A (Re-) Inaugural Rant

It has been a while since I last wrote in this blog, which just goes to show you that for a diarist, persistence trumps prose. That, of course, is an unfortunate truth of today’s world – the world where quantity overwhelms quality.

Maybe it is a function of a mass consumer society where we feel the need to buy in bulk and ‘super size’ everything. That, of course, lays the blame on capitalism, instead of the stupidity and avarice of individuals, where it really belongs.

I remember my own situation on 9/11. When the news of the first plane crashing came through, there was the obvious background chatter and armchair theorizing. A former co-worker declared that it was the beginning of the biblical ‘end of days’, while I thought it might have been some wonky pilot error, similar to what happened over 50 years ago when that US bomber flew into the Empire State Building. Once the second plane hit, I knew I had to revisit my view, but this person carried on with theirs, and still does, for all I know. The fact that this person made liberal use of contempt and arrogance in their dealings with co-workers (including yours truly) made it all the more laughable. Oh, well, they are probably displaying the same winning personality in their new locale.

My point is that many people shovel pseudo-intellectual garbage into them like Augustus Gloop binging at the Wonka factory, and don’t seem to mind the brain rot that comes from a steady intake of high-carb conspiracy theories.

Right now, there is a lot of talk of a severe economic downturn, with people clearly exorcised about their future. Hey, so am I. Unfortunately, there will be a number of people who will read whatever motivations or biases they hold into the unfolding situation, than give a self-satisfied “aha!” Mind you, if some entertainment program or website should throw up the latest exploits of Paris, Britney, or Brangelina, a good number of sheeple should be thrown off track.

Look, I don’t see some hellfire and brimstone end time emergency replete with Hollywood special effects. I do, however, see smug people doing stupid things – obvious things.

Before I go any further, I should offer my own qualifier, and state that I am just as prone to bouts of stupidity as the next person. We all are. But like the alcoholic who has to take things ‘one day at a time,’ we can choose to remain intellectually sober, or fall of the wagon (or turnip truck), and celebrate idiocy. I struggle with my own stupid tendencies every day (and it can be a struggle, believe me…). The point is that some of us actually struggle, rather than immerse ourselves in stupidity.

If I have any wish for the world, it would be to pick up a frigging book once in a while – and not a romance novel, or skin magazine. If you Google a topic, don’t pick the first link, but look for one from a place that gives fancy degrees, or from someone who earned said pieces of paper written in Latin. And remember – the definition of a smart person is someone who realizes just how little of the world he or she actually understands.

So, before the spectre of sub-prime mortgages, food riots, gas prices, and erectile dysfunction cause you to flee to the hinterland and start living ‘la vida post-apocalypto’, relax, brew a pot of tea, sit down in a comfy chair, and read something without pictures or comedic punchlines.

It’s a little like a bran muffin. Might not taste so good, but it’ll leave you clean and regular.