A Joke, If Anything

 

            Imagine that on a college campus in the United States, a student run group starts issuing posters to put up all around campus that were extremely anti-Arabian. Each slogan would be racist, connecting them to hi-jacking and in general, demonizing them. Clearly, this is wrong and something that should be avoided. Surprisingly, something similar happened on the college campus of UCLA a few weeks ago. An anti-rape campaign was initiated by the students in the student run feminist group, Bruin Feminists for Equality, that made various flyers that read “dudetip #(1-6)” with saying such as “If you are in an elevator and a person gets in, don’t rape them,” or “If you offer someone a ride, remember not to rape them,” or, my personal favorite, “Use the buddy system! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public.” (Bruin Feminists for Equality, 2012) These slogans have already generated a lot of negative feedback in the form of bloggers and students on the campus saying that the campaign is a blatant display of sexism and is the equivalent of writing sexist slurs against women. In a world so obsessed with the discrimination against women, it is easy to forget and overlook the discrimination that occurs against men.

             This discrimination happens all the time. Women work 44% of the total hours worked in this country compared to men working 56% and yet, men constitute 93% of all workplace deaths according to the US Department of Labor’s Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. ("Census of fatal," 2010) This means that even though women work a large part of all hours, they don’t get killed in the process nearly as much. This doesn’t include military service, which are almost solely men.

 In a study done in 2005 and published in USA Today, men are not going to college as much as women are. (Marklein, 2008) In fact, women make up 57% of the students in college at that time and this number has been growing since the making of this study. This may be because women get more scholarships than men do or more programs are made for them; but think about it, have you ever heard of a male-exclusive scholarship?

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, the single homeless population which makes up roughly 76% of the homeless population has a male percentage of 67.5%. (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2011) Even though the percentage of men in households with children is lower, the percentage of the homeless with children is much lower than that of single people who are homeless. There are various reasons for homelessness, but not very many try to describe the relationship that gender plays on who is homeless.

The University of Texas finds that in their state, there is an incarceration discrimination in which women are jailed less and jailed for shorter times. (Rodriguez, Curry & Lee, 2006) Even though in severe cases, they will likely be sent to prison as often as men, it is for shorter times. In less severe cases, the women are jailed much shorter times than men of similar crimes. (Rodriguez, Curry & Lee, 2006) This is definitely a clear cut showing of legal discrimination. Women are treated nicer in society than men and no one is really trying to stop it.

There are other points to be made, but clearly, these studies show that huge discrimination toward men is very prevalent in America. Again, even though I am not arguing the thought that women are discriminated against, I agree that there are studies that would show women in peril too.

            Everyone knows that women get raped, I won’t deny it; in fact, I concede that they get raped more often than men, but there are times when a man (or boy in statutory rape) can get raped too. Whether it is from a man or from a woman it can happen. Most people laugh at this thought, but one of the most notable accounts that has drawn a lot of criticism from how it was written is from a British tabloid, The Daily Mirror, which recounts the story of an alleged sexual assault in Germany by a 43-year-old woman. (Mirror.co.uk, 2012) This woman invited two different men at two different times into her apartment for a one night stand. Afterwards, she wouldn’t let them leave until they were forced to have sex with her again and again. One of the men was desperate enough to escape through the balcony and was found crying in the streets after a 36-hour ordeal with the woman. What is most surprising is that the article didn’t ever call it rape and never called the woman a rapist, but rather a nymphomaniac. Social norms in the world have been reversing, instead of attacking women, they now shield and protect them.

Another example of how these codes of conduct hurt men was written the Toronto Star, when an elderly 74-year-old man in Canada was beaten and taking into custody after being misinterpreted on the 911 hotline. (Wallace, 2012) He called after two men came into his apartment and beat him after he refused sex for money from his female neighbor. The operator wouldn’t use a polish translating service and the 74-year-old was taken to jail for more than two months. What is important to note here is that the woman that he escorted out of his apartment intercepted the police and claimed that the old man tried to pay her money for sex, pulled her hair out and bent back her finger nails.

            Unfortunately in America, men can be hurt legally. In the education system, under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects against bullying, the law itself cannot protect white male students from bullying. (Russo, 2010) This was seen in how a white openly gay male in New York was bashed repeatedly, violently, verbally and mentally to a point that his grades dropped, he skipped school and eventually, sued the school. The plaintiff reached an agreement to take steps to prevent the situation from happening again, but this didn’t change the original act. (Russo, 2010) When something happens to a man (or boy), usually, the law does little to help him.

            When two people are dating and having consensual intercourse, the woman decides if they will have a child or not if they are using birth control like the pill. Legally, she doesn’t have to inform the man if she stops taking the pill and could try to get herself pregnant without his consent. I have a relative that had one of his girlfriends try the same thing and stop taking birth control pills in hopes of getting him to marry her because of the child. She didn’t tell him as well and she did get pregnant. It didn’t work out like she planed and my relative just dumped her; which in my opinion is ok, because she betrayed his trust and tried to force him to do something he didn’t want to do. Also, if she didn’t want an abortion and he did, he wouldn’t have a choice. Also, he had to pay child support for the child he didn’t intend for. Also, this isn’t just an isolated case.

            A long time Men’s Rights Activist and Feminist, Warren Farrell, at one point, leader of NOW in New York City, writes in his book, The Myth of Male Power, that,

Today, violence against women is rightly abhorred. But we call violence against men entertainment. Think of football, boxing, wrestling... All are games used to sugarcoat violence against men, originally in need of sugarcoating so "our team"--or "our society"--could bribe its best protectors to sacrifice themselves. (1993)

            Social situations seem to always place women on top with children. When an innocent man is killed, it is sad, but it would have been sadder if it was an innocent woman. Men are seen as protectors and this would be considered their duty. In Norah Vincent’s book, Self-Made Man: My Year Disguised as a Man, she recounts her experiences of being a man. (The Gaurdian, 2006) She describes it as being in an unbreakable social contract where you are expect to be two things at once, in that in her dating experiences,

The women I met wanted a man to be confident. They wanted in many ways to defer to him. I could feel that on many dates, the unspoken desire to be held up and led, whether in conversation or even in physical space, and at times it made me feel quite small in my costume, like a young man must feel when he's just coming of age and he's suddenly expected to carry the world under his arm like a football. And some women did find Ned too small physically to be attractive.

(Ned being her drag self) and

Yet as much as these women wanted a take-control man, at the same time they wanted a man who was vulnerable to them, a man who would show his colours and open his doors, someone expressive, intuitive, attuned.

            Her time as a man prompt her to feel a lot more sympathetic to men and even at times to feel like a misogynistic (woman hater) and sexist, herself, towards women who in her eyes, held all of the power in a relationship with a man. (The Gaurdian, 2006) She even felt as if this was part of the pressure that men must feel in abusing women, because to her, it was the one aspect where they have complete control.

            Equality is the goal of civil rights and as of today it needs work. Women have gotten ahead and even though they still face a huge onslaught on injustice, men are being pushed into a corner and used as a scapegoat to blame all evils on.           All of the feminist organizations need to become pro-male as much as they are pro-female to become perfect, because as of today, men are almost completely ignored. The unfortunate truth is that in today’s chauvinistic society, you see that men are primarily there for protecting everyone else. They sign the draft, they take the most dangerous jobs (miners, construction workers, firefighters, any sort of driving job, fishers) and they are scolded in the media for not being able to provide for their families or not spending time with them. In the future, equality can and will be realistic when people understand that feminism isn’t a complete solution.

(1773 Words)

Works Cited:

Bruin Feminists for Equality. (2012, May). Dude tips / anti-rape campaign. Retrieved

from http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.10150903038570239&type=1

Farrell, W. (1993). The myth of male power. New York: Berkley. Retrieved from http://www.warrenfarrell.org/styled-2/summary.html

Marklein, M. B. (2008, October 19). College gender gap widens: 57% are women . USA Today.

 Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2005-10-19-male-college-

cover_x.htm

Mirror.co.uk. (2012, May 1). "It was hell, i can't walk!" man found sobbing in street after 36-

hour sex ordeal with german nymphomaniac. Mirror. Retrieved from http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/man-found-sobbing-in-street-after-813563

National Coalition for the Homeless. (2011, December 15). Who is homeless?. Retrieved from

            http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/who.html

Rodriguez, S. F., Curry, T. R., & Lee, G. (2006). Gender differences in criminal sentencing: Do

effects vary across violent, property, and drug offenses?. SOCIAL SCIENCE QUARTERLY, 87(2), 318-339. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.utep.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=gang_lee&sei-redir=1&referer=http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=sentencing%20gender%20disparities&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdigitalcommons.utep.edu%2Fcgi%2Fviewcontent.cgi%3Farticle%3D1001%26context%3Dgang_lee&ei=oeRgT8DaHcuosAKC7d2WCA&usg=AFQjCNH8Q8gfgFry6_Hb2FbTQ_a3l-TfBQ

Russo, T. U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division. (2010). The civil rights division

releases anti-bullying video as part of national “it gets better” project. Retrieved from website: http://blogs.justice.gov/main/archives/1088

The Gaurdian. (2006, March 17). Double agent. The Gaurdian. Retrieved from

            http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/mar/18/gender.bookextracts

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2010). Census of fatal occupational

            injuries. Retrieved from website: http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cfch0009.pdf

Wallace, T. (2012, May 12). Beaten ottawa senior jailed after calling 911. Toronto Star.

Retrieved from http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1179010--beaten-ottawa-senior-jailed-after-calling-911

(1976 Words)

-The Observer

das Ende ist nahe

And this is how it ends. My last true post force from me. I am unsure of if I will continue to write, but know for certain that my time her was agony at its worse and simple pain at its best. my life is not writings and documentation, but rather actions and i prefer them that way instead of just endless stress through compelled writing. I'm only glad that I am finally done and weathered the giant. This was not productive is my professional student review. Mostly because I saw no progression, for if there was one, it was a natural increase and not a aplang writing method. I have no faith in blogging and i hope there are only negative reviews. Change the broken system that could easily be cheated.

Before I pass out, in a fetal-like position in my bed, I recant that this year, I started off with purpose and drifted, drifted so amazing far as to get nearly 160 page views on a post about Russian prisons. What is sadder is the next grossing post is entitle ... and is a video of the trolololo song. People don't read this and no classmate will read this (90%) of the time.

Rest assured I enjoyed the course, just not the blogs at all. With this ending information, I trust you all to be true Gentlemen and live life like a walrus, not caring about what anyone thinks about them.

Also, Go Men's Rights!

(likely bye)
-The Observer

Reue (Part 3)

There isn't very many qualities that I like about myself and hopefully from this you will learn two things. Be better than some one and don't live life in the mentality that you must put pressure on yourself. Don't live to a point where you feel like you eyes are going to bleed from how late you have to stay up because you cannot focus, your computer is poop and how uncomforting your family is.  I feel like two hells and one is just stemming from the frustration that I can't think and type faster. 


grades are very important, but what is supremely more important is happiness. YOU WILL NOT BE HAPPY IF YOU DON'T THINK. YOU MUST REALIZE THAT LIFE ISN'T JUST WORK OR SCHOOL. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and then you can sleep, but until then, make sure you don't hate basically every inescapable aspect of your life. 


Relax and be happy a lot of the time, work less and try to not worry. I feel like i'm just stating what I wish I could do, but oh well. This year was a metal rod to my head. I have learned a few social life concepts.


First - I really hate how my dad is a lot of the time.
Second - I really hate the way education and politics are in America.
Third - I really hate people sometimes
Fourth - I really love some people sometimes
Fifth - I really hate the internet.

Some days I wonder, what is life really worth?

Religiously I believe that so long as I worship god, I got a purpose, but on many days I put that aside (not permanently) and I just ponder it. I feel like a man on his death bed wondering about the mysteries of the world, remorsing and baiting myself for loathing, hating my actions and loving certain people way to much. Wondering why my social abilities seem so frazzled and lost. On days like today, I wonder what would happen if I died tonight or tomorrow. I know (or hope) that at least someone will be sad for me. From there, some times I feel like the world would be better off. Some times I feel the opposite and some times I feel like nothing will happen. It is no solution though. It is as much of a solution that medication is. It is the same reason that I hate medication in any form. I doesn't treat the problem, just the symptoms. Death is solving pain, a symptom, not the cause.

die Entschuldigung (part two of the installments of The End is Nigh)

But just when I started making actual money (after numerous expensive extracurricular activities payments) I started real drama. Prom and the horrors of what no means is something girls really need to understand. NO MEANS NO. Manipulating me into it, I went to prom and am still recovering from how crazy the night was for me mentally. Financially, I like to tell myself that things will always come up. A nice, fuel inefficient van really help retain my paychecks, but hey, at least I have transportation. 


I hate rich friends. They ruin everything. When they have everything you want, it is very hard not to be envious, especially when they even have sympathetic parents. 


Next on my list of friends that I hate are people who are too pretentious, ignorant, stubborn and so very shallow. You know if this person wasn't stupid in general, I  think that we would be better friends... (sadly so, but the closest to the truth that I can get)

 I know way to many people who were raped. on further note, why do so many people tell me so much about their lives? I never wanted to know about your sex live, certain co-worker... Also, I've grown tired of stating over and over again, "I don't do that man/bro/girl." It really is a waste of time, money and focus... 


I would like to apologize for any excessive rudeness and critical-ness I have shown all the people that I have talked to and would like to say that in a resolution-esqe format, I promise to cut down the meaner parts of my brain. Also, I hope to apologize to those that I have wronged. 


You don't know about life until you seen at least a summary of what I've seen is something I like to think. Life is great and the greatness can be lost to a point that life hurts. I remember my friends turning on me, growing distant from some, watching a sister get taken from me and seen a father just disappear. I've shocked myself into a realization that my childhood is no real childhood. I don't remember much truly happy moments.... Sad and ominous I realize, but you have to understand that since my parents have broken p, I have changed, I am much colder and much better at adapting.

feuer pinkeln (the first installment of The End is Nigh)

The time has come that the end is nigh. The next three posts will reflect on the cumulative year and the horrors of the stress that bad computers make. I say the end is here because this is the last week and I am three posts away from completion.

The time that I have spent blogging has been a personal Hell that I can not describing in English. In German it would be "Feuer pinkeln" meaning to pee fire. It was only like this because of the way my schedule works. My divorced parents only complicated the mess, but the fact that I only have one computer that is good for writing blogs and I got the least access to it meant a lot of frustration was waiting. I work a lot. 20-25 hours a week. On top of 35 hours of school a week and activities on the weekend resulting in about 10 more hours gave me no breaks in my 65-70 hour weeks. When I had breaks, I slept. No exceptions. When I had time to write, my mind was blown up. I just worked six hours on top of seven hours of school, why would I want more work? I bit my metaphorical bullet, to only realize that it was anthrax pill, because it made me resent blogs to a point that each blog's theme was about how education was terrible and how blogs are worthless (which I maintain).


The only days that I always had off were Sundays, for good reason. I had church in the morning and in the hours between 12 and 4:30, I did home work. At 5, I was at Upward Bound at Coe College, doing more home work and getting help along with socializing with friends (which my dad and his gf think is something punishable by death). I usually got home with about an hour of home work left. I was tired, but I dragged on to go to bed at about 12 or 1. I then slept till 5:30 whereupon I took a shower and started my week. 


Usually, each week, I maintained and increased a massive sleep debt. accompanied by those nights where I was forced to stay up till 3am doing blogs (like tonight/this morning). It really wore me down, especially when all of my friends were doing fine, where as, I was struggling. It wore me down so much that at one time I was in such a severe depression that I did nothing for a week but sit in my room thinking about how absolutely terrible I was and going to work, putting on the false bravado that men must at all times. I sat and listened to how I was stupid and how inconsiderate I was or how I wouldn't "open up." I sat around for those times where my mind would relent on my words that I used and I hurt someone on this very blog. I still feel like I'm a terrible person, but it is easier to maintain my suit of armor now with sleep. 

Guitars and Short Vindication



Antique Cigar Box Guitar

The guitar that we are modeling ours on.

Some of the first 'merican guitars, Cigar Box Guitars have a simplistic beauty to them. Over the summer, I plan on making either one of these beauties, or if I get more inspiration and ideas on how to go about it, an acoustic guitar. I've been doing some research and have found the costs and types of materials along with the construction techniques of the trade.

A Cigar Box Guitar is really just a cigar box with a stick on it with some strings.

A Cigar Box

 The box itself isn't difficult to make and the box can in fact be replicated. The fret board and neck itself constitute the most difficult parts of the guitar to build. The scale length of most guitars is 25.5 inches.

Just a Fender electric. The scale distance is measured bridge to nut.

The formula of how to place the frets is simple. You take the scale length and divide it by the inverse of the twelfth root of two. that is only for the first fret. The next fret is the amount of length left two the inverse of the twelfth root of two. This continues until you get to about 22 or 24 frets. The twelfth fret will be half of the total scale distance. Each fret is a piece of metal wedged into the wood with a saw, a hammer and some glue. Each fret brings up the pitch a half step and essentially is the difficulty of playing guitar.

The reason that I am wanting to build this is a sense that I need vindication. I need vindication that what I can do is worthwhile like the machinist in my class, the spiritual giant at church or the bassist that has had gigs since he was 14. I feel like there is this hyped up sensitivity that that I am experiencing from my own mind. I want to make something, no matter how small or large.

I want to do something that is admired and impressive. I want something to my name, so I thought why not now. Mid-Life crisis is hitting early for me I guess, but at least I'm not bald.


Igormorais

A small tribute to Igormorais who explains the ideological and physical reasons as to why the Joker won't kill Batman and why Batman won't kill the Joker. A very indepth reasoning of to why Batman makes for a good comic and movie. Hopefully, with this you can understand why the Joker does what he does and why Batman can't kill him.

Igormorais

Which church is the right one?

There is something about church hopping/shopping that leaves me uneasy. i go to a new church every weekend in hopes of finding the church that God wants me to go to and I have yet to find it yet. I've been to a Lutheran for my childhood (only on special days), an Evangelical (for about two months), a couple non-denominational, a Presbyterian, a Church of the Nazarene (for about 2 months), a Lutheran-Evangelical, and today I went to a Wesleyan.

I find that in the essence of each church, they are fundamentally the same thing. Each church has nice people. I guarantee it. about 90% of the time in these churches, the congregants will greet you without cue and many of the times that you will go to a church in Iowa, the population of the church isn't very much. The largest service that I have attended has consisted of about roughly 100 people. Most will laugh and wonder how the church still exists, but I've seen a church with just around 40 congregates and still optimistic.

I've always felt terrible when I leave a church and don't feel like the church was the one God wants me to attend. The people are so nice, the message was nice, the atmosphere was nice, I know people there, or maybe I don't, I feel like the people are all happy and confident, I feel obliged to stay, but the relentless battering of the patrons, nice for those who come without a mission is very sickening for me.

I love how nice these people are, but I feel guilty if I don't return there again even if I am certain that my quest is to continue elsewhere. I developed rules to prevent me from feeling over-obligated to going to a certain church.

• The first rule is to not go for the people, but rather the word.
• Try hard not to stay past the sermon.
• Don't ever be rude.
• Explain that you are church shopping to the people who greet you.
• Be cautious of the recommendations that you receive to visit other churches.
• Explain that you don't think that the sermon was bad (ever).

From this, I am fairly certain that I will find the church I need.

The War on Men

Today I read a short essay about the lives of men. Men who worked in the era of the feminist movement. This essay was entitled, The Men We Carry in Our Minds by Scott Russell Sanders. Written in 1987, Sanders tells us his experience of men in the world. He starts off with how there are two types. Those who work all their lives under great pressure and strain and die young and those who sit on the top, in comfort. His essay attacks feministic views of masculinity by supporting that men are under pressure their whole lives by society to be a good, rich and powerful man. He is jealous of the women who can stay at home, away from backbreaking labor and suggest that possibly, it is man who is enslaved.



I will say that in my life, is a sense, I have to agree with Sanders. When a man fails, the people he was to be the breadwinner for, just lost income. Even though the thought of being a breadwinner is a little dated, the thoughts that he presents are still relevant. "Only women lived into old age," with how better funded women's health services are, it isn't surprising that men die on average at a younger age. A study was done showing that in California, young boys commit suicide three times as much as young women.

Trying to understand this, I stumbled upon a poet responding to the Miller Lite commercial series "Man Up." This poet talks about how our culture and how it effects young men in their pursuit of happiness. The portrayals of what is and is not masculine are directly trying to show that men are supposed to fit into society and not do anything to be themselves. Masculinity is something that is getting harder and harder to define. When we as a people rose up to give women the vote and rights, it is as if we forgot about equality.

Feminist like to alliterate the thought of feminism to fighting the "War on Women." A commentator speaks on this issue saying that calling their movement a war is similar to calling women innocent of any kind of crime. A survey was taken about what men think are the biggest issues of the Men's Rights Movement and found that from the least to the most the issues of inequality are the thought of male gender roles, negative media portrayal, educational inequalities, gender discriminatory government policies, false accusation treatment, reproductive rights, social stereotypes, anti-male double standards, feminism and father's rights. I doesn't stop at just those things, but as seen in a article done by Dana Commandatore, which recently got some heat on reddit, women can objectify men too. 




There is immense pressure on men to be some sort of superhero that doesn't complain or show emotion. They are taught that women should be treated better than themselves such as when you're told by your parents to "never hit a girl." When men do things that are seen as feminine, they are bashed and insulted for doing it. Everyday I get this for working at a sub shop, because I mean, I make sandwiches for money.


Recently a female rapist in Germany is facing charges of sexual assault and illegal restraint for raping two different men at different times. She is described in the article as being a nymphomaniac rather than a rapist and the British website faced huge accusations from Mediate and Reddit for this story.


Unfortunately, the world is not equal and there are double standards and discrimination that hunts down young men. Sexism isn't just done against women, so wake up and be egalitarian.





-The Observer

Collective Destiny

We all are people in the world wondering how we got to what we are now. When you look outside, you see a window to the future from the past. That tree on the side of the road is only there because someone decided to plant it years ago. We are here because our parents decide to make us.

When we are young, we are influenced by our environment and our parents. Our society is also like a collective parent to us all. Some people think of it as fate. Fate is the thought that things are bound to happen no matter what you do and free will is ill-relevant.

Are we influenced to have certain decisions? Do our parents or friends pressure us into making decisions in our lives? In our lives, I find that their are remarkably few times where we can make choices that are not forced. Our time here on earth is dictated by those who have came before us and by those who are more powerful than us. When you do something, it effects everyone below you and behind you. Simple things can ruin lives and the thought of a better future is impossible to realize when you are so disadvantaged.

In our society, we like to believe that all men are equal. But that isn't true. When you are super rich, you have a lot more anatomy. Poor people like to believe that the rich people are different then themselves and in the thought of the knowledge that they gain from being on the streets and the things they learn about street etiquette, they are different. But contrary to social darwinistic belief, rich people and poor people are the same but with different innate responsibilities and differently grown ideas.

People are not always rich because they are hard working and some rich people get life handed to them from the golden chalice of their parents. They are the ones that hold real power and they are the people that should be the most materialistic. The more money they spend and invest, the more jobs are created and the more people can have a good income, but their is a trend that people with money don't spend their cash, but save it. When they cut salaries and wages it's to increase their profit. When they outsource, it is a global economic success but a domestic failure as the group of people who they are offering their product to suddenly becomes smaller because they can not afford it.

As much as some politicians like to believe, supply side economics is not working. I am a conservative and I can tell you that the parties of today help no one because they can not think of anything bigger than what can help them right now. Each debate is two-sided and no candidate shows any real potential as they have to appease the voting population who is apart of their party. Money dictates what you can do and the devil will nip out in hell before a poor man can become president. The people in power control our lives.

The few times that we have actual or atlases some direct control on our fate or destinies is when we are with extreme interactions with other people. When you get married with out any pressure and just for the whim of an ideal thought of "true love," you can achieve a thing that no one else can. People will try to theorize that maybe you married someone like one of your parents, but in the end, you did it because you can. The same thing happens in divorce too.

Don't get stuck up in the thought that you are doomed to the life you are given, but realize that you can attempt to change your temperament and in me saying this, in effect it would be the same as If I was saying that you can not.

Your life is your life and when you are faced with the choices that effect other people, that is your time to show off, make the right decisions and someday you'll be honored and upheld as a model of a human being.

-The Observer

The Rules of Servitude

The Fabled Rules of the Internet were originally created on /b/ and were intended to be the groundwork meaning of 4cahn. Each set of rules are different excluding the first 30ish and 34, 35, and a few others. Though most people agree with a large amount, many are made up to take the place of different rules that they deem illrelevent. The first 100 are generally considered to be about the same everytime, here is my personal selection of what describes the internet and more specifically, 4chan.

(Excuse the Language)

THE RULES OF THE INTERNET

1. Do not talk about /b/
2. Do NOT talk about /b/
3. We are Anonymous.
4. Anonymous is legion.
5. Anonymous does not forgive, Anonymous does not forget.
6. Anonymous can be horrible, senseless, uncaring monster.
7. Anonymous is still able to deliver.
8. There are no real rules about posting.
9. There are no real rules about moderation either — enjoy your ban.
10. If you enjoy any rival sites — DON'T.
11. You must have pictures to prove your statement.
12. Lurk moar — it's never enough.
13. Nothing is Sacred.
14. Do not argue with a troll — it means that they win.
15. The more beautiful and pure a thing is, the more satisfying it is to corrupt it.
16. There are NO girls on the internet.
17. A cat is fine too.
18. One cat leads to another.
19. The more you hate it, the stronger it gets.
20. It is delicious cake. You must eat it.
21. It is delicious trap. You must hit it. 

27. It needs more Desu. No exceptions.
28. There will always be more fucked up shit than what you just saw.  

34. There is porn of it. No exceptions.
35. If no porn is found of it, it will be created.
36. No matter what it is, it is somebody's fetish. No exceptions.
37. Even one positive comment about Japanese things can make you a weeaboo.
38. When one sees a lion, one must get into the car
39. There is furry porn of it. No exceptions.
40. The pool is always closed due to AIDS (and stingrays, which also have AIDS).
41. If there isn't enough just ask for Moar.
42. Everything has been cracked and pirated. 

44. The internet is not your personal army.
45. Rule 45 is a lie.
46. The cake is a lie

50. Anything can be a meme.
51. Longcat is looooooooooong.
52. If something goes wrong, Ebaums did it.
53. Anonymous is a virgin by default.  

56. Don't mess with football. 

58. Anonymous does not "buy", he downloads.  

62. The internet is SERIOUS FUCKING BUSINESS.
63. If you do not believe it, then it must be habeebed for great justice.
64. Not even Spider-Man knows how to shot web. 

67. One does not simply shoop da whoop into Mordor.
68. Katy is bi, so deal w/it.
69. LOL SIXTY NINE AMIRITE?  

78. Mods are fucking fags. No exceptions.
79. All Caturday threads will be bombarded with Zippocat. No exceptions. 

94. If someone herd u liek Mudkips, deny it constantly for the lulz.
95. Combo breakers are inevitable. If the combo is completed successfully, it is gay.
96. I am a huge faggot. Please rape my face.
97. Shit sucks and will never be stickied.
98. Bricks must are required to be shat whenever Anonymous is surprised.
99. If you have no bricks to shit, you are made of fail and AIDS.  

101. The internet is always right. No exceptions
102. The internet is really, really great, FOR PORN.

- The Observer

Free Will

Do we truly have free will? Can we really shape our destinies or is something stronger than us controlling our decisions? I think that to a point, we have control over specific indivisual things like what to do in a very specific time between eating or sleeping or talking or remaining silent, but for almost anything else, we have no choice. Each day we are influenced to do not want we want, but what society wants. In a few years I will go to college. I do not want to go to college at all, but the government, the economy and other people are influencing me so greatly to go to college, that I will.

What is frightning is that when we look at the things that we want, it isn't likely what we want, but just what we are made into wanting. I've heard of teachers who went back to school twice to get a degree in business, psychology and finally get a teaching degree while playing football until both of his kids were born. Today he is happy and will tell you about the times in his life where he made the mistake of trying to make so much money. He went to business school because, "society told me I needed money and business is where the money is." He eventually grew discontented and began to hate his job and life at his firm. He got out of it and is happy as a coach and teacher.

White People

In society, what is hard to comprehend is how their are two different cultures at the same time. As human beings, we have a drive and need to belong. We usually act fairly similar to each other to fit in with each other. The better we are at fitting in, the better we feel about ourselves. What the problem is, is that currently, there is only two cultures in our society. As hipsters would put it, theres the mainstream and as historians would call it, there is also the counter culture. When as a child, you are brought up to be both unique and the same, it has a certain undefinable effect on you. It is as if our whole lives are in conflict of just two sides. Political parties, Justin Beiber fans and haters, religous people and aethists and a whole number more.

When you try to be different and make your own descions, you become a part of the counter culture that is another group just as large as the mainstream. You can't take a step in any direction but that of enslavement to society, no matter how hard you try.
-The Observer

Birth Control

Recently my school's newspaper came out with an article discussing the sexual liberty of women. Lets call the author, Ms. Z. Z basically tries to attack two major things, Rush Limbaugh and the infamous Blunt Amendment. I personally would like to outright state that I have nothing against women or if they choose to take contraceptives whether for sexual use or medicinal use, but when they want these things to be insured, I will strongly disagree. I don't find that men's sexual products like Viagra being insured to be a good thing either.



Ms. Z talks about how only she has a right to her body, well that and her doctor, of course... but then immediately goes on to say that only she has the decision whether or not to use birth control. My immediate reaction was, are you old enough and what do your parents think, but then again, as she likes to point out, other than preventing pregnancy, it has many health benefits.

Other than that though, she tries to debunk the congressional leaders by stating that, "Part of the problem is that many of these college-educated, influential political leaders seem confused at what birth control even does." I find it funny how she discredits their knowledge by saying that the college education that these people have and their pressure to have right answers by being constantly in the spot light makes them in-knowledgeable about women's reproductive health. (Huge straw man I know, but I think that when you make a statement like that, you are asking for it.)

After reading this, I just wondered, does she have any understanding of any modernized faith. When you force businesses to deny their faith's doctrines it is religious intolerance even if some women consider it a creepy form of sexual slavery. It would be like enforcing a private christian school to hand out free condoms and birth control pills because some people think that if they want to have sex, then they can. I don't care who you are, but the Blunt amendment states that if the company doesn't believe in providing contraception it doesn't have to. If you disagree with what they think, find someone else to work for. You might say that this economy is bad, but as you state, birth control for women costs $15-$50 per month, so  technically, you are making a financial gain by transferring to a company that provides birth control.

Yes, because when you believe that life starts at contraception, trying to prevent abortion is a crime... ಠ_ಠ

I am not saying that women shouldn't have birth control under any circumstances, I am just saying that any birth control being forced on companies that don't support it is ethically wrong. Her photo accompanying this is a picture of her biting her finger looking seductive, which I'm sure is a great way to get across her point that birth control isn't just for sluts.

Especially when it's just infighting in our own country, tearing our union apart,

ಠ_ಠ I hate propaganda...