Censorship is old. And it continues getting older. I'm sick of it.
Yes, I am a pansexual atheist on a Christian campus. I generally censor my opinions for others benefit, especially in conversation with people I don't know well, and unless I'm having a one-on-one chat with a friend, conversation including or within earshot of people I'm not close to is 100% guaranteed. So that's a lot of assuming Christian perspective when explaining why even though I love a show, I can't just assume my friends will or whatever other shallow conversation I can manage to have with people. My friends here that do I'm an atheist or pan or whatever portion of my story they know can and would tell you that I don't try to censor their beliefs or opinions or experiences just because I don't happen to share them.
On the flip side, as a female college student, I have an extra advantage. I can express myself through the dry erase boards or construction paper hung within my dorm's bathroom stalls.
Last year, the month before I'd started college, I was travelling overseas, and changing time zones had stressed my body enough that my period didn't even try to start. So when my next period was three days later than the earliest I had hoped for it, I wrote this comment anonymously on the dry-erase board in the stall: "If you're dating a transgirl, you can still get pregnant and then everyone would judge you." (If that had truly been the case, I would have been a pregnant, unmarried girl in a gay relationship, AND dating someone that is judged even more for who she is than the average gay person.) Within hours, my comment at the bottom of the whiteboard had been very cleanly erased. Let me make something clear. These were laminated posterboard. They NEVER erased as well as true dry-erase boards, and always smeared. I didn't care for long at that time because I hadn't seen a mass-erase smear yet, and because I soon made friends and quit feeling so vulnerable and alone.
This year. Different dorm, different PA, different decorations. This year, there is something different in each stall rather than a plain ol' whiteboard in each one. One of the ones I rarely visit has construction paper on the walls, a few markers sticky-tacked next to the paper, and a prompt "Write something you learned today." Well, I'm generally somewhere between female and androgynous, so one day I was feeling dysphoric, almost more about people's assumptions of my religion than people's assumptions of my gender, but sort of both. So I wrote in small letters in the corner of one of the four pages, in a color that did not stand out: "Even cis-people can feel dysphoric some days." I assumed that the words were small enough and the terms were uncommon enough that people who didn't know what they meant wouldn't care, people who did would know they were not alone, and anyone curious would look up the terms they didn't know and wonder or assume what some anonymous person on the floor was going through. It wasn't big and obnoxious like the word "PICCOLOS" which was written in huge letters across two of the sheets of paper (that single word doesn't even relate to the prompt as far as I can tell.) My comment was small and easy to miss. I know even broaching the idea of transgenderism is scary to people who have never dealt with it, but cis- is the rarely-used antonym of trans- so I didn't worry about it.
Apparently I should have. I came back today, and the door of the stall was wide open, so I wandered in, wondering if anyone had left any snarky comments, like they had on "PICCOLOS" (including the jibe "are never in tune?"). I had to search for my comment and I finally realized there was a water mark around the words "people can" in the corner of the paper I'd written on. The four papers are taped in a square, I'd written in the bottom corner of one of the top papers. There was no water at all on the lower paper, and my comment was again very cleanly erased.
This is when I get mad. Roommates / best friends can call each other "poophead" and worse on the dry-erase boards and their banter not get erased for weeks or until the boards are full of comments and doodles. People can insult instruments - and by association the players of those instruments - and call them awful on construction paper. People can write (my paraphrase) "I'm super needy, but that's okay because god." But any time I legitimately try to "share my struggles" or start an anonymous conversation about real, complicated issues, I only get erased.
Silenced. That's how I felt when I first looked for comments on my "getting judged" note. That is especially how I feel now. I have proof that people are not just censoring obnoxious or negative comments. They don't even censor ones that target specific people on the floor. But my "people might go through..." (by which I definitely mean "I am going through...") comments ALWAYS get erased. Why? Because people don't want negativity on a board intended to be about interesting things? Fine. Then erase anything negative. Including "I am needy" and "certain musicians can't play music." Because it seems like trolling? Who the hell would come up with something like that to troll with? Do I pretend to be hurt for sympathy? No! If I was trolling, I'd come up with something intended to insult someone else. I can't figure out how my comment could come across as insulting. And besides, other people were doing some insulting un-erased.
I have come to a conclusion that has two options. There is either something magical about me, or something magical about transgenderism that people single out comments, and hate or fear the idea enough to censor. I know it is more likely to be transgenderism, but it really feels like I'm being singled out.
Censoring transgender issues is selfish, shallow, and ultimately self-defeating. I have met someone ON CAMPUS who, like my girlfriend, was identified as male at birth, but strongly thinks of herself as female. I (generally) only indirectly deal with trans issues, but I KNOW I'm not the only one. It is a valuable dialog to start on campus. I am not bold enough to connect my name with starting the discussion, but why erase it? Why hide?
I suspect PAs in both cases, particularly the latter. Who else would feel the need to moderate bathroom discussions? But the thought hurts. PAs (called RAs in some other colleges) have to take a leadership class before they get assigned to a dorm and wing, and are expected to be welcoming and accepting and someone you can talk to. By the end of the year, I did truly get that safe-person vibe from my PA. This year, my two PAs are enthusiastic and outgoing, but neither one has ever attempted to make conversation with me deeper than "tell me about your family" or "hey, Kara, how's it going?" (At least they know my name.)
I'm just not sure how to react. I could write my controversial opinions bigger. I could write on the walls. I could find myself paintpens and write obnoxious things deliberately. A good friend who heard my preliminary rant before writing this post, suggested censoring other negative things to even it out. I am now tempted to fill my pot with water, soak all four papers in one go, and come back two hours later to write "how does censorship feel now?" and probably more mean things depending on how much I let my anger fizzle.
Yes, I know my other blog is dedicated to the times I can redirect annoyance into amusement. Christianity I can laugh at, no matter how judgmental the christian or the preaching I hear. Censorship infuriates me. I tolerate people and lifestyles and opinions and beliefs, but I draw the line at censorship. Tell me I'm wrong or misguided or sinful or whatever you want to say as much as you want, but I need to have a voice too. And so does everyone else, regardless of how small the minority they represent.
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
2014/01/05
2012/11/05
(creative pun-based title) with a song at the end ♪ ♫
Am I overloading you with college-related rants yet? No? Well, give me another chance.
I watched V for Vendetta early this morning. (like, 11pm last night through this morning) with one of my wingmates. Two others begged out because they had homework, but made it clear they wished they could watch with us. Partially disproving Katie's theory that conservatives don't understand and cannot like that movie, I'm probably the only liberal person here, but it's still pretty popular.
And I'm honestly baffled why it's so popular. As I said, I watched it with someone on my wing - she's in between someone I would call an acquaintance and someone I would call a friend. And EVERY scene I liked and remembered from last time I watched it, she squirmed at. I'm not sure why she was so excited if she hated the best parts of the movie. I mean, Valerie's whole story gets to me every time. The first time I saw it, I was in tears during her coming-out scene. I'm terrified my parents will do the same, and I feel for her. Despite the terrible ending she faced, Valerie's autobiography was basically my favorite part of the movie... Fortunately I was texting Katie, and looked up at the end of the coming-out scene, too late for it to emotionally hit me; by the time Valerie met Ruth and they kissed, and remember this is a fairly tame kiss by Hollywood standards especially for a movie with a relatively old intended audience, my wingmate freaked. "Oh, gross!" I hope she didn't notice me wince at that, or if she did notice, I hope she assumed that I was also upset by the movie, not by her comment. Similarly, she freaked out at the scene at the end where V slaughtered everyone as they tried to reload their guns. That's one of my favorites for the effects they included, but evidently that much blood (which is nothing compared to Sweeney Todd, another movie I like) was just too disgusting to look at. I think we agreed that both scenes with explosions were fantastically done, as well as when the dominoes fell and made his signature Ⓥ, but I've fixated strongly on her reaction to a tame lesbian kiss.
Why? Well, in case it's not obvious, I'm dating a girl and I definitely felt attacked by that repulsion. Valerie and Ruth did not make out. They were not kissing until neither could breathe, they did not try to immediately get inside each others' pants like in some movies. (And this is an R movie, a lot more could have been shown without affecting the rating.) Sure, it was longer than a quick peck, but it was just a kiss. Chick flicks show much more involved kisses, ones which often involve exchanging saliva and grabbing insatiably onto each other, and I can almost guarantee you she would like that. That would not be "gross." What girl doesn't like watching a happy couple make out on screen, vicariously sharing their happiness? (I mean, I don't like chick flicks, but sometimes I still enjoy watching a couple kiss, especially tamely like that. Movies make it seem so artistic...) So it's not that a kiss is too crazy for my conservative "friend" to see. It's the fact that two girls seem to like each other and suddenly ALL SYSTEMS ARE OVERLOADED, THAT IS HORRIBLE. It was a harsh attack, and she doesn't even know it hurt me. It would be worse if she knew, even if it meant she toned down her (verbal) homophobia for my benefit, because then I would be judged directly too.
I tried to mention it to someone else, (one of the others that would have watched VfV with us if it weren't for homework) that it was weird watching that movie with different groups of people I tried to ask what someone might see in the parts of the movie that I didn't think were spectacular that could still draw that level of adoration for the movie, and then I realized that I can't just say "I'm liberal, and I liked the scenes with gay people even though they died, because I'm gay and I can relate, but I don't know what you see when you don't like that." I can't say that, or my nonconformity is right back in the spotlight, encouraging people to judge me. That was the beginning of a long downward spiral today as I realized just how much I am repressed, how I cannot be myself, and that I don't belong.
Some of you who know me might realize this, but to anyone else, let me just say that it would be an understatement to assert that being "gay" is just the tip of the iceberg of reasons people here (well, Christians anywhere) would judge me, reasons I don't fit in. I can't be myself here, because at best I will be scolded for my "life choices" and I don't want to try to guess what the worst would be.
People are loving when it comes to "everyday struggles" like homework or not getting enough sleep, and they generally seem to care about everyone they meet, but that doesn't mean that if I were to come out, it would just be accepted. No, I would be treated like an addict. I would be stigmatized, and people would ask if my "gayness" was "getting better" to check in with me as though it were a problem, not realizing that such a question is an insult. I don't choose to like girls. I don't choose to like boys. I recognize physical attraction to people, and I recognize when I'm crushing on someone. Both are rare, but they've happened often enough that I can recognize them. I can't control it. Sure, I can choose to act on it or not, and I keep that in check. That's why I don't even flirt with anyone other than Katie, because I'm not the cheating sort. But the fact that I'm not just a hormone-driven animal does not mean that I want to break up with her if anyone ever realizes I'm dating a girl, just to make them happy or more comfortable or proud of me. I like who I like, I love who I love, and no one can change my mind for me. I want the right to marry the person I love, or to make a stupid decision and marry a person I think I love, just like anyone else. I want my perfect wedding just like any other girl.
I don't want to be told "oh, you can't date that person because she was born with two X chromosomes." That's as bad as racism. People have told me that people can decide their own orientation, it's "not like racism because you can choose who you like." Well, most people fall in love with someone of their own race, the opposite gender. Some people fall in love with people from a different race, which used to be stigmatized, and some people fall in love with people of the same gender, which is still stigmatized. Don't tell me it's different, because it's really the same issue underneath. I cannot choose my chromosomes, nor the parts my body has, no more than I can choose my skin color. Nor can anyone else.
But no one here will recognize that. Here, there's just an understanding that "everything the bible says is relevant to everyone's lives, and strict conservative morals, preferably straight from the bible, are the best." And in several places the bible seems to indirectly say "don't be gay," but never directly. (But that's too long a tangent for now.) Well, I'm sorry, but I was already fighting a faith crisis before I came here, and nothing has helped. If anything, it's gotten worse and I've gotten more antagonistic. I don't want the bible thrown in my face, I've grown up in the church, so chances are, I've heard the verse before. I want to be listened to, to be treated as a person even if I reveal that I disagree with much of the moral code here.
I have a feeling I'm being redundant and boring you all, so I'm going to cut it off there and give you a song quote that ironically sums everything up at the moment.
Until next time
~Kara
Oh yes, by the way. Why can't my birthday be a few months earlier? I want to vote tomorrow, and I'm "too young". I'm in college. Whoever is elected and their policies will affect me after I graduate and enter the working world before I'm allowed to vote regarding the presidency. That makes a lot of sense. But whatever. I guess since I'm just a child, I cannot make my own decisions. I cannot be trusted to make intelligent decisions. Of course. It's all so clear now. That fits wonderfully with my self image of a good student, I won't have to modify either idea in order to accept them both.
Okay, now I've become cynical. I'll just shut up now. /endrant
I watched V for Vendetta early this morning. (like, 11pm last night through this morning) with one of my wingmates. Two others begged out because they had homework, but made it clear they wished they could watch with us. Partially disproving Katie's theory that conservatives don't understand and cannot like that movie, I'm probably the only liberal person here, but it's still pretty popular.
And I'm honestly baffled why it's so popular. As I said, I watched it with someone on my wing - she's in between someone I would call an acquaintance and someone I would call a friend. And EVERY scene I liked and remembered from last time I watched it, she squirmed at. I'm not sure why she was so excited if she hated the best parts of the movie. I mean, Valerie's whole story gets to me every time. The first time I saw it, I was in tears during her coming-out scene. I'm terrified my parents will do the same, and I feel for her. Despite the terrible ending she faced, Valerie's autobiography was basically my favorite part of the movie... Fortunately I was texting Katie, and looked up at the end of the coming-out scene, too late for it to emotionally hit me; by the time Valerie met Ruth and they kissed, and remember this is a fairly tame kiss by Hollywood standards especially for a movie with a relatively old intended audience, my wingmate freaked. "Oh, gross!" I hope she didn't notice me wince at that, or if she did notice, I hope she assumed that I was also upset by the movie, not by her comment. Similarly, she freaked out at the scene at the end where V slaughtered everyone as they tried to reload their guns. That's one of my favorites for the effects they included, but evidently that much blood (which is nothing compared to Sweeney Todd, another movie I like) was just too disgusting to look at. I think we agreed that both scenes with explosions were fantastically done, as well as when the dominoes fell and made his signature Ⓥ, but I've fixated strongly on her reaction to a tame lesbian kiss.
Why? Well, in case it's not obvious, I'm dating a girl and I definitely felt attacked by that repulsion. Valerie and Ruth did not make out. They were not kissing until neither could breathe, they did not try to immediately get inside each others' pants like in some movies. (And this is an R movie, a lot more could have been shown without affecting the rating.) Sure, it was longer than a quick peck, but it was just a kiss. Chick flicks show much more involved kisses, ones which often involve exchanging saliva and grabbing insatiably onto each other, and I can almost guarantee you she would like that. That would not be "gross." What girl doesn't like watching a happy couple make out on screen, vicariously sharing their happiness? (I mean, I don't like chick flicks, but sometimes I still enjoy watching a couple kiss, especially tamely like that. Movies make it seem so artistic...) So it's not that a kiss is too crazy for my conservative "friend" to see. It's the fact that two girls seem to like each other and suddenly ALL SYSTEMS ARE OVERLOADED, THAT IS HORRIBLE. It was a harsh attack, and she doesn't even know it hurt me. It would be worse if she knew, even if it meant she toned down her (verbal) homophobia for my benefit, because then I would be judged directly too.
I tried to mention it to someone else, (one of the others that would have watched VfV with us if it weren't for homework) that it was weird watching that movie with different groups of people I tried to ask what someone might see in the parts of the movie that I didn't think were spectacular that could still draw that level of adoration for the movie, and then I realized that I can't just say "I'm liberal, and I liked the scenes with gay people even though they died, because I'm gay and I can relate, but I don't know what you see when you don't like that." I can't say that, or my nonconformity is right back in the spotlight, encouraging people to judge me. That was the beginning of a long downward spiral today as I realized just how much I am repressed, how I cannot be myself, and that I don't belong.
Some of you who know me might realize this, but to anyone else, let me just say that it would be an understatement to assert that being "gay" is just the tip of the iceberg of reasons people here (well, Christians anywhere) would judge me, reasons I don't fit in. I can't be myself here, because at best I will be scolded for my "life choices" and I don't want to try to guess what the worst would be.
People are loving when it comes to "everyday struggles" like homework or not getting enough sleep, and they generally seem to care about everyone they meet, but that doesn't mean that if I were to come out, it would just be accepted. No, I would be treated like an addict. I would be stigmatized, and people would ask if my "gayness" was "getting better" to check in with me as though it were a problem, not realizing that such a question is an insult. I don't choose to like girls. I don't choose to like boys. I recognize physical attraction to people, and I recognize when I'm crushing on someone. Both are rare, but they've happened often enough that I can recognize them. I can't control it. Sure, I can choose to act on it or not, and I keep that in check. That's why I don't even flirt with anyone other than Katie, because I'm not the cheating sort. But the fact that I'm not just a hormone-driven animal does not mean that I want to break up with her if anyone ever realizes I'm dating a girl, just to make them happy or more comfortable or proud of me. I like who I like, I love who I love, and no one can change my mind for me. I want the right to marry the person I love, or to make a stupid decision and marry a person I think I love, just like anyone else. I want my perfect wedding just like any other girl.
I don't want to be told "oh, you can't date that person because she was born with two X chromosomes." That's as bad as racism. People have told me that people can decide their own orientation, it's "not like racism because you can choose who you like." Well, most people fall in love with someone of their own race, the opposite gender. Some people fall in love with people from a different race, which used to be stigmatized, and some people fall in love with people of the same gender, which is still stigmatized. Don't tell me it's different, because it's really the same issue underneath. I cannot choose my chromosomes, nor the parts my body has, no more than I can choose my skin color. Nor can anyone else.
But no one here will recognize that. Here, there's just an understanding that "everything the bible says is relevant to everyone's lives, and strict conservative morals, preferably straight from the bible, are the best." And in several places the bible seems to indirectly say "don't be gay," but never directly. (But that's too long a tangent for now.) Well, I'm sorry, but I was already fighting a faith crisis before I came here, and nothing has helped. If anything, it's gotten worse and I've gotten more antagonistic. I don't want the bible thrown in my face, I've grown up in the church, so chances are, I've heard the verse before. I want to be listened to, to be treated as a person even if I reveal that I disagree with much of the moral code here.
I have a feeling I'm being redundant and boring you all, so I'm going to cut it off there and give you a song quote that ironically sums everything up at the moment.
All I know is I'm not home yet. This is not where I belong...The irony is that it's a Christian worship song. But the sentiment holds despite my twisting it out of context. I do not belong here. This is not home. I wonder when I'll feel at home anywhere.
Until next time
~Kara
Oh yes, by the way. Why can't my birthday be a few months earlier? I want to vote tomorrow, and I'm "too young". I'm in college. Whoever is elected and their policies will affect me after I graduate and enter the working world before I'm allowed to vote regarding the presidency. That makes a lot of sense. But whatever. I guess since I'm just a child, I cannot make my own decisions. I cannot be trusted to make intelligent decisions. Of course. It's all so clear now. That fits wonderfully with my self image of a good student, I won't have to modify either idea in order to accept them both.
Okay, now I've become cynical. I'll just shut up now. /endrant
2012/05/20
So I heard this story...
I was surfing online recently, and found this wonderful allegory. More people should read and consider it. I thought it was absolutely spot-on, but I'll leave it to you readers to judge.
By the way, I'm sorry I've been so quiet, guys... School's been insane. But maybe I'll be a little more talkative from here on? Or at least for a week or two before I disappear to summer camp...
In any case, I'm not dead. Not even close. I'm just quiet...
~Kara
(I like to imagine that in the world imagined below, chopsticks don't exist.)
Reposted with permission from the original author, Pyropractor
By the way, I'm sorry I've been so quiet, guys... School's been insane. But maybe I'll be a little more talkative from here on? Or at least for a week or two before I disappear to summer camp...
In any case, I'm not dead. Not even close. I'm just quiet...
~Kara
(I like to imagine that in the world imagined below, chopsticks don't exist.)
Reposted with permission from the original author, Pyropractor
On Forks and Civil Liberties
Imagine that you live in a world where it's illegal to eat with a fork.
You're perfectly entitled to stab yourself with them. But eating with them is RIGHT OUT.
And all that's ever served to eat is rice, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, and things of that nature. People eat them with their fingers, or just shove their faces down over their plates, and it's perfectly normal. Normal, that is, for everyone you know... except you.
Your parents frown on you for this. Your mother says, "I dipped my very first fork in onion juice before I jammed it into my thigh. Hurt like the devil, but every time since then, it's been much easier!" Your father says, "You really should stab yourself a few times, you know, in visible places. Otherwise people are going to think you're a sissy."
You have a constant, gnawing pain from hunger; you're lightheaded a lot of the time. But everyone is Hollywood-thin, because there's only so much rice you can eat with your fingers before you give up. You don't even stab yourself with your fork, though everyone else does it, and happily, but you don't because you can't afford the blood loss.
But mostly you don't do it because... well, it's just so unpleasant, no matter what the rest of the world says.
So one day you're at your brother's wedding. Everyone is celebrating, stabbing themselves with their forks, mostly in their forearms. The bride and groom stab each other. One drunken bridesmaid pierces her cheek clean through. A perfectly ordinary way of celebrating this joyous occasion... and certainly you have no idea of the changes the day holds.
Your brother pulls you aside. "Listen," he says, pushing a box into your hands. "We've gotten way more forks today than we can possibly ever use. Take this set, from the Welby family. They look too blunt to get through clothing. Anyway, we never really liked them. Pretentious assholes," he adds, before returning to the bustling reception.
You peer through the clear plastic of the elegant white box at the tableware within. The tines of the forks do indeed appear blunt, with just a minimum of rounding. Why, it's as though these weren't designed for pushing their way through flesh at all! The handles are curved, like the side of a woman's torso, or an acoustic guitar. The stainless steel gleams at you, at once both challenging, and somehow... inviting.
You spy a champagne glass of sherbet on a nearby table. Suddenly, the idea comes to you. A daring idea. An IMPOSSIBLE idea. You saunter over to the table, glance around to see if anyone's looking, then sweep the glass up behind you , hiding it from the crowd, and return to the dark, quiet alcove leading to the hallway where the coat check room is. You steal a little further down the hall, just to be safe.
As quietly as possible, you open the box of tableware, heart pounding in your chest. With trembling hands, you remove a salad fork from the cardboard grooves in which it rests. The whole set glitters at you with forbidden promise, even in the feeble light here. You hold your breath, and finally, just do it. The tines of the fork glide smoothly into the sherbet, as though they were designed for that purpose alone. Your mind is filled with images of some old master craftsman from a small Italian village, whose skill at forging tableware has turned him into a brilliant, sought-after designer. You wonder if it was Enzo Ferrari back in 1929, when a sudden chill yanks you back to the present: you've actually done it! You ate sherbet with a fork!
And... it was delicious.
Not just because sherbet is fruity and sugary and sweet... but because you actually got a full bite's worth without getting it all over your face. The smooth edges of the utensil don't even cut your lips in passing. It just feels so... so right.
"WHAT in the HELL?!"
The moment is shattered at the sight of your brother's livid face. "What if somebody SAW..." He yanks the fork out of your hand and jams it mercilessly into your shoulder, and only then does he seem to relax at all. "There," he says, "now you can be seen."
The pain in your shoulder pierces your whole body. You feel it in the soles of your feet. It tugs at your every nerve, like a dull sawblade being dragged across ceramic. But it is nothing... nothing next to the pain you feel from having your first glimpse of freedom discovered and seen as a source of horror.
But it doesn't stop you. Oh, you show a respectable public face - a face showing four parallel scratches down from your temple to your chin. But at home... at home, when no one's watching... you eat with a fork.
And it is BLISS.
For the first time in as long as you can remember... you feel GOOD. You have the energy to walk up a flight of stairs without getting dizzy. That constant, nagging hunger is conspicuous by its absence. You even feel like you have some strength.
And people notice it in you. They ask if you'd gotten some good news, or won some money. You seem to be happier... walking prouder, standing taller.
But you can't tell them why.
No, your new discovery about yourself will always be a source of secret shame. And you wonder just how long you'll be able to keep that secret. If people found out... you'd probably lose your job, the respect of your family, hell, even the whole community.
You consider just telling them. Maybe just your family at first. Maybe they'll understand. "I just want to be able to eat with a fork," you'll say. And immediately you can imagine your father's rage, your mother's hysteria, your brother's embarrassment. "Why can't you just stab yourself with the bloody things like everyone else?!" your father would bellow. Your mother would look even more panicked, worried the neighbors will hear.
"I don't want to stab myself, Father," you'd reply.
And that would set him off again. "Look, he'd say, in what must be an attempt at restraint. "You can still have the forks, see? Just, you know... shove them through your skin! You shouldn't be looking for extra privileges with the things!"
**************
THAT is what I imagine gay people go through every day when conservatives tell them that the right to marry someone of the opposite sex should be enough for them, and that marrying the person they actually love is "extra rights."
You're perfectly entitled to stab yourself with them. But eating with them is RIGHT OUT.
And all that's ever served to eat is rice, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, and things of that nature. People eat them with their fingers, or just shove their faces down over their plates, and it's perfectly normal. Normal, that is, for everyone you know... except you.
Your parents frown on you for this. Your mother says, "I dipped my very first fork in onion juice before I jammed it into my thigh. Hurt like the devil, but every time since then, it's been much easier!" Your father says, "You really should stab yourself a few times, you know, in visible places. Otherwise people are going to think you're a sissy."
You have a constant, gnawing pain from hunger; you're lightheaded a lot of the time. But everyone is Hollywood-thin, because there's only so much rice you can eat with your fingers before you give up. You don't even stab yourself with your fork, though everyone else does it, and happily, but you don't because you can't afford the blood loss.
But mostly you don't do it because... well, it's just so unpleasant, no matter what the rest of the world says.
So one day you're at your brother's wedding. Everyone is celebrating, stabbing themselves with their forks, mostly in their forearms. The bride and groom stab each other. One drunken bridesmaid pierces her cheek clean through. A perfectly ordinary way of celebrating this joyous occasion... and certainly you have no idea of the changes the day holds.
Your brother pulls you aside. "Listen," he says, pushing a box into your hands. "We've gotten way more forks today than we can possibly ever use. Take this set, from the Welby family. They look too blunt to get through clothing. Anyway, we never really liked them. Pretentious assholes," he adds, before returning to the bustling reception.
You peer through the clear plastic of the elegant white box at the tableware within. The tines of the forks do indeed appear blunt, with just a minimum of rounding. Why, it's as though these weren't designed for pushing their way through flesh at all! The handles are curved, like the side of a woman's torso, or an acoustic guitar. The stainless steel gleams at you, at once both challenging, and somehow... inviting.
You spy a champagne glass of sherbet on a nearby table. Suddenly, the idea comes to you. A daring idea. An IMPOSSIBLE idea. You saunter over to the table, glance around to see if anyone's looking, then sweep the glass up behind you , hiding it from the crowd, and return to the dark, quiet alcove leading to the hallway where the coat check room is. You steal a little further down the hall, just to be safe.
As quietly as possible, you open the box of tableware, heart pounding in your chest. With trembling hands, you remove a salad fork from the cardboard grooves in which it rests. The whole set glitters at you with forbidden promise, even in the feeble light here. You hold your breath, and finally, just do it. The tines of the fork glide smoothly into the sherbet, as though they were designed for that purpose alone. Your mind is filled with images of some old master craftsman from a small Italian village, whose skill at forging tableware has turned him into a brilliant, sought-after designer. You wonder if it was Enzo Ferrari back in 1929, when a sudden chill yanks you back to the present: you've actually done it! You ate sherbet with a fork!
And... it was delicious.
Not just because sherbet is fruity and sugary and sweet... but because you actually got a full bite's worth without getting it all over your face. The smooth edges of the utensil don't even cut your lips in passing. It just feels so... so right.
"WHAT in the HELL?!"
The moment is shattered at the sight of your brother's livid face. "What if somebody SAW..." He yanks the fork out of your hand and jams it mercilessly into your shoulder, and only then does he seem to relax at all. "There," he says, "now you can be seen."
The pain in your shoulder pierces your whole body. You feel it in the soles of your feet. It tugs at your every nerve, like a dull sawblade being dragged across ceramic. But it is nothing... nothing next to the pain you feel from having your first glimpse of freedom discovered and seen as a source of horror.
But it doesn't stop you. Oh, you show a respectable public face - a face showing four parallel scratches down from your temple to your chin. But at home... at home, when no one's watching... you eat with a fork.
And it is BLISS.
For the first time in as long as you can remember... you feel GOOD. You have the energy to walk up a flight of stairs without getting dizzy. That constant, nagging hunger is conspicuous by its absence. You even feel like you have some strength.
And people notice it in you. They ask if you'd gotten some good news, or won some money. You seem to be happier... walking prouder, standing taller.
But you can't tell them why.
No, your new discovery about yourself will always be a source of secret shame. And you wonder just how long you'll be able to keep that secret. If people found out... you'd probably lose your job, the respect of your family, hell, even the whole community.
You consider just telling them. Maybe just your family at first. Maybe they'll understand. "I just want to be able to eat with a fork," you'll say. And immediately you can imagine your father's rage, your mother's hysteria, your brother's embarrassment. "Why can't you just stab yourself with the bloody things like everyone else?!" your father would bellow. Your mother would look even more panicked, worried the neighbors will hear.
"I don't want to stab myself, Father," you'd reply.
And that would set him off again. "Look, he'd say, in what must be an attempt at restraint. "You can still have the forks, see? Just, you know... shove them through your skin! You shouldn't be looking for extra privileges with the things!"
**************
THAT is what I imagine gay people go through every day when conservatives tell them that the right to marry someone of the opposite sex should be enough for them, and that marrying the person they actually love is "extra rights."
2012/01/24
Few Weeks and Insanity
Been a few weeks since I last threw something up on here. Last day of December.... Hey everyone.
So it's been a quiet past few weeks. Job hunting, mainly. Unfortunately, nothing yet - three weeks, and several applications later, no calls. Sucks, but welcome to reality.
There is an Aikido class at a library near my house, so I'm going to start going to that. It's fun. The warm up exercises are much more of an aerobic version, and then we do similar wrist exercises to what I'm used to. The style of teaching is different, plus so far, there have only been a couple terms used that I'm actually used to. Overall, it's almost like learning a completely new art, which I have no issues with. The Sensei is one that I trained under for several years while the old club was still completely together, and I have a friend already in the class, so it should be good. Two weeks down so far with this class, and it's turning out well. Except for an almost sprained wrist....
Couple weeks ago, while I was at a shop getting dinner for my family, I was out and about in my flats like normal, and for the first time, somebody spoke against me. A man a few places in line behind me looked at me and said, "Nice shoes" all manly like. I snorted and continued my ordering, but was cautious for the rest of the time in there, until I was out the door, in my car, and gone. For the first time in a long time, I was actually afraid I might have to use my kubatans - and was glad that I carried them. It was a relief to get out of the parking lot and be able to confirm I wasn't being followed.
Few days ago - the 12th - was the first time it has really snowed here. It was Thursday night, and I had to take my sister to work. We ate at a shop, took our time, then left to get her to work. It was snowing hard, and my windshield had already frozen. At this point, my windshield wipers almost completely failed, and I had to wait for the defrost to take care of the better part of it. At that point, the car already had a couple issues - she needed a new battery and new tires across the board - and then we had to add another issue to the list. I got my sister to work, dropped her off, then headed back home. Between the snow, the road already getting slick, bad tires, and wind, it was a very interesting trip. The kind of trip that a driver doesn't break forty miles an hour for fear of being blown off course - and this was on main roads. The weekend later, after this happened, we went in and took care of the battery and tires. Let's just say that the car now has pretty damned good traction. (I tested it. Hehehe.)
My sister needed my help this past weekend with a psych project, so I went over there all day Monday to help (she had the day off). Well, of course, being the techie I am, I figured it'd be easy. Nope. Camera was a pain in my ass. Trying to capture didn't work. Couldn't make the camera and my computer play nicely, or even really play at all. It just didn't work out. This coming Sunday, we're scrapping the original idea and working on a new idea to finish quickly... Ugh. Stupid cameras.
Within the past few weeks, my second-most-recent-ex and I have been spending time together, and we figured out that we never really got over each other. Tried, but we didn't. I'm hopefully going to get back together with her... She wants me to be romantic about it, so it should be... fun.
Now here's to hoping that I can get a job so I can use the car when it's time to actually go ask her out... Also... Need to find potatoes. Which means telling Mom I need her to buy a bag and we can make potato soup. Or something.
Anyways. Those were the past few weeks. Now, to the fun parts...
If you live anywhere with 'net access, you've probably heard about SOPA and PIPA. They're shitty pieces of legislation that would have destroyed what the very internet stands on - free speech and DNS. If we'd destroyed those two things - which is exactly what those two bills would have done - there would have been a LOT of issues. More than just a lot, actually. Google said a few days back that if they passed, Youtube was going dark, immediately. Facebook could have easily been taken down, what with everything on it that could be considered "pirated". Ebay. Wikipedia. Craigslist. The list goes on as to what would have been hit. It was bullshit. Wednesday, the 18th, the Internet responded.
Its message? "Don't fuck with our tubes."
English Wikipedia went dark for twenty four hours. Google blacked out its logo. More sites than can be kept track of did various things. People changed their facebook profile pictures to a mark saying their picture had been removed by SOPA. (I participated in that one.) People called their senators and representatives, flooded them with emails, and just in general told them to shut their bullshit spillers and get RID of these stupid, shitty pieces of legislation.
It worked - for now. Both bills have been pulled, temporarily, if not permanently. But the problem is, even though the immediate danger is in the past, sometime soon, probably in a year or two, somebody is going to shove something like this through on the backs of another bill - appropriations, or a "save the children's education" bill, something like that. At which point, if we're not careful... our tubes could be blasted.
The public woke up, if briefly, and fought these things, and even defeated them. But we're asleep again. Didn't take much time, unfortunately. We're like that - we like our sleep. Lazy, that's us. I read on another blog where somebody hoped that SOPA or PIPA would pass, because it might actually wake us up and force us to realize just how much is wrong with this country.
Personally? I say we fire the entire lot of politicians. Every. Single. One of them. (Except Obama - and maybe even him!) And then, we rewrite ALL of it. Politicians don't get paid except a stipend for when they're in office and can't spend the time at a real job, and then once their term is up, they get paid absolutely no more. Also - they can't be allowed to vote to raise their own stipends. Companies and lobbyist groups won't be allowed to fill the campaign coffers with huge amounts of money to make sure the wrong people get re-elected. Limit the number of terms a senator or representative can run consecutively. Place a limit on how much a campaign can spend so that everyone will have an equal shot. Who will run for office then?
Those who actually want to make a DIFFERENCE in this country. Those who see what this place could be and want to make it as such. Those who aren't just about the power.
I've been rolling around an idea for how to rebuild the government from the ground up, starting with a world government, but I'll outline that at a later point.
My Dad and I got to discussing government a bit back and as he pointed out, our government does things slowly because if it could do things quickly, things could go too quickly to one end or the other. In the end, everything mostly balances out. At this point though, it's time to rework everything, because that's what we need in a big way.
Anyway. Enough politics. I'm going to drive myself nuts if I don't stop there.
Pretty sure that's basically it for now... So I'm going to shut my ranter and get outta here.
Until next time.
Peace.
So it's been a quiet past few weeks. Job hunting, mainly. Unfortunately, nothing yet - three weeks, and several applications later, no calls. Sucks, but welcome to reality.
There is an Aikido class at a library near my house, so I'm going to start going to that. It's fun. The warm up exercises are much more of an aerobic version, and then we do similar wrist exercises to what I'm used to. The style of teaching is different, plus so far, there have only been a couple terms used that I'm actually used to. Overall, it's almost like learning a completely new art, which I have no issues with. The Sensei is one that I trained under for several years while the old club was still completely together, and I have a friend already in the class, so it should be good. Two weeks down so far with this class, and it's turning out well. Except for an almost sprained wrist....
Couple weeks ago, while I was at a shop getting dinner for my family, I was out and about in my flats like normal, and for the first time, somebody spoke against me. A man a few places in line behind me looked at me and said, "Nice shoes" all manly like. I snorted and continued my ordering, but was cautious for the rest of the time in there, until I was out the door, in my car, and gone. For the first time in a long time, I was actually afraid I might have to use my kubatans - and was glad that I carried them. It was a relief to get out of the parking lot and be able to confirm I wasn't being followed.
Few days ago - the 12th - was the first time it has really snowed here. It was Thursday night, and I had to take my sister to work. We ate at a shop, took our time, then left to get her to work. It was snowing hard, and my windshield had already frozen. At this point, my windshield wipers almost completely failed, and I had to wait for the defrost to take care of the better part of it. At that point, the car already had a couple issues - she needed a new battery and new tires across the board - and then we had to add another issue to the list. I got my sister to work, dropped her off, then headed back home. Between the snow, the road already getting slick, bad tires, and wind, it was a very interesting trip. The kind of trip that a driver doesn't break forty miles an hour for fear of being blown off course - and this was on main roads. The weekend later, after this happened, we went in and took care of the battery and tires. Let's just say that the car now has pretty damned good traction. (I tested it. Hehehe.)
My sister needed my help this past weekend with a psych project, so I went over there all day Monday to help (she had the day off). Well, of course, being the techie I am, I figured it'd be easy. Nope. Camera was a pain in my ass. Trying to capture didn't work. Couldn't make the camera and my computer play nicely, or even really play at all. It just didn't work out. This coming Sunday, we're scrapping the original idea and working on a new idea to finish quickly... Ugh. Stupid cameras.
Within the past few weeks, my second-most-recent-ex and I have been spending time together, and we figured out that we never really got over each other. Tried, but we didn't. I'm hopefully going to get back together with her... She wants me to be romantic about it, so it should be... fun.
Now here's to hoping that I can get a job so I can use the car when it's time to actually go ask her out... Also... Need to find potatoes. Which means telling Mom I need her to buy a bag and we can make potato soup. Or something.
Anyways. Those were the past few weeks. Now, to the fun parts...
If you live anywhere with 'net access, you've probably heard about SOPA and PIPA. They're shitty pieces of legislation that would have destroyed what the very internet stands on - free speech and DNS. If we'd destroyed those two things - which is exactly what those two bills would have done - there would have been a LOT of issues. More than just a lot, actually. Google said a few days back that if they passed, Youtube was going dark, immediately. Facebook could have easily been taken down, what with everything on it that could be considered "pirated". Ebay. Wikipedia. Craigslist. The list goes on as to what would have been hit. It was bullshit. Wednesday, the 18th, the Internet responded.
Its message? "Don't fuck with our tubes."
English Wikipedia went dark for twenty four hours. Google blacked out its logo. More sites than can be kept track of did various things. People changed their facebook profile pictures to a mark saying their picture had been removed by SOPA. (I participated in that one.) People called their senators and representatives, flooded them with emails, and just in general told them to shut their bullshit spillers and get RID of these stupid, shitty pieces of legislation.
It worked - for now. Both bills have been pulled, temporarily, if not permanently. But the problem is, even though the immediate danger is in the past, sometime soon, probably in a year or two, somebody is going to shove something like this through on the backs of another bill - appropriations, or a "save the children's education" bill, something like that. At which point, if we're not careful... our tubes could be blasted.
The public woke up, if briefly, and fought these things, and even defeated them. But we're asleep again. Didn't take much time, unfortunately. We're like that - we like our sleep. Lazy, that's us. I read on another blog where somebody hoped that SOPA or PIPA would pass, because it might actually wake us up and force us to realize just how much is wrong with this country.
Personally? I say we fire the entire lot of politicians. Every. Single. One of them. (Except Obama - and maybe even him!) And then, we rewrite ALL of it. Politicians don't get paid except a stipend for when they're in office and can't spend the time at a real job, and then once their term is up, they get paid absolutely no more. Also - they can't be allowed to vote to raise their own stipends. Companies and lobbyist groups won't be allowed to fill the campaign coffers with huge amounts of money to make sure the wrong people get re-elected. Limit the number of terms a senator or representative can run consecutively. Place a limit on how much a campaign can spend so that everyone will have an equal shot. Who will run for office then?
Those who actually want to make a DIFFERENCE in this country. Those who see what this place could be and want to make it as such. Those who aren't just about the power.
I've been rolling around an idea for how to rebuild the government from the ground up, starting with a world government, but I'll outline that at a later point.
My Dad and I got to discussing government a bit back and as he pointed out, our government does things slowly because if it could do things quickly, things could go too quickly to one end or the other. In the end, everything mostly balances out. At this point though, it's time to rework everything, because that's what we need in a big way.
Anyway. Enough politics. I'm going to drive myself nuts if I don't stop there.
Pretty sure that's basically it for now... So I'm going to shut my ranter and get outta here.
Until next time.
Peace.
2011/12/01
A Couple Amendments...
A little over a week ago, I got wind of a problem that is seriously going to do some damage to this country - and our freedoms - if it passes. Congress is currently attempting to put two bills through called SOPA - Stop Online Piracy Act - and PIPA - Protect IP Act - which, on the surface, seems benign. This is, as usual, not true. This bill does not stop piracy. It allows the United States Corporate (it's no longer Federal) Government to censor whatever it wants, going in and out of the US (using OUR tax dollars!). In case any of you are daft, let me spell it out for you...
This bill will violate our First Amendment. (Wikipedia) Our First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Woo! Oh man, where to start... Considering how constantly Congress has been trying to violate just that Amendment lately, I could give so very many examples. But, let us stick to the subject matter at hand.
Censor: "an official who examines books, plays, news reports, motion pictures, radio and television programs, letters, cablegrams, etc., for the purpose of suppressing parts deemed objectionable on moral, political, military, or other grounds."
Censorship: "the act or practice of censoring."
Notice anything about what I said earlier - about SOPA being a censorship act? Having read those definitions, I'm pretty sure it's quite clear exactly how all this fits together... Censorship violates our freedom of speech. (And from that alone, violates each of those other freedoms.) This act will allow the corporate government the ability to pull anything it finds as "piracy", even if it's just a bare technicality.
Imagine the damage this could do! Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, eBay, and many others could all be shut down just because they come CLOSE to having piracy attached to them. Anything with user posted content would be subject to closure. Hell, if the act went into effect today, I would be fucked. Look at the number of times I've slammed our Corporate Overlords lately! I'd disappear before anybody knew what happened... I'm sure they could find something to stick me with.
My girlfriend and I watched V For Vendetta last night (again). After having seen it a couple weeks ago, it sent eerie chills down my spine multiple times, especially when V was talking about the "Ministry of Objectionable Materials". I could see one of those coming up so fast it'd give us all whiplash. That movie is a little different from what's going on now, because it wasn't the corporates that took over the government, it was just a regular federal government... But we're going on the same basic path right here in the good ole (yes, ole, not old - because you know, we're a bunch of backwater hillbillies) United States of America. Joy!
Watching the bullshit unfold the other day on Facebook, somebody had the absolute gall to blame this shit on Obama. Me, being who I am, immediately stepped up and took a mighty swing. Called their bullshit so fast it wasn't even funny. It's not Obama who's supporting this - in fact, seeing who was sponsoring it, it almost made me laugh, as there were more Republicans than Democrats there. Sadly, I'm not surprised. I wish I hadn't seen something like this coming.
Dammit, we're not China, people! We don't need a great firewall! And I can guarantee that if this act does pass, there will be riots in the streets that will make the Occupy Wall Street movement look like a couple people loitering around. Forget peaceable assembly.
For centuries, people of the world over have used what is referred to as "Right of Revolution" to change their political structure and make things better. This, of course, is not in our Constitution or its' Amendments, even though it is getting to the point where it is needed. It is listed in the Constitutions of several states, even in Kentucky's. (Wikipedia) "All power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority and instituted for their peace, safety, happiness and the protection of property. For the advancement of these ends, they have at all times an inalienable and indefeasible right to alter, reform or abolish their government in such manner as they may deem proper." I don't know about you, but that tells me what I need to know. This government is not doing its' job.
If the current political situation doesn't tell you that we need reform, I don't know what will.
One other item to tackle.
(Wikipedia) Second Amendment: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
We've been lucky so far - to this point, there have been few serious (reported) attempts at curtailing this amendment. Unfortunately, with our government going the way it is, I wouldn't be too surprised if it were to happen that somebody tried to put a lock on this one. I'm a Liberal Democrat, but apparently don't hold true to that some days - for instance, in this case, I like my full usage of this amendment.
A few days ago, my girlfriend and I spent a few hours at the house of a family we consider friends from church. These are awesome people, and have done nothing but good for us. The whole family owns weapons - father, mother, and son. All of them are shooters, and the father carries concealed almost all the time.
If there is anybody in the world I can trust... It would be them. They have proven to me - if nothing else by honesty and their trust of other people - that they are trustworthy. Crazy, maybe. But trustworthy. And if there's anybody out there that I'd rather have watching my back and carrying? It's them.
I'm afraid to see what my own party will try to do though (democrats) once another attack or two happen. They WILL happen, that much is inevitable. I don't know when, or where, or by who to who. But I know they will, because it is human. I will stand against any bill that tries to prohibit these rights though, just like I'm standing against that which is attacking our first amendment.
A statement I rather like... "I may not like you, but I will defend to my death your right to go fuck yourself." Crude as it may be, it's my attitude towards these situations. I may despise you, may want you deader than dead, but I will defend your rights. (Side note: Try to stab me in the back and I'll make sure you don't ever use that hand again. I'll still defend your rights though.)
Until next time.
Peace.
2011/11/11
Occupy (Insertplacehere)
(WARNING: POLITICS AHEAD.)
Iraq Vet Critically Wounded
^^ There are no words to describe how incredibly wrong this is. None. A Marine - a discharged United States Marine, but a Marine none the less - gets shot in the head by Oakland police while at a peaceful demonstration of his rights. Olsen spent two tours overseas, and then comes home - to this?! What the hell is wrong with this, people?! They say that the Oakland police opened an investigation into the case, including what munitions were used in the quelling of these protestors. Um, sorry, but that's BULLSHIT. There is no way the police should have even been firing off anything, period. There are no words to describe just how furious this makes me. Unfortunately, this is only one of many articles that I have seen involving the Occupy (insertplacehere). One Marine managed to get away with facing thirty police officers and didn't get taken down - a lucky move, I'm thinking, although I doubt even thirty cops could have taken him down - but he is one of the few who didn't get hurt in the process. Others have been beaten, arrested, and just in general had physical harm brought on them because they were using their constitutional rights to try and change what is a truly fucked up and broken system. (I'm not even going to bother posting all the youtube videos I've seen.)
I saw a picture the other day of a sign, and it said "The four branches of government". Underneath, it had $ CORPORATE $ and then lines going to the JUDICIAL, EXECUTIVE, and LEGISLATIVE branches, each equal underneath the corporate marking. Unfortunately, it's what the truth is anymore. Our system, our way of life, is completely fucked up. It is being run by a bunch of corporate overlords, who are playing us all just to make more money for themselves. That's what this entire Occupy (insertplacehere) is about! The top couple percent - mainly the corporate overlords - and the bottom ninety eight - those of us who have to WORK for a living, and those of us who can't even do that because those corporates decided that our jobs weren't worth enough to make it possible for us to keep working. Even those of us who can manage to work for a living are barely scraping by, because we are at minimum wage and barely make enough to pay the rent, get food, pay utilities, maybe have a car, et cetera!
How is this right?
It isn't. There's nothing right about any of this. At all. Something needs to change, and it needs to change soon. This country has more problems right now than solutions - two separate wars overseas, our own unarmed citizens protesting and getting beaten by their own domestic police forces because the police can't contain themselves, all on top of a financial crisis and all the big-wigs not caring enough to do anything about it. Because, you know, they're that top couple percent that doesn't give a shit about the knaves and plebians that are so far below them.
My roommate and I occasionally joke with each other - "UNHAND ME, KNAVE!" as if we were rulers and the other were a plebian. Unfortunately, there's too much of a parallel there for me between the rest of this country and here at home...
Fortunately, Scott Olsen is doing okay now - stable and in fair condition. Even so, he can't speak, because the "police projectile" hit him near his speech centre. He can't talk. The sons of bitches made him at least temporarily mute, if not permanently. I'm sorry, but there is nothing to excuse that behaviour. At all. A peaceful protestor, maimed because he was just there? No excuse.
What has this fucked up excuse for a country come to?
The other day, my girlfriend and I got into a discussion. One of my former (female) teachers was getting married the next day to her girlfriend, which threw me, because we live in Kentucky - one of the most back water states in the entire US, right behind Texas and maybe a couple others - and right now, gay marriage is not legal here. My girlfriend says that a bunch of states are legalizing it, which isn't as true as I wish it was. With all of the research I've done, all the news I read, I'd have noticed if the number has increased. It hasn't. It still stands at six, and then D.C. She then said we needed a tolerant president - one who would pass a law granting federal same-gender marriage rights. This upset me in the extreme. Obama is a supporter of same-gender marriage, and I believe that he would do something about it if it were at all within his power. Unfortunately, it's not.
Between the corporate-backed Republican/Conservatives in the House and Senate, and too many idiots in our maybe-formerly-great country, it's extremely implausible for the President to try to pass a law such as that, declaring same-gender marriage legal. Of all the recent Presidents, our current one is the most likely to be able to do something about it, but without the backing of at least a sizable portion of the rest of our idiots-in-charge, there isn't really anything he can do.
Welcome to reality. It sucks. It's time to change it. I wish I could be out there with the other protestors, because it's time to do something about it - and they are. I applaud them, and they have the support of more of us than I think anybody realises. For this, I am glad.
Until next time.
Peace.
Iraq Vet Critically Wounded
^^ There are no words to describe how incredibly wrong this is. None. A Marine - a discharged United States Marine, but a Marine none the less - gets shot in the head by Oakland police while at a peaceful demonstration of his rights. Olsen spent two tours overseas, and then comes home - to this?! What the hell is wrong with this, people?! They say that the Oakland police opened an investigation into the case, including what munitions were used in the quelling of these protestors. Um, sorry, but that's BULLSHIT. There is no way the police should have even been firing off anything, period. There are no words to describe just how furious this makes me. Unfortunately, this is only one of many articles that I have seen involving the Occupy (insertplacehere). One Marine managed to get away with facing thirty police officers and didn't get taken down - a lucky move, I'm thinking, although I doubt even thirty cops could have taken him down - but he is one of the few who didn't get hurt in the process. Others have been beaten, arrested, and just in general had physical harm brought on them because they were using their constitutional rights to try and change what is a truly fucked up and broken system. (I'm not even going to bother posting all the youtube videos I've seen.)
I saw a picture the other day of a sign, and it said "The four branches of government". Underneath, it had $ CORPORATE $ and then lines going to the JUDICIAL, EXECUTIVE, and LEGISLATIVE branches, each equal underneath the corporate marking. Unfortunately, it's what the truth is anymore. Our system, our way of life, is completely fucked up. It is being run by a bunch of corporate overlords, who are playing us all just to make more money for themselves. That's what this entire Occupy (insertplacehere) is about! The top couple percent - mainly the corporate overlords - and the bottom ninety eight - those of us who have to WORK for a living, and those of us who can't even do that because those corporates decided that our jobs weren't worth enough to make it possible for us to keep working. Even those of us who can manage to work for a living are barely scraping by, because we are at minimum wage and barely make enough to pay the rent, get food, pay utilities, maybe have a car, et cetera!
How is this right?
It isn't. There's nothing right about any of this. At all. Something needs to change, and it needs to change soon. This country has more problems right now than solutions - two separate wars overseas, our own unarmed citizens protesting and getting beaten by their own domestic police forces because the police can't contain themselves, all on top of a financial crisis and all the big-wigs not caring enough to do anything about it. Because, you know, they're that top couple percent that doesn't give a shit about the knaves and plebians that are so far below them.
My roommate and I occasionally joke with each other - "UNHAND ME, KNAVE!" as if we were rulers and the other were a plebian. Unfortunately, there's too much of a parallel there for me between the rest of this country and here at home...
Fortunately, Scott Olsen is doing okay now - stable and in fair condition. Even so, he can't speak, because the "police projectile" hit him near his speech centre. He can't talk. The sons of bitches made him at least temporarily mute, if not permanently. I'm sorry, but there is nothing to excuse that behaviour. At all. A peaceful protestor, maimed because he was just there? No excuse.
What has this fucked up excuse for a country come to?
The other day, my girlfriend and I got into a discussion. One of my former (female) teachers was getting married the next day to her girlfriend, which threw me, because we live in Kentucky - one of the most back water states in the entire US, right behind Texas and maybe a couple others - and right now, gay marriage is not legal here. My girlfriend says that a bunch of states are legalizing it, which isn't as true as I wish it was. With all of the research I've done, all the news I read, I'd have noticed if the number has increased. It hasn't. It still stands at six, and then D.C. She then said we needed a tolerant president - one who would pass a law granting federal same-gender marriage rights. This upset me in the extreme. Obama is a supporter of same-gender marriage, and I believe that he would do something about it if it were at all within his power. Unfortunately, it's not.
Between the corporate-backed Republican/Conservatives in the House and Senate, and too many idiots in our maybe-formerly-great country, it's extremely implausible for the President to try to pass a law such as that, declaring same-gender marriage legal. Of all the recent Presidents, our current one is the most likely to be able to do something about it, but without the backing of at least a sizable portion of the rest of our idiots-in-charge, there isn't really anything he can do.
Welcome to reality. It sucks. It's time to change it. I wish I could be out there with the other protestors, because it's time to do something about it - and they are. I applaud them, and they have the support of more of us than I think anybody realises. For this, I am glad.
Until next time.
Peace.
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