Antihero

Candles in the Shadow – Why the Antihero Fascinates
by George A. Miu

Traditional heroes are difficult to embrace in a modern world that is filled with oft-conflicting motivations and complex social structures. We have difficulty understanding the knight in shining armor, who is almost never beset by moral uncertainty or self-doubt, and would much rather relate to the intrinsically-flawed-yet-well-intentioned protagonist. Such a character, most often dubbed an “antihero”, is faced with the very human task of meandering through their destiny while winning over the affection of the grand impartial observer (namely – the reader).

Yet, one must not limit one’s perception to the realm of good; antiheroes can be evil, too. Whether or not this is their defining feature is up to the environment in which they reside and the actions they choose to execute. But all antiheroes are fundamentally tainted creatures, whether it be by virtue of a murky past or characteristics such as bitterness, sarcasm or cynicism (or, if you’re lucky, all of the above). The point is that, in becoming acquainted with an antihero, we begin to sympathize with the cruel nature of reality, where nothing is proclaimed to be “wholly good” or “wholly evil” without eliciting a myriad of “what if” scenarios.

The murky-past facet is arguably more powerful, due to its instantaneous ability to provoke soul-searching and reflection in those who are subjected to its portrayal. We are naturally drawn to ponder sudden deaths, lost loves or traumatic events while others around us are doing the same; but when we are faced with the prospect of spending the entirety of a book or movie with a brooding, bitter hero, the game changes. Their losses become ours, and the syndrome is reciprocated when we associate the antihero with our own failures and tribulations.

Lo and behold, the antihero becomes a dyad of sorts, where the incontrovertible fact in our lives is merged with the mystery and drama of the rigid, fictionalized past. Slowly, as the story proceeds, the epicenter of this strange fusion becomes increasingly blurred, until we become the antihero, and the antihero becomes us. And then, something miraculous happens…

At what should, in all honesty, be the most depressing point of our empathetic experience, we begin to feel relief. Our shortcomings are no longer ours alone to bear, and we feel a sense of camaraderie with another soul that, previously, had exacted our pity. We are simultaneously accompanied on a journey of our weaknesses, and give our invaluable companionship in return. Suddenly, it does not matter that the antihero never existed, and that their fate was set in stone long before we were made aware of it. The audience and the flawed character partake in the abstract exchange of experiences, which all conscious minds can then translate into concrete, palpable virtues and actions.

All of this is testament to our ability to detach from the constraints of our own condition, and inhabit a hypothetical plane. All of this is therefore testament to our humanity.

The Inherent Racism

The Inherent Racism
by George A. Miu

NOTE: This is not a racist piece. It is a tongue-in-cheek piece. If you think being offended on behalf of these issues makes you more humane and upstanding, do not read on! If you are often the last to laugh, or cannot elicit a chuckle to save your life, please shut down your browser. Thanks.

It’s about time we admitted it. Certain prejudices are wired into the human brain; it is widely considered abnormal to lack any sort of a bias towards one race or another, the article I have attached to the end of the post suggests.

Here’s my little game: give a young girl or boy two pictures: one of a black boy, the other of a white one. Ask them: “Who is the naughty boy?” and watch them point to the child that does not belong to their race. According to my little article, the overwhelming majority of children seem to think more highly of their race.

Well that’s a relief. We have scoured the psychological terrain in young’uns and discovered that, on a deep, existential level, blacks and whites consistently accuse one another of being naughty. I could’ve gotten my favorite Chicago panhandler (a fine gentleman by the name of Jake, who opens doors for cab passengers by the Metra LaSalle Street Station) to attest to the same thing. Of course, Jake puts it a little differently:

“They look at me like I got some … infectious disease,” he tells me wisely.

In all honesty, you’re more likely to catch something terrible off those filthy hand-rails you so religiously use at all the CTA stops. But it doesn’t stop people from giving the African-American Jake a huge detour. In his turn, Jake accuses the white man of unthinkable crimes with every other breath. So it goes.

On a more troubling note, I must confess that I have seen many of my friends utter a lot of racially-charged nonsense, only to go out the next day and pretend to treat everyone the same, irrespective of skin color. The real problem is that children overhear and subconsciously understand the biases of their elders without necessarily being exposed to unprintable language. That, in addition to the natural tendency to profile by race, results in an incorrigible attitude that will not fade with time.

The Earth spins on its axis, still. White people will still fear nameless, faceless, very very black people are out to steal their stereos (or iPods, more appropriately). Black people will still assume that the corporate suit-clad white man is secretly supportive of the KKK and against affirmative action, while Hispanics will entertain the notion that blacks and whites alike are conspiring to build a wall around this country. Of course, all of these people will drop these phantasms as soon as they walk out of their front doors, only to revisit them late at night, before drifting into the eventual half-remembered dream.

http://www.livescience.com/culture/sexism-racism-social-stereotypes-100412.html

A Poem

The Recesses of My Consciousness
by George A. Miu

A barrier,
Breached in the night by whispers of a promise
Can never be recovered.

Men and women,
They cannot know what is forbidden – merely pleasant
That is why we fell, after all.

Secretively,
I become the interest and the interested,
My patterns change, and torturous early mornings –
they become blissful as the furtive glances
exchanged over the candlelight.

Fear infects me:
for what has passed and is to come,
for my ambitions and desires.
I fear that I will fall, after all.

The present cycles through stress and relief
I cannot make up my own mind and
I dig deep, dissecting words and motions
awaiting with dread the next unknowable cycle
the stress, relief, then stress again.

External view
accounts for little; I appear cool, detached
and they gaze at their facades in the tint
that protrudes from my own masquerade.
Inside I melt.

I am determined, certain there will be a way,
a reconciliation that solves the amalgam of obstacles
that sneer at me from farther away than I can see.

I pick up my pen to pen a poem:
“My mind springs forth a sweet aroma,
Its recollection uncontested,
Substantially permitting me to roam
A memory of the soul well-rested.

Reclining and lethargic,
I look to speak with her adistant,
Provocative, laconic and
Madly reminiscent.

Tenderly, we make ourselves so very insecure
Precarious, excited, outlandish and demure.
But I find the words within…”

… I try to find the words within.
But I cannot – I am affected. Is that why I will fall?
No, say I resoundingly; tomorrow I will be a king.

To be happy, my friends, is to allow your barriers to be breached in the night,
engulfed in the whispers of a promise.

Relationships and Dating in the US

The Game
by Neal R. Karski

The subject of relationships in the United States is one that I find very interesting and worth exploring in depth. Having lived in Europe, in the Southeastern and Midwestern parts of the US, I happened to acquire a lot of knowledge about the way in which social associations develop and fall apart. This knowledge was derived from a variety of unique experiences of my own and others in my surroundings, as well as the keen observations I’ve managed to store and ponder in my mind.

Let’s begin.

Relationships, whether it be a commitment between a girlfriend and a boyfriend or a friendship between two people, are what I like to call The Game. The Game implies that the process of dating [which used to be referred to as “courting”] has now become much more complex and at times perplexing for either or both parties involved. The simplicity-and-value ridden system of rules that guides the couples in their endeavors exerts a very unstable groundwork. *Think of the quote by Vince Vaughn in Wedding Crashers about dating. Social media certainly doesn’t make it any less difficult to maintain good relations with a friend or a significant other. Every day, we’re exposed to stories, movies and TV shows that display unfruitful relationships and compulsive issues that can impact our perception and even diminish hope.

Originally, I planned to compare the situation of the matter which I’m addressing in terms of the United States and Europe, but I will postpone this analysis in a form of a future post.

The Game is my own personal theory and does not constitute for the views of anyone but mine. Therefore, imagine yourself on a date with a beautiful or handsome person that you are pursuing. Great locations and meal choices, interesting and ongoing conversation, plus there is a positive tension. Now, be careful – Red Tape [or more closely known as Bureaucracy] kicks in when you haven’t realized it. Multiple complications arise at different corners, you or the other person is not capable of accepting something they do not approve of, this is going too fast, feelings, physical attraction, should I impress him [or her], where will this connection go, am I ready? Houston, we have a problem – the field of gravity is a bit “shaky.” Now, instead of pinpointing the significant values of the potential or existing relationship, we’re focused on what can be possibly wrong? Disvalues, not values, play the major role in this movie.

And we see that not every casual dating couple ends up together. Not every relationship [by all means] is a fairy tale we see in the movies – the good ‘ole “Hey-Climax-Rough Times-Love” kind of event flow. Pause for a second and think… Maybe we, ourselves, make dating and the relationships we have to complex and over think the meaning behind why we are here with this person and not another. Who knows… for some this way may be preferable.

Today’s Reality: Game Over.

The Realm of Romance
by George A. Miu

Everyone is looking for that special someone. Even after finding a good enough partner for the long haul, we continually assess and reassess one another in terms of compatibility, emotional security, physical attraction factors and a plethora of other categories.

In the USA, as far as I can tell, there are two major stages in this process: that of dating (i.e. being on the lookout for a romantic partner) and that of marriage/life partnerships (i.e. making the commitment to be with someone for the rest of one’s life, barring certain circumstances). Various individuals progress through these at various points at different speeds, or maybe even not at all. The important thing is that we have carefully defined social patterns that indicate, both to ourselves and to our significant others, certain levels of development in a relationship. For example, it is considered taboo to talk about, say, children’s names, on a first date.

What distinguishes modern times from ages past, however, is that the average childbearing age has risen by almost six years over the past three decades. This trend affects our romantic endeavors, as progressively fewer people are prepared to start families at young ages, thus lengthening the dating stage in the above process. In theory, this should mean that there are fewer divorces, since the maturity levels increase at the time of marriage. Yet, this is clearly not so, seeing as the divorce rate revolves around the 50 percent mark in the USA.

We can conclude that something is broken in the realm of romance. The way I see it, the major culprit is the modern job competitiveness. Most people have to go to college to make a good living, and that is no easy feat. It puts off having a family until at least 22-23 years of age. I mean, they call it a Bachelor’s Degree for a reason, people. Furthermore, the instability that follows graduation creates an unsuitable environment for a young family.

Women, too, are a resurgent and critical force in these times. Increasing numbers are postponing motherhood in order to pursue careers – and who can blame them? So, by the time we are ripe for matrimony, the social and economic stress levels are so high that disagreements are liable to take place between spouses, leading to our elevated divorce rates.

Don’t get me wrong: I’d be chuffed to the bollocks if everything could revert back to the old-fashioned ideal American family. But doing so would be causing a great disservice to our economy, to women and, ultimately, to our free will to pursue whatever we so choose. There is no quick fix to whatever is broken in the romantic world. It’s simply a necessary consequence of the times.

Doctors in Our Society: Life Savers or Businessmen?

Doctors in Our Society: Life Savers or Businessmen?
by Neal R. Karski

Thus we arrive at the subjects of health care, medicine, doctors, health insurance, etc. In the United States, at current times, the above stated are very significant issues, politically and socially. With the continuing health care debate and political quarrels regarding who should get what in a justified manner, contemporary doctors are now pressured into making important choices. And not only will the health care professional ponder about the income he or she makes, but the moral and ethical decisions that are carried out.

The medical field, which requires a lot of schooling, experience and responsibility, is now much more competitive and the room for error is even smaller. Many more college students are taking on the challenge of extensive curriculums to “become doctors, obtain Ph.D.’s and acquire pre-fixes”. This said, plenty of doctors are forced to take measures they’re not accustomed to, to develop relationships with their patients (think customer loyalty) or simply seek excessive treatments and repetitive office appointments to culminate as much revenue as possible. Just take a second to think about it yourself… sounds familiar?

I will now attempt to distinguish between the two of types of doctors, briefly and to the best of my mental abilities.

The Life Savers

I’ve once had my doctor cook up a three month prescription for one of my medications to prevent re-occurring charges for trivial 15-minute “maintenance” appointments. This showed me that instead of re-scheduling me monthly and adding on the bill, the doctor was rather more concerned about my well being, not the cash outflow from my pocket. I’ve had many experiences with doctors, both positive and negative, and I was able to pinpoint the differences between the ones who truly cared about fulfilling the rightful duties of their professions, and those who were solely after their self-interest. The Life Savers are doctors who know and understand the pain their patients go through… and are inspired by their ethics and goals to cure and treat the illnesses that those patients are faced with. They are the heroes of our society, who regardless of patients possessing low or high quality insurance; strive to help out of satisfaction for making others’ lives better. The money comes in regardless, from a plethora of sources, when the number of patients is consistent and the doctors retain high ratings and positive review scores. The Life Savers are doctors that can be characterized as trustworthy, reliable and communicate intently to foster a healthy relationship with their patients.

The Businessmen

Doctors… or money-making, money-hungry machines? Take your pick. The competitive industry, as I said before, has forced the doctors to look more closely at their financial pools and expunge more costs out of their patients. But not all of the doctors did so, just the Businessmen who decided their revenues from the medical profession are the top priority over their patients’ complex cases of illnesses, diseases and injuries. The Businessmen will use trickery and persistence to ensure the patient returns to their office as frequent as possible, on the pretense that the follow-up appointments are necessary regardless of the patient’s condition. They are at times entangled in the corporate scandals, bureaucratic conspiracies and may be involved in contingent agreements with hospitals and pharmaceutical manufacturers, who pay them “commission”. These Businessmen are not doctors; they’re vultures that are waiting for patients and illnesses to arrive at their doorstep and bring them yet another treasure chest of material value, not a human being’s joy of being healthy.

My advice: Next time that one should pick a doctor or continue to see one, there is much room for prior analysis and research to pick the right one.

God Bless Friends

Doctors in America – Honorable Healers or Harbingers of Hoaxes?
by George A. Miu

There is no grandiose secretive veil surrounding the fact that an “MD” suffix is equivalent to a comfortable financial life in the United States, where a six-figure salary is all-but-guaranteed. Nowadays, it seems like all of the obstacles that an aspiring doctor must overcome are mere necessary sacrifices in the hunt for riches and prestige. This mindset is tearing our nation apart and has the potential to cause harm to a great deal of people.

Nevertheless, there are many devoted health professionals out there, whose career choice had nothing to do with money, and who ought to be praised by the rest of us. Sadly, the practice of putting on a humane face, declaring an undying love for medicine, and laughing all the way to the bank, is an increasingly common one. At least this is how masses of “pre-med” undergrads, situated in colleges all over creation, regard the status quo.

This is folly! Besides the obvious risks involved in terms of medical competency, we are gradually inching towards ushering in a generation of doctors who lack the devotion and selflessness that their forefathers took for granted, even if the expertise is intact.

Suppose that ObamaCare, the insurance “overhaul” that has just been passed in congress, saves the government money, as we are being led to believe; this necessarily entails that medical professionals pocket less. In that case, I smell an exodus, which will result in shortages of doctors the likes of which have never been seen in first world countries.

On the other hand, suppose that Obama et comp are wrong, and that the new system will actually bankrupt America. Consequently, doctors will be rolling around in money, but the profession will lose the luster that attracts so many honest people towards it. This will, of course, result in shortages of doctors the likes which have never been seen … well you get the point.

I am certain that there are scores of fine doctors out there, who are being overworked and under-appreciated. By making the process of education so mercenary, we are opening the door for opportunists, glory-seekers and greedy-types, who have no business being in the industry, and who go against the philosophy instilled by the honest individuals I have just praised. The harbingers of hoaxes are well on their way to overrunning the honest healers, and transforming one of the most crucial professions in society into a financial game. No civilized society must allow this to come to pass.

So, I encourage all of us to take action and plead with one another so that we may stop propagating megalomaniacal doctor-stereotypes, in which we fantasize of easy money in exchange for little work and much glory. I ask medical schools to reduce the classroom requirements (but not too drastically) in favor of extended volunteer time in clinical settings, and not laboratories. Finally, I ask all who are involved in the process of guiding individuals towards medical school to be more discerning in their assessments of who is truly enamored with the profession, and who is doing it for ulterior motives. The signs will always be there for those who seek them out. Drop the algorithm, and bring back the human elements in the admissions processes. Then, maybe we’ll even be healthy enough to give ourselves a pat on the back when we’re older.

Women: Man's Greatest Weakness

Women: Man’s Greatest Inherent Weakness
by Neal R. Karski

Note: Most men will most precisely be able to relate to this piece and will not have much divergence of agreement as to the title that I chose. In my view, money comes second after the power and influence women hold over us, whether it is direct or indirect. A piece on money as pertaining to man will be written in the very near future.

That said, I will attempt to test the following hypothesis: “Men cannot escape a day without thinking or contemplating about the nature of women. Intact, such internal actions influence men and lead them many different paths, some of which are not desired by the action taker.” This statement may overlap with the stereotypical statistics of men and the frequency of sexual thoughts, yet it’s not only based on hormonal and psychological levels… rather it’s a deeply rooted mechanism.

This mechanism resembles one of an attraction magnet, where men often habitually and unconsciously seek the company or comfort from the opposite gender. When men are without a companion or a partner, they long for women even more; either to find one or many. On the other hand, when men are in a particular type of a commitment or a relationship, they aim to please the woman they’re attached to, yet often reminisce or fantasize about other women. In either of the cases, women are always the one of the top priorities and may disturb a man’s daily focus. It almost seems inevitable.

Let’s continue on. I’ve thought about the cliché phrase often said by women: “He swept me off my feet.” Following, I concluded that this phrase may apply more to men, yet in a different context. There are many different types of males and all vary in characteristics from extraverted to reserved, cocky to low self-esteemed or careless to sensual. Either way, men will do anything (and I mean anything), to conquer a woman’s body or heart… or fight for one they’ve lost due to a wrongful parting on either of the sides involved. Consequently, the chosen path requires more time, money, dedication, reorganization and emotions to be utilized during such an undertaking. This alters the course of a man’s life, regardless whether he is willing to admit it or not. In such a case, denial is only an additive to the soft spot engendered by the raging thoughts about a woman (or women). Therefore, in reality, a woman can truly sweep a man off his feet, thereby distracting the patterns of his behavior and lifestyle. Don’t believe me? Ask yourself.

I’ve always had many great conversations with my friends (many of which were witty, intelligent, analytic, humorous, serious, enlightening, heated, etc.), and almost at every occasion I would catch myself or my fellow conversers discussing the subject of women. Whether it was their appearance, perspective, characteristics, personality or even a trivial detail, we could not take a detour from unexpectedly or purposefully assessing a topic pertaining to females that we were acquainted with or did not know. And even if this was not such a tragic weakness, it still showed me that men cannot be detached from women; and their presence is essential to our well-being. Money, material possessions and power can only finitely satisfy a man, but the male psychic leads to the realization that without a female counterpart that same man cannot be complete.

Women are beautiful creatures; there is no doubt about the delicacy and softness of the female gender. They are our mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, soul mates, wives and many other titles we can’t describe or consciously label. They are the keepers of our homes and the bearers of our children. They are an infinite and undeniable part of us. From the beginning of history, women were a vital component of our societies, progressing through centuries of hardships to overcome the established socio-economic boundaries and standards. Many of them even became leaders.

But history and even the current times speak very clearly about women and their widespread effect on men. In many instances, women have caused great men to go insane, start wars, cheat on their wives, pursue unimaginable measures, plunder safes or even commit suicide. Whenever and wherever there is a man, there is at least one woman. Thus I will conclude this short work on assessing the hypothesis that women are indeed man’s greatest weakness.

God Bless.

Women: Embodying Man’s Greatest Weakness

by George A. Miu

From a reasonably early age, males become highly preoccupied with the opposite sex. By the late teens, this becomes somewhat of a fixation that lasts until the end of their natural lives. Therefore, all over the world, men must learn to navigate social relationships with women, regardless of personal sexual orientation or intent (romantic connections, platonic liaisons etc.)

Indeed, women have become such an enigma for men that many seek some form of outside help in navigating the treacherous waters that most do not fully understand. Males, who, to a great extent, are psychologically wired to seek control over any given situation and assert their dominance, are oftentimes bewildered to find both eerie similarities and stark contrasts in the fairer sex. Due to this continual oscillation, between being alike and being different, many men have come to consider women to be their greatest single weakness.

But we must not paint too bleak a picture. As a man, I have to consistently remind myself that women, too, are wired to seek out a mate in life, and therefore must learn to meet the opposite sex halfway if any progress is to be made at all. Besides this, there is also the contentious issue of a certain brand of discrimination that spans the entire course of human history: chauvinism. In this day and age, even an innocent action performed by a well-meaning (but somewhat clueless) man can be misconstrued to be a dig at the many prejudices levied against women throughout the centuries.

Fellow men, we must hence tread very carefully. Yet, there is no need to become skittish and bolt from any potential interaction with women. In order to eliminate much of the confusion that leads to women being attributed as our collective “great weakness”, we must simply take a series of small, but significant steps that will lead to a more meaningful universal accord between genders:

1. Extend common courtesy, not excessive courtesy.

Don’t fall into this trap. Holding doors open is okay. Helping her up the escalator is not, unless she’s ailing one way or another.

All in all, women begin fuming when men stifle them with support in every single situation. After all, women are not inept but the men who offer help every other second certainly appear so.

2. Don’t be in a relationship just for the sake of it.

A lot of men think that getting a girlfriend is the harbinger of maturity and a new phase of life. Be that as it may, it counts for little if the feelings are not actually there. Many sticky situations originate from relationships that were improperly thought out, and therefore are bound to end more painfully. Similarly, couples who marry simply because they are “at that marrying age” that ranges between 25 and 40 in most cases are simply following a recipe for disaster. Matrimony is for those who want to spend the rest of their life with one person, and not those who think that “normal people” do things in a certain order within a certain age parameter.

3. Separate girlfriends from girl-friends.

Men are really bad with this one. But romantic entanglements and platonic relationships do not go hand in hand very often. Once the aims of an interaction are defined, it is easier to resolve issues pertaining to women around us, and thus we are less likely to become alienated by them.

4. Most importantly, remember that women are very similar to men.

Mystery engenders caution and caution provokes weakness in a lot of males. Therefore, reducing the “mystery” factor equates to a greater understanding, more decisive action, and less weakness on the part of the male. This can be done by arriving at the realization that women are, first and foremost, human beings, who are likely to exhibit the same tendencies and reactions as their masculine counterparts. Once we attempt to stop classifying women as a separate race, us men will have effectively eliminated the single most baffling factor, and can thus proceed with a lighter heart when next embarking on the occasionally murky depths at hand.

Following these steps, of course, does not guarantee a completely headache-free lifetime woman-interaction warranty, but it is a start that will not only ease the life of many men, but also improve society by continuing to eliminate bigotry and chauvinism. At the very least, it will foster more respect between genders and will hopefully relegate women from their metaphorical role as the greatest weakness to be found in men.

That’s all for this time! Stay tuned, friends!