September 17, 2024

A lesson fron Sean (formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy) Combs: Be wary of people wearing giant diamond encrusted crosses, by Hal Brown, MSW

 


Until the other day I never heard of Latin superstar singer Nicky Jam who Trump made even more famous by calling him "she" and saying "she's hot" at a rally, but like most Americans I've heard of Sean (formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy) Combs. I knew he was a rapper but not about him being a major music mogul who won three Grammy awards. He has quite an impressive resume in the music industry.

Until I read his Wiki profile I didn't know he was born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, New York which is where I grew up. I knew very well that this town bordering on the Bronx was home to lots of famous people. Speaking of music, Dick Clark was raised in the Mt. Vernon went to the same high school I did. In addtion to Clark and Combs these other notable celerbities were from Mt. Vernon.

Writers E. B. White and Linda Fairstein; the actors Art Carney, Denzel Washington, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee and Sidney Poitier; the musician Heavy D; and the athletes Ralph Branca, Ben Gordon and Floyd Patterson. NY Times.

If you've been watching the news about his arrest you probably saw photos of him, includng the one above, and you may have thought what I did about the diamond encrusted cross and necklace he was wearing.

Wearing a cross whether an ostentatious one or a more modest one says nothing about one's character or morality. I some instances someone may wear a giant cross to hide their true self. 

 Here's another photo with what seems to be the same or a similar cross on a more modest necklace.:

Apparently he never got this message from the Pope:


During a 2018 speech at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, Pope Francis criticized those who wear crucifixes as fashion items. The pontiff labeled the practice as an "abuse" and added that the religious symbol should be "contemplated and understood" rather than commercialized as a trendy accessory. As reported in the UK's Independent newspaper, Pope Francis reminded his audience that "the crucifix is not an ornamental object or a clothing accessory," and explained how the cross should be perceived as more than just an aesthetic object. Reference

Obvously there are many people who want to show their devotion by spending a lot of money on flashy diamond crosses:

You don't have to spend a lot for a giant cross. Ths stainless steel and wood one from Innovative Design costs only $44.


As Sean Combs demonstrates, using a cross as a fashion accessory doesn't always mean someone follows the example of Christ in how they live their lives, just like using the Bible as a prop doesn't mean someone is living a Christlike life.


I posted two very different blogs today. This one is about Trump and why some young voters support him:

It's naive young voters who may either make the country into a dictatorship or keep our democracy, by Hal M. Brown, MSW

This got my attention on the main website page of The New York Times.


I use the word naive in my title not as a pejorative but rather as it is defined:


It is a long article. Click here to read it if you have a subscription.  I found it both informative and excruciating to read. There were parts that both dismayed me and scared the daylights out of me. This was the worst:

Give me a word or phrase to describe Kamala Harris.

Jack, 22, N.Y., white, underwriter, voted Biden in 2020

Political P.R.

Joseph, 24, S.C., white, high school teacher, voted Biden in 2020

Fake.

Angelo, 19, N.Y., Latino, college worker, didn’t vote in 2020

Confident.

Mark, 24, Calif., Black, chef, voted Biden in 2020

Politician.

Pierce, 26, N.C., white, sales, didn't vote in 2020

Phony and terrifying.

Lillian, 27, Va., white, digital advertising, voted Trump in 2020

Liar.

George, 21, Ga., white, student, didn't vote in 2020

Rehearsed.

Ayshah, 21, Iowa, South Asian, student, didn't vote in 2020

Flip-flopper.

McLane, 25, D.C., white, legal field, wrote in Romney in 2020

Insincere and shallow.

Abigail, 23, Va., white, graduate assistant, voted Biden in 2020

“Run, Spot, run.”

Jasper, 25, Calif., biracial, food service, voted Biden in 2020

An empty suit.

Ben, 20, Mich., white, student, didn't vote in 2020

All over the place.

Laura, 20, Md., white, legal intern, didn't vote in 2020

Actress.

Chris, 24, Fla., white, law student, voted Trump in 2020

Vibes candidate.


There is a cynicism expressed here. Perhaps it is because of the youth of the group. Perhaps it is because they are naive. It might be a combination of the two. I ponder whether they had some impossible expectation of how Harris could come across. Do they get their idea of how a sincere woman acts from Meryl Streep (who I happen to have seen perform live) or other actresses?

What they said about Trump reflects what I, and most observers, saw:

Let’s go to Donald Trump. Give me a word or phrase to describe Donald Trump now.

Ayshah, 21, Iowa, South Asian, student, didn't vote in 2020

Hothead.

Lillian, 27, Va., white, digital advertising, voted Trump in 2020

Undisciplined.

Laura, 20, Md., white, legal intern, didn't vote in 2020

Unstable.

Jasper, 25, Calif., biracial, food service, voted Biden in 2020

Selfishly hysterical.

Chris, 24, Fla., white, law student, voted Trump in 2020

Unviable candidate.

Abigail, 23, Va., white, graduate assistant, voted Biden in 2020

Unfocused.

McLane, 25, D.C., white, legal field, wrote in Romney in 2020

Lacking character and discipline.

Ben, 20, Mich., white, student, didn't vote in 2020

Further deteriorating.

Pierce, 26, N.C., white, sales, didn't vote in 2020

Needs a Xanax.

Mark, 24, Calif., Black, chef, voted Biden in 2020

A joke.

Angelo, 19, N.Y., Latino, college worker, didn’t vote in 2020

Pathetic.

Joseph, 24, S.C., white, high school teacher, voted Biden in 2020

Spiraling.

Jack, 22, N.Y., white, underwriter, voted Biden in 2020

Unfocused.


I was stuck that Pierce (left) called Harris "phony and terrifying" and said that Trump "needed an Xanax." I would like to have asked him what about Harris he found terrifying. Try as I might to put myself in his place I can't even imagine how anybody could describe her as invoking terror.  I'd want to know why he'd even consider voting for a candidate who he thinks needs a tranquilizer. I'd like to ask Pierce about whether he wanted a president who needed tranquilizers to be rational.

The bottom line from this article for me, which really was in the first portion, is as follows:

When we asked who they would vote for if the election were held today, five said Mr. Trump; four said Ms. Harris; and the remaining five said they didn’t know or leaned toward writing in someone else’s name. Still, the election isn’t today, and these voters haven’t committed to any candidate.

Considering the contrast between their opinions it is mind boggling to me that five of the 14 still would vote for Trump over Harris and five weren't sure. 

While maintaining democracy is the crucial reason for voting for Kamala,  leaving Trump's wanting to be a dictator out of the question, why on earth would any of them want a president who is irrational and out of control?

I posted two very different blogs today. This is the other one:






A lesson fron Sean (formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy) Combs: Be wary of people wearing giant diamond encrusted crosses, by Hal Brown, MSW

  Until the other day I never heard of Latin superstar singer Nicky Jam who Trump made even more famous by calling him "she" and s...