I'm older, and so I'm better.

I remember as both a child and a teenager being constantly preached to respect my elders. It wasn't something I was prone to simply because I was a little douchebag back then. But by the time I'd hit about 10 years old, I'd fallen for the old creed. What could else could I've believed in at 10? I was too busy pouring my life into Pokémon.



I caught over 200 Pokemon. Yup.


But at that age I'd seen the first chink in the seemingly inscrutable armor that being an adult provided. During a trip to Dominican Republic (My "If I wasn't a US citizen, this is what I would tattoo on my arm" country), I stayed with my aunt and her family; two cousins of mine and a very unsavory husband.



He looked like Uncle Fester.

He insulted my last name one night, something I took very personally. uncharacteristically, I grabbed a pillow and launched it at the oil lamp, the only source of light, with the hopes it would set something near him ablaze. It didn't, but it broke the lamp to my satisfaction.



I AAAAMMM ANNNNN ANNNAARRCHISSTT

Ever since then I remained privately leery of adults and what they did. I didn't speak up much, but I definitely thought they were prone to fuck-ups more than they'd like to admit to us kids.

It took post-high school for me to realize that adults are only better than children because of their experience, but not necessarily because they're smarter or somehow overall better. This sounds hella disrespectful, but hear me out.


I'll try not to sound like Holden Caulfield


See, ever since I've been thrusted into the adult world, I noticed a few things. Firstly that they're more entrenched in their fucked up issues than teenagers are. Sure, they don't get 3 other adults and call themselves "Bullet for My Valentine" to bitch about it, but they're overall personality is ruled by their issues more so than ours.


SCREAMO: I HATE MY BENEFITS (GUITAR/DRUM FILL) I HAVE LOW HOURS (GUITAR/DRUM FILL) REGULAR SINGING: AND I'M WORRIED ABOUT MY PEEENNN--SSSIOOONNN

Best metal song ever by the way.

I mean come on, how often have you heard your mother bitch about her problems? How often have you seen your father succumb to his psychological issues? Sure, we all have issues, but to sit there and expect us to unflinchingly listen to you despite the fact your judgment gets impaired by your own problems is too much to ask for.


Also, the smugness that comes just from being an individual person for so long leads adults to sometimes believe their actions to be correct, even when they're probably not.

For example, my boss at my job struck up a convo with a tanned short man, who had a strong accent on his English. He has Asian-esque eyes, but it was pretty clear he wasn't actually Asian. Being Hispanic, I could already figure his nationally.

My boss? Not so much.

Man: ...Because you know people from homeland...

Boss lady: Oh! Phillipino?

Man: ...South America.

This, though a gem it was, was not her being an egotistical adult. I actually think of this more as her just being a dumbass white lady.


Filipino are ya?

It's what she said to me afterward that got to me.

Boss: What are you laughing at over there?

Me: You were sooooo off the mark.

Boss: (Rambles about how she worked with Filipinos that looked like him) ...So I know what I'm talking about.

Except she didn't. Her shot was so off target it not only missed, but it ricocheted off a pole and killed a fucking squirrel.


That poor Filipino squirrel.

And she still thought she wasn't wrong for her blind ass assumption.

Look, I'm all for respecting people for their experience, and understanding that they know somethings I perhaps don't, but to ask me to unconditionally respect someone who refuses to admit their wrongs and force me to listen to them is completely stupid.

I'm willing to respect tenure, just not ignorance or arrogance. And adults seem to be full of that, which no one should be. I can't make myself respect anyone like that, be it adult or not.


In summation, I hate your grandma.

I'm kidding. Shit even I find this picture adorable.

Balls

.....or ovaries, for all of our female readers (i.e. all of our readers). So there's this unofficial website for my university called "i saw you rutgers" (i was gonna omit the name of my school, but all the notation would have taken too long, though, probably not as long as this parenthetical notation took. eh) Basically, its a sight where students go when they want to report a sighting of someone they didnt have the balls to speak to in person around campus. (and yes, i have reported a sighting. search "indie kids") anyway. the popularity of this site attests to the fact that there are too many people walking around everyday not saying what they really want to say (i know what you're thinking..."duh stupid! is she really blogging about this?" yes i am, so suck it, please and thank you.) and the fact that there are so many means of online communication only seems to be enabling us. everyone has virtual balls but when it comes to the proverbial "real world" we all seem to have been vocally castrated (that probably only makes sense in my head). perhaps thats why when i come across people who arent afraid of speaking up and say whatever they want in public (including my blog-mate. ha ha. "blog-mate." gay) i find their company refreshing (even though i'm doomed to holding up everyone else to their standard thereafter (CURSE YOU INDIE BOY!). (wow. lots of parenthesis in this post. i'll try to stop.) i'm not at all saying i'm not guilty of this "vocal castration (yup. im using that phrase. oh crap, parenthesis). i too often have trouble when it comes to speaking my mind, though i'm not sure its for the same reason as my esteemed peers. its not so much that i dont have the courage. i have this troubling tendency of living in my head that often prevents me from caring about interacting with people (that was both condescending and creepy). i find myself passing up opportunities to speak to someone new and interesting simply because i dread the idea of making a new friend and having to spend time and energy nurturing a new relationship (which, lets be honest, is exhausting). id rather just continue living completely in my head and not having to deal with social interaction. im the type of person who needs 2 hours to recover for every 1 hour i spend in a social setting, so getting more friends isnt exactly on my to do list. i've probably contradicted myself about a dozen times already, and im not really sure what this post is about anymore, but im going to end with this: this month im committing myself to developing my real world balls. im gonna try to say or do something bold (like talk to people) everyday. yes, this is gay and cheesy and "new years resolution-ish" but whatever. im going to try. and when i fail miserably i will be back to blog all about it.

ARREST THE POPE!!!!!

I've never been the type of person to react to a problem like a chicken with its head cut off. Usually I find myself handling hostile situations quietly and meticulously, leaving little to no room for "HOLY SHIT KILL THAT GUY!"-esque reactions.

Which is why I scoff at Richard Dawkins' "plan to...ambush" and The Arrogant Atheist's campaign to "Arrest" the Pope.


There's been a t-shirt made!?!? Shit must be serious!!!

I understand that the pope very well may have suppressed information about sexual abuses. I understand he perhaps could have been more ruthless in punishing the priests involved. But to "plan a legal ambush" and use the slogan "Arrest the Pope" is very alarmist, and makes the Atheist campaign to look rather immature; reminding me somewhat of a teenage boy who's mad at their parents and blurts "I HATE YOU HOPE YOU DIE" with their recently-dropped testicles and peach-like facial hair.


wildatheist336: POPE SUX!!!! GO DAWKINS!!!!!

The reason I find this whole thing silly is because of course no one's gonna "arrest the pope". That will never happen. And there's no way one scientist is going to lead the charge to forcing handcuffs on him.


Especially one that looks like Hermione.

So the whole notion is inherently unbelievable and sensationalist. Perhaps "Question him" or "He should be open about the scandals" or something. But "Arrest"? It's embarrassing for Atheists across the world.

Now one can draw parallels to Christians and their most zealous sectors frothing at the mouth murder gay people and the rainbows that follow them. And that one wouldn't (and shouldn't) generalize those minorities as the faces of Christanity, and so no one should take Dawkins' actions as a poster for beliefs of Atheists everywhere.

This point would be fair if it weren't for the fact that Atheism has practically no bigger face in the world than Richard Dawkins (Who's written several books, made several award-winning documentaries, and has billions of quotes). There's also the fact that it is still a somewhat secretive community, in that there are no Atheists houses/communities across the world like there are churches and Catholics. So when one of the few loud members of the community speaks, the entire world listens, and has no other example to draw a contrast against. So we all end up looking like that speaker.



Hermione's very outspoken.


What we have to do here, being a community that's just now beginning to come out to the world without being socially lynched, is show that we can play calm and logical. Christians and any other major religion write us off as shallow and antagonistic as it is. We have to display class, rationalé, and tact. Not obnoxiously claim "ARREST THE POPE!!!". Not bare highly outlandish t-shirts. Simply be calm and collected as we let the world understand our reasoning and convictions. Otherwise, we only prove the opposition right.

----------------------------------------------

Being a loud Atheist is the worst.

In a slightly related tangent, I do despise people who proudly boast about being Atheist, openly say they're happy with having no life after death, and say things like "RELIGION HAS BEEN RUINING THE WORLD FOR CENTURIES!!!"

First of all, if you're openly Atheist, you're probably doing it only for its shock value. The need to be different can drive people to say ridiculous things, and Atheism is unfortunately something that provides the smug self-satisfaction in being the opposite of what's popular.

Secondly, if you're fine with nonexistence after death, you're either cold-hearted bastard or a dumbass. The concept should always frighten you: the thought that inevitably you'll reach an eternal point of unconsciousness should not be something you ever feel comfortable about.

Lastly, religion does good. Things like the Crusades and the Selma Witch trials are tragic and unfortunate, but they're extremes of a generally charitable ideology. Religion helps people keep their marbles in a situation where they'd otherwise lose their shit, helps brings families and friends closer to one another, and provides entire populations of people with hope and dignity.

Did they need religion to do it? Perhaps not. Was it all just positive psychological reinforcement messing with their heads, and religion was a tool for it? Probably. But did it help them? Yes. And there's nothing wrong about that.

S.I.D.E.S.

Picking sides, choosing labels, categorizing your persona. Easily one of the worst things to do to yourself.

I used to relish the thought of being definitively apart of one group; enjoying the fact that there could be comrades in my daily fight against whatever counter-culture I decided to hate. But somewhere down the line I realized that making an attempt to live up to a category only marginalizes who you are, your opportunities as a person, and makes you look like a divisive douchebag.

Picking a side places one lines between you and those who think in an opposite fashion, with the sides of the line being defined by the choice of label; for example, democrats vs. republicans.

But this is a generalization. One line is not what defines us; philosophically, we're more like a major grid, with intersections and quadrants where ideas, beliefs, and morals constantly intersect. While you may find yourself disagreeing with another over one issue, you can equally find yourself agreeing with that person on another issue.

Which is why I tightly grip my forehead at the thought of picking sides. It's like cheating on a jigsaw puzzle; finding satisfaction in having the big picture completed for you, all the while ignoring the significance of its countless pieces.

Going back to Democrats and Republicans, I find major irony in the way the sub-culture of the Democrats, the liberals, praises its chosen party so feverishly. Liberals are inherently very anal about their freedom; it's their fucking name. And yet, the Democrats are their party of choice. The Democrats. The group that embraces the power of the federal government and often chooses to expand its control over its citizens is the party of choice for the liberals.

Which is why picking a side inherently flaws us; liberals believe in things that the anti-government Republicans traditionally uphold, such as lower taxes and greater power to citizens and the free market. But because the entire US political atmosphere has chosen to draw a line between themselves and their chosen opponent, they ignore this, and would rather just ignorantly throw shit at each other like monkeys with blindfolds.

At a less serious level, hip-hop and rock have much to learn from one another. Though you're certain to find any school cafeteria segregated by sub-culture, the truth is both lack something the other has, and requires each others' understanding to work to its optimal potential. Rock has become very rigid rhythm-wise, and has little to no actual swagger anymore, instead relying on screams, angry yet immature lyrics, and loud power chords to suffice for its lack of actual style.

Hip-hop has become extremely shallow within the past few years however. It lacks passion, fury, and, as Bill O'Reilly-esque as I sound saying this, lyrically comes off degrading more often than not, both for the women it objectifies, and the rappers involved.

Rock however has that passion and emotional fury that hip-hop lacks. This way, the lyrics in hip-hop can have a poignant emotional impact and aren't entirely about which bitch you fucked the night before.

And hip-hop has the swagger and lyrical prowess that rock needs. Because four white guys wearing the flanals they brought from Target 2 years ago while stiffly strumming their guitar, yelling "I DON'T LIKE YOU" on stage is boring as shit. And sure, hip-hop lyrics can be equally as shallow content-wise, but they're certainly much more clever than the "I hate myself" lyrics that every other band spits out. And musically, rock lacks the hypnotic and catchy grooves hip-hop can sometimes be quite masterful at.

But ultimately the two will always choose to repulse one another.









...Okay so I still wanna bottle Drake at a concert.


Nevertheless; unity is a greater force for production than division has ever been. Wish we could be more prone to the former than the latter.

Dear Dalaimama,

Write something goddamnit.

Sincerely,
MrIndieDay

P.S. Don't pick up the phone and text me to "Shut up" and that "I just have writer's block alright!!!".

P.P.S. Your name reminds me of Cooking Mama.

P.P.P.S. Oh my God, I just made a Cooking Mama reference.

The Vigilant Citizen is ridiculous. But perceptive.

If ever you're bored and need a whimsical tale to tickle your conspiratorial clitoris, The Vigilant Citizen and its bevy of dramatic articles is more than enough to wet that whistle.


"Conspiratorial clitoris" sounds like a fucked up Harry Potter character.

Some of it ranges from prejudice to ridiculous. Its writers, namely Vigilant, have a hard time sounding authentic, as they color their articles with alarmist phrases and practice the same subtle psychological techniques that they themselves criticize the media for using. So they end up sounding like hobos on a soapbox the majority of the time.


AND SO WHEN I THREW THE BREADCRUMBS TO THE GROUND, AND PIGEONS FLOCKED TO IT, THAT'S WHEN I KNEW THE GOVERNMENT CREATED BIRD MAGNETS IN OUR WHOLE WHEAT!!!


Also they use puns. Puns. Fucking puns.

But when they aren't making jokes like an obnoxiously awkward white guy and reminding me of a pink-socked homeless man (We've all seen those socks on one, come on), Vigilant Citizen does find trends that are indeed happening in the media and are certainly a little odd.

Lately, they've been on this robotic trip, with about 2 of the last 4 articles focusing on a concept called "Transhumanism"; the most recent article (Which is also the largest block of words ever) solidifies their stance on the ideology.

Here's the quick, non-biased explanation of Transhumanism: it is the idea that we as humans can be made overall better by physically integrating ourselves with technology.

Vigilant Citizen and its articles paint the ideology as something that is "forced" onto us by the media, and is inherently evil as its intentions are to force us to think in a "hive mind", despite no one worth a shit having officially claimed anything of the sort.


See, like a hobo on a soapbox.

But what gives legitimacy to the site's latest theory is the fact that 4 major pop artists (The Black Eyed Peas, Rhianna, Beyonce, and soon Christina Aguilera) have been implementing robots/robotic imagery in their shit music lately. The Black Eyed Peas have dedicated an entire video in celebration of robots, Rhianna has been performing live with robots (Which also look very similar to BEP's set of robots), Beyonce's had a couple videos with automnomous figures, and Christina's upcoming album art has half of her face looking like a robot.

And now the word "robot" sounds really, really weird.

While I like to disassociate myself from the LSD-esque lunacy of the VC fanbase, I have to say that it is pretty weird when 4 of the biggest artists right now are sharing the same or very similar styles in their marketing/performances.

It isn't to suggest that the government is actually trying to turn us into robots.


And trying to squeeze us into little black shorts.

But with it happening at the same time and with several different artists crushes the assumption of mere coincidence; like a wise man once said, "Sets of coincidences are the premonitions of calculation".


Wise man pictured here.

So despite VC's occasional biases, ridiculous suggestions, and hobo tendencies, they've stumbled onto something pretty interesting here with transhumanism and cyborgs. If we see it more often, the hobos may actually have a point.

BEST BLOGS EVER!!!

Well in this case I do actually like the blogs and am not being a sarcastic asshole. These 3 writers provide thoughtful insight on everyday situations all the while maintaining an excellent dose of personality and wit.

Also, they're all from Britain.



I love this rainy piece of shit.

For starters, India Volkers is the skilled writer of but it turned out I hadn't. Besides having a fantastic username and a blogspot title that sounds like a great Arctic Monkeys song, the girl knows how to twist her cute day-to-day stories into whimsical adventures and musings with well-crafted descriptors and a biting command of words. In this post, she takes what would normally be the world's blandest "I hate my life" post and turns it into a lesson on how to kick verbal ass:

"... Hormonally I ain't been feeling too fahking rosy this week, which naturally would present this weekend as the perfect opportunity to organise a nice coffee with an old friend, in which they inform you through a series of awkward unfinished sentences that you are essentially friend-dumped owing to the complexities of boy/girl friendships, the inextricability of past from present and a girlfriend who is 'NOT A PROBLEM'...The rest of the week has largely been passable in the South East, perhaps a five point five rising to a seven in places, but approached with a vaguely droll smile and shadowed by generally vast and looming exam-shaped shadows.

I have probably morphed into some sort of soggy walking rain cloud, but will be attempting to find some sort of silver lining...possibly at the bottom of a bottle of gin? Sigh." -- Cheer Me Up

Queue the anime three-way shock.


Thank you.


It takes a deep mind to pull something like she did off. Anyone else would've made this a forgettable post.

I'm hella jealous.


Stop trying to make hella happen.

Okay, fine.

Completely ignoring my alpha male complex, our next writer is a guy by the username Joshua Kirk.

By the way why do Joshua Krik and India Volkers sound like names of people that helped map the Americas?


lewisandclark.blogspot.com: "Still on this boring ass river. Found a hot Indian chick. Says she wants to help."

Anyway, his blog is the more serious of the 3; Weeks, pictures, days, words contains Joshua's solid critiques of the media that surrounds him, all the while providing a nice insight on the UK for those on the outside, like myself (USA! USA! USA!).

However, what caught my eye in particular was his poignant critique of Google's "Government Requests" section. What would normally come off as a "Oh look at good ol' Google!" application that would make us feel proud about government transparency is spun in a different, and possibly more accurate, agenda by Joshua's thoughtful post:

"Whilst I, as a stereotypical Guardian-reading zealous liberal, appreciate what Google are trying to do by showing this type of information (showing they can't be controlled, standing up for anti-censorship, etc), I have some problems with the way the thing has been put together and presented. Loads of the supporting writing posted by Google insists on telling you, unless you didn't get the idea, that they're 'new at this'...Why do they need to tell us?

Secondly, if you look at China, the label is a bright red with a big ol' question mark next to it where the number should be. This is what made me think that maybe, just possibly, Google are using this as a form of self-advertising...why put a question mark? Put 'N/A'. A question mark is just inflammatory, childish, and petty. It's just Google shouting at their audiences that 'OOH LOOK BIG BAD CHINA'. You're not a government, Google. I know you want to be, but you're not...

And yes, I'm aware of the irony of dissing Google on a Google blog." -- Excerpt from Token Gestures.

Knowing the Internet audience/demographic well, I'm damn sure the majority are applauding Google's efforts in government transparency. That's what makes Joshua's rant so admirable; the ability to break away from the mass conclusion and think a little harder.



...I used Google Images to find this.

Last but certainly not least is the first blogspot site I found and followed. Though her posts on masks for cats are short, they're certainly sweet, as kate does a fantastic job at being equally nihilistic as she is delightful. Let's start with the dark poetic stuff first:

"the brain can't feel pain. how beautiful and steely in irony is it that the brain, the lumpy whorled meat in your skull, controls the electric impulses to nerve ending that cause pain, yet it can't feel pain itself? how hypocritical, to dole out and then refuse to take. however, to not feel pain is to not know pleasure. loneliness is the game of the brain; sending out the messages to feel. your first kiss, the way it feels to be left, being stabbed. the brain controls everything, but you can't shoot the messenger, because the messenger is in a cage of bone, controlling the feelings but never feeling them itself.
so; pity or resentment? " -- Wait a minute

I heard this is what killed Edgar Allan Poe.


Lord help my poor blogspot!

Seriously though, where would you even think about this? In a cab? Because most of the time I'm busy trying to tell my Zimbabwean driver where the fuck I live in the slowest English possible.


I AM SORRY THE ONLY ENGLISH I KNOW IS "13 DOLLARS" AND "MY IMMIGRATION PAPERS ARE HERE OFFICER"

Despite venturing into deep thought, the girl occasionally uses her bright mind to tackle life's little moments, with a sense of humor that is unforgiving yet playful at the same time. Here, she dissects one of those goddamn clichés that everyone spews to a secondary friend:

"'how are you?' - 'i want to talk about myself, and what with the tennis-like back and forth quality of most conversation, by asking you to talk about yourself i will then logically have to reciprocate with talking about myself'"-- Excerpt from kfjhdsm

It's something me and DalaiMama kind of aspire to; the ability to be as sharp as she is while maintaining that biting humor and approachable wit.

Also you gotta love someone who mashes the middle row of their keyboard for their blog titles.


I VANT TO POST MY DAILY STRUGGLES IN LIFE AAARRRRRRGHHUHAAAGGHHH

All three of these posters are not only great writers, but unforgettable people in their own right. Not only do they deserve to be heard, but they deserve to be remembered. Read these blogs. It's the best time you've ever wasted.