One of the reasons the Bubbler exists is because we were frustrated having points of view on the news that we were never hearing in the coverage. And so it goes with the equal pay movement. The premise of equal pay is that men and women should be paid equally for doing the same job. But no part of that idea holds up to scrutiny. Start with “the same job.” There are no “same jobs.” Not in the same company, and especially not across different companies. Every job has its own nuances. You work with different teams or individuals….
There still an area where women get no attention
Now that we’ve finally agreed that men and women are exactly the same and everything one gets, the other should get, too, there’s one area that still stands out to me. Why is it everyone can name at least three male serial killers, but no one can name one female serial killer. (Which isn’t necessarily true, because here at Face House Productions, we were able to name Myra Hindley largely due to The Smiths song, Suffer Little Children, which was a song about the Moors Murders.) We’ve dutifully addressed all gender inequality, but I think this one is overlooked….
Let your friends know Facebook is telling you to think about them on their birthday
Once again, I received another email from Facebook this week instructing me to “Let Maxwell House know you are thinking about him on his birthday today.” And once again, I made sure to get up early enough to call my friend and wish him a happy birthday before Facebook sent me their crutch. My friends are important to me, and so are their birthdays. Like people used to do with their friend’s phone numbers, I make an effort to remember my friend’s birthdays and wish them a happy birthday. But Facebook has leveled the playing field. Now, instead of…
Speed recognition training
Anyone who checks out their local Nextdoor.com site knows that it’s a litany of neighborhood “for sale” ads and people noticing “suspicious vehicles” creeping around their houses. But it’s also full of people discussing how much people are speeding through their neighborhoods. In our neighborhood, it won’t be more than a few days before someone reports that everyone is avoiding the main roads to cut through our neighborhood and everyone driving in our neighborhood is flying and driving at least 40 mph. (The speed limit in our town is 25mph on nearly all roads.) This always makes me wonder,…
Proud to be an American (when it’s going my way)
Gallup released their annual 4th of July poll with the headline “Record-low 47% Extremely Proud to be Americans.” They’re focus for the story was that the percent of Americans who are proud to be American hit 47%, the lowest percent since they started the annual poll in 2001. I took away something completely different: Conservatives and Republicans (not the same thing) were consistently proud to be American, no matter what year, and no matter who was the President – Bush, Obama, or Trump. In the last five years, the percent of conservatives varied from 61% to 66%. Conservatives’ pride…
Soccer: the end of America
While most of my office, along with the workforces all over America, are watching the World Cup on television instead of doing the work they’re being paid to do, I decided it was the perfect time for me to wrap up this post to document some of my thoughts on soccer. And before I get too far into it, let me just start by saying I played soccer for two years and have been to two professional matches – both while in England. With that out of the way: With the World Cup upon us, now is the perfect…
Who would you drop everything to go see?
Someone recently told me if Tony Robbins is ever in town, I have to go and see him. Which got me thinking… Wouldn’t it be cool if people felt that way about you? “If Face House is ever in town, drop what you’re doing to make sure you see him.” What would it take for people to say that about you? If you visited a city where you had friends, and they knew you were coming to town, how many would put aside other plans to make sure they saw you while you were there? What kind of person…
How does socialism kill people?
It’s not uncommon, when the topic of socialism comes up, for someone to say something like, “Do you know how many millions of people died in the name of socialism?” I’ve heard this said, but the conversation almost always move on without anyone really addressing it. Historically, we know that it’s true (at least most over the age of 25 do, anyway). Or at least we know that when there have been mass murders of populations, ethnicities or communities, the reigning government was collectivist, in nature. So, how does the one lead to the other? In simplest terms, socialism…
Free Tibet… but how?
If you drive, it won’t be too long before you see someone with a Free Tibet bumper sticker. When I see these, I wonder, if the US were to free Tibet by sending in our military, going to war with China, and taking back the country so they could govern themselves, would those who protested our presence in Kuwait or Iraq (who are generally the same people who would be likely to have a “Free Tibet” bumper sticker) react similarly to our heading into Tibet? Would they be upset about how it was freed? Would they even notice it…
Always mad at the consequence, never the action
Want to know how to avoid police brutality? Cooperate with a police officer. Want to know how to avoid being separated from your children when you’re in the country illegally? Don’t be in the country illegally. Trying to stay out of jail? Don’t break laws. Want to keep your right to vote? Avoid committing felonies. Don’t want to deal with road rage? Perhaps stop giving people the finger. Want to find a safe place to inject heroin? Don’t inject heroin. It’s the only safe way to deal with heroin. Don’t want to have to choose between an abortion and…