https://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23describeyourassholewithamovietitle
https://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23describeyourpeniswithamovietitle
https://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23DescribeYourVaginaWithAMovie
Showing posts with label Me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Me. Show all posts
This is What Twitter Was Made For.
Hashtags like these.
https://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23describeyourassholewithamovietitle
https://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23describeyourpeniswithamovietitle
https://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23DescribeYourVaginaWithAMovie
https://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23describeyourassholewithamovietitle
https://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23describeyourpeniswithamovietitle
https://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23DescribeYourVaginaWithAMovie
Dream a Little Dream for Bee.
I had a dream that I almost drowned my own baby in the bath tub.
I let the baby slip into the water for just a moment, but apparently that was enough for it to fill it's lungs. At one point the baby was unconscious until my mother came into the room and encouraged him to vomit out the water and essentially saved his life.
I had a dream that I almost killed my baby. Jesus Christ.
In fairness, I didn't have this dream, so I guess it could have been worse.
(Classic video.)
I let the baby slip into the water for just a moment, but apparently that was enough for it to fill it's lungs. At one point the baby was unconscious until my mother came into the room and encouraged him to vomit out the water and essentially saved his life.
I had a dream that I almost killed my baby. Jesus Christ.
In fairness, I didn't have this dream, so I guess it could have been worse.
(Classic video.)
Pride Day 2011 & Block Party.
My face still feels twice the size it's supposed to be, but I am heading down to the Pride Parade and 104th Street Block Party. If you are in town, I suggest you do the same. My number's on Facebook. Text and we'll meet up. I'll be the one in the fabulous rainbow silk scarf...
Tracy Morgan Can Take a Joke, but Can't Take Fags.
I didn't post this to spread a rumor. We are critical thinking adults; this may be bullshit. This could be a gay man's social science project, it could be a drunk interpretation, it could be an outright lie to gain some notoriety. I don't know and I don't care. My point in posting is just to illuminate my earlier point about using the word "fag"... sometimes only you can decide if hurting people is worth it.
If hurting people is worth using a certain word or expression.
If ruining someone's evening is worth making the joke.
If encouraging alienation and hatred in people is worth the applause.
This is a personal choice and we all make it in different ways evey day, celebrity or not. But if someone left a conversation with me feeling like this, or feeling the need to walk out, I wouldn't be watching my language because they were the sensitive ones.
It would be because I was.
UPDATE: VIDEO
Jay Mohr does world's best Tracy Morgan impression.
Social Networking.
| Main Entry: | social networking |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | the use of a website to connect with people who share personal or professional interests, place of origin, education at a particular school, etc. |
It seems like people always like to jump on the bandwagon of hating someone. Sometimes it’s gurus, sometimes it’s bloggers, and sometimes it’s “social networking pros.” While I have been on Facebook and Twitter, I have heard some comments regarding social networking being a waste of time, a farce, and an unauthentic way of communicating to people you have never met.
I feel the need to speak up and and say that that is a huge misapprehension.
 |
| Networking in a non-traditional medium. |
Networking is a traditional skill that is utilized by anyone who wishes to expand their visibility in a professional sense, and the same can be done for someone in their personal life. The use of new networking avenues such as internet sites does not make the purpose any less legitimate, it but allows another tool in your arsenal to attain your objective.
 |
| We met on Twitter, now we entertain each other on Facebook. |
If someone's objective is to gain new friends, have new experiences with people across borders & boundaries, explore new moments of entertainment in their lives, how is this unauthentic? I hear people referring to Twitter as though it is anything but the new pen-pal paradigm. And let's be honest, sometimes the people you actually "know" (and let's not even bother getting into the discussion of what it means to "know" someone) simply do not bring the same smile to your face as those who give you four or five or twenty 140 character pieces of brilliance in a day.
 |
| Who would turn away someone who asked for your friendship at the pub after a great conversation? |
To minimize the impact that someone can have on you due to such arbitrary things such as location, channels of communication, and longevity seems rash. I have known of people who have fallen in love at first sight; I know people who have confessed more of themselves to people they have never met than their own family; I have been cheered up by people I would never be able to befriend due to them being thousands of miles away.
And that is what makes someone "good" at social networking. Their ability to connect with people all over the world. To take an interest in their lives and what value they bring to your world, and hopefully they will feel the same way about you. To connect sources of need with sources of hope. And to have some fun with each other.
 |
| If someone can brighten your day in one place, why not invite them in another? |
I have gained Facebook friends through Twitter.
I have introduced Facebook friends to Twitter.
I have introduced people in my tangible life to others I know.
I have assisted Slave Lake victims in connecting to people willing to help.
My blog has brought attention to local issues and has connected me to people I would have never known of otherwise.
I have received letter and postcards from friends I have met through Facebook and Twitter.
I have received gifts in the mail from people I haven't met yet.
I have helped some people I have never met but have had the same issues connect with each other, and they have done the same for me.
 |
| Postcards in the mail are the norm for me now. |
How can you dismiss social networking?
You may not be very good at it, because God knows it takes some work, but how can you deny the people who are, or the importance of it?
 |
| Participating in events in my city? Yes, please. |
It would be remiss of me to allow people to dismiss it or, even more insultingly deride it and the people who participate in it, without saying something. The biggest threat to the power of networking sites is people turning against it for spite.
We are the most social, strongest, communicative community in the history of the world, and people have turned on each other out of envy, spite, or inability to see it's value.
And there is value. You just have to put in the work to see it.
I'm a Faggot.
When I grew up and the term "faggot" was thrown around as per the usual banter on the playground in an attempt to shame someone into giving us the swing, we really didn't know the weight that it carried. To us, heterosexuality was still a mystery, let alone any deviant adaptations of it. While we may have known of men being with other men romantically from off-handed comments from our parents, we had no idea how that related to our tiny lives. What we did know is that "fag" translated to "sissy", "coward", and "weak".
And for years it still did. From sports to bar fights to commentary on our favourite politicians, "fag" resonated in our vernacular. Until we all realized what we might actually be saying. Until we realized that "fags" had been killed, hurt, emotionally destroyed, and pushed to suicide due to people taking that one little word and creating an agenda of hate with it. Until it stopped being okay to use it. Not because of how we meant it, but because we were no longer in control of how it was interpreted. We were not talking our own language on the playground anymore. We were in clubs, encouraging others to look at someone we didn't know and validate their hate and fear of them. We were in the homes of homosexuals who had not come out yet and strangling their courage to. We were at work with power struggles between freedom and control that we didn't even know we were in the middle of. We had to be careful. The word made you a bigot before your actions even could.
So, the issue remains: am I allowed to use terms like "faggot" even though I don't mean it to be derogatory toward homosexuals?
Because yes, it IS just a word. And no, it has no inherent meaning. It has a different meaning for many people with many histories. Some violent, some terrifying, some lonely, some destructive, some mildly insulting. I mean, even when I called someone a 'fag' on the playground, I wasn't being KIND. It was meant to break down. To devalue. To gain power over someone.
Some even argue that a "fag" is a cigarette in some cultures. When Mike Sobel so obviously called that woman a "dyke" on national television, some people defended it by saying that a dyke can also be a levee. Because a reasonable person would be crazy to think that he was calling that woman a lesbian and not a trench. Just as they have, I too have hidden behind semantics trying desperately to keep ownership of something I didn't even really care that much about. "You can't take my words away just because you're sensitive!" And that is why the "Can you or Can't you" arguments become so circular. By the end of it, you can end up talking about how to regulate water levels. The real things are not understood.
I have decided to approach it with myself a bit differently.
There is no yes/no, right/wrong, can/can't resolution from what I have seen. But there is a pretty easy way for me to approach it and settle it within myself.
I can only control the intention of my statements and my actions when I use words like "fag", "retard", etc. And I do still use them, on occasion, in the same way I used to as a child. Not because I have so many gay friends that it makes it okay, or because I have historically been an advocate of people with developmental disabilities. You can't stockpile get-out-of-jail-free cards for hurting people around you (see: "I'm not racist, but"). I use them out of habit. I use them because they are the first words I go to to describe what I wish to draw attention to. And that is part of the problem. Since I can't control the interpretation and ultimately the outcome of my actions, I have to extrapolate based on what I have experienced in the past. And, no, I am not always taken with the grain of salt that I am offering.
If my funny hockey joke made three people laugh but made one man feel hurt and alienated, then only I can decided if I "should" be saying it. Is it more important to me, as an individual, to be thought of as funny, or kind? Is it more respectable for me to be someone that creates an environment where everyone is allowed to laugh, or only a select few? And lastly, am I not able to communicate my humour or my ideas without using one or two terms that I KNOW may make people around me, some I adore, feel the sting of bigotry only to think to themselves 'she doesn't mean it that way...'. People I love shouldn't have to defend my character to themselves. I should not ever have to put them in that position over something so trivial. And refusing to address this issue within myself is much more cowardly than anyone sucking any dick anywhere.
Dan Savage has this video where he addresses this subject from people who have been living under the fear of being a homosexual in a heterosexual world. But as someone who has lived in them both, I think I would rather concentrate on the type of world I want to create and my place within it, and let the language speak for itself.
And for years it still did. From sports to bar fights to commentary on our favourite politicians, "fag" resonated in our vernacular. Until we all realized what we might actually be saying. Until we realized that "fags" had been killed, hurt, emotionally destroyed, and pushed to suicide due to people taking that one little word and creating an agenda of hate with it. Until it stopped being okay to use it. Not because of how we meant it, but because we were no longer in control of how it was interpreted. We were not talking our own language on the playground anymore. We were in clubs, encouraging others to look at someone we didn't know and validate their hate and fear of them. We were in the homes of homosexuals who had not come out yet and strangling their courage to. We were at work with power struggles between freedom and control that we didn't even know we were in the middle of. We had to be careful. The word made you a bigot before your actions even could.
So, the issue remains: am I allowed to use terms like "faggot" even though I don't mean it to be derogatory toward homosexuals?
Because yes, it IS just a word. And no, it has no inherent meaning. It has a different meaning for many people with many histories. Some violent, some terrifying, some lonely, some destructive, some mildly insulting. I mean, even when I called someone a 'fag' on the playground, I wasn't being KIND. It was meant to break down. To devalue. To gain power over someone.
Some even argue that a "fag" is a cigarette in some cultures. When Mike Sobel so obviously called that woman a "dyke" on national television, some people defended it by saying that a dyke can also be a levee. Because a reasonable person would be crazy to think that he was calling that woman a lesbian and not a trench. Just as they have, I too have hidden behind semantics trying desperately to keep ownership of something I didn't even really care that much about. "You can't take my words away just because you're sensitive!" And that is why the "Can you or Can't you" arguments become so circular. By the end of it, you can end up talking about how to regulate water levels. The real things are not understood.
I have decided to approach it with myself a bit differently.
There is no yes/no, right/wrong, can/can't resolution from what I have seen. But there is a pretty easy way for me to approach it and settle it within myself.
I can only control the intention of my statements and my actions when I use words like "fag", "retard", etc. And I do still use them, on occasion, in the same way I used to as a child. Not because I have so many gay friends that it makes it okay, or because I have historically been an advocate of people with developmental disabilities. You can't stockpile get-out-of-jail-free cards for hurting people around you (see: "I'm not racist, but"). I use them out of habit. I use them because they are the first words I go to to describe what I wish to draw attention to. And that is part of the problem. Since I can't control the interpretation and ultimately the outcome of my actions, I have to extrapolate based on what I have experienced in the past. And, no, I am not always taken with the grain of salt that I am offering.
If my funny hockey joke made three people laugh but made one man feel hurt and alienated, then only I can decided if I "should" be saying it. Is it more important to me, as an individual, to be thought of as funny, or kind? Is it more respectable for me to be someone that creates an environment where everyone is allowed to laugh, or only a select few? And lastly, am I not able to communicate my humour or my ideas without using one or two terms that I KNOW may make people around me, some I adore, feel the sting of bigotry only to think to themselves 'she doesn't mean it that way...'. People I love shouldn't have to defend my character to themselves. I should not ever have to put them in that position over something so trivial. And refusing to address this issue within myself is much more cowardly than anyone sucking any dick anywhere.
Dan Savage has this video where he addresses this subject from people who have been living under the fear of being a homosexual in a heterosexual world. But as someone who has lived in them both, I think I would rather concentrate on the type of world I want to create and my place within it, and let the language speak for itself.
This is Why People Have Sought Out My Blog Today.
I don't even know what particular post would have served Mr. or Mrs. "can my rat have fruit gushers" but I hope it was helpful for them.
Sometimes I Can Be Amazing.
"Since "reality" is so subjective based on your perception (see: "it's raining"- go back inside vs "it's raining"- get an umbrella), I think it is in our best interest to be optimistic.
It doesn't always have to equate to being naive."
In Response to Jackie's Hockey Post...
(Since I can not comment on your blog personally, for obvious reasons, I chose this method because I believe that your blog post is an important topic and deserves to be discussed.)
JACKIE BLOG POST EXCERPT:
MY RESPONSE:
The roster shows 22 Canadian players on the Bruins, compared to only 16 for the Canucks, is that correct? Last I heard, Edmonton Oilers actually had the most Canadian players of any team in the NHL, so should we not be cheering for them if the motivation is to "keep it Canadian"? I don't even know if keeping the cup in Canada would equate to keeping it Canadian at this point, but I have heard this argument often.
As for hopping aboard, would Sharks fans root for the Kings to keep it in California? Would a Jets fan start rooting for the Giants if their team was eliminated? Would Manchester United fans suddenly start rooting for Manchester City? Would the Raider fan abandon ship and become a Charger fan when their team started failing?
It would strike me as extremely band wagon-y to start rooting for a team you have riled against all season out of a desperation to keep another team from winning.
I just can't bring myself to root for the Canucks, and I'm from BC. I grew up sitting on the laps of the great Oilers (Gretzky included) and so they will always (even as they slowly draft-pick themselves into embarrassment) have a place in my heart. That said, I have grown an appreciation for Boston since Greg is such a fan and it is sweet that they have made it so far. Otherwise, I must say, I wouldn't be nearly as invested in the finals this year.
All of that aside, rivalry makes sports entertaining, but sometimes I feel people take the rivalry to the point of actual hatred and aggression, and that is disappointing. When the game is over, drop your swords... there are much better ways* to spend this glorious summer.
Hockey is Canada's sport. It would do us a huge disservice to have the Run for the Cup tear us apart.
xo Sheen
*Beer
JACKIE BLOG POST EXCERPT:
"I really don’t get this whole “is Vancouver Canada’s team?” debate. I’m quite sure that this has nothing to do with hockey, whatsoever. People have pointed out that it is a result of envy of our city and the ongoing debate of whose city is the best to live in. Who gives a shit? This kind of crap does nothing to promote the sport within our own country and dare I say it, this behaviour is very un-Canadian. Canada only has 6 teams, with a possible 7th with the return of the Jets. I would think that from year to year, the odds of a Canadian team making it to the Stanley Cup finals is pretty low, so if people want the cup back in Canada, they had better get the hell on board, because who knows when it will happen again. This past season looked like this for Canadian teams:
Eastern Division:
6th – Montreal
10th – Toronto
13th – Ottawa
Western Division:
1st - Vancouver
10th – Calgary
15th – Edmonton
The way I see it, if Montreal can avoid the plague of injuries they suffered in this last season and acquire some more firepower for their forward line, they have a good chance of doing very well next year. The remaining teams, especially Edmonton, will likely be going into a season or two of re-building, unless a miracle happens. Edmonton has had “lunch-bucket” teams come out of nowhere, in the past, but the conditions must be perfect. If Vancouver can keep their roster intact after this season…there will no-doubt be some salary negotiating going on regardless of the outcome of the final…they may just ride this wave into next season, but things aren’t the way they used to be. It now seems to be a rarity for teams to repeat greatness in consecutive seasons. So, Canucks fans soak it up and enjoy it, because it may be another 17 years before this happens again. And, the rest of Canada, I’ve travelled all across this amazing county of ours and I can honestly say that, yes, Vancouver is the most beautiful city in Canada, which is why everyone on this planet seems to be immigrating here. But we do LOVE hockey and we do LOVE Canada, so hop aboard or shut up about it. You’re embarrassing yourselves ;-)"
Eastern Division:
6th – Montreal
10th – Toronto
13th – Ottawa
Western Division:
1st - Vancouver
10th – Calgary
15th – Edmonton
The way I see it, if Montreal can avoid the plague of injuries they suffered in this last season and acquire some more firepower for their forward line, they have a good chance of doing very well next year. The remaining teams, especially Edmonton, will likely be going into a season or two of re-building, unless a miracle happens. Edmonton has had “lunch-bucket” teams come out of nowhere, in the past, but the conditions must be perfect. If Vancouver can keep their roster intact after this season…there will no-doubt be some salary negotiating going on regardless of the outcome of the final…they may just ride this wave into next season, but things aren’t the way they used to be. It now seems to be a rarity for teams to repeat greatness in consecutive seasons. So, Canucks fans soak it up and enjoy it, because it may be another 17 years before this happens again. And, the rest of Canada, I’ve travelled all across this amazing county of ours and I can honestly say that, yes, Vancouver is the most beautiful city in Canada, which is why everyone on this planet seems to be immigrating here. But we do LOVE hockey and we do LOVE Canada, so hop aboard or shut up about it. You’re embarrassing yourselves ;-)"
The roster shows 22 Canadian players on the Bruins, compared to only 16 for the Canucks, is that correct? Last I heard, Edmonton Oilers actually had the most Canadian players of any team in the NHL, so should we not be cheering for them if the motivation is to "keep it Canadian"? I don't even know if keeping the cup in Canada would equate to keeping it Canadian at this point, but I have heard this argument often.
As for hopping aboard, would Sharks fans root for the Kings to keep it in California? Would a Jets fan start rooting for the Giants if their team was eliminated? Would Manchester United fans suddenly start rooting for Manchester City? Would the Raider fan abandon ship and become a Charger fan when their team started failing?
It would strike me as extremely band wagon-y to start rooting for a team you have riled against all season out of a desperation to keep another team from winning.
I just can't bring myself to root for the Canucks, and I'm from BC. I grew up sitting on the laps of the great Oilers (Gretzky included) and so they will always (even as they slowly draft-pick themselves into embarrassment) have a place in my heart. That said, I have grown an appreciation for Boston since Greg is such a fan and it is sweet that they have made it so far. Otherwise, I must say, I wouldn't be nearly as invested in the finals this year.
All of that aside, rivalry makes sports entertaining, but sometimes I feel people take the rivalry to the point of actual hatred and aggression, and that is disappointing. When the game is over, drop your swords... there are much better ways* to spend this glorious summer.
Hockey is Canada's sport. It would do us a huge disservice to have the Run for the Cup tear us apart.
xo Sheen
*Beer
UPDATED FACEBOOK THREAD:
Blogger Went Down.
I lost some comments and information from posts when Blogger went down yesterday.
I just want to let you know that if you do not see your comments posted, it was Blogger being a bitch- not me.
Facebook Thinks I Should Settle Down Already.
Ever since I was reactivated on Facebook, I have noticed that the ads look a little different than I am used to.
All of them seem to have a similar theme...
All of them seem to have a similar theme...
I'm sure it's just a coincidence and has nothing to do with the fact that I will be 34 this month and Greg & I will have been dating for 3 years this September.
Facebook: Your Online Jewish Mother.
Love Means Never Having to Say "Clean up your side of the bed."
Now, to clarify, I am not at all big on the media stereotypes of men vs women. It is disgusting how often I am bombarded with television commercials depicting women as the anal-maniacal geniuses keeping the chaotic household together while the idiot husbands watch sports and buy sport cars they can't afford or tools they are incapable of using correctly. It is gross and obviously inaccurate if you have ever left your house for more than six seconds.
That being said, sometimes there are glaring differences between men and women that arise in certain situations and make me smile.
That being said, sometimes there are glaring differences between men and women that arise in certain situations and make me smile.
This is our bed. On either side are utility shelves* with piles of stuff on them.
This is my side, complete with a cartoon Greg drew of himself in an antique frame, a humidifier that looks like a spaceship, essential oil burner, herbal balms and sleeping aids, incense in a hand-made holder from India, my favourite books, antique suitcase with old diaries, a hat box with love items from Greg, and my Valentimes present- an iron dress frame. Oh, and a candle.
And this... this is Greg's side. His blood pressure monitor, diabetic pen, pill bottles (empty, full, partially full, mystery bottles), receipts, action figures, business cards, spare Kleenex from his pockets, Old Spice deodorant and body spray, Dr. Pepper pop tops with codes for a Thor contest, spare change, mail (opened, unopened, mystery mail), lotions, ipod and headphones, lube, chap sticks, sleep mask, medication, stuffed animals, nasal spray, remotes, massagers, 2 pairs of glasses, candies, 2 wallets, keys, zip drives, Apple ID stuff, and any love note I have ever written him since we began dating almost 3 years ago.
I love him.
*While we told ourselves ages ago that the utility shelves were temporary, they have become more than sufficient for our needs and will likely be our nightstands until they turn to dust.
Landlady Says VOTE.
Our landlady is an older, take-no-shit kind of woman and she gets stuff done. She sends out a monthly memo reminding people in the complex when the rent is due and to generally stop being douchebags. That is why we love her.
Now we get to add 'Get democratic, Assholes' to the list.
Donna, you are excellent.
Now we get to add 'Get democratic, Assholes' to the list.
 |
| Let's pretend there isn't a typo and let the goodness sink in... there we go... |
Donna, you are excellent.
Not in Our Names.
 |
| https://zone.artizans.com/image/MAC2105/conservatives-demand-to-see-jack-laytons-birth-certificate/ |
Some people have asked why I am so invested in this particular election.
And they have ever right to be curious, for I have not always been this way.
While I have always been a huge fan of the more micro-politics of relationships and social structures, the macro-political interest waned. For most of my life I was Geo-politically ignorant, and then I became overwhelmed and willfully ignorant. I felt powerless, and getting involved in politics did nothing but reinforce that feeling.
So, why now?
Why get so involved now when it is clear that Canadians have exercised their right to maintain willful ignorance to the point that we may be the least powerful than any other time in history? (Don't believe me? Check out how many rules, laws, bi-laws, mandates, regulations, policies, etc we live under compared to a hundred years ago. It will shock you.)
It would be easy to chalk it up to be aghast at what Harper has done to us, but it is more personal than that.
I have realized that he has been doing this to us for FOUR YEARS and I had NO IDEA.
What the hell was I doing when he was fucking over our aboriginal communities, and sending detainees back to be tortured, and cutting off planned parenthood funding, and attempting to de-regulate banks, and cutting women's advocacy funding by 50%, and breaking campaign regulations to buy his way into parliament for the second time, and weakening regulations to protect us from pesticide carcinogens and GMOs, and then turning around and cutting the long form census down to only "pertinent details" because what do you need the people's information for when it is not in your design to govern for them anyway...?
What the hell was I doing?
Feeling powerless and pretending that I didn't realize it.
And I have a sneaking suspicion that too many others were as well, because if it wasn't for the other parties citing him for non-confidence of the House, would most of us even have realized what the hell he was doing over there?
When he didn't get his way, he fired people, fraudulantly hired others, prorogued parliament TWICE, shrouded numerous documentation, banned transcripts from meetings, and basically told the Canadian public to shut up and mind our own business. And we did.
And look at what the hell happened:
And it is my fault.
Not ALL my fault, but I was here... ignoring what he was doing to us.
Now, I am not going to get all maudlin and feel sorry for myself anymore than I am about to feel sorry for our country about this. Sometimes timing is everything.
Because look what has happened:
On behalf of all Canadians, sir, I would like to thank you. You have done it! You have really done it. You’ve managed to get us interested in federal politics.
This campaign season began several weeks ago with you standing solemnly in an empty Parliament to dismiss a supposedly unwanted election — triggered, of course, by your government being held in contempt of Parliament — as something sure to disappoint Canadians. You didn’t pull this dismissal out of thin air: after all, the last election, held just a couple of years ago, had the lowest turnout in Canadian history; young people between eighteen and twenty-four stayed home in droves, with less than 40 percent bothering to vote. Your party subsequently wrote off the electorate, especially its youngest constituents, and your rivals seemed to agree — in this month’s televised debates, there was very little mention of any issues of interest to young people. It seems like you all assumed that young Canadians won’t vote because they don’t care, so why waste your breaths?
But something has happened. There has been a ground swell of engagement by Canadians of all ages. The internet is ablaze with political talk, more people watched the debates than the NHL playoffs, and on campuses across the country — during final exams — students are holding vote mobs. Vote mobs, Mr. Harper! The very Canadians you dismissed as apathetic, it turns out, aren’t after all. They are forming mobs, sir, and a mob is the next best thing to a riot.
We saw something like this in 2008 — i.e., an unprecedented number of young and discouraged voters becoming engaged in politics for the first time in their lives. The problem was that it happened in American politics, and it centred on the charisma of Barack Obama. The sexiness of the American presidential election only served to highlight the dullness and hollowness of our Canadian choices, further discouraging voters.
But all that is changing, Mr. Harper. Things are really turning around. There are mobs, sir! Mobs! And this exciting shift is largely thanks to you.
I would like to tell you that your own charisma is inspiring Canadians to become involved in this election. Or that one of your competitors is taking the country by storm with a message of hope and change. But, much like last time, this election is pretty much void of any charisma, save for one plucky challenger. Left wanting for something positive and hopeful, Canadians have found an equally powerful inspiration in response to what you lack. These vote mobs, this Facebook chatter, the viral videos, and potty-mouthed websites that show the increasing engagement of those young voters you dismissed are not partisan per se, but are united, instead, by a severe distaste for the Harper Government and the questionable ways it runs things. Canadians from all walks of life, from the Arcade Fire, to Margaret Atwood, to Joe Nobody, are lashing out against your five years of secrecy, contempt, and hypocrisy. Canadians are engaged in federal politics now more than they have been in a very long time, thanks to you. And it looks like many young Canadians will now decide to vote for the first time. But unfortunately for you, Mr. Harper, it will be for anyone other than yourself.
Best,
A voter"
This is what happened. People got invested. I got invested.
Finally.
And it is a beautiful thing to witness. From all of us.
"I Don't Know What You've Been Told..."
Oh, Saturday... finally a day to sit down and make a coherent entry that doesn't revolve around finding the asinine and outrageous memes on the internet.
It is an odd circle of life, my blog.
I first started a blog before the days of the social networking monster... there was no MySpace, no Friendster, no Facebook, no Twitter. The only way for me to contact my family in Alberta was either to write them all emails/ letters from BC telling them of my adventures, or writing a blog that they could check at their leisure and save me a tonne of time and trouble. It didn't just tell my tales of being broke and learning loneliness and relating the trouble I was getting into, I also found it delightful to share the internet gems that I had unearthed in my daily surfing. At one point, I even had a Check-It-Of-the-Day segment with links to things that made me smile or cringe.
Enter Facebook. A much much more efficient way to share videos, blogs, pictures, articles, and news pieces that I thought my friends & family would enjoy. I became the girl that always had something crazy posted to Facebook by 10am for the amusement of my friends, as well as friends of friends, and we could start our days with a *facepalm* or fun story to share with co-workers.
I enjoy the outrageous, and apparently, many others do as well. We all enjoyed our Facebook experiences like crazy.
So, I neglected my blog.
I began utilizing Facebook for my outlet of idiocy and kept my blog for more personal stories. But I have never really been one to sit down and log my happiness. I will be more likely to write out my sadness and discontent like a runner blasting through the stresses of the day. Who wants to waste the great parts of your life by sitting back and documenting it? You can usually spot an unhappy person right away: they write about themselves ad nauseam and it always feels like they are hoping that if they write enough words, the depression will exhaust itself.
See: http://arbitral.livejournal.com/
So, long story short, my new blog was full of personal gems, though they were few and far between. My Facebook, however, was lit up like the fourth of July.
Until I got kicked off.
I have a brash sense of humour, a sharp wit, and a dirty mouth. This is no surprise to anyone who knows me. But I am also extremely kind with people and am loathe to hurt feelings if I can help it. Sometimes, though, people put me in the position of having to say "Fuck off. You are being an asshole" and I have very little issue saying so. I know when someone is being manipulative or intentionally hurtful and I will put an end to it as soon as I can. This happened with the celebrated Republican incident and got me kicked off Facebook. Well, I assume it did. The rest of my normal bullshit had been going on for four years, I hesitate to think that it took Facebook that long to notice that I regularly make off-colour jokes about not being "homophobic because most of my friends are black."
So, kicked off, I had nowhere to go. I had a Twitter I barely understood the operations of, and a neglected blog. While Twitter has been a lovely time waster, it is limiting for things like linking stories, posting pictures, and getting verbose (which I am sometimes wont to do). What a fine time to resurrect the blog in all of it's ridiculous glory!
And now here I am, ten years later, with a blog that looks pretty much exactly as it did when I started my first one... a bunch of videos, articles, pictures, internet memes, movie trailers, Twitter updates, all punctuated with mini updates on my daily life (the updates that are no doubt the least entertaining of all of them). I feel badly sometimes about the lack of REAL updates, but I feel about lengthy blog updates like I do two hour cinematic period pieces; I may have 2 hours of my life to devote to something amazing, but it is far more likely that I will have 12 ten minute segments that inevitably lend themselves to 'hey! check out the new Beastie Boys' short movie trailer!' updates instead. I am also more likely to text than email, email than write a postcard, write a postcard than compose a letter, compose a letter than place a phone call, etc etc etc.
Blame my deteriorating attention span if you will... I prefer to blame my blissed out life that I never feel like pausing.
So, here it is: my update. I have been spending much of the week loving up & hanging with Greg, commenting on the fantastic weather, drinking mini keg Tartan Keith's with friends, listening to music, Tweeting and making new friends, reading, making foods (Star Wars pancakes!), taxes (ewww, let's not mention that part), and mentally preparing for the LePage's arrival from Halifax next week. =) Exciting.
I miss breakfasts with Shawn, though. So I think I will email him today and set up a date for tomorrow morning. Because while Facebook and Twitter and blogging are fun and easy, there is nothing like a Thursday night at the Crown with friends, a sushi evening with Greg, a lunch date with my Dad, a coffee at Second Cup with Amber, a hockey game with the family, or a 4 hour breakfast date with Shawn.
xo Bee
It is an odd circle of life, my blog.
I first started a blog before the days of the social networking monster... there was no MySpace, no Friendster, no Facebook, no Twitter. The only way for me to contact my family in Alberta was either to write them all emails/ letters from BC telling them of my adventures, or writing a blog that they could check at their leisure and save me a tonne of time and trouble. It didn't just tell my tales of being broke and learning loneliness and relating the trouble I was getting into, I also found it delightful to share the internet gems that I had unearthed in my daily surfing. At one point, I even had a Check-It-Of-the-Day segment with links to things that made me smile or cringe.
Enter Facebook. A much much more efficient way to share videos, blogs, pictures, articles, and news pieces that I thought my friends & family would enjoy. I became the girl that always had something crazy posted to Facebook by 10am for the amusement of my friends, as well as friends of friends, and we could start our days with a *facepalm* or fun story to share with co-workers.
I enjoy the outrageous, and apparently, many others do as well. We all enjoyed our Facebook experiences like crazy.
So, I neglected my blog.
I began utilizing Facebook for my outlet of idiocy and kept my blog for more personal stories. But I have never really been one to sit down and log my happiness. I will be more likely to write out my sadness and discontent like a runner blasting through the stresses of the day. Who wants to waste the great parts of your life by sitting back and documenting it? You can usually spot an unhappy person right away: they write about themselves ad nauseam and it always feels like they are hoping that if they write enough words, the depression will exhaust itself.
See: http://arbitral.livejournal.com/
So, long story short, my new blog was full of personal gems, though they were few and far between. My Facebook, however, was lit up like the fourth of July.
Until I got kicked off.
I have a brash sense of humour, a sharp wit, and a dirty mouth. This is no surprise to anyone who knows me. But I am also extremely kind with people and am loathe to hurt feelings if I can help it. Sometimes, though, people put me in the position of having to say "Fuck off. You are being an asshole" and I have very little issue saying so. I know when someone is being manipulative or intentionally hurtful and I will put an end to it as soon as I can. This happened with the celebrated Republican incident and got me kicked off Facebook. Well, I assume it did. The rest of my normal bullshit had been going on for four years, I hesitate to think that it took Facebook that long to notice that I regularly make off-colour jokes about not being "homophobic because most of my friends are black."
So, kicked off, I had nowhere to go. I had a Twitter I barely understood the operations of, and a neglected blog. While Twitter has been a lovely time waster, it is limiting for things like linking stories, posting pictures, and getting verbose (which I am sometimes wont to do). What a fine time to resurrect the blog in all of it's ridiculous glory!
And now here I am, ten years later, with a blog that looks pretty much exactly as it did when I started my first one... a bunch of videos, articles, pictures, internet memes, movie trailers, Twitter updates, all punctuated with mini updates on my daily life (the updates that are no doubt the least entertaining of all of them). I feel badly sometimes about the lack of REAL updates, but I feel about lengthy blog updates like I do two hour cinematic period pieces; I may have 2 hours of my life to devote to something amazing, but it is far more likely that I will have 12 ten minute segments that inevitably lend themselves to 'hey! check out the new Beastie Boys' short movie trailer!' updates instead. I am also more likely to text than email, email than write a postcard, write a postcard than compose a letter, compose a letter than place a phone call, etc etc etc.
Blame my deteriorating attention span if you will... I prefer to blame my blissed out life that I never feel like pausing.
So, here it is: my update. I have been spending much of the week loving up & hanging with Greg, commenting on the fantastic weather, drinking mini keg Tartan Keith's with friends, listening to music, Tweeting and making new friends, reading, making foods (Star Wars pancakes!), taxes (ewww, let's not mention that part), and mentally preparing for the LePage's arrival from Halifax next week. =) Exciting.
I miss breakfasts with Shawn, though. So I think I will email him today and set up a date for tomorrow morning. Because while Facebook and Twitter and blogging are fun and easy, there is nothing like a Thursday night at the Crown with friends, a sushi evening with Greg, a lunch date with my Dad, a coffee at Second Cup with Amber, a hockey game with the family, or a 4 hour breakfast date with Shawn.
xo Bee
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
