This Online Stuff

Joel Stein, Frank Bruni, Ross Douthat, and Nicholas Kristof--the Men of Opinion.

Their verdict? All the same, essentially. We're all fools.

I know that is a largely overused theme of these blogs, but it's nevertheless true. Stein and Bruni in particular adored criticizing how we, Americans, and our leaders chose to act. Kristof gave a valiant effort to call idiocy "progress" (high five), but found little support from the others, particularly Douthat, who focused on the Monetary God of the Modern World.

Douthat's argument is what tied it all together between the lines: personal gods. Some of them are our cars, our livelihood, maybe even our family--things that we value over society in general that makes us utter fools. The German exchange kids had every right to be shocked--America is culture of its own.

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This blog was...interesting, to say the least. I mean, I'm more of a paper/pen girl myself (ex: JOURNALING), and sitting down and typing a blog was a whole different world.

First off, I had to get used to the idea that someone could randomly stumble on it and read it. The likelihood, as SMALL as it was, made me squirm in my computer seat at first. But the easy solution was just to WRITE. Write exactly how I talked.

Which I did. With added mind ramblings.

Being able to type rather than hand write entries allowed my thoughts to transition quicker and smoother to the page. Screen. Whatever. And I didn't allow editing, as you can often tell. But I really think that made the writing more REAL, more tangible. Something I would like reading more than a poured over, paragraphs long entry edited and re-edited dozens of times.

So, once I got used to the idea, I got more interested in reading other blogs. I also discovered many people I knew already had blogs (CRAZY) and started following theirs. Blogs are interesting--they let you see into someone's life because they WANT you to. It's like TV--only less a waste.

So....this online stuff.

It was fun writing about idiots. It was fun reading about idiots. It was fun laughing at idiots.

But I'll have to stick with a hard back journal for now. It's been ingrained in me for a while, now. But don't worry--this technology stuff may soon bring this idiot into its fold!!

What Really Matters

I recently read through my blog posts on this site.

What a drag.

Apparently, the world as I see it must be one hell hole. I've called everyone idiots, whined about the rich, the unfair--especially economically. It just goes to show that I'm the most idiotic of them all (maybe).

It's not fair to judge people. I learned that the hard way today. And it's a lesson I never want to relearn.

What really matters is what kind of people are IN the world, and what they're willing to accept. I'm one of them, aren't I? Why should I be so hypocritical of others? It doesn't lead to good stuff.

....and then I remember (with a LARGE sigh)...

World. Run by idiots.

Countries. Full of idiots.

Viva la vida, right?

I'm one of them, aren't I? Even if I'm me, I still get a say on how this world gets to spin into insanity, right?

Right?

It's rambling moments like this, when I'm stressed and tired and can't even make a frickin' cohesive blog that I wonder why I'm even doing this. It's fun, yeah, but then I remember that NO ONE WILL EVER READ THIS. It's a grade in a book.

If that's my only motivation, then this blog will probably remain empty after this last post unless I get another assignment.

What a waste.

But we all waste, right? Even the big guys up top.

Which is what I guess this blog was all about in the first place. Wasting--idiocy--

Hold up. Just got my topic for my paper. Thank you, ramblings.

Nicholas D Kristof on Obamaness

In particular, his lack of ability to keep "expectations that Superman couldn’t have met". He made large claims mainly to get his election secured, and used his race and ideals to get ahead. However, he's had a hard time keeping up with his idealic promises.

Kristof seems to be the most optimistic of bloggers on this topic--he says to look for the good. Sure, Obama is half-way an idiot sometimes, but so is everyone else. When election time comes, he claims it's important to remember what good he's done instead of dwelling on the negative aspects that are equally present in each of us and no doubt in Obama's opponent(s).

And although I'm not exactly an ardent Obama supporter, it would be hypocritical to disagree against such a relevant argument.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/oped/columnists/nicholasdkristof/index.html

Black Friday

My friend took me and two German exchange students to the mall before Black Friday so we could wait in line for hours. The two Germans were so excited, recording the whole thing (ESPECIALLY when everyone was let in) and snapping pictures of the "crazy Americans" running for "free stuff". They could barely keep up!!!

But when it was done, they told us it was a little bit much. Which was when I realized that money DID seem to rule my life!! I was so tempted to spend more than I did, and it took a lot of self-convincing not to. Yeah, I'll appreciate my batman jacket and video game, but that doesn't mean that in ten years when I can't use them any more that I'll still feel the same way.

It's the monetary poison!! I THOUGHT I WAS IMMUNE!!!

Ross Douthat on Money, our Sovereign

Ross Douthat noted that "In Europe, democracy is being sacrificed in the scramble to save the euro." Throughout his blog entries, he berates the economic bosses and the average world citizens for placing the dollar (or euro) in front of their own well being. Which, sadly, is true--the dollar is an infectious disease.

Ross Douthat has acknowledged that. And he acknowledges that money can't buy everything we need, and is raising the costs of things we consider necessary.

We can't live with it, but at this rate, it is probably the most vile of all Necessary Evils--unable to be removed, but always out of some's grasp. Twisted.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/oped/columnists/rossdouthat/index.html

Who Just Said What?

I'm dumb. Everyone is dumb in some way.

This opening of this blog is just dumb. But that doesn't mean I'm going to change it (thank laziness).

And THAT is what is really funny about this world. We can see the stupidity but we don't have the brains to change it--we can see the ignorance but we just can't get around to solving it.

Take me, for example. I've turned in half-brained essays and worksheets all of highschool without bothering to try. It's just something I needed to get done. Or I've noticed someone strangely depressed, or hurt, or bullied, and held a blank gaze. Nothing. I chose to do nothing.

We don't really care who just said what. We really don't understand the world at all.

Because we're dumb.

Dumb blog entry.

Frank Bruni has Seen the Idiots

Fools run the world--they're next door, they're in politics, but most importantly they're me and you. The ignorant people who can't see the truth until it's punched our face into the dirt and rubbed it into scars.

In Frank Bruni's stories, he tells about molesters who work with kids, politicians who don't know what they're saying, and a whole other package of fools. It was a pattern that Bruni found easy to find--finging the idiotic in all of us.

He seemed to be hinting that the most idiot people were ourselves.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/oped/columnists/frankbruni/index.html

Irony of Economy

People love to hate. Especially on the economy. The people up Top try to come up with solutions to every problem, and they either fail or are criticized so much that they fail in theory. People like me like to sit back and watch all the idiots squabble online or on television over problems that will probably take longer than expected to fix.

Which is why I think people up top need to live as a poor man for a week and then restrategize. They might actually get somewhere.

This sounds oddly like a meme a friend showed me earlier today:

FOX NEWS
RICH PEOPLE PAYING RICH PEOPLE
TO TELL MIDDLE CLASS PEOPLE
TO BLAME POOR PEOPLE.

It seems appropriate.

Joel Stein--Sarcastic Guru

Don't quote me on this, but I'm pretty certain Joel Stein in the guy in the back of Time magazine with the column that slaps around his opinion twice a month. From what I've seen on his blog and in the magazine, Stein thinks the government and the economy it supports is a joke. He wryly opposes Obamas attempts to cure the system while laughing at the common things people do to try to solve it. For that reason, he is the voice of the cynical Americans who think this economy is run by fools. There's not much more to it.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-columnist-jstein,0,1575456.columnist