I've seen too many
kiddies recently wearling all black; slouching through the
rain as if written by
Hemingway. This sort of character spends their time in public places-such as
malls and
diners-in order to eliviate or amplify their feelings of self-loathing. The cliche they embody is a tricky one.
Self-loathing and
self-destruction have become well-known personality constructs in the past fifty years. Popular
media has created a pattern with enough furor to facilitate a whole sub-group of people who are all
proud of their
problems. So many are now thrilled with their own
misery, their
therapy, their
downward spiral. So many
joke about the
mood-altering drugs they currently take; not to be humorous but to let people know they take them. It is a sad fact that many now consider being
intelligent synonyms with being
miserable, as if through the eyes of intellect the world becomes a very ugly place indeed, far to ugly and hopeless for them.
Unfortunately they are correct. But one must remember that this is a knee-jerk thought and the idea has not evolved beyond that.
And to his problem so many solutions! Moods come in pill form now. Spirituality is no farther then the latest bestseller or video store. Karma can be bought at the mall for only $1.99 and worn on ones wrist. This is the age of the quick fix, the age where everyone wants to be better, for themselves and the rest of humanity, but no one wants to take the time and effort to get there. You want spirituality? Watch the newest angel/miracle series on the tube and buy some angel crap for your walls to remind you that they are out there. You want harmony? Buy the newest non-fiction juggernaut by Dr. E. M. Fuckall for only $29.95 (25 weeks on the best-seller list). You want a little inner-peace? Try aromatherapy candles and some herbal sugar pills and tea that turns your piss orange.
Why is it that the prevailing feeling among the red-blooded Americans in this country that whatever has happened, it is not their fault? Did everyone have a shitty childhood and therefore something to blame things on (this is not to say that I do not have compassion for those with troubled childhoods). If it's not that it is the Government, the immigration problem, teachers, media, violence on TV, internet porn, not enough gun control, too much gun control, and entirely the fault of SOMEONE ELSE. One only need turn on the tube and watch thirty seconds of everyone's favorite Fox cultural train wreck, Judge Judy, to see everything human existance and essence has amassed up to this point dissolve into so much green baby-shit:
Schmuck #1 “You honor, I did not do this thing”
Twit #2 “Yes you did!”
#1 “No I didn't”
#2 “YES YOU DID”
#1 “YOU LYING BITCH!”
#2 “ASSHOLE”
#1 “SLUT”
And so on and so on and so on. The judge in this case (who according to the commercial is “As tough as nails!”) lets it go on in the spirit of good
old fashioned entertainment. I pray these people are simply actors and just maybe I have something to hope for.
And in response to the above dialogue, why am I hearing so much cursing? I have been know to curse as much as anyone else, but could you at least use the seven words you can't say on television in proper context! Fuck has become the utility word of the new century. Please don't get me wrong, I love Fuck, I really do; I use it often. My problem is I have heard so many different uses of Fuck than any other word in the English language, and English is one of the most communicative languages in the world. Communication is a beautiful thing, don't squander it! It is now possible to construct an entire sentence with Fuck and its derivatives, using only a few determiners as needed (I will allow you to construct your own). While I would like to be able to congratulate someone who is able to do such a feat, I must say that I can only think that such a usage of a single word can only mean a sever deficit in vocabulary, if not a lack of creativity. I fear a downward spiral of immense proportotions.
Kids don't watch Sesame street any more, they watch Pokémon.