Hate is a Cold Wind
And I am caught in another crossroads. I DO blend in with this crowd. I LOOK like one of them. I used to BE one of them. In their eyes, I AM one of them.
Throwing Cheese at Pink
Concert tickets are almost ridiculously expensive these days. A family size wheel of Brie ain’t cheap either.
Celebrating America is as Complicated as a Teenager's Birthday
In country years, at 246 years, America is just a teenager.
Walking with a Limp
“Tell me to what you pay attention and I will tell you who you are.” —Jose Ortega y Gasset
I Believe... [In Underwear]
...that life is laundry. It’s a pain in the ass, seems completely pointless but, man, it’s grand to have a pair of clean underwear.
I Believe... [It Ain't Cultural]
...that the excuse for one’s poor behavior “it’s a cultural thing” is its own form of casual racism—being on time, respecting the time of others, and functioning for the benefit of the whole have nothing to do with culture.
The Anti-Tribalist
I was taught growing up to avoid as best I could judging people by the stereotypes at play. This is not the same as being color blind.
I Believe... [Pride is a Costume]
...that a monster truck event at a rural state fair is just a different sort of Pride parade.
[From the Archive] The Principle of The Thing Paints Us All in a Corner
If you ever watched The People's Court, you were assailed with court cases that often were as petty as they come.
The Inevitable Clash: Finally Accountability or Another Empty Sandwich?
Trump is Lucy Van Pelt. We are all Charlie Brown. We're never kicking that fucking football, kids.
I Believe... [Examining the Self]
...that the unexamined life is not worth living (Socrates). The over-examined life is just a drag.
The Loyalty Economy
The Law of Diminishing Returns predicts that as more of our environment is designed to sell us things the less effective each campaign becomes.
I Believe... [Misunderstanding the Term]
...that most people out in the world have wildly misinterpreted what the word ‘community’ means.
Surrounded by Nonsense When the Guillotine Falls from the Sky
The chance than if a plate glass window sliced my head off most days, I’d be thinking about Trump maybe being re-elected or Identity Politics or #MeToo or the coming disaster of our crumbling climate.
I Believe... [Deserve Has Nothing to Do With It]
...that the answer to the question “What did I do to deserve this?” is “You lived long enough to endure it.” Any other answer is a fairy tale or self flaggelation.
The End of Smartphone Camera Justice
The only defense is to simply disbelieve all of it which leaves us all wandering in a wasteland of zombie information crawling slowly to eat our brains.
SWEAT
Sweat isn’t a lollipop or a bag of money. Sweat may not be as pretty or fun as shivering. But sweat is a necessary evil in most cases and a physical sign that you’re having sex correctly.
I Believe... [The Lie of Leftover Pizza]
...that no single person should ever order a large pizza with the intent of saving some for the next few days. It’s a lie you tell yourself and you will fall for it every time.
The Broken Machine
Jack took a deep breath. "Why is it so easy for you to dismiss the truth for your convenience? You have to understand that the personal is political, right?
I Believe... [Dropping Names]
...that when confronted with a name-dropper, the best course of action is to counter-name drop fictional bands. “Yeah. I saw the Anal Beads in a dive bar before they became big! The lead singer of the Flaming Colonoscopy Bags once bought me a beer in between sets.”
How do you want to be defined? By one action? By some opinion that could evolve? By a mistake, regrettable only with hindsight? Or by the sum of your parts? Okay, do that for other people. Start the trend.