Political type rant

Hmph. Well, got most of my work done for the day, so I am gonna take some time and write.
Man, it is almost clichéd to say so, but Obama’s speech the other day on race relations in America was just the kind of powerful move that a president should make. It seems to be the status quo nowadays for big-time front-runner politicians to be on the defensive all the time, spending what must amount to 90% of their energy trying to deflate rumors about them, or bolster their public image. Whether true or not, what never ceases to amaze (and infuriate) me is that these rumors and accusations come flying from people who, I would wager good money, are guilty of those exact same things – they have to be, as they are human beings (with a few exceptions perhaps in the media).
I fucking hate that double standard. While politicians should be role-models, the system has become so blighted and mired by this media-crazed bullshit that it is more common to see ‘good ol’ folks like G.W. Bush in office than someone with vision and a firm grasp on, well, how the fucking world actually works, cuz quite frankly very few of the latter type are bat-shit crazy enough to put their lives under the intensity of the public microscope.
To be fair, GW does have a vision, although it’s perhaps more apt to call it a delusion than a vision.
Anyways, no need to bash Bush anymore.
Say what you want about it, Obama’s speech just gave me the sensation of actually listening for once to a politician who meant what they were saying, and who was capable of taking a risk, or taking a stand, or just doing SOMETHING that wasn’t dictated to them by some wanker of an advisor who based their advice on some statistics compiled by their analysts on how best to deflate any and all concerns by all demographics of the populace and the media.
It’s been said many times before, and no doubt much more eloquently, but the world needs a lot more honest people. And while I could consider myself cynical for saying so (cheeky of me considering my last post) I’m sick to death of people who are so afraid of just telling the fucking truth. Like, what the hell are people scared of?
The truth can be scary at times, but if you don’t adhere to it and instead create whatever fantasy world to live in, whether it’s only you who’s living in it, or much worse you’re dragging others with you, what possible good can you do with that?
What ground can you gain? What can you base anything on?
Now the flip side of this of course is the danger of giving too MUCH away. Some things need to be kept to oneself I suppose, and quite frankly I don’t need the WHOLE truth all the time – a little bit of mystery is a good thing.
But mystery has its time and place, and putting on a front for the American people that is too squeaky clean makes me really wonder just who the fuck these people are who try to ascend to the most powerful position in the world. They make these bold speeches that really, when you boil them down, are the most tepid, un-inspiring posturings I’ve ever witnessed.
Well, recently I had thought that I’d be content with any of the 3 contenders for president. I mean, McCain IS a war hero, so how bad could he really be? With Clinton would come all that experience.
As for Obama, I always liked the youth and freshness that came with him, that many had likened to JFK. It seemed to me though that he just hadn’t quite lived up to those expectations.
The funny thing is, I didn’t even see the whole speech (in fact, all I caught were some highlights on the Daily show) but I didn’t even need to. What little I saw was plenty enough to convince me that this is indeed the right person for the job.

new stuff

Well, as I haven’t written anything in a long time on this blog, I decided it was time to change topics. I no longer really care about whether or not movies are good – at least not enough to write about it. Instead, I am broadening my horizons to write about whatever the hell I feel like.
I’ll start with some thoughts following a show I saw last night – Henry Rollins.
Wow, what an individual. The guy is the patron saint of all people who feel like outsiders. I’m not trying to sound like I’m some angst-fueled troubled individual screaming my loathing of the ignorant masses and blah blah blah. But I don’t exactly base my life on the status quo….
At any rate, he mentioned how as he grows older he is becoming less cynical.
He credited this change to his experience traveling to various nations (mostly impoverished or war-torn) and witnessing first hand both the tragic conditions that people live in, as well as how miraculous those people are who, in the midst of all this chaos and tragedy, fight to help or to survive day after bloody day.
And truly, it was a reminder I needed right about now. How petty and insignificant most of my problems really are in comparison with others.
Not that in their own context they are meaningless and such, but it made me realize that to truly see things for how they are, we need to embrace change so that we constantly have fresh perspective. Nothing exactly revolutionary in that, but it never ceases to amaze me how my natural tendency (and I’m sure it’s the same with most other people) is to gravitate back to old habits, old ruts, and eventually become frustrated at the same repetitive experiences. While most people really can’t afford to just up and leave whatever their situation is – and some are more stuck than others – I believe it is in most people’s power to embrace change of some sort or other. This could be anything from a new hobby, traveling to new places, meeting new people, etc. With all the shit that’s out there, why on Earth should we limit ourselves to such a small array of experiences?
Personally, if I had the time and resources, I would want to do so many things it would be ridiculous. People SHOULD be curious about the world. If you aren’t, I would really like to know why.
Back to the subject of cynicism though. In this humble bloggers opinion cynicism is fueled by repetitiveness. For example, when I have to drive for 30-40 minutes in rush hour traffic twice every weekday, and I see the same examples of people being selfish and ignorant on the road, through the consistency of this exposure it might gradually seep into my sub-conscious that the majority of people are selfish and ignorant. How in the hell am I justified in this conclusion? These people that display driving tendencies that I find infuriating are perhaps merely other people who are infuriated with the other drivers around them and are consequently acting what they deem to be an appropriate manner.
This whole driving thing is merely an example of course. The point is, we should periodically be questioning our conclusions about things, and if there is anyone we should ever be hasty to be cynical of, it should be ourselves. Well, perhaps not cynical, but certainly critical. I just wanted to say cynical cuz it was a nice little way to wrap up this article….