Saturday, September 08, 2007
Why I Hate My Generation
Actually hate is too strong a word. I don’t hate my generation. The only other title of this would be “I Hate My Country” and I don’t. I could also easily title this “Why I Hate Corporate America” or “Why the Establishment Needs to Be Burned to the Ground”. But those are clichéd.
What do I hate here? Well I could say I hate the government. But I don’t quite hate it. I trust it about as much as I trust the guy drinking Miller from a busted bottle in front of the 7-11 to pay me back the $11 I loaned him. But I don’t hate it. I have contempt for how it can ruin someone’s life in the blink of an eye. But I don’t hate it.
No, what I really hate is fakery. No none of that “keeping it real” shit we see on MTV and in the magazines. I hate fakers like Scott Stapp and Fred Durst. But luckily both of those assholes are on the express train to irrelevance if they haven’t already gotten there.
Some people may say I hate religion. No I do not hate religion. If one gets personal fulfillment from religion, how is that wrong? If they want to tell how they were personally fulfilled by religion fine. But what I cannot stand are those that scream how the world is headed for so and so apocalypse. So and so apocalypse that is until religious morality comes riding to the rescue to save us all. Puritanism never died, it just got re-packaged.
I could say that I hate Republicans. But that would be a lie. Some of my closest friends are Republicans. I could say that I hate George W Bush. But I don’t. I feel a mixture of contempt and pity when I think of him these days. But I don’t feel hatred. Contempt because of how badly he has messed up a lot. Pity because I don’t think he realizes how badly he has messed things up.
I could say that I hate all politicians regardless of party affiliation. But I don’t. Because most of them are not inherently bad people. What they do is allow themselves to get pulled into a system that leads them to believe “if you’re not a winner, you’re worthless”. So they become so concerned with doing what will make them winners that they have no concern for the people’s wants and needs.
So it would be more accurate to say that I to quote Clint Eastwood “hate the damn system”. I also hate the fact that so many are content to be passive consumers and not be citizens because it’s “too much responsibility”. I hate the fact that the trials and tribulations of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are considered “news”.
Ralph Nader’s political views are not very similar to mine. But he did make one observation during the 2000 election that was 100% on; “If you’re not turned on to politics, politics will turn on you”. Well said Ralph well said.
I could easily say that I hate the fact that we are heading more and more in an authoritarian direction with each passing day. That we are continuing to pay through the noses for a joke of government, to paraphrase Frank Zappa, and then we later on sit and wonder “how did those jokers get in there”.
I could say that I hate the fact that our society continues to move more and more in the direction of saying “one is not a person unless they have a college degree”. In that case, I guess Shakespeare, the Wright Brothers, George Washington, Mark Twain and numerous other men and women aren’t persons.
I could say that I hate the fact that society nowadays seems to place less on a person as an individual and more on the person as a member of a group. Why all this emphasis on groups? Why all the bullshit about races and creeds? Why not an acceptance that what we are are people. Let’s proceed from there.
I could say that the main problem I have with my generation is that far too many members of it are content to be passive consumers. I could say that this generation could easily be dubbed the MTV III generation and that is not a good thing. Then again, it’s not right to generalize about that. I know quite a few people who are my age or close to it that don’t fall into that category. I recall one of them saying when Anna Nicole died “I’m sorry for her family’s loss. But what happened to her has no effect on me personally”. Another close friend admires certain current celebrity icons. But she doesn’t just blindly follow them. She uses them as inspiration for her own dreams. She’s also a very smart woman. People like them are why I do not hate my generation per se. I just hate the passive complacent consumer attitude so many members of it have as do so many other people today.
And I do not hate America, despite what certain toe tag members of the right wing media may say in response to my dislike of certain politicians. No I love my country. That’s why I do not like seeing certain boneheads messing it up. I do not hate Corporate America per se. What I hate is the way it destroys individuality in the people that go into it.
So be optimistic. Don’t put all your faith in what certain leaders or TV salesmen may tell you, regardless of what they may be selling. Just be yourself. Don’t be turned off of politics to be turned on to US Magazine views of the world. Hold on to your individuality, even if the corporate Matrix tries to sand it away.
Here ends this rant.
Actually hate is too strong a word. I don’t hate my generation. The only other title of this would be “I Hate My Country” and I don’t. I could also easily title this “Why I Hate Corporate America” or “Why the Establishment Needs to Be Burned to the Ground”. But those are clichéd.
What do I hate here? Well I could say I hate the government. But I don’t quite hate it. I trust it about as much as I trust the guy drinking Miller from a busted bottle in front of the 7-11 to pay me back the $11 I loaned him. But I don’t hate it. I have contempt for how it can ruin someone’s life in the blink of an eye. But I don’t hate it.
No, what I really hate is fakery. No none of that “keeping it real” shit we see on MTV and in the magazines. I hate fakers like Scott Stapp and Fred Durst. But luckily both of those assholes are on the express train to irrelevance if they haven’t already gotten there.
Some people may say I hate religion. No I do not hate religion. If one gets personal fulfillment from religion, how is that wrong? If they want to tell how they were personally fulfilled by religion fine. But what I cannot stand are those that scream how the world is headed for so and so apocalypse. So and so apocalypse that is until religious morality comes riding to the rescue to save us all. Puritanism never died, it just got re-packaged.
I could say that I hate Republicans. But that would be a lie. Some of my closest friends are Republicans. I could say that I hate George W Bush. But I don’t. I feel a mixture of contempt and pity when I think of him these days. But I don’t feel hatred. Contempt because of how badly he has messed up a lot. Pity because I don’t think he realizes how badly he has messed things up.
I could say that I hate all politicians regardless of party affiliation. But I don’t. Because most of them are not inherently bad people. What they do is allow themselves to get pulled into a system that leads them to believe “if you’re not a winner, you’re worthless”. So they become so concerned with doing what will make them winners that they have no concern for the people’s wants and needs.
So it would be more accurate to say that I to quote Clint Eastwood “hate the damn system”. I also hate the fact that so many are content to be passive consumers and not be citizens because it’s “too much responsibility”. I hate the fact that the trials and tribulations of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are considered “news”.
Ralph Nader’s political views are not very similar to mine. But he did make one observation during the 2000 election that was 100% on; “If you’re not turned on to politics, politics will turn on you”. Well said Ralph well said.
I could easily say that I hate the fact that we are heading more and more in an authoritarian direction with each passing day. That we are continuing to pay through the noses for a joke of government, to paraphrase Frank Zappa, and then we later on sit and wonder “how did those jokers get in there”.
I could say that I hate the fact that our society continues to move more and more in the direction of saying “one is not a person unless they have a college degree”. In that case, I guess Shakespeare, the Wright Brothers, George Washington, Mark Twain and numerous other men and women aren’t persons.
I could say that I hate the fact that society nowadays seems to place less on a person as an individual and more on the person as a member of a group. Why all this emphasis on groups? Why all the bullshit about races and creeds? Why not an acceptance that what we are are people. Let’s proceed from there.
I could say that the main problem I have with my generation is that far too many members of it are content to be passive consumers. I could say that this generation could easily be dubbed the MTV III generation and that is not a good thing. Then again, it’s not right to generalize about that. I know quite a few people who are my age or close to it that don’t fall into that category. I recall one of them saying when Anna Nicole died “I’m sorry for her family’s loss. But what happened to her has no effect on me personally”. Another close friend admires certain current celebrity icons. But she doesn’t just blindly follow them. She uses them as inspiration for her own dreams. She’s also a very smart woman. People like them are why I do not hate my generation per se. I just hate the passive complacent consumer attitude so many members of it have as do so many other people today.
And I do not hate America, despite what certain toe tag members of the right wing media may say in response to my dislike of certain politicians. No I love my country. That’s why I do not like seeing certain boneheads messing it up. I do not hate Corporate America per se. What I hate is the way it destroys individuality in the people that go into it.
So be optimistic. Don’t put all your faith in what certain leaders or TV salesmen may tell you, regardless of what they may be selling. Just be yourself. Don’t be turned off of politics to be turned on to US Magazine views of the world. Hold on to your individuality, even if the corporate Matrix tries to sand it away.
Here ends this rant.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
The Power Of Independent Thinking. Thoughts on college, consumerism and other things.
I was surfing the web not too long ago and came across an article by writer William Upski Wimsatt about the value of Do It Yourself Education. In the article, he talks about how he dropped out of Oberlin college and went out and traveled around the country and learned by meeting people, talking to them, doing and reading.
I agree 100% with Wimsatt's view that DIY education is the way to go. So many people today believe that if you don't go to college, you're going to be seriously screwed. Don't go to college and you'll end up jobless, broke and living on the streets.
Try telling that to Bill Gates. Or Steve Jobs. Or Kanye West even. You're not a person unless you have a four year college degree. In that case, say goodbye to the likes of Abraham Lincoln, William Shakespeare and Mozart.
A while back, I ripped the whole college system a good one on Epinions. The article inspired quite a few comments from people, many of whom agreed with it as well as some form those who didn't. One particular comment went to the effect of "what more do I need to learn".
Actually, there's ALWAYS more one can learn. The central problem is you're not really going to learn it in cramped crowded classrooms sweating over things like A+B=C or the meaning of the doppelganger in 18th century Brit Lit.
I've long maintained that the really important things I learned in high school are what I learned outside of the classroom. What I learned about life in general, about hierarchical systems, about relationships. Those are what you ultimately wind up using once one gets out into the real world.
What colleges should do is focus on expanding students knowledge in those areas. In theory, that's what they're supposed to be doing. They're supposed to theoretically make one a more well-rounded individual. However, it seems nowadays that college is more about making people into slightly more rounded members of groups. In essence, most people nowadays don't seem to go to college to learn a trade or how to be a more complete person. No, they go there to be prepared for their "oh so bright future in corporate America".
That is not to say that Corporate America is inherently evil or that there is a massive brainwashing conspiracy afoot in this land. There are many people in the so-called "entertainment industry" who would be better off in the private sector (get back into real estate Paris Hilton. Did the accounting firm close Carrot Top?). But it always seemed like we're evolving or more accurately devolving into a society that puts more value on busywork and getting things done a certain way than on creativity and getting things accomplished.
My point? If I ever have kids I will explain the purpose of education to them. I will not tell them shit like "it's okay to not do well in school". But I will explain to them that if they mess up in school, it's not the end of the world. I will explain to them the truth about middle school; that all it really is is a waylay station between elementary in high school. I will not force college on them, although if I feel they would benefit from going to college I would explain to them why I feel they should. Most importantly, I will try to foment individual and creative thinking in them. That way they can be who THEY are, regardless of whether they decide to go into Hollywood, Corporate America or go to work for Greenpeace. It's all about the individual.
I was surfing the web not too long ago and came across an article by writer William Upski Wimsatt about the value of Do It Yourself Education. In the article, he talks about how he dropped out of Oberlin college and went out and traveled around the country and learned by meeting people, talking to them, doing and reading.
I agree 100% with Wimsatt's view that DIY education is the way to go. So many people today believe that if you don't go to college, you're going to be seriously screwed. Don't go to college and you'll end up jobless, broke and living on the streets.
Try telling that to Bill Gates. Or Steve Jobs. Or Kanye West even. You're not a person unless you have a four year college degree. In that case, say goodbye to the likes of Abraham Lincoln, William Shakespeare and Mozart.
A while back, I ripped the whole college system a good one on Epinions. The article inspired quite a few comments from people, many of whom agreed with it as well as some form those who didn't. One particular comment went to the effect of "what more do I need to learn".
Actually, there's ALWAYS more one can learn. The central problem is you're not really going to learn it in cramped crowded classrooms sweating over things like A+B=C or the meaning of the doppelganger in 18th century Brit Lit.
I've long maintained that the really important things I learned in high school are what I learned outside of the classroom. What I learned about life in general, about hierarchical systems, about relationships. Those are what you ultimately wind up using once one gets out into the real world.
What colleges should do is focus on expanding students knowledge in those areas. In theory, that's what they're supposed to be doing. They're supposed to theoretically make one a more well-rounded individual. However, it seems nowadays that college is more about making people into slightly more rounded members of groups. In essence, most people nowadays don't seem to go to college to learn a trade or how to be a more complete person. No, they go there to be prepared for their "oh so bright future in corporate America".
That is not to say that Corporate America is inherently evil or that there is a massive brainwashing conspiracy afoot in this land. There are many people in the so-called "entertainment industry" who would be better off in the private sector (get back into real estate Paris Hilton. Did the accounting firm close Carrot Top?). But it always seemed like we're evolving or more accurately devolving into a society that puts more value on busywork and getting things done a certain way than on creativity and getting things accomplished.
My point? If I ever have kids I will explain the purpose of education to them. I will not tell them shit like "it's okay to not do well in school". But I will explain to them that if they mess up in school, it's not the end of the world. I will explain to them the truth about middle school; that all it really is is a waylay station between elementary in high school. I will not force college on them, although if I feel they would benefit from going to college I would explain to them why I feel they should. Most importantly, I will try to foment individual and creative thinking in them. That way they can be who THEY are, regardless of whether they decide to go into Hollywood, Corporate America or go to work for Greenpeace. It's all about the individual.
