Many people think of marketing, advertising and selling as part of some icky thing they have to do to survive. It’s this belief that leads to an attitude that holds them back, and the right attitude is the first step to selling (anything).
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Getting Pwned during High School PE Soccer Class
My 30th high school reunion is coming up this year. There is a certain contingent of people trying to get something virtual to happen since it appears travel and gathering in large groups will still be problematic throughout the summer. Of course, this has sent me down memory lane… We were required to take physical education. It was my least favorite class because of the locker room, my lack of skills and size, and I never really improved in athletics. I was more of an art and math guy, though to be fair some of our athletes were also math guys.
Continue reading‘Mother-Daughter Relationship in Disney Films’ Critique Leaves Something to Be Desired
(This article contains affiliate links. If you order something from an affiliate link, the seller still gets full price, our website gets a small commission, and it costs the same as if you went to Amazon without the link.) In her essay “Eighty-Six the Mother,” in 1995’s “From Mouse to Mermaid: The politics of film, gender, and culture,” Lynda Haas discusses the penchant for Disney films to kill the mother and avoid telling stories about the mother-daughter relationship. There’s no question that Disney has gotten rid of the mother in many of its stories. Even if it’s because of the story told by the source material, Disney still chose the type of material it wanted to bring to the screen.
Continue readingGo Viral: Top-Viewed Articles of May 2020 on Penguinate and Medium
As a blog writer, I have several goals, and they all intertwine. Perhaps, the biggest goal is to write what people want to read and share. Firstly, the number of page views directly influences my income. More viewers mean more money. Secondly, and maybe just as important, I can write a thousand articles, but if no one reads them, what good are they? I want my writing to impact people, help them learn, or bring them some entertainment. In order for that to happen, I need people to read the articles. Otherwise, I could write a journal and put it on my shelf for whomever to find after I die.
Continue readingDisney Films, Academic Essays, and an Open Mind
I typically shy away from books and essays that critique Walt Disney and his films. There are several reasons for this. We don’t need to kill our heroes. Walt was a product of his times. It’s easier to critique and tear down things than it is to create them. However, the biggest reason is that too many of these types of essays contain inaccuracies and falsehoods that come from someone not being an expert in Disney knowledge and/or doing sloppy research. It’s insane how many “educated” people believe Walt’s frozen head lies in a secret lair under Disneyland. It’s hurtful how many people say he was racist or anti-Semitic when those who worked with him deny those allegations. Sometimes, it’s just ridiculous the interpretations that people come up with for Disney films.
Continue readingMarvel’s ‘The Avengers’ Film (2012) and Power
(Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on examiner.com) “The Avengers” (affiliate link) is all about power. It starts with Iron Man installing a new, clean burning power source and lighting up the Stark building in the middle of New York City. The Tesseract, a source of unlimited power that humans don’t understand yet, is stolen by Loki to open a worm hole for an invading alien force that will take over the universe starting with Earth.
Continue readingBuddhist Fiction and Non-fiction by Former Marine and Current Monk
Darren Lamb calls himself the Worst Buddhist. He served in the Marines and is a veteran of the first Gulf War. His books combine the sensibilities and philosophies of Buddhism with the frailties of the human condition and surreal or fantastical situations. Lamb takes his life experiences and translates them into fast-paced action with great characters. Lamb writes for adults as he honestly explores what it means to be alive and what responsibilities spiritual people have to the world. If you’ve never heard of Buddhist fiction, let Lamb show you how amazing it can be. Lamb’s original works will amaze you and bring you joy, even while they explore the darker parts of the world and the inner turmoil of people’s lives.
Continue readingRussian Wisdom: The Greedy Man Pays Twice, Especially for Razors
I’m not sure that this is the correct translation, but “the greedy man pays twice” or maybe “the cheap man pays twice” is something I’ve heard a couple of times while in Russia. My wife says it to me because I am always looking for the best price per unit. I know there’s something to be said for quality, but most of the time, the quality of an item isn’t worth the price increase.
Continue readingThe Paradoxes of Creativity: Getting Comfortable to Get Uncomfortable to Get Comfortable
As the trolls in “Frozen” (affiliate link) sang “People make bad choices when they’re scared or mad or stressed.” Part of this is because our human response to pain is fight or flee. Stress hormones overrun our ability to think imploring our bodies to get active and do something. This response isn’t a very good adaptation in modern times, unless you’re staring down the headlights of an oncoming vehicle, because the stress response is triggered anytime our mind perceives danger whether physical or otherwise.
Continue readingHow Social Media Can Fix Itself
If you haven’t realized it by now, social media companies are not a product. They are not beholden to their users for any reason other than that they need users to be the product. Social media then sells its data and insights to the highest advertising budget to get the most targeted results. While making you the product has been vilified in some arenas, it’s not any worse than you as the product for TV or radio. The biggest difference is that Facebook, Twitter, and their ilk can target you specifically, have done experiments to show they can manipulate your feelings, and are in it for a profit, not of millions of dollars, but hundreds of millions.
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Penguinate! Positive Creativity 