Well In MY Opinion…

The question of whether or not peer pressure is always a bad thing was raised in my lit for adolescents class last Monday. My initial thought was, Well it depends on what you’re being pressured to do. That led to thinking about the two situations that could come about, being pressured to do good and pressured to do bad. My mind quickly skipped to the conclusion that regardless of good or bad outcomes, to do something just for the sake of conformity probably isn’t the best motivation.

It’s been on my mind since Monday though, popping up here and there. The question of why someone or a group would pressure someone else into bad needed answering. The phrase “Misery loves company” came to mind, and helped me to articulate a possible explanation. When you look at most of what we consider “moral” or “right,” it tends to have a close relationship with popular behavior. Most people don’t run around murdering and looting. This is the norm in the big picture of the human race. To kill or steal is to go against the grain, to stand out, and regardless of what people say most of them don’t want that.

What I think people are doing in peer pressure is creating their own little population of decision makers, and stacking the deck in their favor. Get enough people together doing the wrong thing, somehow separated from the rest of humanity, and it becomes the new norm. The separation doesn’t have to be physical, but is usually cultural, something that makes you part of “that” group, and not the other. Within this secession from the general population is where you can mold right and wrong by majority much more easily than trying to shift the paradigm of western civilization to look upon your wrongdoing with favorable eyes.

On the other hand we have people doing good just to go with the flow. It seems that while this may have a positive outcome initially, given the previous circumstance, you’re just waiting around for the majority to shift to something else. You’ve found yourself afloat in the murky waters of moral relativism without having consciously signed over to it. Is this all too obvious to mention?

As For France...

This is an older story from this past summer during the Tour. You might have seen it, but I thought it was worth a re-read, enjoy.

The Associated Press Friday, August 26, 2005; 11:00
PM PARIS:

Lance Armstrong's record setting seventh Tour de France victory, along with his entire Tour de France legacy, may be tarnished by what could turn out to be one of the greatest sports scandals of all time.

Armstrong is being quizzed by French police after three banned substances were found in his South France hotel room while on vacation after winning the 2005 Tour de France.

The three substances found were toothpaste, deodorant,and soap, which have been banned by French authorities for over 75 years.

Armstrong's girlfriend and American rocker Sheryl Crowe is quoted as saying "We use them every day in America, so we naturally thought they'd be OK throughout Europe."

Along with these three banned substances, French authorities also physically searched Armstrong himself and found several other interesting items that they haven't seen in years, including a backbone and testicles.

Tragedy

The Malebox has claimed its fourth French press in under two years. I might see you at Bucer's tomorrow morning.

Hymn

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea-billows roll – Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul. My sin – O the bliss of this glorious thought – My sin, not in part, but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more: Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll: The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend, “Even so” – it is well with my soul.

V-Day

I put up a few pictures from the St. Valentine's Banquet at the Big Haus last night on flickr.

Accessibility and Cool-Factor, in Relation to Bicycles

It's great to own lots of things. Taylor and I have come to the conclusion that having a lot of possessions is wonderful. Before you get all anti-materialistic in my grill, check this out: Often people have more interests and desires than their time or resources can satisfy. “Gee, I’d love to go camping, but I just don’t have the stuff to do it.” Or, “I can’t justify spending the money on something I’ll only use a few times.” This is where Taylor has taught me the value of owning much more than I could ever need for myself. We can lend this stuff out, let someone enjoy themselves with it who wouldn’t be able to otherwise. Things are made accessible that were out of reach beforehand.

I started thinking about bicycles in this way, since I currently own seven and needed a way to justify my greed. Not really, I’m fine with it. What I was thinking about was Buggy’s new fixed gear track bike. For those who don’t know, a fixed gear means that you have one gear and no freewheel or brakes. Everything is controlled through the chain and your one cog in the back, so however fast your wheel is going, you have to be pedaling that fast or the force on the crank will toss you in the air. Needless to say they’re hard to ride, especially at first. I’ve been racing for two years and they terrify me. But the bike got me to thinking about the Accessible to Cool ratio in one’s belongings. Take the bike: What’s so cool about it? Well to look at, it’s incredibly clean with no cable or housing running along the frame, no brakes marring the tubes, no gawky brake levers breaking the smooth curve of the bullhorn bars, and no derailleur bolted to the chain stays or bottom of the frame. If you find beauty in simplicity, look no further.

But almost everything that makes it cool is what makes it unrideable to the friend who needs a bike for the day. Its coolness is in its exclusiveness (surprise!), the fact that not just ANYONE can ride this bike.

Pictures

I've posted a few new ones at Flickr.

Planned Punishment

I haven't started training. Have YOU?

Birfday

A splendid time was guaranteed and had by all.

Shootin' Some B'Ball Outside of the School

This was Coach’s big shot at the title, and he knew it. So did all the slivers of chewed nail and splatters of perspiration mingling underfoot as he paced up and down the line.

He wasn’t exactly sure how he and his ragamuffin team had arrived here, here at the State Championship Final in the Superior Dome. They weren’t a terrible team by any means, but he had never pictured them here, not in his wildest fantasies. His kids were all decent athletes and each had unique skills that they brought to the team. And it wasn’t that they didn’t work well together. In fact, there were moments when Coach could’ve sworn that they’d been born and raised on the court together, passing, dribbling, and shooting as one organism since their advent.

No, the problem, in Coach’s eyes, was the fact that they’d never been to State before. They were a relatively inexperienced team, but few people knew that. Coach had come to the school highly recommended, but always felt that he didn’t have the history to back it up. He grew to despise praise of his coaching ability. This was not only a first for these kids on the team, but for Coach as well.

He’d heard from other coaches about what it’s like to win state. He’d also heard about losing there. The disappointment, the build-up to failure, the crushed expectations; he hated thinking about it, but that was what he thought about now.

That and the trophy that would sit on his mantle should he pull this off. What he really couldn’t get his mind off of was that beautiful, golden, smoothly curving cup firmly planted in its base reading “State Champs.” Not only would he get to gaze upon it each night at home, but the school would also have one in the trophy case for all to see each and every day. Anyone that walked by would hardly be able to resist staring in amazement, awe, and (Coach secretly hoped) a bit of envy.

He’d learned plenty of strategies for winning a basketball game in his years of playing and coaching, but he rarely liked to implement them. To him, they felt somewhat sneaky, underhanded even. He loved the idea of his guys winning just by being better players. Resorting to playing some psychological game with the other team felt dirty. The biggest pressure he’d received from his betters as of late was to throw his kids into a full court press mid-way through the game. And here in the third quarter, trailing by more than a few, and his kids seeming to lose spirit, it was sounding pretty good.

Coach thought about the trophy. He looked out at his kids on the court. He called time. Everyone came in off the court and off the bench and huddled around him.

“This is it,” someone in the bleachers said. “This is where he lays it all out, inspires those kids to play like their lives depended on it.

“Yeah I’ve seen him do it before,” said another, who hadn’t. “He brings them all in, and riles ‘em up, and the come out playing like men possessed.” No one knows what he tells them in there, but it friekin’ works.”

As the circle of players began to break up, the excitement built. What could he have told them? Would it work this time? As the whistle blew to resume play, a few startled cries from the crowd quickly turned a roar.

“Where’s Butler?” someone yelled. Butler, the team’s leading rebounder, was nowhere to be seen on the floor.

“And Jack? Where’s Heizel?

“Is Tyler Aykoi out there?”

Heizel and Aykoi were neck and neck all season in points, always vying for the top spot.

Coach had stopped pacing. He now stood at half court, arms crossed, staring straight ahead. His varsity team sat behind him on the bench. On the court were the JV and freshmen kids who thought they were just suiting up for this game and had never dreamt they’d play. Coach watched and didn’t think of any trophies at all.