Reminder (and trigger warning): This is but an infinitesimal sampling of the minute-by-minute abuse perpetrated by males from every corner of the world.
Why have these victims of torture been forgotten?
Being a writer covering radical issues sometimes has its perks. For example, I recently became the recipient of secret torture videos (complete with captions and descriptions). The anonymous senders said they trusted I’d “make good use” of them. So, with this important mission in mind, please allow me to introduce a horrifying but illuminating glimpse into the terrorist mindset.
Trigger warning: graphic descriptions of terrorist torture techniques.
I’m still me. Who are you?
News flash: I’m still me.
I’m no longer sure who many of you are (or ever were) to me, but I’m happy to have moved on. And I’m happy to keep moving and seeking — with or without the contact high of Internet traffic/validation. This is who I am, this is what I do, and this is what I shall keep doing. And I hope some of you will continue to occasionally walk beside me and share your thoughts.
Pro-tip: True happiness is out there, if you’re willing to chase it
(The following is a public service announcement)
Pop songs, podcasts, movies, commercials, tweets, memes, even vines make it crystal clear that everyone else has it all figured out. Love, sex, money, looks, health, charm, popularity, likes, shares, followers, and more – tied up neatly in anywhere from 6 seconds to 90 minutes (or maybe just 140 characters). So…if they have it all, why has happiness eluded you? Could it be you have the wrong job? The wrong skin color? The wrong body? The wrong attitude? The wrong news feed? Or are you just too stupid and lazy?
Don’t you realize all those brave men and women are over there dying so you can be happy? Why are you letting our gallant heroes down? You’re not an anti-American loser, are you?
Everyone else lives in a huge, clean, nicely furnished home. If you don’t believe me, just turn on your TV or computer or smart phone and see for yourself. Their kids are cute and funny. Their mates may have a few minor (humorous) imperfections but that’s what makes them just fuckin’ perfect. Their car is shiny and doesn’t break down. Their pets never shit on the rug. Their bosses respect them. Their friends support them unconditionally. They own all the latest gear, the latest fashions. Their butts are firm, their biceps bulge. They always say the right thing at the right time. Their selfies are simply sublime. You, on the other hand, are a complete fuckin’ loser. But there’s hope for you, if you’re willing to chase it.
The right apps, the right clothes, the right car, the right slang, the right hashtag, the right diet, the right hairdo, the right cause, the right behavior, the right placement of solidarity: every bit of it can be purchased now…for a limited time only. While supplies last. First come, first served. Buy one, get another at half-price. But make sure you buy, spend, consume, and chase, chase, chase. It’s your turn…unless, of course, it’s not. Unless you’re a complete fuckin’ loser. In that case, pay very close attention to the next section.
You must chase harder. Much harder. The most important move you can make is: Always. Keep. Chasing. Happiness is out there. You see it every night on your TV screen, iPad screen, iPhone screen, or whatever screen you waste your sad life staring at. You don’t want to be like those people who live in bad neighborhoods with lousy jobs and criminals for kids, right? They’re in that mess because they asked for it and they got exactly what they deserved. They are complete fuckin’ losers. Not you. You have potential…the potential to spend and consume and buy and chase until you’re just like all your fabulous friends on Netflix.
And another thing: You know all those treehuggers who tell you about the negative impact of your nonstop chasing? They’re the biggest fuckin’ losers of all.
You deserve the best so get out there and chase it…chase it all day long…chase it until your last, dying breath. If you don’t keep chasing, your web traffic and SEO presence will vanish and you know what that means: the terrorists win.
When it comes to true happiness, you’re either with us or against us. Time to choose, losers: Which side are you on?
(This message is brought to you by, well, the same people who bring you all the messages.)
One of my many meaningless service industry gigs
Such is life for a pre-programmed, blue collar white American male.
What do most “lone gunman” assassins have in common?
Like many of you, I went through an intense JFK assassination conspiracy phase. I’m glad I did as it helped normalize, for me, the reflexive questioning of “official” stories.
It’s been many years since I last delved into such material, but recently, I caught up on some of what’s been written and filmed on both the JFK and RFK assassinations. I’m glad I did as it helped me realize how intensely my critical lens has changed.
And thus, the title of this article: What do most “lone gunman” assassins have in common?
Check that: What do the vast, vast majority of “lone gunman” assassins have in common?
Who was accused and/or convicted of killing or shooting JFK, RFK, MLK, Gandhi, William McKinley, George Wallace, John Lennon, Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul, Abe Lincoln, Julius Caesar, Harvey Milk, etc. etc. etc.?
Go ahead, read the shooters’ names and allow the reality to sink in. They are virtually all (maybe 99.9 percent?) males.
Which brings us to the largest, most enduring, and deadliest conspiracy of all time: male supremacy.
So yeah, while the “lone gunman” trope is mighty useful in keeping us from conjuring up images of a government-corporate nexus running their business like the Corleone Family, it has a much deeper function. It allows us to believe that acts of violence are carried out almost exclusively by deranged individuals and thus never recognize the bigger picture of male pattern violence.
When we willfully delude ourselves in such a way, the connections remain invisible. The connections get stronger by the day.
What will it take for us – particularly us men – to finally open our eyes, to name the problem, and the end the problem?
Help Wanted: Pro-Feminist Proofreader
On Thursday, May 12, Morgan Lowrie penned an article called Child-sex tourism continues to rise in Canada and abroad: study for the Globe and Mail. Below you will find that piece, along with my notes, in the hope of highlighting the urgent need for radical proofreaders and copy editors everywhere!
