a self-proclaimed feminist makes two very un-feminist declarations:
1. I hate armpit hair. No gender is excepted from this. Armpit hair on any person just makes me squirm.
2. I hate body odor. Well, I like mine well enough. But, no matter how hard I try to not be bothered by it, I still find others' strong body odor annoying and offensive.
does that make me not a feminist? I don't think so.... we all have little idiosyncrasies, I guess.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
peaceful to rage in under 60 seconds.
It terrifies me that, to a large chunk of our country, intelligence and competence is seen as a bad thing.
That said, politics these days have the uncanny capability of making me go from peaceful to boiling rage in under 10 seconds. I'm sure anyone who's talked politics with me in the last few days can verify this.
I just. can't. even.
When did 'conservative' go from meaning 'conserve the government's cash flow so we can have a healthy economy' to 'conserve my own big heap of money which NO ONE ELSE CAN HAVE NAH NAH NAH POOR PEOPLE SCREW ALL YOU GUYS GO GET A JOB YOU LAZY BUMS (also I would like a christian nation where no one is educated so they will believe whatever I tell them and I can also hate on whomever I want without any repercussions)'???????
huh?? When?? These are the times when I curse the two-party system and its ability to cause semi-sane politicians to vote against their own beliefs and interests just to court a certain fringe population. (ahem Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, and countless others ahem)
There are just endless things I could name that can send me into a spiral of rage - but nothing makes me steam out the ears more than the current political clusterfuck over TAXES.
I'm a democrat, for the most part, so I'm a little biased when I speak about this. But I'm trying to come from a logical standpoint, here.
This is how I see it: Capitalism is a system that in order to be fair and/or functional depends on people not being greedy and -at least marginally- sharing their wealth with others or redistributing it back into the economy some way. However, as of now it is seen merely as a tool to manipulate to one's advantage so one can accumulate mass amounts of individual wealth. The whole "individualism" thing is basically an out for people so they have an excuse not to have to worry about or have any regard for others (if you don't have any money, you just must not be motivated enough, right?). The whole 'sharing' or 'redistributing' thing is kind of cast aside as unimportant because it doesn't concern or benefit the "individual"(except in emotional ways but of course, those do not count as 'important' in the capitalist system). And it has been proven time and time again that people ARE greedy and will always BE greedy. It's also been proven that stimulus funding doesn't 100 percent work, either, for this very same reason. Therefore, the system has a major flaw and needs to be reworked. Right?
so apparently, according to 'conservative' republicans, that means we should keep taxing the poor people and giving huge tax cuts to the wealthy people and businesses, in hope that they will feel generous and flow that money back into the economy with jobs. However, presented with the evidence I think we can safely say that doesn't work, because those wealthy individuals and businesses hoard the wealth rather than redistribute it in the economy. So, our rich get richer and our poor get poorer until there's such a massive class divide that the economy just falls apart completely.
The problem is that taxes are getting higher and higher and incomes are getting lower and lower. Why is there less income? Because there are no jobs. Why are there no jobs? Because businesses and people are so much poorer that they cannot afford to pay more than the bare minimum of workers. Why are taxes getting higher? Because the government is piss-poor. Why is everyone so poor? because the top 1% or something of the population is literally hoarding all the money in this country.
Try to tell me that sounds like a well-oiled, functional economic system.
And why in the world do people ferociously defend a system that, while sometimes has them riding high, mostly just ends up kicking them into the proverbial shitter? (sub-prime loan scams, inflation, great depression of the 30s, great depression of the 2000s, housing and stock market crashes, foreclosures, all other depressions in between, massive widespread poverty)
Here's why: the people making the rules aren't the ones really being affected by all this. They're all about 'limiting government spending' and whatnot, but the hidden fine print on that statement is 'limiting government spending...... on things we don't need personally.' If limiting government spending meant investigating and limiting the salaries and personal spending of government officials and corporate C.E.O.s instead of cutting important things like medicare and healthcare, I'll bet my ass they wouldn't be railing so hard for it. It just makes my logic hurt to think that the ones calling the shots in this country about social and financial issues are not the ones who would face the consequences of those decisions (abortion, gay marriage, medicare, etc.) In addition to that, we are taught from the earliest age possible that capitalism is the ONLY system and everything else is bad bad bad bad. We're taught to rely on it and become completely immersed in it - it's kind of similar to an abusive relationship. The system mistreats us but we rely on it and can't see past it.
It just makes me so sad that the system we try to function in will never work because it's based solely on self-interest and greed. I watched a video recently where republican lobbyist Edwina Rogers literally buys sheets of uncut money from the treasury to use as wrapping paper for gifts (ahem, bribes) for senators. It made me want to vomit and cry at the same time.
I shall continue this rant later.
That said, politics these days have the uncanny capability of making me go from peaceful to boiling rage in under 10 seconds. I'm sure anyone who's talked politics with me in the last few days can verify this.
I just. can't. even.
When did 'conservative' go from meaning 'conserve the government's cash flow so we can have a healthy economy' to 'conserve my own big heap of money which NO ONE ELSE CAN HAVE NAH NAH NAH POOR PEOPLE SCREW ALL YOU GUYS GO GET A JOB YOU LAZY BUMS (also I would like a christian nation where no one is educated so they will believe whatever I tell them and I can also hate on whomever I want without any repercussions)'???????
huh?? When?? These are the times when I curse the two-party system and its ability to cause semi-sane politicians to vote against their own beliefs and interests just to court a certain fringe population. (ahem Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, and countless others ahem)
There are just endless things I could name that can send me into a spiral of rage - but nothing makes me steam out the ears more than the current political clusterfuck over TAXES.
I'm a democrat, for the most part, so I'm a little biased when I speak about this. But I'm trying to come from a logical standpoint, here.
This is how I see it: Capitalism is a system that in order to be fair and/or functional depends on people not being greedy and -at least marginally- sharing their wealth with others or redistributing it back into the economy some way. However, as of now it is seen merely as a tool to manipulate to one's advantage so one can accumulate mass amounts of individual wealth. The whole "individualism" thing is basically an out for people so they have an excuse not to have to worry about or have any regard for others (if you don't have any money, you just must not be motivated enough, right?). The whole 'sharing' or 'redistributing' thing is kind of cast aside as unimportant because it doesn't concern or benefit the "individual"(except in emotional ways but of course, those do not count as 'important' in the capitalist system). And it has been proven time and time again that people ARE greedy and will always BE greedy. It's also been proven that stimulus funding doesn't 100 percent work, either, for this very same reason. Therefore, the system has a major flaw and needs to be reworked. Right?
so apparently, according to 'conservative' republicans, that means we should keep taxing the poor people and giving huge tax cuts to the wealthy people and businesses, in hope that they will feel generous and flow that money back into the economy with jobs. However, presented with the evidence I think we can safely say that doesn't work, because those wealthy individuals and businesses hoard the wealth rather than redistribute it in the economy. So, our rich get richer and our poor get poorer until there's such a massive class divide that the economy just falls apart completely.
The problem is that taxes are getting higher and higher and incomes are getting lower and lower. Why is there less income? Because there are no jobs. Why are there no jobs? Because businesses and people are so much poorer that they cannot afford to pay more than the bare minimum of workers. Why are taxes getting higher? Because the government is piss-poor. Why is everyone so poor? because the top 1% or something of the population is literally hoarding all the money in this country.
Try to tell me that sounds like a well-oiled, functional economic system.
And why in the world do people ferociously defend a system that, while sometimes has them riding high, mostly just ends up kicking them into the proverbial shitter? (sub-prime loan scams, inflation, great depression of the 30s, great depression of the 2000s, housing and stock market crashes, foreclosures, all other depressions in between, massive widespread poverty)
Here's why: the people making the rules aren't the ones really being affected by all this. They're all about 'limiting government spending' and whatnot, but the hidden fine print on that statement is 'limiting government spending...... on things we don't need personally.' If limiting government spending meant investigating and limiting the salaries and personal spending of government officials and corporate C.E.O.s instead of cutting important things like medicare and healthcare, I'll bet my ass they wouldn't be railing so hard for it. It just makes my logic hurt to think that the ones calling the shots in this country about social and financial issues are not the ones who would face the consequences of those decisions (abortion, gay marriage, medicare, etc.) In addition to that, we are taught from the earliest age possible that capitalism is the ONLY system and everything else is bad bad bad bad. We're taught to rely on it and become completely immersed in it - it's kind of similar to an abusive relationship. The system mistreats us but we rely on it and can't see past it.
It just makes me so sad that the system we try to function in will never work because it's based solely on self-interest and greed. I watched a video recently where republican lobbyist Edwina Rogers literally buys sheets of uncut money from the treasury to use as wrapping paper for gifts (ahem, bribes) for senators. It made me want to vomit and cry at the same time.
I shall continue this rant later.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Belief
I am an Atheist. A true believer in the fact that there is no god and that the bible is an interesting book of fables that may or may not have interesting lessons to teach. There are many things I believe. I believe in evolution. I believe in science. I believe in reality. I believe that my life may not have some kind of grand purpose, but that that's okay. Some people think that the thought of aimlessly meandering through life without a purpose is depressing and even frightening, but I think that we find our own purpose. I may not have been put here on this earth for any reason, but we find our own reasons to live. I believe in equality. I may get bogged down with petty judgments in the grind that is daily life but I know in my heart that I believe in true equality. I believe that believing in god is a huge leap of faith that many are willing to take, and many are not, but we all believe in something. As humans we constantly question our teachings and our surroundings, we constantly evaluate and re-evaluate, and that's what makes us alive. To blindly follow and not question is to not live up to your potential as a human. To be so self-centered as to think that your way of believing is the only right way is to mistake what it really means to believe. Belief should not be a horse blinder blocking out all other points of view. It is a huge, ever changing and transforming force that should bring people together, rather than violently drive them apart with scorn for not following the "rules." Belief should be always adapting, always learning, never stagnant. We all have various events, people and things in our lives that make us who we are, and it is extremely foolish to try to jam all personalities into a one-size-fits-all mold of organized religious values.
So there are many things that I believe, and there are many things that I value, and it just so happens that none of them really have to do with going to heaven or hell or Jesus or whatever reasons religious people may have for justifying their faith. These are my reasons for justifying mine.
It's just, I've heard so many times - mild-mannered christians who wonder - "what do those atheists have against us?? We don't try to force our religion on them. We're not bad people." It's not about condemning every Christian believer, because despite what they want you to believe christianity is not a monolithic front. Personal belief from person to person is a very different thing from the bigoted, tyrannical and downright oppressive actions of the corrupt organized religion whose name they still happily claim. And then they come out with some patronizing statement about how they "feel sorry and sad for atheists," etcetera, or that atheists "just don't know better." That's another thing I believe: that I don't like to be talked down to and/or patronized.
I wish I could be more eloquent about this. I just. Argh.
huarghgh. Religion. Those petty judgments I was talking about? Sometimes religion just makes my blood boil.
You know what? Maybe one day the heavens will open and Jesus will come and whatnot and take the believers or whatever he is going to do and then I'll stand utterly corrected. Until then, I'm pretty happy as I am.
So there are many things that I believe, and there are many things that I value, and it just so happens that none of them really have to do with going to heaven or hell or Jesus or whatever reasons religious people may have for justifying their faith. These are my reasons for justifying mine.
It's just, I've heard so many times - mild-mannered christians who wonder - "what do those atheists have against us?? We don't try to force our religion on them. We're not bad people." It's not about condemning every Christian believer, because despite what they want you to believe christianity is not a monolithic front. Personal belief from person to person is a very different thing from the bigoted, tyrannical and downright oppressive actions of the corrupt organized religion whose name they still happily claim. And then they come out with some patronizing statement about how they "feel sorry and sad for atheists," etcetera, or that atheists "just don't know better." That's another thing I believe: that I don't like to be talked down to and/or patronized.
I wish I could be more eloquent about this. I just. Argh.
huarghgh. Religion. Those petty judgments I was talking about? Sometimes religion just makes my blood boil.
You know what? Maybe one day the heavens will open and Jesus will come and whatnot and take the believers or whatever he is going to do and then I'll stand utterly corrected. Until then, I'm pretty happy as I am.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Teh Googlez
Dr. Google really does make everything better. Don't know what you're talking about? Google it. I can tell you to Google as many things as I want because it's not trademarked as a verb. Google that.
I have noticed my growing reliance on Google in all situations, which comes as an added bonus to having a smartphone addiction, I think.
Don't know how to get to Midtown? Google it (you've been there a thousand times, you should know by now. Also, somehow NO ONE ON THE INTERNET KNOWS THE HOURS.)
Don't know how to tell if a mango is ripe? Google it (It's comparable to feeling out the ripeness of a peach or pear).
Don't know if you should drink alcohol with your specific antibiotic? Google it (You probably shouldn't).
Paranoid about mixing certain cold medicines even though the doctor told you you could? Google it anyway (it's safe to take ibuprophen, acetaphetamines, and suphedrine together as long as each one doesn't have any traces of the other).
Don't know what that little hole in the top of your iPhone is next to the headphone jack? Google it (it's a mic, don't stick any foreign objects in it, for christ's sake).
Don't know whether the Indian shooting the star on a Tootsie-pop wrapper rumor is true or not? Google it (either way, still not sending it in).
Don't know what the sudden change in behavior of your beloved pet is all about? Google it (he's probably sick and/or just messed up).
Don't know what magna cum laude means? Google it (for MICA it's 3.75).
Want to know what Denis Leary looks like outside of Suicide Kings - in which he's totally smokin' by the way? Google it (meh).
Don't know how to spot knockoff headphones? Google it (you should have thought about that before you ordered them).
Wondering what Harold Camping's doing after the failed rapture? Google it (returned no juicy results).
Don't know what a D&C is? Google it (really wish I hadn't).
Wondering when The Guild season 5 comes out? Google it (NOT SOON ENOUGH DAMMIT).
Your iPhone thinks it's connected to a mystery accessory and drives you up the wall by turning itself on every thirty seconds? Goooooooggggggglllleeeeeeee iiiiittttttt.
(you got water in the connector, you dum dum)
see? SO MANY ANSWERS. Answers to everything I could ever want.
I have noticed my growing reliance on Google in all situations, which comes as an added bonus to having a smartphone addiction, I think.
Don't know how to get to Midtown? Google it (you've been there a thousand times, you should know by now. Also, somehow NO ONE ON THE INTERNET KNOWS THE HOURS.)
Don't know how to tell if a mango is ripe? Google it (It's comparable to feeling out the ripeness of a peach or pear).
Don't know if you should drink alcohol with your specific antibiotic? Google it (You probably shouldn't).
Paranoid about mixing certain cold medicines even though the doctor told you you could? Google it anyway (it's safe to take ibuprophen, acetaphetamines, and suphedrine together as long as each one doesn't have any traces of the other).
Don't know what that little hole in the top of your iPhone is next to the headphone jack? Google it (it's a mic, don't stick any foreign objects in it, for christ's sake).
Don't know whether the Indian shooting the star on a Tootsie-pop wrapper rumor is true or not? Google it (either way, still not sending it in).
Don't know what the sudden change in behavior of your beloved pet is all about? Google it (he's probably sick and/or just messed up).
Don't know what magna cum laude means? Google it (for MICA it's 3.75).
Want to know what Denis Leary looks like outside of Suicide Kings - in which he's totally smokin' by the way? Google it (meh).
Don't know how to spot knockoff headphones? Google it (you should have thought about that before you ordered them).
Wondering what Harold Camping's doing after the failed rapture? Google it (returned no juicy results).
Don't know what a D&C is? Google it (really wish I hadn't).
Wondering when The Guild season 5 comes out? Google it (NOT SOON ENOUGH DAMMIT).
Your iPhone thinks it's connected to a mystery accessory and drives you up the wall by turning itself on every thirty seconds? Goooooooggggggglllleeeeeeee iiiiittttttt.
(you got water in the connector, you dum dum)
see? SO MANY ANSWERS. Answers to everything I could ever want.
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