The Ever Increasing Struggle Of The Intellectual Discussion

The dumbing down of Google+

in·tel·lect
ˈintlˌekt/Submit
noun
the faculty of reasoning and understanding objectively, especially with regard to abstract or academic matters.
"he was a man of action rather than of intellect"

synonyms: mind, brain(s), intelligence, reason, understanding, thought, brainpower, sense, judgment, wisdom, wits; More
the understanding or mental powers of a particular person.
plural noun: intellects
"his keen intellect"
an intelligent or intellectual person.
"sapping our country of some of its brightest intellects"
synonyms: thinker, intellectual, sage;

The other day, Miri Dunn shared a post by Matthew Graybosch that was timely and intellectually intriguing.
 Although it was posted in the evening I didn't see this stream until 4:00 the next morning.  That's the problem with getting up early; you miss all the good stuff and your little late to the party.

But in reading the stream I became more and more disenchanted with the responses that came from other people.  Miri simply brought forth a point of discussion and ended up having it hijacked by people who are less concerned about growing intellectually than about defending their gender.

Needless to say the discussion led nowhere and a wonderful opportunity to share thoughts and  views was lost.
I find this to be an increasing tragedy on Google+ that great discussions are often lost or hijacked by either trolls or stupid people.

 If there's one weakness in our current Google community; it is that as the pool of people has grown, so our median intellect has shrunk.
Personally I find this to be a tragedy.  One of the great things about G+ was that you could always find intelligent people who are open to discussion.  This willingness to learn as opposed to talk to be heard as one of the reasons I chose G+ over other communities.
OK, now my Rant is over!  Onto the original thread.

Matthew Graybosch originally shared:
PATRIARCHY HURTS MEN, WHO IN TURN HURT WOMEN
Boys and men who feel they're stuck in the man box and don't have the emotional or intellectual resources to rebel against social expectations instead turn their anger on an "acceptable" target. If they can't find a man they consider less masculine than them to bully, they lash out at women instead.
http://www.psmag.com/navigation/health-and-behavior/new-insights-men-assault-women-82297/

I found this to be a good article.  It brings forth both the strengths and weaknesses of the supposition along with some normal caveats that our knowledge is incomplete.
Although I'd disagree to an extent with the supposition that this is based on a patriarchal society.  I think it has more to do with pack mentality and self image than with gender.

Here's my reasoning.  In most base species you can see a hierarchal structure involving one Alpha (not gender exclusive) with an assortment of followers that helped to define or finish the structure of the group or pack.

Often conflicts occur as leadership roles evolve over the course of the life of this organization.  The desire to do better or to increase one's position within any group often requires supplanting the one who is immediately above you or defending your current position as others try to supplant you.  Therefore, the structure of any group is going to lead to some form of conflict and conflict often results in violence.

That conflict is a relatively normal within any organization must be discounted as far as violence against women because that is far more gender specific.
 The next step in that thought is self image.
Self image, or lack of good image along with all the insecurities and fears that are associated with not measuring up to the social expectations of any group that we're part of I believe the crux of the problem.

One of the most succinct statements I've ever heard was " I'm comfortable in my own skin".
People who are comfortable with their own image are far more relaxed, confident and less prone to  emotional outbursts than people who are insecure, frightened or unsure of their abilities.  Additionally people who have a good self image are more likely to recognize and accept both the strengths and weaknesses of others because they accept that within themselves.

The other day I posted a thread about watching children, tweens to teens who were waiting for the bus to go to school.  As I explained in that thread when the bus pulled up; all the boys formed a parallel line and allowed the girls to enter the bus first.
This was not some exercise in gallantry from a theatrical sense.  But seemed very commonplace and normal for this specific group from this small neighborhood.
 In that stream I commented on how their parents needed to be congratulated for teaching self respect and the respect of others.  That when consistent values are taught at a young age they will bear fruit in adolescence and adulthood.
Teaching or developing core values along with a good self image would do more to decrease violence overall and specific gender violence both within intimate and non intimate relationships.

Those of you are interested her few links that might add some meat to this discussion.

http://www.education.com/reference/article/children-emotional-behavioral-disorders/

http://www.stripes.com/reports-of-family-violence-abuse-within-military-rise-1.148815

http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/userfiles/Military%20Factsheet%20update%2003%2003%2013.pdf

http://www.endvawnow.org/uploads/browser/files/vaw_prevalence_matrix_15april_2011.pdf

http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/ageing/documents/egm/NeglectAbuseandViolenceofOlderWomen/Violence%20against%20women.pdf

Samsung, Google & Snow.

Samsung, Google & Snow!

The tale of the Galaxy S3 and how it survived the the snowstorm of 2013.

This is the story of how I lost and found my Galaxy S3 during the "big snow" of 2013.

Northwest Arkansas has many benefits for those of us who live here. Scenic beauty, rolling hills and for most, a small town atmosphere that is perfect for getting away from the  metro rat race of big city life. The area is comprised of four small cities with a population of around 250,000 which tends to give you the best mixture of big city culture and rural friendliness. Here you can spend a morning at Crystal Bridges Museum of Art studying Monet or Vincent van Gogh and then take the afternoon bass fishing. Years ago I chose to live on the southeastern edge of this area where I could enjoy wonderful peace, great views and the local wildlife.

Nothing is perfect and even this area has it's weaknesses. Rapid growth over the past twenty years (population has quadrupled) has strained the infrastructure somewhat. Many of the smaller roads are unpaved and go from treacherous in the rain to totally impassable when ice or snow covered. As a result, when we get a snowstorm the whole area just shuts down.

This past week was just that nightmare scenario. Two inches of sleet followed by eight inches of snow and then bone chilling cold as the temperature plummeted to 4 degrees above zero. In the midst of this maelstrom my oldest son called to say that his boss's pickup was stuck in the snow and since I had a  four wheeled drive vehicle would I pick him up and help get the poor guy loose. So off I went across town to first get my son and then to find to his boss.

We found this poor guy stuck in ten inches of snow in a business parking lot off the one of the main highways.  After a concerted effort we were able to get his pickup unstuck and point him towards home. I dropped my son back at his house and since I was already out  headed for the local grocery store. I was feeling pretty pleased with myself until I reached for my phone.

My pocket was empty. My Galaxy S3 was missing and that could only mean that it had come out of my pocket somewhere near the site of where the pickup had been stuck. Railing at myself for stupidity and carelessness I decided to drive home. There was no way I could find this phone on my own with all the blowing snow and I was already cold, tired and sore from the rescue.

Bitterly I realized how cut off I was from the world. This phone was my communications hub outside of the house. Both personally and professionally. If I were to lose control on these ice and snow covered roads like so many other poor individuals. I would have no way of calling for help. Even if I did recover the S3; I had little hope that it would work.

Back at the house I used Google Device Manager to locate it. Right where we freed the pickup from the snow. I could still lock it, ring it or worse case, wipe it of all data. I marked the spot on Google Maps and decided to wait till the next morning to attempt a rescue. Hopefully, the phone wouldn't generate enough heat to allow moisture to seep in and ruin it or be destroyed by some snowplow jockey clearing the area.

The following morning I quickly went to the Google Device Manager. Yes! It was still where I had dropped it. Plus it was apparent there was still enough battery life even after spending the night in four degree weather to function.

Carefully I drove to the location and began ringing it. Faintly I heard it and after two or three tries; my vindictive ringtone "An idiot is attempting to reach your cellular device" could be heard clearly through the snow. The irony didn't escape me. It was clear that this idiot had not only attempted, but succeeded at locating my S3.

After carefully brushing off the snow; I realized that the cold had insulated the phone and no snow or moisture had invaded it. I wrapped it in a towel and allowed it to warm slowly. Hoping against hope that condensation wouldn't short out it's circuitry.

Back at home I unwrapped it and found a perfectly intact device! Not only was it completely functional, it still had 46% battery life!

I don't give accolades too often to large successful companies like Samsung or Google. Because I believe that quality, craftsmanship and innovation are the foundation for any good company.

But I find my recent experience represents far more than I expected.
If this had happened just a year ago, I would have simply lost everything. The phone, the contacts and all the data would either have been destroyed by the weather or possibly would have ended up in the hands of some crook.

Instead, because of Google's innovation and Samsung's craftsmanship nothing has been lost!
Thank you to both Google and Samsung!