What do celebrities know?

     Someone on Facebook posted a meme with a quote from Mark Walburg. It basically said that celevrities shouldn't talk politics because they live in a bubble and are out of touch with the common citizen. I saw a few things wrong with what he said, so I came up with a three-pronged attack to deconstructing this statement.

     First, there is a hypocrisy, which the Right is never short on.
     "What do celebrities know about life? Let's ask Mark Walburg." I'm smelling a whiff of bullshit here. When a celebrity talks about social justice, the Right dismisses it, citing they're "just a celebrity", then seek celebrity endorsements for their own views.
     In another example, Fox News often asks "Why are we paying attention to what celebrities think?" Then they turn around and ask for Hank Williams Jr.'s take on things. The bullshit is strong with this one.
     The Right always asks "What do celebrities know about life?" Then they turn around and elect as president of the only superpower a reality show star, who refers to his dad's million-dollar start-up as a "small loan", who married a mail-order bride, who shits in a golden toilet, who sold steaks at an appliance store, who's popped up in many movies, and who slaps his name on every one of his failed business ventures. The bullshit is so immense, it has its own gravitational pull; the day the electoral college confirmed him as president, we crossed the event horizon of bullshit; if it keeps getting worse, America will be crushed in the singularity of bullshit.

     So, why should we ask celebrities their opinion? Why not? From the standpoint of anthropology, celebrities serve a purpose.
     Their purpose traces back to a time in our species' tribal past. Celebrities are the modern tribe's storytellers and lorekeepers. They sing the songs that speak to the hearts of individuals and become the anthems of movements. They convey onstage mankind's greatest achievements and our worst tragedies. This has always been a vital purpose in the survival of the tribe.
     Why else should we listen to celebrities? They come from every place - from bustling metropolises to backwater towns. They each have a diverse story to share. They have life experiences that overlap and form a bond, but also diversity that creates a dynamic synergy. Hollywood, for all its silly flaws and sometimes shameful excesses, is a cultural force that is not just American, but human. The arts dare to speak truth to power, which tends to be a liberal thing.

     Who's really in a bubble? It's the plutocrats. Pure and simple. They created the military-industrial complex that makes the lives of troops expendable in the name of freedom, but really for oil. They created a prison-industrial complex that shuffles minorities from shitty schools to shitty modern slavery. They tell you you don't need civil representation in running the tribe, robbing us of our modern tribal elders, then turn around and install their own representatives.
     And in the end, most damning, there is nothing analogous in our tribal past that equals the modern plutocrat. They serve little purpose, but in fact threaten the tribe. They are an anomaly thriving in a bubble.

     All in all, what does the Right know, other than hypocrisy?

American politics in a nutshell

     There's this joke that I read a long while back. I've refined and refurbished it to make it more accurate.

"A black man, a Latino, a white social democrat, a poor white Republican, and a billionaire were sitting at a table.
The waitress comes up to the table with a platter of 100 cookies.
The billionaire grabs the platter before it's set on the table and scoops 99 cookies into a large doggy bag. He then puts the platter with the remaining cookie in the middle of the table, turns to the poor white Republican, and says 'My friend, you better watch out. Those three are after your cookie.'"

     That punchline brings home the disingenuous lie that the plutocrats have been spinning since the rise of Reagan. It's been swallowed over and over, and now the problem has come to a head with the rise of Trumpolini.

     I like quotable people because, as a lover of language, it is a reflection of their way with words and thought processes. This is why it's so hard to reason with words and nuanced thinking with the "Git R Dun" crowd. I know I used an old catchphrase, but it goes to show that true words of wisdom never go out of style. To further prove my point, maybe "Happy Happy Happy" would be a more fitting reference.
     Though he was a former racist, really a product of his upbringing pre-politics, I've come to respect Lyndon Johnson the more and more I read quotes from him. If a person like him can get it, anyone can.
     Let's take a look at the quote that hits the nail on the head, from an off-the-cuff conversation with Bill Moyers.
     "I'll tell you what's at the bottom of it," he said. "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." He said it directly, and he said it in the vernacular of his upbringing.
     To anyone who reads this, what do we do?

Where to begin? Processing the rise of Trumpolini.

     It's hard to process all this. I would like to copy and paste what is, so far, the best summation of many people's reaction. This is from political analyst Van Jones:

"You tell your kids don't be a bully, you tell your kids don't be a bigot, you tell your kids do your homework and be prepared, and then you have this outcome. You have people putting children to bed tonight and they are afraid of breakfast. They're afraid of 'How do I explain this to my children?'... This was a whitelash against a changing country. It was whitelash against a black president in part. And that's the part where the pain comes."

     Trump isn't qualified to be president. I know people on the Right have said that so many times about President Obama. But I'm calling Trump out for being unqualified because he's racist, he's sexist, he's not a friend to the LGBT community. He's not a leader, but rather a divider. He's a combination of Zapp Brannigan ('Futurama') and BP Richfield ('Dinosaurs').
     The only reason the Right called Obama unqualified was because he's black; they try to deny their racism, but it's there. "The zoo has an African lion; the White House has a lyin' African" one Tea Party sign read. "Let's make the White House white again" one man had on his T-shirt. And the birther movement was definitely rooted in racism.

     I, myself, was disappointed and disheartened by this election season from the get-go. In the primary, I voted for Bernie Sanders. He was heavily favored, but Debbie Wasserman Schultz pulled strings and gave the Democratic nomination to Clinton.
     Being in a red state, I knew that Trump would win. So, I used my vote to voice my ideals, instead of just voting for Clinton for the sake of voting against Trump. I took my vote further left, and voted for the Socialist candidate, Emidio "Mimi" Soltysik.

     I feel that having Trump in the White House will make the worst of society more socially acceptable. Racially motivated murders will be more commonplace, as will the cover-ups. Same for the LGBT community.
     We, on the left, need to stand strong. We need to stand strong against the onslaught of hate and anti-intellectualism. Whoever reads this, please heed my rallying call.

So, yeah, this is happening.

     I haven't blogged about religion, history, or politics lately, so here it is. Trump's rallies are getting scarier. People are being thrown out of his gatherings for no real reason, other than looking different (stereotylically Muslim or racially Latino) or photographing things they shouldn't photograph. It's not reasonable to think that he or his henchmen would behave differently if he got elected. I mean, if he casts people aside using a private security force now, what will he do with "undesirables" later?

     I've noticed that poor and middle class people who are neo-conservatives have been sold on a bill of goods. They're told that the tax cuts would create jobs, but they haven't recognized that "trickle down" economics hasn't worked for 30 years, and has been nothing but an upward redistribution of wealth. They're told that the liberals want to tax everyone, not just remove the tax cuts for the wealthy. They're told that concern over the environment is just "big government interfering with businesses," like they've forgotten that the abolition of slavery, child labor laws, and workplace safety laws came from the government. They have been told that supporting the troops is the same thing as supporting the corporate-driven reason they're overseas in the first place. They believe that gun control will lead to a jack-booted take-over and FEMA camps, without realizing that they're already out-gunned, and never thinking that the take-over would be done by the troops they claim to support in the first place. They're all hypnotized and running a contradictory maze.

     I was at work when I found out that Justice Antonin Scalia died. I didn't, and still am not, mourning at all. He was a major cog in the corporate take-over of our government. But I knew that there would be a political shit-fight in DC between Obama's camp wanting to replace him, and the obstructionist conservative faction grinding their heels. I know that he won't be replaced by someone who's less than right-of-center. It's not going to be pretty.

God dammit!

     So, here's the difference between modern Christian crusaders and Islamic jihadists.

     Christians believe the world and universe were created in 6 days and the first man and woman lived in a garden where they were convinced by a talking snake to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. Therefore, they were cast out of the garden (which hasn't been found again) and were cursed with sin, the curse was thereby passed to subsequent people.
     Then Jesus came along and his disciples wrote books about him and he is the Son of God and also God. He died for our curse and for our sins.

     Muslims believe the universe was created in 6 days and the earth was created on the last 2 of those 6 days. The first modern humans lived in the garden, which was in heaven, until they gave into temptation and were cast out of heaven and lived on earth and took the form of beings fashioned from clay. After a while, they were forgiven by God, but were left on earth.
     Being that their new forms were of clay, they were flawed and therefore needed divine guidance. This guidance first took the form of the Torah, which became corrupted, then Jesus was sent to bring a message of peace and love, and to tell of a final prophet. He wasn't the son of God (He begets not and is not begotten). He did not die for our sins or for any curse; God is just and merciful, making us accountable for our own sins.
     The final prophet came, Muhammad. He gave the final message from God.

      Being the ENTP I am, a lot of questions and thoughts come to mind. A rib woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree, so we're all fucked? O.K....
     The idea that a beloved supposed servant of God was beaten, tortured, and mutilated to cleanse that curse sounds horrific. I mean, if that is your iconic religious image, then your religion is violent.
     If Jesus' story were true, why isn't there a Book of Jesus written by him, instead of a bunch of people all claiming accounts of Jesus? "Yeah, I saw him, and this stuff happened." Says who?
     Why accept the accounts of anyone claiming to speak for God, whether they wrote the Torah, New Testament, or the Quran? If some coworker came to me and said "Hey, yeah, the boss said you had to bring lunches tomorrow. If you don't, he'll fire you. If you question what he's told me to tell you, he'll fire you." would I believe them? I'd be like "Fuck off."

     Since Christianity is an older religion, the world's Christian population (for the most part) has already let go if trying to establish a theocratic society. Islam hasn't yet, being around 1300/1400 years old. When Christianity was that young, people were still sitting on Judas stools, being tied to Catherine wheels, getting stuck with heretic's forks, getting the saw, etc. Now, people with that same mindset have their hands on higher technology.

     So, what do I believe? Well, people put too much emphasis on beliefs, and less emphasis on thoughts and ideas that can be modified as we understand and learn more.
     I'm a huge Matrix fan. When explaining my beliefs, I describe it as a combination of Deism, secular Luciferianism, and Laveyan Satanism.
     The people who wrote about these philosophies expounded on ideas and thoughts, and never said "This is the word of God/Satan; kill over this."
     A deist seeks to understand the great equation that underlies everything. Recommended reading: "Age of Reason" by Thokas Paine.
     A Luciferian seeks to be Morpheus to the world around him, and encourage people to free their mind, no matter how forbidden the knowledge might be.
     A Laveyan Satanist seeks to unleash his own inner Neo. Recommended reading: "The Satanic Bible" "The Devil's Notebook" and "Satan Speaks" by Anton Lavey.

Does Godwin's Law apply to Trump?

GODWIN'S LAW - "As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1"

     Whenever I find myself in an internet discussion regarding subjects such as gun control or healthcare reform, someone's bound to say something like "Hitler confiscated guns, and that led to the Holocaust!" or "Guess who else wanted free healthcare to all citizens... Hitler!"

     After a while it's ridiculous. But now we have a two-part problem. We have someone who's being seriously looked at as a potential presidential candidate. This person, of course, is Donald Trump.

     The first part of that problem is that his rhetoric has gone past "crazy" or "nonsensical". At least Ben Carson's ramblings have stayed at the nonsense point. Trump's rhetoric has now gotten dangerous. The immediate danger is evident by the beatings that protesters have gotten at his rallies at the hands of supporters. The less immediate - but more tragic - danger comes at the core of his rhetoric, his record, and the mindset of his followers
     His rhetoric is unnerving. He scapegoats Muslims and foreigners. His swagger reeks of ultra-nationalism and harking back to the "good old days"; he often talks about "Making America Great Again". He's filled with disdain for human rights. He's always talking about flexing military muscle in both foreign and domestic problems.
     His outsources of jobs shows he is not a friend of labor, and the fact he is a corporate crony shows that he would empower the corporate elites. As a control freak, he would try to buy as many networks as possible (speculation, I admit).
     The mouth-breathers that show up at his rallies are very frightening. His followers are often religious zealots who are looking for a "Theologian in Chief". They are part of that American anti-intellectual culture. They horde guns and want to hide behind a wall from the "scary Mexicans". He even has the majority of white nationalists following him.

     What's scary about this threat is that he even said that, if he lost the Republican nomination, he would run third party. The bothersome part of that I can easily see him gathering a cult following, because he has that mass appeal with the ignorant and frightened, and standing at a podium adorned with a new red-white-blue symbol. This isn't just the rise of a new Hitler with his rhetoric, or the rise of a new Mussolini with his preening egotism and lust for corporate government power. This is the rise of Trump.

     The second part of the problem is that, with all the other people crying wolf over other politicians (especially Obama), people won't take it seriously when others point out Trump's fascist tendencies. If the badly toupeed, red-white-blue feathered motherfucker barks hate like a duck and marches like a duck, does Godwin's Law really apply?

It's no conspiracy theory.

     I was commenting on a Facebook page, where someone posted a rant about fast food workers fighting for higher wages. They made a comment that people in the military get $31,000/year. I made a comment where low-balling hard workers is an epidemic. One man commented "Australian army rates...Trainee $35K, Private $45K, Sargeant $65,,,,McDonalds Adult rates $21 to $24 per hour" The way I figure it, adjusted for inflation, dollar values, and cost of living, that's at least $10 an hour.
     Interestingly enough, if minimum wage kept up with inflation and cost of living here, it would be at least $10.50/hour.
The fear-mongering of "If people get paid more, they'll get price-gouged more" is bullshit, too. Renowned economist Robert Reich even stated that the impact on prices would be minimal, compared to having that additional income in consumers' hands.
     The Fight For 15, while taken up by fast food workers, is everyone's cause. The reasoning is that if they get paid more, so would everyone else. Yes, as many people love to point out, fast food jobs were intended to be upstart jobs for high schoolers and young college students. But there's an increase in the number of educated fast food workers who didn't jump into the grease pit because they thought it'd be a fun swim; they were pushed overboard and fell in when other jobs became more scarce.
     I think this revival of the Gilded Age has its roots in the Cold War. America didn't want to be like the Communists, so America was force-fed the mantra "Capitalism gives us the highest standard of living. It's the American way! Work hard, and you'll be rewarded. Any other way is Communist!" America swallowed it - hook, line, and sinker - along with the fast food boom and the increase in big box stores. America gorged on it, trading democracy for corporate feudalism.
     But America is still buying it! Now, case in point here, people who fight for better are painted by neocons as whiny Commies who want a handout, convincing CNAs, etc, to look down fast food workers for Fighting For 15, when they themselves need to be fighting for 20.

     Some would say that it's a crackpot conspiracy theory about how rich people are conspiring with politicians to take over the country, then the world. A conspiracy requires silence of multiple parts working in perfect concert. It's not, especially when you consider that this nation was founded by lawyers. Combine the "Corporate feudalism is American" mindset, you turn a congress of lawyers into a circus of shysters. It's less of a conspiracy, and more of a culture of corruption; it's marketing. The steps are simple:
1. Buy politicians, lobbyists, and media outlets
2. Treat workers like shit
3. Raise prices
4. When they complain, use the media to call them names like "unAmerican", "bleeding heart", and "whiny"
5. When they start to ban together, use their race ("Blacks are always looking for a handout") or jobs ("They're just service workers") to turn them against each other