Unlike many Americans I have a much greater fascination with the government and politics in this country than I do with sports or American Idol.
I am by no means an expert, but I try to keep up with what is going on and why. I know almost no one personally that can say the same. This is incredibly unfortunate, but somewhat understandable. The entire business of politics is a ridiculous and unnecessary mess. Often much too hard for even the most educated political junkie to decipher.
So I have made a little wish-list of things I'd like to see change in our country and political system. While I personally see the political machine of this country becoming even more childish and unproductive, I am ever the optimist. What follows is just list of things I think would be an improvement over the status quo.
1. Make the campaign season as short as it is in England. - If our elected representatives aren't spending all their time, basically their entire tenure in office, trying to campaign for the next election they just might get something meaningful done.
2. No earmarks. - I know that some of the earmarks hidden in the pages of bills are used to gain support and to "help" a particular congressperson's home districts, but there is a better way. All bills should contain only things pertinent to that bill. Once every 3-4 months there will be x amount of days put aside just for senators and representatives to present special requests for their constituents or districts. Multiple congress people can even get together and present a group request. These special requests should not interfere or be linked to any other piece of legislation.
3. Federal elections should be publicly funded.- State elections can still be run as they are, but on the federal level we should remove the temptation for politicians to become beholden to corporations and industries. Each candidate is given permission to have x amount of airtime(TV and radio), x amount of space in certain publications for promoting their campaign. The media that runs the ads will be given some amount of credit for the next tax year. If an elected official is found to be taking bribes, gifts or special favors from any source that could be considered an attempt to influence their positions on policy this will be considered treason for betraying not only their office, but the people they represent. Both parties will be charged with a crime and punished accordingly. Plus this would also give people other than the rich the ability to run for office.
4. Reduce the number of lobbyist. - Each industry or special interest group can have a total of 2 individuals lobbying elected officials. Lobbyist are also not allowed to take part in creating policy.
5. Give everyone in Washington a 2 term limit. - Every elected official can only hold a particular office twice. This includes Supreme Court Justices, who should have 10 year terms instead of lifetime.
6. Abolish Income Tax and implement a national sales tax. - This way people will be taxed more fairly by how much they spend and not how much they make. This will put more money in the pockets of workers, to spend or save as they see fit, and not penalize them for working. If they spend it they pay the tax, if they choose to save it that will give them more money for retirement or large purchases. Also work towards creating a tax on money, made by companies located in the US, that is stored overseas.
7. Regulate Wall Street, and the Banking industry to the point they have to tell the government what color their shit was that morning. - These bastards have been allowed to walk all over the working people of this country for far too long. As the government has given them more freedom and tax breaks, they have hoarded more and more money and not used it to create jobs. Instead they have shipped those jobs over seas, so they can lower cost and make even more money. Thus nearly destroying the middle class in this country, the most essential class in our society.
8. Start pulling our troops out of other countries and bringing them home. - Since the rest of the world hates us so much for being big bullies, we should just pull all of those soldiers that are keeping their countries from collapsing and bring them home. Then when those other countries start crying about needing help, remind them they didn't want our help. Use those soldiers to protect our country, territories and actual allies.
9. Tell Mexico to get their shit together or take em over. - Every one is up in arms about all the Mexicans coming to our country illegally and while that isn't a big concern for me the violence at the border is. We need to tell, not ask, Mexico to get things under control, and even offer them some assistance in the spirit of being a good neighbor. If they refuse or tell us to butt out we need take military action and go in, wipe out the criminal empires(treating them as wartime enemies) , take over and absorb all their states. There's nothing saying that says the U.S. can't have 81 states. If so many Mexicans want to come here we could easily solve that problem by making it all one country. Then we will all be U.S. citizens with no worries about illegal Mexican immigrants. Besides their inability to get things under control is endangering the lives of U.S. citizens. That is not tolerable.
10. Real Universal Healthcare- The fact that this is even an issue amazes me. From what I have read the number one reason for people to file for bankruptcy is medical bills. That is ridiculous. People can't even afford to get sick or even find out if they are sick in this country. Is it any wonder that we take such poor care of ourselves? I understand that people don't want bureaucrats deciding who deserves medical care and who doesn't, but they need to think for a moment.
With our current health-care system we have bureaucrats who work for companies, whose only interest is increasing profits, lowering costs and who only serve to keep their shareholders/investors happy. Basically they have the power to decide who lives and who dies, I believe health care opponents call them Death Panels, not based on what is best for you, but what is best for their company. With the government run health care, the people making the decision would be answerable the people of this country because they need our votes to stay in power. The people would have the option and ability to influence policy and have some say in how the system works. So which system do I want? That's a stupid question.
That's all I have at the moment. I'll add to or revise the list when I get time.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
I suck at blogging
I just don't well with blogging on a regular basis. It seems that the older I get the less I care about being on the internet and sharing my thoughts with people that I don't know and who probably could care less what I think.
I've also noticed that I spend more time getting information the old fashioned way, magazines and newpapers. The internet just doesn't hold as much fascination as it use to, there are too many other things that are more fun and interesting than staring at a computer screen for hours on end.
Anyway I'll probably post something every now and again just to be writing, but I doubt I'll go back to trying to blog regularly anytime in the near future.
I've also noticed that I spend more time getting information the old fashioned way, magazines and newpapers. The internet just doesn't hold as much fascination as it use to, there are too many other things that are more fun and interesting than staring at a computer screen for hours on end.
Anyway I'll probably post something every now and again just to be writing, but I doubt I'll go back to trying to blog regularly anytime in the near future.
Monday, November 2, 2009
What's wrong with Wonder Woman
I have often wondered what has kept Wonder Woman from being as popular as the other two big heroes at DC comics, Superman and Batman.
Wonder Woman is part of the holy trinity at DC, she's as powerful as Superman, as smart as Batman and wears almost no clothes, why isn't she more popular?
I think DC does a fair job of promoting the character. She is part of nearly every major story, she is looked upon with reverance, just like Supes and Bats, by other DC heroes, but the guys have multiple titles (regular monthly series as well as one-shots and mini-series) coming out each month as well as decades worth of staring roles in movies, tv shows and cartoons.
What does Wonder Woman have? One book coming out each month in which she is the star and that is it. Though she does usually appear in the JLA team book as well as several special appearances in other titles, she can barely support the one title in which she stars. Personally I think there are two reasons Wonder Woman has such as difficult time breaking the "glass ceiling" of the comic book world.
First, no one understands the character because there is no definitive version of WW. Is she kind and loving? Is she a hard as nails warrior woman? Is she butch or feminine? No one really knowns and if you read her book over the years you will see various versions of the character. Under one creative team she is very butch looking and feminist. Yet under another group of creators she is a dangerous thing of beauty, a warrior and a goddess. No one actually gets her, which leads me to my second point. Fans can't relate to her like they can to Supes and Bats or even Spiderman and the Hulk, but let's stick with DC comics for this.
Superman is the last of his race(not really but that is a discussion for another time), an alien with godlike powers, but in some ways he is the epitome of what it means to be human. We can all identify with feeling alone, or like an outcast even amont friends and family. Superman lost his family and his whole world just as everyone experiences loss at some point in their lives, we can relate. Superman was raised by ideal parents, the kind of understanding and loving folks that everyone wants to have. Superman has the powers we all want to have, every child and most adults daydream about flying and he fulfills that wish. Superman has all of this incredible power and could easily subjugate the world to his will, yet he spends his days saving us all from external and internal menaces. Superman represents both a messianic protector, and the model of what all people believe they can be. There are tons of other things that allow people to connect with the Superman, but to put it simply, he represents everything that is good about humanity. Superman is who we all want to be, at least in some way.
Now for Batman, who is a little more obvious. He is a normal human, who saw both of his parents gunned down before his eyes. Rather than whine and cry he pushed himself to become the ultimate representation of vengeance and justice. Batman is the things that villains fear more than the law. Sure Bruce Wayne is a billionaire, but that is just the facade for Batman. Everyone has multiple faces that we wear in life. For some it is the work face, the home face, etc... We can all relate to having to be "someone else" depending on our situation.
Where as Superman represents the purity of spirit, the alturistic nature buried in every person, Batman represents the rage and desire to punish those that scare us. To exorcise and beat down our inner demons. Whether people like to admit it of not we are all scared of the world around us and would love to overcome that fear of the dark and make it afraid of us. Like Superman there are so many ways that people can relate to Batman I could write a thesis paper on either character regarding this subject. I think I've made my point well enough to move on to the reason for this post.
Despite being of our Earth, Wonder Woman is more of an alien than Superman in every way. First she isn't even human. Her mother formed her from clay and the gods breathed life into her. She is a princess, trained to be a warrior that grew up in paradise surrounded by nothing but women. Then she was sent to man's world to show us how to live peacefully, or something like that. Now I for one don't see how a non-human, warrior princess, raised on a tropic isle, and who is much more aloof and removed from humanity than an alien from Krypton who was raised in middle America, could possibly understand, much less relate to the rest of humanity. Who the hell is she to tell us how to live? Every once in a while there is a story where you start to get a feel for the character, but then a new creative team comes on and the status quo changes once again.
Don't get me wrong, I like Wonder Woman. For the most part when she appears in other books, besides her own, she is an interesting character. Even in the occassional issues of her own books she is pretty interesting, but it never lasts. There is just too much about the character that is too "alien" for most of us. Other than the feminist angle, which to be honest a lot of people just don't associate with, WW just doesn't have the ability to connect with readers in the way so many other characters do. I think she is a great character and deserves to be in DC's big 3, but they need to work a little harder to make her more accessible and popular with readers.
Another thing that I think hurts Wonder Woman's popularity is her lack of cool villains. Superman has his arch nemisis Lex Luthor, not to mention Mxyplyzyk, Parasite, Doomsday, The evil Kryptonians (especially Zod), Toyman, and let's not forget Bizarro. Batman has his arch nemisis the Joker, plus probably one of the all time best and most well known rogues galleries in comics history. C'mon everyone at least knows the Joker, Penguin, Catwoman and Riddler.
Besides cool villians Superman and Batman have well known supporting characters. Alfred, Robin, Commisioner Gordon, Batgirl, Supergirl, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Superboy, and Perry White are pretty well known even by non-comic book fans. It is sad that Wonder Woman's supporting characters, though not as well known in the mainstream as Batman's and Superman's, are probably more popular with fans than WW. Donna Troy and Wondergirl (Cassie) are pretty strong heroes in their own right that are much easier to associate with, more likeable and most would say more popular.
When you say Wonder Woman what comes to most people's minds?
Sure if you are a comic book fan you can think of a few villians like Cheetah, Circe or Silver Swan. You may even thinkof her love interest Steve Trevor, but what if you asked non-comic book fans? I think it would be safe to say not one average person who only knows the character from the 70's TV show or from the Superfriends cartoon could not come up with a single Wonder Woman character. Yet those same people could probably associate three or more names with Superman and Batman.
The few female comic fans, or at least women who can appreciate comics to a degree, don't like Wonder Woman very much, yet a lot of guys do. The problem is that few of thos guys buy her book. As much as it may upset those that like the feminist image of WW, the angry feminist angle gets old kind of quick for guys.( I know that his a sexist thing to say, but let's face it the majority of comic book readers are male.) Few guys and apparently few women want to read about a love sick, warrior princess or a bitchy, super powered feminist. There needs to be a more accessible version of the character presented, a version to which both male and female fans can relate. Wonder Woman has the potential and deserves to be one of the greatest comic books superheroes in more than just title alone.
Wonder Woman is part of the holy trinity at DC, she's as powerful as Superman, as smart as Batman and wears almost no clothes, why isn't she more popular?
I think DC does a fair job of promoting the character. She is part of nearly every major story, she is looked upon with reverance, just like Supes and Bats, by other DC heroes, but the guys have multiple titles (regular monthly series as well as one-shots and mini-series) coming out each month as well as decades worth of staring roles in movies, tv shows and cartoons.
What does Wonder Woman have? One book coming out each month in which she is the star and that is it. Though she does usually appear in the JLA team book as well as several special appearances in other titles, she can barely support the one title in which she stars. Personally I think there are two reasons Wonder Woman has such as difficult time breaking the "glass ceiling" of the comic book world.
First, no one understands the character because there is no definitive version of WW. Is she kind and loving? Is she a hard as nails warrior woman? Is she butch or feminine? No one really knowns and if you read her book over the years you will see various versions of the character. Under one creative team she is very butch looking and feminist. Yet under another group of creators she is a dangerous thing of beauty, a warrior and a goddess. No one actually gets her, which leads me to my second point. Fans can't relate to her like they can to Supes and Bats or even Spiderman and the Hulk, but let's stick with DC comics for this.
Superman is the last of his race(not really but that is a discussion for another time), an alien with godlike powers, but in some ways he is the epitome of what it means to be human. We can all identify with feeling alone, or like an outcast even amont friends and family. Superman lost his family and his whole world just as everyone experiences loss at some point in their lives, we can relate. Superman was raised by ideal parents, the kind of understanding and loving folks that everyone wants to have. Superman has the powers we all want to have, every child and most adults daydream about flying and he fulfills that wish. Superman has all of this incredible power and could easily subjugate the world to his will, yet he spends his days saving us all from external and internal menaces. Superman represents both a messianic protector, and the model of what all people believe they can be. There are tons of other things that allow people to connect with the Superman, but to put it simply, he represents everything that is good about humanity. Superman is who we all want to be, at least in some way.
Now for Batman, who is a little more obvious. He is a normal human, who saw both of his parents gunned down before his eyes. Rather than whine and cry he pushed himself to become the ultimate representation of vengeance and justice. Batman is the things that villains fear more than the law. Sure Bruce Wayne is a billionaire, but that is just the facade for Batman. Everyone has multiple faces that we wear in life. For some it is the work face, the home face, etc... We can all relate to having to be "someone else" depending on our situation.
Where as Superman represents the purity of spirit, the alturistic nature buried in every person, Batman represents the rage and desire to punish those that scare us. To exorcise and beat down our inner demons. Whether people like to admit it of not we are all scared of the world around us and would love to overcome that fear of the dark and make it afraid of us. Like Superman there are so many ways that people can relate to Batman I could write a thesis paper on either character regarding this subject. I think I've made my point well enough to move on to the reason for this post.
Despite being of our Earth, Wonder Woman is more of an alien than Superman in every way. First she isn't even human. Her mother formed her from clay and the gods breathed life into her. She is a princess, trained to be a warrior that grew up in paradise surrounded by nothing but women. Then she was sent to man's world to show us how to live peacefully, or something like that. Now I for one don't see how a non-human, warrior princess, raised on a tropic isle, and who is much more aloof and removed from humanity than an alien from Krypton who was raised in middle America, could possibly understand, much less relate to the rest of humanity. Who the hell is she to tell us how to live? Every once in a while there is a story where you start to get a feel for the character, but then a new creative team comes on and the status quo changes once again.
Don't get me wrong, I like Wonder Woman. For the most part when she appears in other books, besides her own, she is an interesting character. Even in the occassional issues of her own books she is pretty interesting, but it never lasts. There is just too much about the character that is too "alien" for most of us. Other than the feminist angle, which to be honest a lot of people just don't associate with, WW just doesn't have the ability to connect with readers in the way so many other characters do. I think she is a great character and deserves to be in DC's big 3, but they need to work a little harder to make her more accessible and popular with readers.
Another thing that I think hurts Wonder Woman's popularity is her lack of cool villains. Superman has his arch nemisis Lex Luthor, not to mention Mxyplyzyk, Parasite, Doomsday, The evil Kryptonians (especially Zod), Toyman, and let's not forget Bizarro. Batman has his arch nemisis the Joker, plus probably one of the all time best and most well known rogues galleries in comics history. C'mon everyone at least knows the Joker, Penguin, Catwoman and Riddler.
Besides cool villians Superman and Batman have well known supporting characters. Alfred, Robin, Commisioner Gordon, Batgirl, Supergirl, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Superboy, and Perry White are pretty well known even by non-comic book fans. It is sad that Wonder Woman's supporting characters, though not as well known in the mainstream as Batman's and Superman's, are probably more popular with fans than WW. Donna Troy and Wondergirl (Cassie) are pretty strong heroes in their own right that are much easier to associate with, more likeable and most would say more popular.
When you say Wonder Woman what comes to most people's minds?
Sure if you are a comic book fan you can think of a few villians like Cheetah, Circe or Silver Swan. You may even thinkof her love interest Steve Trevor, but what if you asked non-comic book fans? I think it would be safe to say not one average person who only knows the character from the 70's TV show or from the Superfriends cartoon could not come up with a single Wonder Woman character. Yet those same people could probably associate three or more names with Superman and Batman.
The few female comic fans, or at least women who can appreciate comics to a degree, don't like Wonder Woman very much, yet a lot of guys do. The problem is that few of thos guys buy her book. As much as it may upset those that like the feminist image of WW, the angry feminist angle gets old kind of quick for guys.( I know that his a sexist thing to say, but let's face it the majority of comic book readers are male.) Few guys and apparently few women want to read about a love sick, warrior princess or a bitchy, super powered feminist. There needs to be a more accessible version of the character presented, a version to which both male and female fans can relate. Wonder Woman has the potential and deserves to be one of the greatest comic books superheroes in more than just title alone.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Politics and football
It kind of pisses me off that Congress gets involved with sports when there is a controversy. I don't think the founding fathers intended for us to have congressional hearings about steroids use in athletes or brain damage from playing football.
First of all the fact both of these are bad things is kind of common sense. Secondly, don't our representatives in congress have better shit to do? I mean I didn't vote for them and pay taxes so they could worry about stupid shit like this. There are organizations, for both the players and the leagues, that are much more capable to handle these issues.
Our economy is in the tank, people are losing there homes, there are no jobs, people either can't get health care or are having to file bankruptcy due to health care costs they can't pay, and congress thinks football is important? WTF!?!?
While I'm on the topic of how ignorant politicians are, I think I will rant a little about how bassackwards Washington is at the moment.
1. Republicans stood behind the last administration's decisions to expand government's power to interfere with our lives, and spend money like it grew on trees. Now that Democrats are in power the Republicans have decided that spending money is bad and do anything possible, including spreading outright lies, to undermine the current administration. Now they become fiscally responsible? Where were they when the previous administration was running our country and economy into the toilet? Oh, yeah... they were approving all the things that put us in the toilet...
2. The Republicans also can't stop themselves from telling us how the current administration is like Hitler and the Nazis because they are trying to take away all or our rights! Unless I'm mistaken wasn't the Patriot Act the last administration's baby? Wasn't it the last administration that gave the go ahead for detaining US citizens with no warrant or due process? Didn't all that secret prison and torture stuff happen during the last administration? Wasn't it the last administration that lied to everyone and got us into a completely unjustifiable war? I'll concede that the current administration is more socialist than I would like, but the Nazis got voted out in the last election.
3. I will give Congress the benefit of the doubt, 9/11 was a traumatic experience for the nation and allowed a crooked, evil administration to manipulate the situation to create the war they wanted. Granted I and many others never have understood why we moved into Iraq, considering that the terrorist are predominately based in Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, but America needed and enemy and Bush needed to further some business interest so Iraq was the target. After all we couldn't attack the Saudis.... well that's a topic for another time... So why are we still fighting this war? The enemy is not a country, they are a worldwide group of individuals and this "war" would be better waged by intelligence agencies with small strike force style deployments than by all out showing of force.
4.Why, after getting our hopes up and motivating us to boot out many of the Republicans, have the Democrats continually dropped the ball? They act like morons that have no idea what they are suppose to be doing. It is really sad. To me this either proves that the Democrats are complete idiots who lack the organization and leadership of the Republicans (I find the Republicans to be vile, lying, fat cats, but they are pretty good at staying organized.), or they are just as corrupt as the Republicans. Because of the two faced, backstabbing, dishonest tactics of the Republicans and the complete ineptitude, disorganization and lack of any type of coherent direction by the Democrats, I have decided to become a Libertarian.
Since both parties enjoy name calling, it has opened my eyes to how pathetic they both have become. The more I listen to their adolescent rhetoric the more I have come to see them in a different light. Republicans want a more dictatorship type of government run by corporations and Democrats want a more socialist government where they run the corporations. Both types of government would lead to tyranny, promote corruption(even more so than now), spread paranoia and give us a society where big brother is not just looking over our shoulders, but breathing down our necks.
That is just my quick rant on politics. I don't really have a reason for it and have not taken the time to gather sources or facts to back up my opinions, because they are opinions. These are just my takes on things I've seen lately.
Like many Americans I am just sick and tired of watching all these morons continually screw the very people they were elected to serve, while taking care of themselves and their rich friends. What is even more sad is that come election time, everyone will completely overlook how much these idiots have screwed us all and will vote for them again. As I said before I will be voting for Libertarian or other independent candidates when ever possible. The only way to let the Dem and Republicans know that we are fed up is to start replacing them with other parties. Then and only then will they realize that they need to start listening to the people that hired them, us, and follow the platforms of their parties.
There was a line in the movie Religulous that I think sums up our government. It was actually said by a congressman in an interview with Bill Mauher and while I don't have it memorized verbatim this pretty damn close:
You don't have to take an IQ test to get into Congress.
Truer words have never been spoken.
First of all the fact both of these are bad things is kind of common sense. Secondly, don't our representatives in congress have better shit to do? I mean I didn't vote for them and pay taxes so they could worry about stupid shit like this. There are organizations, for both the players and the leagues, that are much more capable to handle these issues.
Our economy is in the tank, people are losing there homes, there are no jobs, people either can't get health care or are having to file bankruptcy due to health care costs they can't pay, and congress thinks football is important? WTF!?!?
While I'm on the topic of how ignorant politicians are, I think I will rant a little about how bassackwards Washington is at the moment.
1. Republicans stood behind the last administration's decisions to expand government's power to interfere with our lives, and spend money like it grew on trees. Now that Democrats are in power the Republicans have decided that spending money is bad and do anything possible, including spreading outright lies, to undermine the current administration. Now they become fiscally responsible? Where were they when the previous administration was running our country and economy into the toilet? Oh, yeah... they were approving all the things that put us in the toilet...
2. The Republicans also can't stop themselves from telling us how the current administration is like Hitler and the Nazis because they are trying to take away all or our rights! Unless I'm mistaken wasn't the Patriot Act the last administration's baby? Wasn't it the last administration that gave the go ahead for detaining US citizens with no warrant or due process? Didn't all that secret prison and torture stuff happen during the last administration? Wasn't it the last administration that lied to everyone and got us into a completely unjustifiable war? I'll concede that the current administration is more socialist than I would like, but the Nazis got voted out in the last election.
3. I will give Congress the benefit of the doubt, 9/11 was a traumatic experience for the nation and allowed a crooked, evil administration to manipulate the situation to create the war they wanted. Granted I and many others never have understood why we moved into Iraq, considering that the terrorist are predominately based in Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, but America needed and enemy and Bush needed to further some business interest so Iraq was the target. After all we couldn't attack the Saudis.... well that's a topic for another time... So why are we still fighting this war? The enemy is not a country, they are a worldwide group of individuals and this "war" would be better waged by intelligence agencies with small strike force style deployments than by all out showing of force.
4.Why, after getting our hopes up and motivating us to boot out many of the Republicans, have the Democrats continually dropped the ball? They act like morons that have no idea what they are suppose to be doing. It is really sad. To me this either proves that the Democrats are complete idiots who lack the organization and leadership of the Republicans (I find the Republicans to be vile, lying, fat cats, but they are pretty good at staying organized.), or they are just as corrupt as the Republicans. Because of the two faced, backstabbing, dishonest tactics of the Republicans and the complete ineptitude, disorganization and lack of any type of coherent direction by the Democrats, I have decided to become a Libertarian.
Since both parties enjoy name calling, it has opened my eyes to how pathetic they both have become. The more I listen to their adolescent rhetoric the more I have come to see them in a different light. Republicans want a more dictatorship type of government run by corporations and Democrats want a more socialist government where they run the corporations. Both types of government would lead to tyranny, promote corruption(even more so than now), spread paranoia and give us a society where big brother is not just looking over our shoulders, but breathing down our necks.
That is just my quick rant on politics. I don't really have a reason for it and have not taken the time to gather sources or facts to back up my opinions, because they are opinions. These are just my takes on things I've seen lately.
Like many Americans I am just sick and tired of watching all these morons continually screw the very people they were elected to serve, while taking care of themselves and their rich friends. What is even more sad is that come election time, everyone will completely overlook how much these idiots have screwed us all and will vote for them again. As I said before I will be voting for Libertarian or other independent candidates when ever possible. The only way to let the Dem and Republicans know that we are fed up is to start replacing them with other parties. Then and only then will they realize that they need to start listening to the people that hired them, us, and follow the platforms of their parties.
There was a line in the movie Religulous that I think sums up our government. It was actually said by a congressman in an interview with Bill Mauher and while I don't have it memorized verbatim this pretty damn close:
You don't have to take an IQ test to get into Congress.
Truer words have never been spoken.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Football = brain damage.... duh
While I never have been a fan of football, hockey and baseball are my games, I find it amazing that people are shocked over recent news that playing football can cause brain damage.
Granted I have worked in the mental health field, specifically with patients suffering from brain injuries, so I guess it could be argued that I have a little more training and knowledge than the average person, but I say bullshit.When I was a kid and I did something stupid, like the time I ran into a glass sliding door and got a very nice goose egg for my trouble, my mom told me to be careful or I'll end up with brain damage. Then there were those times I was convinced that I was Evil Kenevil, ended up kissing concrete and having to explain to my mom that the gravel embedded in my forehead was no big deal. What did she say? You need to be careful or you'll get a concussion/brain damage.
So why is it a surprise that running full speed into several 300 lb men, being flipped into the air and landing on your head can cause brain damage? Maybe my mom was just a genius, or had some kind of inside knowledge that the NFL is not privy to, such as common sense.
To be honest I have always found it sad that we promote playing sports over getting an education and now I can understand why. You will likely end up with brain damage if you play football, no sense wasting time filling your head with a bunch of learnin' that you will end up forgetting due to numerous instances of head trauma by the time your are 40 anyway.
Granted I have worked in the mental health field, specifically with patients suffering from brain injuries, so I guess it could be argued that I have a little more training and knowledge than the average person, but I say bullshit.When I was a kid and I did something stupid, like the time I ran into a glass sliding door and got a very nice goose egg for my trouble, my mom told me to be careful or I'll end up with brain damage. Then there were those times I was convinced that I was Evil Kenevil, ended up kissing concrete and having to explain to my mom that the gravel embedded in my forehead was no big deal. What did she say? You need to be careful or you'll get a concussion/brain damage.
So why is it a surprise that running full speed into several 300 lb men, being flipped into the air and landing on your head can cause brain damage? Maybe my mom was just a genius, or had some kind of inside knowledge that the NFL is not privy to, such as common sense.
To be honest I have always found it sad that we promote playing sports over getting an education and now I can understand why. You will likely end up with brain damage if you play football, no sense wasting time filling your head with a bunch of learnin' that you will end up forgetting due to numerous instances of head trauma by the time your are 40 anyway.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Getting rejections isn't so bad... yeah right.
Writing is something I've found I have a passion for, one of the only things I truly love to do.
I have sent in more fiction submissions than I can count and I have gotten just as many rejection letters in return.
Now any book or article you read about writing will tell you to take the rejections with a grain of salt. Of course the people that tell you that are always published writers and authors. Sure they've been there and done that, and I'm sure they know what they are talking about, but it is hard not to take rejection to heart.
I don't suppose that I can complain, many of the rejection letters I've received have been very positive, at least as positive as rejections go. Usually they are along the lines of " I liked the story, but it's not what we're looking for right now" , " strong writing, but we'll have to pass this time", or something similar. Even though I believe that they are genuine in their response it does make you feel like your significant other is leaving you and saying "it's not you, it's me." No matter how you look at it, you're still getting dumped.
While I try to heed the advice I read, being told that what you write isn't what anyone seems to be looking for gets to you after a while. You can't help but start to second guess yourself and wonder if you have any talent at all. You think that maybe I'm one of those people with all the "need" to write in the world, tons of stories to tell, but not the talent. I've read the books and done all the other things unpublished writers are told to do, but still nothing. It is enough to make you want to give up.
Regardless of how it may sound I have no intentions of giving up on my writing, yet. I'll keep sending my stories out there to risk rejection and keep hoping they one day I'll be writing a book or article telling unpublished authors to take rejections with a grain of salt.
I have sent in more fiction submissions than I can count and I have gotten just as many rejection letters in return.
Now any book or article you read about writing will tell you to take the rejections with a grain of salt. Of course the people that tell you that are always published writers and authors. Sure they've been there and done that, and I'm sure they know what they are talking about, but it is hard not to take rejection to heart.
I don't suppose that I can complain, many of the rejection letters I've received have been very positive, at least as positive as rejections go. Usually they are along the lines of " I liked the story, but it's not what we're looking for right now" , " strong writing, but we'll have to pass this time", or something similar. Even though I believe that they are genuine in their response it does make you feel like your significant other is leaving you and saying "it's not you, it's me." No matter how you look at it, you're still getting dumped.
While I try to heed the advice I read, being told that what you write isn't what anyone seems to be looking for gets to you after a while. You can't help but start to second guess yourself and wonder if you have any talent at all. You think that maybe I'm one of those people with all the "need" to write in the world, tons of stories to tell, but not the talent. I've read the books and done all the other things unpublished writers are told to do, but still nothing. It is enough to make you want to give up.
Regardless of how it may sound I have no intentions of giving up on my writing, yet. I'll keep sending my stories out there to risk rejection and keep hoping they one day I'll be writing a book or article telling unpublished authors to take rejections with a grain of salt.
Monday, April 6, 2009
You are how you are pt 2
In my previous post I made the comment that writers are not made they are born and that people can't just become writers if they do not have the drive/need to write. In retrospect, and after reading a few very good articles on the topic, I've decided to amend this comment.
Anyone can learn to write. Anyone who can read a book can master the technical skills necessary to create a readable story, article, or whatever. However, it is the need to write and the ability to become emotionally involved with what you are writing, by putting a bit of yourself into it that truly makes a good writer. I've read numerous stories that honestly weren't technically correct, and I've likely written more than my share, but I still enjoyed them because the writer cared about what they wrote, they were a part of the story. That, at least to me, is the essence of a writer.
Anyone can learn to write. Anyone who can read a book can master the technical skills necessary to create a readable story, article, or whatever. However, it is the need to write and the ability to become emotionally involved with what you are writing, by putting a bit of yourself into it that truly makes a good writer. I've read numerous stories that honestly weren't technically correct, and I've likely written more than my share, but I still enjoyed them because the writer cared about what they wrote, they were a part of the story. That, at least to me, is the essence of a writer.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Who you are, is who you've always been.
I didn't always want to be a writer, although I guess I have always been one and didn't know it.
If you read the countless books, magazines and blogs on the topic you will overwhelmingly find that writers are born, not made. You can't just decide one day that you are going to be a fiction writer and actually do it. You may have the technical skill, and you may have the necessary knowledge, but you may lack the most important element, the need. Writing is something you need to do. You can't quit coming up with stories to tell and you just have to get them out of your head.
Granted even if you have the need, you may lack the talent or you may never take the plunge and actually write something, but somewhere in the back of your mind, the need is there. Maybe you can suppress it and do something more successful with your life, but the desire will always been there in some capacity.
I honestly think that most people are what they will become long before they realize their calling. As a child I wanted to be an aerospace engineer, a superhero, a comic book artist, a psychiatrist, a teacher, a rock star, and a politician. Not once did I ever consider writing as a viable career choice. Granted it still isn't a viable career, but I'm trying to change that.
My mom was a writer and spent years chasing the elusive big book deal. Rejection letter after rejection letter she kept on writing. Why would anyone submit themselves to that kind of punishment? For the only reason there is, she needed to do it.
Whether you attribute it to growing up with a writer as a parent or too much time reading comics books and watching movies, I always had a vivid imagination. There was always a story developing in my head. Sometimes I found it hard to concentrate on such mundane tasks as school work or my job when I had a hero trapped in a volcano that was about to erupt. How could I leave the poor guy just sitting there waiting to die while I did a price check on detergent or took a math test?
The older I got the more detailed these mental movies became, the heroes developed lifelike personalities as did the villains and supporting characters. I not only knew them by name, but exactly how they would handle nearly any situation. Don't get me wrong, I knew they are imagined, but when you pour so much of your time, creativity and personality into them they take on a life of their own. Much like Gepetto's little wooden boy, they become real.
I was in my mid-twenties when I realized I had been a writer all along. Sure I still want to be a musician or a comic book artist, but those are just other ways to do what I think I was meant to do all along, tell stories. I'm a writer, I always have been and regardless if anything I write ever gets published, I always will be.
If you read the countless books, magazines and blogs on the topic you will overwhelmingly find that writers are born, not made. You can't just decide one day that you are going to be a fiction writer and actually do it. You may have the technical skill, and you may have the necessary knowledge, but you may lack the most important element, the need. Writing is something you need to do. You can't quit coming up with stories to tell and you just have to get them out of your head.
Granted even if you have the need, you may lack the talent or you may never take the plunge and actually write something, but somewhere in the back of your mind, the need is there. Maybe you can suppress it and do something more successful with your life, but the desire will always been there in some capacity.
I honestly think that most people are what they will become long before they realize their calling. As a child I wanted to be an aerospace engineer, a superhero, a comic book artist, a psychiatrist, a teacher, a rock star, and a politician. Not once did I ever consider writing as a viable career choice. Granted it still isn't a viable career, but I'm trying to change that.
My mom was a writer and spent years chasing the elusive big book deal. Rejection letter after rejection letter she kept on writing. Why would anyone submit themselves to that kind of punishment? For the only reason there is, she needed to do it.
Whether you attribute it to growing up with a writer as a parent or too much time reading comics books and watching movies, I always had a vivid imagination. There was always a story developing in my head. Sometimes I found it hard to concentrate on such mundane tasks as school work or my job when I had a hero trapped in a volcano that was about to erupt. How could I leave the poor guy just sitting there waiting to die while I did a price check on detergent or took a math test?
The older I got the more detailed these mental movies became, the heroes developed lifelike personalities as did the villains and supporting characters. I not only knew them by name, but exactly how they would handle nearly any situation. Don't get me wrong, I knew they are imagined, but when you pour so much of your time, creativity and personality into them they take on a life of their own. Much like Gepetto's little wooden boy, they become real.
I was in my mid-twenties when I realized I had been a writer all along. Sure I still want to be a musician or a comic book artist, but those are just other ways to do what I think I was meant to do all along, tell stories. I'm a writer, I always have been and regardless if anything I write ever gets published, I always will be.
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