21st Century Flaws

I have to wonder why, in the second decade of the 21st Century, the majority of our planet's citizens remain a bunch of superstitious, uninformed and downright ignorant jerks.

The Russians have basically declared war on the LGBT community. Muslim nations continue to subjugate women and criminally punish gay people just for being themselves. Republican asshats like Rick Perry refuse to recognize basic Human Rights and fear-mongering jerkwads like Bryan Fischer are allowed to spread hateful lies about Nazis being gay.

I know... I've been on this particular soapbox for a long time. But it's a soapbox I will not step down from until everyone realizes what a bunch of a-holes they're being.

And it's not just an LGBT issue. Middle-Eastern women are still having acid thrown in their faces or being murdered for expressing their autonomy. Children are still being sold into slavery (both sexual and menial). Refugees seeking better lives are still being exploited by farmers, pimps and pornographers. Dictators are using unspeakably awful weapons against their own people. Horrors are still being perpetrated against people all over the globe. Why? It's not like there are no agencies or groups trying their best to put a stop to these atrocities. In fact, there are probably more such groups than ever before.

Sadly, fear; greed and avarice have been part of the Human Condition since the Dawn of Civilization (and probably even before). There will always be people in power who care only about themselves. There will always be people who perpetrate evil deeds for their own gain. There will always be people who prey on the fear of death to fill their own pockets. I fear there may be no way to stop them, short of killing them. And that's awful, too.

No, I'm not saying I advocate Communism. We've all seen how well that system works. I am, however, advocating Humanism. Do what's right because you know it's the right thing to do, rather than doing what someone else says their version of "God" says it's the right thing to do. Treat every person you come across as you would want them to treat you (sound familiar?).

This is 2013. We all should be past this crap and trying to figure out how to feed, clothe and house everyone on the planet we all share.

I have no idea how to fix this mess (well, maybe a few, which many would reject), but I suspect that Education has the best chance of doing so. That and the eradication of irrational religious beliefs. But that just brings us back to fear...

Maybe Global Warming is the answer, after all. Humans seem to be the worst thing to happen to Earth since the extinction of the dinosaurs. I hope the cockroaches will take better care of the planet than we have, once we're gone.

Rant over (for now). More of my usual nonsense, anon.
Prospero

"Mad Max" IRL?

While the world almost certainly isn't coming to an end in two days, it certainly seems as though we're edging closer to it with every passing moment, especially in light of recent events.

There is no denying that man is a violent animal, who all too easily allows the reptilian brain to take over, for all sorts of reasons. Truthfully, people are born monsters. Tiny, squalling, red-faced balls of Id, human babies don't care about anything but their own needs. And that's as it should be. But Homo-sapiens' larger brain eventually allows us to control those urges and to put others' needs ahead of our own (though 'self' is always first and foremost when it comes down to it). We learn compassion and empathy; manners and respect; the difference between right and wrong. We can apply everything we've ever learned about what it means to be a good person as much as we want, but there will always be that lizard in the back of our skulls, ready to pounce at the oddest of provocations. 

"Road Rage" has long been a term here in the U.S. though it has proven to be not just an American problem. We've all seen plenty of those Russian traffic videos. And now it seems that the folks from Oz have caught on, as evidenced by the video I am about to share with you.

Australian Tabloid News program "Today Tonight" (via) brings us this story of of an Australian road rage victim who was terrorized by a madman, but caught the whole thing on video. The next 8 minutes of footage are among the most frightening I've ever seen:

Yikes! So how long do you think it's going to be before that devolves into this:

And don't give me that "Violent movies and TV shows are to blame" BS! They make violent movies and TV shows because it's what people want to see. We're no better than Romans at the Coliseum. We love carnage and mayhem. Rubbernecking at an accident is far more of a traffic maker than the accident itself. Real-life tragedy is exploited for ratings. Meanwhile, 20 children are gone forever and we're still arguing about gun control and mental health? Of course, we can thank The Great Communicator for closing so many mental hospitals in the 1980's, rather than giving them money for the overhauls most of them so desperately needed, thereby forcing so many mentally ill people onto the streets and denying much-needed care for all those to come after. But I digress...

It's that caveman brain... the one we try to suppress with all our might... the one that sometimes gets off its leash and does inexplicably horrific things. It's the lizard brain that reacts to fear. Fear of death; fear of the unknown; fear of people different from themselves. Fear and hatred are learned. And yes, some fears are good - they keep us alive. Others... well, they make us attack and beat down and kill other people. As much as things seem to get better in so many ways, I see things like this and worry that the lizards aren't going anywhere, soon. I also worry that they seem to be gaining speed. I just hope I'm not around to see it all go to hell... because you know it will. If you're reading this in the future, I'm sorry. Some of us tried to fix it...

BTW - If I were writing this piece 20 years ago, it would have been Mel in the picture above. He was so hot in those movies (and more than a few others). Of course, that was before I knew he was an anti-Semitic, homophobic, misogynistic douchebag.

As you can tell, my Holiday Spirit is still fighting to get out...

More, anon.
Prospero