George Hosato Takei (b April 20, 1937) is an American actor, director, author, and activist, probably most widely known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS Enterprise in the television series Star Trek. He also portrayed the character in six Star Trek feature films and in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager. Takei's involvement in social media has brought him new fame. His Facebook page currently has over 8 million likes since he joined in 2011, frequently sharing photos with original humorous commentary. He is a proponent of LGBT rights and active in state and local politics apart from his continued acting career. He has won several awards and accolades in his work on human rights and Japanese- American relations, including his work with the Japanese American National Museum. (Click here for full Wikipedia article)
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And anyway, as they will say in the distant future, 'Replication is the sincerest form of flattery.'
As my father once explained to me, our 'rights' are only as strong as the democracy that protects them. Because we are a people's democracy here in America, as great as the people of this country can be, but also as fallible, we must stay ever vigilant in the face of any 'tyranny' of the majority, no matter the stated objective.
Being human means learning to see the common humanity in us all.
Both the strength and the weakness of American democracy is in the fact that it's a true people's democracy, and it can be as great as the people can be, but it's also as fallible as the people are.
Cultural icons help people define who they are today because they shaped who they were as children.
Good grief. If we can't laugh at ourselves, and at one another, in good spirit and without malice, then what fun can be left? If we must withhold all ribbing in the name of protecting everyone's feelings, then we truly are a toothless society. We will reach what I call the lowest common denominator of butthurt.
Governments, churches, and educational institutes, once the keepers of order and social enlightenment, are now scrambling to remain relevant as our collective consciousness and connectivity grows.
Humans are frail in our eyes today, and we secretly wonder whether those with poise and stiff upper lips are merely ticking time bombs. The freak-out allows us to feel we're not alone in our inner panic.
I appreciate failure. Failure means that an attempt was made, and a lesson can be learned. As long as we're alive after the effort, there is a chance for success the next time around.
I began to wonder, what accounts for our collective affinity for the apocalypse? What is it about 'the end' that makes it always seem just around the corner? And why do lawns in post-apocalyptic always appear freshly mowed if there's no one around to do it but the zombies?
I can't help but postulate that there is something oddly comforting in imagining an end we share together, rather than alone, and that this feeds our mutual obsession with Doomsday. The apocalypse that wipes out 99.99% of us doesn't discriminate by race, class, or geography. As it turns out, everyone's brains do in fact taste the same.
I've sometimes imagined that if sin had a flavor, it might very well be bacon. It even tastes smoky, as if it emerged piping hot out of the fiery pans of hell.
If a mistake occurs with regularity, it might well become the norm. If enough people believe and propagate the error, it could become gospel.
If leadership requires a fired-up sense of purpose and imagination, it also demands a profound connection to the society to be led. Like it or not, this is our culture, and we should embrace and celebrate it, even while we strive to refine and shape it.
If you don't know who Eleanor Rigby is, you probably were born after 1985 and need to listen to some real music.
Indeed, the pun is considered by many to be more distasteful than the common expletive. You might even say the pun is mightier than the s-word.
It seems to me important for a country, for a nation to certainly know about its glorious achievements but also to know where its ideals failed, in order to keep that from happening again.
It's really hard to hate someone for being different when you're too busy laughing together.
Life is too short not to order the bacon dessert.
Life starts to feel mighty long when all you eat is turkey bacon and egg whites and a side of arugula.
Our world is full of amazing phenomena: a stunningly rapturous sunrise, a night sky spangled with stardust, the fiery beauty of a volcanic lava flow. They all merit a 'Oh my!' Humankind's imagination and innovation is truly breathtaking.
People forget that stereotypes aren't bad because they are always untrue. Stereotypes are bad because they are not always true. If we allow ourselves to judge another based on a stereotype, we have allowed a gross generalization to replace our own thinking.
Pioneering is never done in front of cheerleaders urging on a roaring grandstand of popular approval.
Sharing is an act of trust, for ridicule is an ever-present risk on the Internet today.
The Internet is a place where ideas compete, and bad ideas in particular get shared.
Turkey Bacon. It's like saying 'shoot' instead of 'shit.' It just doesn't quite carry the moment.
Unfriending me when I didn't even know we were friends? It's like breaking wind when you're home alone. If I can't smell you, knock yourself out.
We should indeed keep calm in the face of difference, and live our lives in a state of inclusion and wonder at the diversity of humanity.
we will face a day, not long from now, when all of our information comes from digital sources, meaning that rumors and untruths can spread even more quickly than before.
Categories: George Takei, Quotes of the day
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