So, I've been a tad sickie lately. I painfully gimp to the local clinic to see the quackmaster to see from what malady I suffer. Turns out it's the dreaded H1N1. I'm not surprised and neither is the doctor. Seems everyone has it. I thought I had that one beat, being that my significant other had it weeks before and I didn't catch it. But alas, my time hath come. I am diseased! Oh! The humanity! Woe to me, I shall take to my bed and convalesce in sick-dom.
My date to resume duty has today come. I still feel a bit like shit, but I can't afford any more time off. I wake up and try to make myself resemble something human. I scrape a week's worth of scruff off my face, brush my teeth and make my toilet. I don my favorite work duds. I think I look pretty good. I hop into the car a jet off to work. I promptly swipe in and hike up to the office to hand in my obligatory sick note. I think all is well. The manager recoils in horror when she gazes upon my visage. "God, you look horrible! Are you still ill?", she says in a shrill voice, pensively eyeing me up and down. Just then the most unwanted thing occurred...I sneezed! She gasps, rolls her chair 3ft. further away from me, covers her face and asks me if I'd touched anything on the way up. I felt as if I had leprosy and my freshly sneezed nose had detached from my face and landed in her lap. Needless to say, I got sent home and cannot return to work without seeing the doctor again with a note stating that I'm no longer capable of wiping out the entire staff with one exhaled breath. I feel offended. I've had the damn flu, and even though death's pallor has yet to leave my face apparently, I'm still very much alive and somewhat kicking! So what if I still utter the odd cough or have a runny nose. That's why God gave us Kleenex and hand sanitizer!!! I am not a health threat, dammit! I jes' happen to have had the honour of having this beloved virus and am pretty damn sure I'm done with it.
So, home again am I, earning no pay and bored to shit. What to do? Lay around and watch TV? I think not. That's all I've done for the past week and I'm tired of it. To top it off, it's Sunday, which means that the choice of quality programming is even worse! Instead of 90% of fuck all to watch, there is now 100% of fuck all to watch. ARGH!!!
Oh well, no reason to cry over spilled milk. I guess I'll pop in one of the many movies I have in my collection that I've watched a thousand times and suck it up. The commercials suggest I take a "Benolyn Day", but I've no benolyn....does coke count?
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Lack of Bitchery
Helllllooooooo kiddies, I'm back again! Miss me??? Prolly not, lol! The reason for my long absence? A lack of something that pisses me off enough to bitch about it openly in cyberspace. There's lotsa stupid shit that mildly pisses me off on daily basis, but nothing that makes me wanna gouge out my own eyes and disembowel myself with a grapefruit spoon. I guess I should be grateful for such blessings, but they really do a number to my writing abilities. Why is that?
I think the reason is because I need to be passionate about what I write, and both agony and ecstacy result in a passionate response. Mediocrity breeds apathy, hence the inability to write anything worth the effort of endlessly tapping on my keyboard. I guess I'm a passionate person who needs a good jolt of something in order to be inspired to write.
I used to write a lot when I was younger, mostly free verse poetry. It was almost a nescessity to express myself in the literal sense. It was like therapy. When I was absolutely miserable, I was a freakin' literary artist, but without the angst, I was a dry vessel, void of any writing ability.
As I've aged, I got further and further away from writing. I was told as a young person, and even into my early twenties, that I should further my journey with writing and pursue it as a career. Needless to say, I'm no great author with not a single word submitted to anyone in any literary capacity. I've not been published and have a habit of keeping what I write to myself.
My earlier works were very dark, filled with mythic themes and gothic imagery. Poe was always a great influence on me, and his use of darkness in his writings and the haunting name of "the lost Lenore" used many times in his poems captivated me. Like the visage of the Mona Lisa, no one ever really knew who the inspiration of "Lenore" was. Was it a lost love or just a character playing a recurring role in a number of poems? Who knows? But the knowledge of who these people were is of little importance. It was the whole body of the work that was important, not a single entity. But I'm getting away from the topic.
I think all of the great writers of the world write out of passion, rather than profit. If they write for profit and not for art, they are complete sell outs. The literary worth of a piece is greater to me than a monetary one. I write out of passion only. My poverty and pedestrian job are proof of this.
With this blog, I feel like I've begun the resurrection of the writer I used to be, and maybe other people will see my work and see something in it. Good or bad, it littles not. It's not the response that is important, but the recognition. Passions ho! Lets kick this into high gear. Talk to u soon!!!
I think the reason is because I need to be passionate about what I write, and both agony and ecstacy result in a passionate response. Mediocrity breeds apathy, hence the inability to write anything worth the effort of endlessly tapping on my keyboard. I guess I'm a passionate person who needs a good jolt of something in order to be inspired to write.
I used to write a lot when I was younger, mostly free verse poetry. It was almost a nescessity to express myself in the literal sense. It was like therapy. When I was absolutely miserable, I was a freakin' literary artist, but without the angst, I was a dry vessel, void of any writing ability.
As I've aged, I got further and further away from writing. I was told as a young person, and even into my early twenties, that I should further my journey with writing and pursue it as a career. Needless to say, I'm no great author with not a single word submitted to anyone in any literary capacity. I've not been published and have a habit of keeping what I write to myself.
My earlier works were very dark, filled with mythic themes and gothic imagery. Poe was always a great influence on me, and his use of darkness in his writings and the haunting name of "the lost Lenore" used many times in his poems captivated me. Like the visage of the Mona Lisa, no one ever really knew who the inspiration of "Lenore" was. Was it a lost love or just a character playing a recurring role in a number of poems? Who knows? But the knowledge of who these people were is of little importance. It was the whole body of the work that was important, not a single entity. But I'm getting away from the topic.
I think all of the great writers of the world write out of passion, rather than profit. If they write for profit and not for art, they are complete sell outs. The literary worth of a piece is greater to me than a monetary one. I write out of passion only. My poverty and pedestrian job are proof of this.
With this blog, I feel like I've begun the resurrection of the writer I used to be, and maybe other people will see my work and see something in it. Good or bad, it littles not. It's not the response that is important, but the recognition. Passions ho! Lets kick this into high gear. Talk to u soon!!!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Drunken whores...why so many???
Now being the kind-hearted person I am, who never thinks ill of other people (yeah, right!!!), I am a little disturbed by the increasing amount of drunken whores in the world today. Admittedly, I partook somewhat of the lifestyle myself, more of the whoring part than the drunken part, but my God, there are limits people!!! Get ur shit together world!!!
The reason for my rant, is that we've only jes' recently opened our home to a drunken whore as a way to supplement our nest egg. Big mistake!!! After completely vaporizing our liquor cabinet in a matter of 2 days (that being a 26 of scotch, a bottle of wine, a mickey of rye and most of another of coconut rum), we find out that she's also a complete tramp who screws anything with a dick and is on the search for a "sugar daddy", as indicated by not being smart enough to close off a certain website on our pc containing her profile and reasons for being an avid member. Tsk!
Now, as for my checkered past as a slut, and the moments of vast alcohol intake, I cannot state that I'm an angel. But I've checked that shit at the door long ago. So why is it that people whom are more than a few years older than I, continue on this self destructive path? It's socially reprehensible, down right dangerous, and in our situation, endangers not only our serene home and the ability to continue living in it, but also my very fragile antique service ware and hand-made pysanky collection! I know, could I possibly be any more gay? LOL!
But that's besides the point. I really would like to get into the heads of these hedonistic pisstanks and find out jes' what the deal is about. Where is the pleasure in promiscuity, which in the deadened mind could result in the contraction of crotch-rot and possibly terminal crotch-rot to boot, unwanted FAS/crack babies, back alley abortions, being in a complete stupor, and being horribly sick for sometimes days afterwards? I jes' don't get it.
Maybe it's the eternal WASP in me that recoils at the thought of such depravity. Or maybe it could be the fact that I'm not too terrible impressed when some drunken bint stumbles through my dinette, crashing into the shelving unit displaying my collection of cranberry ware and drinking the house dry.
I implore the drunken whores of the world, knock it the hell off!!! Or at least get outta my house and destroy some other persons fine bone china.
The reason for my rant, is that we've only jes' recently opened our home to a drunken whore as a way to supplement our nest egg. Big mistake!!! After completely vaporizing our liquor cabinet in a matter of 2 days (that being a 26 of scotch, a bottle of wine, a mickey of rye and most of another of coconut rum), we find out that she's also a complete tramp who screws anything with a dick and is on the search for a "sugar daddy", as indicated by not being smart enough to close off a certain website on our pc containing her profile and reasons for being an avid member. Tsk!
Now, as for my checkered past as a slut, and the moments of vast alcohol intake, I cannot state that I'm an angel. But I've checked that shit at the door long ago. So why is it that people whom are more than a few years older than I, continue on this self destructive path? It's socially reprehensible, down right dangerous, and in our situation, endangers not only our serene home and the ability to continue living in it, but also my very fragile antique service ware and hand-made pysanky collection! I know, could I possibly be any more gay? LOL!
But that's besides the point. I really would like to get into the heads of these hedonistic pisstanks and find out jes' what the deal is about. Where is the pleasure in promiscuity, which in the deadened mind could result in the contraction of crotch-rot and possibly terminal crotch-rot to boot, unwanted FAS/crack babies, back alley abortions, being in a complete stupor, and being horribly sick for sometimes days afterwards? I jes' don't get it.
Maybe it's the eternal WASP in me that recoils at the thought of such depravity. Or maybe it could be the fact that I'm not too terrible impressed when some drunken bint stumbles through my dinette, crashing into the shelving unit displaying my collection of cranberry ware and drinking the house dry.
I implore the drunken whores of the world, knock it the hell off!!! Or at least get outta my house and destroy some other persons fine bone china.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Back Again!
Hidey-Ho kiddies! After such a long time, I'm back and filled to the brim with brain-dribblings.
So after my little hiatus, much has happened. I've been laid off, hired, interviewed, almost hired, and then fired. The drama continues. My life is jes' as bipolar as I am. But alas, I soldier on, harder and tougher than ever!
My rant for tonite is about religion and homophobia, and not necessarily in that order. You may be wondering what I mean by that, but you'll soon find out. Stay tuned!
Now, religious based homophobia is not new. It's been around just as long as we have. Some churches range from acceptance to tolerance to utter hatred. I'm not even gonna touch the horrors of Islamic beliefs of how we homos should be treated, and those who practice Judaism seem to mirror the Christians in there broad range of treatments for my kind. But one thing stays the same. Most queers are extremely church-shy because of the treatment they would receive from the congregations because of being gay. Shunned like lepers are we, save for a few kind Christian churches who practice what Jesus taught,(love, acceptance, tolerance) rather than preach it and ignore it.
However, what also is very prevalent, is the anti-church ideal. Jesus + gay = hell when we die! That sort of thing. Sad, but true, the gay world is just as intolerant of the Church as the Church is against homos. Sometimes even more so.
I myself am an Orthodox Christian. My church hasn't changed it's traditions, practices, and doctrines for 2000 yrs. The Roman Catholics like to say they haven't changed in 2000 yrs as well, but any Catholic will vouch for me when I say this... BULLSHIT!!!! As a recovering Catholic and almost monk, I know that statement is bullshit. Nuff said!
My Church doesn't have the most progressive take on us homos, we are not mentally ill, as the Catholics say, or inherently evil as Fundamentalist Christians proclaim, but we are to live celibate lives, constantly denying ourselves the happiness of being in a loving relationship. I refuse to do so. My partner and I live a happy existence, and I'm not giving that up 'cause the Church says so.
My family has asked me how I can go to a church that denies my ability to be happy. I say to them, I know in my heart and from reading the Good Book, that I am not evil, my lifestyle is not evil, and I need not fear God striking me dead and condemning me 'cause I'm gay. God loves me the same as He loves all mankind, regardless of whom I love and am loved by in return. I take what is true and good from my Church, as disregard the wrongs and untruths. What I do in my private life is no one's business but my own, and the Church has no business telling me how to live my life. My belief is a simple one. It's the golden rule. Treat others how you would like to be treated. And two Commandments from the Bible bring great comfort. You are to love your God with all of your heart, mind and soul, and to love your neighbour as yourself, for the love of God. If you fulfill these two Great Commandments, you have fulfilled all others.
So to all of the homos out there, don't trash God because of how some churches treat you. Rise above their ignorance and reach for what is true and right. We're all ok. Thank be to God!
So after my little hiatus, much has happened. I've been laid off, hired, interviewed, almost hired, and then fired. The drama continues. My life is jes' as bipolar as I am. But alas, I soldier on, harder and tougher than ever!
My rant for tonite is about religion and homophobia, and not necessarily in that order. You may be wondering what I mean by that, but you'll soon find out. Stay tuned!
Now, religious based homophobia is not new. It's been around just as long as we have. Some churches range from acceptance to tolerance to utter hatred. I'm not even gonna touch the horrors of Islamic beliefs of how we homos should be treated, and those who practice Judaism seem to mirror the Christians in there broad range of treatments for my kind. But one thing stays the same. Most queers are extremely church-shy because of the treatment they would receive from the congregations because of being gay. Shunned like lepers are we, save for a few kind Christian churches who practice what Jesus taught,(love, acceptance, tolerance) rather than preach it and ignore it.
However, what also is very prevalent, is the anti-church ideal. Jesus + gay = hell when we die! That sort of thing. Sad, but true, the gay world is just as intolerant of the Church as the Church is against homos. Sometimes even more so.
I myself am an Orthodox Christian. My church hasn't changed it's traditions, practices, and doctrines for 2000 yrs. The Roman Catholics like to say they haven't changed in 2000 yrs as well, but any Catholic will vouch for me when I say this... BULLSHIT!!!! As a recovering Catholic and almost monk, I know that statement is bullshit. Nuff said!
My Church doesn't have the most progressive take on us homos, we are not mentally ill, as the Catholics say, or inherently evil as Fundamentalist Christians proclaim, but we are to live celibate lives, constantly denying ourselves the happiness of being in a loving relationship. I refuse to do so. My partner and I live a happy existence, and I'm not giving that up 'cause the Church says so.
My family has asked me how I can go to a church that denies my ability to be happy. I say to them, I know in my heart and from reading the Good Book, that I am not evil, my lifestyle is not evil, and I need not fear God striking me dead and condemning me 'cause I'm gay. God loves me the same as He loves all mankind, regardless of whom I love and am loved by in return. I take what is true and good from my Church, as disregard the wrongs and untruths. What I do in my private life is no one's business but my own, and the Church has no business telling me how to live my life. My belief is a simple one. It's the golden rule. Treat others how you would like to be treated. And two Commandments from the Bible bring great comfort. You are to love your God with all of your heart, mind and soul, and to love your neighbour as yourself, for the love of God. If you fulfill these two Great Commandments, you have fulfilled all others.
So to all of the homos out there, don't trash God because of how some churches treat you. Rise above their ignorance and reach for what is true and right. We're all ok. Thank be to God!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sequels Aren't Always The Best Idea
OMFG!!!! What is the cinematic world coming to? Why must Hollywood trowel out turkey after turkey? If I see one more of those so called "2 thumbs up" flicks that suck bo-bo, I'll shoot myself!
I've come to hate going to the video store to rent a DVD. I wander 'round the place for sometimes an hour, trying to find something decent to watch, and just when I think I've found a diamond amongst the coal, I go home, watch the disk gently slide into my DVD player, and then become horrified whence I see the shitty movie I jes' spent $5.99 to watch. I am crushed! Oh, the humanity! The earth rocks and temple veils are rent in twain! Somewhere, the gifted artists of Hollywood past are weeping!!!
Just the other day, my honey and I went out to grab some burgers and rent a couple o' flicks. What a disappointing evening. Not only were the movies gobshite, the burger joint screwed up our order too. I'm beyond irritated. Not only did the double mozza I'd ordered come to me a single, and the cheese + xtra cheese on my better half's completely forgotten about ('cept for the inflated cost still charged), the movies were horrible too.
As you've prolly guessed by the title of this lil' rant, one of these movies was a sequel to a very good movie. I'd expected better, and got shafted with a movie lacking damn near the entire cast from the first, the story line was weak and nonsensical, and the ending was a complete disaster. It was one of the worst pieces of shit I've ever seen.
The second flick we rented was a classic case of pure confusion. The movie went no where. The plot was extremely sketchy, the story line was non-existent, and the ending left you wondering what the hell was this stupid movie about anyway. I'm still confused, and I saw that schlock three days ago. What were the writers of these shitty movies thinking? They should be dragged out into the street and shot.
Needless to say, I'm very cynical 'bout the new films being steadily released today. I see a preview that touts the movie as "brilliant!", but I'm beginning to see that now a days, sometimes you can judge the book by it's cover. If it looks like shit, it'll be shit, and if it looks good, it will most likely be shit too.
So what to do? Stay in and read books for entertainment? God knows there's nothing worth watching on TV, 'cept for a lot of crap. We've got digital cable with over a 100 channels of crap to choose from. I think I'll sell my TV and dig out my old Lego blocks again! At least that's entertaining. So what if I'm in my mid-30's? I'd rather be a contented 33 yr old man who plays with Lego, than a perpetually grouchy person, cursing the movie industry for all of the money I've spent watching the shit that's coming to a theatre near you.
At least the popcorn I'll be eating at home won't cost me $6.50. And the screen fades to black!
I've come to hate going to the video store to rent a DVD. I wander 'round the place for sometimes an hour, trying to find something decent to watch, and just when I think I've found a diamond amongst the coal, I go home, watch the disk gently slide into my DVD player, and then become horrified whence I see the shitty movie I jes' spent $5.99 to watch. I am crushed! Oh, the humanity! The earth rocks and temple veils are rent in twain! Somewhere, the gifted artists of Hollywood past are weeping!!!
Just the other day, my honey and I went out to grab some burgers and rent a couple o' flicks. What a disappointing evening. Not only were the movies gobshite, the burger joint screwed up our order too. I'm beyond irritated. Not only did the double mozza I'd ordered come to me a single, and the cheese + xtra cheese on my better half's completely forgotten about ('cept for the inflated cost still charged), the movies were horrible too.
As you've prolly guessed by the title of this lil' rant, one of these movies was a sequel to a very good movie. I'd expected better, and got shafted with a movie lacking damn near the entire cast from the first, the story line was weak and nonsensical, and the ending was a complete disaster. It was one of the worst pieces of shit I've ever seen.
The second flick we rented was a classic case of pure confusion. The movie went no where. The plot was extremely sketchy, the story line was non-existent, and the ending left you wondering what the hell was this stupid movie about anyway. I'm still confused, and I saw that schlock three days ago. What were the writers of these shitty movies thinking? They should be dragged out into the street and shot.
Needless to say, I'm very cynical 'bout the new films being steadily released today. I see a preview that touts the movie as "brilliant!", but I'm beginning to see that now a days, sometimes you can judge the book by it's cover. If it looks like shit, it'll be shit, and if it looks good, it will most likely be shit too.
So what to do? Stay in and read books for entertainment? God knows there's nothing worth watching on TV, 'cept for a lot of crap. We've got digital cable with over a 100 channels of crap to choose from. I think I'll sell my TV and dig out my old Lego blocks again! At least that's entertaining. So what if I'm in my mid-30's? I'd rather be a contented 33 yr old man who plays with Lego, than a perpetually grouchy person, cursing the movie industry for all of the money I've spent watching the shit that's coming to a theatre near you.
At least the popcorn I'll be eating at home won't cost me $6.50. And the screen fades to black!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Why, oh why do they remake old movies?
Here's the scoop, I jes' sat through the worst movie I've ever seen, and I've seen some pretty shitty movies in my day! The worst thing 'bout the whole thing was that it was a re-telling of the classic horror flick, "Halloween 2", starring Jamie Lee Curtis and the late Donald Pleasance. It's the continuation of the events occurring from the first "Halloween" movie.
The original "Halloween" came out in 1978, and the second installment came out in 1980. It continued the tale of murder and mayhem wreaked upon Haddonfield on Halloween night by Michael Meyers on his quest to kill his estranged baby sister, Laurie Strode. Jamie Lee Curtis played the part of Laurie, and even donned a wig that resembled the hair style she had in the 1978 movie. Those first two "Halloween" films were brilliant and helped Jamie Lee earn her title as "the scream queen".
Then somewhere along the line, the direction of the "Halloween" series veered of the trail with some stupid-assed Irish Halloween masks, that when worn reduced one's head to bugs and snakes when some flashing pumpkin appeared on a TV screen. Pure shite!!!
Then jes' for old time sake, they brought back 'ole Mikey Meyers for the next run of shitty films, weakly based on the original two films.
Then someone finally grabbed a brain and resurrected the proper story line and made "Halloween, H20, 20 yrs Later", with Jamie Lee reprising her role of "Laurie Strode". However, in this film, Jamie Lee's character has tried unsuccessfully to run away and forget the horror of 20yrs ago with a staged death, complete with an alias and new life as "Kari Tate", an understandably troubled headmistress of a hoity-toity private school in California, with a son and a drinking problem. She forever fears the return of her brother, who will finally succeed in finishing what he started. And voila, he finally makes his appearance. She then goes postal and strikes back, finally beheading him.
We thought the series was done. And it would've been, with a great ending to boot, but they had to squeeze one last movie out and ruin it once again.
It then seemed to have finally died, until some idiot who's name shall remain unmentioned started it all over again with his version of the story. He screwed it over royally.
The first one was bad enough, but the sequel went waayyy beyond ghastly. It was pure shit on a shingle!!! Somewhere, Jamie Lee Curtis is weeping!!!
The story was like a bad acid trip. It had such a poor story line, and totally ditched the original plot. It was butchery. The first installment of this new series blurred the story badly enough, but this one, OMG! I jes' can't put into words how horrid the second one is. I'm speechless, and that is an astounding feat, 'cuz I'm NEVER speechless!!!
I guess I should know better by now that remakes always suck, 'cause I've seen and fallen in love with the original and am HUGELY disappointed when I watch the new versions. I don't understand why these hack-writers feel the need to destroy perfect films with their horrid renditions. If it ain't broken, don't fix it!
But still, whenever another remake of one of my favorite films comes out, I'm compelled to see it, and ALWAYS walk away from the theatre disappointed. I keep hoping someone will produce a new film which compliments the original, rather than slandering it.
I suggest that before you watch a remake of a classic film, watch the original first. You'll never see another film the same way again!
The original "Halloween" came out in 1978, and the second installment came out in 1980. It continued the tale of murder and mayhem wreaked upon Haddonfield on Halloween night by Michael Meyers on his quest to kill his estranged baby sister, Laurie Strode. Jamie Lee Curtis played the part of Laurie, and even donned a wig that resembled the hair style she had in the 1978 movie. Those first two "Halloween" films were brilliant and helped Jamie Lee earn her title as "the scream queen".
Then somewhere along the line, the direction of the "Halloween" series veered of the trail with some stupid-assed Irish Halloween masks, that when worn reduced one's head to bugs and snakes when some flashing pumpkin appeared on a TV screen. Pure shite!!!
Then jes' for old time sake, they brought back 'ole Mikey Meyers for the next run of shitty films, weakly based on the original two films.
Then someone finally grabbed a brain and resurrected the proper story line and made "Halloween, H20, 20 yrs Later", with Jamie Lee reprising her role of "Laurie Strode". However, in this film, Jamie Lee's character has tried unsuccessfully to run away and forget the horror of 20yrs ago with a staged death, complete with an alias and new life as "Kari Tate", an understandably troubled headmistress of a hoity-toity private school in California, with a son and a drinking problem. She forever fears the return of her brother, who will finally succeed in finishing what he started. And voila, he finally makes his appearance. She then goes postal and strikes back, finally beheading him.
We thought the series was done. And it would've been, with a great ending to boot, but they had to squeeze one last movie out and ruin it once again.
It then seemed to have finally died, until some idiot who's name shall remain unmentioned started it all over again with his version of the story. He screwed it over royally.
The first one was bad enough, but the sequel went waayyy beyond ghastly. It was pure shit on a shingle!!! Somewhere, Jamie Lee Curtis is weeping!!!
The story was like a bad acid trip. It had such a poor story line, and totally ditched the original plot. It was butchery. The first installment of this new series blurred the story badly enough, but this one, OMG! I jes' can't put into words how horrid the second one is. I'm speechless, and that is an astounding feat, 'cuz I'm NEVER speechless!!!
I guess I should know better by now that remakes always suck, 'cause I've seen and fallen in love with the original and am HUGELY disappointed when I watch the new versions. I don't understand why these hack-writers feel the need to destroy perfect films with their horrid renditions. If it ain't broken, don't fix it!
But still, whenever another remake of one of my favorite films comes out, I'm compelled to see it, and ALWAYS walk away from the theatre disappointed. I keep hoping someone will produce a new film which compliments the original, rather than slandering it.
I suggest that before you watch a remake of a classic film, watch the original first. You'll never see another film the same way again!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Are Humans Becoming Obsolete?
It occurred to me today that we humans are becoming more and more unnecessary for each day that passes, and it's getting a little disturbing. We interact with one another less and less as time progresses thanks to voice mail, answering machines, auto dial, atms, etc, etc, etc. We may not realize this, but it's happening. Every day in fact.
I myself work in call centre, and have actually had people ask if I was a computer. I don't think I sound like one, but really, how often does it happen when you don't get a computer voiced call or have the annoying occasion of dealing with those damned computerized relay systems, "press 1 to access this option, press 2 for this option", blah, blah, blah. Where in the hell is the digit I push to speak to a bloody human being?
It's everywhere, from banks to department stores and so on. We no longer communicate on a personal level. It's a machine to machine world. I personally haven't seen a bank teller for months, I don't speak to a receptionist to make doctor's appointments, hell, you can even order a bloody pizza over the Internet!
Now the latest thing is self-serve checkouts in grocery stores. It seems we don't have to deal with another single human being to conduct out daily affairs. We don't even manufacture anything by human hand anymore.
I remember back when I was a kid and the first completely robotic produced automobiles were made. Some thought it was an abomination, others thought it was the cat's ass. I really couldn't have given a rat's ass, 'cause I was only 8 or 9 yrs old. Well, the auto industry embraced this new technology, and boom! Thousands of auto workers laid off. Who needs people when computers can do the job? You don't hafta pay a robot! Even before then, machines have taken over pretty much everything humans used to do. Food stuffs, furniture, some forms of clothing, musical instruments and even gas pumps. Self serve combined with pay-at-the-pump means you don't even hafta go into the store to pay for the gas you've jes' filled up with. We jes' seem to be less and less necessary.
Now, they say that the automated world we live in was created for greater ease in regards to manufacturing. It's much more efficient and cost effective. Why pay for a 100 workers to labour for 8 hrs. when you can automate your business and run it with 10 people instead? Who cares about the rampant, high unemployment rate or number of people dependent on social assistance? Large manufacturers don't.
So what do we do? What can we do? The answer unfortunately, is nothing. We little folk can't change the way our world has become, no matter how sick and tired we are of being on the phone with the bank for and hour, trying in vain to speak to an actual human being. And besides, do we really wanna wait more than 10 seconds for that bottle of coke to come whizzing down the assembly line or speak to the snotty bank teller with far to much lipstick on her teeth and reeking of cheap perfume? Prolly not.
So, I guess we jes' suck it up and carry on. Hopefully we'll be useful again some day, but until then, press 9 to speak to a computer.
I myself work in call centre, and have actually had people ask if I was a computer. I don't think I sound like one, but really, how often does it happen when you don't get a computer voiced call or have the annoying occasion of dealing with those damned computerized relay systems, "press 1 to access this option, press 2 for this option", blah, blah, blah. Where in the hell is the digit I push to speak to a bloody human being?
It's everywhere, from banks to department stores and so on. We no longer communicate on a personal level. It's a machine to machine world. I personally haven't seen a bank teller for months, I don't speak to a receptionist to make doctor's appointments, hell, you can even order a bloody pizza over the Internet!
Now the latest thing is self-serve checkouts in grocery stores. It seems we don't have to deal with another single human being to conduct out daily affairs. We don't even manufacture anything by human hand anymore.
I remember back when I was a kid and the first completely robotic produced automobiles were made. Some thought it was an abomination, others thought it was the cat's ass. I really couldn't have given a rat's ass, 'cause I was only 8 or 9 yrs old. Well, the auto industry embraced this new technology, and boom! Thousands of auto workers laid off. Who needs people when computers can do the job? You don't hafta pay a robot! Even before then, machines have taken over pretty much everything humans used to do. Food stuffs, furniture, some forms of clothing, musical instruments and even gas pumps. Self serve combined with pay-at-the-pump means you don't even hafta go into the store to pay for the gas you've jes' filled up with. We jes' seem to be less and less necessary.
Now, they say that the automated world we live in was created for greater ease in regards to manufacturing. It's much more efficient and cost effective. Why pay for a 100 workers to labour for 8 hrs. when you can automate your business and run it with 10 people instead? Who cares about the rampant, high unemployment rate or number of people dependent on social assistance? Large manufacturers don't.
So what do we do? What can we do? The answer unfortunately, is nothing. We little folk can't change the way our world has become, no matter how sick and tired we are of being on the phone with the bank for and hour, trying in vain to speak to an actual human being. And besides, do we really wanna wait more than 10 seconds for that bottle of coke to come whizzing down the assembly line or speak to the snotty bank teller with far to much lipstick on her teeth and reeking of cheap perfume? Prolly not.
So, I guess we jes' suck it up and carry on. Hopefully we'll be useful again some day, but until then, press 9 to speak to a computer.
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