When I was younger, a science teacher once mentioned that it had been proven that each generation of people become smarter, more aware, and more perceptive of the world around them than the preceding one. My work in the IT field has reinforced this concept. While the generation of the people that came before me in the IT field has demonstrated a specific level of knowledge and application, my own knowledge and experience dwarfs those. Likewise, the younger generation that is slowly rearing its head behind me has demonstrated a technical aptitude that dwarfs my own. We are, as a species, getting smarter with each passing generation.

You can see the advancement of humanity through works of art as well. From crude charcoal drawings of animals on cave walls to massive works of art that dwarf us in size and scopes. Mammoth statues dedicated to concepts and ideologies. Works of music that penetrate through the veil of time to reward us with beautiful and abstract representations of emotion and sensation.

Likewise, we have discovered new and ingenious ways to kill each other. From sticks and rocks to engineered plagues and nuclear weapons, the drive to overcome, the drive to assert ourselves over each other and our environment can also be praised.

Human nature itself is worthy of our praise. Whether we use it to destroy and bring low or build up and exalt, to compose or to butcher, that force of will is worthy of my respect. I can’t think of any stronger or more dynamic force than that of human history. Because of human will we have driven species to extinction, mapped the entirety of our world, created forms of travel that exceed our biological limitations- we have even begun to step beyond our world. Yet beyond that we have barely begun to scratch the surface of our potential.

We’ve made gods in our own image- from fickle and capricious gods that demand sacrifices and war, to compassionate gods that ask for nothing but that we believe, we’ve created abstract moralities and philosophies and mores and laws to govern ourselves, to channel that very nature into different avenues of expression.

From the very beginning, when we hunkered around a fire to drive back the terrifying shadows, we have lived and we have driven back the unknown. We have turned the illumination of knowledge on the shadows of superstition and pushed them back. We have tamed animals and built nations and written glorious poetry and now that we have conquered our world and left an indelible mark of our presence here, we have turned to the impossibly far flecks of light in our skies, and we dare to challenge the stars as well.

I believe that we have a manifest destiny. That manifest destiny is just as fickle and as capricious as the very nature that I have faith in, but that manifest destiny is for us to reach beyond our world and eventually subjugate the stars. We are assertive and challenging, we are cold and calculating, we are viral and infectious, we dare to hope and we dare to dream.

We may all die, victims of our own human nature. We may destroy our world and make it unlivable. We may conquer the stars and discover like-minded species beyond the heavens. We may simply die, not with a bang but with a whimper, but that unknown future can only be realized through the exertion of human will, and that is what I place my faith in.

I love humanity in its most stupid. I love humanity at its most beautiful. I love humanity at its most petty. I love it at its most compassionate. everything we do, we do because we are driven by our very nature, and that is what I believe in. Humanity, fuck yeah.

How many times did I see the collapsed bridge from the earthquake in 89? how many times did the slick media engine extoll the horrors with a practiced sweep of the camera lens?

I didn’t start feeling a real sense of disgust towards the media until Columbine. Live coverage of suffering, chaos, and mayhem. On and on and on, even Marilyn Manson castigated the media for their disgusting lack of tact in their coverage.

Times have not become more violent. They have just become more televised. Does anyone think the Civil War was the least bit civil? If television had existed, you could be sure they would have been there to cover it, or maybe even participate in it, like their violent car chase of Princess Di. Disgusting vultures looking for corpses, exploiting, fucking, filming and serving it up for our hungry appetites in a gluttonous display of endless human stupidity.

When it comes down to who’s to blame for the high school murders in Littleton, Colorado, throw a rock and you’ll hit someone who’s guilty. We’re the people who sit back and tolerate children owning guns, and we’re the ones who tune in and watch the up-to-the-minute details of what they do with them. I think it’s terrible when anyone dies, especially if it is someone you know and love. But what is more offensive is that when these tragedies happen, most people don’t really care any more than they would about the season finale of Friends or The Real World. I was dumbfounded as I watched the media snake right in, not missing a teardrop, interviewing the parents of dead children, televising the funerals. Then came the witch hunt.

It’s really only gotten worse. Or, if it’s at the same level, there’s more suffering for the media to cannibalize and regurgitate. Katrina, Haiti, the shooting of that arizona lady, and now Japan. Why do we have to glamorize and publicize human suffering? why do we have to squeeze out every drop of human suffering on national (or international) television?

I think it’s more of a travesty that we capitalize on the pain of others for commercial gain. For ratings.

Back in 2002, in one of my classes, there was a particularly odious little fellow that loved Rurouni Kenshin. Every single day he’d butt himself into every conversation, uninvited, and turn the conversation into his favorite subject: Rurouni Kenshin. To him, everything was Rurouni Kenshin and Rurouni Kenshin was everything. He’d talk about how many times he’d rewatch an episode each day. How he practiced the sword techniques. How he wished for his own large, obtrusive facial scar. It didn’t matter that he was uninvited, that nobody liked him, that he was quite rude in his butt-ins. Everything was Rurouni Kenshin, and Rurouni Kenshin was everything. It got to the point where I simply hated Rurouni Kenshin out of spite. Eventually he went away, and even though it’s been nearly a decade since I met that guy, I can’t countenance the thought of watching Rurouni Kenshin. I literally get physically ill at the thought of watching it.

This is a contributing factor to everything I watch, now. The scope of this is actually significantly larger, though. It’s not just a personal grudge against every Jared Riches that goes out and ruins every anime out there for everyone else. You see, here’s how it works: A good portion of anime is targeted marketing. It’s designed to appeal to a specific demographic. The idea is to encourage consumerism: buy the DVDs. Buy the Blu Rays. Buy the figures, the games, the apparel, the T-shirts, the pencil boards, the dakimakura, etc. Setting aside the consumer aspect and refocusing our attention on the demographic-targeting, you understand that specific genres of anime are targeted at age and gender demographics. A good and clear way to differentiate whether or not a particular show is right for you is to look at its destination- or more appropriately, its fanbase. Is a large part of the fanbase idiots? Are they inarticulate neckbearded Internet Warriors? Are they teens? Young adults? Children? Do they fit into the same social strata that you yourself fit into? Consider the possibilities carefully. You could be the only 25 year old man that watches a show that is targeted towards little girls, aged 9-12. You wouldn’t want that, now would you?

This of course brings to light all sorts of hilarious tangents. Let’s say you have an anime that is typically targeted to girls, aged 9-13, but the demographic just hasn’t historically created the market penetration you’re hoping for. You instead take that show and retarget it towards another demographic while keeping the elements functionally the same. In that case, you might be a 25 year old man watching a show that’s for girls, aged 9-13, but has been modified to include adult males between 18-25. Ain’t that some shit?

A second tangent would be the worst tangent. Let’s say you watch a show that’s relatively popular. You happen to be fairly intelligent, clean-shaven, sophisticated, and you can tie your own shoes. Every single other fan of this show is drooling, slack-jawed, runs around yelling BAKA KAWAII NEKO SUGOI DESU NE~. People are very quick to associate one thing with another. They think “This show = This fan.” Do you want to be lumped in with that?

I think it’s perfectly acceptable to avoid a show because of the fanbase.

Honestly I think that’s what they want. They want us to buy into their hate-mongering fear-machine.

You know what a terrorist is? They do violent, unpredictable shit so that you will respond out of fear and terror.

So… fuck that.

If there happen to be any crazy, off the wall irrational radical muslims incapable of reason out there, then here’s something I drew just for you:

Since drawing muhammad causes you to shit yourself in apoplectic rage, I have drawn him. It’s not “draw muhammad day”, but I felt like it.

Also, I recently shit ALL OVER the Qur’an. Just saying.

Edit: Before you (or anyone else, for that matter) says I’m being culturally insensitive, I would prefer it if you had a objective perspective on this. I’m against oppressive religion in all its forms. Radical muslims are just the vocal tip of the iceberg. And yes, I am trolling.

This of course has caused a great deal of uproar, primarily from the narrow-minded, short-sighted individuals who see this for something that it is not. You see, it’s believed to be some sort of dramatic demonstration, mud in the face, an insult to muslims everywhere, etc. On a certain level they are right, because that’s exactly what it is, but in a larger picture, with a broader perspective, it’s not about that at all. They also think it’s “against the law” or instigates future acts of violence. In this they are wrong.

Firstly, it doesn’t matter at all if a koran is burned or not. A terrorist will do what he is compelled to do. Secondly, it’s not illegal. you can burn a koran, a bible, a Mein Kampf if you were so inclined and no one can bat an eye at you. It’s your right. You can burn whatever you want. It’s when you do it specifically to send a message, that’s when it changes from simple combustion to an imflammatory demonstration.

Historically speaking, book burning has been a form of information control. It’s about power and the propagation of propagandist messages. If you control the flow of information, you control everything else. Concurrently, it’s about oppression or the desire to oppress. From Wikipedia: “From China’s 3rd century BC Qin Dynasty to the present day, the burning of books has a long history as a tool wielded by authorities both secular and religious, in efforts to suppress dissenting or heretical views that are perceived as posing a threat to the prevailing order.” This is a twofold act: One, you’re condemning one form of information. Two, you’re aggressively enforcing your own information.

Where do I stand? Don’t burn books. Don’t attempt to control information. In an abstract sense, information is far more powerful and exists on a higher level than religious dogma, political ideologies or even geographic borders. It persists as an insubstantial yet tangible achievement of mankind to rise above our trappings and create something above our own limitations. Destroying books, censoring information and regulating ideas is more damaging than any terrorist act because you’re crippling the future enlightenment and intellectual development of humanity.

If you really wanted to do something substantial, book a flight and hunt down the people that want to destroy your way of life instead of grandstanding for media hype and celebrity status. Be a hero, not a retard.

You can do more good for your society, for your beliefs, and for your social situation by being active and supportive and creative, rather than being petulant, destructive, and ultimately damning.

I’ve heard some interesting defense in favor of minori. That they’re in the right to block foreign business. In this context, they are. Here in the US, you’ll frequently see the signs “we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.” and generally speaking that’s perfectly okay to do. But this blocking of foreign business only started after Equality Now started their shit. This sophomoric reactionary stance is pretty fucking childish. Hello, it was your own fucking government that passed the goddamn regulations. The US didn’t do it. England didn’t do it. Zimbabwe didn’t fucking do it; It was your own goddamn politicians that couldn’t stand up for themselves, for the nation of Japan, for their rights, for anything. They’re the ones that said “You can’t do this.” End of line. Accept some goddamn personal fucking responsibility.

A second defense I’ve heard is that by blocking foreign IPs from visiting their site and purchasing/ using their games, they are defending their games against piracy. This is ALSO a crock of shit. It’s the Japanese that buy the games (IN JAPAN, LOLOLOL), it’s the Japanese that make digital copies, and upload them to P2P sites. Blocking foreign visitors from their website does nothing to “stem the tide against piracy” at all. Straw man defense: defeated.

So in any case, they’re taking out their impotent frustrations on the only people that can’t fight back: foreign fans. When you think about things like that, it’s not just insulting, it’s a brutal assault on your own humanity. You’re not worthy of playing their games by virtue of your birth- something you can no more control than the weather. Ultimately foreign fans have two (realistic) choices (I’m not even going to factor in minori’s outrageous idea of moving to another country just to play their games- let’s not be completely fucking stupid) when it comes to playing their games:

1. Give up on playing their games altogether. (no way!)
2. Get their games from another source, bypassing minori altogether. (Can do.)

In addition to that, my desire to play these games comes and goes in waves, and this was essentially ebb tide. Part of that is my completionist nature: I have to complete every game I play. I tried my hand at Clannad, and I ended up stopping after playing through the best route, simply because I have absolutely no desire for any of the other girls. Since I can’t start a new game because I haven’t finished Clannad (and won’t ever) I simply stopped playing altogether. Well, I got over that and soon I’ll have a good review of SWAN SONG up on the site. Maybe within the next couple of days. Look forward to it!

“A Mississippi county school board announced Wednesday it would cancel its upcoming prom after a gay student petitioned to bring a same-sex date to the event.”

And at first I thought, “Well, that’s shitty.” But after i thought about it more and more, I realized there’s probably an element I neglected in the equation: She petitioned. See, there’s one thing I’ve always disliked and I’d like to take this opportunity to expound upon a certain aspect of my beliefs that is relevant to this situation.

I believe in a certain amount of what I would consider ‘universal rights’. (Setting aside the valid statement that it is governments, powers, and principalities that establish rights in the first place, I think it’s our obligation to establish a codified set of rights that every human has on the planet. It’s not surprising that there is a globally recognized system of rights that does exactly that, but this is outside the scope of my discussion.) I believe that everyone has the right to be treated equally. What this means is equal dispensation.For the most part this is something that is universally recognized and accepted. I don’t care if you’re black, brown, yellow, white or blue. You’re a human being and I’ll treat you exactly the same as any other human being. That’s it, that’s all there is to it.

What I hate though is that people capitalize on this sort of liberty that is handed to everyone. People that seek out special dispensation for the sake of attention. Not because they are being unfairly treated or mishandled or threatened, but because they have a false sense of entitlement- that is to say that they believe they are unique and precious and because they are unique and precious they deserve additional attention, dispensation, and consideration. This is a fundamental abuse of a system that we have struggled to maintain.

You watch the video and it’s all “me me me, I I I” it has absolutely nothing to do with rights being violated. The school district said that there was a distraction in the learning environment. Of course there would be a distraction if you’ve got a histrionic dyke that’s full of herself that has decided that she needs to take a stand in as public a way as possible. She started a petition, they made some changes in the hopes that she’d shut up and go away, and she decided to involve the press because that’s what needy attention-deprived people with self-esteem issues do when they don’t get their own way: they throw a public fit in the hopes that sooner or later someone will give them what they want.The result: The school canceled the prom. While I believe it was a bit heavy-handed, it’s also a fundamentally brilliant political maneuver. They are being quite fair to everyone.

In terms of personal experience, and keeping in mind that I haven’t been to a school dance in nearly two decades, I’m fairly certain that there actually were rules against same-sex couples going to prom. There were groups of girls and guys (both gay/ lesbian and straight) that went in couples and groups to the prom anyway, and while the rules forbade it, it happened, and I’m fairly certain that a blind eye was turned. The reason? Nobody made a big deal about it. There was no ‘petition’, there was no outcry, there was no big deal made. They simply went anyway. No great revolution, no media leakage, no reactionary fat girl sobbing hysterically on the evening news that she wasn’t getting her own way and it wasn’t fair.

Don’t get me wrong. There are legitimate violations of agreed-upon human rights all the time happening all over the world, every single day. Going to prom (or not going to prom) isn’t one of them.

Listen: If you feel you are somehow ‘enlightened’, or you think that the other people around you are ‘mindless sheep’, ‘drones’, or ‘slaves to the corporation/ government/ fire hydrant’ or if you’ve ever had the idea that people need to ‘wake up’, congrats. You’re part of the fucking problem.
Any first-year revolutionary will tell you that the government is corrupt, society is weak and complacent, Mass Media and the infoglut are part of the problem.
Any first year punk rocker will tell you that revolution is coming and that the only way to avoid being sucked into the nine-to-five rat race is to fight the power.
Any first year sociology student will tell you that all of these things fit together to form the society as a whole. That it doesn’t matter at all where you stand or what you stand on, you’re simply fulfilling a role. Eat your fucking breakfast.

Ultimately it’s this attitude that has discouraged me from buying any more games or merchandise from Japan. If I’m not “good enough” because I’m not native, then I’ll spend my hard-earned and hard-saved money elsewhere. Though that won’t stop me from playing.

Being exposed to this attitude has in turn made me aware of it on a larger scale- it’s not exclusively Japanese, and this in turn has made me far more aware of what happens on the international scene. I was recently reading an article about a particular event in France where French President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke up against Islamic isolationism in France.

See, here’s how it goes down: Paranoid hate-mongering Islamics immigrate to France. Rather than integrate into the society that has welcomed them in, they instead form isolated ghetto communities that stagnate and putrify. They don’t want help.
From an article I read: “At the heart of the identity crisis plaguing today’s France is a significant immigrant population that refuses to become French, and a multicultural left that has allowed them to live isolated in ghettoes for decades, where many have fallen prey to Muslim preachers of hate.”

This leads to poor, marginalized minorities constantly thinking that “hurr durr the white man is keeping us down” no matter what is done- constantly discouraging themselves to do anything constructive, praying Allah because their parents do, and getting turned into fanatics easily, and indulging themselves into all sorts of criminal activities, all based on “BAAAAW we’re so unhappy, if you don’t let us do whatever we want, you’re a fascist”.

All of this, of course, could be averted if they simply dropped their isolationist attitude and worked towards the idea of one world community.

“Although many have assimilated into French secular society, which Sarkozy applauded, others openly seek to transform France into a Muslim nation and have won allies in the multicultural left.
“France does not demand that you give up your history or your culture,” Sarkozy said. “But France demands of those who would link their fates to hers to also share her history and her culture. France is not hodgepodge of communities or individuals. . . Becoming French means accepting a form of civilization, values, and customs.”
Sarkozy’s definition of those values left no ambiguity from which direction he felt the danger was coming: “France is a country where women are free. France is a country where church is separate from state, and where the beliefs of each person are respected.
“But France is also a country where there is no room for the burka, and where there is no room for the subjugation of women under any circumstance or pretext.”
The French have debated for 25 years whether Muslim women should be allowed to veil themselves in public schools or in public workplaces, as radical Muslim preachers and their supporters on the left have demanded.
Sarkozy ended that debate scarcely one year after becoming president by outlawing the veil in public last year.
In announcing the reform at the time, Sarkozy said he was troubled by the “discriminatory and degrading” Islamist practice of veiling women.
“I don’t want certain neighborhoods to feel more like Kabul or Tehran than France,” he said.
The same day Sarkozy gave his speech on national identity, police turned away a group of women wearing Islamist veils as they attempted to enter the French National Assembly.
Sarkozy took direct aim at radical secularists as well. While calling on immigrants to share French values, he said French men and women have to believe in those values themselves.
“To open our doors to others, we have to have enough confidence in ourselves. We must be sure of our values and of our model,” he said.
“By giving in to moral equivalence that proclaims all values, behaviors and accomplishments to be the same, we strike a blow against the idea of civilization and against society itself,” he said.
And then he warned: “And it is for this reason, my fellow citizens, that anyone who comes to France to call for violence and hatred of the other will be deported.”
If France is having problems with integrating Muslims, “it is not our values that are at fault but our departure from them, at times even our denial of them,” Sarkozy said.”

I believe in this. I believe that there should not be any isolationism. I believe in a free and equitable exchange of ideas, beliefs, and information. I believe in liberation from outmoded and fear- and hate-driven ideologies. In this I express belief that it is not only our individuality, uniqueness and self-identity, but also our willingness to work together across cultural and social boundaries and barriers that gives us our true strength.”

These are the things in this world today. Where everyone tries to live. And here in this world are the things we want: sex and birth, votes and traits. money and guilt, television and teddy bears. But all we’ve actually got is each other.

Okay kids. Class is in session. Why did I suspect that pixie would change her entire outfit?

Let’s pretend you have a particular outfit. one part doesn’t match. What’s the logical conclusion?
1. find a replacement part, or make due without it.

Now, Let’s pretend you’re a woman, and repeat the same scenario:
1. CHANGE OUTFITS COMPLETELY.

The lesson learned? The most irrational and inexplicable conclusion is the most logical conclusion for a woman.

This has been a public service announcement.

Just kidding, I felt like being a chauvinist ass.