I Love Me Some Larry Tan

So I made a huge mistake this weekend.

I watched two documentaries.

#1 - Stupidity - about the advance of the stupid culture in society

#2 - I, curmudgeon - a series of interview with critics of the world

Why was this a mistake, because I can't disagree with the argument that the world is really idiotic, that 90% of us are sheep and that television gives a diet of pablum.

No one ever bothers to think anymore.

And it makes me get exzema (I'd look up how to spell this, but I can't be bothered.)

The thing that got my goat was the discussion of how one of the directors went to a party and everyone was talking about how Nike used William Burroughs in one of their ads and how cool it was. He immediately said that it wasn't cool because Burroughs was a drug addict who killed his wife and why should he be the face of all things athletic.

And everyone in the room turned on him and said, 'It's just a commercial.'

fuck.

And someone that he told this story to, responded with the comment that it's this kind of non-analytical thinking that allows for events like Nazi Germany.

And while I know there's a big jump from Nike commercials to Nazi Germany - I can't disagree with this.

We never question anything anymore. I don't - and I should. I'm going to start doing that more. I'm going to be the complainer.

And this will be my forum.

Like how on Law and Order the women who portray defending attorneys (the bad guys)are always older and little heavy - but the women who portray the prosecuting attorneys (the good guys) are fucking models. And this is because people accused of crimes are always bad and only ugly people defend them.

that pisses me off.

First of all, TY on you comments on the Inky Mark story. I'm kind of intrigued by the responses that I've been getting with my friends too. It's very interesting how it all comes down to not just perspective, what one has been exposed to.

I guess for me it was just never occured to me that people would actually use the 'lower order of humanity' mentality in real life. I've discovered that it is actually out there.

Regardless, I think there has to be some basic rules for political debate - there's a world of difference between 'you're wrong' and 'you're a dumbass'.

Speaking of Dumbass...

A small plane got a little too close to the white house last week and it was apparantly enough of an big deal to evacuate the building and grounds.

But it wasn't enough of a big deal to interrupt George Dubya on his bike ride, because the feeling was that the president was in no immediately danger, so why bother him.

Because he's the leader! What the hell? I'm sorry, isn't a plane aimed straight at the capital building a threat to national security? Shouldn't the supposed Alpha Male be informed about any threat to national security?

That's a scary statement when they (who probably aren't stupid) decide it's better to let him finish his bmx hour.


Booze
I hate this province. I hate it because you cannot buy a bottle of wine after 6 pm on a Sunday.

WHY? What is going to happen if we are allowed to drink after dinner?

What pisses me off is the fact that the bars close here at 2 am. Fine, whatever, I'm usually asleep long before then. HOWEVER, when the Toronto Film Fest is on and the whole world comes to visit, the powers that be decide that the bars can be open an extra hour.

So what our provincial government is saying is that we're not really responsible, except on special occassions. It's like being a kid allowed to stay up an extra hour because company (who clearly CAN handle their liquor after 2am) come over.

This article

OTTAWA (CP) - The Conservatives have won an apology from a cabinet minister for what they characterize as a racial taunt.

Treasury Board President Reg Alcock says he sent a letter of apology to Inky Mark because the Tory MP took his comment Wednesday as a racial slur. Mark, backed by 15 of his colleagues, had earlier said Alcock must resign. Alcock had told The Canadian Press on Wednesday that if he was going to recruit a Tory, he'd pick someone "higher up the gene pool," than Mark.

Mark, a visible minority of Chinese-Canadian heritage, initially shrugged off the insult.

But he reconsidered overnight and now says Alcock demeaned Canada's entire Chinese community

Maybe I'm not getting the whole context of the remark...but I would think that this was an attack on Mark as a person/individual, not as a Chinese-Canadian and a slur on the entire Chinese community.