I am about to contradict myself again. This one can't be helped. And it's a purely emotional reaction, that wouldn't be my actual argument in some kind of debate on the topic, but luckily this is my blog and I get to say whatever I want.
A few weeks back, I wrote some about how we really just needed to legalize gay marriage because the argument is not about to be over, Conservatives, I'm really sorry to let you know this if your preachers or pastors or... whatever have been telling you otherwise, but there is no way in hell that gay people are going to just give up and go home if you call them an abomination for long enough. They will out last you. A new generation is coming into adulthood, that does not care one way or the other who someone else wants to make sex with, and the generation that is hanging on to that weird obsession with what other people are doing... they are your voter base, and they are on their way out.
That and, the entire argument is a phenomenal waste of money and resources, when we have colossally bigger problems to be dealing with right now in our country.
Bearing that in mind, you might think that I was off the opinion that this whole Prop 5 thing was a proportionally big waste of money and resources. And I kind of am, only because it's so stupid to me that we have to argue it in pieces like this. Just... give the same rights to everyone, wipe the slate clean, and move the fuck on.
However, I've seen the No on Prop 5 ads that are showing in my community, and I am weirded out. Jerry Prevo is on a tear. And seriously, I'd stand behind anything that shut that guys mouth for him. He alone would be enough to get me out of my house, during this age at which I care very little anymore about the practice of voting. I'm planning to show up at the poles to spite him specifically.
I'm all for gay people having all the same rights as everyone else, I don't see any reason at all why it's a bad idea to add a clause about sexual orientation to Anchorage's anti-discrimination laws, and without fail EVERY single argument I've heard from No on 5 people, in ads and on the radio talk shows, has made zero sense and is so thin you could see the color of my bra through it. BUT! Even if none of that were true... I'd show up at the poles just to vote against Jerry Prevo and his freaky, hateful little minions.
He is responsible for grossly unfair and untrue statements about who gay people are, and what they do. He has the ear and trust of more people in this town than I would like, and he uses it to spread hate. Why is it 2012 and we still listen to people who would waste our time in this manner. I would KILL (some bugs or something) to see him try to spout that ill-informed, ill-conceived, poorly-thought-out horse hockey in front of a room full of gay people. I want him to address them directly. But he won't, because he is a coward. Because it's easy to stand behind your pulpit and fill the sadly narrow minds of people who already believe everything that you say. I'd like him to call Julia O'Malley up directly, and explain to her why he is in the right, since he was willing to use parts of her story out of context to promote his own agenda. I'd like for him to sit down with me, and make me believe that he isn't a shitty, mean person. Because, right now, I do.
Aside from good old Jerry, here's why you should go vote Yes on Prop 5;
Because everyone should get the same chances.
Because we are an At-Will Employment state, which means that you can fire someone "for good cause, or bad cause, or no cause at all." There are no laws that say you have to hire someone you don't like. You can't discriminate based on reasons listed in the anti-discrimination laws, but you don't have to hire someone who isn't right for your business, you don't have to retain an employee you don't like, and as long as no one can prove that you did it for reasons that fall under the discrimination law, you can still basically do whatever you want with your workforce or home rentals. In English, that means that unless you are a complete idiot, you can still come up with a legal way to get rid of anyone you want.
Because who someone bangs on the weekends should have NO bearing at all on your life, and it's frankly pathetic if it does. Really. I'm calling you guys out, and I am not alone in this sentiment - people, if you're voting No on this bill, because you believe that someone else's life and decisions are impacting yours so significantly... you don't have a life, and you should go get one.
And lastly, you should vote Yes because it's just a nice fucking thing to do. For God sake Anchorage! Do you have any idea how far just a little good will would spread in this situation? Can't you just quit fucking each other over? Have we always been a society of complete assholes and I just grew up in a bubble?
I'm aware that to some people, when I say things like that I sound like a 'bleeding heart' or a 'typical liberal' and that it 'isn't that simple' and that I 'don't know what I'm talking about.' Well... I say I do know. I also say that shitty people can just fall right off the edge of that flat earth they're still walking around on in their heads. Take your bad blood... and just shove it. I am not the last person on this earth that just wants all of this unnecessary mean people behavior to be over with. I'm bored. I'm apparently smarter than you, and I want to move on to something that matters in some way. And there are a hell of a lot of people who are with me on this. We are collectively tired of arguing about this stupid shit. Go back home, and have missionary style sex through a hole in the sheets, and the rest of us will be our freaky selves and probably live longer happier lives ;)
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
This is how Trayvon Martin's murder changes the game.
Earlier today, a friend of mine posted a link to an opinion piece about the shooting of Trayvon Martin. The story is shocking enough all on it's own, but a comment on the link is what really got my attention. It said, "When I learned about this YESTERDAY, I did not realize it had happened weeks ago. Thanks so much mainstream media for updating me on Snooki's pregnancy before this." I share that anger.
For those of you that aren't aware of the details, on February 26th in Sanford, Florida, a volunteer neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman spotted this kid walking home to his dad's house, from a 7-11, where he had gone to get candy at halftime of the NBA game. Mr. Zimmerman called the cops, reporting that Trayvon looked suspicious, and making a comment, "these assholes always get away." When the police told him not to pursue Trayvon, he did anyway. His version of events is that he shot Trayvon in self defense. And that wasn't questioned by the police until Trayvon's girlfriend, with whom he had been on the phone in the last minutes before he died, spoke up. She said Trayvon told her some guy was following him, so he put the hood up on his sweatshirt and walked quickly in the other direction. The follower caught up to him, yelling, "what are you doing around here", at which point there were sounds of an altercation, and the phone went dead. This kid was not armed. He was 17 years old. He was more than 100 pounds lighter than his attacker. He has no record of ever being a trouble maker, or for that matter being anything but a pretty good kid.
911 calls record people watching the struggle and the shooting happen. The 911 call from Mr. Zimmerman apparently indicates that he was slurring his speech, and sounded very intoxicated. Sanford police did not test him for drugs or alcohol, even though it's standard procedure after a shooting. He was not arrested, or charged with a crime. He STILL has not been arrested.
Trayvon's family is calling for the FBI to take over the investigation, as the local police have obviously not bothered to take this matter very seriously. And the thing is... I'm not even shocked that it's 2012 and shit like this still happens. I'm not really that shocked that the police department in Sanford appears to be so full of dickheads that they just wrote the whole thing off... because it was a black teenager outside a convenience store. And as angry as it makes me, because it really, truly does, that the media was so busy chasing Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum around the U.S. updating us on every little detail of excrement that they've been flinging at each other, or reporting to us about the pregnancy of some bitch who possesses no single characteristic that justifies her being famous except that she's from a stupid TV show, getting knocked up... instead of grabbing a hold of THIS story and sending it nationwide immediately, where it would have been without question if Trayvon had been a white female... as angry as that makes me, I am sadly not surprised.
But what has struck me, is that the reason it's national news now, the reason petitions are being signed across the country demanding that a higher authority take over the case, is all because some people who DO have a better grasp on what really matters to us got on Twitter, got on Facebook, and started a fire.
Which... though this sounds unrelated, is how Joseph Kony got famous, too. That debacle was important for a lot of reasons. A) Everyone still believes Kony should probably get thrown into a pit of hungry pigs. B) Everyone that was instantly compelled to contribute to the campaign got burnt and now is wary enough to check facts in the future, but C) just like I said in my post about the video last week, it's taught us all one thing; that WE get to dictate what is important in our world, what gets coverage, and what gets done to solve problems.
The internet has changed us into a global society, in ways that we never even guessed could be possible. We are approaching an age where secrets are going to be REAL hard to keep. The great distractions we are fed on a daily basis by the media in our country get forgotten when we realize that it took 3 weeks for them to pay attention to something as completely fucked up as the murder of Trayvon Martin. Here they are now, appearing sympathetic and saddened by this crime, when really what they should be doing is begging our forgiveness for so decisively failing us at their jobs.
We need to see this for what it is. A bucket of cold water in the face. "Hey assholes! You all have the INTERNET. Very soon you will have no one to blame but yourselves when you don't hear about stories like these, but know all about Mitt Romney washing his shirt in a sink on the campaign trail." And the proverbial 'they' should take it as a warning. The writing is on the wall, media tycoons! You don't get to decide what we see and hear for very much longer. And unless you want to get crucified for being a part of the machine, you had better put an ear to the ground to listen for what people really care about. Because it isn't Snooki.
For those of you that aren't aware of the details, on February 26th in Sanford, Florida, a volunteer neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman spotted this kid walking home to his dad's house, from a 7-11, where he had gone to get candy at halftime of the NBA game. Mr. Zimmerman called the cops, reporting that Trayvon looked suspicious, and making a comment, "these assholes always get away." When the police told him not to pursue Trayvon, he did anyway. His version of events is that he shot Trayvon in self defense. And that wasn't questioned by the police until Trayvon's girlfriend, with whom he had been on the phone in the last minutes before he died, spoke up. She said Trayvon told her some guy was following him, so he put the hood up on his sweatshirt and walked quickly in the other direction. The follower caught up to him, yelling, "what are you doing around here", at which point there were sounds of an altercation, and the phone went dead. This kid was not armed. He was 17 years old. He was more than 100 pounds lighter than his attacker. He has no record of ever being a trouble maker, or for that matter being anything but a pretty good kid.
911 calls record people watching the struggle and the shooting happen. The 911 call from Mr. Zimmerman apparently indicates that he was slurring his speech, and sounded very intoxicated. Sanford police did not test him for drugs or alcohol, even though it's standard procedure after a shooting. He was not arrested, or charged with a crime. He STILL has not been arrested.
Trayvon's family is calling for the FBI to take over the investigation, as the local police have obviously not bothered to take this matter very seriously. And the thing is... I'm not even shocked that it's 2012 and shit like this still happens. I'm not really that shocked that the police department in Sanford appears to be so full of dickheads that they just wrote the whole thing off... because it was a black teenager outside a convenience store. And as angry as it makes me, because it really, truly does, that the media was so busy chasing Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum around the U.S. updating us on every little detail of excrement that they've been flinging at each other, or reporting to us about the pregnancy of some bitch who possesses no single characteristic that justifies her being famous except that she's from a stupid TV show, getting knocked up... instead of grabbing a hold of THIS story and sending it nationwide immediately, where it would have been without question if Trayvon had been a white female... as angry as that makes me, I am sadly not surprised.
But what has struck me, is that the reason it's national news now, the reason petitions are being signed across the country demanding that a higher authority take over the case, is all because some people who DO have a better grasp on what really matters to us got on Twitter, got on Facebook, and started a fire.
Which... though this sounds unrelated, is how Joseph Kony got famous, too. That debacle was important for a lot of reasons. A) Everyone still believes Kony should probably get thrown into a pit of hungry pigs. B) Everyone that was instantly compelled to contribute to the campaign got burnt and now is wary enough to check facts in the future, but C) just like I said in my post about the video last week, it's taught us all one thing; that WE get to dictate what is important in our world, what gets coverage, and what gets done to solve problems.
The internet has changed us into a global society, in ways that we never even guessed could be possible. We are approaching an age where secrets are going to be REAL hard to keep. The great distractions we are fed on a daily basis by the media in our country get forgotten when we realize that it took 3 weeks for them to pay attention to something as completely fucked up as the murder of Trayvon Martin. Here they are now, appearing sympathetic and saddened by this crime, when really what they should be doing is begging our forgiveness for so decisively failing us at their jobs.
We need to see this for what it is. A bucket of cold water in the face. "Hey assholes! You all have the INTERNET. Very soon you will have no one to blame but yourselves when you don't hear about stories like these, but know all about Mitt Romney washing his shirt in a sink on the campaign trail." And the proverbial 'they' should take it as a warning. The writing is on the wall, media tycoons! You don't get to decide what we see and hear for very much longer. And unless you want to get crucified for being a part of the machine, you had better put an ear to the ground to listen for what people really care about. Because it isn't Snooki.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
"You can't make everyone happy" is only easy to accept in theory.
There are a lot of things I want to write about, and I can't. Well... actually, I can write all I want, but I can't share it. Because I live in a small town, and everyone knows each other, and other people's anonymity is important to me, even when they're behave in ways that make it seem like they don't deserve my consideration. Starting drama is never a good thing.
So, I can't write about what's really going on, and it's bringing up an interesting question in how I'm going to do this writing thing from here on out. To me... it seems like the only draw that my blog has over anyone else's, is that I don't pull my punches and I write, exactly like I would speak, which is exactly like I think, and don't censor it. I hand you my thoughts, as messy as they are when they come to me, as angry or overwhelming or passionate or crazy as they exist in my noggin. Here they are, on a platter. You may take them with you, or leave them behind. But it's the honesty that's important. And.... that has already gotten me into trouble, and will undoubtedly do so in the future.
I have some very strong beliefs about things like personal liberty. I also believe that it's our job as the human species to take care of one another. And... that most people aren't worth saving and we should just let them wipe themselves out as soon as possible so that there's more planet to go around for the rest of us. Obviously, these two ideas don't go together. I am constantly contradicting myself, and it pisses me off. It also, some of it, pisses other people off.
I am staunchly pro-choice, and all about gay rights. Because it is none of my fucking business what other people do, as long as it isn't hurting me. I think the wars were grossly mismanaged and handled so embarrassingly poorly as to be painful. I think organized religion is fucking terrifying. I think morality is something that you can have just as much of, and more in some cases, while being a staunch atheist. I think drugs should be decriminalized because the war on them has failed us on a colossal scale, resulting in poverty and torture and death, and it's time to try something different.
And I want to write about all of this in depth. About where my ideas came from, how they developed, which ones I have now that I didn't used to have, how my experiences have shaped them, etc. There are two problems;
1) My experiences involve other people. Sometimes, even if I were to forgo using names or specifics, there will be details that make it fairly clear who I am talking about. This is going to be especially true of Josh, and in this way, we are not a well matched pair. He is a private guy. Social media weirds him out. He doesn't really want people to know all that much about his life. And... he ended up with a writer, of the first-person, creative non-fiction variety. This doesn't bode well for his pursuit of privacy. And I want to protect him, respect his wishes, and keep him safe at all costs. I haven't... figured out yet how to pull this off.
2) I want people to like me. I don't want to make enemies. But, I am sharp-tongued, quick to give my opinion, and my bullshit detector is very sensitive. The very first thing I want to do when I spot something phony is to put a spotlight on it and take it apart. But I REALLY want people to like me! I am not a confrontational person by nature. I will in fact often go to great lengths to mend friendships that I should probably have let fall apart years ago, just so that things can go on as they are. That... is a hard thing to reconcile with a super sensitive bullshit detector. Anyway, I'm afraid to piss people off, or horrify them, or make them think I'm some kind of heathen or degenerate. Especially... the conservative ones in my life. And even more especially... the ones who will approve or disapprove of me being the partner of their son/brother. I shudder thinking that they'll ever read this, and what they'll take away from it about me.
However, I had an epiphany while I was in Kentucky because I started writing a blog that will most certainly hurt a few feelings. I don't want that, but what I have to say is still true. And so the decision I have come to is that I can't compromise this one thing. I have to make a choice between being honest and compelling, or being censored and watered-down. What would you all have me do? Honest is the only way. I have to be myself, and people will take it or leave it. I only hope that my choice to be blatantly Aurora Jane Ford will outshine the disagreements we may have over a few issues here and there.
I've been coming to this gradually for the last 3 years, and I think it's taken root now. I really don't... give a fuck. Not enough to let it stop me. I don't have time. I don't need more friends. I don't want anyone in my life, around whom I cannot be myself. And frankly, that's an ok thing to ask for... because I'm a pretty nice person. I'm not perfect, but I do my best to be fair. I'm kind to everyone until given a reason to act otherwise, I don't steal, I try not to lie (except when it's necessary), I take responsibility for the things I screw up, I look for ways to meet in the middle, I put myself in other people's shoes, I stand up for my friends, I protect my loved ones, I don't cheat on my taxes, I don't want to hurt anyone, and I would rather in fact, make everyone around me as happy as I can, because to me that feels good.
If it is enough to make haters that my opinions are honest, then haters I will have. If my track record makes me ineligible to run for public office, that's ok. If my imperfections and bad decisions tarnish my character in other people's minds, it won't make the things I say any less true. But that's not so bad really... aint a rockstar on the planet that doesn't have haters. It's probably about time I went and got myself some anyway. To all of you... welcome to my world.
So, I can't write about what's really going on, and it's bringing up an interesting question in how I'm going to do this writing thing from here on out. To me... it seems like the only draw that my blog has over anyone else's, is that I don't pull my punches and I write, exactly like I would speak, which is exactly like I think, and don't censor it. I hand you my thoughts, as messy as they are when they come to me, as angry or overwhelming or passionate or crazy as they exist in my noggin. Here they are, on a platter. You may take them with you, or leave them behind. But it's the honesty that's important. And.... that has already gotten me into trouble, and will undoubtedly do so in the future.
I have some very strong beliefs about things like personal liberty. I also believe that it's our job as the human species to take care of one another. And... that most people aren't worth saving and we should just let them wipe themselves out as soon as possible so that there's more planet to go around for the rest of us. Obviously, these two ideas don't go together. I am constantly contradicting myself, and it pisses me off. It also, some of it, pisses other people off.
I am staunchly pro-choice, and all about gay rights. Because it is none of my fucking business what other people do, as long as it isn't hurting me. I think the wars were grossly mismanaged and handled so embarrassingly poorly as to be painful. I think organized religion is fucking terrifying. I think morality is something that you can have just as much of, and more in some cases, while being a staunch atheist. I think drugs should be decriminalized because the war on them has failed us on a colossal scale, resulting in poverty and torture and death, and it's time to try something different.
And I want to write about all of this in depth. About where my ideas came from, how they developed, which ones I have now that I didn't used to have, how my experiences have shaped them, etc. There are two problems;
1) My experiences involve other people. Sometimes, even if I were to forgo using names or specifics, there will be details that make it fairly clear who I am talking about. This is going to be especially true of Josh, and in this way, we are not a well matched pair. He is a private guy. Social media weirds him out. He doesn't really want people to know all that much about his life. And... he ended up with a writer, of the first-person, creative non-fiction variety. This doesn't bode well for his pursuit of privacy. And I want to protect him, respect his wishes, and keep him safe at all costs. I haven't... figured out yet how to pull this off.
2) I want people to like me. I don't want to make enemies. But, I am sharp-tongued, quick to give my opinion, and my bullshit detector is very sensitive. The very first thing I want to do when I spot something phony is to put a spotlight on it and take it apart. But I REALLY want people to like me! I am not a confrontational person by nature. I will in fact often go to great lengths to mend friendships that I should probably have let fall apart years ago, just so that things can go on as they are. That... is a hard thing to reconcile with a super sensitive bullshit detector. Anyway, I'm afraid to piss people off, or horrify them, or make them think I'm some kind of heathen or degenerate. Especially... the conservative ones in my life. And even more especially... the ones who will approve or disapprove of me being the partner of their son/brother. I shudder thinking that they'll ever read this, and what they'll take away from it about me.
However, I had an epiphany while I was in Kentucky because I started writing a blog that will most certainly hurt a few feelings. I don't want that, but what I have to say is still true. And so the decision I have come to is that I can't compromise this one thing. I have to make a choice between being honest and compelling, or being censored and watered-down. What would you all have me do? Honest is the only way. I have to be myself, and people will take it or leave it. I only hope that my choice to be blatantly Aurora Jane Ford will outshine the disagreements we may have over a few issues here and there.
I've been coming to this gradually for the last 3 years, and I think it's taken root now. I really don't... give a fuck. Not enough to let it stop me. I don't have time. I don't need more friends. I don't want anyone in my life, around whom I cannot be myself. And frankly, that's an ok thing to ask for... because I'm a pretty nice person. I'm not perfect, but I do my best to be fair. I'm kind to everyone until given a reason to act otherwise, I don't steal, I try not to lie (except when it's necessary), I take responsibility for the things I screw up, I look for ways to meet in the middle, I put myself in other people's shoes, I stand up for my friends, I protect my loved ones, I don't cheat on my taxes, I don't want to hurt anyone, and I would rather in fact, make everyone around me as happy as I can, because to me that feels good.
If it is enough to make haters that my opinions are honest, then haters I will have. If my track record makes me ineligible to run for public office, that's ok. If my imperfections and bad decisions tarnish my character in other people's minds, it won't make the things I say any less true. But that's not so bad really... aint a rockstar on the planet that doesn't have haters. It's probably about time I went and got myself some anyway. To all of you... welcome to my world.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Kony 2012 and the LRA
So, the Kony 2012 video is being picked apart by everyone. Certain people feel that there were parts left vague enough as to be misleading. Such as, whether or not the 30,000 children figure implies that that is the number of child soldiers currently in the LRA, which would be incorrect. That is the number of child soldiers that have been abducted by the LRA over time. Also, people are pointing out that the LRA and Joseph Kony are no longer in Uganda, and saying that that was not made clear enough either, in the video.
I guess... I don't think it matters. Here is all we need to know. This man, and the army he leads, kidnaps children, forces them to murder their parents and other people. That part is well substantiated. Why do the rest of these details even matter that much to us? You don't have to donate any money, wear the bracelet or put up the posters. Just spreading the video on the internet will cause the movement to retain the attention it needs. So, why is everyone bashing the fact that there are monetary avenues suggested for people who want to go that route? I can almost guarantee that the people sitting back and complaining about Invisible Children asking for money, wouldn't have been the ones giving it anyway. It doesn't discredit the intentions of an organization simply because it asks for donations. We all know that nothing on earth ever gets done without money to grease the pipes. That is reality. Yes, the organization needs to be audited, and watched closely.
More importantly, I want to see what happens as a result of this movement. If the video keeps going viral, and the support keeps growing, and Joseph Kony is arrested... that's amazing. A dude made a video, put it on youtube, and started a GLOBAL MOVEMENT. And unlike the simultaneous but separate movements of the Arab Spring, this movement is all focused on one goal. The world is after Joseph Kony, because he is a psychopath who steals little kids and decimates their childhoods and innocence. And if it works, that will irrefutably demonstrate that we the people, the ones who aren't rich or famous or powerful, can influence what happens on our planet. When enough of us start yelling, the bigwigs have to stop what they're doing and pay attention to our demands, which is what they were elected for in the first place, but have been able to avoid pretty much as long as I've been alive.
This is big. Even if you don't believe in the specific goal of this one movement, you cannot deny what this teaches us is possible in the age of information. I, at least, am really excited. And I think we should quit nit-picking the less important details and look at the bigger picture, and what this could create on our planet.
I guess... I don't think it matters. Here is all we need to know. This man, and the army he leads, kidnaps children, forces them to murder their parents and other people. That part is well substantiated. Why do the rest of these details even matter that much to us? You don't have to donate any money, wear the bracelet or put up the posters. Just spreading the video on the internet will cause the movement to retain the attention it needs. So, why is everyone bashing the fact that there are monetary avenues suggested for people who want to go that route? I can almost guarantee that the people sitting back and complaining about Invisible Children asking for money, wouldn't have been the ones giving it anyway. It doesn't discredit the intentions of an organization simply because it asks for donations. We all know that nothing on earth ever gets done without money to grease the pipes. That is reality. Yes, the organization needs to be audited, and watched closely.
More importantly, I want to see what happens as a result of this movement. If the video keeps going viral, and the support keeps growing, and Joseph Kony is arrested... that's amazing. A dude made a video, put it on youtube, and started a GLOBAL MOVEMENT. And unlike the simultaneous but separate movements of the Arab Spring, this movement is all focused on one goal. The world is after Joseph Kony, because he is a psychopath who steals little kids and decimates their childhoods and innocence. And if it works, that will irrefutably demonstrate that we the people, the ones who aren't rich or famous or powerful, can influence what happens on our planet. When enough of us start yelling, the bigwigs have to stop what they're doing and pay attention to our demands, which is what they were elected for in the first place, but have been able to avoid pretty much as long as I've been alive.
This is big. Even if you don't believe in the specific goal of this one movement, you cannot deny what this teaches us is possible in the age of information. I, at least, am really excited. And I think we should quit nit-picking the less important details and look at the bigger picture, and what this could create on our planet.
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