Thursday, July 28, 2016

Fat

I got the chance to hang out with a couple last week for an extended period of time. I was around in those private personal moments where there was seemingly innocent interactions which could really hurt deep down.

The guy was putting on a costume and said, "I'm fat." Now I hadn't seen him in a year or more and he was thicker around the waist as is common in relationships when there's regular sex and good food. People get comfortable. His girlfriend replied, in a sing song reassuring voice, "You're not getting fat."

His statement is something I learned in an acting class a long time ago. You, or a character, will say certain things so there can be a contradictory reply;  a reassuring response to the "I'm Fat." comment. People say things like that so they ARE contradicted with a soothing response. Because if someone agreed with them that, "Yes, you have put on some pounds." Feelings are going to be hurt. Or a reply of, "Go to the gym." is just as mean. You are fishing for, "No, you aren't fat."

These little lies keep society and relationships going.

I was walking down the street and 2 men were walking toward me. I heard one of them say, "Tomorrow I'm going to start going to the gym." This caught my attention. I almost blurted out, "No, you're not." Because how many times has that sentence been uttered? Billions probably. And how many people get their ass to the gym? Like every New Year's Resolution, "I'm going to join a gym and lose weight." A valiant statement, but by the end of February most gyms go back to the normal attendance.

It's easy to be fat. It's hard to actually do something about it.

Move more. Eat less.

Friday, July 8, 2016

Not A Typical Thursday

5 police were murdered in Dallas yesterday. 7 more were wounded. 2 civilians were also wounded by a domestic terrorist. I'm not going to type his name. Because, fuck that guy.

The news was originally saying there were multiple shooters and had a picture of a guy with a rifle attending the rally. They said he was a person of interest. In Dallas, open carry is legal. Which is weird. What does the guy carrying a gun around gain? Safety? Or does he just scare the shit out of everyone who sees him with a rifle? Because If I see a stranger openly brandishing a gun, I'm going to probably get away from them. I don't know them or their intent. I'm not going to assume he's a good guy with a gun. The police found him and questioned him. He said the rifle he was carrying around was unloaded. Really? Then why are you carrying it around? You just like the freaked out looks people give you when you are walking around with a gun? Can't save the day with an empty weapon, Rambo. What's your motivation? Couldn't legally walk around with your cock out so the gun is a substitute?

But I digress.

The shooter was pissed off about the police shootings this week of 2 black men. So he went to kill cops. When he was confronted in a parking garage the Dallas Police Department talked to him for hours and hours. He said he wanted to kill white cops and white people in general. They could tell he wasn't going to surrender. Rather than having a SWAT team put in harms way storming this guy, they had a robot roll in with a bomb. The bomb exploded and killed him.

This was the appropriate action. No one in the news has said it was the wrong thing to do. But also no one, not one person in the news, has said they were bothered by a robot delivering a bomb to blow some asshole up. I'm totally fine with the police blowing him up. He deserved it. He was evil. But I've never heard of police blowing someone up because it was the safest option. Merry Christmas, the robot has something for you. BOOM!!!

I'm glad he died, but I'm a bit vexed by the cops with bombs thing.  Which would be an interesting movie title.  
Cops with Bombs.  
or maybe
Robot Cops with Bombs.

What a strange world we live in. 

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Discourse

I pay attention to politics. Probably too much. On my FB feed I get news updates. And I comment on the stories sometimes. I usually comment in ways that are snarky but also along the lines of the truth. Or the truth from my perspective. Because, isn't that we have? Our truth or view of it?

People reply or like the comments. I don't really care what they say. They have their own opinion and I was foolish enough to put out my opinion in an online forum. The replies to my comments show more about who they are than any in person meeting probably ever would.

I left a comment on a CNN story. I don't even remember what it was. I got a number of replies. Some disagreed with my postulation. But then there was one, "You look like a HOMO!!" That puzzled me. If the reply you put out to a comment is a homophobic bullying rant, then you really have no way to win. You have just revealed more about yourself to every person reading the comment section than you normally would riding around with a anti-gay bumper sticker on the back of your beat up Chevy truck.

I followed that thread a bit to see if someone would take him to task for the comment. No one did, but the comment also disappeared in a few hours. He had a fit of decency? Thought better about the hateful comment? Got bored because I didn't engage and protest, "Nuh unh!!" So his trollish behavior was to get a rise out of someone and have a flame war because you have nothing better to do with your day while you pine away at your shitty job in a tiny cubicle? Cool.

I read the comments of some stories without commenting on the story and I'm horrified by the screaming lunacy that abounds in the populace. You can tell what news channel people watch by their views, arguments, and language. It's really kind of sad to see the closed minded people in our country. We have all this freedom to think whatever we want, worship or not worship any way we want, and the hateful shit which comes across in the comment section shows we are one meteor strike away from cannibalism.

Their comments don't refute someone's argument point by point, it is name calling and foul language. Personal attacks on people they will never meet. It is reflected in the presidential candidates. Though one is the uneducated name calling 5th grade bully. I don't mean to disparage 5th graders, but he reflects their rather rudimentary language choices.

I do hope after the election people lighten the fuck up and put away the flame throwers. But I kind of doubt it. The internet is a great place to anonymously savage people who disagree with you.

When aliens find the remnants of our civilization, sometime in the near or far future, I hope they don't find the really ugly hateful part.