Final thoughts

I am writing this final blog entry on June 12, 2009, less than 24 hours before my graduation. This is the final blog entry for my online journal in CST 251: Comparative Non-Western Social Systems. Let's do a little bit of reflection here...

Most of what I learned in this class was not profound. Not to say that this class was somehow, in any way, a waste of time. Most of the topics were simply organized and systematic discussions of things that I already see happening. Being an avid news junkie who subscribes to BBC, MSNBC, NYTimes, etc., I consider myself pretty well versed in international news. However, it is fascinating to read what precisely it is that catalyzes many of the events that I see on the news.

I remember, during a high school history class, when I had this very naive notion about the Middle East. In what was admittedly a pretty low point in my academic existence, I raised my hand with the following question: "If Israel is such a persistent problem all the time, why don't we just nuke them already and be done with it?" (Good thing I wasn't conducting a prime-time interview with Katie Couric at the time during an election season...)

Living in the U.S., it is easy to develop a sort of bubble as to my view on how the greater world works. Growing up in suburban Ohio tends to make that bubble even smaller. It's tempting to wonder why it is that others throughout the world don't simply adopt an American way of life and establish a government for themselves based on the American model. However, when you venture out of that middle-class America bubble and see what it is precisely that have shaped the people in these different areas throughout the world, it becomes abundantly clear that the world is certainly far more complex than my simple mind could comprehend.

One of the most striking phenomena that I've learned and begun to appreciate is the dissolution of nations per se. The established governments of powerful nations are being challenged in all directions - both from within and from abroad. We see this all the time in modern society: when Google challenges China's strict internet regulations, when terrorist groups take control of a country's government, when governments consolidate resources to form international trade agreements. The traditional structures of sovereignty and governance are being significantly shifted from all directions. Is it because power is inevitably being shifted towards an all-powerful world government? Or is it the opposite, in which power is being more evenly distributed among individuals to decide for themselves how to live? As humankind faces its next set of challenges (securing energy, climate change, industrialization of second-world nations), it will be interesting to see where these powers are shifted to in order to tackle this substantial set of global challenges.

I will be attending graduate school at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, to pursue my Master's degree in Electrical Engineering. I am excited to start a new chapter of my life in a completely different place, as an "international student." I hope to have the opportunity to meet distinctly original individuals from a variety of places and cultures to further expand my perspective on humanity and our beautiful world. From what I have learned throughout my life and from this class, the broader world presents so many exciting challenges and opportunities to embrace and to learn from, and I cannot wait to embark on that adventure.

Adolescent democracy

The more I learn about Taiwan, the more I'm fascinated. I starting looking up gay tolerance in Taiwanese society and ended up in a crash course study of Taiwanese government. It's interesting to read about the rapid development of this emerging democracy. Much of the country is fiercely independent and democratic. I think what's really impressive is that the country has been democratic for less than 20 years, and it's already considering legalizing same-sex marriage and making other such strides in social justice, much of the stuff that the United States has a long ways to go before doing.


Taiwan intrigues the hell out of me. Its economy is blooming, and its democracy appears to be undergoing its adolescent stages. Of course, it's a work in progress, and the government faces lots of problems with corruption, taming urban development, pollution, awkwardness with China, etc.


Asian democracies are so much better, because they don't have to put as with as many crazy religious fanatics that try to impose their beliefs through the government onto all citizens. A majority of Taiwan is Buddhist, which better emphasizes the principles of tolerance and respect that I so firmly believe in.

Retreat

I just returned from what is always one of the most powerful and moving weekends of the year - if not my life - the Mu Crew Retreat. This was the fourth retreat held by the organization. It is a GLBT retreat at which we get away for a weekend, share our stories, play games and have fun, meet new people, and quite simply bond in the deepest ways imaginable. This was the third retreat at which I have attended as a member of the Mu Crew. It was my second at which I was a head of household (group leader). And, it was the first time that I had the opportunity to share my story with 50 other people - many of whom entered the retreat as strangers and left as cherished, trusted friends.

I was one of the retreat's featured speakers. Retreat speakers have the opportunity to tell their story during a 25-minute narration. I shared my story with the entire group. Most of my friends and avid LJ readers might know a little bit about my story. It touched on my childhood, my awkward family life, high school, and the more recent stuff with Mom and Dad. Fortunately, those things are currently in a stable state, and I was really able to present the situation in an optimistic and positive manner. It felt so good sharing my story. The reason I started this LJ was to have the ability to share my story. Not only as a way to vent my own personal emotions and seek objective answers. But also in the hopes that others who might share similar stories read it and relate to it - and discover that they are not the only ones facing these types of things - and that there is certainly hope out there to make something great out of all these little chaotic messes. So, I hope that at least a few of the 50 people who heard my story were able to relate and receive something meaningful from it.

Hearing some of the stories told there was just so eye-opening. It's amazing to think how distorted our perspectives can be while in our own litlte bubbles in life. People shared stories of unbelievable adversity - suicide attempts, the murder of a close friend because he was gay, being flat-out kicked out of a home after coming out, being addicted to drugs. Not only just the stories themselves, but the sheer helplessness and the sense that they had given up on humanity and had given up on themselves. It was heartbreaking at times. But, it quickly put a lot of things back into perspective for me. And, I hope it did the same to everyone else there.

As a head-of-household, I had the chance to faciliate discussions among a group of eight folks there. I had the fortune of leading a tremendous band of eight gay guys through the crazy emotional adventures during this retreat. Even though this was my second time in such a role, I think it was really the first time that I felt confident about being in a group leadership position like this, especially in a place at which each of them had undergone intense paradigm shifts in their emotions and perspectives, as well. It was an amazing feeling knowing that each of my group members had a fucking blast. My group was so enthusiastic. And, even the couple more introverted guys in my group took it upon themselves to step out of their shell and to give 100% towards participating in the retreat activities. It meant so much knowing that I had the chance to lead a group in which so much magic was going on.

But, it wasn't just about my group members learning from me. I learned so much from each of them. I learned a lot about myself and how I lead others. It gave me so much confidence in my ability to lead others through such a powerful thing. Whereas my UAB experiences last year posed a huge challenge and frustration to my leadership capabilities, it seemed that I was able to shine as a leader on this retreat. It was a mutual phenomenon; it wouldn't have been possible without the incredible effort of each of them.

As the cliche' term goes, "never judge a book by its cover." Admittedly, I have judged every single person in the Mu Crew based on my impressions at meetings and events. There are so many people there that, to be honest, I had never held in the highest of regards. But, after hearing some of their stories, some of the shit that they've had to put up with, and realizing that they are still able to smile and hold an about face despite all this shit, I realized just how badly I underestimated and undervalued these powerful, courageous individuals. And, now, I have to wonder to myself: how many others have I similarly misjudged. How many other diamonds-in-the-rough have I completely overlooked?

I am often a cynic. I judge people based on the grammar of their Facebook messages to me. Based on the way they carry themselves while out at the club. Based on what I perceive of their intelligence. It seems that I've become so accustomed to blowing off people who I see as dumb and impotent, instead of really opening up my heart and mind to discover what's really underneath the rough spots in the veneer. For somebody who preaches open-mindedness in the context of gay rights and whatnot, I've discovered that there's a whole lot more work that I need to do to practice what I preach in a farther-reaching context.

As always, the retreat was an intense weekend of bonding, laughing, crying, discussions, hugging, ultra-competitive fun and games, etc. Though I've been involved with the Mu Crew for nearly two-and-a-half years now, I have never been able to really devote 100% to the organization. I hope that, before I move to Montreal, I am able to spend more time with some of these incredible individuals and give something worthwhile back to this empowering organization.

Open-mindedness is a two-way street

I talk a lot about open-mindedness. In fact, it's one of the very mantras of how I define myself. I have always claimed to be open-minded and have used that philosophy to govern decisions and evaluations that I make. But, what does it really mean to be open-minded? Does it mean that you abandon the cumulation of values and experiences that you have obtained throughout your lifetime? Every individual contains biases. Biases are the results of lessons learned and experiences undergone. Biases are not always these bad things that make us judgmental and close-minded people. They are instincts meant to protect us.


If I'm alone walking down a dark street and I see a hooded black man walking towards me with his hands in his pockets, I cannot help but tense up a little bit and be a little bit wary of him. I don't hate black people. I don't despise people that wear hoodies. However, that image happens to evoke a train of negative memories and experiences that we attach from experiences and even through the media. My brain resorted to this default judgment based on probability and based on the instinct for survival.


When I came out a couple years ago, I asked everyone around me for their open-mindedness. I tried to explain to people that I am the same Mike George that I have always been, and that I am not just going to magically transform into one of these prissy little queens wearing Dolce-Gabbana sunglasses and rainbow stickers on my butt. I told myself that I wasn't going to let homosexuality change the fabric of who I am. However, I have seen little hints of changes in how I think. I've always preached the essence of open-mindedness, as do many others in the GLBT community, but it often seems that we only allow open-mindedness when its to our benefit. But, what about all those in the gay community that turn away from God not because He wronged them or abandoned them, but because it was the default thing to do as a member of the GLBT community?


I went to church last Sunday with a couple of my friends. It was the first time that I had gone in a good while. The sermon was alright; it didn't resonate that much with me; I've heard better. But, a part of me kinda missed the whole environment and sense of community that church provided. Since coming out, I not only stopped caring about God, but I also saw myself slowly becoming judgmental of many of my Christian friends. Considering the fact that many of my best friends in the world are Christian - not to mention the amount of grace and open-mindedness they've extended me - it really hurt me to find that I was slowly becoming a hypocrite and totally snubbing the values of many of my most cherished friends.


It's a really unfortunate circumstance. On one hand, you have the Christian community whose image is tarnished by a lot of these radical evangelical sects throughout the country. And, on another, you have narrow-minded gays that think that all Christians are out to get them. Throughout this whole mess, you have atheists who incessantly mock Christians, yet bitch about how close-minded they are towards them. It's a huge clusterfuck, and it's unfortunate that I've become a part of that.


Beneath all the hullabaloo of political labels, religious affiliations, sexual identities, we are each individuals brimming with our own sets of ability, passion, love, and intellect. We define ourselves through our actions and through what kinds of people we share our most precious moments with. God gives us the ability to love all people and things in our lives - and, most importantly, to understand all these things. Open-mindedness isn't necessarily about wanting others to unconditionally accept who I am and what I stand for. It's about a mutual transaction of understanding. If I automatically turn my back on another simply because he is Christian and I just assume that he will not approve of who I am, then I totally miss out on being there to teach him about who I am and having the opportunity to learn and understand where his views come from. In the pursuit of knowledge and friendship, it's hypocritical to pick and choose based on convenience.


It's frustrating being wrapped up in categories. It's frustrating being gay and being wrapped up with the narrow-minded GLBT community. It was frustrating when I was Republican trying to explain to people how it is not profound to be gay and yet desire small government and free markets. It's frustrating now after having voted for Obama trying to explain to people that government does need to invest in its citizens and their well-being in order to give us a robust economy - but doing so in a way that incentivizes reform and innovation.


I'm tired of all this crap. I need to break away from these conventions and learn that open-mindedness is a two-way street. I have to be more patient with other people with whom I share disagreements in order to learn from. I have to be that person who teaches them that we are not all the same. In order break away from the molds of which I deteste, I have to clearly define who I am and not be afraid to both express it and to lend an ear to listen.

Asian women

I think that, in some weird subconscious way, growing up with my mother has somehow instilled within me this bitter frustration of Asian women. Especially when I am having a dialogue with one. Case in point: my VLSI Design professor, this cute Asian female professor, roughly the age of my mom. She has trouble understanding questions raised in class - and then makes you feel stupid somehow for having asked them. I started getting really frustrated when I was asking her about my quiz. I became really argumentative with her - until I realized that I had made some stupid mistake that had nothing to do whether or not my method was valid - but yet made me lose all my credibility (and sanity) in front of her during the first day of class.


It reminds me of how I could never have a high-level conversation with Mom. It always frustrated the hell out of me. Not only would my mom not ever understand the point of what I was trying to make, but she never even cared enough to try to figure it out or to learn something new from it. I guess you could call it a mild language barrier between me and Mom. Godddammit, it was so frustrating. Especially when trying to rationally discuss complex and emotional subjects like my sexuality and Dad's drug problem.


I love my mother. However, there's nothing more frustrating than ignorance, mixed with stubbornness.

A new superpower

A lot of Westerners fear the rise of China. They see China as something that will compromise America's economic and military might. They see it as something that will ultimately and irreversibly lead to modern civilization's demise. People forget how sophisticated Chinese culture is and how much potential exists there for betterment of human civilization. Of course, all that is beneath a dark layer of communist rule. In the long term, though, a strong China is a good thing. What America lacks in its wisdom and farsightedness, China makes up for. America and China (not to mention Europe) locked in a competition for dominance of the world stage can only be a good thing for the entire world. It keeps America on its toes, and it promotes alternate views of governance and sustainability. America cannot be the stubborn, sole ruling power of the world much longer. And, thank God for that! It's reassuring to know that the world's greatest decisions will no longer depend solely on the whims of a bunch of ignorant, short-sighted voters in Ohio.

Clientelism

I really should get into these discussion threads a lot sooner. I tend to wait 'til the last minute (big surprise, eh?) before posting my thoughts on the topic. However, seldom is there enough time for others to respond. I often wonder what some of these replies would be, particularly in cases where my thoughts tend to diverge from the others throughout the threads.

The most recent discussion has been about clientelism. It seems that the discussion of what patron-client relationships are has centered around the ones throughout developing countries - those marked in particular by extreme imbalances in power and subsequent exploitation by those in power. However, not all patron-client relationships have this same sort of imbalance, do they? There are often cases in which the client holds more leverage over the patron. In fact, this is most true throughout our economy. American consumers experience this power every day when choosing where to shop, for example.

There are varying configurations and degrees of power distribution among different patron-client relationships. When American consumers shop at a mall, these "clients" hold considerably more leverage over the shopkeepers, because they get to decide where to spend their money. However, when a cell phone carrier locks its customers into a 2-year plan, then they gain a considerable amount of upperhand within this relationship.

American democracy has been so successful for the past 233 years, because of its founders' consciousness to this issue. The circular checks and balances within the American government ensures that there is always an avenue to assert accountability and ensure that promises are being kept for the good of the general public.

Taiwan

Taiwan has always been a fascinating place for me. My Mom and her side of the family are all from Taiwan, so I have visited the country several times throughout my life. Besides Canada, it is the only foreign country to which I have traveled. I've always taken this part of my heritage for granted. But, I never really took the time to really explore the fascinating history of Taiwan. The country is really an inspiration, because it is a great example of how a once third-world country picked itself up off of its feet and transformed itself into one the world's leading economies.

Taiwan has been shaped a lot by the United States in developing its fledgling democracy. American companies were contracted in the development of much the country's infrastructure. Undoubtedly, the West has left its mark on Taiwan. However, it is remarkable how well Taiwan has been able to embrace its own heritage and culture, all while integrating the Western amenities that helped propel it forward into the 21st Century.

The ideals of capitalism and democracy that are so-called "American" values seem much more pronounced in Taiwan. Taiwanese towns, big and small, are lined with vendors that sell everything from lunch meals to jewelry. Quite cheaply, as well. It seems that there is far less regulation strangling businesses than there is in America. As a result, there is much more variety and competition to my options when it comes to things like finding a place to eat, finding transportation to a train station, buying electronics, etc. Seems that, in the interest of appeasing big business, America has lost some the commercial activity that it once might have had.

The government of Taiwan is a democratic system that, like that in America, consists of a combination of elected and appointed leaders. Thus, the people have a significant voice in their government. However, despite the access that people have in their government, Taiwan's relationship with China is a looming issue that often dominates elections.

The Taiwanese government has striven to make significant investments in technological research and infrastructure. In fact, it recently opened up a state-of-the-art high-speed rail system that traverses through all of the major population centers of the island nation. Traversal of the island between the cities of Taipei and Kaohsiung takes about 4-5 hours by car; by high-speed rail, it takes about 90 minutes. The government invests directly in technology, facilitating the incubation of several cutting-edge technologies. The government's role and priority in high technology is what has helped Taiwan remain one of the world's leading countries in areas like semiconductors, materials science, manufacturing, and more.

Taiwan strikes me as a model for which I would like to see America adopt. Their government is hands-off when it comes to commercial regulation - but pro-active in supporting research and other projects that expand the Taiwanese economy. They do not try to enshrine religious or social values of any particular group of people into law for all citizens, like America's right-wing Christians do. The government is focused on the nation's growth, through quality and accessible education, investments in research ventures, and quality infrastructure that its citizens can use.

The incredible diversity and cultural understanding that exists in Taiwan is also incredible. Taiwan does not seem to be dominated by any particular religious majority. (Else, this majority is very tolerant of other religions.) They were one of the first governments to consider legalizing gay marriage. The Taiwanese seem to be able to embrace their rich heritage and cultures, all while respecting those of minority groups within the country. Again, it seems that Taiwan is better at facilitating a diverse society than America (the so-called "melting pot").

Taiwan is one of several Asian miracles that emerged over the past couple decades. America played a huge role in helping develop its economy and infrastructure. Now, as America continues to for ways to reform itself from the inside-out, we should look to places like Taiwan to adopt policies and governmental philosophies. Once we're able to get over the awkwardness with China, that is.

Americans

I have been horrible with keeping up with reading in my classes this quarter. As an engineering student, I'm used to having my classwork mainly consist of working out problems, writing lab reports, developing code, etc. Reading, though?! Sheesh. This quarter will be a change of pace for me.

Despite my lack of attention span to textbooks, I am a total junkie when it comes to reading the news. I can spend hours on BBCNews.com, linking between tons of interrelated articles. Some of my other favorites are MSNBC, The Economist, and Wired. They all have informative and user-friendly websites with interesting articles from around the world.

I've just started researching stuff for our first paper, due this weekend, about culturally mosaic societies. It's interesting whenever I hear folks try to characterize Americans and American culture. I tend to disagree with this whole notion that American culture is converging into one giant cesspool of capitalism. People tend to forget just how vast America is geographically - and overlook the distinct regions and subcultures present in America. Folks in the Southern states are distinctly different from New Englanders, Midwesterners, Californians, Texans, folks from the Plain States, etc.

Structure

Admittedly, I'm a little behind in my reading here... I didn't realize that each of the parts on these reading assignments were so long! This is my first ever online class, so I am trying to adjust myself to a class that is void of much structure - which is hard for someone like me who generally lacks self-discipline!

My previous journal entry tried to take a look at religion, without considering it as a form of control over human beings. I focused on the inspirational side of religion.

I'm reading Chapter 2 right now, a discussion of precolonial history. I have always felt ignorant to any decent perspective on non-Western culture. Seems like our education system really only emphasizes American history and Western Civ. It's unfortunate that we totally neglect other advanced cultures, especially those in China, the Middle East, etc. Kinda makes you wonder if there's a correlation between that and the current awkward foreign relations the United States has with some of those areas...

It was interesting reading about the stateless societies. The governance of people with a dynamic system of organization is fascinating. The fact that people self-organize so fluidly, based on function - not hierarchy or some other form of self-entitlement - is really interesting. In the informational age, it seems like many organizational bodies are adopting a similar governing structure. Less emphasis is placed on title or ranking; more seems to be placed on competency and specialization. It also reminds me of how some computing systems operate. Some forms of artificial intelligence are based on "nodes" within a computing system that self-organized, based on the nature of the problem. Even in the U.S. government, when confidence is lost in the federal government's competence, it seems like we see local and state governments form coalitions to essentially override the negligence or incompetence of the federal bureaucracy.

This decentralized structure seems suitable during times of peace. However, during times of crisis, this seems vulnerable. Without any definite chain of command, it is not difficult to imagine that these systems would be vulnerable to confusion, miscommunication, lack of consistency, etc. Perhaps this is what explains why the Department of Defense succeeds as a rigidly organized body and why Google is able to thrive with a less structured management environment.

With folks becoming more educated and having better access to information and faster communication, it seems that this day and age favors decentralized systems of governance. It relies moreso on the intelligence and specialization of the individual, as well as their abilities to self-organize in order to solve a problem. This system results in a society that empowers folks towards individual growth and spurs innovation among a society - but perhaps at a cost of added vulnerability to hostilities.

The good in religion

This is something I wrote for my personal online journal. I figured it loosely relates to the advent and development of many non-western (as well as western) societies.

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I found an interesting Newsweek article that was discussing the decline of Christianity in America. A huge part of me wanted to say "good riddance!" But, it's always easy for me, along with agnostics, atheists, etc. to decry Christianity (and other organized religions) as a means to brainwash and control folks - not to mention the grounds for wars, outright discrimination, etc. However, I think it's well worth taking a look at some of the more positive lights of religion.

Unlike some of my friends - particularly those in the GLBT community - I have never been directly persecuted for my sexuality. Of course, it helps that I can count the number of times I've gone to church on one hand. And, it helps that my sexuality was never a subject of conversation during any of these times. When I think of church in my life, I think of the wonderful old ladies that never fail to say a kind "hello" with a bright smile on their face on a Sunday morning - all while embracing me in a tight, genuine hug. I think of this powerful force in the room whenever a praise choir sings - a force so strong that it can uplift ordinary people to spontaneously exclaim "Hallelujah!" and affirm the inspirational sermon of the day. I think of the comfort that I have when God and I have a nice chat about life during a moment of prayer. To me, church was always an inviting place to which I unfortunately never gave up enough of my time. Sunday mornings at an uplifting church mass sure beats the hell out of a wasted Sunday morning sleeping in.

When discussing the general subject of religion in a cross-cultural context, it seems like all we ever talk about is the bad. A common theme is that religion is a form of control by the elite and those they seek to enslave. Sure, religion is an institution of control. But, during times long ago when the world was seen as a chaotic and uncertain place, religion provided the sense of structure and certainty that people needed at the time. Much like monarchies, dictatorships, etc. Now that mankind is much more confident and comfortable of his place in the world, it is no surprise at all that religion has kind of fallen lower on our list of priorities.

But, does that mean that religion no longer has a role to play in the lives of human beings in the 21st Century? I don't think so. The very basis of any religion is not necessary the sense of control exerted onto its followers. It is the feeling of hope. Hope is a powerful force. Hope helped build this great country from nothing during times of hardship and despair. Hope propelled a black guy with a few good ideas to the highest office in the land. In the darkest hours of our history, mankind has looked for this hope to lead the way to a better and brighter tomorrow. It is this sense of hope that is the common denominator that fuels any religion.

In today's philosophical and moral debates, it is easy to tempt yourself with using religion as a weapon to divide people. While folks get caught up in the semantics and details of who their God is, what makes their God so fucking great, etc., people lose sight that these details don't matter. What truly matters is that each of us has our own path to make sense of this world to make something great of ourselves. If you believe in an invisible man in the clouds surrounded by angels, that's awesome. If you believe that God exists in the trees and the creatures around us, that's great. If you believe that God is some sort of mass delusion crafted by a bunch of nitwits in power, then that's also great. The only things that matter to me are that your religion and philosophy provide the following: happiness, sense of purpose that propels you to help others, and open-mindedness. That last requirement is rather tricky to come by, it seems, but it's a crucial element in preventing folks from committing murders and suicides in the name of their god(s).

Religion is a substrate of humanity that hasn't existed for thousands of years for nothing. Religion provides the fuel for which people can strive to be someone better than they already are. It empowers folks. It provides a commonality that forms the basis for diverse communities. Looked at in a positive light, religion is something that should not be feared. With the right leadership and the right state of mind to use it, religion can be something that propels mankind forward to achieve something that is greater than the sum of its parts. Religion represents a powerful force at the very heart of every individual that, when used for good, can bring people together in jubilation, but can also, when used for bad, be used to tear people apart and destroy them.

The Republic

As former President George W. Bush once famously stated, "being President is hard." I hear a lot of strong opinions on how Bush was supposedly the worst President in history. Though many of my views diverged significantly from his, I never would've called him the "worst President in history." Bush made decisions during some very trying times; some were good, some were bad, and that's how governing works.

Harsh judgments are already being made about President Obama. Critics and skeptics alike are imposing incredible scrutiny over Obama's governance. Already, there are people from the other side of the fence that fervently label Mr. Obama "the worst President," just as many did with Bush. Over the past decade or two, the American public has become increasingly hostile and divided towards its leadership in Washington.

Are these growing frustrations with the American public really justified? Has American leadership really gone through a steady decline to warrant such growing dissatisfaction among Americans? I don't think so. I think these growing sentiments of division and unrest have more to do with the ever growing pervasiveness of the American media in our lives.

The past couple decades have seen an incredible surge in the role of news media in our daily lives. Long ago, news was only available at noon, 6 pm, and 11 pm. Then came the 24-hour news channels. Then came the news talk shows. Then came all the political commentators. Then came folks like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, who blended news with entertainment. Then came the ability to get news updates via e-mail, mobile devices, Twitter, etc. The American people are as connected as ever with the happenings in Washington.

Consequently, decisionmakers in Washington are held far more accountable than ever before. The increasing pervasiveness of American media, coupled with a growing distrust of Washington, have faciliated an atmosphere where lawmakers are held hostage to immediate public appeasement. Sure, the media has pushed transparency in Washington to an unprecedented level. But, is this full transparency really a good thing for Americans?

We hear the word "democracy" thrown around a lot when describing the United States and its governing bodies. Sure, we were founded on principles of liberty and democracy. But, the United States of America is a republic. We elect and send folks to Washington, based on the trust that we have in their judgment and their ability to lead for our own interests. The fundamental idea of a republic is that important and complex decisions are not made, based on the whims of the petty and uneducated masses, but by the careful consideration and judgment exercised by the wise leaders that we elect.

The increasing pervasiveness of American media has undermined our governance as a republic. More and more, lawmakers resort to polls over common sense when making critical decisions. More and more, folks in Washington are pulled into having to take sides on issues that they have no business dealing with, because they're afraid of what the public might think if they remain quiet. The United States is becoming a populist society.

How else do you explain Washington's reaction to the AIG bonus debacle? How else do you explain why federal lawmakers try to step in and tell states how to define their marriages? How else do you explain when things like Proposition 8 in California subject the fundamental rights of an entire class of people to a popular vote?

Here's how it works. Fox News makes a big deal about some incident in some random small town in the middle of nowhere. This incident will involve one of the following buzzwords: "religion," "homosexuality," "abortion," "stem cells," "sex," etc... They'll blow this up into some huge national controversy. People will freak out and be like "OMG, I don't want this shit happening in my hometown!" Congressmen will take sides on the issue. And, then, they'll try to pass federal legislation on issues that should've been addressed at the locality of incident.

For some reason, we've been bred in this culture in which we defer our moral convictions and responsibilities to Washington. We don't allow individual communities to make their own decisions on what is socially acceptable. Instead of fixing schools from the bottom up through community efforts, Washington tries to invest in some new program that is supposed to be a catch-all for all schools around the country. Instead of using state and local governments to propose a solution to universal healthcare, Washington's trying to develop another massive program. Instead of looking to the men and women in our communities who built this country from the ground up, we look to Washington bureaucrats to propose new spending programs to fix our problems. Both Democrats and Republicans are guilty of this. Usually, Democrats are guilty of using Washington for big social spending programs; usually, Republicans are guilty of using Washington to enact their own social standards upon us (gay marriage, abortion, etc.). And, why shouldn't they? After all, from what you see on your preferred 24-hour cable news channel, the world revolves around the know-it-alls in Washington.

The news media has turned Washington into a clusterfuck. And, it's perpetually getting worse. President Obama has been one of the more fortuante and media-savvy politicians who has been able to maintain a good deal of patience and support from the American people. And, he seems to have been able to isolate his decision-making from the need to appease the public and improve polls. I just hope that those in Congress are able to do the same and not govern on popular vote or what Rush Limbaugh says, but govern on a vision of what's best for our country.