Let me begin by saying that Don's post was fantastic and deserves response from all. Please take some time and do so!
And now for something completely unoringal....
It seems today that the people in our society that we deem "important" are one of the following:
1. Extremely wealthy middle aged persons heavily armed with college degrees and a lack of intrest when it comes to the opinions of the youth of America.
2. Hollywood's ellite, who also are wealthy, but 95 percent of them are without college degree or knowledge of anything going on in this world (Ex: Paris "Tupperware" Hilton)
Now begins my rant/response on the youth of today.
Newspapers, magazines, Television news: These media outlets are run by older people, who have earned their right to be there (in some cases). College degrees are a must in persuing a career in one of these professions. Or is it? With today's advancements in technology it has grown easier and easier for teenagers and twenty somethings to voice their opinions of the world without a degree or any real formal training. While this is fantastic news for us, we are left to wonder: Who is going to trust us? Who will be listening? In my case, I just want a voice in the world. I don't believe you need a degree to be a great writer or to let the world know how you feel.
Paris Hilton gets a chance to travel the world, meet people who are struggling, and donate her billions for a cause. Fantastic! But does she have any idea what the hell she is doing this for? Does she really care? Probably not, it just makes her look good. While this is going on, kids all across this country are doing everything they can to help out those in need, whether they are throwing charity shows, running food/clothing drives, or simply speaking out and they don't get that chance. Why? Because this country does not trust or believe in it's youth. Sadly, kids today can go to war and die for the country, but without a degree, you are deemed useless. Regaurdless of your natural talents. We are left with little choice; College to "make something of ourselves" or join the military.
What is my point? My point is that the youth of today are NOT idiots, despite what some of our elders tell us. They need to be given a chance to make a difference in the world. We, as Americans (well some of us), put our trust into the hands of celebrities and the wealthy and "knowledgeable" to make a change, but what about the average boy or girl, man or woman? They are doing their part all over the country and are overlooked by everyone, while Brad Pitt is on every magazine in the country because he adopted a kid. Way to go Brangellina.
So to everyone reading, LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD. That is why I started this blog. Writing groups and newspapers and everyone else in this god damn place ignores the talent of the underground. We are all here to give them one great big giant FUCK YOU. A piece of paper that says "Hey look! I took a writing class!" doesn't make you a writer. Whats inside you makes you a writer. Same with anything else. If you don't take a stand and do something about it, no one else is going to help you. Start a blog, hand out typed up thoughts on flyers around your town. Refuse to be ignored.
Well thats what I got out of Don's post. My two cents have been given.
Showing posts with label rant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rant. Show all posts
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Action Vs. Reaction
There are those who would have us think that the time to act is now. There are those who would have us pause to reflect upon the implications of our actions, causing us to second guess everything. What do we do? What does my gut tell me? I think too much, I do nothing. I act first and accept the consequences of those actions.
What is all this about? I sit here from time to time and I read the news on the internet and carefully invest my belief in what I deem to be an adequate balance of what seems credible and what my instincts tell me. I recently heard a conversation where someone commented on how the newspaper was a dying art and that when people read it, they got their information from one or few sources, thereby creating a unified consciousness on what was happening in the world. To me, the benefit of having alternative sources of media online is that your finger is on the pulse of what people really think. There is two way communication. The lines between Left and Right begin to blur when we learn that the average Joe isn't so typically dumbed down as to digest and regurgitate what is spoonfed from only one or two points of view who happen to be pulling the strings on what we think we know to be true.
"One more run-on sentence and I'm bailing," you say. I don't blame you, but please bear with me. There is a point. Many feel that we are so disconnected through our technology and gadgets. We isolate ourselves from personal interaction through the use of e-mail, IM, and online forums. This may be true to an extent. Personally, I prefer eye contact over a drink and some music in the background when it comes to communication, but to those whose whispers become silence because of what will no longer be accepted in our "free society," we have a place at our fingertips where we can speak our peace without fear of retribution and, more importantly, to listen.
Those same fading industry moguls would have us believe that our youth today are uncaring and hopeless, that you are too distracted by your reality TV and the rest of the sensory assault which is perpetrated and perpetuated by your very accusers. The idea is propagated with the goal that we all buy it and in the end so do you. You are our best last hope, my friends. You are out there and you are listening, watching, speaking. I see you. I hear you. We have an arena to offer and display all view points. Plenty to consider, to reflect carefully about the implications of what we do next.
Now, what to do about the state of things? Do we throw our arms up and say, well, "they" all think we're stupid anyway and do nothing? Then, we simply moan and groan when something comes down the pipe that we don't like, OR, only then do we get all fired up and want to go taking names and breaking things. I say right now that we are in the midst of absorbing unprecedented amounts of information. It's seeped into our mental, spiritual, physiological, and developmental processes as well as our Collective Unconsciousness. I believe that as a whole, we are processing this information and narrowing it all down to simple conclusions on what the next logical steps are to advance as a culture and to leave behind what has not worked. This absorption allows us the sense to believe or disbelieve what our gut tells us when it becomes time to act.
The question remains. Should we always think long and hard before before we act? Time's up. Decide now. You are alive and capable. Your actions are based on what you already know. Me, I'm going to bed. Let me know how it turns out.
PS: The real purpose of this post is to call for solutions to the observations that stop us and make us think, "yeah, that could be better." I listen to a lot of talk radio and the thing that I notice is that it's a great forum for people who just want to complain. Let's get creative and offer ideas from people who may not necessarily agree, but would otherwise feel they have no real power to change things for various reasons. Let me know what ails ya. Let me know how we can make it better!
~Donnus
What is all this about? I sit here from time to time and I read the news on the internet and carefully invest my belief in what I deem to be an adequate balance of what seems credible and what my instincts tell me. I recently heard a conversation where someone commented on how the newspaper was a dying art and that when people read it, they got their information from one or few sources, thereby creating a unified consciousness on what was happening in the world. To me, the benefit of having alternative sources of media online is that your finger is on the pulse of what people really think. There is two way communication. The lines between Left and Right begin to blur when we learn that the average Joe isn't so typically dumbed down as to digest and regurgitate what is spoonfed from only one or two points of view who happen to be pulling the strings on what we think we know to be true.
"One more run-on sentence and I'm bailing," you say. I don't blame you, but please bear with me. There is a point. Many feel that we are so disconnected through our technology and gadgets. We isolate ourselves from personal interaction through the use of e-mail, IM, and online forums. This may be true to an extent. Personally, I prefer eye contact over a drink and some music in the background when it comes to communication, but to those whose whispers become silence because of what will no longer be accepted in our "free society," we have a place at our fingertips where we can speak our peace without fear of retribution and, more importantly, to listen.
Those same fading industry moguls would have us believe that our youth today are uncaring and hopeless, that you are too distracted by your reality TV and the rest of the sensory assault which is perpetrated and perpetuated by your very accusers. The idea is propagated with the goal that we all buy it and in the end so do you. You are our best last hope, my friends. You are out there and you are listening, watching, speaking. I see you. I hear you. We have an arena to offer and display all view points. Plenty to consider, to reflect carefully about the implications of what we do next.
Now, what to do about the state of things? Do we throw our arms up and say, well, "they" all think we're stupid anyway and do nothing? Then, we simply moan and groan when something comes down the pipe that we don't like, OR, only then do we get all fired up and want to go taking names and breaking things. I say right now that we are in the midst of absorbing unprecedented amounts of information. It's seeped into our mental, spiritual, physiological, and developmental processes as well as our Collective Unconsciousness. I believe that as a whole, we are processing this information and narrowing it all down to simple conclusions on what the next logical steps are to advance as a culture and to leave behind what has not worked. This absorption allows us the sense to believe or disbelieve what our gut tells us when it becomes time to act.
The question remains. Should we always think long and hard before before we act? Time's up. Decide now. You are alive and capable. Your actions are based on what you already know. Me, I'm going to bed. Let me know how it turns out.
PS: The real purpose of this post is to call for solutions to the observations that stop us and make us think, "yeah, that could be better." I listen to a lot of talk radio and the thing that I notice is that it's a great forum for people who just want to complain. Let's get creative and offer ideas from people who may not necessarily agree, but would otherwise feel they have no real power to change things for various reasons. Let me know what ails ya. Let me know how we can make it better!
~Donnus
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