Hostages of the Government (And the NFL)

America likes football. I know I do.  I would desperately miss the 2011 NFL season. Fortunately, it looks like its going to happen. Players are supposed to vote tomorrow and approve the deal on the table.  Which is great.


Go Packers.


Anyway, I was reading this article on ESPN and I think it's amazingly level-headed. (Probably due in part to the fact that ESPN writers have no obligation to be partisan.)


Like this section:

Sitting here in the corner with the wool pulled down over our eyes, listening to strangers whisper urgently about money and what desperate things they'll do if they don't get it, it's easy to feel like a hostage. Being held for ransom is now the normal state of things for the citizen-consumers of America.

Whether we're talking about the National Football League or the national debt as political football, we've long since surrendered ourselves into the abject care of madmen.

 My point here is that Jeff MacGregor, the author, is right. For the most part, as citizens, we seem to be held hostage by the politicians and businessmen of the country.  I think the responsibility falls on us though.  We need to be more active in day to day operation of our country. Because right now, this quote rings remarkably true:

In what can only be called history's worst case of Stockholm syndrome, not only do we continue to believe deeply in our captors and the institutions and fictions they represent but we go so far as to pay our own ransom. Again and again and again.

It's a brilliant article. Read the whole thing. 


Then help me figure out how we start to wrestle back control of our collective future.   

 

Google+

Why I'll Be Investing More of My Social Media Efforts Into Google+. And Why You Should Too.


I've been thinking about Google+ for a while. Occasionally talking about it with people.  Jesse could tell you a little about our conversation which was accompanied by various efforts to explore the functionality of this new social network. I didn't quite get it at first (which is a problem Google is going to have to address).  


But today, I think I've started to understand.  Google+ is an evolutionary step above its big rival, Facebook.  Quite frankly, I think it's a brilliant invention for those of us who are a little tired with the sheer amount of time we spend on Facebook, getting next to nothing accomplished, but still appreciate the communal nature of social media and the ability to SHARE information over the various platforms at our disposal.  


If I were a diligent blog writer I would find my source here, but I'm not, so trust me when I say that I once read something about Facebook and its effect on our spare time.  In addition to myself, I know many friends who spend a lot of time "on Facebook" which has this ability to make us feel like we're accomplishing something without really doing anything at all.  The reason behind this, I think, is the wall.  The Facebook wall is this odd place where all of a sudden interactions between individuals became public knowledge.  Addicting? Yes. Productive? I don't think so. 


I know that I have found myself suffering from what I am calling "Facebook Fatigue" which results from spending too much time looking at nothing of real importance on the King of Social Networks. I get bored and frustrated but sometimes have a hard time finding something else to do.


Recently, I've found a different and (I think) better and more productive use for social networks: the sharing of ideas and information.  Twitter is great for this, and I repeatedly defend its use to those who claim to "Not Understand."  Google+ might be better though.


First, I love Google+'s emphasis on "Sharing" Look:

And because of this "Sharing" emphasis, it can be done anonymously, like Twitter, so you don't have to know someone personally to take advantage of the information they share publicly. BUT, you don't have to share information publicly, you can share it with Circles, or with specific people. This might be the most control over your information granted by any social network. (That I know of)

Secondly, there's no wall!  Which, admittedly, I first saw as a downfall, but now view as a great evolutionary jump in social networking. Finally, I don't have to see what every one of my friends is saying to every other one of my friends.  I can start to wrestle my free time back away from the futility of Facebook!  Hooray! 

This is also why I want all of you to start using Google+.  You can still "Share whats new" so you'll be keeping me posted on your life, which I still appreciate about social networking. And, we can use Hangouts, which actually, I think bring a little more of the "Social" part back into social networking.

So in review: 

• Sharing. Which is good. We're spreading knowledge, which is a great feature of social networking.  
• No Wall! Finally, the details of everyone else's personal relationships becomes a little less public. I don't think anyone should have a problem with that. Don't get me wrong, knowing these things about people is interesting, it just gets in the way of me doing something more meaningful.
• Hangouts. Which I think might be one of the defining elements of Google+. Now I just have to try it.

Join Google+, the social network for people who want their real lives back.