Mary Coppin

Why?
Why are some Facebook groups so mean? They are oblivious and even at times misogynist and racist- all under the guise of being funny? Do they really believe that it's all harmless when they tell themselves that? And where are these spoiled, self centered teenager's parents? Oh yeah, that's right, they are also on the very same Facebook groups.
And I soooo wish these kinds of people wouldn't also have to list "The Bible" as their favorite book. Leave my Christian God's book out of your weird justifications please.

They remind me of the clueless (I say clueless but that really isn't close to being the right word...) people I've heard over the years flippantly say somehow slavery wasn't so bad because some were sold by their own people.
Uh, hello......!
If you sold your child into slave labor.... the "owner" if you will, would still be EVIL, duhr!

We have a generation raised on sitcoms with family members commonly lying to each other as simply part of the plot line and set up for the jokes---and even worse, reality shows that absolutely glorify and reward the "art of the lie". (Do parents discuss this with their kids?)
People often, don't even seem to grasp they are actually lying anymore. And if per chance they do for just a sec, it's compartmentalized and rationalized and to them their lies pale next to "other's" lies.

Religion, at least from what I have seen lately, breeds some of the meanest Churchians (not Christians) who can hypocritically change who they are depending on the situation, yet always feel RIGHT and forgiven later. No matter what.

I don't think that God meant for us to use the priceless gift of "Grace" like a drive through car wash.
They do know those Bible verses though, by golly.
And they say a prayer, and they know it's the right thing to do, way to vote or whatever.
But they can still lack empathy and understanding for others different from themselves.
And the more the terrorists want to kill us, they more they can justify.
Just what we need, one set of religious "we are the one true way" nuts using another brand of "we are the one true way" nuts to rationalizing getting THEIR way.
I just picture God shaking his head.... a whole LOT.

My favorite joke I made up was when too many people meet their maker, God's first words are "You said I said WHAT????!!!!"

I'm a Christian. And I'm pretty darn sick of hypocritical Bible thumpers. I really am.
I'm not a lock-step kind of person and I'm NEVER Christian enough for them. Or the right kind of Christian... more of God shaking his head.
Make the world a better place and love God.

Wasn't Facebook nicer when they just constantly annoyed you with all the Farmville invitations?

How fun Was Jason's Shin-digggg!!!
I took lots of pics and film. Some are pretty dark. (darn you IPhone GS you are perfect in anyway except you have no flash!)
I was filming during quite the after shock and didn't even notice it.
I'll try to get the pics etc up soon. Some are already on Facebook.

It was a good day for working, and now my baby is on his way home.... yay!
But I was just reading someone's blog about the Gulf and I started pondering the layers to the lyrics of "Big Yellow Taxi"...
When I was little, I had an uncle wanting me to listen to those kinds of songs (And hippy Dad too, when I'd visit - but that's a whole other story...) and I was like "whatever!".

That song, "Big Yellow Taxi" was inspired by Joni's first visit to Hawaii. In her hotel, she looked out the window up Mauka and then looked at the parking lot below...and the "tree museum" was in Honolulu too. And that song was a hit in 1970!!!

Back to the layers of the lyrics.... relationships, our own personal health, the Earth's health, true happiness and authenticity.
Still so relevant.
I got scolded recently about my health that playing too much music (aww come on!) and writing too many hours in a row and just ignoring my body's yelping until I simply couldn't anymore...had created a situation that was much like what some entities do to the environment.
How could bliss lead to this? My brain writing all the time is bad for my body's environment? Again crud.

On the world's environment front, we seldom get as obviously smacked up on the head as we have with this Oil disaster (No, Mississippi politician, "tar-balls" on the beach is not a normal part of the environment.)
Usually many things that happen around us are much more mysterious. Like why are there soo many more kids with autism?.... I don't know if it's the vaccinations but it's something! Is it the hormones in the meat and milk (my theory is that's why kids are more obese these days), is it that most of our produce is ripened on a truck with gas instead of on the plant under God's sun, is it the fact that they have long genetically engineered food to "improve" things?? (I will NEVER EVER forget, when years ago I read that they put fish DNA in corn!! And even today if I mention it, most look at me rather skeptically.) I'm so not a conspiracy buff, trust me http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food
(okay now, random thought -- my sister is repulsed by fish, I wonder if she hates corn now too?)

Why is the world so strange and just plain wrong sometimes in the name of progress? Science is not bad but geeze... Lead in paint, asbestos in kids pajamas. And that is a very short list of the nutty things we didn't doubt. Kinda can't blame the people that are afraid of everything. (Don't even google about the dangers of the invisible mold on peanuts. Don't do it...)

And darn it if a bunch of those songs that we performed in our 60's medley during my year in Up With People.. "...the answer my friend is blowing in the wind....".
Does that mean that I'm never going to understand why 30 years later "Big Yellow Taxi" is still frighteningly relevant because too many people still have tar-balls in their ears?
Crud.
I'm going to need to have a good prayer about this. I remind myself that the world is such a better place in so many ways (the so called 'good old days' were NOT good for many), but....
I wish more people would remember that people can do the right thing and still make a living and prosper.
It's not an either/or world.
You CAN be a patriot and against a war, and so on. No, not everyone who's a billionaire is a Robber Baron. And so on.

Okay, gotta go for a jog.
The complete lyrics to "Big Yellow Taxi" are here...
http://jonimitchell.com/music/song.cfm?id=208

I'm a little annoyed that facebook is much more active than myspace. I miss the simplicity of myspace. I can't keep up with anything.
I have friends from many different phases of life from festivals to HS to Up With People to living in Hawaii. At first I loved Facebook because I could kind of just check in to the everyday happenings of people I missed. Especially friends from Kona and when I was sick and was mostly at home (I was sick a bunch off and on this past year). I loved hearing the Hawaiians that I missed chat. I loved the quite exciting career news of people I traveled in Europe with. But I think Facebook is much more effective for small circles of friends where how the Farmville thing is going or what they made for dinner is fun to hear along with exciting life stuff.
When I read Facebook walls, sometimes I feel like I'm eves dropping. We friended each other, but still....
I loved myspace for many reasons. First, as a performer and writer it has been the quickest most accessible electronic press kit ever! Many jobs, performing and writing still come out of it.
And I love listening to music and getting a listen to friend's latest ventures and discovering great new people and music too. It's just a little annoying that some people thought it was a good idea to use companies to spam and get as many fans/friends listed on their page as possible. And often times, THAT music was not so good. And it steals the authenticity of the process.
And the blogs on myspace--- nice way to get to know more about the thoughts of people, if I CHOOSE to.
I subscribed to Charles Shaughnessy's (Mr Sheffield on 'The Nanny', and majorly crush worthy back in the day) during the election year. I can't always keep up with his blogs (who can keep up with anything these days?) but I found it because of noticing that my good buddy, David Vidal was commenting with him about politics and then I really appreciated Shaughnessy's perspective on many things.
I loved the real conversations going back and forth. I don't find many blogs elsewhere on the net too cool, way too anonymous which is probably a large part of why they are often inappropriately cruel and misinformed (and they rarely care).
Okay, I have to run but here's a tangent on my goofy suspicion of why many blogs are scary on the net...
I moved to California from a little city where back then, even if I didn't know someone directly, if we talked, we would still find out that one of us knew someone in the other person's family. Get it?
So when I first moved to Southern California I found that people were so much more guarded and not nice (at least in the first area I lived-every little /area here has a different personality, I swear). And I remember thinking, "wow, no wonder people are less civil in the big city... I could do something here and it would so NEVER get back to my Mom even if she lived here!").
Okay, I didn't do anything but I realized you just grow up differently when you have that little 'family would know' factor in the back of your mind.
Hey, that's probably why people are so nice in Hawaii, ohana is everywhere no matter the island.
So comments on things and blogs online are sometimes disturbing because of anonymity.
What's recently worse though, is the groups on Facebook where, some kind of mob mentality takes over and makes it feel okay to openly joke about praying the president dies or to make fun of Mexicans (SOOO low class and tacky that Mexican Word of The Day Page) or even worse. Now THAT is scary. People are losing not only their civility but also their shame.
I strive to understand both sides of an issue but I don't mind strong political views. Part of me even sooo wants to start a "Stinks For Congress" Facebook group myself. But... you know what I mean.