Brothers

My name is Joe Roberts I work for the State

I'm a sergeant out on Perenville barracks No 8

I've always done an honest job honest as I could

Got a brother named Frankie Frankie ain't no good

Ever since we were young kids it's been the same come down

I'd get a call on a short way Frankie's in trouble downtown

But if it was any other man I'd put him straight away

But sometimes when it's your brother you look the other way

Yeah me and Frankie laughin' and drinkin' nothin' feels better than blood on blood

That is the opening verse to Johnny Cash's Highway Patrolman and that is how I feel when I think about my brother. I feel that way about any of my close family members. I have a sister and a cousin that might as well be my sister and I love them both dearly. I would do anything for them. This Johnny Cash song just hits me in a special place though. I like to think that I was old and mature enough to be a proper big brother for my sister, but I often wonder if I was a good enough brother to my brother. I am 2 years older than he is and I experienced many things that he did like our parents separating and moving schools, but I feel that we handled the situations completely different. Be it genetics or just environmental influences, we both struggled to cope with life, but in vastly different ways. My brother acted out and hung with "the wrong crowd." He listened to rap music and didn't perform too well in high school. I listened to metal and did well enough in school. I lashed out with my words when I felt wronged or upset and he acted out. There were many times when I felt I had let him down, by not being there for him. We even got into a fist fight one time in our mom's kitchen. Fast forward to present day. I have earned a bachelor's degree and he has a full time job with one child and another on the way. We get along and I can be the positive influence on him that I wish I always could be. He needs a ride to work? I'm there. He's over reacting to something? I'm there to calm him down. We were the best men in each others' weddings and I feel we have pretty good relationship. Could we see each other more? Sure, but we both are busy right now and I think we both understand that. 

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I feel Hightway Patrolman is special to me. I like to think that I am a man of principles. If I see somebody violating one of those principles, I speak up. I, like Joe Roberts in Cash's song, am not going to put up with another man doing something wrong, "but sometimes when it's your brother, you look the other way." It is my duty to protect my younger brother and I will always stick up for him and be there for him. Another example of this is The Gecko Brothers in the movie From Dusk til Dawn. In that movie, George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino play bank robbing brothers trying to escape to Mexico. Tarantino's character has some mental issues and Clooney's character tries to keep control of the situation and his brother. It's extreme, but even when Tarantino's character kills a woman, Clooney is still able to have his brother's back after trying to get some sense into him. 

These thoughts lead me to think about The Great Fire Cause. This scenario is proposed in ethical philosophy and I tend to take an egoist approach to it. The scenario goes as follows. There is a burning building with two people trapped inside. One person is a doctor that is very important to the human race. Let's say he has the cure for every major disease. The other person is your mom or dad or in this case my brother. Now, the utilitarian thinking would be to save the doctor. I disagree with this notion. If it was two strangers, I would say sure, save the doctor. The problem for me when it is a family member is that I feel there is a special bond there. I have more value on my brother than I do on billions of other people. It's selfish I know, but honestly I don't care. If I've learned anything in this world it is that you must look out for what makes you happy. What makes me happy? Not seeing my brother die in a fire. 

This is just me rambling on my relationship with my brother this far. I hope I could inspire some thoughts from you on how you have interacted with your siblings. What would you do? Would you save your sibling from a fire over a doctor?

Elf on the Panopticon

I recently read an article called "Who's the Boss" by Dr. Laura Elizabeth Pinto and Dr. Selena Nemorin. The gist of the article is that by introducing the Elf on the Shelf into your home, you are normalizing a surveillance figure for your child. I agree with this statement. The elf is supposed to always be watching you and is not able to be touched. This teaches the child two things. First, you must do what the elf deems right. Second, don't challenge the elf. The elf must not be touched and touching the elf is a challenge to his power.

I don't believe that this a new development, but just the next evolution in this line of thinking. I grew up with the threat that Santa was watching and I wouldn't receive my presents if I was bad. I don't think this is as intrusive as the elf because the elf is a physical representation of  this surveillance, but it is the same concept as Santa watching me as a child.

Another example comes from Western religions and that example is God. God sees all and will punish those that don't follow whatever set of rules your religion follows. Many children learn this in Sunday school. This is a fundamental belief that many people have and it is an example of how something can be introduced to a child in fun way and will grow to be not only accepted, but expected.

As I stated earlier, I was told that Santa watched me and I had to be a good boy to receive my presents at Christmas time. I argue that I still find the idea of being under surveillance disgusting. Once I figured out that Santa Claus wasn't real, I knew that I was never being watched. I know the stories that warn against "Big Brother" like Fahrenheit 451 and 1984. The resources are out there for children to read, watch, and learn different view points, but it is becoming harder for children to have easy access to these resources.. If you educate yourself and still think that a surveillance stance is what's best for society, I will disagree with you all day, but I will respect that you did your research.

In conclusion, I don't think the makers of the Elf on the Shelf are part of a conspiracy to brainwash kids, but I do believe there are unintended consequences when the elf is introduced. The normalization of the authority figure in the home could bring positive feelings to the very notion of surveillance or it could just bring good memories of the elf once the magic is gone. I myself have multiple Santa decorations in my Christmas decorations because I love Santa, but I hate the notion of surveillance.