Bidding Farewell to a Once in a Generation Hero

I guess it's a bit cliché to blog about the life story and accomplishments of Nelson Mandela, but what the hell? He's an inspiration to people worldwide in his success in the fight against oppression in South Africa. 

The improbable journey from prisoner to president officially came to an end on Sunday, when Mandela was laid to rest in his childhood village of Qunu. I had never really looked into his life (besides seeing the movie "Invictus") before. And with a little bit of research I found clear similarities to problems that we continue to face on this side of the pond. 

President Obama made a speech at Soweto soccer stadium in South Africa where he he received a thunderous applause. He hailed Mandela's countless acts of reconciliations, noting that he was jailed for 27 years by the apartheid regime, but alas he still embraced his Afrikaner (white minority) enemies when he was released. Obama said "It took a man like Madiba (Mandela's clan name) to free not just the prisoner, but the jailer as well." This quote is very powerful in many ways, and it's something that, though overlooked, is still a problem today right here in these United States. 

Mandela's death came right at the end of a unit in my American Studies class about the Prison-Industral Complex, which refers to the rapid expansion of the prison system and increase in inmate population in the United States since 1970. Law enforcement is cracking down on imprisonment for non-violent crimes, especially on those in the ethnic minorities. Mandela was in the middle of his prison term at Robben Island when this began. His life sentence was handed over due to a "civil disobedience" charge. In the United States we are seeing the enforcement of a "three strikes and you're out" system for nonviolent crimes. Where you are put away for life for things that, a few decades ago, weren't even considered a felony. 

Although the United States is probably considered more "first world" than South Africa, the Number of black males in prison per 100,000 during the Apartheid era was 851. In comparison for the United States, the number is 4,848. So my question is, who will be our Madiba? When, in fact, the domestic problem is worse.

What Will They Think of Next?

It's in our nature to crave the latest gadgets and utilize every bit of cutting edge technology there is on the market. But at what point do tech advancements cross the line that should be designated for fantasies. A post earlier this year from my friend Erik really caught my attention, and begged the question, what role does technology play in our every day lives? And, more importantly, what role will it have in the not too distant future?

Samsung released its Galaxy s3 watch some 2 months ago, and already 800,000 units have been sold. Me being the old fashioned person I am, finds it ludicrous to even consider purchasing something like this. When one has their phone in their pocket or bag at all times (as most people do in this day and age), what possesses them spend another $300 or more on this rather than, say, A REAL WATCH.  David Pogue of the New York Times, "The galaxy gear is bulky and useless. It needs a phone to be even moderately useful." The breakthrough has gotten consistently sub-par reviews similar to Pogue's since its release, and Samsung's 2013 will end on a bittersweet note. After all of the hype after surpassing Apple for the worlds largest smartphone carrier earlier in the year, Samsung has come of short of the hype they had received.

Be that as it may, this trial run will be perfected in the near future, and items like this will always be bought by Americans. It goes back to a recent discussion in my American Studies class. The United States spends more money on weapons than all of the other countries combined. The reason being, not that our old weapons were bad or dysfunctional. We could probably still blow up the whole world if we wanted to. But we always need the latest and greatest just to know that we can. It's the same thing with the every day citizen. American's value groundbreaking inventions. So I'm excited to see the release of the first car that can drive itself, when the wealthy citizens of the world can surpass every level of laziness put forth so far.