I was actually going to come home and watch The Handmaid's Tale today, but while the TV has to "warm up" before loading Hulu, I punched up some reviews to look over.
(what's with that, Hulu? The TV has to warm up? I swear there are no tubes in the TV, it's too frickin' skinny for tubes, come on, it's an LED screen)
Reading the scary tones and alarmist rhetoric, I was reminded of the sermons of hell fire and brimstone of my childhood, and so of course my automatic skeptic alarm bells began to ring loudly.
I changed my mind and deleted this one off my list of things to watch. I had enough right-wing apocalyptic frights growing up; I'm not going to fall for left-wing fright tactics, thanks.
Didn't anyone tell you guys you don't win people over to your viewpoint by scaring them? It's not like that's worked for thousands of years...
Oh, wait... Shit.
NYT review
NPR review
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Saturday, April 15, 2017
Censorship and Crucifixation
I was thinking this morning about all the forms of communication that have been threatened and censored over the millennia. Liberty threatens authoritarianism. The slow relentless march of progress, the questioning of the establishment and the subsequent violent repressions all stem from authority attempting to halt or slow the march of progress, fear of the chaos that may ensue if the crowd doesn't fall in line.
stories, philosophy, books, movies, poems, romance, art, science
Creative minds communicating revolutionary ideas using all forms of these media have been accused of heresy even before the time of Christ.
Educated minds threaten authority as they began to question why things are done the way they've always been done.
Later in this interview (at 11:35), John Cleese points out Jesus was crucified for blasphemy
At one point Muggeridge criticizes the comedy for minimizing "the enormous role [the crucifixion]'s had in peoples lives" over the centuries, but I ask - can't we critically view both the bible and "heresy" such as The Life of Brian and absolutely recognize the impact, put it all in context, and continue walking forward with a healthy nod to a less enlightened time in history, all the while striving to be better as a people than we were in the past?
Although we still have our barbarisms, at least we've moved away from crucifying people, right?
___________________________
Source that got me thinking about all this
stories, philosophy, books, movies, poems, romance, art, science
Creative minds communicating revolutionary ideas using all forms of these media have been accused of heresy even before the time of Christ.
Educated minds threaten authority as they began to question why things are done the way they've always been done.
Later in this interview (at 11:35), John Cleese points out Jesus was crucified for blasphemy
At one point Muggeridge criticizes the comedy for minimizing "the enormous role [the crucifixion]'s had in peoples lives" over the centuries, but I ask - can't we critically view both the bible and "heresy" such as The Life of Brian and absolutely recognize the impact, put it all in context, and continue walking forward with a healthy nod to a less enlightened time in history, all the while striving to be better as a people than we were in the past?
Although we still have our barbarisms, at least we've moved away from crucifying people, right?
___________________________
Source that got me thinking about all this
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Fundamentalism, Part 4: Fright
Even misguided cult leaders think they are doing what is right.
These preachers thrive on conflict and drama - preaching about the scariest underbelly of the world draws the timid sheep in closer to stick by him. And then associating even innocuous fun with evil drives a greater wedge between his sheltered sheep and the proverbial wolves of the world. Hallmarks of an abuser (insecurity needing fulfillment from adoration) - isolate your victim from friends and family.
Lately the Pentecostal fringes have been getting a light shined on their fear mongering tactics.
Extremism has no place in any faith. Many Christians are embarrassed that extremists like this man try to speak as representatives of the faith - except those still trapped and blinded in these denominations rush to defend his vitriolic words. Can we please realize this is just another example of hatred in the style of the Westboro Baptists?
You know, I wonder, how do extremists get started? It's fright. They are so afraid. So fearful in their own hearts of the world out there. It's a scary place, fraught with danger and misunderstanding. Afraid of losing the people they need, afraid of being left alone, afraid of rejection, and so they grasp at their families like trying to hold water in their fists. People that dress and act and speak differently are frightening when you live in isolation, protected from outsiders.
This is why I feel it is dangerous to isolate children and put them in churches where they have no exposure to the rest of the world, church schools to protect their innocent eyes - from what? From love and the joy of life on this earth? Fundamentalists see exposure to the world as something to be feared and so they limit their exposure and hide away in their own communities, so the problem compounds upon itself.
On the other hand, technology makes it increasingly difficult for such extreme isolation to work effectively, and you get kids like me that learn to think for themselves, study the love in religious texts, and rebel against cultures of judgement and wrath. Naturally this leads to many in the religious fringes to reject and fear technology. Television was banned, going to movies, many types of music - when caught with my radio tuned to the local rock-n-roll station, my clock radio was taken away for three years (I got it back for my 16th birthday).
We make our children afraid
Power and drama in end time scenarios
Excite teens by building tension
Pander to tribal instincts of fear - the boogie man is out to get you if you don't behave
Look at the hell scaring films of the 80s
Are Muslim fundamentalists doing this to their youth too? They're due for their own protestant-style reformation. Or has Islam already had a reformation and it's just the conservatives hanging on by their teeth that are being all apocalyptic and shit, wooing in disillusioned youth? I can't speak to that side of the aisle but I sure would like to know. I only tangentially know a couple of Muslims, certainly not closely enough to talk about religion.
Kids in many churches of the 1980's were subjected to book and record burnings. Heavy metal music enthusiastically gave the finger to religious fear-mongering and flew the flag of demonic symbology laughing all the way to the bank at the frightened Christian parents.
Humanity has been throwing rocks at the "other" guy for eons. Spiritual leaders continuing this practice after so many centuries is simply shameful, but it happens here in the west just the same as it happens in the east. Mad men lead naive followers down paths of hatred and annihilation.
There are frustrated Muslims that are fighting for sanity even as they are misunderstood and vilified. We Christians have our nut jobs too, but ours are not getting condemned as strongly in the news, because it's a little too uncomfortable to think that we might have a stick in our eye.
Fear isn't just a religious thing, it's a cultural phenomenon. Jon Pavolvitz wrote yesterday about fearful Christians and for all but one part I see his point (as a libertarian I object to his anti-gun line and find liberals being fearful of guns hypocritical, but there's plenty of hypocrisy on both sides to go around). I wasn't afraid of gays for my kids, but of straight adults. I was afraid Christians would make my kids afraid of God.
I took my kids out of the church to protect them from being afraid of God like me. I was raised terrified that my parents and everyone were going to disappear and leave me behind. I knew I wouldn't make the rapture because I was bad. I was rebellious and wanted to do my own thing and I hid my enjoyment of "sinful" things. I wouldn't do without my "sinful" behaviors because I knew by natural law in my mind that what I enjoyed wasn't harmful to anyone, not even to me, that it was just "sinful" because the church said so. I was so afraid the rapture would strand me, yet that wasn't enough to change my behavior, because in my heart I was doing what felt right: my natural spirituality overruled my taught spirituality. I didn't want my kids to feel that terror in the night, or to feel awful about themselves, so I protected them from church.
I myself obtained my concealed carry permit because I felt such powerlessness and grief at the news of the Pulse night club shooting. I know that fundamentalist beliefs can be the root of much mental anguish; although I opened my eyes when I was age 12 and began turning away from fear of god, I know that many others do not awaken and are suffocating under that torment of their souls.
If such an incident were to happen in my vicinity and I did not have a way to put an end to such fanatical madness, to protect "sinners" in the line of fire, I would have so many regrets. So yes, I carry a gun.
When a man can be so sad and tormented with guilt over the natural desires of his heart and soul (the FBI did not find corroborating evidence but the allegations are numerous), yet religion has made him feel compelled to destroy all those who share such desires, I wish that all the beautiful souls there at Pulse would have been armed (caveat - designated drivers only - not drinkers) and could have stopped his self-destructive eruption much earlier.
I pray that people being compelled or inspired by power hungry maniacs in extremist factions to commit atrocities will begin to wake up, to grow emotionally mature and their edges will soften and join the human race.
It make take centuries, but I yearn for the progression of love and peace. The more we accept others, the less we have to fear, as they become part of our family, the family of the human race. Even in insular communities, each person is a marble that can touch the person adjacent, thus spreading warmth and compassion as much as we can.
Failing that, I suppose the apocalypse is coming after all.
These preachers thrive on conflict and drama - preaching about the scariest underbelly of the world draws the timid sheep in closer to stick by him. And then associating even innocuous fun with evil drives a greater wedge between his sheltered sheep and the proverbial wolves of the world. Hallmarks of an abuser (insecurity needing fulfillment from adoration) - isolate your victim from friends and family.
Lately the Pentecostal fringes have been getting a light shined on their fear mongering tactics.
Extremism has no place in any faith. Many Christians are embarrassed that extremists like this man try to speak as representatives of the faith - except those still trapped and blinded in these denominations rush to defend his vitriolic words. Can we please realize this is just another example of hatred in the style of the Westboro Baptists?
You know, I wonder, how do extremists get started? It's fright. They are so afraid. So fearful in their own hearts of the world out there. It's a scary place, fraught with danger and misunderstanding. Afraid of losing the people they need, afraid of being left alone, afraid of rejection, and so they grasp at their families like trying to hold water in their fists. People that dress and act and speak differently are frightening when you live in isolation, protected from outsiders.
This is why I feel it is dangerous to isolate children and put them in churches where they have no exposure to the rest of the world, church schools to protect their innocent eyes - from what? From love and the joy of life on this earth? Fundamentalists see exposure to the world as something to be feared and so they limit their exposure and hide away in their own communities, so the problem compounds upon itself.
On the other hand, technology makes it increasingly difficult for such extreme isolation to work effectively, and you get kids like me that learn to think for themselves, study the love in religious texts, and rebel against cultures of judgement and wrath. Naturally this leads to many in the religious fringes to reject and fear technology. Television was banned, going to movies, many types of music - when caught with my radio tuned to the local rock-n-roll station, my clock radio was taken away for three years (I got it back for my 16th birthday).
We make our children afraid
Power and drama in end time scenarios
Excite teens by building tension
Pander to tribal instincts of fear - the boogie man is out to get you if you don't behave
Look at the hell scaring films of the 80s
Are Muslim fundamentalists doing this to their youth too? They're due for their own protestant-style reformation. Or has Islam already had a reformation and it's just the conservatives hanging on by their teeth that are being all apocalyptic and shit, wooing in disillusioned youth? I can't speak to that side of the aisle but I sure would like to know. I only tangentially know a couple of Muslims, certainly not closely enough to talk about religion.
Kids in many churches of the 1980's were subjected to book and record burnings. Heavy metal music enthusiastically gave the finger to religious fear-mongering and flew the flag of demonic symbology laughing all the way to the bank at the frightened Christian parents.
Humanity has been throwing rocks at the "other" guy for eons. Spiritual leaders continuing this practice after so many centuries is simply shameful, but it happens here in the west just the same as it happens in the east. Mad men lead naive followers down paths of hatred and annihilation.
There are frustrated Muslims that are fighting for sanity even as they are misunderstood and vilified. We Christians have our nut jobs too, but ours are not getting condemned as strongly in the news, because it's a little too uncomfortable to think that we might have a stick in our eye.
Fear isn't just a religious thing, it's a cultural phenomenon. Jon Pavolvitz wrote yesterday about fearful Christians and for all but one part I see his point (as a libertarian I object to his anti-gun line and find liberals being fearful of guns hypocritical, but there's plenty of hypocrisy on both sides to go around). I wasn't afraid of gays for my kids, but of straight adults. I was afraid Christians would make my kids afraid of God.
I took my kids out of the church to protect them from being afraid of God like me. I was raised terrified that my parents and everyone were going to disappear and leave me behind. I knew I wouldn't make the rapture because I was bad. I was rebellious and wanted to do my own thing and I hid my enjoyment of "sinful" things. I wouldn't do without my "sinful" behaviors because I knew by natural law in my mind that what I enjoyed wasn't harmful to anyone, not even to me, that it was just "sinful" because the church said so. I was so afraid the rapture would strand me, yet that wasn't enough to change my behavior, because in my heart I was doing what felt right: my natural spirituality overruled my taught spirituality. I didn't want my kids to feel that terror in the night, or to feel awful about themselves, so I protected them from church.
I myself obtained my concealed carry permit because I felt such powerlessness and grief at the news of the Pulse night club shooting. I know that fundamentalist beliefs can be the root of much mental anguish; although I opened my eyes when I was age 12 and began turning away from fear of god, I know that many others do not awaken and are suffocating under that torment of their souls.
If such an incident were to happen in my vicinity and I did not have a way to put an end to such fanatical madness, to protect "sinners" in the line of fire, I would have so many regrets. So yes, I carry a gun.
When a man can be so sad and tormented with guilt over the natural desires of his heart and soul (the FBI did not find corroborating evidence but the allegations are numerous), yet religion has made him feel compelled to destroy all those who share such desires, I wish that all the beautiful souls there at Pulse would have been armed (caveat - designated drivers only - not drinkers) and could have stopped his self-destructive eruption much earlier.
I pray that people being compelled or inspired by power hungry maniacs in extremist factions to commit atrocities will begin to wake up, to grow emotionally mature and their edges will soften and join the human race.
It make take centuries, but I yearn for the progression of love and peace. The more we accept others, the less we have to fear, as they become part of our family, the family of the human race. Even in insular communities, each person is a marble that can touch the person adjacent, thus spreading warmth and compassion as much as we can.
Failing that, I suppose the apocalypse is coming after all.
Monday, November 7, 2016
Right to Farm - Oklahoma State question 777
I was for it - competition, and driving prices down is a good thing, and less regulation on the market. Scientifically driven efficiency is optimum. But a constitutional amendment seems silly, frivolous. Over the top hyperbole.
On the for side, face reality: small farms are a luxury, not a viable way of life anymore, this is for progress to use better technology to create more food more efficiently. While I buy seasonal items from a farmers market for the freshness and flavor that is so much better than big box grocery offerings, I do so as a luxury of my older years, and I personally know how prohibitively expensive fresh produce is for young families. Anything we can do as a cooperative society to use technological advancements to drive down the price of fresh food is a good thing.
However! On the against side: this bill doesn't solely focus on vegetables and fruit, it's also about ranching, raising livestock. It's so broad that it could be applied to any kind of husbandry, including raising pets. I sure don't want people wantonly breeding more animals. The unaltered cats roaming the street and breeding rampantly are incredibly annoying if not yet a menace. And because this bill paints such a broad swath across many markets, this can only tend to muddy things up in court - losing the best outcome, a fast and responsive free market.
For future consideration: what we really need is a mechanism to make fresh produce more affordable to young families who are often living paycheck to paycheck (with mortgage plus utilities at nearly 50% of their salary there's no wiggle room in those young budgets).
When a bag of celery and a head of lettuce costs more than an entire frozen meal, cheese crackers and potato chips, canned or frozen items in excess of x caloric, salt, sugar or fat content, need some sort of health tax imposed that gets applied directly to subsidize cost reductions for produce - balance it out. Celery, lettuce, tomatoes, apples, grapes should all cost 1/4 what they do now. A bagged salad or prepared fresh veggie box should be much cheaper than a fast food box meal. We'd solve a lot of problems, and help health issues and farmers both.
On the for side, face reality: small farms are a luxury, not a viable way of life anymore, this is for progress to use better technology to create more food more efficiently. While I buy seasonal items from a farmers market for the freshness and flavor that is so much better than big box grocery offerings, I do so as a luxury of my older years, and I personally know how prohibitively expensive fresh produce is for young families. Anything we can do as a cooperative society to use technological advancements to drive down the price of fresh food is a good thing.
However! On the against side: this bill doesn't solely focus on vegetables and fruit, it's also about ranching, raising livestock. It's so broad that it could be applied to any kind of husbandry, including raising pets. I sure don't want people wantonly breeding more animals. The unaltered cats roaming the street and breeding rampantly are incredibly annoying if not yet a menace. And because this bill paints such a broad swath across many markets, this can only tend to muddy things up in court - losing the best outcome, a fast and responsive free market.
For future consideration: what we really need is a mechanism to make fresh produce more affordable to young families who are often living paycheck to paycheck (with mortgage plus utilities at nearly 50% of their salary there's no wiggle room in those young budgets).
When a bag of celery and a head of lettuce costs more than an entire frozen meal, cheese crackers and potato chips, canned or frozen items in excess of x caloric, salt, sugar or fat content, need some sort of health tax imposed that gets applied directly to subsidize cost reductions for produce - balance it out. Celery, lettuce, tomatoes, apples, grapes should all cost 1/4 what they do now. A bagged salad or prepared fresh veggie box should be much cheaper than a fast food box meal. We'd solve a lot of problems, and help health issues and farmers both.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
The Drug War
Forgive me, I ramble a bit on this one. But I do have a point. A couple of points.
Jail is just vo-tech classes on How to be a Gangster 101. If drugs were legal, our taxes wouldn't be pouring like water through a sieve into jails that teach slightly messed-up people how to be real serious criminals. Instead, people whose lives had led them to this pass need counseling and mental healing so they can be productive members of society.
People try drugs:
just because it's passed to them at a party
out of boredom
to impress bravado
People continue to take drugs:
just because it's passed to them at a party
out of boredom
to impress bravado
out of taking something to bury bad emotions (pain, misery, fear, worries)
People get addicted to drugs:
out of taking something to bury bad emotions again (pain, misery, fear, worries)
Let's stop wasting tax money on jailing broken people only to teach them how to cheat, steal and assail their way into more trouble.
Drugs + Jail = Crime
Drugs do not equal crime. Jailing drug users turns lost, broken people into criminals.
Crime is a personal attack on another person (verbal or physical assault, theft).
Drugs are a personal choice (albeit a bad choice) of attack on one's own person.
I am quite proud that the Oklahoma ballot will have two measures on it this November towards a solution, state questions 780 and 781: tax money & time spent on jail will instead go towards substance abuse and mental health programs. This is the way towards healing the broken, not just slapping a bandage on a gushing artery.
It's just plain silly to have so many layers of laws on top of laws against drugs where if we'd just follow the ones we already had against property and personal crime, these problems have already been addressed.
It is still and should remain illegal to be intoxicated (high) in public, whether walking or driving. What's a solution for a safe place for drug use - home, a bar? Drug & alcohol use should be kept private for both the safety of the user and the public at large; if in a recreational business catering to such activities, bartenders and bouncers should be on site to guide in safe usage, with safe transportation choices on hand.
I have no right to tell you what you can or cannot put into your own body, so long as you do not endanger me or my loved ones. True, I would prefer that you do not choose drugs, but I cannot fix your life by trying to legislate your morality.
Morality must come from society - peer pressure. The expected behavior that our peers hold us to.
Our friends and neighbors are the measure of our morals.
Jail is just vo-tech classes on How to be a Gangster 101. If drugs were legal, our taxes wouldn't be pouring like water through a sieve into jails that teach slightly messed-up people how to be real serious criminals. Instead, people whose lives had led them to this pass need counseling and mental healing so they can be productive members of society.
People try drugs:
just because it's passed to them at a party
out of boredom
to impress bravado
People continue to take drugs:
just because it's passed to them at a party
out of boredom
to impress bravado
out of taking something to bury bad emotions (pain, misery, fear, worries)
People get addicted to drugs:
out of taking something to bury bad emotions again (pain, misery, fear, worries)
Let's stop wasting tax money on jailing broken people only to teach them how to cheat, steal and assail their way into more trouble.
Drugs + Jail = Crime
Drugs do not equal crime. Jailing drug users turns lost, broken people into criminals.
Crime is a personal attack on another person (verbal or physical assault, theft).
Drugs are a personal choice (albeit a bad choice) of attack on one's own person.
I am quite proud that the Oklahoma ballot will have two measures on it this November towards a solution, state questions 780 and 781: tax money & time spent on jail will instead go towards substance abuse and mental health programs. This is the way towards healing the broken, not just slapping a bandage on a gushing artery.
It's just plain silly to have so many layers of laws on top of laws against drugs where if we'd just follow the ones we already had against property and personal crime, these problems have already been addressed.
It is still and should remain illegal to be intoxicated (high) in public, whether walking or driving. What's a solution for a safe place for drug use - home, a bar? Drug & alcohol use should be kept private for both the safety of the user and the public at large; if in a recreational business catering to such activities, bartenders and bouncers should be on site to guide in safe usage, with safe transportation choices on hand.
I have no right to tell you what you can or cannot put into your own body, so long as you do not endanger me or my loved ones. True, I would prefer that you do not choose drugs, but I cannot fix your life by trying to legislate your morality.
Morality must come from society - peer pressure. The expected behavior that our peers hold us to.
Our friends and neighbors are the measure of our morals.
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Sex and Politics
So this is what the old folks were warning us about when they were anxiety-ridden over the hippie's free love movement bringing our social mores down, even at the highest ranks of our nation.
Pussy grabbing controversy ala Trump 2016
sigh
presidential election my ass
Look, I'm all good with appreciating sexual beauty, a healthy sex appetite is great! But you don't have a license to grab pussy uninvited just because you've earned a little fame. No one does, and guys can talk about pussy appreciation to each other all they want without crossing the line of middle-school pressure to feel someone up uninvited. So yeah, I hold a presidential candidate to a higher standard.
I'm voting for Gary Johnson. Best case scenario, he wins with 35% of the vote nationwide. He is on all 50 ballots after all, and the pollsters keep only giving two choices and brushing off people who specify Gary. I'm thinking there's going to be a lot more support for the Johnson-Weld ticket than the mainstream politicos are bargaining for.
In the meantime, I'll do some cuddly wuddly appreciation of Joshua Varozza (and no, I wouldn't just walk up and grab his crotch or any other temptingly huggable man - talking is okay, touching is not, talking about touching is just eww)*
*Post script: I will always defend the human right to speak, even if it is crass, sexist, racist, or any other form of disgusting. As a consequence, I reserve the right to point out that such speech identifies such a speaker as crass, sexist, racist, or disgusting. I do not approve of such speech, however legal it may be.
Pussy grabbing controversy ala Trump 2016
sigh
presidential election my ass
Look, I'm all good with appreciating sexual beauty, a healthy sex appetite is great! But you don't have a license to grab pussy uninvited just because you've earned a little fame. No one does, and guys can talk about pussy appreciation to each other all they want without crossing the line of middle-school pressure to feel someone up uninvited. So yeah, I hold a presidential candidate to a higher standard.
I'm voting for Gary Johnson. Best case scenario, he wins with 35% of the vote nationwide. He is on all 50 ballots after all, and the pollsters keep only giving two choices and brushing off people who specify Gary. I'm thinking there's going to be a lot more support for the Johnson-Weld ticket than the mainstream politicos are bargaining for.
In the meantime, I'll do some cuddly wuddly appreciation of Joshua Varozza (and no, I wouldn't just walk up and grab his crotch or any other temptingly huggable man - talking is okay, touching is not, talking about touching is just eww)*
 |
| Cuddly Guy Dudeoir - Mmmmm Hmmmm |
*Post script: I will always defend the human right to speak, even if it is crass, sexist, racist, or any other form of disgusting. As a consequence, I reserve the right to point out that such speech identifies such a speaker as crass, sexist, racist, or disgusting. I do not approve of such speech, however legal it may be.
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