I met dad's family, finally.
For the first time in my life, I've met an entire side of the family I only knew over brief conversations covering vast distances and now, I've finally met them. Not surprisingly, they're really nice people!
The reasons I never met them before are personal, so I won't go into it. Nothing nefarious or out of the ordinary, I'd just like to keep the reasons to myself. But I've always wanted to, and obviously they felt the same way. My cousin and her daughter flew here from Scotland a couple weeks ago, taking a huge leap of faith in the process. They didn't know what to expect from us, and vice-versa. However they came here, and we had a wonderful time. Never having been to Canada before it was an adventure for them both. We showed them around our little piece of the planet, they took the opportunity to experience Toronto, had dinner in the CN tower, saw the Falls, all the stuff that's on the mandatory tourist brochures. While here, we took them into the county, a couple festivals, the casino, and of course, Canada Day festivities. What I enjoyed most of all though was much simpler - sitting on the porch getting to know them.
When you become disconnected from anyone it tends to hurt. Losing a family member or a friend pains the heart, and if you have the chance to see someone after a long period of time it warms it. True friends never really leave you, they simply take a sabbatical. Over the years I've lost friends and family to death, moving away, or simply drift. In every case there ends up being a whole in my heart. When I do get the chance to see them again I get giddy as a kid. We catch up on old times and plan new ones. The ones that have passed on I remember with fond affection and keep them close.
But how about the ones you've never met?
How do you react? How do you proceed? Does it start with a hug? A handshake? It was actually awkward when they pulled up. Yes, I had talked to them, but I hadn't met them. When the time came, it was a hug. However, it was still awkward. They're family, but in essence, strangers.
We started talking. And talking, and yet more talking. Funny thing is though, that conversation I had expected about the family roots didn't really materialize. For one reason or another it didn't seem as important as simply getting to know them. It's not like I had any intention of attacking her and having her spout off about everyone else over there, and likewise we didn't go into those that were here all that much, it simply wasn't the reason they came here. It was for us, as well as themselves. The adventure of it all, the breaking bread with a line of family neither of us knew existed a short few years ago. It could have been awkward moving on, but it wasn't. It seemed just right. It seemed like they'd always been there, and actually, they have!
Now that they've gone home and life returns to normal I have a melancholy feeling. It seems anticlimactic really, all the hype leading up to the visit seems so long ago now. All the plans and preparations seemed to fade when they arrived into a pool of simple possibilities, the more important outcome was family, not destinations. Family we've always actually had, I just didn't have the opportunity to pour them a wine, and share a laugh together. To talk, to meet. That's the memory I'll cherish; not the parades, the fireworks, the party, or anything else. It was the talk.
So Pandora's Box is open.
We now know what we've always suspected - there's more to this little unit than we knew, and now they are a truly tangible piece of us. I hope they feel likewise. Now onward and upward. I plan on being in Scotland in a couple years to meet more Wilsons. I told my son in a couple years he's climbing Ben Nevis with me, and my daughter wants to hunt for Dragons in Wales. We'll get there.
There's one more challenge before that though, I have cousins in New Brunswick I've never met. I've always known of them, unlike my recent guests, but we've never met. I need to rectify that for the same reasons. Family, whether near or far is much too valuable a commodity to overlook. It's our glue, it's our reason for being. Nobody should ever not know their roots, or those who share it.
We take our immediate family for granted, and in many cases turn our backs on them. The old saying goes that you can pick your friends but... In any case, it doesn't matter how close you are emotionally, family will be there for you when you need them. You really can't count on politicians and metre maids. Or garbagemen. Family is who will be at your side when you need them, family is where your comfort lies.
Family is for life.
Cheers.
Wednesday, 8 July 2015
Sunday, 14 June 2015
The closing stretch
This spring has been a whirlwind of activity for me. Trying to accomplish everything that needs to be done before my cousin comes in from Scotland for a visit, a cousin I've never met no less. I had almost three months notice of her impending visit to our fair land, and today marks one week til she and her daughter land in Toronto. One week. Oh crap.
I've used their visit as a motivator to get something done around here, and as they're both staying with us for a couple weeks, the house should at least be livable! Setting up two bedrooms is easy enough, as was fixing various items around the house that needed attention for a while, but kept going unnoticed. The back yard has been rebuilt, and the patio awaits a good party. This week's load will be 10 bags of yard waste, it's amazing how fast that crap pile up. Last night we had a dry run for the backyard's entertainment potential, hosting a bunch of my wife's friends for a summer kick-off BBQ. It was nice. However, I had to prompt them to sit on the patio, they began the night quite comfortably perched on the porch.
Other things have not been going as well. Certain plans have been waylaid by fate, or karma, depending on how you think about it. The intention was to pick them up in Toronto, then head for the Falls for a day or two before driving back home. But, no car. My car, after finally going back on the road after eight months, has messed up front bearings, and is not driving 1,000 kms. The other potential ride is now the subject of a GM recall. So, the train it is. Hopefully we'll be able to take them to Niagara on the way home instead.
Getting people's schedules in tune with each other has also proved fun. We all work different schedules and it's a foregone conclusion that while our guests are here someone will be at work. Vacation days are booked for a few, and we are planning outings that fit everyone's lives, but that comes at a cost. Someone's going to lose, we can't please everyone, and nor should we. Two weeks is lots of time to get involved. So we keep changing things. We keep adjusting dates, and just when we think we've got our shit together, something creeps up and forces our hand again. C'est la vie. We take it as it comes, regardless of when things happen, it's our intent that our visitors are given the run of the place and made to feel at home, regardless of plans. Plans, like rules, are meant to be flexible.
My fear is that we don't show them a good time. I fear our hospitality won't be up to the challenge. Canada is a wonderful place, it's huge, it's historical, it's friendly, somewhat entertaining, and so much more. It also can be boring. Really mind-numbingly boring. The train ride down here will put them to sleep before they even see Windsor. Four hours of flat farmland moderately interspersed with the occasional town or city, which will feature short buildings, flat roads, and round people. Windsor has a lot going on in the next few weeks with Canada Day, Summerfest, Carousel of Nations, and more, but nothing world class. Nothing mind-bending. Sorry, no running of the bull here. I may be taking this stuff for granted as It's always been here with my, so maybe they'll find this stuff interesting. I bloody well hope so.
My fear is that they don't enjoy themselves. My fear is that we fail as hosts. I'm new at this, I've never introduced someone to my country!
It won't fail. We'll make sure a good memorable time is had by all, including those of us providing the hospitality. I look forward to meeting my cousins, seeing family photos, hearing stories about dad's kin. It's an exciting thing. For better or worse we will make them feel like Canada is a great place to visit.
Only a few more tidbits to take care of before next week. Only a few more one-time only tasks. But they're not small, and I'm wasting time writing this instead of doing them!
Cheers.
I've used their visit as a motivator to get something done around here, and as they're both staying with us for a couple weeks, the house should at least be livable! Setting up two bedrooms is easy enough, as was fixing various items around the house that needed attention for a while, but kept going unnoticed. The back yard has been rebuilt, and the patio awaits a good party. This week's load will be 10 bags of yard waste, it's amazing how fast that crap pile up. Last night we had a dry run for the backyard's entertainment potential, hosting a bunch of my wife's friends for a summer kick-off BBQ. It was nice. However, I had to prompt them to sit on the patio, they began the night quite comfortably perched on the porch.
Other things have not been going as well. Certain plans have been waylaid by fate, or karma, depending on how you think about it. The intention was to pick them up in Toronto, then head for the Falls for a day or two before driving back home. But, no car. My car, after finally going back on the road after eight months, has messed up front bearings, and is not driving 1,000 kms. The other potential ride is now the subject of a GM recall. So, the train it is. Hopefully we'll be able to take them to Niagara on the way home instead.
Getting people's schedules in tune with each other has also proved fun. We all work different schedules and it's a foregone conclusion that while our guests are here someone will be at work. Vacation days are booked for a few, and we are planning outings that fit everyone's lives, but that comes at a cost. Someone's going to lose, we can't please everyone, and nor should we. Two weeks is lots of time to get involved. So we keep changing things. We keep adjusting dates, and just when we think we've got our shit together, something creeps up and forces our hand again. C'est la vie. We take it as it comes, regardless of when things happen, it's our intent that our visitors are given the run of the place and made to feel at home, regardless of plans. Plans, like rules, are meant to be flexible.
My fear is that we don't show them a good time. I fear our hospitality won't be up to the challenge. Canada is a wonderful place, it's huge, it's historical, it's friendly, somewhat entertaining, and so much more. It also can be boring. Really mind-numbingly boring. The train ride down here will put them to sleep before they even see Windsor. Four hours of flat farmland moderately interspersed with the occasional town or city, which will feature short buildings, flat roads, and round people. Windsor has a lot going on in the next few weeks with Canada Day, Summerfest, Carousel of Nations, and more, but nothing world class. Nothing mind-bending. Sorry, no running of the bull here. I may be taking this stuff for granted as It's always been here with my, so maybe they'll find this stuff interesting. I bloody well hope so.
My fear is that they don't enjoy themselves. My fear is that we fail as hosts. I'm new at this, I've never introduced someone to my country!
It won't fail. We'll make sure a good memorable time is had by all, including those of us providing the hospitality. I look forward to meeting my cousins, seeing family photos, hearing stories about dad's kin. It's an exciting thing. For better or worse we will make them feel like Canada is a great place to visit.
Only a few more tidbits to take care of before next week. Only a few more one-time only tasks. But they're not small, and I'm wasting time writing this instead of doing them!
Cheers.
Thursday, 4 June 2015
Things I Care About, and Utter Bullshit I Don't
The older I get the list of things I care about changes. In some cases I've become much more active, things concerning the environment, pollution, waste of natural resources, and how war is affecting us all. I tend lately to care about social injustice, such as the plight of millions of underpaid families in comparison to the first-world complaints of those who don't have enough caviar. Big banks piss me off, as do stupid politicians from many nations whose dimwitted actions are a clear indication of gross incompetence.
Police killing people pisses me off. Large corporations doing whatever the hell they want at the expense of the people pisses me off, war pisses me off, massive increases to the US military industrial complex, fracking, Monsanto, drug cartels, the NRA, Stephen Harper, Katheline Wynne, Bush supporters, and anyone who still flies a confederate flag in the US. All piss me off.
Today, what pisses me off more than anything else is stupidity and ignorance. Let's put this into perspective. Anyone named Kardashian should be ignored by the population, anywhere. And Kim's giant ass, referring of course to Kanye West, should never be a fucking issue.
Ann Coulter, Bieber, Kesha, Honey Boo Boo, the cast of Jersey Shore, for that matter anyone who's ever been on a reality show.
Fucking ignore them.
We make stupid people famous and while everyone's attention is squarely focused on these dregs of society, laws get passed nobody knows about, crimes are committed that nobody hears about, disasters happen that nobody will help with and despots conquer areas we should know about.
It's fucking pathetic.
Last week Bruce Jenner got a sex change. Really, short of the small tidbit of information about one of this generation's greatest athletes making a life-changing decision, I can't see why this is news. He's, sorry, she's everywhere. And I frankly could give a camel's back end about it. It's not much different from Superbowl coverage in the US, everything must get put on hold for at least a month to sort out how his sex change affects world oil prices. Economists will be consulted, laws will be re-written, and tea leaves will be read. All the while I will skip the stories and look for something that directly affects me. I wonder how many people in my city realized the police found a man's body in an alley today?
There was even a story on a news site the other day giving readers a "first look" inside Jenner's Malibu home. They're grasping. Meanwhile, in real news, hundreds died in Iraq and Syria. Weeks after the Stupidbowl I was perusing CNN and noticed there were 15 stories on the landing page about the NFL. We were subjected to endless stories about how some moron deflated a ball, all the while the world burned. CNN gave us an inside look at how many cars Oprah owns.
We've become a society of idiots, and that's entirely our fault. You can blame the popular media but frankly they're only looking out for themselves, they're in it to make a buck. We choose to read this unequivocally stupid meaningless insignificant drivel. We choose to look away from things that should affect us. We don't. Instead we stare at a picture of some women who last week was a man, and wonder what the inside of her house looks like. Then we check Kardashian's Twitter feed. Obama got a Twitter account a couple weeks ago, I doubt he'll ever get anywhere near her followers, I mean really how interesting is being POTUS compared to buying a new dress.
Speaking of dress, gold, white, blue or black, any way you shake it, I don't give a shit.
I care about my tribe, my clan, my town. I are about events that shape those things and events that shape me. I cared about the Red River Floods, I cared about the space shuttle disasters, the genocide in Rwanda, among hundreds of other issues. I also cared about my daughter's report card, and my son't promotion. I care about cousins in Scotland, and my friends and family here in Windsor. I care about many things, and I don't want to be that guy who knew he was leaving the world a shithole for my kids. I care about fixing the damage.
Caitlyn Jenner is an insignificant speck of nothing. She's a flea on a horse's ass for all I care. The question is why is this person getting more attention than the almost 400 people killed by cops in the US last month?
Why do we pay attention to this garbage? Because it frees us.
Tuning into someone else's problems for a while distracts us all from the realities of our little lives. Sure I pay attention to entertainment and actors, sure I observe the comings and goings of those in the limelight, but many times it's followed by a "told-you-so" moment. TLC's 19 Kids and Counting (utter shitty nonsense) finally got pulled from the air when it was revealed the father, Josh Duggar, has molested his kids. Will he go to jail? Of fucking course not - he's a celebrity! The bastard should be shot in my books, but no, we'll all tune into the trial and hope for the best. These fuckwits are contributing to our society's moral and ethical demise faster than a train can crash. And that's what this is, a fucking train crash. Want to get famous in the US? Have an obscene amount of children and then beg for help caring for them. It worked for Octomom. Now, by the way, she's a stripper. How do I know this? I don't have a choice but to know, it's force-fed by the mainstream media.
It's time we got our own houses in order and stopped contributing to these fucktrumpet's houses, literally. They're getting richer off they're antics all while the banks increase your service fees, again. Think about it. Then do something about it.
Stop making stupid people famous. Make yourself a legend to your community instead.
Cheers.
Police killing people pisses me off. Large corporations doing whatever the hell they want at the expense of the people pisses me off, war pisses me off, massive increases to the US military industrial complex, fracking, Monsanto, drug cartels, the NRA, Stephen Harper, Katheline Wynne, Bush supporters, and anyone who still flies a confederate flag in the US. All piss me off.
Today, what pisses me off more than anything else is stupidity and ignorance. Let's put this into perspective. Anyone named Kardashian should be ignored by the population, anywhere. And Kim's giant ass, referring of course to Kanye West, should never be a fucking issue.
Ann Coulter, Bieber, Kesha, Honey Boo Boo, the cast of Jersey Shore, for that matter anyone who's ever been on a reality show.
Fucking ignore them.
We make stupid people famous and while everyone's attention is squarely focused on these dregs of society, laws get passed nobody knows about, crimes are committed that nobody hears about, disasters happen that nobody will help with and despots conquer areas we should know about.
It's fucking pathetic.
Last week Bruce Jenner got a sex change. Really, short of the small tidbit of information about one of this generation's greatest athletes making a life-changing decision, I can't see why this is news. He's, sorry, she's everywhere. And I frankly could give a camel's back end about it. It's not much different from Superbowl coverage in the US, everything must get put on hold for at least a month to sort out how his sex change affects world oil prices. Economists will be consulted, laws will be re-written, and tea leaves will be read. All the while I will skip the stories and look for something that directly affects me. I wonder how many people in my city realized the police found a man's body in an alley today?
There was even a story on a news site the other day giving readers a "first look" inside Jenner's Malibu home. They're grasping. Meanwhile, in real news, hundreds died in Iraq and Syria. Weeks after the Stupidbowl I was perusing CNN and noticed there were 15 stories on the landing page about the NFL. We were subjected to endless stories about how some moron deflated a ball, all the while the world burned. CNN gave us an inside look at how many cars Oprah owns.
We've become a society of idiots, and that's entirely our fault. You can blame the popular media but frankly they're only looking out for themselves, they're in it to make a buck. We choose to read this unequivocally stupid meaningless insignificant drivel. We choose to look away from things that should affect us. We don't. Instead we stare at a picture of some women who last week was a man, and wonder what the inside of her house looks like. Then we check Kardashian's Twitter feed. Obama got a Twitter account a couple weeks ago, I doubt he'll ever get anywhere near her followers, I mean really how interesting is being POTUS compared to buying a new dress.
Speaking of dress, gold, white, blue or black, any way you shake it, I don't give a shit.
I care about my tribe, my clan, my town. I are about events that shape those things and events that shape me. I cared about the Red River Floods, I cared about the space shuttle disasters, the genocide in Rwanda, among hundreds of other issues. I also cared about my daughter's report card, and my son't promotion. I care about cousins in Scotland, and my friends and family here in Windsor. I care about many things, and I don't want to be that guy who knew he was leaving the world a shithole for my kids. I care about fixing the damage.
Caitlyn Jenner is an insignificant speck of nothing. She's a flea on a horse's ass for all I care. The question is why is this person getting more attention than the almost 400 people killed by cops in the US last month?
Why do we pay attention to this garbage? Because it frees us.
Tuning into someone else's problems for a while distracts us all from the realities of our little lives. Sure I pay attention to entertainment and actors, sure I observe the comings and goings of those in the limelight, but many times it's followed by a "told-you-so" moment. TLC's 19 Kids and Counting (utter shitty nonsense) finally got pulled from the air when it was revealed the father, Josh Duggar, has molested his kids. Will he go to jail? Of fucking course not - he's a celebrity! The bastard should be shot in my books, but no, we'll all tune into the trial and hope for the best. These fuckwits are contributing to our society's moral and ethical demise faster than a train can crash. And that's what this is, a fucking train crash. Want to get famous in the US? Have an obscene amount of children and then beg for help caring for them. It worked for Octomom. Now, by the way, she's a stripper. How do I know this? I don't have a choice but to know, it's force-fed by the mainstream media.
It's time we got our own houses in order and stopped contributing to these fucktrumpet's houses, literally. They're getting richer off they're antics all while the banks increase your service fees, again. Think about it. Then do something about it.
Stop making stupid people famous. Make yourself a legend to your community instead.
Cheers.
Friday, 15 May 2015
The Activist Revolution
Mark Zuckerberg is a dick. He's a narcissistic, self-absorbed, self-professed asshole who walked all over his best friends to get what he wanted. But he will go down in history as a visionary alongside Einstein. We don't realize it yet, because he's new. He created social media, and with that spawned a generation of connectivity the likes the world has never seen. His vision allowed us to connect with one another, get informed, get knowledge. It also allowed us to get hundreds of pictures of cats. Not to mention bullshit. Lots and lots of bullshit.
However you about him he's created the future. With that future comes the opportunity for us as a people to help shape it.
Peace and Love
The sixties were a time of cultural revolution. Anti-war protests, peace and love, civil rights, and more. The message was carried through in that era through music, and yes, protest. The killing of students at Kent State University is fully engrained in the minds of those who lived through that time. As well, the assassinations of King and two Kennedys. With social activism comes discontent, opposing viewpoints, violence and tons of anger. Anger which today, seems all too close, again. Today we are again becoming activists, and a new revolution has begun. Today's revolution will have a deeper impact than anything Woodstock or Height-Ashbury could have ever accomplished. Today we have Facebook, and it's all thanks to one arrogant prick. A damn smart arrogant prick, but none-the less, Zuckerberg.
Over the past couple of years this planet of ours (the only one with beer), has gone to the shitter. Wars, plagues, corporate greed, incompetent politicians, drugs, economic power grabs, and generally people not giving the slightest crap about anything but themselves. Unfortunately, as the sixties generation saw, it's those in power causing it. Not much has changed. Things happened in the seventies, elected officials began to see the light and made changes. In the eighties, we signed peace accords and worked with warring powers to end strife. In the nineties, we began to see a thaw in decades-old tensions that had the world cowering under the fear of total annihilation, then we went to bat for the little guys who were unlawfully crushed under the oppressive weight of brutal regimes. The new millennium saw the rise of the war on terror. Now we see that getting out of hand.
This decade, we see the light. Thanks to social media.
This decade draws parallels to the peace and love generation for a couple of reasons, first, we're fucking sick of it. Secondly, it's in our face. Constantly. You can't turn it off even if you wanted to. Even people living off the grid with no regard for the news of the day are inundated with current events and struggles because they stay connected to loved ones via social media. Obviously, that's not completely inclusive, but there are now billions of people on the net, the world shrank.
Eyes are open
So we see it. Everywhere. Someone's opinion is driven to you and it doesn't matter whether or not you care about a particular incident, you probably at least know about it. It doesn't matter anymore if you know what Monsanto is doing to our farmers and our food, but you know it isn't good. Social media has done it's job. You may love MacDonalds or hate it, but now you know that people are not going there as much and they're closing hundreds or restaurants due to falling profits. Why? Because information spreads like a disease and try as you might, you're gonna get some. MacDonalds has now gotten the hint. No longer do they have to spend millions on focus groups to see where the problem is, they just have to follow what's trending. And it's them. Last week they made news in that the CEO resigned, and the new CEO is taking steps to fix the food. Viral posts about their food not rotting may or may not have had and effect. Who knows.
ISIS is taking to social media to start a war, while we take to social media to end them. Hackivists are gradually grinding away at the terror cult's ability to draw recruits, and their own hackers are waging cyberwar with the rest of the world. Without the internet, we'd never know what we do, we'd have to rely on mainstream news for information, and then we'd be spoon fed what they want us to know. Mainstream news. On that note, without the internet would you be aware that 90% of your news intake is fed to you by only six companies? Who controls those companies? Big money. Big corporate elite, and we are their minions.
No more.
Social media shows us the true nature of the world in all it's wondrous glory and gut-wrenching horror. Sites are springing up all the time (and shutting down), that portray things as "you should see them". Ah, there's the rub; someone else to scare you! Now it's up to us, as it was for hippies, to decide what to believe. Those of us who follow the trends and have some semblance of intelligence can easily pick the truth out. Again, the internet doesn't fail us, sites like Scopes are must-see sites to help sort out truth from perverse falsehoods.
Unfortunately, many people aren't so bright. There's a ton of people out there with internet access, the IQ roughly that of their shoe size, and a dumb theory. Wade carefully. It's amazing how many people believe the drivel being spewed. Sadly, many politicians take the bait, and the plagues of nonsensical disinformation spreads.
I read a lot of things from both sides. I'm open-minded enough to entertain an idea, and intelligent enough to know when I smell bullshit. I will read whack-a-doodle posts just as quick as intelligent thought-provoking articles, just because I enjoy being amused. Like the story last week about the Fox News guest (don't care to research her name, it's too stupid), who on a major mainstream network, claimed that the Amtrak conductor in last week's Philadelphia crash was gay, and as a result of thinking too much about gay sex, crashed the train. Read that again and shake your head. Nothing on Snopes. Yet.
What's going on
The reality is that many people don't care. They go about their lives in a manner befit themselves, and don't get upset about things they can't control. Many simply decide to not pay attention anymore, either out of apathy or fatigue. That's their choice. But regardless of what side of the fence you fall, even the most introverted people can't help to see issues. It's whether or not they choose to act that matters. Take this painting for example. This theory is not new. The painting, Landscape and the Fall of Icarus, (thought to be by Pieter Bruegel, c.1590), depicts Icarus falling to his death as people go about their business. It is the antipathy of a Flemish proverb - En de boer ... his ploegde voort; or pointing out the ignorance of people to fellow man's suffering. Even 400 years ago apathy was endemic.
The brainless bunch
Therein lies the problem. Fucktards with theories ruining true efforts to make this a better world. Smart people with theories will win. But social media brings out the loons too. Debate is never far away anymore. Post something political today and just see who grabs it and runs, or slams you for having an idea. Debate is a great thing, that's why elections feature them and schools have competitions with them. But bring your A-game, or you're a nitwit. While I do enjoy seeing people like Ted Nugent or Sarah Palin get crushed under the weight of intelligent people, I also believe they have a voice. And social media gives them the outlet they need. In the end, we all win.
It doesn't matter what you're opinion is, good, bad, or stupid. You have a voice, and that's what counts in a free society. Today, we take that freedom for granted, but remember that if it wasn't for Zuckerberg, that freedom could not possibly be expressed as effectively. You're reading my blog, which I will post on Facebook, and will get picked up by Google. People may share it, and my voice is heard. Everyone has that ability now. Everyone has an amplifier for their personal views, and everyone should use it, because it works.
This is a marvellous time, we will all change the world, together. The sixties generation could not have dreamed this, nor could any generation prior to the new millennium. It's up to us what we do with it, we can fix this world, or we could keep fucking it up. The majority will be heard, I just hope that majority doesn't think the US government is actually invading Texas and declaring martial law.
Make a difference.
 |
| Mark Zuckerberg's first business card. Really. |
However you about him he's created the future. With that future comes the opportunity for us as a people to help shape it.
Peace and Love
The sixties were a time of cultural revolution. Anti-war protests, peace and love, civil rights, and more. The message was carried through in that era through music, and yes, protest. The killing of students at Kent State University is fully engrained in the minds of those who lived through that time. As well, the assassinations of King and two Kennedys. With social activism comes discontent, opposing viewpoints, violence and tons of anger. Anger which today, seems all too close, again. Today we are again becoming activists, and a new revolution has begun. Today's revolution will have a deeper impact than anything Woodstock or Height-Ashbury could have ever accomplished. Today we have Facebook, and it's all thanks to one arrogant prick. A damn smart arrogant prick, but none-the less, Zuckerberg.
Over the past couple of years this planet of ours (the only one with beer), has gone to the shitter. Wars, plagues, corporate greed, incompetent politicians, drugs, economic power grabs, and generally people not giving the slightest crap about anything but themselves. Unfortunately, as the sixties generation saw, it's those in power causing it. Not much has changed. Things happened in the seventies, elected officials began to see the light and made changes. In the eighties, we signed peace accords and worked with warring powers to end strife. In the nineties, we began to see a thaw in decades-old tensions that had the world cowering under the fear of total annihilation, then we went to bat for the little guys who were unlawfully crushed under the oppressive weight of brutal regimes. The new millennium saw the rise of the war on terror. Now we see that getting out of hand.
This decade, we see the light. Thanks to social media.
This decade draws parallels to the peace and love generation for a couple of reasons, first, we're fucking sick of it. Secondly, it's in our face. Constantly. You can't turn it off even if you wanted to. Even people living off the grid with no regard for the news of the day are inundated with current events and struggles because they stay connected to loved ones via social media. Obviously, that's not completely inclusive, but there are now billions of people on the net, the world shrank.
Eyes are open
So we see it. Everywhere. Someone's opinion is driven to you and it doesn't matter whether or not you care about a particular incident, you probably at least know about it. It doesn't matter anymore if you know what Monsanto is doing to our farmers and our food, but you know it isn't good. Social media has done it's job. You may love MacDonalds or hate it, but now you know that people are not going there as much and they're closing hundreds or restaurants due to falling profits. Why? Because information spreads like a disease and try as you might, you're gonna get some. MacDonalds has now gotten the hint. No longer do they have to spend millions on focus groups to see where the problem is, they just have to follow what's trending. And it's them. Last week they made news in that the CEO resigned, and the new CEO is taking steps to fix the food. Viral posts about their food not rotting may or may not have had and effect. Who knows.
ISIS is taking to social media to start a war, while we take to social media to end them. Hackivists are gradually grinding away at the terror cult's ability to draw recruits, and their own hackers are waging cyberwar with the rest of the world. Without the internet, we'd never know what we do, we'd have to rely on mainstream news for information, and then we'd be spoon fed what they want us to know. Mainstream news. On that note, without the internet would you be aware that 90% of your news intake is fed to you by only six companies? Who controls those companies? Big money. Big corporate elite, and we are their minions.
No more.
Social media shows us the true nature of the world in all it's wondrous glory and gut-wrenching horror. Sites are springing up all the time (and shutting down), that portray things as "you should see them". Ah, there's the rub; someone else to scare you! Now it's up to us, as it was for hippies, to decide what to believe. Those of us who follow the trends and have some semblance of intelligence can easily pick the truth out. Again, the internet doesn't fail us, sites like Scopes are must-see sites to help sort out truth from perverse falsehoods.
Unfortunately, many people aren't so bright. There's a ton of people out there with internet access, the IQ roughly that of their shoe size, and a dumb theory. Wade carefully. It's amazing how many people believe the drivel being spewed. Sadly, many politicians take the bait, and the plagues of nonsensical disinformation spreads.
I read a lot of things from both sides. I'm open-minded enough to entertain an idea, and intelligent enough to know when I smell bullshit. I will read whack-a-doodle posts just as quick as intelligent thought-provoking articles, just because I enjoy being amused. Like the story last week about the Fox News guest (don't care to research her name, it's too stupid), who on a major mainstream network, claimed that the Amtrak conductor in last week's Philadelphia crash was gay, and as a result of thinking too much about gay sex, crashed the train. Read that again and shake your head. Nothing on Snopes. Yet.
What's going on
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| Landscape and the Fall of Icarus, Pieter Bruegel the Elder? c. 1590 |
The brainless bunch
Therein lies the problem. Fucktards with theories ruining true efforts to make this a better world. Smart people with theories will win. But social media brings out the loons too. Debate is never far away anymore. Post something political today and just see who grabs it and runs, or slams you for having an idea. Debate is a great thing, that's why elections feature them and schools have competitions with them. But bring your A-game, or you're a nitwit. While I do enjoy seeing people like Ted Nugent or Sarah Palin get crushed under the weight of intelligent people, I also believe they have a voice. And social media gives them the outlet they need. In the end, we all win.
It doesn't matter what you're opinion is, good, bad, or stupid. You have a voice, and that's what counts in a free society. Today, we take that freedom for granted, but remember that if it wasn't for Zuckerberg, that freedom could not possibly be expressed as effectively. You're reading my blog, which I will post on Facebook, and will get picked up by Google. People may share it, and my voice is heard. Everyone has that ability now. Everyone has an amplifier for their personal views, and everyone should use it, because it works.
This is a marvellous time, we will all change the world, together. The sixties generation could not have dreamed this, nor could any generation prior to the new millennium. It's up to us what we do with it, we can fix this world, or we could keep fucking it up. The majority will be heard, I just hope that majority doesn't think the US government is actually invading Texas and declaring martial law.
Make a difference.
Tuesday, 12 May 2015
Runts.
Change doesn't come easy to me. I'm a creature of habit. Hell I still have the dresser I had when I was six. I buy the same kind of shoes, the same kind of pants, drink my coffee the same as I did when I was 20, yadda yadda yadda.
So hitting middle age makes me cringe for many reasons, things must change. My health for one. I went to see the doctor today because I'm loosing weight faster than dryers eat socks. I've lost almost 40 pounds in the past eight months, and that is just a little bit disconcerting. The first question she asked me today was "how much are you eating?" My answer was met by an obvious "Go eat a sandwich sometime". Yeah. Obviously. When I'm down, I don't eat. I know that's an issue. Even though I'm hungry and my stomach is in violent contractions, I will sit there, not wanting to bother. When I'm up, I binge. It ain't good. That's step one.
Step two, next week I get to go for a full work up, physical, blood test, urine test, the lot. She even mentioned the dreaded P word. (prost... I can't say it, it's painful to think about). Step three is thyroid, vitamin supplements and dietary supplements such as Boost. My calorie intake sucks.
So change is in the air. Middle age is in the air, I've been in denial for years. You don't really think middle age when you're still trying to figure out a career. In my mind, I'm still 26, not 46.
I started today, as soon as I got home from the doctor's I made myself a big bowl of oatmeal, an hour later a couple sandwiches, and a macaroni and beef concoction for dinner. I missed breakfast, the meal I hate the most. Mornings for me are coffee, open one eye; more coffee, crack the other eye; more coffee, focus the first eyeball... Cooking would be stupid. But I have to change that before I disappear in a wisp.
Last year I was a steady 180 pounds. At one point two years ago I broke 200 for the first time in my life. I've always been thin, I sat around 145 for years. My weight, like my penchant for things staying the same, never varied. I used to piss my wife off because I never tried on pants, I'd read the tag and head for the checkout. Then I went up and had to start going into the change room. Now that I'm back down to 150, stuff I bought a couple years ago doesn't fit. Sigh.
Being thin is almost as much a crutch as being overweight. I never got picked first for school sports, I was laughed at on the beach, I ran out of energy too soon, and being that thin meant a lack of upper body strength. I took to the army to work on that and it soon dawned on me that I could keep up with the big guys, to some degree. But it's always been tough. When I went up I felt normal. Like just anyone else, last year my dreams of normality were crushed. I was a runt again. At the very least I'd like to not have to go buy yet more temporary pants. Cause, you know, I'd have to try them on.
I'd at least like to be the same size as my 19 year old son. It's hard to be the big guy of the house when you're the smallest!
So I will change, because life moved on and I must move with it. I will take my Boost, take my vitamins, change my diet. At least I stopped eating fast food! (Um, wait... maybe I should take that up again...) I'll pull out the bike and start riding again, go for long walks and get more physical. I've slacked off and it shows. It shows the degree of 40 pounds. I've already heard people say how much they wish they could lose 40, or 30, or 10, but believe me, when you're a little guy it makes a huge difference. Look closer at the skinny runts you walk past, they also suffer from body image. It's turned around somewhat, but the problem is similar. Sure, we don't have to worry about things like diabetes, or heart issues brought on by being overweight, but it's a curse none-the-less.
I'm off to get that sandwich.
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