Thursday, October 15, 2015

These Are Not Kit's Thoughts... Maybe They Should Be?

With Kit lying in a Democratic-Debate-Induced Coma, I am taking over his post tonight. Now, what should I write? Hmm. I know, I'll write some random thoughts that I'm pretty sure Kit believes. :) So sue him if you don't like these!

Hipster Beards: I hate hipster beards. Seriously, when did looking like hillbilly trash become a good look? Are you going to decorate your house with a meth lab too? And do you know what else? Just like all the idiots who got "tribal" tattoos to show their individuality, none of you looks like an individual doing this. To the contrary, you look like an army of clones. How do you show your individuality by doing what everyone else is doing anyways?

The F-35: Why are we building an airplane that doesn't do anything better than the plane it's replacing? I keep reading about this thing and it sounds like an expensive step backwards. I know that military systems tend to improve in the field, but this seems like a serious mistake.

What Fringe Commentarama Would Be Like: OMG! There are killer Islamic TERMINATOR robots driving a secret CHINESE aircraft carrier to Syria to somethingsomething... or so I'm told. It's all OBAMA's fault! He spends all his time spying on my house!!! We must destroy the GOP to stop Obama!! I hate you Jennifer Lawrence!!!

Aren't you glad that's not us?

Make It Stop!: If there is a God, then hear me. Why have you cursed us with the Kardashian plague? Have we sinned against you? Can't we have the syphilitic toads instead?

Ain't Got No Dignity: What the hell is going on with all these supposedly respectable actors and actresses going on talk shows to answer questions like "which of your co-stars would you f*ck and which would you kill?" Is there no dignity left in these people? And who says you can't do both to all your co-stars? No creativity... no originality... no dignity.

Sexism: You want an example of sexism? This ==> the girl posse or girl gang or whatever they call it. You know what I'm talking about, right? This is when some actress or singer gathers together a group of other "women" and they act like friends and partners and cohorts and they talk about banding together for empowerment (which I believe translates into pillow fights). But have you noticed that they only pick other hot young women? Not one of these posses includes women who are fat or ugly or old. So maybe if women want to talk about sexism holding them back... maybe they should look at themselves first.

Water... waaaaater: Like a parched camel on its last hump, NASA thinks they found water under the surface of Mars. That is soooo cool. That means we may colonize Mars in our lifetimes! I wonder how long it will take for the first environmentalist to whine about our carbon footprint on Mars?

Ethical Question: Is it wrong to pass a school bus when its red light is flashing and the stop sign is out? What if you found yourself sitting behind it for five minutes as the driver worked to get a wheel-chair bound kid strapped into place? Isn't there some sort of five minute mercy rule or something? Doesn't it seem like the driver shouldn't have turned on the sign in the first place if it was going to take that long?

46 comments:

Kit said...

I'm not in a "Democrat-Debate-Induced coma" but I think my Macbook is. Hence, I am using my iPad, which isn't conducive to writing 700+ word posts. At least for me.

AndrewPrice said...

According to analysts, you are incorrect Kit. They predicted the death of the computer and the laptop because tablets were going to replace them because there's just no need for anything else when you have a tablet.

ArgentGale said...

Heh, good thoughts all around regardless. I'm always thankful this site doesn't go for the fringe and keeps to good, thoughtful commentary. It makes for a nice break after getting a few eyefuls of both fringe left and right lunacy on Facebook and similar places. The water on Mars thing definitely has some interesting prospects, too. I'm not sure what the deal with the hipster beard thing is, either, but I seem to be running into their fans quite a bit when browsing dating sites and the like. Not too encouraging. BTW, Andrew, did you get the e-mail I sent you earlier this week?

- Daniel

AndrewPrice said...

Daniel,

I would go insane if I did the insane fringe stuff... left or right. Life is just too short to work yourself into a bunker mentality!

The water thing is really amazing to me. Lack of water was the biggest stumbling block to colonization. So I'll be curious to see what happens now.

I just don't get the hipster beard. And I actually watched a little baseball this week and was shocked to see it everywhere... or it was the same guy wearing dozens of different numbers (not sure).

Sorry, no email. Can you send it again? I'll watch my spam filter. It's a little over enthusiastic sometimes.

ArgentGale said...

Just re-sent it, Andrew.

- Daniel

ScottDS said...

Re: fringe - I like that there's nothing fringe about this place, save for maybe Andrew's opinion of Stanley Kubrick. ;-)

Re: beards - I can't totally hate hipster beards, mainly because I can't seem to grow one (hipster or otherwise) myself. I can do scruff just fine, but I once went two months without shaving and bupkes - no beard. I'd at least like to give it a try, dammit!

Re: J-Law - I said it the other day but the speed with which a site like BH goes from love to hate reeks of psychosis. Conservatives don't deserve the culture if they're going to imply an impossible standard to people. Hell, if Clint Eastwood couldn't keep their trust (after he did that Detroit "Get America moving again" spot, a few folks were more than disappointed), what hope does anyone else have?!

Interestingly, an actual conservative website called The Federalist kinda sorta supported her. I don't have the link handy but you'll find it.

And Bradley Cooper has come out supporting her. What will BH do now that the star of their precious American Sniper is now a card-carrying Commie Mexican? :-D

Re: Mars - I think this is all very exciting and it's nice to have some news that isn't full of doom and gloom.

tryanmax said...

As far as trends go, I'll take hipster beards over lip piercings, facial tattoos and goth in general. At least, for the most part, the hipster beards are clean and tidy, as opposed to smelly, unkempt hippie beards.

If I were in an analytical mood, I would say the resurgence of beards follows the resurgence of Victorian-esque sexual repression, where the popular culture abounds with sexuality, but the social norms place severe, unnavigable strictures on sexuality and honor codes place tight boundaries around overt expressions of masculinity. (Think affirmative consent laws and so-called toxic masculinity.) In other words, beards are--ironically--an outward sign of an effete society. (Don't tell ISIS.)

Critch said...

I'm reminded that people like Lamar Odom die in whorehouses all the time, and back alleys and car trunks. If that is the side of life you prefer to walk on you can bet your death will not be with dignity. Dorothy Kilgallen wrote something to the effect that these sordid people live sordid lives and die sordid deaths...

BevfromNYC said...

"...OMG! There are killer Islamic TERMINATOR robots driving a secret CHINESE aircraft carrier to Syria to somethingsomething..

NOBODY TOLD ME THIS!!!! RUN!!!!! INFOWARS, YOU FAILED ME! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

That is all...

BevfromNYC said...

re: Hipster beards and such...
"Birds of a feather flock together." So, if everyone has a "hipster beard" who really are the avant garde cool ones? Also, if there are others who feel "less than" because they cannot grow a proper "hipster beard", that would mean that hipster beards are form of bullying and micro-aggressions that must be stopped.

But mostly Tryanmax is actually right. It has everything to do with sexual repression. As men become more and more marginalized for being men (see: Yes means Yes campaigns), young men have to be able to exert their masculinity in some way even as repressed into believing they are bullies and tyrants. What is more masculine than a beard?

AndrewPrice said...

Scott, There are some lines you should not cross. If your body won't grow a hipster beard, that's because it's trying to tell you something!

BH has become an entirely reactionary site. They freak out as a matter of course. Reagan and Jesus could come back from the dead together at the same time and they would find reasons to freak out.

AndrewPrice said...

tryanmax, "Don't tell ISIS." LOL!

You know what? I agree with you. I've noticed that the guys who do the hipster beards are generally not very masculine. Islam too seem to be the philosophy of insecure men.

Interesting. So the beard is a way to hide their lack of masculinity.

AndrewPrice said...

Critch, There was an article the other day about a "young mother" who was found so badly beaten that they didn't even know if she was a woman at first. Sounds shocking, right?

Well, you read the article to the end and then it starts to come out that she was a massive drug user who would disappear and wander the streets for long stretches. But she was going to get her life back together... she swore.

So surprise, she's not just a "young mother," she's someone who lives a life that leads to exactly what happened to her.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, InfoWars IS trUth!

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, It is interesting that the hipster beard is an upper class phenomena. I think it shows that different parts of the culture send different messages.

ScottDS said...

Andrew -

I honestly never thought of that, re: beards. On the other hand, when it comes to hipster stuff, I do love my flannel. I only wish the temperature in Florida allowed me to wear it more often! (I'm a layers guy, but I live in the wrong state for that.)

EPorvaznik said...

>>BH has become an entirely reactionary site. >>

Because it cannot be said enough: the death of Andrew Breitbart one of the most devastating events the conservative movement could have experienced (and, despite my abhorrence of conspiracy theories not related to David Stern fixing the 1985 NBA draft, something I struggle with more and more each passing day that his death wasn't orchestrated by the DNC and/or Obama admin). He spins in his grave as his site network botches the strides he made in the culture war, and I'm convinced Trump's eventual crash and burn can be attributed to AB's ghost.

"Fight back!"

tryanmax said...

Flannel is hipster? I though it was grunge? I'm so confused / old.

And, just for the record, beard wearing is also seen in some circles as toxic masculinity, because it forces the observer to recognize the be-bearded as a man and experience all the attendant triggers and anxieties associated with sharing a space with a penis.

BevfromNYC said...

EP - I second your BH assessment. Well, maybe not the orchestrated death part, but all the other. But it started long before Andrew B.'s death. I noticed the reactionary-ness creep in early 2009. What's left now is the remains of the hard core Tea Party social conservative crazies since all of the fiscal conservatives left the movement. I am not sure how to fight them or their brethren/counterparts - the socially liberal/socialists/fiscally irresponsible crazies on the far left? One can't get a word in edgewise. Though I have noticed that several of the politically "centrist" websites like Daily Beast are shutting down their comment sections to stave off the ranting.

AndrewPrice said...

Eric, The loss of Andrew B was a huge blow. You could see the website just collapse after that into angry chaos. It's unfortunate.

AndrewPrice said...

tryanmax, It is a sad world indeed in which the permanently aggrieved live.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, I know that websites are about ratings, but genuine news sites should not allow comments.

ScottDS said...

tryanmax -

When I thought of flannel for my comment, my mind went to hipster before grunge, even though you're right and it was a grunge thing first.

But, really, who cares? It's just so comfortable!

BevfromNYC said...

"...genuine news sites should not allow comments."

Andrew - I agree with you 100% on that. Of course, that raises the big hairy issue of what is a "genuine news site"? Especially important as we not-so-gradually transition from paper/print news to all-electronic news sources. Of course this has caused that bright line between "genuine news" and "Op/Ed" to blur so much as to be indistinguishable.

BevfromNYC said...

ScottDS - You can actually maintain that "layered" look with a shirt not made of flannel too...try linen. ;-)

BevfromNYC said...

"...beard wearing is also seen in some circles as toxic masculinity"

And now there are articles about how toxic beards are...actually toxic. The germs, bacteria, and vermin that live on that beard could kill ya'! Though I think that is just propaganda being used to once and for all defeat all hyper-micro-aggressive toxic masculine men (until we need them to pick up really heavy objects and carry us to safety).

BevfromNYC said...

Oh, and Scott and Tryanmax - Flannel was "lumberjack/construction worker" before it was ever "grunge" OR 'hipster". [See: hipster beard discussion above]

EPorvaznik said...

No offense to Joey Bats, but only beards worth admiring got doused from the MLB playoffs this week. Fun run, Mssrs. Keuchel and Gattis. Seeya scarin' up the AL West again next year!

BevfromNYC said...

EP - What you just wrote...is that what they call "mansplaining" 'cause I did not understand one word. ;-D

EPorvaznik said...

Bev, let's just say the guys in ZZ Top were likely mighty proud of the beards Keuchel and Gattis displayed this season, and not just 'cause they're Houston Astros, either.

Joey Bats = Joey Bautista, Blue Jays slugger and trimmed beard aficionado.

Go, Mets!

BevfromNYC said...

EP - Mets? Mets??? They wear bright and orange for goodness sake! Are you kidding? Yuck! Now that the Rangers are out, we have to root for the Cubs! Come on, Canadians can...NOT...win! They're...well...Canadian! That's downright un-American!

Kit said...

An aside, South Park is on roll this season! SJWs, Trump, Yelpers, who will they skewer next?

Rustbelt said...

The Cubs?! Bev, you don't have a lot of experience with their fans, do you?
They're the baseball equivalent of Patriots fans. Arrogant and obnoxious beyond all hell. They're losers and deserve to remain losers forever.

ArgentGale said...

Indeed, Kit! These are some of the funniest episodes they've done in a while and they skewered a lot of deserving targets viciously. I can't wait to see what they come up with next week as well as how it all comes together. PC Principal and the others have to be due for a brutal comeuppance...

- Daniel

EPorvaznik said...

B&C, baby. Right up there with "San Diego Jackin' It."

BevfromNYC said...

South Park is genius satire!

Critch said...

There a new drinking game: Every time Bernie Sanders mentions a new government program he wants, you chug someone elses beer...

AndrewPrice said...

Critch, Fantastic! :)

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, I would say that a genuine news site is one that wants to present news rather than opinion. I don't think there is such a thing anymore.

AndrewPrice said...

The lumberjack look was kind of ruined by Monty Python for me. And the construction worker look screams Village People.

AndrewPrice said...

Speaking of the Cubs, I watched a fascinating documentary on something called the Steve Bartman incident. It was fascinating to watch an entire town turn into monsters... led by a media who were "just doing their jobs" making people hate this guy. Basically, they were ready to kill this poor guy.

More info here => LINK

Kit said...

Andrew,

I remember that incident back in 2003. Or, rather, hearing about it. Everyone I knew thought the whole affair was disgusting.

It didn't matter that the Cubs players absolved him, he still needed 6 police cruises outside his home.

BevfromNYC said...

Critch and Andrew - Hmmmmm....the "Bernie Sanders Mentions A New Gov't Program" drinking game. Not a good idea because of the potential for an alcohol poisoning pandemic. And have you thought of what happens we run out of all liquor sources and our only source is...Russian vodka?

BevfromNYC said...

Okay, okay, maybe I'm wrong to root for the Cubbies, but it's been 107 years.

Critch said...

The Chinese have DNA engineer a micro-pig...finally, bacon that will fit the bread.

AndrewPrice said...

Critch, I'm thankful the Chinese have solved this pressing problem! LOL!

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