Illogical Paradox

One thing I’m constantly being reminded of by friends and politicians is that Americans aren’t always right. In fact, we’re frequently wrong—especially where foreign policy is concerned. The current trend is to criticize George W. Bush’s policy of defining “right” and “wrong” and assume instead that good and evil do not really exist.

This is called moral relativism, and it may be the most dangerous philosophy ever devised.

Moral relativism says that there’s no right or wrong. There’s only “right for you” and “right for me.” For many aspects of life, this philosophy works perfectly. Say we’re arguing about religion. You’re an Orthodox Jew and I’m a humanistic Jew. I can’t tell you that your way of practicing Judaism is wrong just because it doesn’t work for me, and you can’t claim that my beliefs aren’t really Jewish just because I’m not as observant as you. My beliefs are right for me, and yours are right for you.

But those are personal beliefs. What if you believe that women should not be given basic rights, or that it’s acceptable to hurt people who practice a different religion than you? In that situation, what you believe is right affects someone else, who may not feel the same way as you.

Moral relativism says that just because Americans believe that oppressing women and minorities is wrong doesn’t mean it is wrong. According to this worldview, if we encounter cultures that see nothing wrong with this, it’s none of our business to tell them otherwise.

This argument has merit. If America follows a foreign policy based on this philosophy, we could very well avoid angering other nations and bringing about tragedies such as the September 11 attacks.

However, even though moral relativism claims to make no judgment on other cultures’ practices, it actually does. When the United States negotiates with corrupt and tyrannical regimes, for instance, it is sending the message that the way those governments treat their citizens is just as acceptable as the way the United States and other democracies treat theirs.

Another example is President Obama’s approach to the Middle East conflict. According to him, neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians are right or wrong. But isn’t there something terribly wrong with this viewpoint? After all, it equates the Israelis—whose military tactics consist of using ground attacks rather than air strikes to save Palestinian civilians—with the Palestinians, whose main strategy is to use suicide bombers and rockets to hurt and kill as many innocent Israelis as possible. It equates the Israelis, who allow over a million Arabs to live within their borders and enjoy full rights, to the Palestinians, who refuse to accept the idea of Jews living in the West Bank, even though that area is biblical Judea.

If President Obama insists that these two very different regimes are morally equal, what sort of message does that send to other insurgent groups around the world? To me, this seems to imply that terrorism is just as acceptable as careful military actions in accordance with international law.

Furthermore, it shows that terrorism is an effective way of convincing other governments to listen to you and give you what you want. What will become of Israel once Palestinian terrorists realize this? Sometimes it seems that they have already realized it, and that’s why negotiations between Israel and Hamas or Hezbollah always end with Israel making an enormous sacrifice for almost nothing in return.

Moral relativism also disturbs me on a personal level. I believe that what separates humans from animals is our capability to make moral judgments and use them to advance society. For instance, it was once acceptable in America to own slaves and beat one’s children. However, because society moved on and deemed those things unacceptable, both became completely illegal and immoral.

But some would say that owning slaves or beating children is only “wrong for me,” and might be “right” for someone else. I don’t believe that. Some things are simply capital-W Wrong. These things include owning slaves, beating children, and, yes, blowing up crowded buses and restaurants full of innocent men, women, and children.

Human civilization has advanced over the millennia because various cultures and nations are constantly making judgments about right and wrong, and, generally, choosing what they believe is right. This is why human life has improved so drastically throughout history. The relatively new idea of moral relativism threatens to stop this process by removing the concepts of “right” and “wrong” from our collective consciousness.

It’s not just Israel that will suffer if this philosophy succeeds—it’s everyone who believes that our morality is what makes us human.

Last time I was here was two years ago, and at that time I promised myself that I’d do everything in my power to ensure that I would be coming back this fall, for good this time. I worked my ass off junior and senior year. I’m coming back.

Walking around the city by myself today, I felt so comfortable. Usually I’d be terrified of being alone in a huge city where I only know a few people and don’t really know my way around. Maybe I’m just good with directions, but I didn’t get lost and I kept ending up exactly where I had wanted to end up.

I got stuck on a city bus today. Stupid doors wouldn’t open. If someone hadn’t helped me get them open, I probably would’ve had to stay on and get off on the next stop, which would’ve meant extra walking, which actually would’ve been OK because I love Chicago. =)

Tomorrow I’m going to go see Northwestern. It’ll be weird. I’ve had this whole obsessive fixation with Northwestern for about five years now, maybe even more. I don’t really remember how it started. I definitely fell in love with the campus five years ago and that’s all I remember. Damn, it’s such a gorgeous place.

Getting out of Beavercreek, Ohio and being here is incredibly refreshing. Back home I’ve gotten pretty used to being stared at for various reasons. I don’t really fit in. I don’t really try to. I look different, talk different, act different. Here there are so many people that, for once, I get to be invisible. I get to just be another face in the crowd. There are many prettier girls and many uglier girls, and many people who speak more exotic languages than the one I do, and many people who have seen and done more things than I have and many people who have seen and done less things than I have. What a relief.

I do miss home, though. It was really hard to come here. Last summer pretty much ruined the all the magic and excitement I used to associate with traveling. It destroyed the way I’d elevate travel in my mind as something extraordinary. It became a chore, even something painful. But I love Chicago. That made it a bit easier.

Kanye West’s “Homecoming” is my favorite song about Chicago.

Whenever I leave a physical place, I leave a lot of mental things there, too. (As I said, travel was once a really big deal for me.) There is a LOT of pain that I’ve just left back home in Ohio. I feel very far away from it now, even though it’s still in my mind and, therefore, technically just as close to me as ever. Either way, I kind of don’t care. This is what it’ll be like next fall when I leave. I may not ever forget some of those things, but I just won’t care so much anymore.

The sheer variety of people you see on the streets of a very big city is nothing short of extraordinary.

Chicago has some incredible architecture. This was definitely a city built for people to admire, not just for cars to drive through.

Someone is screaming in the apartment above this one. I can’t tell if it’s the TV or real people.

A city comes with its own music. Some people hate it. Personally, I can’t live without that kind of white noise.

Chicago’s public transportation sucks. But, I don’t know, it’s endearing in a way. What I really love is riding the El train all the way from Evanston down to the Loop. You get to ride past the backs of all these old houses and look right into people’s porches and balconies. People will hang flags and flower baskets out there, out of view from the main street but not from the train. Once I saw a poster with nothing more than a MySpace address. I think I meant to follow it but I forgot. Near Wrigley Field, you’ll see houses with lawn chairs on their roofs, where people try to catch the game for free. And you see all kinds of incredible old buildings. They’re ugly and broken-down, and have graffiti all over them. I could spend an entire day just riding the train around Chicago.

Last night I really, REALLY didn’t want to leave home. I started hyperventilating and all that stuff. Just like all the other recent times that I’ve traveled. But someone helped me feel better. As always.

I think I can really see myself living here for the rest of my life.

Took this today with my dad’s 8-megapixel Nikon. =)

(A parody of Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal)

one majer problem 2day is that many peeple arent realy vary good at lyk thikning and stuff lyk that an there riting pretty much sux cuz they dont even no wat their talkin bout u no? its lyk theirs nothin in they’re brain at al and there totely stoopid!

Sick of having to read stuff like this? I know I am. America today is teeming with people whose minds just aren’t up to par, and the rest of us must suffer for their ignorance.

I know what you’re thinking: it used to be the norm for people to not even know the alphabet, let alone read and write fluently, so why am I complaining? After all, the adult literacy rate in the United States is 99 percent these days, which is something that we should all be thankful for.

However, given our superior technology, high-quality public schools, and societal emphasis on learning and intelligence, we are not fulfilling our intellectual potential. Why are there still so damn many stupid people?

It appears that the execs of Abercrombie & Fitch, the store that became famous by appearing to sell clothing while actually selling sex, have discovered that when the country is in the middle of a recession, people suddenly stop wanting to empty their entire bank accounts to buy a pair of pants and a shirt.

A&E has suffered a 29% drop in March sales from last year, which is more than any other store. That puts sales at $235.1 million. Unlike other stores that try to appeal to teens, Abercrombie refuses to drop prices or have sales and promotions. According to a The Big Money article, CEO Michael Jeffries thinks that “promotions are a short-term solution with dreadful long-term effects.”

However, according to another article, A&E actually did cut prices back in January.

Tiny piece of denim costing $70

Either way, sales are down, and everyone knows why: buying crap that’s extremely expensive (and nevertheless, still crap) just isn’t so cool anymore. I went on the Abercrombie website (warning: almost NSFW) and discovered that this tiny piece of denim costs $70, though you have to go back to the actual “Denim Skirts” category to see the price. My main question is, WHY? It’s one thing to own nice expensive things. I believe that every girl should own at least one nice evening gown, several pairs of nice heels, several pieces of nice jewelry, and so on. But a “nice” piece of denim? I don’t think so. Denim is denim. They have the same denim at Walmart, Kohl’s, and JC Penney.

Of course, everyone knows why people wear shirts with A&E logos on them. It’s so everyone knows how rich and cool they are. After all, while you were eating crappy pizza in the food court of the neighborhood mall and wishing you could afford a prom dress from Macy’s, they were buying this stuff at Abercrombie. No secret there.

But why someone would shell out so much money for something that 1) isn’t of high quality and 2) doesn’t advertise how rich they are is beyond me.

Then again, the listing for this tiny piece of denim (it’s called “Ryan,” by the way) proclaims that it is

100% cotton, medium length, subtle destruction with fading and whiskering, raw edged hem, Vintage Abercrombie Wash, Classic Fit, Imported

So maybe I really am missing something here. I mean, “subtle destruction?” Come on. You know you want your clothes to be subtly destroyed. All the cool kids are doing it.

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No, I didn’t mess up the term. I know it’s “separation of church and state.”

But truth is, people don’t really understand what that means. They think it means that a courthouse can’t put a Christmas tree next to its steps, or that a public school can’t allow students to have a moment of silence for optional prayer.

Actually, that’s not what it means at all. It means two things: one, that the government cannot ordain any religion (the establishment clause); and two, that the government cannot prevent any citizen from reasonably worshiping as they choose (the free exercise clause).

Everything else comes not from the Constitution but from the interpretation of some judge or politician, somewhere along the line.

Personally, I think it’s time for a new principle, and I call it “separation of church and school.”

Today, my seven-year-old brother came home from school and told us that his class had painted Easter eggs that day. We’re Jewish. Now, I see nothing wrong with this (unlike my more conservative mom, who thinks it’s unnecessary and wrong).

That is, I see nothing wrong with this as long as religion isn’t tied into it in any way.

But apparently it was, because somewhere along the line, the topic of religion came up, because, as my little brother explained, his teacher told him that it’s “OK for Jews to celebrate Easter.” She also said that it’s OK for Christians to celebrate Passover.

If you ask me, it was inappropriate to make either of those comments. But the former is much worse than the latter. Truth is, in a country that’s currently 76% Christian (according to the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey), a Christian child is in absolutely no danger of losing his or her religious identity. By contrast, 1.2% of America is Jewish. All it takes is one suggestion that it’s perfectly alright to celebrate Easter for a Jewish child to begin conforming to the mainstream religion, asking his parents to get a Christmas tree next year, and complaining about how annoying it is that we can’t eat bread during Passover or pork ever and how ALL the other kids get Christmas presents and how come we don’t?

But aside from this personal example, a teacher should not involve herself in religion at all. Those kids are so young, and they see her as an authority figure. A teacher has a lifelong impact on people’s beliefs and values, and although parents are much more responsible than teachers are, they can’t be there with their kids seven hours a day. They don’t know what goes on in the classroom unless their kids tell them, and those testimonies are rarely reliable.

When it comes down to it, who the hell gave my little brother’s teacher the right to tell him what’s acceptable in his religion? Is she a Jew? No. And even if she were, it’s still not within her jurisprudence, because she is not his parent.

I have no idea if this was an isolated incident or if it happens all the time. It sounds like she was trying to spread a message of tolerance and took it too far. Or, possibly, my little brother had been complaining that he’s Jewish and shouldn’t be painting Easter eggs, in which case, instead of being lazy and refusing to adjust her classroom plans, the teacher could’ve told him that he can teach the class about the Passover Seder instead. But she didn’t. Because she was lazy and/or incompetent.

As for the actual religious aspect of this, the second of the Ten Commandments says, “You shall have no other gods but me.” Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. Jews do not believe that Jesus was resurrected. We do not believe that he is a god. Therefore, it is absolutely not “OK” for Jews to celebrate Easter.

My religion is dying out, and it will keep dying out as long as the majority keeps trying to assimilate the minority.

Crappy AIM registration process

Ok. Is this really necessary? All I’m trying to do is get a stupid AIM screen name, for heaven’s sake. Why does a captcha have to have not four, not five, but EIGHT characters?

Furthermore, if I type them wrong (which I often did, as I had to do it over and over to find a screen name that actually isn’t taken already), it provides the unhelpful feedback of “do not put spaces in between the characters” or something like that. And you know, since there’s basically NO way to distinguish between a 9 and a g, it can take a while of trial and error.

What I don’t get is why websites like this completely refuse to use newer, more effective, and easier captcha systems. Take reCAPTCHA, for instance. It’s a system that uses scans from books, each of which consists of two words, as a captcha. They’re slightly warped, but still readable. If you happen to be blind (or just have difficulty reading the words), you can click on the little audio symbol and have them read to you.

ReCAPTCHA’s slogan is, appropriately, “Stop Spam Read Books.” Two birds with one stone!

reCAPTCHA: Much better!

But here’s the amazing part. When you decode one of these captchas, you’re taking a book scan and, essentially, digitizing it into typed words. This is all part of a project to digitize a bunch of books, basically, because computers can’t do it well enough on their own.

You might be wondering how the captcha system knows if you’ve typed in the correct word if they haven’t been scanned yet. The reCAPTCHA site has an answer to that, too:

“But if a computer can’t read such a CAPTCHA, how does the system know the correct answer to the puzzle? Here’s how: Each new word that cannot be read correctly by OCR is given to a user in conjunction with another word for which the answer is already known. The user is then asked to read both words. If they solve the one for which the answer is known, the system assumes their answer is correct for the new one. The system then gives the new image to a number of other people to determine, with higher confidence, whether the original answer was correct.”

So there you have it. The website says that currently, reCAPTCHA is being used to digitize the Internet Archive and old editions of the New York Times. For the science-capable (that is, NOT me), the creators of reCAPTCHA have published a paper in Science magazine.

The question is, why don’t more websites use this system and not annoying, time-consuming ones that are simply painful to read? I have no idea. Probably laziness. In AIM’s case, the idiots over there probably think that their service is so ubiquitous that people just can’t live without it and will keep registering for screen names even though the registration process is so crappily designed.

Sadly, they’re probably right.

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Palestinian children from the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank pose for a photo after playing for Holocaust survivors.

Few can disagree with the idea that music brings people together, even across different cultures. After all, music began in human society as a way to celebrate major events and gather people together, transcending boundaries like age, race, or gender.

The leaders of the Palestinian refugee camp at Jenin don’t seem to understand this. In late March, they shut down a children’s orchestra in the West Bank camp because its conductor, Wafa Yournes, had taken the children to perform for elderly Israeli Holocaust survivors as part of Israel’s Good Deeds Day.

According to Adnan Hindi, one of the leaders, “she exploited the children for a big political issue.” Many of the parents in the camp agreed as well, saying that they would never have let their kids go on the trip had they known what it was for.

Rather than simply reprimanding Yournes—or, even better, just leaving the orchestra alone—authorities boarded up the studio where the orchestra rehearsed and banned Yournes from the camp entirely. If those kids had any crazy notions of continuing to express themselves and improve their lives through music, the Jenin authorities can rest assured that there’s no chance for that now.

The orchestra’s name, “Strings of Freedom,” now seems very ironic, considering that its members no longer have the freedom to perform their music.

The parents opposing the performance say that it is inappropriate given Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. Unfortunately, they were not asked which action they think would be more appropriate. I have a feeling it’s not volunteering projects or sports games with Israeli kids.

If it were, we’d be done with this whole never-ending war thing by now.I heard about this news on Digg, and after I read the original Associated Press article, I immediately jumped into the discussion on Digg.

Some of the people commenting on the article, like me, thought this was sad news that speaks about a problem much bigger than this single issue. Others, however, sided with the Jenin leaders and parents, pinning everything on Israel and refusing to acknowledge that the concert could have been a step towards peace.

That’s what bothers me the most—the idea that because Israel hasn’t taken sufficient steps to help Palestinians (which itself is a lie that would require a separate article to debunk), the Palestinians should not take any responsibility in bridging the two cultures and bringing about peace. Maybe the Jenin leaders and the people who agreed with them on Digg don’t even want peace. Maybe that’s what this is about.

Furthermore, the Jenin leaders and parents oppose the orchestra’s concert because, according to them, it inserts kids into a political situation. Does it really? If these kids were, say, a group of young American musicians on a goodwill trip to Israel, would it be inappropriate for them to perform for Holocaust survivors? Of course not. But because they’re Palestinian kids, a distinction is made. If that’s not interfering in children’s lives with politics, I don’t know what is.

Besides, since when is the massacre of six million people (and the subsequent remembrance of it) a “political” issue? That should be considered a tragedy, whether those people are Jews, Arabs, children, adults, or whatever other classification you can come up with. Injecting politics into that is shameful.

Unfortunately, shameful doesn’t mean surprising. The same thing happens in the United States: housing the homeless, researching alternative energy sources, and helping Americans get through an economic crisis are all hot-button political issues that really shouldn’t be. Rather than helping people and advancing science, pundits and politicians debate and accuse the other side of trying to destroy America.

And, in Israel, one side can’t help the other commemorate an unforgettable tragedy because that would be too “political.” It seems that politics is still shoved down the throats of kids who want to sing peace songs for Holocaust survivors and bridge a cultural gap.

Tom Segev, an Israeli historian, said it best when he commented on the issue: “You can’t understand Israel unless you understand the role of the Holocaust in Israeli identity. And if you don’t understand your enemy, you can’t make peace.”

Anyone who is still puzzled as to why we’ve never had even a year of peace should look no further than this incident. Sure, no guns, rockets, or Hamas militants were involved, but the Jenin leaders’ stubbornness speaks for itself.

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