Be Nice, Boys!

Anyone who's been reading the many entertaining, fascinating, thought-provoking (I hope!) offerings of yours truly will see that I can sometimes be a tad prickly. I've criticised celebrities (it's not out of jealousy! Honest!), called out people on their stupid behaviour, didn't hold back when it came to contentious issues in society and genuinely have no problem being a straight-shooter who 'tells it as it is'.

Having said that, I do believe in chivalry and I don't believe that it is totally dead as some people suggest. Apparently, last Wednesday (besides being Ash Wednesday) was International Be A Gentleman Day in which all men were encouraged to be well-mannered. According to AskMen.com editor Jamie Watt, acts of chivalry can still make a difference. While it's true that in today's world women can out-earn men, men still want to be known as 'the provider' and Watt claims that being chivalrous gentlemen is a part of that as it shows women that they care. 'Ladies need to be treated like ladies, not just on special occasions but all the time,' says Watts.

Besides, according to Watts, being chivalrous makes a single guy look good!

Well, I like to think I'm chivalrous. I do open doors for women, I let them step ahead of me when I'm getting onto a train, elevator or escalator, and also let them move ahead of me in a shopping line or movie line if we arrive at the counter at the same time. Sure, sometimes they grab the opportunity and don't bother saying thanks (You're welcome!) but most of the time, they look up, smile and say 'Thank You!' They do care, guys. Chivalry isn't dead.

Having said that, there have been times when I've thrown chivalry out the window. You know, rudely rushing past them, not bothering to hold doors open for them, not apologising for accidentally bumping or scraping them etc. Well, sometimes people make mistakes but most of the time, it's because I was in a rush to get to places, was on the verge of being late for work or missing the train or, *ahem!* needed to use the restroom. Ladies, for all those times that I've acted like a careless brute, I am sorry.

Well, that's it. Forget about this talk of chivalry being dead, it's very much still alive. Some guys just can't be bothered to apply it. So come on, guys, whether it's opening doors, allowing them to move ahead of you or giving up your seat, it's ok to show her that you are well-mannered and that you care. It will also do wonders for your image and your soul.

Man up and be nice, boys!

Full House

I have to say, choosing a particular topic to blog about this week was quite difficult. Several recent stories stood out for me and I couldn't limit myself to just one topic to comment on. Therefore, I decided that I would list these stories and give a quick opinion on all of them. Enjoy!

1. Expand your options

During the middle of the week, Australian actor Firass Dirani (who is of Lebanese heritage) claimed that mainstream Australian TV shows are 'too white' and that there is a total lack of cultural diversity within their casts. Popular shows such as 'Winners & Losers', 'Home & Away', 'Packed To The Rafters' and 'Neighbours' feature a virtually all-caucasian cast whereas shows that do feature a more diverse cast such as 'The Slap', 'East West 101' and 'The Straits' are relegated to the ABC and SBS channels. Dirani argued that the more popular shows do not reflect the Australia of today and in 2008 'Neighbours' was criticised by UK viewers for the lack of cultural diversity in the cast.

Well, this might be the first time I've heard an actor actually having the balls to bring this matter to light. He does have a point. You look at most TV series from the US and the UK and there are a mixture of Caucasians, African-Americans, Asians, Latinos etc in there interacting with one another. I don't know if Dirani also noticed this but even Australian TV advertisements are also 'too white'. Most of the characters in these ads are caucasian. It certainly does not reflect the multicultural society that Australia is now.

The good news, according to Equity Australia is that the actors' guild, along with the Screen Producers Association, Live Performance Australia and the ABC had worked to encourage more diversity in casting. It is their hope that the networks will pick up on this.

2. 'Tatts' not on

Pubs and bars are now moving to ban people with excessive visible tattoos from entering their premises, stating that people should try to look classier and respectable when entering such establishments.

Well, I'd say it's quite unfair to tattooed folks, seeing as how not all of them are the rough types who start unsavoury riff-raff as some people believe they do, but the tragedy here is a sign outside the Australian hotel and Brewery in Rouse Hill, Sydney: 'No Visable Tattoo's'. What kind of establishment would allow a person who can't spell to make their signs? Not a good image for the pub. Heck, I'd hate to see how many errors this person's resume has.

Back to the issue: Not all people with excessive tattoos are thugs and troublemakers like some people presume. But if these people want to keep their establishments classy and force visitors to cover their body art, then that's their decision. But they need to be prepared for any backlash from offended customers.

3. Valentines Day hijinks goes wrong

An American couple, Nikolas Harbar and Stephanie Pelzer, decided to play a role-playing game on Valentine's Day. Sounds simple enough, but it went haywire after a passer-by saw Steph bound and gagged naked in the back of a car then called the cops, believing she was a kidnap victim. When the couple arrived back to Harbar's home, the police were waiting and despite Steph telling them that it was all a big misunderstanding she and Nik were arrested and charged with second-degree disorderly conduct.

Forget about not coming to work after Valentine's Day due to sex injuries, this is the ultimate Valentine's Day-related humiliation. Getting caught with your pants down and walking away with a criminal record for your troubles? Yeah, that's got to hurt!

All you couples out there, doing all this role-playing, kinky stuff is totally ok. Hell, if it'll help your relationship then by all means, go nuts. But please make sure that you both won't end up looking like complete idiots if it ever goes awry because nothing screams embarrassment more than getting caught with your pants down. Literally.

4. No laughing matter.

He performed at the ceremony and even won the award for 'Best R&B Album'. It seems the event organisers have forgiven him for the beating he put on then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009. Nonetheless, his appearance at the awards was met with criticism and he did himself no favours by taunting his 'haters' with a profane message on Twitter.

Even more disturbing, however, are the Twitter reactions from his female fans. One tweeted, 'Call me crazy, but I would let Chris Brown beat me up any day!' Another posted, 'Everyone shut up about Chris Brown being a woman beater. Shit, he can beat me up all night if he wants to!' And yet another squealed, 'Like I've said multiple times before, Chris Brown can beat me up all he wants, I'd do anything to have him, oh my!'

Wow. Just, wow. And here I thought Justin Bieber's gaggle of screaming, psychotic little monsters were scary. Advocating violence against women just because the guy you like committed the crime? Really!!?? I've heard girls loving the whole bad-boy thing but this is something else. How would they like it if they actually got involved with a cute guy who beats up on them just for kicks? It would not be fun or pretty.

If they want to swoon and get all googly-eyed all over Brown, then that's fine. But making fun of what he did as if it were nothing? That is a slap in the face not just for victims of this crime, but for all women in general. No pun intended.

5. Whitney Houston found dead in her hotel room.

Well, this one certainly took me by surprise. I know she hadn't been well for while but I was still shocked when I heard on the radio that she had passed away.

The story of Whitney Houston is a tragic one, indeed. Once a superstar with a breathtaking voice, she spent her final years broke, washed-up and clearly her long battle with drugs and alcohol had taken its toll. Who could forget people walking out of her Australian shows two years ago, where she huffed, puffed and struggled to hit the high notes that once blew her listeners away.

Such a shame when people fall prey to their demons and pay the ultimate price for it. As much as people can blame Bobby Brown and others for her troubles, it was her bad choices that ultimately led to her untimely end.

May she Rest In Peace.

Oh well, that's it for this week. Let's see what other headlines and bits of weird news is in store this coming week. Bye for now.

My take on THAT video

Sometime last week, Tommy Jordan from North Carolina in the US uploaded a video on youtube where he rants about a post his daughter shared on Facebook in which she disrespects and curses him and his wife (her mother).

In the video, he sits on a chair reading out loud his daughter's post before responding to her in front of the camera. He had also brought her laptop with him and shortly before the video is over, he teaches her a lesson by taking out a handgun and firing nine bullets into the laptop. The video went viral on youtube and sparked debates on Jordan's parenting skills. Many praised him for his 'tough love' approach while detractors stated that he was just another psycho with a gun who went too far (predictably, these critics were chided by many to just be rebellious teens or 'weak' parents who think Jordan was too harsh).

Me personally, I'm on Jordan's side. Perhaps ranting about your daughter on the internet and then shooting her laptop was a bit of an over-reaction but I can totally understand why he did it. We've all been in that situation where we didn't see eye-to-eye with our parents but any kid who disrespects their parents outright, especially on the internet, is an ungrateful little prick who deserves to get slapped across the head. In this case, Jordan chose to return the favour and then some. I'm not saying that the way he went about the situation was the right solution but I can totally see why he did what he did. Heck, if I were a father myself and I found out my kids did something like that to me you'd better believe they'd be in a world of hurt over it.

You know, some countries around the world are considering on outlawing the spanking of children and some parents have gone to jail for spanking their kids. I think that's just a load of bull. While I don't approve of beating up on children and think that any parent who does such a thing should be beaten up themselves, spanking your kids if they've done something beyond the pale, and provided that it's nothing more than a stern but gentle tap, is ok. I don't consider that beating up on a kid, more like letting them know loud and clear that what they did was totally unacceptable. I've been there myself. When I was a kid I got a few light whacks on the backside or on the hand if I really screwed up and I turned out just fine. And my father used to tell me stories of how kids back in his day would get whacked with a cane or a shoe when they misbehaved, not just at home but also at school. And guess what? He turned out ok and so did most of the people he knew. So come on with that nonsense!

Tommy Jordan's vid, while outrageous and extreme, shows that there are parents out there who refuse to let their kids walk all over them. Seriously, just because they're kids does not give parents an excuse to let them do as they please and whenever they do something wrong, they need to face the consequences and learn to be responsible for their own actions.

And as for this crap about outlawing the spanking of kids, all I have to say is 'HARDEN UP, PEOPLE!!!!' The day you start getting too soft on kids is the day they start thinking that they are untouchable and so another self-destructive little troublemaker is born. If you aren't prepared to play bad cop when necessary and discipline your kids whenever they cross the line, then don't have any! It's that simple.

Well played!

Remember that film Meet The Parents? Towards the end of the film, when Ben Stiller's Greg Focker character was preparing to fly back to his home state, he tried to take his over-sized luggage on board the plane only to be told by a flight attendant that his bag was too big and so it had to be checked in. Focker refused to hand over his bag and angrily told them, 'It's not like I've got a bomb in here!' Having said the dreaded 'B' word on a plane full of passengers, he was escorted off the plane and interrogated by security who believed he was a terrorist just because he said the word 'bomb' on an airplane.

Something similar occured in Los Angeles earlier last week. Two British tourists, Leigh Van Bryan and Emily Bunting were detained by armed guards upon landing in Los Angeles thanks to a twitter faux-pas made by Van Bryan in which he claimed that he and Bunting were going to 'destroy America' and dig up Marilyn Monroe's corpse. As a result, they were considered potential terrorist threats by the Department of Homeland Security and locked up in a jail cell with a Mexican drug dealer for 12 hours. They were also interrogated and had their passports confiscated.

The pair told officials that 'destroy' was British slang for party and that Van Bryan's tweet was meant to imply that he and Bunting were going to live it up in Los Angeles. Van Bryan also claimed that officials searched his belongings for spades and shovels in case he really meant to dig up Monroe's corpse and that he was being treated as some sort of terrorist.

Well, what can I say? Given that the US has been on high alert for terrorist threats since September 11, I don't think it is a wise idea to use the words 'going to destroy' in the same sentence as America. Ok, I understand that Van Bryan wanted to brag to his friends about partying hard in the US, but he could have chosen his words more carefully. What's wrong with just simply stating, 'We're gonna rip it up here in the States' or 'Gonna paint the town red' or simply, 'Hollywood here I come!!!!' Any of those would've been fine. But apparently it wasn't 'epic' enough for Mr. Van Bryan. And as if to make his oh-so-exciting trip much more exhilirating, he decided to add some quote from Family Guy that involved digging up Marilyn Monroe's corpse. Well, what can I say? I guess he got so carried away with going on this trip that all manner of Internet etiquette was thrown out the window. That, or he's an idiot. If he had any sense of tact left in his brain he should have known that the US takes such matters seriously.

You know, this is one of the problems in the modern world. Some people get so caught up with bragging about an upcoming moment in their life that not only do they feel the need to shove it down others' throats, but they also try to make it much bigger than it really is by digging into their bag of overstatements and coming up with a sentence that might make an event seem impressive, but could also inadvertently land them into trouble. Maybe it won't be as extreme as what Van Bryan did but such behaviour could be seen as arrogant and could make others jealous or cast the poster seem snobby. Someone might view the message and think, 'This punk thinks that just because he/she is going to some place they must be better than me!' Not a pretty thought, is it?

Van Bryan and Bunting were eventually cleared of any bad intentions and were released. But they didn't end up going on that quest to 'destroy America' after all. They were driven back to the airport and then flown back home. Well played, guys. Absolute humiliation thanks to your lack of common sense and you get treated like criminals and ultimately sent home for your troubles. Talk about a waste of time, effort, money and hyperbole. Perhaps in the future you will think before you post and choose your words carefully. We live in a world where some people will take what you say seriously, even if you were joking or speaking in slang.