the Malaysian Cowboy

The Political Mind by George Lakoff

Perusing the shelves of a bookstore, a year ago I stumbled on George Lakoff’s The Political Mind. Claiming to explain the nature of the American political mind, through the lens of objective, cognitive science, Lakoff’s words seemed a refreshing change from the partisan finger-pointing. So I put the book on my seemingly endless list of things to do, and eventually, I got around to reading it about a month ago.

Having finished the book, in my opinion, if you ever happen to come across the book, go right ahead and skip it. Lakoff’s focus on the inner workings of the mind, from neural patterns, biconceptionalism, and unconscious frames, definitely make for a compelling discussion and newfound introspection about how our minds act in the political realm.

Yet, even as he declares notions of the “left-right” spectrum useless in this discussion, Lakoff’s conclusions seem bent on galvanizing liberals rather than simply informing. Every now and again, you’ll notice a reference to what he clearly views as direct and indirect failings presided over by the Bush administration, with his references to Blackwater and the invasion of Iraq, Enron, healthcare, among other things. Throughout, he calls for a “new enlightenment” that goes beyond mere rationality and utility that pervaded the original enlightenment, to acknowledge the emotional component of our reasoning. In one sense, to any progressive individual, the book is the kind of feel-good literature that makes you feel empowered and a little more certain about how to go about achieving significant progress in the American political landscape.

And, don’t get me wrong: it’s not that I didn’t find myself in agreement with Lakoff, on multiple occasions. I’m definitely sure of my own progressive mindset on countless issues.

Still, Lakoff appears to go through significant pains, at the outset and various other junctions, to convince the reader that he is presenting an entirely objective point of view, while at the same time turning right around and arguing, implicitly or otherwise, that there’s a sort of battle against a conservative mindset that the world must .

Using some of Lakoff’s terminology, one might say that as you move from chapter to chapter, you can’t escape the notion that Lakoff is carefully framing the argument in a manner presenting the progressive point of view as the better option, while failing to acknowledge this frame and the fact that it may in fact be clouding the actual discussion. That really irked me.

In short, I found it a chore to get through Lakoff’s writing. It wasn’t so much dry writing as it was annoyingly hypocritical, and, to the extent that it reached a conclusion, it was so overtly one-sided that it left a bad taste in my mouth for objective, informative writing.

The Mantle of the Prophet Religion and Politics in Iran by Roy Mottahedeh

I came to discover this gem writing on the Iranian revolution on the Council on Foreign Relations’ Foreign Affairs website. I received my copy in the mail today—turns out it’s not all that readily available at most local Barnes and Noble or Borders locations—but having read the opening pages, I’m already excited.

Presented in narrative form, from the reviews I’ve read, Mottahedeh presents an unrivaled account of an increasingly relevant society, and I’m looking forward to coming away with an increased appreciation and understanding for Iran. If nothing else, the perspective is likely to give me a refreshing change from all that the mainstream media love to spew on a daily basis!

Let me preface this by saying this is a really, really brief blog post. Almost Facebook/twitter status-update esque. That being said, I plan to make a post or two later this week, once I’m done being consumed by studying for my two finals tomorrow.

With that out of the way, I’d like to offer a recommendation for a relatively new track by Nas & Damian Marley (also known as Bob Marley’s youngest son.) Entitled “As We Enter”, it’s the first single from  the duo’s collaboration “Distant Relatives”, set to be released on May 18th (which just happens to be my birthday, wazah!) The track features elements of reggae, with the typical hip hop feel that Nas is known for. From Swahili to Hummers over to Kingston, the song’s references touch upon the shared heritage the two have, announcing their return to the kingdom. If nothing else, the track is chock full of that “we’re taking over” mentality that’s sure to get your adrenaline pumping.

Yesterday, I went into Harvard Square. After some good Thai cuisine courtesy of 9 Tastes, a friend of mine recommended Sweet Cupcakes. Needless to say, this small, quaint store quickly had me hooked. The store’s design is rather plain and simple, drawing your eyes to the variety of cupcakes on offer.

Whether you go with the Boston Cream Pie (Sweet chiffon cake filled with homemade pastry cream topped with chocolate ganache and a frosting “cherry”), or, perhaps, the Cheesecake (Creamy homestyle cheesecake with its own mini graham cracker crust. A dollop of cream cheese frosting inside and atop and finished with a light graham cracker dust; what I had, see image below), you’re definitely in for a treat. As you can tell from the ingredients, these cupcakes are anything but your average, run-of-the-mill stuff.

Personally, I think the experience is probably best if you stick to just one cupcake, rather than having a whole bunch in one sitting. Just make sure to savor the experience. For that, I recommend slowly devouring your cupcake with a provided fork =P.

I suppose when you first read that headline, you may have asked yourself whether I would really write a blog post about alternatives to using the United States Postal Service. I mean, we all know UPS is king in that department anyways, so why would I try to drum up debate on an already settled argument?

Right, well, in fact, what I am referring to is the band Faded Paper Figures.

What I like about Faded Paper Figures is their similar electronic style to that of The Postal Service, which exudes a kind of “lazy-but-thoughtful-provoking” feeling. This is especially so for the tracks on their more recent album, Dynamo. Add to the mix a wonderful  feminine voice on the chorus, and you’ve got a great combination.

I’m also a fan of the thought they put into their site’s lyrics page: for most bands, it’s enough to simply write a track, record it, and let the masses decide what exactly the song means to them. But at the same time, for those who are just a little more curious, the lyrics page provides a litany of links, on various words, to give the listener a window into the artists’ thinking.

In an age where artist-listener interaction is characterized by Facebook and MySpace pages that appear to give us more of a “connection” simply because we can “like” or comment on their posts, sometimes the simplest things like this can go a long way.

Anyways, if you’re feeling adventurous, do give Faded Paper Figures a listen!