How much longer must we tolerate mass culture?

What to say about Cemetary Man? First, in all caps: THIS IS THE MOST SURREAL MOVIE I CAN STAND TO WATCH. Why in all caps? Because i want you to remember that above all else.

It's a zombie movie about a undertaker who's not too happy with his job.It's also about Death and love. Basically, the hard part is figuring out what the heck is going on. Is this an exceptionally naive town with an undertaker stretched to the breaking point with death? Is this real? Supernatural? Or is it Art?

Basically, imagine if Luis Bunuel made a zombie/gore film. You're not so far off. Hence, it's a surrealnatural tale of love, and the things we do for it, and how powerful that desire is.

That's what this book is. It's a japanese book of helpful hints, written in English. Why go to the japanese for helpful hints? Because I've heard what us westerners do. I'd like some insights from somewhere else. Besides which, life is too complicated to not accept some helpful hints, wherever they come from.

Here you go. An excellent new (ish) CD from a classic Chicago band. The Effigies always made smart, aggressive rock music, but always different from what you might expect. They're not exactly punk, they're not exactly metal, they're not exactly New Wave, but you can hear bits of all of that. They're not liberal, they're not typically conservative, but they clearly have a worldview, equally informed by tradition and progress.

Maybe iit's better if you hear them say it.

Stuff I got:

(Actually i got season two, but i couldn't find a photo of it on Amazon)

 

 

 

There's more to come. This is just a start....

 

And more->

 

(Hey, it's not often that they write biographies of people I know. Even less often do they interview other friends of mine)

And still more:

 

 

 

 

From yesterday:

So, I’m warning you now, this entry will be a mess. I’m just tired of not putting anything up because I’ve got too much going on. I reckon this was meant first and foremost as a kind of diary, so I might as well show everybody just how disorganized I am.
Anyway, so, today’s my birthday. It’s been a harsh day, and it’s not over, yet. Well, a harsh day by my life’s standards. I am fully cognizant that by many, many standards, my life is superb. I’m not trying to claim any victim status, by a long shot.
Basically, I just got called to do a lot of extra work so my bosses could go play. That might sound like a bitter exaggeration. It’s honestly just a recounting. My entire management team decided to go off and play golf today and tomorrow, and left me with their responsibilities. While I suppose I could celebrate my importance in being given such accountability, I know that it will not translate into benefits. This is because they have expressed many times that they are aware that they are above the rest of us, and therefore deserve more prestige and perks. If they happen to take vacation days en masse, and on the same day as they introduce two new major programs, and it just so happens to be my birthday, well, that’s what I’m here for. So, while I don’t mean this as simply a complaint, my issue is this: that this kind of a relationship is the natural expression of our business system. We are encouraged to view those whom we pay for services as less than ourselves. Whether you’re talking about a prostitute, or a doctor, you are encouraged to think of yourself above them. It’s related to what Marx called the alienation of labor. In that idea, Marx is saying that we view ourselves as separate and distinct from virtually everything we do because we are paid for our labor. But, what does that leave for us? Do we become simply our paycheck? Do we become the things we buy with that paycheck? Am I a different person from my Boss because I drive a Kia and he drives a Lexus? Am I a different person because his house has 5000 square feet more than mine? It’s this sort of thinking that led him inexorably to communism. The idea was, inevitably, humans search for identity and meaning. If capitalism, and its system of buying and selling things, including people’s time and labor, leads to inadequate answers about who and what we are, then, we will seek out alternatives. He thought we’d seek out a more equitable solution, hence, he came to communism. I’m more cynical than Karl Marx. Then, again, I’ve got over a century’s worth of additional history to count, as well. I don’t think we’re looking for something more humane, and equitable. I think we’re just looking for something that seems about right. So, we stubbornly cling to notions that we are both what we do, and what we have, depending upon the scenario, but the bottom line, is money. We crunch the numbers. So, if you’ve got more than your doctor, your doctor is a schlub, to you. If you’ve got more than your employees, well, then, you’ve got every right to view them as subordinate to you, in every way, because you’re more of a person than them. All is right with your world, and you don’t even think enough of the next guy’s world to not care about it.
Well, I’m trying to be a little better about that, in myself. To realize and recognize that I’ve got a heck of a lot more going for me, in my life than many have in theirs. Beyond the cliché starving kids in Africa, I have a lot more than even my Bosses, because one of the things I have is the good graces of people and powers much greater than myself. To give you a really simple explanation, let’s look at my wife. She is kind and good to me, and yet, she is more patient, more rational, and more noble than I ever have been. She also earns more money than me, and probably counts for more in this world than me. That such a person is good and kind to me counts more in my favor than any paycheck or car. So, again, I’m not complaining that my day has been made harsh by the indifference and disregard of my Bosses. I’m commenting on an inadequacy of the system they believe in. I still think that there is an answer in all this, but I don’t believe that many will take up that answer. If I were to have a complaint, it would be about that. That so few of us (me, included) are willing to lift our heads up and try to discover something better.
This kind of thinking extends beyond economics, though. I really do try to always recognize the humanity of everyone. I don’t mean in some kind of sappy “Everyone is Beautiful” kind of way.  What I mean is that I try to recognize that there are things we do, as people, that are fairly constant. Most people, for example, like to feel important. At least, important enough to warrant some deference, some basic social niceties. So, I try to maintain some decorum. Another example; very, very few people think of themselves as “Evil”. At most, they’ll think they are “bad” in the sense of being incompetent, or weak, in the sense that an alcoholic thinks of themselves as susceptible to drink. So, no matter how wicked the act, I look for where the rationalization lies. Even Charlie Manson finds some excuse for his own acts. Most people think they are reasonable, fair minded and sinning less than they are sinned against. So, I try to disregard that in myself. After all, when even George Bush can look at himself and say “I’m a good man”, doesn’t that discount the merits of such self-analysis? Instead, I try to look at things in terms of how the “other guy” might see it. I’m not looking for approval, though, either. I’m looking for the closest I can come to objectivity. I also recognize that we live our lives in a certain state of benign neglect: most folks don’t think about us twice, if they think of us at all. So, I try to not be too self-important. I don’t know if this is clear at all, but what I am saying is that I try to recognize that we’re all schlubs, down here. We’re neither angels nor demons. Only Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, and my wife are saints. I guess you could call it the tangent to the golden rule: understand others as they might understand you.
Another way this kind of thinking drives me is that I am trying to give over my little bit towards creating that world that only exists in my head. You know, that world that’s in ecological balance, where people live in dignity, honor, and peace, and where such values matter more. I don’t believe I’ll ever see that world, but I do what little I can to help nurture such hopes.
 

I've had a few adventures in my life, and, like anybody who's had adventures, that means I've had to do without things and money at various points. So, maybe I've got a skewed perspective, but as I notice food prices, fuel prices, and so on, I keep on thinking about my great-grandfather. You know how much his fuel prices were? Neither do I, because he had neither car nor central heat, nor air conditioning,and so on. Food was purchased, but more food was caught than bought. So, I kinda think that maybe we shouldn't be so soft. Maybe we should relish the opportunity to lead lives that are simpler, and less media-saturated. After all, we've subsidized farming, sometimes subsidizing farmers to NOT grow food. We've subsidized airlines, and artificially gotten airfare lower than it was in the 1970's. We've subsidized fuel, so we STILL pay less to fill our tanks than folks in Europe. So, maybe the time has come for us to try to live like our myths, and be rugged individuals, without all the government hand outs. Maybe we should be paying a dollar for a banana, and ten dollars for a gallon of gasoline, and a hundred dollars for a day's heat, and a thousand dollars for a flight to some sunnier climate. Maybe we should learn to accept that home ownership belongs only to the few, and that meat is a luxury item. Maybe the natural state of things boils down to lords and serfs.

Or maybe, just maybe, we should figure out that life's better when we all work together, rather than for selfish gain, and that people are more important than profits, and that if a technology isn't sustainable, it needs to be replaced. In other words, maybe a kind of green socialism might be a decent option.

They're not able to afford to eat dirt in Haiti, They're running out of butter in Japan, and Food shortages loom over the horizon. Water, not gold,  may start the next war.

Still think everything's hunky dory?

I think it's possible to turn things around. The question is how. Not when, because that's now.

Just a thought for you.

I know it would make sense for me to be all over the grumblings about some kind of comprehensive mortgage reform, but there are several reasons for my relative silence. First and foremost, nothing has been clearly decided. Most of the motions up are so freaking muddy that there's no way they can be implemented. For example, let's say they were to try to buy up at-risk mortgages. What happens with home equity loans that are riding along? How exactly do you factor that in? Do you subordinate the subordinate new home mortgage loan to the formerly subordinate second loan? I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm just saying they haven't worked out the basics, so it's all just posturing, right now.

Second, I'm not entirely certain that it's possible to act in time, or if that's even desirable. There are so many, many wild cards.

I just think it's interesting that virtually every solution to the problems of the market boils down to some form of socialism. So, I, of course, would like to see a blatantly socialist response. But, I might just be pot-stirring, there.

I'm thinking, realistically, the best that the government can do for swift, effective action would be to let both sides fall. Take a step back. Let those over-inflated mortgages hang like albatrosses for a bit, so everybody can get a real good look at what happens when you truly believe that laissez faire line.

Won't happen, I know. They've already bailed out the biggest players, and it's just a question of how many folks are going to get bailed out. The problem is, though, that the vessel isn't sea worthy. Every "bail out" just drowns someone else. After all, the money has to come from somewhere....

I say we start with re-structuring how credit is given. I say we re-structure how capital is handled. But, hey, I might be just a tad too convinced....

I use the phrase sloppily, as a kind of joke. I'll say things like 'I'm working for the devil", and mention the "dark overlords" at places i've worked. But I don't seriously believe that Satan worshippers run the world. That would be really crazy. Well, I think McCain meant it the same way I do, but, evidently, some folks take it seriously. I guess they've never heard of Freemasons,or their symbols,  huh?

Hillary Clinton

Barack Obama

John McCain

 

I tried to find the best summaries of their Platforms. Let me know if you've got a better 'bullet point' on where they stand, issue by issue.

I have to say, looking at it, issue by issue, I'm disapointed. I don't really find enough to agree with any one of them. I think I agree with John McCain on the most number of issues, but on the issues that matter the most? There's I'm split between Hillary and Obama. So, like I said: none of them do it for me.