Which is better at making fun of the reaction of the supposed straight edge mentality? Well Crucial Youth were the first and from what I gather had the most obnoxious lyrics. The bashing of cursing, masturbating, dirty teeth, littering..etc...are the most hilarious things I have ever heard. I believe that they are really not too opposed to the SXE style of living, yet are making fun of everyone that thinks Ian and the rest were preaching Nazis. In my opinion, not drinking is alright, it keeps you focused. Not that I don't drink, (love the drink) but staying focused on the problems in society is something everyone should aspire to. Giving your full attention to various societal/governmental problems is something everyone can agree upon. Ok? Remember "You call it religion, you're full of shit. You picked up a bible, and now you're gone."
Then there's Grudge. They compose their songs of mass thrash in a remarkably straight edge-ish style, with lyrics that are completely anti SXE. I think it is also hilarious when they say Drinking's Great, and that "when we see you pissed at us it really makes us smile." Apart from that, they seem to be more anti straight edge and furious at the entire movement, and are doing it to get a reaction. That's how I feel anyway.
Do you have a humble opinion about such things? Let me know what is the better FAKE STRAIGHT EDGE BAND? And if you hate SXE, give me a reason please. Once again, I'm not an x-er. At the same time, I don't hate on their feelings of focusing their energy fully on correcting various problems within the "scene". For example today, using fashion and coolness as an excuse for not showing energy or getting together with other punks. Let me know, I'm dying to hear from the masses on this one.
Rants and Reviews
6.26.2010
6.22.2010
what does god mean to me?
So it has been a good weekend. I went out to the west side of this state, Michigan, to spend the weekend with my brother and his friend at said friends' apartment. Got a pretty sick sunburn, too. Now, we went out and were at a restaurant and somehow started talking about religion, and how it relates to us. I am an atheist and started to explain how I don't go to church anymore and what I have gotten out of religion. I stated that even though I don't go, and I don't worship and pray, that if I got anything out of my upbringing as a Roman Catholic, it was to be good to other people. This just seems like common sense to me, and I don't believe that one should worship just to be able to carry out their lives in a non-dickish way to other people. I also explained that there are so many things wrong with the church and that if one knows anything about the crusades past and present, and the current pedophelia sweeping the rectories, that there are things wrong with the inherent culture of the modern church. My brother and his friend are both Catholics and go to church regularly. In so many words, they related that they feel they go to actually feel a relationship with god. Through being at a church on a Sunday, they feel more of a connection. And then asked me, "what started the big bang?". To which I replied there are so many millions of galaxies and that we are an accident. Then his friend asked me, "so there's nothing that put it all into motion?" and that "at a certain point one has to believe in some kind of god, right?" And what can I say, other than I don't know. I stated that even though I don't know that (which nobody does), it is not like I am going to ask for confession on my death bed when I know it is not fair if I don't go to church. And as a side note, I got confirmed, and my brother doesn't which he feels is unfair because I no longer believe. Just go do it if you're so jealous! It's really not that difficult, and if someone believes that much, they should at least be allowed into heaven, but only if they take the right classes, right?
Anyway, it goes back to an old philosophical question of religion and what are the benefits of not going vs. the benefits of going to church. On one hand, you don't go. You have saved a lot of time. If god doesn't exist, you spent that time in a better manner than wasting it in church. However, if he does exist, you are going to hell. However, you may go to church. In that case you waste a lot of time going to Church and doing whatever you do as a practicing (add religion here). If your particular god exists, then you go to heaven. If your god does not exist, then you have wasted a great deal of time and effort. The thing I'm saying is that who knows what the right religion is, and if going is necessary. But the thing all religions (I think) can agree on is being good to one another, a thing I brought up to them. I don't feel the need to waste my time to achieve something that comes off as common sense. Besides, I don't agree with every tenet of the church in terms of Abortion, Gay Marriage, Women's Rights, Morality, Drug Use, Sexual Conduct, or Freedom of Expression. All of these things also lead me away from a pew into my own mind, where I can formulate my own opinions. They are also the same beliefs that would place me in direct conflict with the same church I once belonged to, or should still belong to. I'm sure it would not be happy with anyone that did not believe the same things it did. If people want to worship, I'm not going to convert them away, whatever helps them get through the night is fine with me. Everyone has separate experiences when it comes to religion, and through their socialization in terms of religious views. For me, CRASS played a big part. Anyways, religion is mostly okay, however when it is used in terms of politics and through guilt trips, they make me uncomfortable. It is also a thing that can be used to springboard prejudices: see "cheap Jews", "radical Islam", etc. etc. So worship what you want, just don't use it to try to intrude onto the majority of the ideals I have or by supporting causes which try to push a specific religious agenda in my or anyones' government. I can't explain all of this in one column, but you get the gist. God means nothing to me, I'll take my chances on my own. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong.
Remember, no one rules.
Anyway, it goes back to an old philosophical question of religion and what are the benefits of not going vs. the benefits of going to church. On one hand, you don't go. You have saved a lot of time. If god doesn't exist, you spent that time in a better manner than wasting it in church. However, if he does exist, you are going to hell. However, you may go to church. In that case you waste a lot of time going to Church and doing whatever you do as a practicing (add religion here). If your particular god exists, then you go to heaven. If your god does not exist, then you have wasted a great deal of time and effort. The thing I'm saying is that who knows what the right religion is, and if going is necessary. But the thing all religions (I think) can agree on is being good to one another, a thing I brought up to them. I don't feel the need to waste my time to achieve something that comes off as common sense. Besides, I don't agree with every tenet of the church in terms of Abortion, Gay Marriage, Women's Rights, Morality, Drug Use, Sexual Conduct, or Freedom of Expression. All of these things also lead me away from a pew into my own mind, where I can formulate my own opinions. They are also the same beliefs that would place me in direct conflict with the same church I once belonged to, or should still belong to. I'm sure it would not be happy with anyone that did not believe the same things it did. If people want to worship, I'm not going to convert them away, whatever helps them get through the night is fine with me. Everyone has separate experiences when it comes to religion, and through their socialization in terms of religious views. For me, CRASS played a big part. Anyways, religion is mostly okay, however when it is used in terms of politics and through guilt trips, they make me uncomfortable. It is also a thing that can be used to springboard prejudices: see "cheap Jews", "radical Islam", etc. etc. So worship what you want, just don't use it to try to intrude onto the majority of the ideals I have or by supporting causes which try to push a specific religious agenda in my or anyones' government. I can't explain all of this in one column, but you get the gist. God means nothing to me, I'll take my chances on my own. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong.
Remember, no one rules.
6.18.2010
Sob Story
Once again another Exciting work story! yes most of what gets my creative juices flowing are the endless strange people I meet on a day-to-day basis. So, a woman comes in on a wheelchair/scooter hybrid type deal. You know, a Hoverround. Anyhoo, she comes in and I'm takin' care of her, then as soon as she brings up her condition, Lupus, I know I'm in for a sob story. Maybe I'm too used to my fathers' attitude about having a severe case of muscular dystrophy and not really bringing it up at all, but she just had to let everyone know. Yes she has lupus. It's sad. But not sad enough. She then has to go on with how she got into a collison by going through a yellow and getting hit by someone who did not watch her go through the light. Again, sad. No that's not even enough for her, she goes into the gory details, how she was thrown from her seat and laid conscious but in extreme agony on the ground. Extremely sad. Then how she'd not been given help by the man that collided with her, and laid on the ground screaming for help. AWFULLY SAD. So that's the end of the life story, correct? You are mistaken. Said woman goes on to explain to myself and the two other ladies I work beside how she had sued the car company, and the gentleman, and lost. How she had to switch insurance companies as a result of all the previous. It seems the company would not cover her for ADA requirements inside of her house. Even though she had one ramp set up already, mind you. She lost her case because of claimed negligence in responding to GM in the proper time frame for her seatbelt and airbag malfunction. This is unforgivable on the part of GM, but. But, I cannot help but think that some of this is exaggerated.
Now don't tell me I'm being insensitive. How can one not be moved by such claims. But something else has to be said for the readiness with which she was able to share all of her hardships with all of us. Why would she want so much sympathy? Why the constant claim of being boxed in a corner and being maltreated by the system..accompanied in no small part by her own actions? I think that she is in a wheelchair, which is an awful situation I do not wish upon anyone, yet something is wrong. Her own actions caused the accident, and she should know that things can be much worse.
Back to my previous comment, my father. He knows things can be worse, and keeps a positive attitude and talks about it as little as possible.
As far as the worse goes, she could have died in Afghanistan, fighting for imperialism. She could have been killed in that accident. She could have not existed. She could have been shot point blank on the highway. She could have not been an American with the opportunity to afford an automobile.
Things can always be worse, it's a positive outlook that counts. Personal whining about being dealt an unfair hand is so trivial it makes me sad. Try a weekend in Iraq, then get back to me.
Now don't tell me I'm being insensitive. How can one not be moved by such claims. But something else has to be said for the readiness with which she was able to share all of her hardships with all of us. Why would she want so much sympathy? Why the constant claim of being boxed in a corner and being maltreated by the system..accompanied in no small part by her own actions? I think that she is in a wheelchair, which is an awful situation I do not wish upon anyone, yet something is wrong. Her own actions caused the accident, and she should know that things can be much worse.
Back to my previous comment, my father. He knows things can be worse, and keeps a positive attitude and talks about it as little as possible.
As far as the worse goes, she could have died in Afghanistan, fighting for imperialism. She could have been killed in that accident. She could have not existed. She could have been shot point blank on the highway. She could have not been an American with the opportunity to afford an automobile.
Things can always be worse, it's a positive outlook that counts. Personal whining about being dealt an unfair hand is so trivial it makes me sad. Try a weekend in Iraq, then get back to me.
6.12.2010
Bye Bye Facebook
So I deleted my account off the ever popular site yesterday and I feel good about it. I'm sure many of you techies and social network pimps out there love all the positives you get out of this website. It's been gaining in popularity ever since its inception and now to the point where many are seeing aunts and uncles and even grandparents getting on board. However, what has Facebook really ever done for me is a question I seek to answer.
Maybe it didn't work or help me because I didn't have enough friends. If you want to be specific, I had about seventy five friends when I deleted my account. However, the people I have seen in the past four years that were on my "friend" list number in at less than fifteen. And currently, I haven't seen any of them. This of course excludes my immediate family, and a couple other good people. So why the extension of my social life? I can't quite answer that. Maybe I had some vein hope of seeing if i could find old acquaintances and get reintroduced through a different format. Either way it seemed that every time I had a thought or some kind of random quote, nobody really cared. I'd get maybe one or two return posts from the real friends, and never even so much as a "hello" or "how's it going" from the rest of the crowd. I know I'm not the coolest individual in the world, but come on. So, to me, a facebook friend is about as meaningful as a promise from a President. It's all a lie. The people with five hundred or a thousand friends must have all the time in the world. With that kind of friend support I could organize something positive, say a benefit to stop Country Music Festivals in Downtown Detroit? A support group for recovering reality show addicts?
The other thing that made me stop was the absolute lack of actual contact with any of these people. It seems that a facebook friend would only get to know you so far anyways. And since I'm not a cute lady, I didn't have people lining up around the corner to make an effort to talk to me. Even so, it seemed like the actual getting together would be impossible with any of these acquaintances. When you add someone out of curiosity, it makes you come off as a weirdo or a loser. Whereas, meeting the same person on the street may form into a meaningful friendship. There's a certain dividing line when it comes to the internet, which I cannot explain.
So, I have cast off the spell. And really, it feels good. I no longer have to read people express their ultimate happiness in having the "Best Boyfriend/Girlfriend Ever", a ticket to the local sports venue, or that they're in a bad mood (unhappy face). Most of the time these people have little to discuss anyways, which is fine by me. Until then I can live with isolation until I find someone worth talking to, that doesn't define themselves by their "Status", and can think for themselves.
"It's so easy when your friends are dead, it's so much easier when you don't even care." -Jay Reatard (R.I.P.)
Maybe it didn't work or help me because I didn't have enough friends. If you want to be specific, I had about seventy five friends when I deleted my account. However, the people I have seen in the past four years that were on my "friend" list number in at less than fifteen. And currently, I haven't seen any of them. This of course excludes my immediate family, and a couple other good people. So why the extension of my social life? I can't quite answer that. Maybe I had some vein hope of seeing if i could find old acquaintances and get reintroduced through a different format. Either way it seemed that every time I had a thought or some kind of random quote, nobody really cared. I'd get maybe one or two return posts from the real friends, and never even so much as a "hello" or "how's it going" from the rest of the crowd. I know I'm not the coolest individual in the world, but come on. So, to me, a facebook friend is about as meaningful as a promise from a President. It's all a lie. The people with five hundred or a thousand friends must have all the time in the world. With that kind of friend support I could organize something positive, say a benefit to stop Country Music Festivals in Downtown Detroit? A support group for recovering reality show addicts?
The other thing that made me stop was the absolute lack of actual contact with any of these people. It seems that a facebook friend would only get to know you so far anyways. And since I'm not a cute lady, I didn't have people lining up around the corner to make an effort to talk to me. Even so, it seemed like the actual getting together would be impossible with any of these acquaintances. When you add someone out of curiosity, it makes you come off as a weirdo or a loser. Whereas, meeting the same person on the street may form into a meaningful friendship. There's a certain dividing line when it comes to the internet, which I cannot explain.
So, I have cast off the spell. And really, it feels good. I no longer have to read people express their ultimate happiness in having the "Best Boyfriend/Girlfriend Ever", a ticket to the local sports venue, or that they're in a bad mood (unhappy face). Most of the time these people have little to discuss anyways, which is fine by me. Until then I can live with isolation until I find someone worth talking to, that doesn't define themselves by their "Status", and can think for themselves.
"It's so easy when your friends are dead, it's so much easier when you don't even care." -Jay Reatard (R.I.P.)
6.06.2010
Interesting customer
So I was working on Friday and this beautiful girl and her annoying grandmother come up and need help with the girls' trip out west. The grandmother sticks around and makes snide comments to her about making the wrong choices on the trip such as where to stay and not being completely sure about where she's going to be staying. The funny thing was that the grandma made a joke about some camp in Colorado called Camp Dick. I didn't want to respond, but her saying, "interesting name huh?" had me laughing on the inside.
Anyways, the grandma finally went away and I got some time to chat to the dreamboat in front of me. Now, it was unavoidable that she had an Indian dot on her head, which I don't know the name of, sorry for not doing my research. Third Eye, maybe? Then she mentioned to me the significance of the stops on her way through the left coast. She was going to be doing yoga and meditative study programs for people in various cities. This is obviously related to the third eye, I assume. So I took interest and asked about it, making a comment on how I could never try yoga as I would probably end up a pretzel. Joking aside, Apparently the meditative part is related to vibrations and how we are all essentially a bunch of atomic vibrations on an atomic scale. My hippie detector was blaring like a siren.. one of those British police sirens like at the beginning of "Police Oppression" by Angelic Upstarts. So I said yeah, thats cool and all, but I usually think of things on a more scientific level since I just recently took Anatomy. But she responded to my surprise that she was in preMed at the moment. My first objection took away right there. So we talked a little more and she recommended some yoga shop-or-whatever-you-call-them around me and that I should do it, that it would be all revelation-esque to me, which was nice on her part. Don't expect me to be going though. End of conversation, see you, drive safe.
Now this has been on my mind for a while, the whole vibration thing. Though it seems kinda new age and vague for me to be blown away by, there is some truth to us all being connected on an atomic level stuff. I think that there is something in nature where we cannot help but feel its effects. I mean, rain makes me chill out and beautiful sunny days make me want to run around. Winter makes me angry and generally introspective. So maybe there is something to it. I just don't know if I would want to go to a yoga place, unless she was there, uhm..to show me some moves. An afternoon full of hippies doing monkish chants ain't a good idea in my eyes though.
She seemed pretty relaxed though, so if something unorthodox makes you happy, no skin off my teeth. I just feel like I'm too high strung for that kind of thing. Also anything that comes off as a religious thing usually repels me. Until the day I do seek some kind of organized enlightenment, I'll stick with trying to be good to people, or at least not being too big of a weirdo. I'm sure everyone can agree with that.
Anyways, the grandma finally went away and I got some time to chat to the dreamboat in front of me. Now, it was unavoidable that she had an Indian dot on her head, which I don't know the name of, sorry for not doing my research. Third Eye, maybe? Then she mentioned to me the significance of the stops on her way through the left coast. She was going to be doing yoga and meditative study programs for people in various cities. This is obviously related to the third eye, I assume. So I took interest and asked about it, making a comment on how I could never try yoga as I would probably end up a pretzel. Joking aside, Apparently the meditative part is related to vibrations and how we are all essentially a bunch of atomic vibrations on an atomic scale. My hippie detector was blaring like a siren.. one of those British police sirens like at the beginning of "Police Oppression" by Angelic Upstarts. So I said yeah, thats cool and all, but I usually think of things on a more scientific level since I just recently took Anatomy. But she responded to my surprise that she was in preMed at the moment. My first objection took away right there. So we talked a little more and she recommended some yoga shop-or-whatever-you-call-them around me and that I should do it, that it would be all revelation-esque to me, which was nice on her part. Don't expect me to be going though. End of conversation, see you, drive safe.
Now this has been on my mind for a while, the whole vibration thing. Though it seems kinda new age and vague for me to be blown away by, there is some truth to us all being connected on an atomic level stuff. I think that there is something in nature where we cannot help but feel its effects. I mean, rain makes me chill out and beautiful sunny days make me want to run around. Winter makes me angry and generally introspective. So maybe there is something to it. I just don't know if I would want to go to a yoga place, unless she was there, uhm..to show me some moves. An afternoon full of hippies doing monkish chants ain't a good idea in my eyes though.
She seemed pretty relaxed though, so if something unorthodox makes you happy, no skin off my teeth. I just feel like I'm too high strung for that kind of thing. Also anything that comes off as a religious thing usually repels me. Until the day I do seek some kind of organized enlightenment, I'll stick with trying to be good to people, or at least not being too big of a weirdo. I'm sure everyone can agree with that.
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