Shanon Norman
Bio
Stories (130/0)
Political Discussion?
Five or ten years ago I didn't mind talking about government or politics with other people. I used to write articles about how as an American it was our duty to vote. I would send my vote through the mail when I knew enough to do so. Then I became a Felon in 2018 and although I can go through the red-tape process of re-instating my voting privilege, I haven't done so since I was released from jail five years ago. My opinion on voting changed. I'm just not sure that I trust the voting system. It's not because Biden and Trump say whatever they say. It's because logically thinking, I see too many ways for the current voting system to make mistakes. That's not democracy then. That's just a flawed veil to make it seem like the people's opinions matter, when in reality, there is no way to know for certain what the masses really want.
By Shanon Norman9 months ago in The Swamp
The Existential Woman
Shoshanna, often just called Shanna, was struggling after having turned 50. She had spent the last years of her 40s coming to terms with loss of family, loss of career, and loss of reputation. She had spent many tears and lonely days and nights pondering how it all went "wrong" and why life hadn't turned out the way she thought it was supposed to. She had spat venom at taunters who wanted to "teach" her how to be, as she clung to her "freedom" with her bitten down fingers with every last hope and strength she had left.
By Shanon Norman9 months ago in Fiction
Frustrated and Restless
I have so much frustration pent up and I've got to rant and vent again. I just spent my Tuesday morning watching videos of towns and cities around the United States that are swamped with homeless people and failing economies. Poverty, crime, and depression in abundance in many towns and cities and it breaks my heart. This is not the America I remember from my childhood in the 70s. This is not the America I remember as a teenager in the 80s. I know some things started going bad for America in the 90s, but now in this new millenium, things have gone from bad to horrible, and I don't want to sit here and do nothing but whine and cry about it. I want to get out there and get my hands dirty and do whatever I can.
By Shanon Norman9 months ago in The Swamp
Detailing My Stance on Children
I just have to get this out. People really hate me or think I'm a psycho when they hear me say something snide or sarcastic about parents and their children. Forgive me. I don't really hate children. I feel sorry for them and their parents. Oh, I know I'm supposed to congratulate a new mom who's changing her baby's diaper, and I know I'm suppose to look at the proud parents holding their youngin's hands with a smile of pride and approval, but that's not the way I really feel. I don't believe in that kind of stuff anymore. I've seen too much bad stuff go down in those nuclear type of families. It's not "Little House on the Prairie" or "The Waltons" anymore. After "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy" really showed me what Americans think about the family, I could never look at parents and children the same way again.
By Shanon Norman9 months ago in Families
Male Roles in Society
I saw the movie "Dead Poet's Society" over 30 years ago when I was still in high school and falling more in love with poetry and my English classes. Robin Wiliams starred as the main teacher who is "fired" from the job that he gives up having a normal life for (because "he loves teaching") due to a student committing suicide and leaving the school with no other option. The student (Neal) who committed suicide did so because he could not find a way to make his family happy and be happy for himself. His good family expected him to continue on with his education and become a doctor. They were not extremely wealthy according to Neal, although the scenes show that they were probably upper middle class and the movie suggests that they had planned this "doctor" role for Neal all of Neal's life. Yet Neal did not want to be a doctor, and knowing that his desire to be an actor would cause his family pain, was too painful for him to endure. He felt like he had no choice. He felt trapped in a no-win situation. The story is tragic. Not only did a beloved inspiring teacher lose his job, but a loving couple lost their son, all because there was not enough honesty and compromise in the communications. A sad case of "My way or the highway" ending up in dire consequences.
By Shanon Norman10 months ago in Geeks
Black People are subjected to the most Stereotypes
I feel like I'm a backwards Oreo cookie - black on the inside, and white on the outside. I've read the traditional historical accounts about Africa and slavery and the civil war and the civil rights movement. I've watched movies, shows, and read books about Black people and witnessed the same diversity of stories that I witnessed about White people. I have written poems and essays declaring that I am not "racist" because I do my best not to judge a person on their skin color, but try to understand them based on their heritage, culture, and education. Still, after 50 plus years of defending my White American self, (always bitter about the word "slave") I will admit one opinion I have about Black people: Black people are subjected to the most Stereotypes.
By Shanon Norman10 months ago in History
Why I despise Skinny Women
So we've watched the reviews of shows and movies, and all the superhero movies we thought would do well, bombed at the box office while Mel Gibson and the "Sound of Freedom" surprised everyone along with Jason Aldean's comeback song "Try that in a small town" which all goes to show that the population's tastes haven't changed that much. We (the population) still love "expose" and we still love to see the dirty laundry. There is probably no better classic American band than "The Eagles", who already knew all of this stuff (I think it was Don Henley who sang about dirty laundry) way before any of these reviews were written or discussed.
By Shanon Norman10 months ago in Viva
Tour Guide of Pinellas County
There have been many tourists and visitors who have come to Pinellas County to see the beautiful cities of Saint Petersburg, Treasure Island, Gulfport, Pinellas Park, Largo, Seminole, Clearwater, Dunedin, and Tarpon Springs. Pinellas County is a beach county and often lumped with Tampa as part of Tampa Bay (when they call it Tri-City area) so that tourists who like the "beach" will know that Tampa has access to more than a bay. I've lived in Pinellas County for a long time and I've seen it grow just like I did when I lived in Tampa. Many things change over the years, but some things stay the same. For this "tour" I'm going to talk mostly about the things that have stayed the same. Maybe I'll write another article later about the things that have changed.
By Shanon Norman10 months ago in FYI
Famous Businesses Often Come to Crossroads
In basic money game thinking, people will assume that "the one with the most toys wins" or if the bottom line is "profitable" then success has been achieved. This is not wrong, but I think it's far more important to look through the telescope at the big picture, rather than to stay focused on the microscopic picture of a business failure or financial loss. So many cliches have been coined for money affairs like "Time is Money" and "It takes money to make money" and "A fool and his money...." etcetera... These are no more helpful than the cliche "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."
By Shanon Norman10 months ago in Trader
Why Digital Downloads Fail
I've mentioned in my rants to listening ears my distaste for the technological advancements that the modern world calls progress. I've seen it in so many places and in so many ways. "There's an App for that" used to be funny to me until I coined a new phrase "appholes" and decided to throw away my cell phone. I can't stand it anymore. Maybe it's my age, but I don't think it's just because I'm older than the so-called progressive people who can't unplug from their devices. Don't get me wrong, I use the internet and I still love what the net offers in the way of shopping and contributing art and work, but I don't believe in anymore technological advancements. They've done enough. We have electric cars now. We have taken computers and cell phones to the upteenth level and it's just so over the top. I used to complain about how as I was running and running to keep up with the proverbial Joneses, I was jumping from vinyl to cassettes to cds to dvds to digital downloads, all the while a crazed guinea pig experimenting with what society was programming me to believe was progressive. I wanted to keep up. I wanted to stay relative and modern. All the while I was spending a fortune trying to understand why technology kept changing and all the while I was frustrated and tormented and not satisfied with any of it. I kept smashing cell phones because I couldn't see, or hear, and what I wanted from them was not being delivered even though they kept getting paid for so-called service. I finally gave up.
By Shanon Norman10 months ago in Geeks
Journal of my Direction
I have everything I need at this time. Some would say I should be content. I have a roof over my head, food in my belly, a place to shower and bathe, some clothes to wear, and I'm even fortunate enough to have my own vehicle, paid for and legal. I have a small income and I get by through the month. I'm not considered wealthy by financial standards, but I don't feel poor either because I can usually afford luxuries like cigarettes and a night or two out on the town. So life is simple now and I'm wise enough to know that's a good thing.
By Shanon Norman10 months ago in Humans