A Political Post

I watched this PBS documentary called "God in America" which was extremely interesting.  It's basically broke down exactly how the Evangelicals became so involved and influential in conservative politics.  It's all Reagan's fault.  This explains why the relatively large community of conservative-extremists I shared a high school with seemed to worship Reagan.  Hmm.

Anyway, from watching this documentary and thinking quite a bit, I concluded that if the Right Wing wants to realistically end abortion, they have to stop treating it like a political issue and begin to understand it as a social issue.  I mean, in Iran, abortion is illegal, which is what the Right Wing wants--it wants to obliterate Planned Parenthood and clinics that offer abortions.  Okay.  Well, conversely, in Iran it is legal to sell one of your kidneys, granted that it meets certain standards.  In fact, Iran is the only country that allows the sale of kidneys. That's ridiculous, right?  Yeah, people can live with one kidney, but why would anyone be so desperate for money that they would sell a kidney?  The answer is simple:  They need the money to pay for black market drugs (that may or may not be expired), and to then pay half-ass operation, under-the-table, group of shady individuals to perform an illegal (and not to mention completely unregulated by medical professionals) abortion.  Now, you may think I am inferring this, but I am not--I have watched several documentaries and researched the issue.  Clearly, the legal status of abortion makes little difference in the existence of the procedure.

The question, then, is how does one actually put an end to abortion?  For me, it seems that Pro-Life Conservatives need to adopt some rather liberal ideals.  Starting with teaching legitimate sexual education courses in school and promoting the use of contraceptives during sex. (Notice what I did there?  I said, "promoting the use of contraceptives during sex" not "promoting sex", which seems to be a common misinterpretation of the syntax.  Please, see the difference.)  This would also included changing the legal system's attitude towards rape from "Don't get raped" to the simple, but efficient "Don't rape".  And perhaps it wouldn't hurt if everyone came to terms with the idea that women can function in the workplace just as well as men, with or without wanting to "settle down and have a family"--career motivated women can also be good mothers, just as career motivated men can also be good fathers.  Men don't have to make a choice, so why should the workplace pressure women into doing so?

Right there, I have outlined every possibly politics-related reason a woman would have an abortion, and it seems to eliminate these reasons politically, the Right Wing Conservatives should consider crossing party lines for a spell.  I will concede that there are several other reasons why a woman would want to get an abortion, but the remaining reasons boil down to social-economic and moral atmosphere and personal choice, which for the most part cannot be regulated politically.  Hence why I said abortion should be treated as a social issue earlier in this post.  And, yes, because those remaining factors cannot be regulated politically, adopting the aforementioned liberal ideals will not bring a complete end to abortion, but it is the closest thing to an end any Pro-Life advocate can realistically hope for.  And if, in the words of John Winthrop and later Ronald Reagan, America truly wants to be a "shining city on a hill" for all of society to look towards, our only concern is that we are closer to perfect than anyone else.  When it comes to abortion, this is the only way to accomplish that.

Unpopular Opinion

America is a nation built on hypocrisy and betrayal.

I am sorry if that is hard for some of my readers to hear, but it is the truth.

If you disagree, I suggest you learn about a people called "Native Americans".  I know they aren't that popular these days, but it would probably be worth your while.

We killed a way of life, and we said God smiled on us.

Ready? Go!

I am slowly coming to terms with the facts that:

1. I love pop-culture more than being cultured.
2. I love dance music even if the lyrics suck.
3. And sometimes the lyrics don't suck so give the happy music a chance, people.
4. I can't dance, but I love doing it.
5. Everything is going to be fine.

....WE FOUND LOVE IN HOPELESS PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This and That.

Since the beginning of time, it's been one thing.

And believe me, I tried others, but nothing else makes me feel like I am living my life.

However, just because this is the only choice, that doesn't mean it's going to be easy. I am going to have to work my ass off. But it will be okay, because I am guaranteed to be satisfied.

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I'm going to be twenty on Thursday.

The people in my Novel class called me a baby.

Why do I feel too old?

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Really? Just let me know how you are doing.

Is that really too much for you to handle?

Exciting

I finally was selected to beta test Star Wars: The Old Republic. I know that may seem like an overly nerdy thing to blog about, but you have to understand: The first thing I did as a legal adult was sign up for the testing program. That was nearly two years ago, and I am finally getting the payoff. It's a big deal to me. When I got the email, I just started screaming and I immediately had to call my mother. This is the coolest thing ever.

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My birthday is in a week. I don't know how I feel about being twenty, or rather I don't know how I feel about not being a teenager anymore. I can pretty much guarantee that I will feel like a teenager long after the 17th. So I have to wonder, when does that feeling go away? And if it never does, is that a problem? I hope not.

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It was really nice to hear someone else tell me to "just go for it." I'll remember you. You don't think I will, but I know I will.

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I'm ready to get this show on the road.

An Album Review?

Okay, so I downloaded Switchfoot's latest album, Vice Verses, just for kicks. I have honestly tried to like Switchfoot several times in my life. I had three of their albums before downloading this one and when they came to LU last year, I thought they put on an amazing show. But they have never stuck with me. I thought that maybe this album would change that.

Nope.

To me, Switchfoot is a band that makes good singles or has a few good tracks an album, but they have never composed an entire album that I could listen to and love through and through. Vice Verses is no exception to this. Let's go track by track.

1. Afterlife - It's a decent opener. It has this revolutionary vibe to it, carpe diem or whatever, but it's way too similar to Switchfoot's earlier hit Meant to Live for me. I mean....it's essentially the same message. Still, it's a good song. It has an interesting rhythm to it and a nice sound.
2. The Original - Sometimes I think Switchfoot forgets that they have made many, many albums. Sometimes I think that they really think their ideas are so fantastic that they need put out track after track about them. This song...I mean, who were they writing for? The fourteen year old girl in all of us? Be original. That's what this song says. OVER and OVER and OVER. I kept getting the distinct vision of a teen-dance-party montage during this song. Not cool.
3. The War Inside - Musically, this song is pretty interesting. Again, however, the idea of personal/spiritual revolution is preached. This song really makes me wonder who Switchfoot's audience truly is. But more on that later. However, the line "We are the kids of the in-between" bothered me to no end. These are middle-aged men. And they are not profound enough to pull off transcendentalism like Emerson.
4. Restless - The song is, again, a song of searching and or the re-invention of self. That's basically all that's on this album. Except this one is a ballad. Joy.
5. Blinding Light - OH LOOK, it's a repeat of track four, but instead of a teenage girl, we've got a boy. Granted, this song is pretty fun musically. We've got a cool drumbeat and a nice bassline. I'm trying to figure out if Switchfoot would rather be a motivational speaking outfit. SO UPLIFTING.
6. Selling the News - WHERE DO I BEGIN WITH THIS SONG? See, it's this kind of crap that really bothers me with Switchfoot. They ALWAYS have a track where they just decided to get on a soapbox and rant about the media. About how "truth" gets muddled in everyday life. It's so ridiculous. I can't deal with it. I actually get angry because where do they get off condemning the media? THEY ARE PART OF THE MEDIA. Look, I get it, I lived through American Idiot, I understand the whole rebellion thing. But all this song is saying is that the media is this ugly, lying entity, and that by being suspicious of everything (rather than just secular sources), we are becoming just as bad as the evil perpetuated in the media--that Switchfoot is somehow separated from. Probably the most disturbing verse of this song is the line "See, opinions are easier to swallow than facts/the greys instead of the whites and the blacks." Anyone who knows anything about Switchfoot knows that they are a semi-Christian band that construct their songs in such a way that they always have two meanings: a secular one and a Christian one. Knowing this, what that line says from a Christian standpoint is to only accept the "truth" and nothing else. However, it presumes that the "truth" has one true and consistent interpretation. This is completely untrue. This song is promoting a closed-minded perspective without compassion for those who come from a different viewpoint, which is holistically an very un-Christian stance. Christianity has always been perceived as a spirituality of compassion and understanding, and this song contradicts that in the very first verse.
7. Thrive - Another lovely ballad about spiritual re-invention. Nothing new. I am beginning to wonder if Switchfoot as produced anything truly "new" since 2004.
8. Dark Horses - At least this song is musically exciting. I wouldn't mind learning this on guitar. In fact, I actually like this song. Yeah, it's uplifting and about revolution and about spiritual re-invention, but it's presented in such a way that I don't want to punch anyone in the face. Good job.
9. Souvenirs - This song is probably the best song on the album because it's not general. Switchfoot isn't trying to take this transcendentalist viewpoint on spiritual revolution. This is a personal song. It's real. It's about love and loss. A listener can relate to it on a very personal level, but it's still only the speaker's message. If Switchfoot could do this for a few more tracks, I might like them. But alas.
10. Rise Above It - On the whole, aside from the energetic music, this song is entirely uninteresting. See tracks 1-5 and 7.
11. Vice Verse - This is a song about being human. Such a new concept about for Switchfoot. Very Emersonian....lame.
12. Where I Belong - This song is seven minutes long. I love the music, so I just ignore everything else. I mean, the message is fine...but it's basically a repeat of this entire album. Nothing remarkable.

I mean, it's not like I hate this album. I like a lot of the songs, but they shouldn't all be on the same album. They all say the same thing over and over. And it's boring. I am tired of hearing about spiritual awakening from Switchfoot. That's all they every talk about. And if I weren't a Christian, I have a hard time believing that I would find anything worthwhile in with this band. As it stands, I feel like I am being preached to. That's not cool. If I wanted that, I would listen to worship music. I mean, they aren't musically interesting or lyrically clever enough to get away with it like Relient K. Their lyrical concepts kind of sound like a broken record. I just wish they would branch out and stop trying to be uplifting, and just write music. Write songs they personally believe in, rather than promote general, transcendental Christian ideals. It's getting really old.

Thoughts

Ten minutes ago, I just realized that my dorm window overlooks the lake on campus. I looked out my window and literally froze. All I could see was green lake and the trees with their orange leaves.

Today, it's cold. Fall cold. And it's cloudy, but still bright.

Looking out the window, I thought, "My life is awesome. Life is beautiful. Everything is beautiful."

On the way back to my dorm this morning (pre-lake revelation), I realized that I could have a pretty nice normal life, but I don't want one. I refuse to live an average life. I refuse it.

So when I saw the lake, when I saw the beauty there, I realized I was making the right choice.