The Introverted Detective

Of all the subjects to talk about, why am I talking about this?  Because why the heck not. There is, apparently, a difference between prostitute, concubine, and mistress - all in the lense of history. I'm not saying it is right, but I'm not going to argue with the history of the subject and it happened. Just for fun, let's explore this random topic.  Definitions first! Mistresses (in our case) are lovers on the side, unmarried. Prostitutes are paid to have sex with anyone. Concubines are almost the same as a mistress, but includes living with their lover. All this in the lense of history is an interesting and scandalous topic.  Women have been used for sex often throughout history. I don't like it, but there it is. I read a Phryne Fisher one day and it mentioned concubines were not prostitutes, so I was curious as to what they were, for real. Let's start with Mistresses. Mistresses The actual term did not start out like the definition above. For example, the mistres...

The Defund Police movement is all up in arms right now because, well, Black Lives Matter. Before you form any opinions based on what your neighbor, cousin, or your news source believes, let me tell you the factual basics on the movement, based on what I researched. *The rest of this blog is facts from my research on the subject and the use of logic.* First things first, what is it? In the most basic of terms, they want to lower funds for the police and give them to often-neglected needs in the community, possibly redefining police roles in the process. While there is a sister movement that goes farther and says disband the police, I am not talking about the sister movement.  I'm not going into an overly-detailed description in this post, so if you want more information follow my sources below and go as far as you'd like in the research process. This is a deep hole of an issue. You should probably find a shovel at this point.  Where does the money go? This money, in theory, wou...

The news these days is full of fear. Some of the news is true, while other headlines turn out to be lies and half-truths. Either way, they spread fear. Can fear be used to control a society or group? Let's dive into that. Fear can be debilitating when present in situations that aren't dangerous. Imagined fears cause people to be afraid of their own shadow. If someone in power can cause a panic, they can take control by promising safety. "For your own safety" sounds reasonable compared to "because I said so". Claiming they, and only they, can save you puts the one who started the panic in the driver's seat.  Covid 19 propaganda Here is where you can insert propaganda of any type, wartime or otherwise, repeated multiple times. Images and words repeated can condition us and influence us over long periods of time. In times of crisis people are extra easy to influence. If one doesn't dig for the truth, they may remain ignorant to the entire situation. Kno...

We are all socialized to act a certain way in society, whether we know it or not. Gender, according to my Malone University gender class, is policed by those of the same gender. In simpler terms, if you don't act like your gender is supposed to act you get reactions you won't like. Women who don't act like women or men who don't act like men are less popular.  What women and men are supposed to act like in communication style is based on your culture. Some cultures preferred silent women and loud men, while others made women queens (Nubians-black queens) and gave them power. It all depends on where you live and how you were raised, or socialized. This all starts in childhood, when your family and teachers teach you what is for boys and what is for girls. It shapes your view of what you should do in society. The kids around you reinforce the ideas, most times, and "police" this by making fun of those who don't fit or not including them. If you were unconven...

This past week it has occurred to me that we have all been conditioned to stand on a taped "X" and inside taped boxes in stores everywhere. Basically, we have been trained. What does it mean to be conditioned? Let's dive into that.  It has to do with reward and punishment. It is how we learn, actually, so it isn't uncommon. It is the reason we obey enforced rules. When we break laws that are enforced we feel the consequences, thus we don't (usually) repeat our mistakes. It works the same way if there is an incentive to doing something consistently. For example, getting good grades and the reward of money may create a habit of working hard in school and wanting good grades. It creates good feelings when you get them after a while, reward or not.  This is why, after two months of "social distance", we distance in public places whether we agree with it or not. After long-term conditioning, we form habits that are hard to break, thus we create a new normal i...

The other day I got a request to review a book on twitter - my first one ever! The book Lake City Way Ninja Girl was written by Cait Moore, wife of horror writer Michael J. Moore. From the minute I read the first chapter I was hooked. I read this book, and the chapter of the next book (previewed at the end) in one evening and a morning. No joke.  Image from Book Sprout The tale of a 12 year old girl, mentally haunted by the shooting of a man beside the food bank in Lake City Way, becoming a vigilante had me on my seat from the first five chapters and made me want more by the end. It isn't a "happily ever after" ending, I'll just tell you that now, but it is worth every penny, should you ask me if you should invest in it. It would make a fantastic addition to any personal or public library.  This is a dark, young adult novel, but not so dark that isn't young adult. It is realistic to what might happen to a 12-year-old vigilante going after drug dealers in the stree...

We know about George Floyd, but what does the Black Lives Matter movement actually stand for? We're doing this Dragnet style - "just the facts". We're not going into opinion on this blog post. There is enough of that on social media everywhere, anyway.  Black Lives Matter is global, in the US, UK and Canada. They want to get rid of white supremacy and gain local power in order to intervene in the violence in black communities, either by the state or vigilantes. They want to improve opportunities for the black community and create a better black community. It was founded after the acquittal of Trayvon Martin's murderer in 2013. They reach out to the marginalized and will help you no matter your gender or immigrant status.  They want every black person to thrive in every way possible. Short answer, they fight racism toward the black community, and hope to make the world better for all people through this fight. They are for peace in the world. Founded  This organiza...