Animals live outside, in the wilderness. They are 100% independent. They feed themselves, they protect themselves, and they've been doing it for years.
Humans live indoors, and have long abandoned the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. We have, in many ways, isolated ourselves from nature and the environment as a whole. For many of us, the 'outside world' is not only exotic, but a place to fear.
Remember going out into the forest as a kid and playing? No. If you even had the privilege to near a wooded area, you probably didn't go frolicking around in it out of fear that a bear would eat you (or some other type of creature). You're always careful at beaches too, just in case a shark decides to pay a visit.
And if a wild animal came prancing through your front door, you'd probably either chase it out, or, if it was small enough, kill it. We don't like outsiders, especially wild ones, invading our homes. As humans, we protect our territory.
So why is it that when humans go into the homes of animals they are utterly shocked and surprised when they are attacked?
A few days ago, a young boy was killed in British Columbia while camping with his family. He was attacked by a hungry cougar and died.
Yes, this a terrible, awful thing to have happened. No one should come to such a fate while vacationing with their family, and especially not at a young age.
To me, though, an attack on a human by a wild animal, while in such a setting, does not seem obscene. You are entering THEIR home and THEIR territory. Do you really expect to go unnoticed? Because you won't.
A young cougar such as this was doing the only thing it knew how to do: fend for itself in order to stay alive. If it couldn't find any smaller game to eat, I can completely understand why it attacked a human. Again, I cannot stress enough that this attack is extremely unfortunate, but it's also certainly not abnormal.
People need to stop freaking out about animals acting like animals. They aren't going to be civilized snobs like humans are. They don't understand our views on life and behaviour, they only understand their natural instincts. It's time society took a step back and thought about this.
Monday 20 August 2012
Wednesday 15 August 2012
War & Memory
You know that awkward moment when the media attempts to address History and make it comprehensible for the general public, but instead they just end up being disgustingly patriotic and twisting facts?
If you live in Canada and watch television you've probably seen one of those bullshit propaganda commercials glorifying the Canadian victory over the Americans in the War of 1812. If you haven't seen it, you can watch it here. But don't say I didn't warn you about the blatant inaccuracies presented.
Now, before I begin explaining why I despise this video so much, you will need some background information. Last October I wrote this article for my school's newspaper.
Basically, I attended a lecture by Professor Terry Copp who stated that until this year (2012) no one in Canada even cared about the War of 1812, but since it's now the bicentennial, everyone all of a sudden does. However, they are caring about all the wrong things. The Canadian government has pin-pointed certain 'war heros' and latched onto their 'stories' to show Canadians how great we were: how we stood up and valiantly defended our lands (despite invading America, killing their people, and burning down the White House, because, you know, violent actions such as those are totally acceptable when you're doing it for a just cause) and how we allied with our Native neighbours (and then pushed them all onto reserves afterwards and took away virtually all their rights).
As Copp pointed out in his lecture, and as this video illustrates, society latches onto idealized versions of supposed war heros, and in doing so, forgets about the common women and men who fought and died for our country. No one is remembering the people who were slaughtered and left to die in the mud. We only remember people who acted like 'heros' in the face of danger.
We allow ourselves to give into myths about war because we are unable to comprehend the violently brutal truth about reality. No one wants to remember how their grandfather was slain in battle and left to die, so instead of remembering the truth surrounding his actions and story, they latch on to the idea that he was only fighting for the good of his people - that he was helping combat against an external force that was hell-bent on destroying the pure society we live in.
Now, I'm not saying that soldiers didn't/don't have good intentions, because they do. I know plenty of people currently serving in the armed forces, and the love they have for their country is unbelievable. What I'm saying is that we glorify them so much that it obstructs the truth.
In the War of 1812, as in any war, we do not go and fight against barbarians that are trying to destroy our society. We are fighting against other humans who are also trying to protect their own people. Think about it.
If you don't think we glorify war stories, please read the first sentence of this article.
"The men who helped save the world from Nazi terror." Oh really?
Yes, we now know that Hitler wanted to take over the world, and he also wanted to exterminate all Jewish peoples, gypsies, the disabled, and anyone who generally disagreed with his plans. But guess what? Not every single Nazi in Germany knew this. Only a select few of his men knew about his Final Solution - the rest were just out there fighting to protect their country (Germany) because, to the best of their knowledge, the rest of the world was out to get them.
Yes, it's a good thing Hitler stopped slaughtering millions of innocent people, but we didn't save the entire world. (And side note: there are other dictators who did worse actions, and killed thousands more people than Hitler, but no one ever talks about them.)
And the Second World War wasn't actually the glorified battle society wants it to be. Thousands upon thousands of people died extremely brutal deaths and experienced things the average person could not even begin to understand. But that doesn't mean we should ignore these stories.
In this article, the veteran's daughter states that she has never, nor will ever, want to see photographs or experience in any way what her father went through because it contained "some of the worst evils of the murderous Nazi regime."
First off, you can't only identify the Nazis as murderers. Were Canadian, American, British (etc.) soldiers not also murders? They killed people too, but no one wants to recognize that because it makes us look bad. No. We were doing 'what was right.'
Secondly, by not recognizing what veterans did, we are only giving into the stereotypical, idealized stories of warfare. By ignoring the truth we are accepting a version of war that was created for us. Instead of educating ourselves about factual events, we are accepting a lie. Why? Because it's easier to cope with? Or because we are extremely biased and have been bred to only see the good in our country?
Well sorry to be the one to tell you, but Canada is not any better off than any other country. We have gone to war overseas and murdered people there, as well as isolating and murdering our own indigenous peoples here. We really have nothing to boast about, and it agitates me to see the media, and our society as a whole, twisting facts.
It's time we face the truth and understand our history for what it really is.
If you live in Canada and watch television you've probably seen one of those bullshit propaganda commercials glorifying the Canadian victory over the Americans in the War of 1812. If you haven't seen it, you can watch it here. But don't say I didn't warn you about the blatant inaccuracies presented.
Now, before I begin explaining why I despise this video so much, you will need some background information. Last October I wrote this article for my school's newspaper.
Basically, I attended a lecture by Professor Terry Copp who stated that until this year (2012) no one in Canada even cared about the War of 1812, but since it's now the bicentennial, everyone all of a sudden does. However, they are caring about all the wrong things. The Canadian government has pin-pointed certain 'war heros' and latched onto their 'stories' to show Canadians how great we were: how we stood up and valiantly defended our lands (despite invading America, killing their people, and burning down the White House, because, you know, violent actions such as those are totally acceptable when you're doing it for a just cause) and how we allied with our Native neighbours (and then pushed them all onto reserves afterwards and took away virtually all their rights).
As Copp pointed out in his lecture, and as this video illustrates, society latches onto idealized versions of supposed war heros, and in doing so, forgets about the common women and men who fought and died for our country. No one is remembering the people who were slaughtered and left to die in the mud. We only remember people who acted like 'heros' in the face of danger.
We allow ourselves to give into myths about war because we are unable to comprehend the violently brutal truth about reality. No one wants to remember how their grandfather was slain in battle and left to die, so instead of remembering the truth surrounding his actions and story, they latch on to the idea that he was only fighting for the good of his people - that he was helping combat against an external force that was hell-bent on destroying the pure society we live in.
Now, I'm not saying that soldiers didn't/don't have good intentions, because they do. I know plenty of people currently serving in the armed forces, and the love they have for their country is unbelievable. What I'm saying is that we glorify them so much that it obstructs the truth.
In the War of 1812, as in any war, we do not go and fight against barbarians that are trying to destroy our society. We are fighting against other humans who are also trying to protect their own people. Think about it.
If you don't think we glorify war stories, please read the first sentence of this article.
"The men who helped save the world from Nazi terror." Oh really?
Yes, we now know that Hitler wanted to take over the world, and he also wanted to exterminate all Jewish peoples, gypsies, the disabled, and anyone who generally disagreed with his plans. But guess what? Not every single Nazi in Germany knew this. Only a select few of his men knew about his Final Solution - the rest were just out there fighting to protect their country (Germany) because, to the best of their knowledge, the rest of the world was out to get them.
Yes, it's a good thing Hitler stopped slaughtering millions of innocent people, but we didn't save the entire world. (And side note: there are other dictators who did worse actions, and killed thousands more people than Hitler, but no one ever talks about them.)
And the Second World War wasn't actually the glorified battle society wants it to be. Thousands upon thousands of people died extremely brutal deaths and experienced things the average person could not even begin to understand. But that doesn't mean we should ignore these stories.
In this article, the veteran's daughter states that she has never, nor will ever, want to see photographs or experience in any way what her father went through because it contained "some of the worst evils of the murderous Nazi regime."
First off, you can't only identify the Nazis as murderers. Were Canadian, American, British (etc.) soldiers not also murders? They killed people too, but no one wants to recognize that because it makes us look bad. No. We were doing 'what was right.'
Secondly, by not recognizing what veterans did, we are only giving into the stereotypical, idealized stories of warfare. By ignoring the truth we are accepting a version of war that was created for us. Instead of educating ourselves about factual events, we are accepting a lie. Why? Because it's easier to cope with? Or because we are extremely biased and have been bred to only see the good in our country?
Well sorry to be the one to tell you, but Canada is not any better off than any other country. We have gone to war overseas and murdered people there, as well as isolating and murdering our own indigenous peoples here. We really have nothing to boast about, and it agitates me to see the media, and our society as a whole, twisting facts.
It's time we face the truth and understand our history for what it really is.
Sunday 5 August 2012
Parallel Youths
Kids can be hilarious. No really, they can. At work we got in a new shipment of stuffed dinosaur toys. Adorable T-Rex and Triceratops stuffies have invaded the gift shop. So this kid, he couldn't have been over 10, came in today for his birthday, and his mum said he could get ONE toy. He then proceeded to take both a T-Rex and Triceratops, which clearly wasn't allowed, so he stood by my desk for a solid 15 minutes and weighed the pros and cons of each toy.
"The T-Rex is brown, but the Triceratops is blue!"
"This one eats vegetables, which are good, but this one eats meat, which is better!"
"He has tiny arms that are funny, but this one has four legs!!"
Seriously, he had the most brilliant reasoning I have heard in a while, and I read Voltaire for fun. After some intense real-life decision making, he finally picked his toy and went on his way. Perfect example of a hilarious, adorable child.
Too bad not all kids are like this. The rest are just like me when I was younger: bratty to the core. I'm talking flailing around on the ground, temper tantrum to the max, screaming until their parent's ears bleed crazy. Yep, that was me.
I hate these kids. I want to shake them and tell them to shut up.
No, you can't have that candy. No, you can't run around with no shoes on. No, you can't throw toys at that other kid you don't know, and you can't try to steal them either.
Yes, you can call me a hypocrite for acting like this as a child, but you know what? I don't act like that anymore, because I had what many children refer to as "the meanest mum in the world!" She had so many rules, and I never had any fun. And you know what else? It made me a better person.
I may have hated my parents growing up, but man, do I ever appreciate them for it now. I can't tell you how happy I am that I didn't turn out to be some spoiled rotten bratty 20-something-year old. I hate those kids too. No, having mean parents was awesome. So for all those new parents out there with bratty kids, be mean to them! Restrict their sugar intake, make them watch age appropriate shows and don't let them out of your sight. You will thank yourself now, and they will thank you one day.
Sunday 22 July 2012
Dinos Destroyed
So I'm really into dinosaurs right now. The museum that I work at has an animatronic dinosaur exhibit right now, and everyday when I go into work I feel like I'm in Jurassic Park. No joke, it's awesome. Most people who come in, however, comment on how much cooler it would be if there were actual skeletal displays to go along with our robotic pals. I agree it would be awesome, but also understand how much difficult and expensive that would be.
And now I'm also starting to understand just how difficult it is to even discover prehistoric fossils. The Globe & Mail recently published this article which explains various acts of vandalism towards fossil sites. While this team of paleontologists was out digging in the middle of nowhere (Alberta) they were lucky enough to come across a perfectly preserved skeleton of a Hadrosaur (think Ducky from The Land Before Time; they're similar). So they got all excited - naturally - went home for the night, and when they got back the next day they found that someone actually went to their dig site and smashed the skeleton to pieces!
Words cannot explain how confounded I am that someone would do this.
How did anyone find out about their discovery when it hadn't even been officially announced? What made them think it would be a good idea to go smash it to bits? Why are they stopping people from being able to properly preserve fossils for future generations to enjoy them?
The skeleton was supposed to be the centre-piece of a newly opening museum, but nope, some jerk had to go smash it to pieces. Seriously, who does that?! Were they insanely religious and didn't want people knowing the earth is millions of years old? Were they an employee of another museum that wanted to see their competition fail? Were they a fellow paleontologist who was jealous of their friend's discovery? It doesn't even matter who they were, what they did was disgusting and wrong.
The past is just as important as the present, but if people keep destroying valuable objects such as this, there will be nothing left for us to learn about. Paleontology is already under-valued and under-funded, and actions such as this only make the situation worse. People need to stop being so stupidly inconsiderate and allow the past to prosper throughout the present.
Plus, dinosaurs are just plain awesome, and everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy them.
And now I'm also starting to understand just how difficult it is to even discover prehistoric fossils. The Globe & Mail recently published this article which explains various acts of vandalism towards fossil sites. While this team of paleontologists was out digging in the middle of nowhere (Alberta) they were lucky enough to come across a perfectly preserved skeleton of a Hadrosaur (think Ducky from The Land Before Time; they're similar). So they got all excited - naturally - went home for the night, and when they got back the next day they found that someone actually went to their dig site and smashed the skeleton to pieces!
Words cannot explain how confounded I am that someone would do this.
How did anyone find out about their discovery when it hadn't even been officially announced? What made them think it would be a good idea to go smash it to bits? Why are they stopping people from being able to properly preserve fossils for future generations to enjoy them?
The skeleton was supposed to be the centre-piece of a newly opening museum, but nope, some jerk had to go smash it to pieces. Seriously, who does that?! Were they insanely religious and didn't want people knowing the earth is millions of years old? Were they an employee of another museum that wanted to see their competition fail? Were they a fellow paleontologist who was jealous of their friend's discovery? It doesn't even matter who they were, what they did was disgusting and wrong.
The past is just as important as the present, but if people keep destroying valuable objects such as this, there will be nothing left for us to learn about. Paleontology is already under-valued and under-funded, and actions such as this only make the situation worse. People need to stop being so stupidly inconsiderate and allow the past to prosper throughout the present.
Plus, dinosaurs are just plain awesome, and everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy them.
Friday 20 July 2012
Violent Society
Everyone hails that we live in a modern, civilized society; but do we? Earlier this morning, reports began to trickle in regarding a mass shooting late last night that occurred during the premiere of Batman: The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado. So far, 12 victims have been declared dead, and up to 40 injured. The youngest victim was only 3 months old. The gunman has been identified and arrested, and while he is being held, police are continuing to search his apartment, where various explosives are believed to be held.
More information can be read here, here and here.
No one understand why such an atrocity was able to occur, and apparently no one remembers other mass shootings that have been able to occur due to the gun laws in America. Remember watching Bowling for Columbine? Remember when Michael Moore walked into all those gun stores and was told he could make a purchase right there? Yes, that was years ago, but things haven't really changed much. The gunman this morning actually purchased all of his weapons legally from sport stores (article above). If you want, you read can American firearm legislation here.
Compared to other countries, America's gun laws are quite passive. In Australia, for example, citizens are prohibited to own any form of firearm, with the exception of licensed hunting and employment. Chinese citizens can face the death penalty for owning a firearm without a proper (and extremely difficult to acquire) licence.
So, as terrible as the shooting this morning was, and as terrible as this sounds, I'm not completely flabbergasted that this unfortunate event occurred. In fact, the only reason it is getting so much attention is because it was a mass shooting. If 12 people were killed over a series of multiple days, I highly doubt it would be getting as much attention. Don't believe me? Let's take a look at Chicago.
You can view how many homicides occur in Chicago by simply going onto Redeye's website. July 17, homicide via gunshot. July 15, homicide via gunshot. July 14, homicide via gunshot. The list goes on. It also includes homicides via stabbing. According to the article, July has seen more than half the amount of homicides than what occurred altogether in 2011. But no one is paying attention to these. Chicago has seen fifteen more murders this month than what occurred late last night.
I'm not trying to say that the shooting last night wasn't a big deal, because it was. None of those lives should have been taken, and it was horrendous. I'm only trying to make people aware of atrocities that are occurring across America as a whole. People need to stop and realize that terrible things don't just happen all at once in one isolated area. Innocent people are losing their lives every day, and if these problems are going to get fixed, they all need to receive equal attention. So continue to mourn the events of last night, but don't ignore other issues. And don't think this is a problem only in America, because it is affecting countries all around the world, including Canada.
More information can be read here, here and here.
No one understand why such an atrocity was able to occur, and apparently no one remembers other mass shootings that have been able to occur due to the gun laws in America. Remember watching Bowling for Columbine? Remember when Michael Moore walked into all those gun stores and was told he could make a purchase right there? Yes, that was years ago, but things haven't really changed much. The gunman this morning actually purchased all of his weapons legally from sport stores (article above). If you want, you read can American firearm legislation here.
Compared to other countries, America's gun laws are quite passive. In Australia, for example, citizens are prohibited to own any form of firearm, with the exception of licensed hunting and employment. Chinese citizens can face the death penalty for owning a firearm without a proper (and extremely difficult to acquire) licence.
So, as terrible as the shooting this morning was, and as terrible as this sounds, I'm not completely flabbergasted that this unfortunate event occurred. In fact, the only reason it is getting so much attention is because it was a mass shooting. If 12 people were killed over a series of multiple days, I highly doubt it would be getting as much attention. Don't believe me? Let's take a look at Chicago.
You can view how many homicides occur in Chicago by simply going onto Redeye's website. July 17, homicide via gunshot. July 15, homicide via gunshot. July 14, homicide via gunshot. The list goes on. It also includes homicides via stabbing. According to the article, July has seen more than half the amount of homicides than what occurred altogether in 2011. But no one is paying attention to these. Chicago has seen fifteen more murders this month than what occurred late last night.
I'm not trying to say that the shooting last night wasn't a big deal, because it was. None of those lives should have been taken, and it was horrendous. I'm only trying to make people aware of atrocities that are occurring across America as a whole. People need to stop and realize that terrible things don't just happen all at once in one isolated area. Innocent people are losing their lives every day, and if these problems are going to get fixed, they all need to receive equal attention. So continue to mourn the events of last night, but don't ignore other issues. And don't think this is a problem only in America, because it is affecting countries all around the world, including Canada.
Sunday 15 July 2012
Excuses
I have a lot of excuses as to why I haven't been writing about enlightening subjects as I initially promised to. Truth is, I've just been really lazy lately. I do plan on pursuing my goals with this blog, and hope some of you stick around to see what I have to offer. For now, though, here are some (maybe hilarious?) excuses as to why I've been slacking:
"A goddamn pteranadon flew into my room!"
"My socks don't match and the different colours are disorienting my eyesight!"
"I have a q-tip in my ear!"
"Because when I woke up this morning I felt like a blobfish!"
"A vampire bat got a hold of my big toe and just wouldn't let go!"
FYI: I actually said all of these to people this past weekend.
"A goddamn pteranadon flew into my room!"
"My socks don't match and the different colours are disorienting my eyesight!"
"I have a q-tip in my ear!"
"Because when I woke up this morning I felt like a blobfish!"
"A vampire bat got a hold of my big toe and just wouldn't let go!"
FYI: I actually said all of these to people this past weekend.
Friday 29 June 2012
Preggo Eggo
I could care less that Adele is pregnant. People get pregnant every day, and I don't care about any of them. In fact, I'm terrified of them. Whenever I see a pregnant woman all I can think of is that scene from Alien when the alien rips its way out of that person's stomach and kills them. Maybe I'm crazy, maybe not. Either way, that is the only image in my head whenever I see a pregnant woman.
So not only do I not care that that Adele is pregnant, I'm also now even more terrified of her than before, when all I had to cope with was her horrible music.
Now I hope you will all suffer along with me when you see all your news feeds flooded with this apparent joyous news, and picture baby aliens clawing their way out of her body while she rolls around through the deep.
So not only do I not care that that Adele is pregnant, I'm also now even more terrified of her than before, when all I had to cope with was her horrible music.
Now I hope you will all suffer along with me when you see all your news feeds flooded with this apparent joyous news, and picture baby aliens clawing their way out of her body while she rolls around through the deep.
Digitizing History
I recently wrote this article for my school's paper: http://www.thecord.ca/?p=9148
I'm also a History major. While I did my best not to show any bias in the article, I think this project is fucking brilliant. Not only will it preserve (for as long as the internet is around) extremely valuable primary documents, but it will allow both academics and the general public to educate themselves. There really aren't many resources of such high calibre that the public can utilize to educate themselves regarding such intensive topics, so I'm really glad these are being made available. Hopefully it will pique some interest in our country's history and allow for more funding to go towards such projects. Lately, the government has been slashing funding to museums and archives, but maybe this will help shed some light as to how important it is to preserve the past in order to better the future. The pictures are also just straight up awesome.
As a History student, I'm also stoked because it will allow valuable primary documents to be accessible from remotely anywhere. I can't tell you how many times I have been unable to locate specific information on a given topic because no primary documents from that particular event were saved. This digitization project will, however, not only make these documents (potentially) free to everyone, but make them available at the press of a button. If that doesn't make research one million times easier, then I don't know what will. It's also awesome because they are photographs, which can be analyzed by anyone, despite language barriers. There have been countless times where I began to celebrate upon finding a document, only to find it only available in a foreign language I can't speak. Photographs, however, can be interpreted by anyone, despite their native tongue, or even age, for that matter.
So basically, I'm really happy this is being done, and even more excited to see the finished project in the next few years. The LCMSDS was extremely lucky to have acquired this collection of photographs, and it is not surprising that they have put them to such good use.
I'm also a History major. While I did my best not to show any bias in the article, I think this project is fucking brilliant. Not only will it preserve (for as long as the internet is around) extremely valuable primary documents, but it will allow both academics and the general public to educate themselves. There really aren't many resources of such high calibre that the public can utilize to educate themselves regarding such intensive topics, so I'm really glad these are being made available. Hopefully it will pique some interest in our country's history and allow for more funding to go towards such projects. Lately, the government has been slashing funding to museums and archives, but maybe this will help shed some light as to how important it is to preserve the past in order to better the future. The pictures are also just straight up awesome.
As a History student, I'm also stoked because it will allow valuable primary documents to be accessible from remotely anywhere. I can't tell you how many times I have been unable to locate specific information on a given topic because no primary documents from that particular event were saved. This digitization project will, however, not only make these documents (potentially) free to everyone, but make them available at the press of a button. If that doesn't make research one million times easier, then I don't know what will. It's also awesome because they are photographs, which can be analyzed by anyone, despite language barriers. There have been countless times where I began to celebrate upon finding a document, only to find it only available in a foreign language I can't speak. Photographs, however, can be interpreted by anyone, despite their native tongue, or even age, for that matter.
So basically, I'm really happy this is being done, and even more excited to see the finished project in the next few years. The LCMSDS was extremely lucky to have acquired this collection of photographs, and it is not surprising that they have put them to such good use.
Wednesday 27 June 2012
Guard Down
And yet another reason why bayonets are absolutely ridiculous.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2012/06/27/ottawa-ceremonial-guard-injured-after-falling-on-bayonet.html?cmp=rss
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2012/06/27/ottawa-ceremonial-guard-injured-after-falling-on-bayonet.html?cmp=rss
Sunday 24 June 2012
Category: Priorities
Apparently Alex Trebek, host of the ever popular game-show Jeopardy, suffered a heart attack this weekend. The only reason I know this is because my Twitter feed was littered with multiple 140-character sentences of concerned bullshit. Now, I'm not saying heart attacks aren't serious, because they are, but how many of my friends actually know Trebek? Probably none of them. So why do they care if he lives or not? (He is slowly making a recovery, by the way, according to some news sources.) Because if he does get worse, or dies, Jeopardy just wouldn't be the same anymore.
This kind of makes me mad.
I'm sure some people grew up watching Jeopardy, so I guess it would make sense for them to feel connected to Trebek, but it's not really a sense of connectedness. They've most likely never met him. They only want him to stay around so they can watch his show and feel successful when they get some totally irrelevant and random trivia question correct, which will probably never actually have any affect on their lives.
No. I really believe that people need to stop being so concerned about celebrities that they have no real connection to. People need to be more concerned about their immediate family and friends. Everyday people suffer heart attacks and other unfortunate ailments everyday, but we never seem to pay any attention to them. I bet More people found out about Trebek's situation today than they did about what was going on with their families.
To me, that is where the true tragedies lie.
This kind of makes me mad.
I'm sure some people grew up watching Jeopardy, so I guess it would make sense for them to feel connected to Trebek, but it's not really a sense of connectedness. They've most likely never met him. They only want him to stay around so they can watch his show and feel successful when they get some totally irrelevant and random trivia question correct, which will probably never actually have any affect on their lives.
No. I really believe that people need to stop being so concerned about celebrities that they have no real connection to. People need to be more concerned about their immediate family and friends. Everyday people suffer heart attacks and other unfortunate ailments everyday, but we never seem to pay any attention to them. I bet More people found out about Trebek's situation today than they did about what was going on with their families.
To me, that is where the true tragedies lie.
Saturday 16 June 2012
Fucking Cats
I'm a cat person. I love cats; I love every kind of cat. At least I used to. My roommate recently got a kitten. It's adorable, as most kittens are. Ever since she came to live in our apartment, she has been extremely well behaved, and everyone has fallen in love with her. That was until last night. Upon returning home from a bar, I went into my roommates room to check up on the itty kitty, and, of course, I step in fucking cat shit. And not just a little bit of shit, but a huge fucking load of fresh cat shit. All over my foot. And being a little tipsy, I immediately freaked out, fell over, and spread the shit even more. What made it even better was that this all happened on my roommates rug, so it didn't make for an easy clean up.
Whoever told my roommate that this kitten was litter trained was a liar.
Whoever told my roommate that this kitten was litter trained was a liar.
Friday 8 June 2012
I've lost respect for "Time"
Recently, in North America, there have been a series of "cannibalistic attacks." First, a homeless man had his face eaten off. Then there was a report of another man killing and eating (I believe the brain and heart) of a family friend. Apparently there was also a woman who ate a baby. There have also been other strange incidents, one involving a suicidal man ripping out his own small intestine and throwing it at police officers. My brothers have also tried convincing me something happened regarding eyeballs being eaten, but I've yet to see anything in print about it, so for now I'll leave that one be.
Since our society is grossly obsessed with zombies, there have been many articles popping up online stating that the apocalypse is upon us, and that we better get our shit ready to fight. Because everything we learned from playing Left 4 Dead will actually save our sorry asses.
However, there have been others stating that civilization is taking a backwards spin and reverting back to savage behaviour by practicing cannibalism.
Now, the point of my explaining all this is because some ill-informed writer for Time wrote an article that really pissed me off.
You can see it here: http://ideas.time.com/2012/06/07/are-we-too-comfortable-with-cannibalism/?iid=op-main-lede
Her headline, to me, implies that we just love seeing other humans eat each other. Because, you know, I wake up everyday thinking "GOD my roommate looks delicious." She then goes on to question the CDC's announcement that there is no zombie apocalypse because in her mind, a few over-the-top incidents mean the undead are rising. The rest of her article just reiterates old stories of cannibalism and how Victorians felt it was "uncivilized" and gross (which it totally is). She ends by saying, once again, that we love it and see it all as a joke.
Well I beg to differ. When these events unfolded, I did not meet a single person who laughed. There were no outbursts of "OH SHIT, ZOMBIES ARE COMING GUYS, THIS IS SO COOL!" In fact, most of my friends were seriously concerned about the mental well-being of the attackers, not to mention the physical state of the victims. Not for a single second did anyone I spoke to (which happened to be a lot) think that these poor people woke up one day thinking "I want human flesh for breakfast." No. It not only worried them, but made them sick to their stomachs. No one saw this as a game. And no, I will not deny all the sick people who did see it as entertaining, but I'd like to think that's only because my friends are more enlightened than people who still live in their parents basement.
But what really baffles me about this article is how ignorant the author is to one vital piece of information regarding these attacks: bath salts. The article, which was published yesterday, came out well after the reasoning behind the attacks were explained. The attackers, surprise, were NOT self-proclaimed cannibals, but people on drugs. Bath salts, which are apparently all the rage now, made them eat people. They did not make themselves eat people. This is not a case of society reverting back to "savage times" but a case of substance abuse going too far.
What this author has done is taken the unfortunate case of 3-4 people and used them as an example for the entire planet. According to her, because a few people ate a few other people, society is now totally cool with the idea of cannibalism, and sees it as a form of entertainment. Well, no, that's not fucking true. The majority of viewers were appalled and concerned, not laughing or enjoying what they saw. We are NOT comfortable with the idea of eating each other. These were just a few unfortunate events, that were unfortunately blown up through the media.
The only thing this article says about society is how stupid some people can be.
Since our society is grossly obsessed with zombies, there have been many articles popping up online stating that the apocalypse is upon us, and that we better get our shit ready to fight. Because everything we learned from playing Left 4 Dead will actually save our sorry asses.
However, there have been others stating that civilization is taking a backwards spin and reverting back to savage behaviour by practicing cannibalism.
Now, the point of my explaining all this is because some ill-informed writer for Time wrote an article that really pissed me off.
You can see it here: http://ideas.time.com/2012/06/07/are-we-too-comfortable-with-cannibalism/?iid=op-main-lede
Her headline, to me, implies that we just love seeing other humans eat each other. Because, you know, I wake up everyday thinking "GOD my roommate looks delicious." She then goes on to question the CDC's announcement that there is no zombie apocalypse because in her mind, a few over-the-top incidents mean the undead are rising. The rest of her article just reiterates old stories of cannibalism and how Victorians felt it was "uncivilized" and gross (which it totally is). She ends by saying, once again, that we love it and see it all as a joke.
Well I beg to differ. When these events unfolded, I did not meet a single person who laughed. There were no outbursts of "OH SHIT, ZOMBIES ARE COMING GUYS, THIS IS SO COOL!" In fact, most of my friends were seriously concerned about the mental well-being of the attackers, not to mention the physical state of the victims. Not for a single second did anyone I spoke to (which happened to be a lot) think that these poor people woke up one day thinking "I want human flesh for breakfast." No. It not only worried them, but made them sick to their stomachs. No one saw this as a game. And no, I will not deny all the sick people who did see it as entertaining, but I'd like to think that's only because my friends are more enlightened than people who still live in their parents basement.
But what really baffles me about this article is how ignorant the author is to one vital piece of information regarding these attacks: bath salts. The article, which was published yesterday, came out well after the reasoning behind the attacks were explained. The attackers, surprise, were NOT self-proclaimed cannibals, but people on drugs. Bath salts, which are apparently all the rage now, made them eat people. They did not make themselves eat people. This is not a case of society reverting back to "savage times" but a case of substance abuse going too far.
What this author has done is taken the unfortunate case of 3-4 people and used them as an example for the entire planet. According to her, because a few people ate a few other people, society is now totally cool with the idea of cannibalism, and sees it as a form of entertainment. Well, no, that's not fucking true. The majority of viewers were appalled and concerned, not laughing or enjoying what they saw. We are NOT comfortable with the idea of eating each other. These were just a few unfortunate events, that were unfortunately blown up through the media.
The only thing this article says about society is how stupid some people can be.
Wednesday 6 June 2012
Brief Introduction
I've been writing ever since I was taught how to write. When I was growing up, that was around the age of 6; today, it may be closer to twelve. I drew my inspiration for creativity from watching Polka Dot Door, and my bad-assery from April O'Neil's character on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was raised by what today might call "young parents" who inevitably allowed their culture and customs to also influence me while growing up. I distinctly remember my first favourite pair of shoes being red converse high-tops. Hopefully this description will allow you to imagine the type of person I am today.
While I was young, my friends were always able to get me with the "did you know the word 'gullible' isn't in the dictionary?" joke, and I fell for it every time. My father was also one to give me misinformation, hoping I would take it upon myself to go look up the correct answer. I'd like to think it's because of these two reasons that I am now an extremely skeptical, critical and analytical person. I never take anything to be true without finding it out for myself, and upon acquiring new knowledge, I tend to further research until I feel I have a strong grasp on the subject. This sometimes turns into an obsession, but I like to know enough to form a non-biased view, and be able to converse with others regarding the given topic.
With only a year left in my undergrad, and enough writing experience under my belt, I feel ready to share some of my thoughts with the online world. While you may not all agree with what I have to say, I hope you take the time to read and consider my opinions. Personally, I try to be as open-minded and respectful to the views of others, and can only hope to be given the same respect back.
These are my skeptical thoughts regarding reality; these are events in my everyday life.
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