Spreading the Fever: A Humble Opinion on "Occupy Together".

*Disclaimer: The following post is more serious in style than my previous blogs. As a reader, you will encounter bits of concrete, straightforward personal opinion rather than cheap, witty political jokes. If not little, to none at all. Also, sorry for the whale-ish length of this post. I was inspired by sole truthiness.


*Disclaimer #2: Damn, this is long. If you claim you've read it all, I'll give you a free sample of Mitt Romney's ego. It's gonna save your business and brag about it for decades!



It is only October 7th and already the Occupy Together, which saw its birthplace in Lower Manhattan and conceive originally as Occupy Wall Street, has already spread its influence (in most part injected from the political revolutions in the Middle East collectively known as The Arab Spring) throughout the most important cities in the United States.

Writing in utter honesty, I can personally say that I humbly support the points, ideas, and the core essence of the movement and the different approaches these people, united in solidarity (excuse my Latin American Socialist jargon), bring to the issues that they are combating. So far, I have also enjoyed the peaceful manner onto which they have set as the basis of that charismatic, neo-countercultural, protesting style; however, as a human being that bears a certain sense of individual opinion, I also agree that the outcome is bound to end in bureaucratic failure.

I shall proceed to establish a number of points that will hopefully relate to my argument and subsequently support it.

While the United States and its population has experienced a decade of greed and socioeconomic imbalance and the protests are well defined by the right to free speech and moral justice, the country is also noted for being frankly more developed and, at some objective extent, far more transparent than most governments in the world. The need for revolution in a nation as modernized as the United States is far from being necessary.

The movement itself is incredibly disorganized. And, although its presence over the internet is well-known and somewhat nifty, it lacks physical balance and order; demonstrations holding this magnitude, with many sub-movements and deltas, require formal representation from various leaders that are willing to share a common agenda with their entourage; to adapt a quote from George Carlin, "poetic, but impossible".


The rules of capitalism, a system on which the United States has systematically developed and grown into, abides to the very deep of howl of being humans, we are all greedy and selfish by nature. These two "emotional stigmas" adapt steadily into a person's character once they assume a great position of power. In short, no such thing as a Philosopher King is possible; every person that ascends to a position of hegemony and leadership is bound to be at least a little greedy, regardless the economic and political systems we find ourselves living in.

That being said, the influence that capitalism has evoked into the sharping of modern-day United States is quite large, for good and for bad. While most of the socially democratic points that these protesters argue for may eventually incorporate into a more liberal America in the near-future, some are too extreme and base-lacking, such as eliminating the Federal Reserve and dismantling the Military-Industrial Complex off the American political system. Again, socialist-democratic entreats have employed themselves into the economic development of "highly advanced, but not quite there" nations, as it is the case of Argentina, Chile, and even Brazil. Geez, it has worked perfectly for Scandinavia and, for a long period of time, post-Celtic Tiger Ireland; however, we may only limit our system to adopt a handful of foundations that make up these ideals, such as universal healthcare and government-induced sanctions and regulations on corporations. Just throwing that out there.

While manifestations as largely concentrated as these could result in subsequent success like (if the reference fits) the Civil Rights Movement, a protest that assumes a vast number of "radical" stances in the eye of mainstream American politics will only fade with time, with a legacy rich in motive but rather poor in actual legislative and executive influence.

Democratic change, while allegedly granted and left to the people (as it should be), is mainly up to our leaders and representatives, who, by the way, we often tend to elect out of desperation driven by empty promises, generalizing a candidate by its party. Our leaders will only bring change if they desire to do so; In the midst of an event as important as this, our constitutional vote for change is not any vaguer than the ease of creating a political limbo of stigmatizing, reforming, vetoing, overriding, passing, and then stigmatizing again. The circle goes on and on and it takes unimaginable years to understand, let alone break.

Finally, to wrap up this post that resembles the structure of a really unnecessary essay, the closest alternative to bring change into the map is to elect our representatives among the crowd of young, bright minds across this movement. Be prepared to be disappointed when human nature strikes them, though. It's going be a long, long, long process to see the minimal amount of progress. And, as far as I'm concerned, the conservative sphere that has inflicted bias into American society is huge. Only a handful are wise enough to see pass it.

Well, I'm sorry for this testament being too big. I promise next time I will blog about Bill O'Reilly's claim that anyone agreeing with these protests is a "darn hippie". God, I love that guy.

This is my opinion and my opinion only, not a statement that ought to be taken for granted. Feel free to challenge it; I'll be more than happy to embark on a friendly debate.

Thanks for keeping up.

Ruy.

P.S: Did you really read all of it? Geez, that's dedication. Here's a picture of Michele Bachman with  funny captions written on it as a cheap reward:



 

Dennis the Menace? Nah, just Republicans

Disclaimer: I drift off topic sometimes. Excuse my anger. 

I've been starting to analyze situation after issue, and begun to think that Republicans are not stupid, but immensely evil. Yet, not Karl Rove evil, but “five year old, stealing candy from his little brother” evil.

And the reason I evoke such a quasi-charismatic association in the name of our favorite party-foulers parallels their most recent endeavor which, by the way, is starting to borderline the 21^st century of cliché; Cut Spending.

By all means, I am not against cut spending when it comes attached to a pretty good reason, let alone if it is utterly necessary; However, the GOP's fonding of spending cuts has reached its peak (or maybe not). The plan to cut Pell Grants, heating subsidies for the poor, and cut off NPR from federal grants is on the way.

Several emotions closely related to anger and anxiety come to one's mind when the outrages news arrive to our door. Nonetheless, irony and sarcasm are always here to save us.

No, seriously, in the midst of Republicans and Maniacs accusing an entire generation of Socializing America and bringing our future back to the good' ol days of red, these people actually have the Yarbles* to go out and imply they're getting public opinion radio off the air and forbidding (or at least making it way tougher) poor teenagers from pursuing a college education.

And what the hell? Cutting heat and health subsidies for the poor to alleviate further possibility of inflation? Are we living in Burma? Damn, that Paul Ryan must be really happy right now...

...And the rich were filled with glee that day.

Now, in the vain of the GOP's five year plans, suppressing of the poor and talented (Oh, yes. They are also cutting grants for better-performing schools), and screwing with public radio, let's never forget Republicans go by the color red.

Have a great decade.

*Using “A Clockwork Orange” argot to keep the message clean and subtle.  

Poetry in Disguise

Ah, the infamous GOP Debate; Your favorite Washington clowns debating a questionable amount of crap in the same room. It's almost like that Simpsons episode where they had all of Homer's stupid relatives trying to prove they might as well sign up for mental retardation.

And while eloquently evoking their empty arguments in such a provocative manner, I've begun to ask myself whether these people actual follow certain guidelines to make their idiocy sound like poetry. Yes, folks, meticulous, vague, ridiculous poetry.

By all means, we all enjoyed the systematic blows Rick Perry received from his fellow Republicans. And the heated encounter between the former and Mitt Romney. And what about the crowd's warm ovation to Ron Paul when he chronicled how he rather let a man die for not paying for medicare? Such an extraordinary amount of passion could only be summoned every three and a half years.

Yet, what I'm trying to achieve with this entry is not to focus on the truthiness of these GOP candidates, but rather on a certain piece of poetry I stumbled upon while browsing the interwebs while having a fancy introduction in the process.

The following was written by Taylor Mali. And it's probably one of the “Holy Grails” of the Internet.

Have a good day you, people. I beg you to enjoy the poem.

How to Write a Political Poem
By Taylor Mali
www.taylormali.com

However it begins, it's gotta be loud
and then it's gotta get a little bit louder.
Because this is how you write a political poem
and how you deliver it with power.

Mix current events with platitudes of empowerment.
Wrap up in rhyme or rhyme it up in rap until it sounds true.

Glare until it sinks in.

Because somewhere in Florida, votes are still being counted.
I said somewhere in Florida, votes are still being counted!

See, that's the Hook, and you gotta' have a Hook.
More than the look, it's the hook that is the most important part.
The hook has to hit and the hook's gotta fit.
Hook's gotta hit hard in the heart.

Because somewhere in Florida, votes are still being counted.

And Dick Cheney is peeing all over himself in spasmodic delight.
Make fun of politicians, it's easy, especially with Republicans
like Rudy Giuliani, Colin Powell, and . . . Al Gore.
Create fatuous juxtapositions of personalities and political philosophies
as if communism were the opposite of democracy,
as if we needed Darth Vader, not Ralph Nader.

Peep this: When I say "Call,"
you all say, "Response."

Call! Response! Call! Response! Call!

Amazing Grace, how sweet the—

Stop in the middle of a song that everyone knows and loves.
This will give your poem a sense of urgency.
Because there is always a sense of urgency in a political poem.
There is no time to waste!
Corruption doesn't have a curfew,
greed doesn't care what color you are
and the New York City Police Department
is filled with people who wear guns on their hips
and carry metal badges pinned over their hearts.
Injustice isn't injustice it's just in us as we are just in ice.
That's the only alienation of this alien nation
in which you either fight for freedom
or else you are free and dumb!

And even as I say this somewhere in Florida, votes are still being counted.

And it makes me wanna beat box!

Because I have seen the disintegration of gentrification
and can speak with great articulation
about cosmic constellations, and atomic radiation.
I've seen D. W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation
but preferred 101 Dalmations.
Like a cross examination, I will give you the explanation
of why SlamNation is the ultimate manifestation
of poetic masturbation and egotistical ejaculation.

And maybe they are still counting votes somewhere in Florida,
but by the time you get to the end of the poem it won't matter anymore.

Because all you have to do is close your eyes,
lower your voice, and end by saying:

the same line three times,
the same line three times,
the same line three times.

Wipe dem Moslims - I mean, monsters.

 It's a meticulous Tuesday afternoon. The birds chirp to the Star Spangled Banner, the trees wave the sound of independence, and Fox news do their thing, being as sassy as possible. What kind of compelling idea does Fox News plan to present to the fear-mongering red side of America this marvelous day? Could be a two hour rant about how Obama isn't white? Or perhaps some vicarious report regarding an America that's becoming more socialist by the minute and an interview with some random upper class man arguing how messing with his healthcare will somehow prevent his children from having a beach house in California? Nope; it's actually about Fox's favorite subject: "them Moslims"

 Apparently (And by all means, TRUE), our hero of the daily news, totally not biased, has been reporting how difficult and soul-consuming it is for teachers throughout the land of the free to educate their students about 9/11 and the "Moslim World". 

So, in the vain of all this chaos that's been strangely lasting 10 years now, we still seem to struggle with not associating the "terror attacks" with the entire Arabic Peninsula. 

And while some teachers have been reportedly describing the entire Muslim ideology and their members, including the coordinators of the attacks, as Monsters, others chronicle how traumatic it is to explain in detail the events prior, during, and following 9/11. 

So, cutting all the political bandwagon, I'm yet to understand how easy has been for educators to read their students stories about the good ol' crusades, the inquisition, the Holocaust, the Munich Massacre, the Vietnam War, The Iran-Contra affair, the U.S occupation and exploitation of Latin American Countries, the Monroe Doctrine and the Roosevelt Corollary, and, finally, the conflict in the Middle East without holding and inflicting any cultural bias about Christianity and the American world in general to these Elementary School Students. It turns out, this subject is "too scary" to touch. 

You know what? Maybe I'm just crazy. And maybe Sarah Palin is a sharp cookie. Maybe Fox News is a legitimate medium whose purpose isn't to monger fear among us, but a wake call telling us we're never gonna get over it for the better of a free America.

Maybe a foreigner shouldn't stick his nose where it doesn't belong. Just sayin'.

Compelling Humor and First World Problems: Monty Python's Flying Congress.

 In the midst of current events, and certainly in the stupidity of an entire political entity, I've been finding myself resourcing to the comedic talents of George Carlin and Louis C.K in order to not let my useless, foreign anger mix with divergent feelings of social anxiety and moral dilemmas, which, by the way, make me question the integrity of the country I've been living for the last month.

But what really keeps me motivated to not believe that there is no hope for humanity, let alone a population consumed by mainstream ignorance, is the surreal genius of the Monty Python's Flying Circus crew.

The Pythons have deliberately “sabotaged” the way I think of the modern world; I have, too, applied a vast range of the Python's best sketches to current-day struggles. And by “struggles” I mean three CEO's deciding whether to get an estate in Aspen, an one million dollar toilet, or a brand new wife.

So, while contrasting the most hilarious bits of the Flying Circus with these “first world problems”, I encountered myself fond of a particular sketch to apply to the American Debt Ceiling Crisis and almost any failure at reaching a compromise to satisfy a common goal: The “Spam” sketch.

If you are not familiar with the sketch, here's a nifty YouTube link: 

Indeed, my socially awkward friends; The Spam sketch is the manifestation of everyday politics in a nutshell. This is where it gets good – when we start imagine the structure of Congress to the picture of that amazing skit.

Note to the reader: Comparing the genius of the Pythons with the mediocrity of Congressmen makes me die a little inside...

...But I digress.

Just imagine Obama shouting out the possible ways of resolving the conflict while John Boehner, dressed as a creepy old woman, rejects every single option from the menu. Meanwhile, the “supercommittee” abruptly interrupts Boehner with a pretty catchy song that goes, “debt, debt, debt, we love debts”.

So, yeah. I basically rely in surreality, randomness, and political idiocy to develop a pretty strange sense of humor.

Let the talent of the Pythons fill your angst with glee.