Shut Up And Listen 80

Human Compassion

Enough Is Enough
Okay, I’ve had it and so have a lot of people. I am sick to fuck about hearing about this shit as even an abstract concept. It is disgusting, deplorable, immoral, heinous, terrifying and many more things that I can’t put into words. I’m going to tell you something. This may sound insensitive, but is not meant as such.
	You lost a few thousand people, America and that is truly saddening, but does not give you the right to go out and kill thousands more because you fancy yourself king of the fucking castle.
	You lost thousands of people. How did that feel? Didn’t feel too good, did it? Imagine how equally innocent people in Afghanistan and Iraq felt when the US attacked them. Just like you, they had no personal investment in what was going on. They weren’t the ones out there making their country look bad with barely thought out statements and reactionary military action. 
	But that doesn’t seem to matter to you, does it? No, as long as all the death and misery and sadness and crimes happen far away from you, you’re okay with it. As long as you still get your beer and dinner and crappy sitcoms and tax cuts and Big Macs, you couldn’t care less. CNN may show the destructive actions your country has inflicted on those other people, but you can change the channel. The paper may give eyewitness testimonials to wanton misery and slaughter that’s going on right then, but you can flip to the funnies and laugh at some fat cat kicking a dog.

And that was what I wrote on Monday. It was going to be the beginning of a longer rant, truth be told, but now it’s Tuesday and I don’t feel like continuing it. I don’t see the point much anymore, you know?
	Today I was at the university and I was in english class as I often am on Tuesdays at nine until ten because that’s what my schedule says, you know. Melissa was to my left, in the squeaky chair and I was in the non-squeaky chair. Five minutes into class, this girl sits down to my right, as there is an empty seat there. She’s trying to catch up as best she can, as Doctor Lee tends to jump right in and kick it into high gear. All she’s really missed is some introductory notes on Sir Gawain And The Green Knight; not that much. So the class keeps going and Dr. Lee eventually begins to cite specific passages from the book. She gives up page numbers and line references. The girl next to me has no book to look it up. That’s not a major problem, because Dr. Lee reads from the passages she wants to bring to our attention. A couple of minutes before class ends, the girl leaves.
	Later, I was killing an hour between my other english class and my film studies tutorial. I was at the UCC (university community centre, sitting at a table, reading The Gazette, the school newspaper (published Tuesdays through Fridays). This girl (a new one) comes up to my table and asks if she can sit down as the UCC is rather packed and there are three extra seats at my table. She sits diagonal from me and I don’t pay any mind. I return to reading my paper. Then I decide to do the crossword, so I begin it. While this happens, the girl finishes eating whatever it was that she was eating and begins to look around a little. She then puts her head down on the table and appears to try and sleep. After about a minute, she sits up, leans back, position her sweater like a blanket and appears to try and sleep. After another minute, she shifts position, in frustration. She then sits up and looks at me. She stares at me for a couple of minutes and then says, “Do you do the crossword often?”
	I looked up, surprised to have this stranger talking to me. “Excuse me?” was my answer.
	She repeated the question and I told her that I do it everyday. “That’s great,” she tells me. 
	I mutter “Yeah” or “Uh huh” or something. 
	“Do you ever finish it?” she asks.
	“Sometimes. Not often, really. A few times, I guess.”
	“That’s great. How long do you spend doing it?”
	“However long it takes me to finish it or get frustrated enough to stop.”
	“Oh,” she said and I quickly looked down, to resume doing the crossword in anonymity and silence. She paused for twenty seconds or so and then removed a textbook from her bag. I pretended to do the crossword for another couple of minutes, then I folded the paper up and put it, and the pen, back in my bag, and then I left the table without a word.
	Those two happenings still linger in my mind and I feel guilty because of them. No, I didn’t do anything wrong, but I didn’t do anything right. I could have offered that girl in my english class my notes that she missed by being late or offered to share my book so she could follow along. The girl at the UCC was obviously distraught over something, I could see that, and yet I tried to ignore her as if she didn’t exist. I could have just had a conversation with her. It wouldn’t have killed me. I had time. Instead, I walked around aimlessly for fifteen minutes and that sat outside my tutorial room for another fifteen. 
	This won’t keep me up at night or anything, but it has made me think. This shit happens all the time and we don’t notice it. Some of us do notice it, but do nothing. Far too few people do anything. You probably did something like this today and didn’t realise it. 
	Just made me think is all.

How Would You Feel?
Melissa: “If you get a chicky drink at a bar, how do you think women will react?”
Chad: “I don’t know.”
Melissa: “Well, look at this way: why do most people go to clubs? To pick up people. Well, I go to clubs to dance, but that’s beside the point. If you have a chicky drink no woman is going to approach you. Now a guy might.”
Chad: “You know, if a guy hit on me, I’d find it kind of flattering.”
Melissa: “What?”
Chad: “Yeah. I mean I wouldn’t want to do anything about it, but I wouldn’t freak out or anything. It’s like a compliment.”
Steve: “I’d freak.”
Chad: “Why?”
Steve: “It’s creepy.”
Chad: “How’s that? It’s just a person expressing an interest. Just because you’re not interested, doesn’t mean you can’t take it as it’s meant.”
Melissa: “I’ve had chicks hit on me. It’s creepy.”
Chad: “Hmm?”
Melissa: “Yeah, they hang out in the bathrooms and try to pick up people there. I don’t know what it is about clubs, but with those tight pants, it’s almost impossible to get them back on in the bathroom, so chicks will walk out of the stalls with their pants half on, trying to get them on and these other chicks will be all ‘Can I help you with that?’ It’s creepy. Never happened to me, as I make sure my pants are on, but I’ve seen it.”
Chad: “That’s fucked up.”
Steve: “Yeah.”
Chad: “All I’m saying is I would find it kind of flattering. Would be nice to know someone finds me attractive enough to hit on.”
Steve: “I’d freak.”
Chad: “Think of it this way: imagine a really ugly chick tried to hit on you. I’m talking really ugly. Man ugly. You wouldn’t be interested, but you’d find it kind of flattering. Not flattering enough to give any response other than ‘no’, but still flattered.”
Steve: “I don’t know, my standards are pretty low. I’d probably take her up on it.”
Chad: “I wouldn’t.”
Steve: “I wouldn’t want people thinking I’m gay.”
Chad: “Uh, Steve, I have to tell you something . . .”
Steve: “I may be effeminate, but I’m not gay.”
Chad: “Sure you are. Look at that hair and your voice and mannerisms.”
Steve: “My hair? It’s a marine cut.”
Chad: “Exactly. What’s more homosexual than the military? ‘This man’s army’ and all that, you know? The military is synonymous with gay nowadays.”
Steve: “Okay, but I’m not gay.”
Chad: “Me neither, but if a dude hit on me, I’d feel flattered is all. It’s someone finding you attractive. It’s a quick ego boost. Return of the ‘feelings’ or whatever is not necessary.”
Steve: “I guess.”
Chad: “I don’t go to clubs, so the point is moot anyways.”

American Interests
Bush wants to rule the world.
	Bush wants the power to suppress other nations from building a military of equal or greater power to that of the US. He wants the power to attack anyone who may threaten “American interests” in any way. That’s what he proposed last Friday to congress and I am scared. I am scared shitless that this could get approved. If not now, then later.
	This is the type of plan that will fuck the US in the ass. If the US keeps pushing like this, it won’t take long for the rest of the world to see that it’s in their best interest to do a “regime change” and “liberate” the American people from a man who is bent on war, death and destruction.
	The world is fine with hunting down terrorists, but when that hunt begins to be a guise for Bush and his cronies to act out their Bond villain fantasies, well I don’t see it happening. 
	Hell, a large part of the world already hates the US, why piss off the rest? 

Founding Fathers And The Constitution
In political science at school, we’re doing a look at the American constitution and how it came to be, its components and all that shit. In studying it, I’ve had a few thoughts. Now I don’t claim to be some sort of expert on it or anything; these are just thoughts that I’ve had while reading the constitution and the surrounding events.
	How coincidental is it that New York was one of the main causes for the Bill Of Rights (the first ten amendments, ratified in 1791, and the things that helped get New York and Virginia to ratify the constitution) and now because of something that happened there, the Bill Of Rights is now being ignored by the current regime? First, fourth, fifth, and eighth amendment rights? Article one, section nine, clause two? I know no amendment rights or clauses!
	George Washington sucked. So did Jefferson. Damn slave owners.
	The number of what seems like blatantly obvious things that weren’t added until later is fucked up. Shit like procedures on what to do should the vice presidency become vacant (amendment twenty-five, which was ratified on February 10, 1967) or having the president take office in January instead of March (amendment twenty, which was ratified on January 23, 1933). Just goes to show you that the founding fathers were fallible and not all-knowing like they’re made out to be.
	Am I the only one who thinks the twenty-second amendment is totally undemocratic? Limit on presidential terms? What the fuck? If the people want someone as president for, wouldn’t democracy say that they should get that person? I blame that amendment for Bush being in power right now. Clinton sucked, sure, but he was a billion times better than Bush and would have won. Easily.
	The second amendment so clearly means bearing arms within a “well regulated Militia” as it says, you dumb fucks. Can’t you fucking read?
	Those damn British are responsible for America’s hatred of taxes and the lack of social programs. Just because they taxed without representation, every American since the 1700s has been taught that taxes suck. Nice to know who to blame now.
	The way that the constitution and the founding fathers are romanticized is funny in itself. A bunch of states that wanted to fuck each over was the cause of the United States of America. George Washington won small victories, but really couldn’t cut it as a general. He was loved because he didn’t command from on high and actually fought a little. Three-fifths of “all other persons” counted as far as the population went in regards to how much representation in the lower house, but could not vote just so the constitution would get ratified by the southern states. Heh. America was founded on appeasement. 
	Funny what pops into your head while sitting in Alumni Hall, listening to the professor talk about the amending process, isn’t it?
	Now, just to clarify, I like the constitution. It’s great. The Bill of Rights is the motherfucking bomb. Some good shit there.

Excommunication Part 1
Starting this week, this will be a regular feature until it’s no longer needed. I am trying to get excommunicated from the catholic church and I’ll report on my progress here. 
	I started by deciding that I wanted to be excommunicated. I want out of the church. Every initiation ceremony took place when I was underage and was not that smart. Hell, all of them took place before I even entered high school. How fucked up is that? They made me join while I was a kid. Are they desperate for members that they’ll try to brainwash and just force kids to join?
	My qualifications for being excommunicated as of now: I’m an atheist; I despise the practices of the church; I haven’t done anything related to the religious aspects of the church for years (I’ve even attended masses for special occasions [like graduations or my sister’s confirmation] and just sat there, making snide remarks to my mom); I wrote and drew a comic called “Chad Kicks God In The Balls” followed up by “Chad The Christ” comics which have spun off another series called “Baby Jesus Comic Strips” in which the Baby Jesus has blown up abortion clinics and answered children’s letters to god; I’ve called the Pope “that old childfucker” on numerous occasions; I know things about my uncle who’s a priest and will reveal them just for fun; and well, damn, I’ve bashed all religions pretty consistently for a while now. Does that sound like enough for me to be kicked out?
	But no, from what I’m told, I can’t just ask to be let out. That’s not good enough. It seems I may have to actually publicly piss the church off. If this was my little club and there was someone who wanted out and also did and said all that stuff that was against my club, I’d let them out. Why wouldn’t you let them out? They don’t want to belong to the group, so why force them to remain a member?
	Church equals cult. The whole excommunication thing seems to be proof, I guess.
	Well, I tried to find an official church website that I could e-mail and ask to be let out, but there wasn’t one. There was a Canadian one that I e-mailed and asked about how I could be let out. I’m still waiting for a response, but don’t expect one.
	I guess I’ll just have to start making a public fuss or something. I’ll keep you posted.