What the Death of Steve Jobs Says About our World

Amazing photo from: http://www.disinfo.com

Steve Job's death is tragic in that it happened too early in his life. 56 years old is just too young to go. 

At the same time I resent the making of an idol. Over pillow talk with Mr. Rant he touched on a gut feeling that had starting bothering me the moment Twitter practically shut down and Facebook started posting thousands of statuses in memory of the former Apple CEO. 

Mr. Rant made a very good point, who was this man that stopped the internet tonight? Did he save starving children? Did he aide those at risk of genocide? Did he reach out to the homeless or build homes after Karina? Not so much no.

He built technology that we play with. Actually, he built technology with a team. No people, Steve wasn't in a glass room pulling holy ipads out of his ass. Genius yes, deity no. 

Regardless, I'm getting off my point. He was the face of a company. A face of a company died and people around the world are mourning him. Hell, Google posted a memorial and Obama made a statement. That's pretty big stuff. And why did that happen? Well, he made billions for apple, stock holders around the world have full pockets, and adults and kids alike have angry birds to play with. 

Am I saying he wasn't a good man? Not at all! I'm sure he is the kind of man that is well worth the attention that his death is getting. What I am saying is that what does the attention his death is getting say about our world? Countries around the world are facing serious issues, including the one I live in, and Steve Jobs trends on Twitter 15 seconds after his death. Sally Struthers and her starving children couldn't pay for that kind of thing even if they sent one of their starving children to die at the Apple offices. 

I'm not writing as a means to take away from his death. Obviously the world lost an amazing creative mind and one of the faces of Apple. What I am asking is for you to take a step back. Other than genius, fun and changing world technology as we know it, what did he really do? Seriously. I mean, how important is an ipad in the long run. Can you eat it? Does it end world poverty? Are we really using it to educate the masses or distribute healthcare to those in need? 

I know my questions are boring. They are the things you don't like to think about while you are putting your kids to sleep in their warm beds with their full tummies. You don't want to stop and think that someone somewhere is struggling to work 2 jobs and learn how to read at 14 yrs old. You don't want to think of the judges in third world countries trying to fight corrupt police officers who end up getting shot down in front of their home. You really don't want to think of the people of Haiti and how a pigeon is considered a good meal. 

And no one is truly pushing for the people fighting for these people to trend on Twitter. No one is talking about how doctors without borders is busting their ass in Somalia or about the people working with AIDS in Africa on their Facebook Status. 

It makes me think that the key to helping this world is to convince a starving Somalian child to develop a new kind of cell phone. Wow, that kind of publicity focused on where he/she is from... imagine what it could do. 

As another friend pointed out, Steve Jobs is a name and face we know. He is in our homes. That only makes grief and condolences that much easier and more personal. It is a very good point but also one that saddens me. Why is it that we know heads of corporations over humanitarians? Why do we know reality stars over UN workers? 

For some reason we give fame to those who really aren't the heroes in this world or maybe I just have a different kind of hero in mind. Regardless, in my ideal world the death of a brilliant man who made millions would not rise above the deaths of millions that attempted to make other lives even just a little bit more brilliant. 

Regardless of the nature of this post I want it to be understood that I send my condolences to Steve Jobs' family, friends, and co-workers. He was someone's Father, Husband, and friend. 

Who is Responsible for Baby Le Moaligou?

I read an article today about a French couple, Joel and Sergine Le Moaligou, who were recently convicted of causing the death of their 11 month old daughter.

These two were "alternative." That in and of itself is a vague classification. I can say, after reading the article, that they were not alternative but were stupid.

There are a couple of arguments going on. One is about the child being exclusively breastfed at 11 months. Look, it's not my cake but I know people who are eating, baking, and selling this cake. Their kids are fine.

Oh but the Mother was Vegan. Oh my God! She did not eat animal products! Then she must be weak and vitamin deficient. You know, it far from my diet but I would not assume all that.

If done well, a Vegan diet can be even better than a diet full of meat. For starters, oh the fiber. We meat eaters have a bit of an issue with getting the right amount. And, FYI, there are other forms of protein, Iron, and B12. I couldn't tell you what they are but they exist.

So the logical question is, am I defending these people? Hell no! I think they have left over sacks of crazy to sell to others. The thing that gets me is that they did not get their child treated when she did not flourish.

The little girl was losing weight and had been diagnosed with pneumonia. Would a sane person then ignore the doctor's orders to go to the hospital and return home to refer to a book written in the 70s?? They went home and, instead of professional medical help, tried cabbage and clay compressions.

Ok, let's play devil's advocate here. So you try this out first. It does not go well. The child is losing weight and getting worse. What do you do? You take them to the hospital!

What did Mr. and Mrs. Le Moaligou do? They continued on their own path and she died.

A baby died. A baby died because of stupidity and poor judgement.

Personally, I feel this is horrific. A child died who could have potentially been saved. Her parents were idiots, and not because of diet but because of lack of action.

Do I think they loved her?

I can't say that they didn't.  First, I doubt that cabbage and clay compressions are an easy thing to do on an 11 month old. That was obviously what they thought was best. While it's clear that they are about as sharp as a tea spoon, can we charge people for being stupid? I know an innocent child died but let's face it, it's not unheard of for a small child to die due to parental stupidity.

What gets me is the lack of community action. There is no way I'd get away with this in Rio. My child can't look sideways without someone criticizing me over how he may strain his neck. And while it was the parent's responsibility, we can see that the sane parent boat had sailed long ago. Why didn't the doctor follow up? He was the professional that knew what was going on, why didn't he check with the hospital to make sure they checked in? Why not give a little call to the house?

I think we are lacking a bit of personal care here. No, he is not to blame, the parents are. But they are dumb-asses and the baby died. A 2 minute phone call from a professional could have made a difference. Call protective services. Do something!

All that being said, I would hate to see this tragic event turn into an attack into breastfeeding and Vegans. The Mother didn't make sure she had the health to breastfeed for extended periods of time, but that does not mean it's the case for everyone. I dear you to attack a Fast Food Momma who is throwing a bottle at her child because breastfeeding gets in the way of her bucket of KFC. Go to my country, I'm sure you'll find plenty for your case study. Hell, some may even be related to me. You never know.

The thing is that we can not lose sight of what this is about.  It is not diet or lifestyle so much as extremism. These two were extreme. They did not want medical attention when they knew things were off. They did not want to take the means they needed to when their lifestyle was not the best option for their child. They were stubborn. They were wrong. And you know what their punishment was? They lost their baby.

The moral of this story: You may have your beliefs of what is best for your child, but if they are physically ill and/or unhealthy under them you have to get help! I know science and medicine have the "bad guy" label to a lot of people but we all seem to forget that people used to die. People used to die a lot during childbirth, from basic childhood illnesses, and from anything else. Hell, why do you think your Grandparents are afraid of a cold breeze?

There needs to be a happy medium between medicine and lack there of.

What do you guys think?