Culture is a cruel, sadistic step-mother that decides what will be fun with out our input. Then she forces us join in or be faced with ridicule from the evil step sister that is pop culture. Have no fear, Prince Charming is here. Prepare to be liberated from all the un-fun things that have held you hostage in its web of mythological fun.
#5 Swimming pools
Without something to huck into the pool, the standard swimming pool is about as fun as listening to a hippie talk about diversity. You can go under water and float. You can swim laps staring at a black line. You can throw a ball back an forth. You can put on goggles and look at the torsos of complete strangers. That's about it.
#4 Fireworks
This is a thing based solely in tradition. Few people enjoy fireworks for the actual fireworks. In reality they are more of an excuse for people to sit and not be in front of a screen which is a good thing. It is just too bad it only happens once a year. They might be loud and colorful, but that is about it. Granted they have the potential to be real art but most firework displays are simply perfunctory duties of the local fire department. The shows that are really impressive are often made even less fun by being a part of #3.
#3 Festivals
It is generally considered cool and cultured to go leave the 'burbs and drive to the nearest city scene and attend some summer festival. It does not really matter what kind of festival it is, the story is all the same: 1) Spend forever looking for parking 2) walk around a ogle at the hardcore rib makers or passionate musicians or the plethora of Hispanics or men in lady's jeans. 3) ogle at the absurd prices for ribs or tacos or worthless hippie nic-nacs 4) look for ATM machine to get cash to buy afore mentioned nic-nacs 5) regret what ever you buy approximately 23.6 seconds after you buy it. 6) wander around waiting for someone in the group to decide somewhere to go 7) finally decide to go back to the suburbs to watch a movie 8) feel cultured.
#2 Apples to Apple
This game frustrates me to no end. I will not ramble but basically, this game is the essence of arbitrary hippie feely-ness. It is a game of random associations and creating your own logic. It can be fun, but I have had much more fun, laughed harder, and gotten much more meaning from just sitting around a table and talking about what ever happen to come up, we did not need little cards to tell us what talk about. Maybe I don't want to talk about associating Bill Clinton with Shiny. But unfortunately, simply sitting and talking is, for whatever reason, extremely socially unacceptable in a group. Unless you are at #1.
#1 Bars
"Let's go to a crowded, noisy place to hang out with the same people we could hang out with in the comfort of our own home with infinitely cheaper drinks." For some reason, it is only cool to talk with your friends at a place that is not conducive to talking at all. According to culture, losers stay at home and talk. Cool people go and spend a lot of money and talk over obnoxious, thumping music until our voices are gone. Whoever was on the coolness committee is that decided this should be shot. Bars do serve some purpose if you want to creep out girls, begin meaningless relationship that won't out last the night, acquire an STD, or be manipulated into buying people drinks. That said, I am probably going to several tonight.
You may also notice that this list of things [except for bars] are fun until you are 6-9, and then cease to be fun until you can try it again with a significant other or if you are with the right group of people. Thus the beauty of life peeks through. People can make anything fun.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The Hank Moody Complex
I initially hesitated to give this blog the title since it refers to the main character from the Showtime series Californication and, though it is amazing, I hesitate to recommended it because it will strip you of a lot of innocence. None the less, I can think of no one better than Hank Moody to title this phenomenon that I personally struggled with for many years.
Hank Moody is a badass, brilliant writer who met a woman and fell in love, but didn't want to marry her because he thought the institution of marriage was dumb. So they lived together for 10 years and had a daughter. He becomes more and more of a chauch when they move to L.A. so she leaves him. Now he is drifting, not writing, not happy, and realizing with stinging clarity and regret that he was a prideful tool and that in his effort to be different or edgy, he pushed away the best things in life.
There is scene after scene where he realizes that the normal, unglamorous parts of life were the best of times. He is alone on the beach while the sunset and flashes back to time spent there with his "domestic partner" and daughter and the voice over comes in, "It was the best of times- if only someone had told me..."
He is dancing with his ex-domestic partner at her wedding to her new man and he realizes he never danced with her. "Why didn't we do this more often?" "You thought it was dumb and cliche." He stands there at the wedding reception after the love of his life married someone else and can feel ve
ry edgy.
>>
Be a dick and you too can pick your daughter
up from the house of the man who is marrying your woman. >>
I loathe the cliche and can understand what he was going for. In a lot of areas, avoiding cliche leads to innovation and progress. However, with maturity comes discernment to know where innovation is needed and where things are done by a lot of people because they are good. Everyone poops, after all.
I found that often in our pursuit of individuality, we often reject things and do not participate in others simply because they are popular. With movies and music, this can often be a good thing. But when it comes to people and relationships, we must leave edginess at the door. Trust me, your woman wants to hear that she is beautiful even if you simply say "You are beautiful." You don't need to dress it up or wait until you can say it in a way that makes you feel original. You're mom needs to be thanked for everything she did for you even if you just say "Thanks for everything you did for me Mom." Your friends need to know that you like hanging out with them and like them as people. The biggest tragedy and cliche is some prideful prick who is edgy and all alone with no one who loves him because he couldn't find the edge in saying "I love you."
Hank Moody is a badass, brilliant writer who met a woman and fell in love, but didn't want to marry her because he thought the institution of marriage was dumb. So they lived together for 10 years and had a daughter. He becomes more and more of a chauch when they move to L.A. so she leaves him. Now he is drifting, not writing, not happy, and realizing with stinging clarity and regret that he was a prideful tool and that in his effort to be different or edgy, he pushed away the best things in life.
There is scene after scene where he realizes that the normal, unglamorous parts of life were the best of times. He is alone on the beach while the sunset and flashes back to time spent there with his "domestic partner" and daughter and the voice over comes in, "It was the best of times- if only someone had told me..."
He is dancing with his ex-domestic partner at her wedding to her new man and he realizes he never danced with her. "Why didn't we do this more often?" "You thought it was dumb and cliche." He stands there at the wedding reception after the love of his life married someone else and can feel ve
ry edgy.>>
Be a dick and you too can pick your daughter
up from the house of the man who is marrying your woman. >>
I loathe the cliche and can understand what he was going for. In a lot of areas, avoiding cliche leads to innovation and progress. However, with maturity comes discernment to know where innovation is needed and where things are done by a lot of people because they are good. Everyone poops, after all.
I found that often in our pursuit of individuality, we often reject things and do not participate in others simply because they are popular. With movies and music, this can often be a good thing. But when it comes to people and relationships, we must leave edginess at the door. Trust me, your woman wants to hear that she is beautiful even if you simply say "You are beautiful." You don't need to dress it up or wait until you can say it in a way that makes you feel original. You're mom needs to be thanked for everything she did for you even if you just say "Thanks for everything you did for me Mom." Your friends need to know that you like hanging out with them and like them as people. The biggest tragedy and cliche is some prideful prick who is edgy and all alone with no one who loves him because he couldn't find the edge in saying "I love you."
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Sleep Deprived, Viral Cop Out
I don't feel like thinking [yes, thought goes into these posts, though the quality of which can be questioned] so here is some viral goodness for your google readers.
Indexed is an exercise in profound simplicity.
Here are some high lights:
Indexed is an exercise in profound simplicity.
Here are some high lights:
Thursday, July 10, 2008
The Wes Anderson Complex
People love themselves. Even people who hate themselves really, in fact, love themselves. That is the twisted fact of life. Artists, being perceptive as they are, were quick to figure this out and have thus began to make pretty things that show people loving themselves and encourage others to love themselves. This is quite clearly seen in film. Thus enter what I like to call The Wes Anderson Complex.
Wes Anderson is the mind behind The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and most recently The Darjeeling Limited. These movies generally include some family issues between some funny, awkward, and emotionally stunted people, one of which is always struggling writer. They will include Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, and Anjelica Huston. These movies are quiet, simple and beautifully filmed with great use of color and position and props.
I pick on Wes Anderson, not because he is the only one who does this, but because he represents someone who has made millions creating movies that are all about people loving themselves in to misery. If you have seen these movies, this might seem a little strange since most of his characters do not appear to not be very pleased with themselves, don't like life, and are way to fashionable to be cliche enough to love themselves.
->Owen Wilson: "Come on guys, pray to something. It might fulfill you."
But the unfortunate reality of existentialism is that it always and absolutely leads to narcissism. To attempt to put existentialism in simple terms: When someone accepts the assumption that the only thing he can know for sure is that he exists. Next, assuming he does not commit suicide, he is free to go about making for himself what ever life he wants with what ever set of morality he wants, and draw meaning from whatever he wants. An existential catch phrase is that existence precedes essence. That is, we exist and then make what ever essence we want. We assign ourselves to be human or family oriented or money oriented, etc. There are many branches and theories that go with existentialism but that is the main gist.
The problem is that the 'journey to meaning' is never cut and dry or complete. Since everything is jacked up, nothing will ever completely give concrete meaning to life. So existentialist are continually looking inwards asking the eternal question, "What fulfills me?" It is all about themselves being fulfilled. Sure they will do nice things if it fulfills them, but the second it doesn't they move on to something else.
I say this like there is a organized group of existentialist out there that meet and stuff. The truth is that most people are existential, though they wouldn't call them selves that by name. And who would want to meet with a bunch of people who are shoveling anything they can into their fulfillment hole? Its not a pretty site. Just visit any given frat party for an example.
Wes Anderson's characters are just confused, immature people that stylishly bumble through life craving meaning. At least one in each movie is having an affair, drugs are involved, and there are plenty of obscure, colorful hobbies.
Generally I enjoy these kinds of movie. But, like with most movies, there is the proverbial step back and once that is taken, the childish, narcissistic pettiness of these wasteful rich people becomes unbearable.
The witty and intellectual generally like these movies because the characters are rich and stylish enough to live the artsy and posh existential journey we all wish we could have but typically can't - at least not to the full extent - because our journeys get inhibited by things like a job and the desire not to starve to death . This appeals to our pride and the fleeting high of selfishness. Even when we loathe ourselves, we still like to dwell on how much we loathe ourselves. The shivers of artsy-ness travel down our spine as we think how edgy we are that we can be honest and can really loathe ourselves. Just as Hank Moody.
To put this genre in even more context of reality consider a man, sad from his wealthy father's recent death, takes his inheritance and lives in an expensive hotel in Paris for a few months doing nothing but missing his ex. This is the story of the Wes Anderson short and prequel to The Darjeeling Limited, Hotel Chevalier. Now think about this in context of the rampant need of people all over the world. While he is enjoying his little narcissistic pity party, thousands of children die from hunger and young girls are sold in to the sex slave industry, amongst other tragedies. The absurdity of thinking oneself important enough to merit so much time and money resounds.
This is not to say that it is not important to know oneself. It is to say that one will never grow, change, or know oneself when one isolates and turns inward. People, loving them, helping them, knowing them, are how we become the people we hope to be. We might not know who, why, or what, but being stagnant and stationary is not the way to answer these questions. Move forward, and do life. Waiting to figure it out before you start will lead to a futile and petty existence.
And once again Dostoevsky said it best
Wes Anderson is the mind behind The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and most recently The Darjeeling Limited. These movies generally include some family issues between some funny, awkward, and emotionally stunted people, one of which is always struggling writer. They will include Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, and Anjelica Huston. These movies are quiet, simple and beautifully filmed with great use of color and position and props.
I pick on Wes Anderson, not because he is the only one who does this, but because he represents someone who has made millions creating movies that are all about people loving themselves in to misery. If you have seen these movies, this might seem a little strange since most of his characters do not appear to not be very pleased with themselves, don't like life, and are way to fashionable to be cliche enough to love themselves.
->Owen Wilson: "Come on guys, pray to something. It might fulfill you."
But the unfortunate reality of existentialism is that it always and absolutely leads to narcissism. To attempt to put existentialism in simple terms: When someone accepts the assumption that the only thing he can know for sure is that he exists. Next, assuming he does not commit suicide, he is free to go about making for himself what ever life he wants with what ever set of morality he wants, and draw meaning from whatever he wants. An existential catch phrase is that existence precedes essence. That is, we exist and then make what ever essence we want. We assign ourselves to be human or family oriented or money oriented, etc. There are many branches and theories that go with existentialism but that is the main gist.
The problem is that the 'journey to meaning' is never cut and dry or complete. Since everything is jacked up, nothing will ever completely give concrete meaning to life. So existentialist are continually looking inwards asking the eternal question, "What fulfills me?" It is all about themselves being fulfilled. Sure they will do nice things if it fulfills them, but the second it doesn't they move on to something else.
I say this like there is a organized group of existentialist out there that meet and stuff. The truth is that most people are existential, though they wouldn't call them selves that by name. And who would want to meet with a bunch of people who are shoveling anything they can into their fulfillment hole? Its not a pretty site. Just visit any given frat party for an example.
Wes Anderson's characters are just confused, immature people that stylishly bumble through life craving meaning. At least one in each movie is having an affair, drugs are involved, and there are plenty of obscure, colorful hobbies.
Generally I enjoy these kinds of movie. But, like with most movies, there is the proverbial step back and once that is taken, the childish, narcissistic pettiness of these wasteful rich people becomes unbearable.
The witty and intellectual generally like these movies because the characters are rich and stylish enough to live the artsy and posh existential journey we all wish we could have but typically can't - at least not to the full extent - because our journeys get inhibited by things like a job and the desire not to starve to death . This appeals to our pride and the fleeting high of selfishness. Even when we loathe ourselves, we still like to dwell on how much we loathe ourselves. The shivers of artsy-ness travel down our spine as we think how edgy we are that we can be honest and can really loathe ourselves. Just as Hank Moody.
To put this genre in even more context of reality consider a man, sad from his wealthy father's recent death, takes his inheritance and lives in an expensive hotel in Paris for a few months doing nothing but missing his ex. This is the story of the Wes Anderson short and prequel to The Darjeeling Limited, Hotel Chevalier. Now think about this in context of the rampant need of people all over the world. While he is enjoying his little narcissistic pity party, thousands of children die from hunger and young girls are sold in to the sex slave industry, amongst other tragedies. The absurdity of thinking oneself important enough to merit so much time and money resounds.
This is not to say that it is not important to know oneself. It is to say that one will never grow, change, or know oneself when one isolates and turns inward. People, loving them, helping them, knowing them, are how we become the people we hope to be. We might not know who, why, or what, but being stagnant and stationary is not the way to answer these questions. Move forward, and do life. Waiting to figure it out before you start will lead to a futile and petty existence.
And once again Dostoevsky said it best
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
On Superheroes Part 2
While writing part 1, I started ranting about Spiderman but stopped because I realized that this story captures a completely different aspect of American life. The story can be boiled down to a nerdy scrub getting bitten and overnight becomes ripped, no longer needs glasses and has some useful physiological additions including fingertips that grip walls, web shooting glands, and a spidey-sense [which most men have when an attractive female is around, only normal people can't use it for sensing danger]. But instead of being content with these upgrades, he still can't quite get it right. He spends a lot of time chasing around Mary Jane, asking for second chances, and deciding if this superhero thing is really the life he wants to live.
Of course we get all worked up in the story and the love, etc, but when we take a step back it is painfully obvious how whiny and dumb Peter Parker is being. You got a bug bite and instead of itching, it made you super human! What the hell do you have to complain about? You have become very well endowed to help people who need it. Spit, scratch your balls, and enjoy being a good guy.
-> "I don't feel like swinging from building to building. I just want to look good."
And now for the moral: by simply being Americans, we already have our bug bite. We are already more advanced and capable than a huge majority of the world. This is not an ego trip. Someone at our poverty line would be in the wealthiest 15% of the world. The mere act of going to college makes us crazy blessed and a dollar short of super human. Not that we are better than people that don't go to college, but [you knew it was coming] "...with great power comes great responsibility." By thinking we deserve to go to college, have a car, eat plenty of food, have extra money to go see superhero movies, we become petty and selfish. I didn't do anything to merit my birth in the suburbs. I doubt you did either. We don't deserve anything. With that point of view, and despite the fact that someone will always have more, contentment should ensue. We should be outward focused, constantly thinking about how we can use what we have to put back into people. We must take our extravagant wealth very seriously. Dostoevsky said it best.
The perks: when we are less focused on ourselves and our future and our money making opportunities, we become much more happy and fulfilled. Going to school to learn how to simply make money will lead to a sad, empty and exhausting life. It leads to a chase, not a purpose, solitude, not solidarity.
Of course we get all worked up in the story and the love, etc, but when we take a step back it is painfully obvious how whiny and dumb Peter Parker is being. You got a bug bite and instead of itching, it made you super human! What the hell do you have to complain about? You have become very well endowed to help people who need it. Spit, scratch your balls, and enjoy being a good guy.
-> "I don't feel like swinging from building to building. I just want to look good."
And now for the moral: by simply being Americans, we already have our bug bite. We are already more advanced and capable than a huge majority of the world. This is not an ego trip. Someone at our poverty line would be in the wealthiest 15% of the world. The mere act of going to college makes us crazy blessed and a dollar short of super human. Not that we are better than people that don't go to college, but [you knew it was coming] "...with great power comes great responsibility." By thinking we deserve to go to college, have a car, eat plenty of food, have extra money to go see superhero movies, we become petty and selfish. I didn't do anything to merit my birth in the suburbs. I doubt you did either. We don't deserve anything. With that point of view, and despite the fact that someone will always have more, contentment should ensue. We should be outward focused, constantly thinking about how we can use what we have to put back into people. We must take our extravagant wealth very seriously. Dostoevsky said it best.
The perks: when we are less focused on ourselves and our future and our money making opportunities, we become much more happy and fulfilled. Going to school to learn how to simply make money will lead to a sad, empty and exhausting life. It leads to a chase, not a purpose, solitude, not solidarity.
Monday, July 7, 2008
On Superheroes Part 1
*all knowledge of mentioned super heroes comes from the movies. I do not have the collector's edition comic books and all that stuff . On an unrelated note, I have gone several dates.
Maybe I am just becoming aware of it now, but the super hero content of the media is getting a little ridiculous. This weekend I saw Hitchcock, Will Smith's new movie. It was decent, entertaining and was surprisingly edgy for a Will Smith movie [Like his Clean Rap] considering he dropped an F-bomb and consumed alcohol and only made this face once:
But Hancock [I keep slipping and calling it Hitchcock for obvious reasons] was really only a speck in the big picture of America's obsession with super heroes. Since most of us live mundane lives with little to make us unique, super heroes allow us to escape from this by living the dream of someone who escaped from it by fluke chance or destiny or by being from a different planet or evolution. This is also why we are obsessed with the lottery, American Idol, and any other way that people can be very ordinary but become extraordinary by some immediate and easy event.
It started with Superman, who is from another planet and helps people here. That is cool.
And there is Batman who is both rich and a crime fighter. He of course inherited his money from his truly extraordinary father and after "backpacking around Asia" to self actualize and find himself by joining a messed up cult in the Himalayas. All this to come back and use his money to get nifty gadgets invented by Morgan Freeman that happen to be used to stop bad guys and woo Katie Holmes/ Maggie gyllenhall.
->"I shock people to make them like me."
Let me expound on that by outlining the qualities of super heroes. Super heroes have everything people want: They are unique with their powers. They have a clear purpose: to fight crime by punching it in the face and saving people by keeping trains on the tracks. They are well endowed, so to speak, and can easily get the girl they want because of their strength and ability to use their powers for creative date ideas. They are in control of their situation and can fly away or do what ever they want. No super hero is confined to his desk job.
-> "yataaa! I can teleport out of my cubicle. Finally I have purpose."
My point is not that Americans suck or that watching these things is evil. You may notice that I have watched all of these things so I would have no room to talk and hell, it is just really entertaining. My point is that we seem to be finding more and more of our required dose of super hero qualities only in the movies and T.V. shows rather than getting up off of our couches and living them ourselves. Think enough to have a purpose, be intentional enough to pick a job that serves that purpose. Be unique by being you-do what you like to do, have hobbies, do what you always wanted to try, dare I say take a risk. Go and get the girl. Sure you can't fly around to impress her, but being rejected is never as bad as living alone with the question of what would have happened if you had talked her. Being super is not as not a fatalistic thing. We don't need to wait for the lottery or a bug bite, we just need to get off the couch.
Maybe I am just becoming aware of it now, but the super hero content of the media is getting a little ridiculous. This weekend I saw Hitchcock, Will Smith's new movie. It was decent, entertaining and was surprisingly edgy for a Will Smith movie [Like his Clean Rap] considering he dropped an F-bomb and consumed alcohol and only made this face once:
But Hancock [I keep slipping and calling it Hitchcock for obvious reasons] was really only a speck in the big picture of America's obsession with super heroes. Since most of us live mundane lives with little to make us unique, super heroes allow us to escape from this by living the dream of someone who escaped from it by fluke chance or destiny or by being from a different planet or evolution. This is also why we are obsessed with the lottery, American Idol, and any other way that people can be very ordinary but become extraordinary by some immediate and easy event.
It started with Superman, who is from another planet and helps people here. That is cool.
And there is Batman who is both rich and a crime fighter. He of course inherited his money from his truly extraordinary father and after "backpacking around Asia" to self actualize and find himself by joining a messed up cult in the Himalayas. All this to come back and use his money to get nifty gadgets invented by Morgan Freeman that happen to be used to stop bad guys and woo Katie Holmes/ Maggie gyllenhall.
The show Heroes is perhaps the greatest example of this phenomenon. There is one ounce of creativity in that show: explaining super powers by way of evolution. Woot. The rest of the show is just a soap opera mixed with X-men. Alarmingly normal people have these powers because of the chaos and random draw of evolution and that is it. Some people are for the powers, some people are against them, some people try to control the people with powers, someone's Dad dies, etc. I was blown away that the show was on prime time television in America. But that is just my point: super heroes are prime time and mainstream. No longer are they children's fantasies and marginal, nerdy hobbies, but America's culture has gotten to the point where we all want to escape to where we can fly and have a purpose and can rely on super powers to get the girl.
->"I shock people to make them like me."
Let me expound on that by outlining the qualities of super heroes. Super heroes have everything people want: They are unique with their powers. They have a clear purpose: to fight crime by punching it in the face and saving people by keeping trains on the tracks. They are well endowed, so to speak, and can easily get the girl they want because of their strength and ability to use their powers for creative date ideas. They are in control of their situation and can fly away or do what ever they want. No super hero is confined to his desk job.
-> "yataaa! I can teleport out of my cubicle. Finally I have purpose."
My point is not that Americans suck or that watching these things is evil. You may notice that I have watched all of these things so I would have no room to talk and hell, it is just really entertaining. My point is that we seem to be finding more and more of our required dose of super hero qualities only in the movies and T.V. shows rather than getting up off of our couches and living them ourselves. Think enough to have a purpose, be intentional enough to pick a job that serves that purpose. Be unique by being you-do what you like to do, have hobbies, do what you always wanted to try, dare I say take a risk. Go and get the girl. Sure you can't fly around to impress her, but being rejected is never as bad as living alone with the question of what would have happened if you had talked her. Being super is not as not a fatalistic thing. We don't need to wait for the lottery or a bug bite, we just need to get off the couch.
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