflict Cafe is a wildly successful small business endeavor.  So much so, several conservative media outlets are praising it's efforts.

Did I fall asleep, awakening only to find myself in an alternate universe in which the ultra-conservative pundits find fault in a capitalist’s wet dream?

Apparently I'm not alone, for the cafe's contributions to the community have been so beneficial, it has even received recognition from one of the nation's largest food giants, Heinz Corporation.

Heinz offers endowments in support of southwestern Pennsylvania (the location of Conflict Café) businesses which improve educational and cultural diversity in southwest Pennsylvania.

And therein lies the contention; not only with the author at Breitbart, but other media outlets with similar political goals such as “The Jewish Press,” “The Washington Free Beacon.”

Oddly enough, even the ultra-conservative media outlet Fox News is joining the ranks of those praising their achievements.

In recognition of those same achievements, The Heinz Corporation, the heir to which is Kerry’s wife Terry Heinz Kerry, endowed Conflict Café with a $50K grant for its contribution to the community.

A far cry from the subversive picture painted by the outlets plastering the Net and newsstands with their attempts to manipulate the electorate.

My very good friend sent me this link “We are all confident idiots" not long ago and I can't think of a better scenario in which the phenomenon can be applied.

The world in which we live has become a vanilla milkshake of the extreme; a polarized nation in which the diversity required for civilization to flourish is very difficult to come by.  In fact; with the help of misinformation outlets, it is extraordinarily easy to be “confident idiots,” unwilling to consider anything but that with which we are comfortable.

It is here we see the problem with the polarized you and me.

Seeking comfort in our “expertise,” we accomplish little, but to darken the hegemonic lenses many prefer to wear and creating a homogenized world in which diversity is no longer tolerated.

Regardless of your political ideology, becoming a confident idiot is as easy as reading misleading information on the Net and accepting the comfort level found in similarity.

But, it's the last thing we should allow ourselves to do and be satisfied with.

As for me?  I love ethnic diversity, in communities and, as my ever-expanding waist will attest, food.

Photos courtesy of Conflict Cafe.

I wish you the best of luck.