Rachel Jeantel... A Leader Amongst Followers

Rachel Jeantel smirks while giving her testimony during the trial of her slain friend, Trayvon Martin.

As an up and coming expert on strategic communication practices, I was very disturbed recently, when I got the chance to see a leader of our time become ridiculed by social media users. I'm referring to the Trayvon Martin case. I noticed that it was being aired on HLN and so I decided to watch.

I'm already familiar with the incident as I wrote an article about it for Troy University's student newspaper, the Tropolitan. What I perused doing the duration that I watched, left me feeling very good about our generation in terms of the courage that we have embarked. I saw a young black woman giving her testimony as to what she remembered happened the night that her friend Trayvon Martin was killed by the self-appointed neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman.

As this 19-year-old young lady continued her testimony, I took notice of a few things, as I'm sure, so did the rest of those who were also watching the trial either through the TV or live stream through their personal computers. I noticed that Rachel Jeantel is not very articulate nor well-read. This was obvious due to her response to questions pertaining back to the night of Trayvon's death. Jeantel also appeared to be very fatigued as she spoke with an exhausted breath and a very low pitched tone.

Jeantel in the form of Shrek.

 As I convinced myself to stop watching, I then logged on to social media outlets via my smartphone as I was most certain that not-so-nice things were more than likely being said about the young lady. I was right. Instagram was filled with mean and derogatory post about about Rachel, as was Twitter and Facebook. Users poked fun at Rachel's vocabulary skills, her response to questions and her broken English. In addition to those things people also made fun at her appearance, more specifically, her weight and pigmentation.

Jeantel, presented as a Star Wars character.

 As a communication professional, I was outraged at the terrible things that I was seeing and reading about her. I agree, Jeantel could have done a better job with her testimony, but I understand that if someone is not taught how to correctly speak and articulate themselves in front of large crowds, how can we expect that from them.

Jeantel is from Miami, English is not her first language and she is from a notoriously rough neighborhood. Even with such facts, people were still heartless. Even knowing such facts, people still did not give her the credit that she deserved for mustering up the courage to go under oath in front of all those people, including her friend's killer, parents and relatives; along with the judge and media, while try her best to recant what happened that night while on the phone with Trayvon Martin. If anything, DOESN'T THAT MAKE HER A HERO? Shouldn't we praise her??

A young lady pokes fun at Trayvon's death, as she is dressed in black face, a hoodie and is carrying a bag of skittles and can of iced tea as Trayvon was the night he was killed.

 As a communication professional, I did not exit my mothers womb in 1989 with a high level of intelligence and advance understanding of the world that I now posses. I was conditioned and groomed over so many years.

High school taught me how to listen, college taught me how to think critically.

Jeantell is a leader. She is a leader because of the amount of courage that it takes to do what she is doing. I am more than certain that she is aware of the media backlash that will be available on the Internet for a very long time. I am certain, that her relatives are upset at what they are seeing on their various social media time lines.

Jeantel is not only a leader, but also, an innovator for unknowingly bringing forth the attention needed to remind educators that we must do a better job with educating the future leaders of the free world as it is them who will succeed us.

Trayvon Martin's parents. His dad holds back tears during the trial of his son's death.

 Lastly, Jeantel provides vision. A vision into the damaging effects that social media can have on any person, place or thing. Has anyone stopped and asked themselves, how does she feel right now, or what is she going through? How would you feel if you logged on to Instagram and saw such heartless post from people who do not know you nor want to take the time to get to know you.

I think that it is terrible that we live in a country where education is readily available but hardly ever utilized and if it is, then it is hard to tell by the actions of most.

19-year-old Rachel Jeantel has inspired and motivated me as a communication professional and student to share the knowledge that I am learning with as many people as possible in order to help produce an articulate society, free of what Rachel Jeantel appears to represent on camera and into the type of person that I am certain Jeantel inspires to be.

Information They Forget to Teach You in School

Privately Owned Prisons... Get Your Piece Today!!

Invest in a Slave!!

I know that my blog may not seem conventional and the information that I try to provide you with may be disturbing. But, just know, it is all heavily researched, and I'm only trying to keep you informed!

So, since we are on the topic of information, let me inform you on a topic that I have been researching for a while. Yes, I was researching this topic way before Kanye West dropped his new album, Yeezus. The topic is private prisons.

Private prison is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned by a third party that is contracted by a government agency. Private prison companies typically enter into contractual agreements with governments that commit prisoners and then pay a per diem or monthly rate for each prisoner confined in the facility.

Today, the privatization of prisons refers both to the takeover of existing public facilities by private operators and to the building and operation of new and additional prisons by for-profit prison companies.

Basically, a private prison is worse that a Federal prison because in a private prison an inmate is basically a cattle.

I chose this topic because as of right now, thanks to Kanye West, and his song New Slaves the topic is trending and more and more people are begenning to uncover the evilness that is associated with money, power and control, in other words, the evils of multinational corporations.

You see, here is the things, for the most part, we spend our whole lives doing the "right thing" or at lease trying to do the "right thing" because we are all afraid of something. What are we afraid of you ask, well the answer is the UNKNOWN.

Here is an example, I, Donovan Jackson, grew up on Long Island, New York in the town of Westbury. I was a very bad person growing up, but as I matured, I began to "shape up" and conform to society's definition of a productive citizen. It wasnt because I wanted to or had a sudden change of heart, it was because I was continously conditioned to. I was told that if I did not conform, and go to college and do all that other American Dream stuff, I would more than likely, end up dead or in jail.

Well, here I am now, a conformed member of society. Is it better than being in a evil private prison? I guess, however, sometimes I feel like I am mentally enslaved. 

Here is another example. When I initially went to college, I did not go because I wanted to learn or seek a higher understand of knowledge. No, I went because I was told that If I WANTED TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA, THEN I HAD TO GO. Well, I graduated and now I am puruing my masters degree. Not much has changed, I am still struggiling, I owe a bunch of money to the government, and I dont feel any smarter. However, I do feel that I have the capabilities to understand more and grasp the world from a different light and that is what I am trying to get everyone else to do, through this blog.

HOW TO KEEP THE CHILDREN OUT OF PRISON

This theory is just one of the ways to keep a population imprisoned

Education, information and understanding, and in that order, are key to surviving in America. However, in a country with so many educators, so many books and so many resources, why is it that we have the largest prison system with the highest number of inmates?

Why is it that the majority of our inmates are African American and Latino American?

Why is it that there are more African American prisoners in this country, then there were slaves? 

These are questions that I will not answer because we already know the answer, although the truth hurts us when we think about it, let alone even try to talk about it. 

You see these companies, like the CCA, have figured something out that other people just cant seem to get. If you withdraw information from those that need it the most, than you can create/mold any type of human being you want, and yes, this includes prisoners. 

The more available access that an individual has to education and relevent and vital information, the less likely he or she is to end up in a prison, working like a modern day slave, which is technicially what they really are.

And please, for one second, do not think that because WE are not in a prison that we are free, or that we are not slaves, no my friend, WE ARE SLAVES TO DEBT. 

You see, if there is one thing that I have learned while earning my masters it is that, information must be passed on to those who can not afford or who will not go readily looking for it. Of course, i cant tell you write down everything that I disucss in my classes, but I can share with you the main points of what I am learining. 

Has anyone ever stopped to ask themselves, why is it that the students who attend Ivy Leauge universities, typically end up as those in the most highest of positions within companies?? It isnt because they are smarter than us as we all have brains and for the most part are all created equal. It is because they have access to information that most people dont. Those that attend Harvard and Yale, are humans just like you and I, however, they are humans that have accessed information and have learned different levels of communication than your average John and Jane Doe.

I can go on forever about the topic, but I am not. The most important thing that you need to know is the flow of information and where are you getting it from. Education is key. It is the key that will unlock areas in your brain that you did not know existed.

And as far as private prisons are concerned, well check this out, Chicago and Philidelphia are both closing down record number of school in black neighborhoods. Why? What will that help? Who will that help? Not to mention, not only is Philly closing down schools, but they are also building a $400 million dollar prison...

Now what group of individuals do we know that can quickly fill up a $400 million dollar prison??? Oh that's right, UNEDUCATED BLACKS AND LATINOS!!!!

Information... The Key to Life

Effective Communication and The End to Silence.

We all know how to communicate and we all know how to get a point across. The time has come in this new era of technology, where the most meaningful information is no longer being communicated and the most frivolous of information receives the highest level of communication.

For example, lets look at Twitter. As a professional writer/reporter/public relations expert/ I know first hand that it is a tool that I should utilize, however, I do not. As a matter of fact, I hate Twitter. I feel that it has become a tool used by people who have nothing much to do with themselves so they tweet, in hope of someone caring, or at least showing that they care, by re-tweeting what they initially said. 

Now of course, I am not damning Twitter, nor am I suggesting that it is a useless tool. I have seen many journalist use it as well as many organizations. What ends up happening is sometimes, information is passed that is helpful, and other times, information is passed that is just downright useless, inaccurate, filled with fallacies or the organization or company retracts.

Tweet about the Boston Bombings, posted by The Boston Globe... Strange eh? Twitter can help and or hurt and organization. What did this tweet for the Newspaper?

We must remember, that as a society that collectively develops new and innovative ways to communicate, there must be some type of way to filter amongst the bad information, useless information, incorrect information and informative information. Some of the best information lies within tangible books. Although those are becoming a thing of the past, we must remember to keep that level of conscious information free flowing, away from all of the clutter that clouds our minds today.

THE BENEFITS OF USEFUL INFORMATION

Here's a question, if something is said to be true by a major news network, does that deem it to be true, by default? If there is information on the internet that counters what is being told (sold) by the mainstream media outlets, does that mean that it is inaccurate, by default? I am asking those questions to lead into this; when accurate information is passed from one individual to the next, great things are likely to occur.

For example, if I explained to you the importance of engineering and the contributions that an engineer can make towards the benefit of mankind, you would more than likely look at engineers with a particular level of prestige now that you know what they do and why they are important. 

If I tell you that Kanye West and Kim Kardashian just had a baby, and that they named  their newborn child, North West, just how valuable is that information and to what degree could you apply that information to a useful or productive cause? I honestly, do not think that you could at all.

Although entertainment is necessary, does anyone besides myself feel that we receive too much of it. Every channel is trying to make me laugh, every magazine is trying to tell me what to wear, even when I can not afford it and every music video is telling me what I should be doing and how I should be spending my money. DOES THAT NOT OFFEND YOU??? DOES THAT CONSISTENT FLOW OF USELESS INFORMATION NOT OFFEND YOU??

We are a generation of intelligent people, receiving the wrong information on a day-to-day basis from advertisers who are only after our dollar. Yet, if you take a closer look, you rarely see informative information flowing through your television set that is providing you with accurate, non-biased information that can permit for you as an individual that posses critical thinking skills, to make sound judgements about your day-to-day decisions. 

I am not an expert, yet. However, I am someone who works with a mass amount of information on a daily basis at my job. It is my duty to decipher between what is right, what is wrong and what is educational, before I write an article, press release, create a Power Point slide or word document. 

I must end with this, please people, be wary of the information that you consume and take for face value. Remember, there are corporations that exist who control the media that you take for face value and hold on a pedal-stool as the gatekeepers for accurate, timely, and important information. Remember, those reporters, anchors, news directors and producers all have an agenda. They are doing their job, and their job is not always in the public's best interest. YOU ARE THE PUBLIC.

Viral Videos... The good, the bad, the Government!

Ever since the birth of YouTube, viral videos have literally spread like a Colorado or California, wild fire. These Internet videos have made some companies and organizations a lot of money and new customers while decreasing some company's revenue and customer count.

Companies that have made money, via viral videos have either posted videos themselves to YouTube or brand loyal consumers took time out of their lives to share their joyous experiences with a product with the YouTube community.

Companies that have lost money and customers to viral videos typically fell short of a promise they they made about their product and an unappeased, disgruntled consumer shared their experience with the world. This is done sometimes to inform, but mostly to bash due to the money that they feel has been wasted on the product or experience.

Viral videos expressing thought and emotions about a particular companies product or service can prove detrimental to that companies failure or survival. However, no person or entity is immune from the seesaw effects viral videos as they do not just affect companies and their products.

Within the last four years (My own measurement) their has been an increased number of viral videos with political agendas aimed at the government and the powers that be.

Ever since Sept. 11, 2001, many people began to question the government and its truths as to the many tragedies that have taking place in America.

Recent "tragedies" such as the Boston bombing, the Sandy Hook school shooting and the Benghazi attacks have been called into question by like minded individuals world wide. These individuals are doing what most do not, their critically thinking. And why shouldn't they? Isn't that why we have brains in the first place?

 Watch it... It might just make you use your brain for a change.

The Internet, mainly YouTube has given these people a voice enabling them to share with others what they believe. Prior to YouTube, this was difficult to do via a basic HTML/CSS/Javascript based website.

I have my own beliefs as to what is going on in this country, however, due to my job, I have managed to come across"primary sources" for my information.

True, this is my professional blog and I am very thankful for those who take the time out to read my blog, I understand that it is not an entertainment blog and therefore might not be very entertaining, but educational, none the less.

I still believe in books and education.

And although this is my professional blog, readers should not relate this to anything monetary. Especially the Fiat based money system that we are all programmed to love and worship... (In God YOU trust).

This has not changed!!

But let us get back to the matter at hand for this post. Viral videos!

After the Sandy Hook incident, there was a tremendous amount of inaccurate reporting by major news corporations. In response to the mass amount of inaccurate reports, people took it upon themselves to investigate the situation by comparing results, drawing their own conclusions and uploading videos to YouTube. Some of their findings were very freightning.

Watch if you have the time.

 Before I say anymore, I would like to point out the fact that I am sure a lot of you would deem me to be a "conspiracy theorist" but in my opinion I am more of a professional "truth seeker". I credit myself as a TRUE journalist. Just because CNN, MSNBC or FOX news says that something happened a specific way DOES NOT MAKE IT TRUE!! We have been programmed since the birth of these broadcast to believe them and what they say, with little to no question.  Besides, President Nixon used the term consipiracy theorist when demonizing those who quetioned his actions pertaining to Watergate... Remind how well that worked out for him again. ;-)

Aside from the Sandy Hook videos that now have viewership in the millions, the Boston Bombing videos have also gone viral, informing millions of viewers of the lack of dilligent reporting by top news stations. And according to a friend of mine who works at CNN, the bad reporting comes from every station wanting the most ratings by reporting things first... REGARDLESS OF ACCURACY.

In conclusion, viral video affect every entity. No on is immune. Just remember that everything seen on the internet should not be taken as factual until you have researched it yourself, this applies to news broadcast reports as well.

Friends = Money

 

As I was surfing the internet I came across an article published by BBC News in 2009. The article claims that the more friends that a person has, the more money he or she will more likely ean in their lifetime. 

Here is the article so you can take a look at it yourself ---->  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7920434.stm

I have a lot to say about the article, mainly that it was very well written. I actually enjoyed reading it.It contained very interesting quotes Despite not agreeing with the content, it is always nice to read another journalist's work.

As for the content, although well put together, I simply do not agree with it. How can money and friends even be in the same topic of discussion. I feel that the two should always be separated. I also feel that the two have nothing to do with each other, regardless of the study that was discussed in the article.

I'm sure that everyone can remember a person in high school that was teased and some-what bullied, due to their nerdy presence. Maybe that person had an undeniable love for computers or engineering and just did not make a lot of friends. Typically, and I am speaking from my own experience, but typically, that person was always socially awkward and unpleasant to be around. However, as time progressed, that person always earned the best grades and from my experience, all of the teachers loved him, meanwhile the popular kids, although had many friends and were also liked by teachers and other members of the faculty, did not match the intellectual mountains that the nerd or socially awkward kid could mentally move during test time.

I know, and remember someone like that. He went on to graduate from and Ivy league institution and now works for Facebook. He did not have many friends, if any from what I can recall, but he found peace within himself and his imagination and now makes more money than what I will possibly never see, while still in my twenties.

It's people like him that remind me that money isn't everything and it becomes a problem when how much a person earns becomes associated with their amount of friends. In my opinion friendships are sacred, not measurements of income. I'm sure that their are people without a lot of money with a lot of friends and possibly more happier than those with lots of money and friends.

Please don't get me wrong. I am not trying to discredit the article published my BBC, my amateur credentials could never go toe-to-toe with a BBC reporter. At least not now. I am simply saying that money and friends should never be made parallel. 

Money is a tool that should be used to acquire things necessary for sustaining life in a particular culture (not all cultures have a monetary system and they are happy). Friends ARE necessary for life's moments of pleasure and sorrow. 

Do I Need to Be an Expert in Order For You to Believe Me?

How many of you believe that this (kinda sorta) great country, is still so (kinda sorta) great?

This weekend, I would like to touch on the topic of opinion leaders and what actually makes YOU believe someone who seems to know what they are talking about. First, I will start with myself. 

I am in no way an expert on the history of this country nor do I know where the country is headed. However, I do read a lot. I do listen to podcast from "experts" whom are not affiliated with the tainted mainstream media, I utilize social media such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to learn more from other like-minded individuals, then, try to bring my readers or rather developing readers a brief knowledge on all that I have learned.

 Yet, why should YOU even bother with my blog? Why should you even bother to try to believe me after I've just admitted to you that I am no expert. Well, here is why you should bother with my blog.

Although I am no expert nor an opinion leader, I, like many other bloggers out there who are discussing things that are often ignored by most, have no agenda, are not receiving any compensation to write, nor are we looking for fame. We simply want to inform. I simply want to inform. I want to be that break away from your normal mental stimuli and provide you with an alternative to what you have been accustomed to. 

As I continue to read more, I began to feel more and more like an expert. The funny thing is, I do not know as to what I am supposed to be an expert about, I just know that I know TO MUCH. My thoughts that are displayed in this blog, may come out as rambled thoughts, however, they are not. They are me, simply trying to make my thoughts coherent, however I never knew just how difficult that could be. 

In weeks to come, things will unfold. The things that I am really trying to elaborate on will come into fruition and will be more understandable. Look for my new post every Sunday. A lot is happening in the world that is not being reported on by the mainstream media and as I began to learn more, like I said before, I will let you all know. 

Last week, I posted a picture of a recent newspaper clipping, from an article that I wrote for the Maxwell Air Force Base's newspaper, the Dispatch. I have been a Dispatch reporter for almost nine months now. The point of that picture was to begin to develop my credibility for the topics that I discuss on my blog. Yes, I have friends in high places. 

I've had interviews with top level officials who've worked in the Pentagon, retired CIA, FBI and State Department officials. Most of them took a liking to me and we exchanged numbers. I will not go into much detail on that, I simply want my readers to know that I am providing you with information that I am not creating out of thin air!

The Diffusion of Innovation Theory... <----- Not as complex as it sounds!

SO!

There is this theory that I have recently learned about and I would like to share it with all of my readers. It is called THE DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION THEORY!! Now, I understand that some people may be scratching their heads and some of you may even be ready to log on to Facebook from this post! PLEASE DONT, LET ME EXPLAIN FIRST!!

So the theory seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread through cultures. It was created by Everett Rogers, a professor of rural sociology, popularized the theory in his 1962 book Diffusion of Innovations. 

According to Rogers, diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system.

Well, based off of Rogers definition of the theory, I would like to put this into terms that everyone can understand. First, an innovation can technically be anything that sparks interest in people. It can be tangible or simply just an idea that gets people thinking. I have seen a lot of innovations as of late, The PS4, the new Xbox, the WiiU and of course any and all items developed by Apple.

But, lets take a minute to look an innovation that I am not a fan of. This innovation is called DEBT. The reason why I describe DEBT as an innovation is because of its impact on society and its longetivity. DEBT has been around long before Christ began healing the blind and feeding stadiums of people with only two fish. DEBT has been diffused into our culture as something that is alright and it is NOT alright. DEBT makes us into slaves, slaves that spend the rest of our lives working just to pay it off. When it DEBT, nothing is as enjoyable as it should be because we know exactly where our hard earned money has to go, prior, to it ever reaching our bank accounts. Does that not bother you? It bothers me. No, really, it bothers me.

Would you believe me if I told you that a theory such as the Diffusion of Innovations Theory, has been around for centuries, only in 1962 the term was actually coined. Look around at all of the social injustices other than DEBT that have been diffused into our culture as the norm, and you will see why I say that it has been around for centuries. Hunger, homelessness, violence, explotation of human labor, racism, sexisim, etc. We as humans have allowed these things to happen because they were once innovations created by an elite group of people that have managed to diffuse these injustices into our psyche and make us belief that they are normal and that we are normal when in fact, we are all crazy and sadly like minded for allowing these things to persist. We allow companies like Monsanto to virtually poison the food and play God, yet we say nothing (well we are now). We allow mass murder of people in Chicago to take place, do nothing about it, then cry like babies when SUPPOSEDLY, a shooter suffering from some possibly man-made mental illness going and kills children at a elementary school, (I do not believe that really happened) and we think it is the worst thing ever, yet give a blind eye to all the women and children dying on a daily basis thanks to US drone attacks.

Excuse if I am rambling, but learning about the Diffusion of Innovations Theory simply allowed for me to give a term to the craziness that goes on in our lives that we accept, because it has been diffused and accepted.

This blog will not be for the faint of heart and I encourage all of my readers to ask me questions and challenge my thought process, just remember my knowledge is DEEP and I have friends in VERY VERY high places.

I told you that I know people in high places...

Hi, my name is Don Jackson. This is my first professional blog and probably on of the very best blogs that you'll ever be exposed to, over the world wide web. In case you were wondering, let me inform you of my credentials

-I graduated from Troy University in Alabama, spring 2012. I graduated with a BS in print journalism with a contract in public relations.
-Immediately, after graduation, I moved back to Long Island, New York and began working for a company owned by Warren Buffet, Business Wire. I was a nightly financial editor. Basically, I edited financial documents from fortune 500 companies to be distributed to their respective audiences.
-From there, I worked for a website entitled jobsnhire.com. The website is owned by a company called 33 Universal. I wrote daily articles about the job market, unemployment, acquisitions and mergers and bankruptcy.
-That job did not tickle my fancy, so eight months ago I left that job for the one that I have now. I currently work for Gannett Inc. as a military contractor. I work exclusively with the Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama as a employee of the public affairs department. I currently love my job as working for the Air Force has been an experience. I have learned a lot about America and the way that she works. I have actually learned more than what I needed to know.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN BY READING THIS BLOG:

By following this blog, I will keep you informed of all of the emerging media and strategical innovations taking place in the world that are being implemented to better the world. I will inform my readers on military "secrets" that I have learned while working for the Air Force. Not so much as secrets, but things that I have learned that I think you all should know. For example, the real reasons that we go to war and who profits from war and how military actions tie into your day to day activities. I promise to keep you on your toes each week. And I promise, the more that I learn, the more that I will share. You just have to do me the favor of spreading the word about my blog.