The Kids are Alright... Maybe.

The CPAC was very interesting this year with the presence of GOProud and minor teabagger action. But the telling part of the conference was the high number of young participants and their views about Gay marriage and abortion.

See here:
Their core values are not all about opposite marriage and abortion, but the reducing of government in our daily lives seems to be main priority.

And here...

Stopping Gay marriage is very low on the list. Hell, protecting gun rights rank higher than our ability to wed.

This is very telling about the future of the GOP. Maybe, just maybe this is the direction they will take? I'm not sure, but these results are helpful in understanding the important issues to come.

source

Stay Strong, Jonathan Escobar!

He was told to dress more MANLY, whatever.


Do you, Boo!

The Forgotten Ones

In our lavish, boy-toy ridden world we forget about another LGBT community: the homeless youths. 40% of all the homeless youth in the US are LGBT.

When they are thrown out, they are forced to figure out their next steps without any proper guidance. If they find a shelter to stay in, they are gay bashed or ridiculed. So they are damned all away around. I didn't realized that this was a growing issue, but more of our LGBT youth are on the streets doing whatever, whenever to survive. It breaks my heart to know this.

So I will look for ways to assist our homeless youths in L.A. I believe that these kids need people to provide them with some sense of hope. I feel that they have seen the dark side of things for too long. If we could do something to spark a sense of hope in them, I'm game.

I can't imagine being in their shoes. I can't imagine losing everything when you have nothing more to lose. It's very troubling to know that some of our younger generation is struggling with their sexuality as well as where they're going to sleep. I wish I had a place like Haven House (JEM reference). If I win the lottery, I will build a place for our kids.

For more on this issue, go here

Hipster = Clone, Stepford, Sheep ...and No Originality

It scary to see the young generation become a host for the American Apparel/MTV alien pods. Everywhere I go, I see some poor child trying to keep up with the hot look. And although it's nothing new, this trendy bus seems to have more on board, going nowhere.

Today, after seeing more clones I jumped on the nets and ran into a couple of articles hitting on this subject. From Gawker, I was led to AdBusters. The article, Hipster: The Dead End of the Western Civilization, opened my eyes to more about this madness. The main line for me, was this statement:

Take a stroll down the street in any major North American or European city and you’ll be sure to see a speckle of fashion-conscious twentysomethings hanging about and sporting a number of predictable stylistic trademarks: skinny jeans, cotton spandex leggings, fixed-gear bikes, vintage flannel, fake eyeglasses and a keffiyeh – initially sported by Jewish students and Western protesters to express solidarity with Palestinians, the keffiyeh has become a completely meaningless hipster cliché fashion accessory.

I asked one of my students about this look. He told me that it's a statement. And I asked, what is the statement? He said it means we are independent and revolutionary, then I said, "yeah, right." Revolutionary? Independent? No sweetie, it's neither of those things. Following a crowd isn't a sign of independence and spending tons of money at American Apparel is far from starting a revolution. But how did those words translate to this?

Punk was a revolution, Real Rap was a revolution, burning bras was an act of social change, looking like Kayne West and Lauren Conrad are not. I feel that being a original is almost like being a pixie. A pixie doesn't exist and the act of being original is almost there as well. The idea of a hipster is a lost concept. These folks just blend in, fade in the sea of blah. Where's the excitement? What is the meaning and the reason behind this? Are they just lazy or is this the statement of this generation? I hope not.