Random rants and pointless ponderments: the whoring of society

SMALL RANT ALERT!. In the 2012/13 season of football, Wayne Rooney earned a wonderful £16million on salary alone followed by a further £3m in endorsements. Don’t worry, the tax payable was only 2% due to an overseas legal loophole, saving him 100s of thousands.
In contrast, the entry level salary for someone joining the army, for example, is under £16,000.
This is not a systematic personal attack on Wayne Rooney, I’m sure he’s a lovely bloke when he’s not cheating on his wife with high paid escorts. This is an enlightenment of the corruption that exists within our legal systems, governments, and bodies of corporations. We are always told that the governments there for us, it’s not. The recession that has put hundreds of families on the bread line could not be helped. It could have. And I generally find the issue with talking about subjects such as this one is that so many people are brought up on force fed nonsense, with a constant stream of digital morphine being pumped into their lounges is that, when someone brings up a political or otherwise environmental, ecological or any other stand point that has nothing to do with anything whatsoever, is you come across as pompous, arrogant or just plain self righteous. And maybe I am. I simply feel that if overpaid sports stars and other people in the public eye weren’t so incredibly overpaid, the economy may do a little better.

The guys and girls risking their lives for their country and what they believe is right, are the real role models. The nurses working 15 hour shifts non stop, the minimum wage carers, just scraping by, the parents who miss meals to feed their kids, the police trying to make the world safer. These “everyday” people are the real people to look up to. Anyone that’s stared in the face of adversity, dusted themselves off and carried on when everything gets too much. These are the people deserving respect. Not, in my personal opinion, someone who earns in a week what roughly 15 privates in the army earn in a year! This is of course as I said just my opinion, I just hope more kids grow up seeing it too.

Psychopathy

I’ve been away for a long time now. Maybe I need to start writing to vent again. After a recent nervous breakdown on a massive scale, I began to research only briefly in certain differences between people’s mentalities. Did you know that 1 in 25 people in the general public today are thought to be psychopathic on some level. I found this rather intriguing. Most people envisage a psychopath as a serial killer in a straight jacket, which is true for the criminal society. But what about every day people? It is thought that a lot of people in high powered positions such as CEOs and politicians could be sociopaths, due to a lack of empathy and a cut throat attitude of the world around them. Sociopaths see the world in terms of predators and prey, so this could be true for someone for example, that has no issue whatsoever sacking a long serving member of staff, without the restraints of guilt or conscious. I was explaining this theory to a work colleague of mine, who I’m afraid was made to feel very uncomfortable and intimidated by my chosen topic of conversation. That was not my intention and I apologised profoundly. It got me thinking though. You see, I’ve always known I was different. Now don’t misconstrue this as a grandiose sense of self worth, of feeling special, simply, my views and perception of the world were never ones to conform to “normality” I found it very strange how this conversation turned as it went. I was explaining to her that you would never know a sociopath if you met one, because they spend their entire lives mimicking others emotions in order to fit in with society. Sociopaths/psychopaths can’t feel emotion on a base level, so instead they study reactions to certain social events in order to copy what they see, almost as a cloaking device. I put it to her, simply for the purposes of argument, that I may well be a sociopath, and she would never know it. I’d like to put on record that I am I fact not, however you the reader could never possibly know this based purely on the words I type. Anyhow, the conversation continued with me listing a few attributes to a psychopaths personality. Lack of emotion, of empathy. Refusal to accept responsibility and so on. I made my case to her that although you could never be certain of a psychopath, unless they were branded as such by professionals, that I am not, as I work in health care, and carry a lot of empathy for my patients. She agreed that it would be absurd for me to be in such a profession if I was so inclined. I then put it to her, that maybe my entire career was a facade in order to blend into society and appear to be “normal” at which point she became extremely uncomfortable being in the room with me. As I said, I apologised profusely and assured her that although I am far from normal, I am by no means a sociopath. Point proven, even if it did result in a friend being put out of their comfort zone and questioning another’s entire being. And this got me thinking even more, a red flag of a psychopath is how manipulative they can be, and here I was, completely in this woman’s head, without even trying. Now I have never intentionally hurt anyone emotionally or spiritually, and most certainly not physically, I am neither malevolent nor malicious. However, I know that I was simply raising her awareness and making a valid point, but maybe, I’m just such a sociopath, that I even buy into my own facade?

When it comes down to it, aren’t we all a little mad?

Quotation

I have absolutely no pleasure in the stimulants in which I sometimes so madly indulge. It has not been in the pursuit of pleasure that I have periled life and reputation and reason. It has been the desperate attempt to escape from torturing memories, from a sense of insupportable loneliness and a dread of some strange impending doom.

Edgar Allen Poe

Random Rants and Pointless Ponderments : Off the Grid

Good day to one and all. I realise there may be no one out there to read this, it has been a little over a year since my last entry. and what a year its been, but more on that later. apologies to anyone that actually enjoys reading this stuff.

Ill get straight to It I suppose, ive kept you waiting long enough.

I think im going to drop off the grid. not completely remove my cyber footprint, more just remove myself from the whole social network thing. im on my third facebook page, ive trimmed it down to close family and friends. it was getting to me the sheer magnitude of utter rubbish I had acquired on previous profiles, but then, something occurred to me in recent days. I don’t think its other people. I think its me.

I think ive finally reached the point where this over saturation of online media, this borderline creepy dependence on the little glass screen in my pocket has become too overwhelming. I find myself more and more uninterested in what the people in my life are having for lunch, where they’re taking the kids this weekend, or indeed the funny pet pictures. ive decided its too much. I shall remain online of course, the majority of western civilisation being incapable at this point to rely without the internet and gadgets altogether ( which I still think will spell the demise of the human race)

so, the plan is as this; no more facebook, no more twitter, instagram or any other social app that sits and stares at me while I have nothing to do, which is every 3-4 minutes of my waking life. I may do away with the smartphone completely, and pick up a nice little nokia 3310. remember those? calls, texts and snake, job done!

eventually I think ill even do away with the tv for a while, maybe a tech cleanse for the soul of sorts, see if I can remember how to turn the pages of one of those, what are they called, “books”?

I find myself reaching the grand old age of 25 soon, feeling more 65, yearning more and more each day for things to go back to a “simpler time”

I know this isn’t at all possible, but if I can cut down on the handheld haemorrhage, then maybe my soul, at least, will remain fractionally intact. I want to go for walks, read the paper, have actual conversations with people without looking at them through a tiny handheld window. I think its sad that plankton from spongebob squarepants is married to a computer. until I realise that im watching him on a big screen glaring back at me, whilst checking the smaller screen in my pocket to see if anything life altering has happened in the last 90 seconds. it hasn’t.

it never does.

well folks, thanks for having me back after all this time, the grumpy old pensioner trapped in the body of a slightly younger, grumpier man.

ill leave you with this thought. checking facebook news feeds constantly ( we all do it) is the technological equivalent of checking the fridge when you know you’re not hungry.

 

Stand up

Until you can accept the idea that everything you think you know is a lie, until you know in your heart of hearts that everything in a so called reality is infact a beautiful masterpiece crafted and manipulated over decades and centuries, you can never be truly free.
People should not fear their governments, because in reality it is us that hold the power. Governments should fear their people because we are the ones in control, we are the ones with the rights to call the shots, you and I, the working class, bottom of the shit pile. Hard to believe I know, and it will never happen, until citizens can understand that a government that doesn’t give a shiny shit about its people is not a government at all, it’s a dictatorship! Until that day when we can all grow a pair of balls and take control back from the overpaid dogs who only change things to benefit their own agendas, we will continue to be conditioned to live in fear of the men in suits, to be told what to do and when,to be controlled, manipulated, for fear of what we may become if we were to actually stand for ourselves.

EAT.CONSUME.DIE

Fuck consumerism! Buy an apple product!
Want to do your bit for the planet? Buy that car you dont need but have been told you want!
Hungry? Eat mcdonalds then sue them when you die of heart failure!
And dont forget, if you dont like the government, remember to vote back in the government that you voted out last time!
Society has us working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we dont need.
We are all monkeys with guns.
We live in a world populated by hypocritical religions.
Filled with racism, when infact, every person on the planet is the same race.
The poor are too poor to matter.
The rich are too rich to care.
In a world where a man is judged by his financial gains, and not his spiritual and ethical merits.
Well my friends, we are all, every last one of us.

Fucked.

Proper fucked.

Hmv

Hi guys. Its been ages.  So long now that i went to write this without realising i didnt have wordpress on my current device! Anyways merry christmas happy apocalypse blah blah. Big thanks to a loyal reader for giving me a kick up the proverbial to start writing again!
just a quick thought i wished to share regarding the recent demise of yet another high street favourite

Gain a little perspective people! Granted it must be irritating buying/getting a voucher which then becomes worthless, but let’s face it, this didn’t happen out of the blue, so use your brains! We’re all affected by the state of the economy, global finance, and the complete demise of high streets due to worldwide online marketting giants. But come on, losing a poxy tenner, or even one hundred quid in vouchers, and you’re complaining about this to the guys that are potentially losing their entire livelihoods?! Disgusting! Pull your heads out of your collective arses for five minutes and realise that there is more to life than consumerism anyway, like, i don’t know, putting bread on the table? Get over yourselves and hopefully one day you can put that ten pound gift card towards a personality transplant. Thanks to everyone at hmv for years of great service and happiness. I wish every single one of you the best for the future.

Peace

Random rants and pointless ponderments : writers block

Hello to all you lovely readers, bloggers and others. It occurs to me that, after starting this blog somewhat excitedley and enthusiastically, my writing has since become sparse. Now it has nothing to do with me having less to write about, if anything, the polar opposite. Alot has happened in the last few weeks, alot indeed. But this is no time to dwell on things out of our control. Yes, my quantity may have dwindled, something I may look to improve, but my quality remains. I am still, in my own eyes, an outwardley opinionated, sometimes outspoken miserable git who, in all honesty, likes to push the buttons of those around me simply to spark a reaction. I will gladly spend hours of my time locked in heated debate with others, not out of an egotistical need for the ‘ I am right you are wrong’ but more for an idea that I believe we should question as much or as little as we see fit. And I question alot. And to find others that are just as passionate, even if their opinion is at the opposite end of the spectrum, is a delight. I will listen to (and argue) your views whilst upholding the highest respect for you, purely because you are willing to say and shout and argue what you believe in life, and respect that others may, or may not, agree. I just wish I had the language skillset ten years ago. How wonderful it would have been to diffuse a schoolyard bully situation, with a simple turn of phrase, quick wit, and funny remark. And i’m not talking ‘yo mamma’ here. Just the forsight to accept what even a bully is saying to you, then be able to turn the point against them, see how much they really know of what they speak, even, make them question themselves. I have said it before but freedom of speech is such a truly remarkable gift. Learn how to use it properly, and backed up with knowledge, it can become a powerful,quick to act defense mechanism, a tool to diffuse a situation, or in the right hands, even a weapon of good.

Final ponderment : it’s good to talk, providing you know what you’re talking about

Random rants and pointless ponderments: religion : part four

Now its been a while since I have touched on this subject so I thought it was about time to have another crack. Yes this is the fourth instalment of the religion debate but then, religion is (apparently) thousands of years old, so we have plenty to cover. Tonights segment swings more towards the catholic corner so I apologise in advance if I have offended any die hard christians, muslims or sikhs. It has been brought to my attention by a trusted source, that the reason catholic priests are not allowed to marry, has nothing to do with being married to god or the church, or taling a vow of celibacy. No. It is simply financial. You see, if a priest were to die, married with a child, it would be the churches responsibility to assume care of the kin left behind. And they dont want that. They want to spend money on other things. Like new robes for the pope. Now, this is vaguely what I would like to touch upon, however, the thing that really interests me, is the term ‘married to the church’. Now, I have a theory, and it is a theory relating to the constant hate campaign raged by the church towards the homosexual community. My theory, put simpy, is as follows… If priests are married to the church, and the church is god, and god is a man, then surely all priests are raging homosexuals commiting the crime of bigamy! Maybe this is why they are so anti gay marriage. Perhaps they are overcompensating for their undying love for this man?! Just a thought people, just a thought.

Final ponderment : some may call it blasphemy, others may call it enlightenment. All information is the same, its how you chose to process it

Random rants and pointless ponderments : state of mind ; the matrix theory

Good morning , afternoon or infact evening depending on where in the world you are reading from. Apologies for leaving all my followers for a while now, so let me make it up to you all by jumping in at the proverbial deep end. Oh yes, this one’s a biggy. I would like to bring to the attention of anyone willing to listen, my concern for what I now refer to as ‘the matrix theory’. Thats not to say I believe we are all currently being harvested by giant robots. No, what my reference depicts, is the idea that we are all living in  a fabricated reality. Now, granted, our own individual reality is based upon our perception of people and everything around us. But what I always find myself questioning, even more so as I grow older, is the idea that what we have been taught may not infact be what we would perceive as real. You see, what bothers me most, is the fact that from as early an age as you can comprehend pretty much anything, you are spoon fed everything. This worries me. Who is to say that what we breath is air? Or that the grass is green? I understand that to most this would be a ridiculous system of thought, maybe just an attempt to find a half interesting topic to write about. But I would put it to you that they are the people most heavily suppressed by this augmented reality. Not willing to chance the idea of questioning the entirety of their world, for fear it may collapse around them. And maybe it would. These tracks of thought belonged to my somewhat scattered mind long before films such as the matrix existed. But when I saw it for the first time, I sat up like many others and said, ‘what if this is the truth?’ how would we know? . And now I admit, at the risk of my sanity, everytime I experience the sensation of deja vu, I find myself looking for a glitch.Its like watching shutter island to a certain extent. All these goings on, a detective looking for an asylum escapee which turns out to be himself. This again, brought me to question everything I have ever been told.Whats to say I wont one day wake up in a cell to find that all that has happened up until my waking moment has been a figment of my own imagination, strengthend by the actions of those around me? I realise as I write this the idea sounds completley absurd. Just remember, at different points throughout the history of man, the earth was flat and we were alone. If you have the mind to think it, you have the ability to question it. And dont be afraid to. You may sound crazy, derranged, insane even? But surely having the guts to think and question big ideas such as reality and what it means to us, is all part of life as we know it? I mean, for all we know, the world in which we live, may be nothing more than a scientific experiment being executed by a massively superior race of extra terrestrial life forms? It is highly unlikely, but not all together impossible.

Final ponderment : don’t believe eceryrhing you read.