Every once in a while the Google folks decide to fart around with the design and mechanics of my blog. It annoys the hell outa me! Why are computer nerds never able to leave anything alone? have they never heard the cliche' "If it's not broke, DON'T FIX IT!!" I guess not. I'm sure these geeks are well intentioned, but shit man they are OCD about constantly picking at stuff. I bet none of them has had a scab for more than hour or two before they started picking at it. Yech! I apologize for that analogy.
Here's the deal; imagine you go out to start your car one morning and you don't even recognize it! That's what these infernal tinkerers are like, like someone completely redesigns your car without consulting you! One day it has a steering wheel the next it is controlled by a joy stick because some arrogant little nerd decided it would make your life easier! Which of course it doesn't (those dumb asses!) because now I have to learn how to drive all over again. Thanks a bunch Erkle!
Actually I like nerds, love nerd rock! My taste is quite bizarre. I heard this band that is totally nerded out and totally awesome. They're called the Surf Coasters and they are absolutely the best Japanese surf rock band you will ever hear. They are partially to blame for my recent bike accident. I mean with the MP3 injecting Asian surf rock into your brain how can you ride with caution? Okay any reasonable person could but face it that sort of stuff is impossible for people like me.
Fortunately I don't know anyone else like me. Now don't get me wrong. I like me a lot! I am one of my favorite people actually. Still a little of me goes a really long way. The problem with being an individual is that you may be an outsider. On the other hand how many cliques do you want to fit with? Have you ever hung around people that seemed to have the same conversations over and over and over? They are out there.
I guess they like the familiarity of the same subjects, the same jokes, the same thing all the time. Maybe they're right. Knowing exactly what your friends think and what they're going to say might be reassuring. The last thing they want is some nerd redesigning the conversation especially in a world where every time you go to a website you never know what you'll find. And as soon as you get used to it and know how to smoothly navigate it some jerk wad nerd changes the whole damn thing!
Russell
Sheep
Friday, April 27, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Field Guide To The American Peasant
My younger sister used to take ballet lessons (she was really serious and pretty good as a matter of fact). Her teacher was from Russia and had at one time been a famous dancer in Europe until an injury ended her career. She moved here with her mother some time after WW II. Her mother was from an aristocratic Russian family that fled that country when the Bolsheviks took over. Pretty interesting but the reason for mentioning all this is to get to this, this ancient Russian aristocrat once complained to my mom that American peasants did not even know they were peasants. She said that the peasants in Europe at least knew they were peasants but American peasants did not know their place in society. We all thought she was sort of charming in her way but nevertheless daft. I don't think that anymore.
That old Russian aristocrat was right. We don't know we are peasants but we are. The rich know it. The politicians know it. The banks, insurance companies and stores like Walmart all know it. Yet the American peasant remains clueless. Our whole system depends on the American peasant never figuring out that he is indeed a peasant. Once the peasant gets out of the bag there will be no getting him back inside. The occupy Wall Street movement is a peasant uprising. You will never hear the media calling it that because they don't want us peasants to know our true status, they know we would find it unacceptable. That is why Mitt Romney says he believes in two classes the rich and the soon to be rich, he thinks that kind of BS will mollify us peasants.
We probably have this kind of condescending treatment coming to us too. I mean we are the ones who refuse to accept the reality of our status. We support our aristocrats because we cling to Horatio Alger fairy tales of peasants becoming landed gentry through pluck hard work and just a smidgen of luck. Meanwhile we get nickled and dimed to death by the corporate aristocracy.
Jeff Foxworthy has that you may be a redneck if... routine. Here's the deal you don't have to be a redneck to be a peasant but if you are a redneck you are a particular type of peasant. America has a variety of peasant types. Maybe we need a field guide to the American peasant since they seem to be largely unrecognized.
If you work in the fast food industry you are a peasant. If you work at a factory you are an endangered species of peasant. If you teach school you probably don't believe you are peasant, this is especially troubling because you are very likely misinforming your students of their own peasantry. If you work in a store you are a peasant. If you anticipate get money back from your tax return you are a peasant. If you shop at discount stores you are a peasant. If you buy fast food more than once a year you are a peasant. If rising gas prices have made you think about your driving habits you are a peasant. Face it you are a peasant. The elite has thought of you this way for years. What are you going to do about it?
That old Russian aristocrat was right. We don't know we are peasants but we are. The rich know it. The politicians know it. The banks, insurance companies and stores like Walmart all know it. Yet the American peasant remains clueless. Our whole system depends on the American peasant never figuring out that he is indeed a peasant. Once the peasant gets out of the bag there will be no getting him back inside. The occupy Wall Street movement is a peasant uprising. You will never hear the media calling it that because they don't want us peasants to know our true status, they know we would find it unacceptable. That is why Mitt Romney says he believes in two classes the rich and the soon to be rich, he thinks that kind of BS will mollify us peasants.
We probably have this kind of condescending treatment coming to us too. I mean we are the ones who refuse to accept the reality of our status. We support our aristocrats because we cling to Horatio Alger fairy tales of peasants becoming landed gentry through pluck hard work and just a smidgen of luck. Meanwhile we get nickled and dimed to death by the corporate aristocracy.
Jeff Foxworthy has that you may be a redneck if... routine. Here's the deal you don't have to be a redneck to be a peasant but if you are a redneck you are a particular type of peasant. America has a variety of peasant types. Maybe we need a field guide to the American peasant since they seem to be largely unrecognized.
If you work in the fast food industry you are a peasant. If you work at a factory you are an endangered species of peasant. If you teach school you probably don't believe you are peasant, this is especially troubling because you are very likely misinforming your students of their own peasantry. If you work in a store you are a peasant. If you anticipate get money back from your tax return you are a peasant. If you shop at discount stores you are a peasant. If you buy fast food more than once a year you are a peasant. If rising gas prices have made you think about your driving habits you are a peasant. Face it you are a peasant. The elite has thought of you this way for years. What are you going to do about it?
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