Politics and Analogies

I have to admit that I am very hesitant in broaching this topic. It is dangerous, it affects everyone no matter their interest in it, and it is very polarizing. Therefore I am about to gleefully type away on the subject.

Also, as a warning, I honestly try to stay neutral about all of this, but I'm also self aware I lean left in my own views. This is in no manner an attempt to push my views on anyone, nor claim I am right and those who think the opposite are wrong. I will attempt to choose my words carefully, but I am still human. Consider this more of an admission, not a lecture.

What I want to talk about first is what I think of politics in general.  I realize that on a basic level in society, they are certainly needed. As much as anarchists would love to establish their social ideology, some sort of societal leadership is needed. Note I say leadership, not control.  That's where today's world of politics has it wrong. Yeah yeah, in a perfect world everything would be perfect. No shit. We aren't in a perfect world, and are actually far from it.  Human nature has some crappy qualities in it, and we aren't afraid to use those qualities against better judgment. For as superior of a race compared to the rest of the animal kingdom, we sure do suck at properly using our gifts. Imagine if dogs had brains like ours, but they used it strictly for the betterment of dogs everywhere. It'd be a world of bones to chew, crap to roll in, never a lack of things to hump, and belly rubs on demand.  Actually, that sounds a lot like what dogs currently have. Bad analogy(I know I could've deleted that and not posted, but welcome inside my head).  So what does this have to do with politics? We have so much potential to make it all work, but then we let things like greed, envy, thirst for power, immorality, etc influence our decisions which in turn causes things to become corrupt.

Yes, I'm well aware corruption isn't some new revelation. What really gets me is how the majority of human life seems to just ignore corruption, or gloss it over as something you just have to get used to in life.  There is always going to be a bad guy. At least one person is going to be sitting in utopia and realize they want a little more than the other guy. That doesn't mean you should ignore, or encourage, any person acting as such.  Maybe if more people acknowledged issues, then the issues would not be as prominent or excusable.

So in today's politics there is this dumbfounding issue of the people who are in charge happen to be in charge only for the sake of themselves.  There's no middle ground. Actually, let me rephrase that. There is a middle ground, but no one is willing to stand on it.  You either get what you demand for, or no one gets to make progress.  If you're foolish enough to move to the middle ground, you're taken advantage of. Moving to the middle tells your opposition that you're weak, willing to give in, and could potentially give in some more.  It's like an elementary school math problem.  Jimmy has 10 chocolate chip cookies, and Johnny has 10 peanut butter cookies.  Both want some of each. Jimmy thinks chocolate chip cookies are better than peanut butter, so they have a higher value.  Johnny wants 5 chocolate chip, but Jimmy demands 7 peanut butter in return.  Johnny tells Jimmy he is willing to give him 6 instead.  Jimmy agrees to the deal, but unknowingly to Johnny, Jimmy gives him the five smallest cookies in his batch.  The moral of the story? Jimmy is a fat little f***er.  (40 years later, Jimmy gets adult onset diabetes, because karma is a real bitch)

I hope that there is some sort of ethical revelation in today's society. If there isn't, we're all in for a really bumpy ride where none of us get cookies.  I don't know about you, but I really like cookies. Cookies for everyone. That should be a platform everyone can get on.

Expect more on this...

Type, Type, Type

Just a brief post here. I am currently working on a couple new posts. I'm finding myself stalled in their progress, otherwise I'd be using this time to finish them.  I want to keep this blog rolling along in it's infancy, which means that I'm about to dump a lot of randomness here for the time being until I get my more serious and insightful posts finished.

As I make each post, I've realized that I am slowly building a picture of myself to the readers. There's been a few things I haven't explained fully, and there are things I wanted to talk about but haven't found the right approach to present them. So I figure I'll just briefly mention some more about myself.

Sports. I enjoy them. There are few I don't like or know little about in the professional world(golf, tennis, NBA).  Hockey, soccer, baseball, football are in my sports pyramid. Expect a lot of references, comments, and opinions on sports to be shared. I think it's in my blog profile, but I'll admit it here. I'm from Pittsburgh, therefore it's pretty easy to figure out most of my favorite teams. Can I be a bit of a homer? What fan isn't? I'll try to be reasonable.

Technology. Oh baby oh baby. I can do what to my computer?! Sign me up.  That pocket sized thing can do what?(once again perverts, stop it) 

Music/Movies/Books.  Plan on reading brief reviews, opinions, etc on such matters. I doubt I cover all genres, but I think I'll manage to discuss a lot of fantasy fiction. 

I'm not afraid to make the very inappropriate comment/joke at the worst possible moment. I'm sure I'll find many ways to fit that into my writing. Please understand that I am no way racist/sexist/etc.  I'm very open minded, and look at all people from different walks of life in the same light.  So if I make an absurd comment, and it might sound that it is racist/sexist/etc., then it was purely a poor word/phrase choice. Leave a comment to point it out, and I'll clarify or apologize as need be.

OK, that's enough groundwork for now. I'm off to do that thing I do.

Video Game Review: Diablo III

To keep things fresh, this is an attempt at one of my many ideas for post subjects.  I'm going to review entertainment related objects. Movies, music, video games, TV shows, books, etc.

So for you nerdlings out there, I've decided to go for a review on the newest big name game release out there; Diablo III.

I am an admitted gamer. It's honestly not that shameful to admit in today's world. There's millions of us out there. Hell, ONE game(WoW) that I play involves millions of people by itself. Then you can add in the console gamers, PC gamers, smartphone gamers, and others. I'm even counting the people who played the original black and white snake on the tiny screens of cell phones in the early 2000's.  You know who you are.  With that said, I recently decided to make the purchase of Diablo III. The anticipation of this game stretched for over a decade from it's predecessor. So with such a big build up, there are a lot of expectations one has for such a game.

As with the first two games in the series, Diablo III is pretty straightforward in game play.  It doesn't stray from the originals in that regard.  It is graphically advanced, clearly up to speed with today's technology. It is absolutely fun to engage in from the start, and you are easily convinced that the game is living up to it's expectations. Great storyline, great options, great design, and cool concepts.  Then you advance to higher difficulties, and suddenly you start seeing the flaws of the game. And damn are there a ton.


Edit: I originally had a much larger post, but then I came across a meme that basically sums up the game. I realized writing about all of the flaws in Diablo III would require a short novel. Instead, I give you this...

Shameless Fetishes & Addictions

We all have them. You can admit it, at least to yourself. Letting others know is a whole different story.  Luckily for you, I'm willing to share mine. Will they all be embarrassing? No, I don't believe so. Some are more interesting than others.  If you are interested, feel free to share yours below. Maybe it'll lead others onto it, and you won't be the only person in the world who likes pickle and peanut butter sandwiches(seriously know someone who eats them).  Also, if you were the pervert who clicked on this post expecting sexual things, you're going to be sore(not like that, perv) and mistaken.

A meme, just for you.

1. Video Games -  I know what you're thinking. This isn't much of a shameful thing to admit in today's world. I'll counter and tell you that you're wrong. The only people who think it isn't shameful, are fellow gamers. The rest of you just shake your head with pity, thinking gamers don't realize there's a real world out there. "You poor sons o' bitches". Also, I play WoW. It has 10 million subscribers you say? I can't even count the times I've been teased about playing this game. Either guys are 'too cool' for it, or women think you're a large child with an overactive imagination.  I say 'screw you', I'm going to play my games anyway. I'm trying to type this post in a fashionable amount of time so I can go level my monk.
2. Memes - For those of you who are about to open a new browser to Google the term, allow me to help and save you the trouble. Memes are the Internet sensation of taking a picture(random, though some get popular), and putting text over it to make a joke. Memebase.com is the place to go. I'm there daily. I laugh out loud(no really, I actually do) at the majority of them. And once you get the inside jokes down, they become even funnier. A lot of them are random and terrible puns, but you still find yourself laughing. I think the best part of memes is the fact that a lot of them are 100% true, speaking about something you have thought yourself but would never openly say to others.  
3. Coldplay - OK, so this another one of those "you're dumb for claiming it's shameless" items. Not so, I say.  Sure, in a perfect world where all humans were in touch with their emotions, Coldplay would be even more popular than they currently are.  What you might realize is that we sure as hell don't live in that world.  Coldplay is an amazing band. I personally enjoy the majority of their songs, would love to see them perform live, and hate Chris for being married to Gwyneth Paltrow. (small thing here, but Apple? Really? I would've went with Orange. That way kids couldn't make fun of my child with rhymes(Due Date anyone?))  Anyway, a lot of guys can lose some points amongst one another.  Scenario A: Four guys at a bar, having a guys night. Jukebox stops playing Foo Fighters, starts playing Coldplay. One of the guys, the one with the Mai Tai in hand, suddenly starts singing along. The other 3 stop, stare, and shake their heads as they slowly distance themselves.  Well I'm that guy, though I'd prefer a beer instead of the Mai Tai.
4. Fantasy Sports - Another one of those things played by millions(of dudes), but frowned upon in society.  This one is more for the ladies. It's August, you are outside on the patio, lemonade(w/vodka?) and book in hand. Your darling man suddenly appears with an expression and body language that immediately makes you tense up. "This ought to be good." He asks if he can have the guys over next weekend, it was his turn to host the fantasy football draft. Offers of sacrifice(doing the dishes, flowers, etc) are presented. What say you?  Let the boys play is what I say!  Also, managing a team allows every guy to think his criticisms of his favorite real life team are valid, and that he should apply for the open GM job. "I'll trade McCoy and Hillis for Brady. 

I'm stopping there for now. I think this might be an ongoing series of posts. I thought of a few others, but didn't think they were worthy of commenting on.  As I said before, if you think you have a contribution, feel free to leave a comment. Also, any suggestions on the blog overall I will welcome and take into consideration. It's brand new, and I plan on continuously working on it to make it a great experience for all.