About a month ago, I was approached by my cousin, Walter, to explain why I was voting for Barack Obama in the upcoming presidential election.  He wasn’t asking to debate me or to question me, instead, I think he was genuinely curious.  I think a lot of his curiousity stems from the fact that I am a conservative Christian and most Christians we know are voting for McCain.  I think it also stems from the fact that we come from an extended immigrant family that is living the so-called American Dream — the fact that our parents patiently waited for our green cards, saved their hard earned blue collar money, never had credit card debt, never sought welfare, and was able to support all of our cousins through four year universities.  I think the questions are further compounded when you take into consideration that my undergraduate training was at the McCombs School of Business where I was taught to love and appreciate the power and freedom of our financial model of capitalism.

When I wrote a blogpost about Ron Paul, cyberspace political bullies crawled out of the woodwork to tell me how ignorant and foolish I was.  I’m not sure I can prevent that here but I will say that I am not trying to definitively prove why one candidate is better than the other– I’m simply stating why I, as an Asian-American Christian, with all of my intellectual and theoretical limitations, am voting for Barack Obama.  Perhaps there are economists, military strategists, and theologians out there that will disagree with me, but I feel compelled to vote based on my personal values, principles and observations.

First of all, I’m not a Democrat.  I do not agree with everything in Barack Obama’s platform.  I don’t even know if Barack Obama agrees with everything in Barack Obama’s platform.  I think you would be hard-pressed to find a pure Republican or a pure Democrat these days but people strangely feel the need to align to one party or another.  I have actually tried to align myself but have been unable to.  I think a lot of the issues are too complex and too nuanced to choose “for” or “against”.  Unfortunately, this is how people operate and this is how our political systems cater to the voters.

Second of all, most political debates are pointless.  When people think about the government from completely different paradigms and different values — it is usually futile to try to discuss policy.  Policy is ultimately driven and defended by values (well, they are supposed to be, even though in reality it’s more about money and lobbying special interest groups) and if you don’t share the same values with the person you are talking to, it is extremely difficult to even start discussing logistics or the financial implications– you need to first agree on why the policy should or should not exist!

So I write this post for people who share the same values as I do.  If you are a Libertarian who believes that the government should do as little as possible — this post will do nothing for you.  If you don’t believe in redistribution of wealth or the importance of strengthening of the middle class — what I say will make no sense to you.  If you do not believe that we have a moral right to make sure that no child goes hungry or uneducated in the United States, that such as thing exists as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (cool video of UDHR, thanks Carlos!) — then you can pretty much stop reading.

Okay, for those of you who are left.  I’m just going down the list of issues on Obama and McCain’s webpages to organize my thoughts.  Something neat about this presidential campaign is that both candidates agree on quite a bit!  But there definitely are some differences:

• Civil Rights — I appreciate that this is listed as an issue on Obama’s page as it doesn’t make it onto McCain’s.  I am an advocate for things like pay equity between males and females, reducing crime recidivism by providing ex-offender support, eliminating sentencing disparities between powder cocaine and crack cocaine, and the increased use of drug courts.  These are basic problems that have been in our country for a long time and I believe more superficial “tough on crime” policies are just going to make private prison owners richer and waste more tax money.
• Defense/National Security — Both candidates seem to agree here on modernizing our defense.  I would have chalked this one up for McCain — especially because Obama coasted through the primaries on the idea of pulling the troops out ASAP and since then, things have changed in Iraq to the point where that would not seem prudent.  I think it was wise of Obama to choose Joe Biden, chairman of the Senate’s Foreign Relations committee — his VP pick evens the playing field a bit.  And I do think that the democratic party has a slight edge in foreign relations because unfortunately, I think people around the world associate Bush’s policies as synonymous with Republican policies.
• Disabilities — Again, this is an issue that is addressed on Obama’s website and not on McCain’s.  We would be kidding ourselves if we thought that disabled people currently had the same rights as able-bodied people in the United States.
• Economy/Family — This is an issue that I have changed my opinion drastically about in the past year or two.  I used to think that the less the government was involved in our economy the better (i.e. deregulation of the financial markets).  Unfortunately, this hasn’t worked out for us as evidenced by the mess we are in right now.  And I won’t pretend to completely understand the mess we are in right now but I do think that more regulation is needed.  McCain (and the Republican party in general) has always been supported by large corporations and because of this, I think it will be difficult for McCain to create any policies that reign in their greedy practices.  I disagree with trade tariffs on imported goods but I agree with eliminating tax cuts for countries that outsource their jobs from overseas.  I also agree with Obama’s plans for tax credits (for those making less than $75,000 as an individual or $150,000 as a couple) to help the middle class and I support his focus on making work more desirable than welfare or government assistance.  I also really like that Obama preaches fiscal responsibility instead of just promising to increase government assistance.  During his recent speech in Toledo, Ohio, “Obama – who regularly preaches tough love to audiences– said that people need to take responsibility for their own financial situation; that the crisis on Wall Street and Main Street has contributed to their woes – but now is the time for fiscal responsibility in their own lives.“
• Education — This is one of the areas that I am most passionate about.  Since entering the graduate social work program, I have spent a considerable amount of time learning about society’s ills and hearing from various experts about society’s ills.  By society’s ills, I’m referring to the overrepresentation of minorities in the criminal justice system, the lack of social mobility between classes, crime, ethnic discrimination, and even the loss of competitive technology produced in the United States.  No Child Left Behind was horribly underfunded and schools that were not deemed worthy by parents armed with school vouchers had no resources to improve or change to compete with other schools.  I believe in higher teacher pay and more parity in funding and resources for all public schools.  A school teacher should not have to pay for paper and supplies out of her own pocket because she is in a less wealthy school district.  The American Dream is rooted in education.  Without a strong and healthy education system, the American Dream will never be a reality for most people.  The barriers to higher education also need to be reduced.  It is a shame that some students from a low socio-economic background work so hard from K-12 and are accepted into highly-ranked four-year universities but are unable to attend because they cannot afford the tuition.
• Energy/Environment — Both candidates talk about energy independence from the Middle East but I believe the future lies in renewable energy and not in Alaska’s pipelines.  I am really excited that both candidates are talking about a cleaner environment and that they have both committed to protecting nature.
• Ethics — Government reform is one of the biggest reasons why a lot of people are drawn towards Obama.  A quote from his speech in Des Moines, IA: “I am in this race to tell the corporate lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda in Washington are over. I have done more than any other candidate in this race to take on lobbyists — and won. They have not funded my campaign, they will not run my White House, and they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I am president.”
• Faith — Obama’s Call to Renewal Keynote Address.  If you are a Christian who is voting for McCain simply because you think that is the Christian thing to do, please read/watch that speech.  I have always struggled with the abortion issue but after working with Child Protective Services I can firmly say that I do not believe in “a woman’s right to choose.”  I know I’ll probably get slammed for this by the progressive community because reproductive rights are a huge point of advocacy (especially in oppresive male-dominated countries where women are sold as brides and raped by their husbands) but after working with all the different children in foster care and listening to their awful, broken childhoods and histories (some born out of rape/incest), no matter how awful their lives, I could never look at any of them and tell them that they would have been better off not having been born.  When I helped them fill out a worksheet on their future goals and dreams, I realized that I could never value their mother’s choice (whether it be based on convenience, financial hardship, or trauma) over the life of this hopeful child sitting next to me.  I strongly feel that the Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice debate is not helpful and that both sides should concentrate and join their efforts on working towards lowering teenage pregnancies.  For those of you who are voting for McCain simply because he picked Sarah Palin who is a super Pro-Life supporter, please consider all the other issues that are raised in this election.  Also keep in mind that President Bush, a staunch Pro-Life advocate, was in office for 8 years and did not end the practice of abortion.  The issue of abortion should not be your single reason for voting.  I don’t even know if abortion could ever be made illegal without resulting in a lot of dangerous black market abortions — I think this issue is better remedied through improved sexual responsibility and sex education.  Now for the other Christian hot topic, I am against banning gay marriage.  I don’t know why Christians, who have never tried banning marriages that are not representative of marriage described in the Bible (which is utlimately a picture of God’s relationship with believers), suddenly want to ban gay marriage.  It has always bothered me that Christians arbitrarily oppose homosexuality more than other things deemed as sins in the bible such as adultery, promiscuity, etc.  A church can decide who they accept and don’t accept in their congregation (although this is still biblically questionable to me) and a pastor/preist can decide which couples he wants to marry and which he doesn’t, but I believe the government shouldn’t be able to decide who a person lists as their spouse/family on his/her legal documents.  Especially when it affects legal rights such as insurance policies, and hospital visitations.
• Fiscal — The Democrats are usually the big spenders so it’s refreshing to read that Obama supports government fiscal responsibility.  I am also in favor of limited the abuse of no-bid contracts.  And this is coming from a former Halliburton employee!
• Healthcare — I am currently poorly informed about this topic.  I just know that there needs to be serious reforms when it comes to healthcare.  I think people are quick to point to Canada’s problems with their healthcare system but I think it is foolish to become paralyzed by the problems of existing single-payer healthcare systems instead of trying to envision a healthcare system that is efficient and universal.  Also, with so many healthcare and insurance corporations supporting McCain, I think it will be difficult for his party to make any significant reforms.
• Immigration — I’m at a loss here.
• Poverty — This issue, like education, is something that I am passionate about.  I am really confused as to why ending poverty, instead of banning abortion or gay marriage, is not the top Christian political issue.
• Judicial Philosophy — I agree with McCain on this one.  I do not think Supreme Court judges should legislate from the bench.

I realize that most politicians are not able to implement everything on their platforms.  But I feel compelled to vote for the candidate that I agree with the most.  This is the first time I am voting.  Since I live in Texas, my vote is for democracy as much as it is a vote for Obama.  It is also potentially a vote for electoral college reform!

I welcome your thoughts as I am not firmly set in my political views and still have a lot to learn.

This past week I’ve written and deleted three drafts posts with dissatisfaction.  So whatever I write here gets published.

It is becoming harder and harder to avoid writing a political post so I’ll try to get one out soon.  Just to be upfront, I have gripes with both the Democratic and Republican sides.  I have problems with the whole political process.  I might have to add a “Political” post category by the time we get to election day.

The economy is frighteningly unstable.  I think with all the Hurricane Ike news and with a ton of people still without power, people haven’t really taken in the stark realities of this week’s events.  I think it’s interesting to see the heavy handed government interventions in the financial markets this past week from a Republican administration.  This just goes to show that there are no promises after someone gets into office.  There’s really no telling whether McCain will provide little government or whether Obama will provide all the programs he’s been talking about.

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I’m disappointed that Apple issued a recall on their ultracompact USB power adapters for the iPhone.  There’s reportedly only a small percentage of adapters that are faulty but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.  You can either exchange it in store in October or fill out the web-based form now.  Thanks to MacRumors for letting me know about this.

October is also when the MBP is supposed to come out.  I’ve been waiting for this redesign for — is it two years now?  Crazy.  But what’s even crazier is I’m considering not getting one.  Well, I’m really hoping that they make it lighter in this new redesign.  But if they don’t, I might consider getting a Mac Pro or a iMac for my photo processing and a lightweight, compact laptop for travel and mobility.  One or maybe both of those will probably have to be refurbished since my tech budget is pretty limited.  Has anyone ever bought refurbished from Apple?

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My internship this year is at Texas Children’s Hospital in Adolescent Medicine through BCM’s Leadership Education in Adolescent Health Fellowship program.  It’s been an interesting experience so far in that I feel like I’m getting a sneak peak at what medical or nursing school is like.  It’s a really robust environment where you’re surrounded by sharp people and you can learn as much as you possibly want to.  It’s also nice to be able to disassociate hospitals with terrible events.  I’m also helping to facilitate experiential groups at a local high school and will be also be working with Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP) students both in Houston and in Baytown.

It’s because of these two things and my full load of classes that sockparade might suffer a bit this year.  But I definitely consider it a worthwhile trade-off — hopefully it won’t get too bad.

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I never used to like cars.  I mean, I never appreciated their beauty until after I met the husband.  My brother-in-law was over last night and they were talking cars and while I’m still drooling over the Audi A5, the brand new Audi A4 is pretty fantastic too.  The headlight redesign is amazing.

Speaking of cars, I love car commercials that use great songs.  There’s a Saab commercial that has cool female vocals but I don’t know who she is.  Let me know if you’ve got a clue.

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This is the first weekend we’ve had where we have no plans and no place we’ve committed to visiting.  It’s the first real weekend I’ve had in a long time.  I can’t wait!  See you on the other side.

****************The Dark Knight SPOILER ALERT***********************

Courtesy spoiler alert extended– but if you haven’t seen it yet, you probably are not going to or don’t care if the movie is spoiled.  In which case, keep reading.

So I promised a thematic review of The Dark Knight (TDK) in a previous post about TDK and even though no one was really holding their breath for it and even though most people have probably already long forgotten the plot of TDK, it makes a lot of sense to me to write about it right now.

I’ll admit that I’ve been putting this post off for awhile because I’m afraid I won’t do justice to it.  Even today, I came home from another hospital orientation (I’m pretty sick of orienting myself at this point, I just want to get started), I cooked myself dinner, and read through half of my RSS feeds and am only now finally starting to write.  I’m terribly tempted to upload, tag and organize photos on Flickr, load the dishwasher and organize my underwear and sock drawer before I go any further but the husband is coming home from his business trip in about three hours so I better make the most of a quiet house on a Friday night.

I do wish that I wrote this earlier today because most people surf here on Friday afternoons when things are slow at work but it’s too early to cut out for the weekend.  But I’m okay if you don’t get to reading this until Monday.

Alright, let’s jump in:

Evil vs. Less Evil Theme

This is the most basic theme in the story of Batman.  Unlike other superheroes, he doesn’t have superpowers and his drive is not quite as noble as that of Superman.  He is largely motivated by anger and vengeance and he has notably restrained himself from murdering any villain or criminal.  This can at times be frustrating because the villains rotate through the revolving doors of Arkham Asylum like clockwork.  But this theme is the reason why I like the story of Batman the most.  I relate to it the most.  I don’t believe people are naturally good and evil.  I think we are all naturally evil and sometimes we just act less evil than others.  I believe we all spend most of our lives trying to fight that evil — some through a faith in God, some for the promise of nirvana or rewards in an afterlife, some through spirituality, some through a contemporary version of karma, and others through a simple cultural work ethic.  The story of Batman gives me hope that a person with every right to be bitter and angry at the world and its darkness can somehow still work for the good.  As a social worker, I have seen and heard the stories of young people who have the odds stacked against them.  Stories about murder, rape, neglect, loneliness and all the ugliness and darkness of this world.  If I didn’t have hope that people who are victims of evil can turn their lives around and achieve great things and pursue goodness, I don’t think I would have the strength to do what I do.

Criminals/Villians are Usually the Product of our Society

At the same time, when Harvey Dent becomes Two-Face, it’s a difficult but necessary reminder that even if a person strives their hardest for goodness, the circumstances and incidents of reality can sometimes be heavy enough to bring that person down.  Our first reaction is to marvel at the fact that Harvey Dent, the upright and honest District Attorney, could be pushed to the point of kidnapping Commissioner Gordon’s family and wanting to murder innocent people.  That the symbol of integrity and justice in Gotham City could so quickly become a villain is alarming.  But it makes perfect sense to me.  The person with the most hope for justice usually has the greatest fall when he/she is confronted with the injustice of reality.  This is also why I think truly overcoming evil is only possible by nothing short of the grace of God.

Hey, the same thing happened to Michael Corleone in the Godfather trilogy, didn’t it?  Michael was different from his brothers.  He wanted to separate himself from the “family business.”  But circumstances sucked him in deeper than he would have ever predicted.  Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

A lot of people blame criminal behavior on mental illness but a lot less people are willing to blame criminal behavior on the circumstances of reality.  Whether it be lack of education, unemployment, economic deprivation, psychological stress, or a simple cost-benefit analysis that leads to crime– it is usually inaccurate to attribute crime to mental illness.  I really enjoyed the portrayal of the Joker in TDK, not just the acting performance, but the suggestion that perhaps The Joker is actually more aware and more lucid than the masses.  Did any of you feel that way?  That despite his gruesome gags and his chilling detachment from death, The Joker was the most real character in the entire movie.  He was the most tormented, for sure, but he was the most honest about his pain.

An example that hits a lot closer to home is the creation of terrorists and international criminals.  Countries where living conditions and economic opportunities are poor are typically fertile breeding grounds for fundamentalist terrorist groups.  Syriana portrayed this dynamic in a compelling way.  I sometimes wonder if the tragedy of the Holocaust would still have occurred if the people of Germany weren’t as economically devastated and low in morale as they were after WWI.  It’s easier for us to dismiss terrorists as mentally ill than to consider that perhaps they are ordinary humans pushed to their limits without an ounce of hope outside of the violence or the twisted fundamentalist belief.  It’s frightening to consider that the human mind and heart could be so fragile.

The Masses

This is always a difficult theme for me in movies.  I am absolutely terrified of the masses.  I shudder when I read historical accounts of mob mentality.  Whether it be Nazi Germany, the genocide in Darfur, city riots, soccer stadium stampedes, or even the Salem Witch Trials, I am chilled to the bone to think of the vulnerability of groups of people to powerful ideas– or rather, the vulnerability of people to the ideas of power.  There are countless global conflicts that follow the formulaic story of an oppressed group organized by a charismatic leader to brutally oppress their former oppressors.  The drastic power shifts that can take place in a politically unstable country are really disturbing.  Even more disturbing are the power shifts that can sometimes take place in a seemingly non-war, non-political environment such as a business meeting or a church.  Some readers will probably argue that business meetings and churches as just as political as any other venue.  But you get the idea.  I think my fear of the mindless masses is part of the reason why the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Beijing creeped me out so much.

So I haven’t really figured out what I think about this theme in the movie.  The movie portrays the masses as simple minded people who are influenced and essentially controlled by a handful of men behind closed doors.  This is why this post is relevant right now.  After watching my country approach the presidential election, I keep getting the sinking feeling that this is all just a charade to influence and control the masses.  Don’t get me wrong, I believe there are informed voters and die hard theorists and economists that are voting in accordance with their well-thought out beliefs, but then there are just as many voters who are swayed by the propaganda, the media (whether it be CNN or Fox News) and their friends.  This bothers me to no end.  I really want to believe that individuals are more autonomous and more intelligent than this dismal diagnosis.  But I’m not so sure.

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So, are you tired of reading?  Cause I’m tired of writing.

The Masses Need a Leader that Fits Their Needs

The Masses Need a Scapegoat that Fits Their Needs

Those are the last two themes I outlined when I first set out to write this post.  I think they are pretty self-explanatory.  Of course I could write a hefty paragraph or two for each theme (don’t doubt me) but I’ll spare you.  Depending on which camp you are in, ObamaBiden, McCainPalin and BushCheney could easily make appearances in either paragraph.

In summary, I think the movie was pretty good as a movie but its true greatness lies in its ability to be a launchpad for exploring life themes.

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In unrelated news, this personal email written by Anne Kilkenny, Alaskan housewife, has been getting a lot of press (heard the story on NPR this afternoon).  Of course, it’s just a personal email without substantiated numbers but it’s definitely an interesting read.  And I think it’s fun to see just how accessible information is these days.  In the NPR interview, Anne admits that she’s not quite sure what a blog is and that she is still on a dial-up connection.

History is full of great speeches.  Some of the most influential speeches in my life are:

• Jesus Christ’s Sermon on the Mount.
• Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech:
• Robert F. Kennedy’s “Mindless Menace of Violence” speech after MLK’s assassination:
• J.K. Rowling’s Harvard University Commencement Speech

And now, after watching Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, I am adding it to my short list of life-influencing speeches. If you missed Obama’s speech last night, please take the time to watch it.

Not that reality is all about rhetoric and great speechmaking, but I do believe that the masses need to be inspired to hope for and work towards progress.

While I’m on the topic of Obama, here’s a great NYT article that Lawrence linked me to about Obama’s stance on economics.

In all fairness, as independents, the husband and I will be tuning into the Republican National Convention next week.  This brings a whole new meaning to “tough act to follow.”

EDIT:  I am adding Barack Obama’s Call to Renewal speech about religion and politics and Barack Obama’s Yes We Can speech.

I came across these quotes written by Supreme Court Justice Simpson in Australia in my readings for class and he eloquently explains what I believe about people’s bad choices:

“Drug addicts do not come to their addiction from a social or environmental vacuum. This Court should not close its eyes to the multifarious circumstances of disadvantage and deprivation that frequently precede and precipitate a descent into illegal drug use.”

“Nor can I accept that the exercise of free choice in the use of drugs is always of equal dimensions. It is not every decision to use drugs that can properly or fairly be characterized as a decision made in the exercise of free choice. The will of an individual can be overborne, or undermined, not only by acts of another person, but also the pressure of circumstances. I do not accept that most drug offenders are truly exercising free will when they choose the degradation, despair, criminality and cycle of imprisonment that can follow the initial use of illegal drugs. The circumstances that propel the offender to use drugs are often, if not usually, beyond his or her control. They may or may not be combined with a vulnerable personality or even a weakness of character. Many drug offenders have not had the life experiences or the normal developmental path that permit a conclusion that the decision to take drugs was a decision made in the exercise of a free choice in the sense in which that phrase is ordinarily understood.”

Not that bad choices are excusable, or that all bad choices are a result of bad environments and circumstances.  But I just think that free choice isn’t always as readily available as we, who live a privileged life, imagine.

I definitely think there is a balance.  I think people should be more empathetic about circumstances, but at the same time, drug offenders need to take responsibility to repair the damage that has been done in their lives.  It’s a delicate balance in social work– advocating for those who need it, while empowering people to advocate for themselves and take responsibility for their actions.  For some strange reason, I think we crave a black and white conclusion on people’s poor life outcomes, we want to be able to say, “it’s their fault” or “it’s not their fault”. I think we need to move away from that in order to improve society.