Politixiation

I've been apolitical for most of my life. From the first moment I learned anything at all about politics, I knew I would hate it. For some reason, telling people what they wanted to hear, as opposed to telling them how things really are, just never appealed to me. I liken politics to a cup of tainted water. Some people saw the taint and avoided it (like me). Some people drank knowing it was tainted. They're the ones who are politically active, yet complain vehemently about the political system. And finally, there are those who drink up wholeheartedly, not knowing or caring about the taint. They are so into the games, the intrigue, and the manipulation of perception that I wonder if they realize how warped their views of reality are. Perhaps I'm being melodramatic.

I've increased my political activity in recent years, but I can't say that I've been the happier for it. I'm strongly democratic because their central underlying philosophy is to support the middle and lower class at the expense of the upper class (and I'm definitely not upper class). I learned this all from studying history and government in high school and college. The respective policies reflect that fact; with Republicans in favor of lower flat taxes (heavily benefits the rich), less social services (detrimental to the poor, doesn't effect the rich), etc.; and Democrats pro-evironment anti-business (detrimental to the rich), higher progressive taxes (heavily detrimental to the rich), more social services (beneficial to the poor, doesn't effect the rich), etc.

But it's not that simple. Politics is more about ideologies and perception. Abortion, gun control, minority rights, gay marriage, capital punishment, etc. These issues are not class related, but they are integral to politics. And don't forget how important perception is. Take the presidential election. I will say this, the best candidate did not necessarily win; but I'm positive the person who did win was the person who was portrayed better. The Republicans did an excellent job in portraying Kerry as a shmuck and Bush as basically decent, if a little flawed. This sounds all well and good, but the fact is 95% of what was said was simply propaganda. The truth is out there, sure, but rarely is it revealed. The Kerry side tried to stick to logic, but they did not play 'the game' well enough, so they lost.

For those who exclaimed, "Apocalypse!" when Bush won, remember, the warning signs were there. Two years ago, the Republicans firmly took control of Congress making it the first time in, something like 30 years, that one party took control of the Presidency and Congress. An ominous sign for Democrats for sure, and perhaps representative of the current sentiment of the American people.

But America is a weird place. I remember a long time ago, I read about how many european nations were building roads with these concrete-based mixtures that were a little more expensive than asphalt, but lasted far longer. So I asked my dad, "How come we don't do this here in America? Building with more advanced concrete would save tons of money in the long run, as opposed to asphalt. It would be nice if roads weren't always being repaired because they wear out so fast."

"If we did that, after we built all these roads that don't wear out, there wouldn't be jobs left for a lot of road workers. Fewer roads would need repair at one time, so fewer workers would be needed. So it's political."

That may be true, but how come europeans can do it? In the long run, the jobs would reappear, just at a higher skill level. America seems to be afflicted with a kind of short-sightedness.

Then there's NASCAR. The cars are not the fastest, and nobody ever takes a right turn. Yet it is the most popular racing sport in America. Mystifiying. If you're wondering what's the most popular racing sport in the world is, it's Formula 1. It's the fastest cars making left and right turns, including the occasional hairpin turns. The tracks are much more difficult to race. At least this makes some sense to me.

Sorry for this rant. You probably won't hear another political post from me for a long time. I don't like politics, and I don't like the effect it can have on people. But it's nice to express where I stand on the issue. I will do my part to stay politically involved, but you probably won't hear much fanfare about it from me.

Dilemma

I can't sleep. Naturally, I've been thinking - always a bad sign.

Imagine this dilemma. Take a boy and a girl. Let's say they're interested in each other. In fact, getting together seems to be the most natural thing in the world. However, there is a problem. In less than 3 months, the boy is moving 5,000 miles away; effectively ending any potential relationship. Worse yet, the boy knows he is leaving. What does he do? Does he throw caution into the wind, and get involved with the girl not caring about the consequences? Or does he stop the relationship in the beginning thus sparing both from future pain?


It's been... eight years. I still think I did the right thing, but sometimes I wish I was more selfish. I don't really think that incident has affected me too much by itself - it's more of a cumulative effect. While I was growing up, I had to get used to the fact that I had to make new friends every couple of years. Being an Air Force brat can wear on you. Even when I didn't move, my friends usually did. I think over the years, my spirit has eroded away.

Let me be honest. I'm very closed off. I am somewhat unfriendly, though not to my friends. Getting to be my friend, however, can be difficult. It requires either persistance or luck. I'm very quiet. I'm picky and I tend to be cautious. I definitely have a hard time expressing myself. I think part of the reason I only blog about once a week is because I've consciously tried to keep things light and irreverent.

Anyways, sleep has finally decided to summon me - so I have to go. I will try to open up a little in the future. Maybe airing my grievances will help. In the mean time...

some snack-sized thoughts

I bought some menthos today, the mixed fruit variety. I kind of regret that decision. Instead of chewy mints, I get oversized skittles. As I was chewing them, I had a thought (as the menthos quickly dissolved in my mouth): What if there was a chewing gum that slowly dissolved in your mouth? Or better yet, think of starburst that had the consistancy of chewing gum, and lasted for about half an hour before dissolving. Yes, I think that would be pretty cool. Until something like that comes along, I think I would prefer a real snack with some substance to it. I wish I had some smoked almonds or even rice crackers. (I get tired of sugary stuff easily.)

current mood: Consumed by thoughts of fantasy football. Should I start Houshmandzadeh or pickup Pinkston? Should I risk playing Plummer? I made the playoffs in both my leagues, so I still have work to do. Worse yet, I'm actually quite busy this weekend. Work all day Saturday, then get up early Sunday to cook (for party), go downtown to see a show, go to party - I won't even have time to watch any football. I just hate having to make all these decision right now, but alas I have to go to sleep - so I'll just have to force some decisions...

Mama Mia!

Last night I went to go see Mama Mia! It's basically a musical based on the pop hits of ABBA. I was very impressed at how seamlessly they incorporated the music of ABBA into a good storyline. A couple of the musical numbers seemed a little forced, but overall the story was easily equal to that of other musicals. I highly recommend it.

Keep in mind I'm a little biased here, because I love musicals. When I was growing up, my parents dragged me to dozens of musicals, and it kind of grew on me. I can appreciate the effort involved in creating a musical. Think about it. How hard is it to write a play? How difficult is it to write music? With a musical, it's basically a play and a collection of songs meshed together. All while keeping it cohesive, so you can imagine how truly rare it is to find a good musical. Some may argue that it's not realistic to ever have people just break out in song in any medium. But in my view, 99% of television and movies attempt to simulate 'reality' anyways, so it doesn't hurt to see something more abstract once in a while. Besides, I'm not a big fan of reality.

In any case, if you like the songs of ABBA, or if you're interested in seeing a musical, then I definitely recommend Mama Mia!