Look down at your wrist. Are you wearing a white wristband? Do the words ‘Make Poverty History’ shine back at you from beneath the arm of your Argyle sweater? If so, find a mirror – I want you to take a good hard look at yourself.
You’re part of a new sub-section of society, and it’s one that I can’t stand. Sure, your intentions are generally good, but they come from such a warped sense of reality that the chances of your actions affecting any real change are lower than Kevin Rudd’s future career prospects.
The current generation of Gen-X, Y and countless other letters of the alphabet are lost in a sea of middle class guilt, powerless to actually achieve anything laudable other than march down a clean, orderly city street, latte in hand, screaming something incomprehensible about war in a foreign land they were never aware of until it was featured on Getaway.
These are the people who attend giant free ‘awareness’ concerts, alongside thousands of fans paying nothing to dance to the latest indie-pop experimental audio-atrocities, all the while yelling at the government to end poverty. And for what? Where is the major shift in global power and domination that we were supposed to see by now?
The days of civil disobedience should have gone to their grave with the failure of the Vietnam war, together with a realisation that any amount of simple ‘awareness’ is not going to make any real difference to those that need it. I’m sure that a starving family in Pakistan really appreciated the $1 donation from the sale of the white wristband . They equally would have appreciated the $3.80 you spend on your afternoon Grande Latte with a dash of hazelnut, served in your fashionably-coloured, recycled, reusable coffee cup.
Give up now, you ABC-loving, Trotsky-inspired, latte-sipping, turtle-neck-wearing, perpetual-university-student, Green-voting lefties. Besides, we all know that history always repeats itself. We can work towards a world without poverty, but in the end, we’ll end up back where we started and it’ll be back to the stone age for us. And all because you wanted to wear a white wristband.
Ken Krank
(Address withheld)
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Pocket your opinions please.
OMG NEW POST.
Okay, I have a few things to say. Not that anyone cares, because they're just self criticisms and the like and I hate them but I think it'll be better to get them out rather than letting them mingle inside my head because that leads to overanalysis which sucks the most.
Triple choc cookies also feature prominently in this post, mainly because their crumbs have been strategically dropped away from the keyboard.
Firstly, a certain friend of mine is really getting on my nerves. I can't stand the way they constantly criticise me and the way I go about things. They're so direct, too, with their opinions. I'm not sure how to tell them they're really making it hard for me to enjoy being who I am. They just make me more self conscious, which I personally would not have thought possible.
Another thing is that I agree with them and it really annoys me. It just feels like they've hit what I hate most about myself square in the face.
Yet another thing I hate is how this has turned into a "let's talk about our feelings" session.
BUT ARGH. KEEP YOUR OPINIONS IN YOUR POCKET, MAN. YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING.
Hmm. Maths homework. No, cookies first.
I've decided I need to go and learn actual stuff about actual stuff. So I borrowed this books, the ones for complete idiots? I borrowed this one about English Literature (it's super dull, I don't recommend it) and another about the Conflicts in the Middle East (which isn't too bad because it has stuff about religion and bombs). I was thinking to myself on the weekend that I needed help running my life, so of course the obvious solution was to educate myself.
Except I can't be bothered a whole lot of the time. I can't be bothered with a lot of stuff these days, actually.
Okay, I have a few things to say. Not that anyone cares, because they're just self criticisms and the like and I hate them but I think it'll be better to get them out rather than letting them mingle inside my head because that leads to overanalysis which sucks the most.
Triple choc cookies also feature prominently in this post, mainly because their crumbs have been strategically dropped away from the keyboard.
Firstly, a certain friend of mine is really getting on my nerves. I can't stand the way they constantly criticise me and the way I go about things. They're so direct, too, with their opinions. I'm not sure how to tell them they're really making it hard for me to enjoy being who I am. They just make me more self conscious, which I personally would not have thought possible.
Another thing is that I agree with them and it really annoys me. It just feels like they've hit what I hate most about myself square in the face.
Yet another thing I hate is how this has turned into a "let's talk about our feelings" session.
BUT ARGH. KEEP YOUR OPINIONS IN YOUR POCKET, MAN. YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING.
Hmm. Maths homework. No, cookies first.
I've decided I need to go and learn actual stuff about actual stuff. So I borrowed this books, the ones for complete idiots? I borrowed this one about English Literature (it's super dull, I don't recommend it) and another about the Conflicts in the Middle East (which isn't too bad because it has stuff about religion and bombs). I was thinking to myself on the weekend that I needed help running my life, so of course the obvious solution was to educate myself.
Except I can't be bothered a whole lot of the time. I can't be bothered with a lot of stuff these days, actually.
Friday, August 6, 2010
In 1789, the changes in the way people thought politically were more significant than the revolutionary actions of the people.
In the dramatic events if 1789, the advances in the way that people thought about the political system were what propelled popular revolutionary action; by the same token, it could not be said that the revolution could have happened without the intervention of the people through violence and protests throughout France. As said by Simon Schama, ‘Violence was the motor of the revolution,’ and it could be said that this violence was spurred by the political ideology introduced by the events of 1789 and the bourgeoisie. Popular revolutionary action was in many ways the response of those people unable to participate in political dealings.
The drafting of the Cahiers de Doléances as preparation for the meeting of the Estates General allowed the public to share their own grievances whether it was to be direct or indirect. It was in essence an articulation of issues previously unaddressed, and its drafting created the expectation that these issues would be dealt with somehow. The Cahiers de Doléances were based on attacking basic foundations of the feudalistic society; they people wanted judicial reforms, fiscal reforms, and changes in administrative power, but perhaps most importantly, the Cahiers de Doléances attacked the rule of absolutism- a radical development in the way people thought politically. When the Estates General did finally meet, the Third Estate’s expectations of the Cahiers de Doléances were metaphorically unfulfilled, and the Third Estate met on a tennis court as a direct challenge to the King’s power, swearing not to disperse until France had been given a constitution, thus claiming the King did not, in fact, have the power to dismiss them; ‘what was at issue was the existence of the Assembly, and the Oath of the Tennis Court announced a determination to defend it against the King’ (Lefebvre). So began the slow erosion of the idea of the absolute ruler, and radicalisation began to spread across France.
In Paris, the frenzied crowds spilled on to the streets against the troops sent out by the King in response to the Third Estate’s gathering at a tennis court, finally making their way to the Bastille in search of ammunition. The Bastille had long been used to house prisoners confined as a result of the letter de cachet and was thus representative of royal absolutism. Through the fall of the Bastille by the people of France, the King’s power could be seen to not be infallible, and real power passed from the King to the elected representatives of the people. According to Lynn Hunt, the fall of the Bastille ‘did have revolutionary effects; most important, it marked the entry of the common people on the scene of organised political activity.’ Not only did it affect the bourgeoisie and the political thinkers of that time, it also intensified activity among the peasantry; throughout the peasant’s great misery and hardship, demonstrations and riots against taxes spread like wildfire across France to become what is known as The Great Fear. However little bloodshed there was, The Great Fear, in some ways similar to the storming of the Bastille, exposed ‘the vacuum of authority…at the heart of the French Government’. It also gave light to the severity of social unrest now present in France.
The August Decrees in many ways were the vocalisation of the revolutionary actions of the people. Its proposed changes went far beyond anything demanded in the Cahiers, and this ‘ruled out any possibility of compromise with the feudal aristocracy and forced the bourgeois revolution onwards’ (Soboul). The aims of the decrees, however, were entirely ambiguous and failed to satisfy the political objectives of the radical leaders. It would actually be ‘the popular movement…and their leaders, both within and outside the Assembly, who would radicalise he Revolution and the peasants in the countryside who would nurse their grievances against it’ (Fenwick and Anderson).
The political actions of the bourgeoisie during the revolution or 1789 were essential in pushing the revolution forward, but as stated by McPhee, ‘the Revolution of the bourgeois deputies had only been secured by the intervention of the working people of Paris.’
The drafting of the Cahiers de Doléances as preparation for the meeting of the Estates General allowed the public to share their own grievances whether it was to be direct or indirect. It was in essence an articulation of issues previously unaddressed, and its drafting created the expectation that these issues would be dealt with somehow. The Cahiers de Doléances were based on attacking basic foundations of the feudalistic society; they people wanted judicial reforms, fiscal reforms, and changes in administrative power, but perhaps most importantly, the Cahiers de Doléances attacked the rule of absolutism- a radical development in the way people thought politically. When the Estates General did finally meet, the Third Estate’s expectations of the Cahiers de Doléances were metaphorically unfulfilled, and the Third Estate met on a tennis court as a direct challenge to the King’s power, swearing not to disperse until France had been given a constitution, thus claiming the King did not, in fact, have the power to dismiss them; ‘what was at issue was the existence of the Assembly, and the Oath of the Tennis Court announced a determination to defend it against the King’ (Lefebvre). So began the slow erosion of the idea of the absolute ruler, and radicalisation began to spread across France.
In Paris, the frenzied crowds spilled on to the streets against the troops sent out by the King in response to the Third Estate’s gathering at a tennis court, finally making their way to the Bastille in search of ammunition. The Bastille had long been used to house prisoners confined as a result of the letter de cachet and was thus representative of royal absolutism. Through the fall of the Bastille by the people of France, the King’s power could be seen to not be infallible, and real power passed from the King to the elected representatives of the people. According to Lynn Hunt, the fall of the Bastille ‘did have revolutionary effects; most important, it marked the entry of the common people on the scene of organised political activity.’ Not only did it affect the bourgeoisie and the political thinkers of that time, it also intensified activity among the peasantry; throughout the peasant’s great misery and hardship, demonstrations and riots against taxes spread like wildfire across France to become what is known as The Great Fear. However little bloodshed there was, The Great Fear, in some ways similar to the storming of the Bastille, exposed ‘the vacuum of authority…at the heart of the French Government’. It also gave light to the severity of social unrest now present in France.
The August Decrees in many ways were the vocalisation of the revolutionary actions of the people. Its proposed changes went far beyond anything demanded in the Cahiers, and this ‘ruled out any possibility of compromise with the feudal aristocracy and forced the bourgeois revolution onwards’ (Soboul). The aims of the decrees, however, were entirely ambiguous and failed to satisfy the political objectives of the radical leaders. It would actually be ‘the popular movement…and their leaders, both within and outside the Assembly, who would radicalise he Revolution and the peasants in the countryside who would nurse their grievances against it’ (Fenwick and Anderson).
The political actions of the bourgeoisie during the revolution or 1789 were essential in pushing the revolution forward, but as stated by McPhee, ‘the Revolution of the bourgeois deputies had only been secured by the intervention of the working people of Paris.’
Colour my life with the chaos of trouble
If you stare at a wall all day, you'll know everything.
Apparently.
For me, though, I think this comes from just knowing who you are. Staring at a wall all day is bound to just make you delusional and that knowledge of "everything" is probably just the mad result of boredom of the mind. Borderline insanity.
Knowing yourself, and who you are, and then being able to place yourself in the context of reality is the closest I believe anyone can come to total awareness, or perhaps enlightenment, to borrow a concept from Buddhism. However, the only issue I have with using the term 'enlightenment' here is that this is how happiness is represented in Buddhism, and I'm not sure that knowing everything is the key to happiness.
Happiness is such a complex topic, and such a sneaky emotion. It creeps up on you. Well, it does to me and to be frank, I hate not being able to depend on it sticking around. On the surface, it seems so simple. Happy itself is just a nice, easy word yet what it represents differs so much across generations, genders, cultures, countries etc. etc. It is defined by the princeton dictionary of the internetwebz as being 'a state of well being characterised by emotions ranging from contentment to immense joy'. I must say, I am so glad the definition isn't ambioguous in the slightest.
'Happiness...is not a fish that you can catch' is the name of an album released by a Canadian alternative rock band. I like fish, and when used metaphorically they are even better. So now I am happy. For now. As I just said in the original sentence.
DISTRACTED MID POST AGAIN.
Philosophical ramblings aren't so fun when you have to research stuff first.
I stole flowers.
I stole beauty.
I stole the hard labour of some.
I stole the good fortune of others.
Why do they look dull on my bookshelf? They are nothing but empty flowers; their colours intertwining in my vision and blurring to create a meaningless sense of rebellion.
Why Do You Pray? Should I Pray? Kaitlyn Answers Some Questions.
well it edifies you
and you pray in the spirit because it says in the bible to worship in spirit and in truth
and because theres a verse in the bible about when you pray in the spirit, in holy spirit makes intercessions and speaks unspeakable groanings of the heart
so if you're having trouble articulating exactly what it is you're having prayer for. . thats what the holy spirits for
and it also makes you feel much better about everything
and brings you closer to god
so i guess in that sense, yes, it does intensify when you pray
because its like you're making a conscious decision to open up communication lines.
Because this post (like the one before it) sucks just so much in terms of planning and the development of opinion/plot/anything at all really, I'm going to post another one about the French Revolution after this.
Au revoir. For now.
Apparently.
For me, though, I think this comes from just knowing who you are. Staring at a wall all day is bound to just make you delusional and that knowledge of "everything" is probably just the mad result of boredom of the mind. Borderline insanity.
Knowing yourself, and who you are, and then being able to place yourself in the context of reality is the closest I believe anyone can come to total awareness, or perhaps enlightenment, to borrow a concept from Buddhism. However, the only issue I have with using the term 'enlightenment' here is that this is how happiness is represented in Buddhism, and I'm not sure that knowing everything is the key to happiness.
Happiness is such a complex topic, and such a sneaky emotion. It creeps up on you. Well, it does to me and to be frank, I hate not being able to depend on it sticking around. On the surface, it seems so simple. Happy itself is just a nice, easy word yet what it represents differs so much across generations, genders, cultures, countries etc. etc. It is defined by the princeton dictionary of the internetwebz as being 'a state of well being characterised by emotions ranging from contentment to immense joy'. I must say, I am so glad the definition isn't ambioguous in the slightest.
'Happiness...is not a fish that you can catch' is the name of an album released by a Canadian alternative rock band. I like fish, and when used metaphorically they are even better. So now I am happy. For now. As I just said in the original sentence.
DISTRACTED MID POST AGAIN.
Philosophical ramblings aren't so fun when you have to research stuff first.
I stole flowers.
I stole beauty.
I stole the hard labour of some.
I stole the good fortune of others.
Why do they look dull on my bookshelf? They are nothing but empty flowers; their colours intertwining in my vision and blurring to create a meaningless sense of rebellion.
Why Do You Pray? Should I Pray? Kaitlyn Answers Some Questions.
well it edifies you
and you pray in the spirit because it says in the bible to worship in spirit and in truth
and because theres a verse in the bible about when you pray in the spirit, in holy spirit makes intercessions and speaks unspeakable groanings of the heart
so if you're having trouble articulating exactly what it is you're having prayer for. . thats what the holy spirits for
and it also makes you feel much better about everything
and brings you closer to god
so i guess in that sense, yes, it does intensify when you pray
because its like you're making a conscious decision to open up communication lines.
Because this post (like the one before it) sucks just so much in terms of planning and the development of opinion/plot/anything at all really, I'm going to post another one about the French Revolution after this.
Au revoir. For now.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Those days when you want to kill everyone
So hi.
Just wanted to let you know that anything I say from now onwards cannot be used against me in a court of law because I am not thinking straight and I'm in love and I can't bear it and my tea is cold.
We have a biology test tomorrow. This doesn't really affect my life, except today I got back a D for an assignment. Me. A D. I never get Ds. But you know, it didn't bother me in the slightest, and I'm a little worried I'm just going to let myself slip into a pattern of slackness because I just don't care.
As the title suggests, I am in a homicidal mood, and I thought I should just clarify that this has nothing to do with an upcoming test or anything.
Actually - hey, hey! MOOD CHANGESE ARE A HAPPENIN- I feel better. I'd still like to stab someone repeatedly. No, actually, I'd like to cut their face Joker style like in 'Pan's Labrynth'- where the maid takes her potato knife and cuts the general's face open into an eternal smile and blood drips everywhere.
I need a job. I hate this sense of worthlessness. It's more like uselessness; like infinite idleness actually.
Wow. Boredom really gets to you. This book told me boredom leads to death. I can't believe I'm still alive. I'm a real surviver, clearly.
And you know? That's it. I could just delete this post, but no. I'm sure all of my wonderful readers want to read my waffle. Every last one of them.
Just wanted to let you know that anything I say from now onwards cannot be used against me in a court of law because I am not thinking straight and I'm in love and I can't bear it and my tea is cold.
We have a biology test tomorrow. This doesn't really affect my life, except today I got back a D for an assignment. Me. A D. I never get Ds. But you know, it didn't bother me in the slightest, and I'm a little worried I'm just going to let myself slip into a pattern of slackness because I just don't care.
As the title suggests, I am in a homicidal mood, and I thought I should just clarify that this has nothing to do with an upcoming test or anything.
Actually - hey, hey! MOOD CHANGESE ARE A HAPPENIN- I feel better. I'd still like to stab someone repeatedly. No, actually, I'd like to cut their face Joker style like in 'Pan's Labrynth'- where the maid takes her potato knife and cuts the general's face open into an eternal smile and blood drips everywhere.
I need a job. I hate this sense of worthlessness. It's more like uselessness; like infinite idleness actually.
Wow. Boredom really gets to you. This book told me boredom leads to death. I can't believe I'm still alive. I'm a real surviver, clearly.
And you know? That's it. I could just delete this post, but no. I'm sure all of my wonderful readers want to read my waffle. Every last one of them.
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