Quantcast

Search our Archives!


Advertisement


Chaim

March 29, 2012 | 10:39 am RSS

Baseball and G-d

Posted by Julia Bendis

I trust in G-d
I love my Country
And will respect its laws
I will play fair
And strive to win
But win or lose I will always do my best

This is the pledge the players chant before every Little League game, including my twelve-year-old son.  Not only do I cringe every single time I hear the use of “G-d” in any child’s activity, but it’s even more alarming when it is mandated and used at a children’s baseball game.  I realize that a prayer of some sort was invented and widely perused far before Tim Tebow could wipe his own tuchis, however what does G-d have to do with baseball, or sports in general?

This country is so obsessed with the power of a higher being, one might even say a power of a supernatural (but one would be called insane for using that word), that it’s not only acceptable to use G-d’s name in just about anything in life, but praise G-d for absolutely everything!  What does G-d have to do with sports, and better yet what is G-d doing in a Little League’s pledge?  Basically, what we are teaching our children is that as long as they pray to G-d before each of their games, a supernatural being way up high in the sky will look after you and make sure you win your games!  What a way to instil false hope into a bunch of teenage boys…  Forget teenage boys, they are chanting this so-called pledge at the five-year-old’s games!

All I can think about while the players are reciting this pledge is what about Atheists on the team?  What about if your family simple does not believe in G-d, or anything that comes with it?  What about those same players going home after a game and asking their parents why in the world we have to say that we “trust in G-d”, when in fact we DON’T trust in G-d, but only in ourselves?  Isn’t G-d a bit too preoccupied with more important issues of the world to be worried about some Little League’s baseball game?  From day one, we teach our children to believe in themselves and in their abilities as decent human beings, and to trust their gut when it comes to anything and everything in life.  And then we make them PRAY before school starts and their sports games?  Isn’t it enough that G-d’s name is already in every school as it is.

Parents, am I the only one that’s outraged over this?  Please, send me your feedback!

The Jewish Journal believes that great community depends on great conversation. So, jewishjournal.com provides a forum for insightful voices across the political and religious spectrum. Most bloggers are not employees of The Jewish Journal, and their opinions are their own. Our entire blog policy is here. Please alert us to any violations of our policy by clicking here. (editor@jewishjournal.com). If you'd like to join our blogging community, email us. (webmaster@jewishjournal.com).

February 29, 2012 | 11:11 pm

Proper etiquette for social media!

Posted by Julia Bendis

Prior to Twitter, and Mark Zuckerberg’s brilliant invention of Facebook (hopefully you can feel the sarcasm), or even texting on our phones, people used to have manners.  Not only manners, but some form of global etiquette when it came to dealing with others.  I truly believe that with each of the above mentioned inventions, we have become dumber, lazier, and completely ill-mannered when it comes to normal human behavior.

Gone are the days when people used to call each other to find out how the other is doing, but rather text, Tweet or my personal favorite… Facebook message posted directly to the person’s wall; so not only can that individual read it but so can everyone else learn that he/she is recovering from explosive diarrhea.  And not only that, but now the universal “Hello, how are you?” has completely vanished from the conversation!  We get right to the point: “You got the kids?”, “What’s for dinner?”, “Get milk!”  No hello’s, good-bye’s, nothing.  Just straight down to business.  It’s taking me a very long time to get used to this new way of communicating, and as one friend put it… “stop treating every text message as a letter, and get to the point.”  Its taking a long while for me, and until then everyone will continue to receive my every text, Tweet, or Facebook post that starts off as a formal letter to the Queen.

The other thing that people seem to unable to learn is that unless you like having enemies, you need to stop posting things like: “I can’t wait for my party later, cooking up some yummy stuff!”, and “Can’t wait to share my new drink recipe with everyone tonight! This will be the best party ever!”  Like, Oh My God we get it, you have five hundred friends and you are throwing the “best party ever” without actually inviting people from your Facebook; however unless you are ready to greet ALL of those five hundred friends at your door in a couple of hours, I’d refrain from posting crap like that.  Do people actually enjoy getting comments such as: “Hey, where is my invite?”  and ‘Why wasn’t I invited?”  Do you feel like shit yet?  How about now?  I feel you are getting there very slowly.  Where are people’s manners…  Or is it all just so they have something to boast and brag about; showcase their mad skills of throwing a party…

How about those idiots that call in sick at work, hacking up God-knows what into the phone all the while posting a picture of themselves on a surfboard to Twitter/Facebook?  Did you forget that your boss is one of your so-called-’friends’ on Facebook?  I guess so.  My list can go on and on.  People, please learn proper social media etiquette already.  Thank you.  Sincerely, Me.

0 Comments — Leave your comment



About this Blog

Blog Home
About the Blogger(s)
Contact

RSS


Blog Archive