What Is Shared Sacrifice?

This will be my first blog posted as a response to a page posted in the media.  I posted first as a comment within the site itself, but I thought that for proper archiving I would put the same post here.  You can find the full opinion article at the following URL:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/OPINION/12/20/greene.wartime.christmas.sacrifice/index.html

After reading that, if you haven’t already, my thoughts will be shown below the line-break.

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I hope I understand this article correctly.  I believe that it effectively tells me that I couldn’t care less about the troops, and this writer is entitled to his opinion, but I at least want to be sure why this and some comment-posters would say I don’t support the troops.

1) I don’t read maps of troop movements in the paper.  Didn’t Geraldo get in trouble for that gaffe back in the initial invasion of Iraq because he gave away troop placements, activities and intentions on international television?  The guys that our troops are fighting can simply stream a broadcast or check a newspaper’s website online and hear what the troops are doing if the reporting was that focused and delivered content daily.  I see why, for the troops’ safety, this information is not released to the public, and I’m certain that the military itself would want to highly limit how much information gets out through the news, but apparently that this news is not on the front page every day in perpetuity, I’m to blame.

2) It’s also my fault that following World War 2 and moving into the Korean War, the United States has never slowed down.  We’re in a permanent war-time economy.  There’s no such thing as an “arms race” anymore because we have contractors, the U.S. has permanent funds set aside in the national defense budget every year — for decades now — to pay people to build the weapons and armaments and vehicles necessary to mount a war effort, and to make and package the food, and to supply the tents and sleeping bags and brick and mortar for FOLs and everything that you would need to mount a war effort.  I get that there was sacrificing for rubber and sugar and grease, I get that the government had to order the manufacturing industry to re-purpose in order to build up the war machine, but that’s just not the case today.  What exactly would I be required to sacrifice, exactly?  Nobody’s really giving any clearly explained plan for how I can prove my concern the same as the generations before me based on the situations that exist today.  But I get it, that’s my fault too.

3) In the past, there wasn’t a day gone by where the war wasn’t on everybody’s minds.  There’s no problem there.  President Bush and Obama both stated that, effectively, the United States fights overseas so that we don’t have to fight the enemy within our own country.  That actually makes me think back, since I didn’t live in the first half of the century or even much of the second half — although I did pay attention in history class — and a good amount of the war propaganda in the Veteran and Boomer generations that I remember seeing wasn’t just based on a moral imperative to save our European brothers… it was about the enemy already being at the gates.  Communism, socialist sleeper cells, Japanese spies, air raid drills… part of the culture of “shared sacrifice” in the past was the idea that one could die at any minute because the country would get bombed by an invading military force from another nation’s full war machine.  It was easier, then, I would say, to keep the war in mind all the time when you couldn’t be sure that some other country wasn’t going to be sending their air-force to blanket the sky with bombs.  But the fact that the troops are largely fighting terrorists and insurgents who couldn’t possibly mount that kind of war effort at my front door in rural America… that, too, is my fault.

I come from a military family.  I didn’t serve myself, due to a general cowardice when it comes to getting shot at; I’ll admit that.  I donated to military charities in the past before I became unemployed, and I kept track of developments with the wars as best I could.  What, short of serving myself, can I actually do that would qualify as “caring” to a sufficient level?

I always roll my eyes and shake my head at these kinds of discussion, because to me it always seems to dance on that very thin line separating “Being a good person” and “I’m more patriotic than you.”

The Truth About Tiger Woods

I’ve done a lot of research.  I’ve checked through a number of sources, including biographies and reading interviews from primary sources, and I’ve discovered something.

He’s just one man.

Seriously.  He might have been some $100 million endorsement industry, but he didn’t ask for that, it was put upon him by the outside world.  Now naturally, any professional athlete (and somehow golf is considered athletics… I figure it’s for all that walking) is just that: a professional.  He’s not just doing it for the love of the game, he’s trying to make a living off of that sport.  He’s trying to build a nest egg, save up money for his family to keep them living comfortably for as long as they can and provide them with the best health care, perhaps provide the starting finances if they have a business of their own that they’d like to run.  Point being, Tiger Woods was at no point going to deny all the money that people were throwing at him.  And why should he?  He’s a professional.  If he plays well, he gets rewarded — not just with tacky green jackets and trophies that he tosses into the closet, but with money.

Tiger Woods makes more money per golf tournament appearance than most people make in a year, but that’s not where his money primarily came from.  No, Woods was an endorsement machine.  This started in 1996 and really had gone uphill from there for a long time until this scandal hit.  We’re talking Nike, Gatorade, TAG Heuer, Buick, Accenture, Gillette, Electronic Arts… you name it, there was probably a product he endorsed for it or at least an offer made.

Here’s the thing.  While we can certainly say that Tiger’s endorsement of the Nike Golf product helped to launch sales of that franchise into the stratosphere, it’s doubtful that the same can be said for the other products.

Gatorade?  Well their Tiger drink has already been discontinued due to weak sales.

Electronic Arts?  Video games based on golf are a niche product to begin with, and nothing would change that even if Tiger Woods was involved.  In fact, while sales for Electronic Arts PGA games were respectable for what it was, it wasn’t exactly a stellar sales record (Electronic Arts itself has had a habit of underselling to expectations of its video game product, especially games based on sports, which have only a 12% market share of all games sold in the United States anyway).  Seems people would rather be watching, or doing, but not pretending to be doing.

I haven’t found any sales numbers for Gillette razors, but Gillette is a long-time product that pretty much had its lock on market share, and let’s not forget that Tiger was only one of three celebrity endorsers for the product.

The point being, Tiger Woods made the most money for Tiger Woods. He wasn’t extolling the virtues of a product — commercials would just be him doing a golf trick or a long drive, while a narrator said why somebody’s product was so great.  Woods, being a professional, didn’t have to personally believe in anything that he was endorsing.  It wasn’t a matter of placing your faith in Tiger not to steer you wrong if he put his name to the Rendevous SUV because if you step back and look at it realistically, he’s not selling you an SUV.  He’s selling you Tiger Woods.  Companies are hoping that you’ll connect the thought, “Oh, Tiger’s a nice guy, he wouldn’t lie to me” (something you couldn’t know for sure anyway) to the thought, “I should buy this product that Tiger was paid an obscene amount of money to associate with his face and name.”  And maybe some people did.

But shouldn’t we as people be better than that?  Now, that means, not getting caught up in the usual trappings of celebrity endorsement.  Because these are just people, the same as us.  They have no greater understanding of what is a good product to sell than we do.  If you want to take your shopping habits from a celebrity, then at least try to be reasonable about it and take a look at what they buy and are seen to use as consumers, not simply what they are paid to endorse.  After all, if Tiger endorsed a feminine cleansing product during his “unspoiled” days, his single days, would you have trusted him then to know what was talking about?

Now then, it’s not just about being better than to pay attention to celebrity endorsements.  And not just because they take away good jobs from smallter-time commercial actors who need the work.  No, it’s about not boycotting a product that doesn’t throw a “fallen” celebrity under the bus.  Because what message is that supposed to send?  We can look back at Mr. Woods.

So Tiger isn’t a golden boy anymore.  Does his endorsement mean that a company supports his actions?  No.  And it’s ridiculous to think so.  No one would confuse national companies, international franchises, and global corporations with being the moral authority, or even the moral majority, in our lives.  So they have no responsibility to act according to what we think about whether or not some celebrity is a paragon of virtue.  And releasing somebody from an endorsement contract right away… well, let’s be honest.  Most of the time, Tiger Woods wasn’t really used well by the companies seeking his endorsement.  Accenture showed a few commercials but they were terrible at utilizing him to properly explain just what in the blue hell it did as a service.  But think beyond that.  There are people who state that they will not buy a product or service that keeps Tiger Woods as an endorsing athlete.  Who does this hurt, exactly?

The celebrity isn’t hurt.  He’s basically made his money already.  And marital infidelity, while a juicy topic that finally gave the media a crack in the veneer of the previously untouchable Tiger Woods, is rather forgivable as a peccadillo.  The people to whom he has to answer the most are his family, not the strangers that he’s never met in his life.

The executives and marketing departments in the companies that keep Tiger, they aren’t suffering for this.  They’ll keep their spots regardless.

No, when you boycott Tiger, if you really put a dent in revenues, you’re hurting the average person, just like you.  And who are you to say that a normal 8-to-5 worker has to lose their job because Tiger Woods cheated on his wife?  And if for some reason you’re okay with that, or you know somebody who is, the question that then follows from there is, why just Tiger?  Why should it be just be some celebrity that you think you’re hurting, or the business that is perceived to support such behavior?  Shouldn’t that be standard operating procedure for all companies that employ individuals who have at any point in their lives cheated on their significant others?  Because if it’s some arbitrary and awkward concern about not wanting children to believe that it’s okay to do such things, then here’s what I want you to do.

Go to your kids.  Sit them down.  Talk to them honestly about what Tiger Woods did.  And then explain that all the people you know personally or whom your family and friends know, who have ever cheated on their wives/husbands/girlfriends/boyfriends, should not have to be fired from their jobs selling or providing some service.  Because it’s not that what Tiger Woods did was bad, it’s that he’s on the news for it.

Consistency, people.  If what Tiger Woods did was horrible that a message has to be sent, then statistically half of the country should be unemployed because that’s how many people cheat.  Maybe you should lose your job because of what Tiger Woods did.  Because he’s no better than you are, even if you wanted to believe so at one point in time.

He’s just one man.  He shouldn’t have to hypocritically suffer for everybody else’s sins.

Saving Money In Today’s Economy

If  you’re like me, you’re a 26-year-old black guy living with his mom and two younger brothers and spends most of his time looking for a higher-paying job and running household errands.  Sucks, doesn’t it?  But for the rest of you, even if you’re not much like me, I bet we’re all doing what we can to tighten our belts and stretch the monthly budget further and further.  Many professional economists have forecast that things are getting better (although the professionals tend to be full of it only because there’s only two possibilities: get better or get worse — any collection of monkeys or kittens or other adorable animal could make the same predictions at random with about the same level of accuracy).  Still, we all know that the person on the street feels an economic recovery much much later than does a corporation or does a guy who sits in a room all day reading reports to give a thumbs up/thumbs down vote at the Coliseum in New York where I presume that The Fed holds death matches and decadent buffets only to determine during the half-hour intermission to decide what to do about interest rates.  So with that all in mind (the delayed recovery for average Janes and Joes, not the death match stuff) I’ve put together a handy guide of tips to save money.  I’ve personally tested these and can affirm their usefulness and efficacy.

1. Cut and style your own hair. Granted, I’m a guy who keeps my hair fairly short.  This might not apply to the women out there, but overall I think that one can save a fair amount of money over the year by simply eschewing salons and barbershops and doing what we can with our own hair.  The down-side is, of course, that you screw up and look ridiculous, but that’s what wigs and hats and bandanas worn around the head are for.  Start of simple, and work your way up.  My family saves probably $60 a month because I use clippers to trim down my hair and my little brothers’ hair as well.  I don’t go down to the scalp, they’re left with a few millimeters of hair left.  It’s still thick enough to look dark and grown out but thin enough that it’s very easy to maintain.  And I can give us all a quick run-over with the clippers for free every week, rather than having to wait until a certain time when we really need haircuts.
2. Get thee to Hulu. There are reports and rumors that Hulu might become a pay subscription service over time, but for now you can use it however you please.  I don’t watch much TV, but I can skip the Digital boxes and all that nonsense for the expanded cable packages on the channels that I do watch simply by going to Hulu.  As long as I keep up an internet connection (which I would do anyway) it’s still viable.
3. Use Netflix.  I don’t know many people who are avid moviewatchers who don’t do this, but Netflix is about the best deal on renting movies that you can get.  One monthly fee and rent whatever you want.  I used to see people returning them through work mail with stamps, it’s that easy.  And now that Netflix has hooked up with the makers of video game consoles, you can stream content directly into your gaming system.  If you watch a lot of movies, this is the way to go.
4. Play video games. Awkward advice but it’s a bit feasible.  I go for used, or otherwise cheaper, “current gen” video games.  Not much a buyer of video games when they first come out because they’re pretty expensive, but with a cheap used X-Box I picked up some choice games such as Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Lost Odyssey and Mass Effect.  For $60 dollars I’ve had 100s of hours of entertainment.  That’s a good deal no matter how you look at it.
5. Frequent your local public library. An old school recommendation but if you like reading books and magazines, or even if you want to rent movies and DVDs, the library is a great place to do so.  Befriend the folks behind the counter and they’ll look out for you.
6. Stop eating healthy.  This is something that obviously isn’t for everyone, and the long-term health effects are not good, but to a point the human body is like a car engine.  In the short term, if you just put some kind of fuel in it, it’ll get by.  Fruits?  Vegetables?  Yeah, I get them when I can, but in a pinch if I can only spend $5 that day and I don’t want to walk around still being hungry, a $1 chicken sandwich or double cheeseburger can tide me over pretty well for hours.  I like apples and oranges and salads but sadly they don’t really fill me up and for the amount of fruits and veggies it takes to get my stomach to capacity I’ll have spent over $5 just on that one meal, still with two left in the day to have to figure out.
7. Eat less. Although as money becomes tighter, this won’t be so much a choice as  survival adaptation.  My basic rule is, I will be the first in my household to go without.  So this is more of a personal rule.  If  you have family that eats a lot, then if you don’t want to overtly tell them not to eat so much, then store food and drink in an out of the way location.  Sometimes it’s the mere belief in the (over)abundance of food that causes people to eat that way.
8. Grocery shop like you won’t get paid for another 3 months. Use coupons, scope out which stores in your areas tend to sell certain goods for the least, and don’t hesitate to buy the off-brand.  I’d only recommend joining store buyer-rewards clubs if it’s not a credit card or if you don’t have to pay dues to join it.  If somebody truly wants your business and appreciates you as a customer they should be willing to give you a great deal all the time, not only under specific circumstances.  Wal-Mart is a good place to shop much of the time for groceries — their Great Value brand items are routinely cheaper than most brand names and the selection of GV items has expanded to nearly every staple food product you could want.  They have comparable or better prices than most chain stores for non-food items, and in general you’ll save a good deal of money every month unless you are part of a Store Club that gives you mammoth discounts.
9. Host small socials at your house. I like hanging out with people as much as the next person, but gas prices fluctuate too much and they’re usually a hassle.  I often have to figure whether the cost of gas to go somewhere that I’m not earning any money is worth it.  You might have to deal with people being on your things a lot, but you can work around that.  Have them outside, confine them to a certain room, do as you must.  As long as everybody’s aware that you’re not personally footing the bill for a lunch/dinner party this shouldn’t cost you too much.
10. Invest in a mini-oven. You’ll see them listed in SkyMall or on QVC.  George Foreman grills or Wolfgang Puck cookers, crock pots… all good options.  The key here is to avoid using your stove and especially your large oven.  That’s one of the single biggest drains on electricity in your house.  Cooking without it, as much as possible, will greatly reduce the power bill each month.  I won’t talk about unplugging all the appliances before you leave the house or go to bed because that’s good advice for conserving resources but you probably have a lot of appliances and don’t want to have to plan an extra 5-10 minutes at various times throughout the day to walk around plugging everything in/out.  If you want, the main things to unplug would be your computer, printer, and television.  Smaller things would be any device that requires a charge through the wall.  Make sure to remove the charger from the wall, even if there’s nothing plugged into it.
11. Thrift stores. In a pinch, you can find usable clothing, bags, shoes, even furniture in thrift stores.  And if you’re not a frequent shopper in thrift stores, know that it’s not all old ripped Iron Maiden t-shirts and warped 50s cocktail tables missing legs.  Thrift stores have some standards — if they don’t think they could get anybody to buy it, they won’t take it.  Besides, even people who have some halfway decent stuff might choose thrift stores, especially if there isn’t a convenient pawn shop in the area.
12. Drive smart. Remember to buy gas during the cooler times of day.  Drive the speed limit, don’t go significantly above that.  Make sure that your tires are inflated.  Remove any excess weight from your car.  Turn off the engine whenever you anticipate having to have the car sit in one place for more than a minute (perhaps not at traffic lights but anywhere else).  Running the A/C and putting down your windows have negligible effect on gas mileage, though if you prefer, you can keep your windows down when it’s not raining.  Make sure that you don’t wait until the gauge is on E to fill up — doing so at a quarter tank is better for the fuel injector and it gives you some psychological leeway to look for the best price.  And remember that unless your car states that it requires premium, regular gasoline is fine.  And don’t fret about buying from small gas stations that don’t advertise any special additives in the fuel — that “Techron” and “Ultimate” stuff is just a gimmick.  The gas you buy from any station will pass the same standards for sale, “brand” or not.

If you have any personal tips you’d like to contribute, feel free to mention!