privacy | Writingbolt's Creation

Posts Tagged ‘privacy

Aug

I Am Not Home (NEVER)

Categories: Concerns and Alerts and Confessions of the Rabbit Kind
Tags: assurance, companionship, door, family, friendship, home, love, personal, privacy, respect, safety, security, sign, signs

****

I devised a small sign for my current residence to let family and visitors know when I am available or away. It might seem foolish in terms of home security. But, it serves a purpose. At the front and back, there is an extra door which can only be locked from inside; so, if someone is in the house and wishes to block all visitors (welcome-during-daylight-hours or unwanted-of-the-criminal-nature), usually late at night, they can lock the extra door. If I need to get into the house at night, I’d rather not wake people with a phone call (because someone locked that extra door while I was away).

The sign has two sides.

(MY NAME) IS HOME.

and

(MY NAME) IS NOT HOME.

Some days, I get careless (and discouraged) and leave the “not home” side showing when I am actually in the house. And, I’m starting to think I should always leave it that way. Why? Because I don’t feel at home, especially when family is sharing the space. And, when I am alone, the house feels chilly and eerily vacant; I crave companionship. But, ‘not just any companionship; I need people that make me feel comfortable and eager to get active, not threatened if I don’t do what pleases them in the moment, not threatened for being imperfect.

Thinking about the course of my life, thus far, I cannot recall ever feeling at home. If I ever did, it was when I was an oblivious kid who looked up to his parents as heroes. That image faded long ago, when the incessant bickering between my mom and dad became vexing. Even when I was not the wisest kid, my bedroom never felt entirely safe or secure. I never had privacy or my parents’ trust. Collected treasures and my own artistic creations have never been entirely safe from damage and elimination. I’ve felt more at home visiting a rare friend’s house than I ever did with family or on my own. And, with friends, I’ve always been uneasy about becoming too comfortable and pushing my limits.

Come to think of it, I’ve never been comfortable with my own family. When I think of all the family events I’ve attended and all of the trips I’ve taken with family, I don’t recall a single time in which my family did something with me that I liked to do and didn’t complain or rush me. If I have ever gone somewhere I actually wanted to go and/or found something I actually wanted to do, my family always–ALWAYS–finds a reason to fuss, complain and rush me, draining all joy out of the experience and sending me into a recovery spiral when I finally find an ounce of peace and alone time. If I ever felt comfortable sitting on someone’s lap or in their arms (or even just in their presence), it was so long ago, I’ve essentially forgotten.

I often enough find myself drifting into a daydream, a variation of one of the many TV shows I’ve seen. I picture myself with a wife and pets, stepping outside the house to speak with neighbors and venturing off to faraway vacation destinations before returning to my custom-designed comfort zone and art studio. Sometimes, I imagine having enough land to ride horses with my wife. They are refreshing fantasies. But, they lose their charm and make me nauseous when reality reappears.

Reality doesn’t seem to show a sensible path to achieving those fantasies. I mean, sure, there are plenty of advisors who will say it only takes this and that to get there. But, for me, it’s not that straight-forward or simple. I consider myself psychologically challenged. And, there are far too many examples of failure around me to alter my outlook. Only a thread of hope remains. Anything is possible.

I’m not sure how to wrap this up…but I’ll say this. No one comments on my posts, lately. So, you probably won’t even notice. Lights may be on. But, I’m not at home. I guess that makes me a nomad.

May

Where Is “Somewhere Else?”

By writingbolt Leave a Comment

Categories: Confessions of the Rabbit Kind and Uncategorized
Tags: artist, behavior, chance, chat, conventional, discouragement, email, fate, friend, gaming, internet, invitation, invite, luck, mail, online, opportunity, privacy, psychology, risk, security, shopping, social, social anxiety, socializing, status quo, talent, text, voice chat, wrong, wrong place, wrong time

***

Have you ever heard that old song that talks about being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or, is it the right place at the wrong time? It seems I am perpetually in a similar position, and someone feels obligated to let me know. It’s as if I am stuck in some sort of Alice-in-Wonderland story with countless characters steering me away from where I am or think I should be.

If I choose to pick up pencil/pen and paper and draw something, that’s nice…but could I draw somewhere else at some other time? This isn’t the time or place for that. And, so many wish I had a better place to use that talent, a talent which I think is less impressive on paper than it is in my mind and the minds of those who see what I create. [My true talent is in composition and in my imagination and possibility thinking, in getting people to visualize great opportunities and awe-inspiring concepts…when I believe in the concept, not to sell merchandise for someone else.]

Then there will be moments when I express an interest in or ability to draw/create something, and someone will get excited and want me to do that and more…until I start and hear them or someone else tell me, again, it’s the wrong place and time for creating. And then there are other moments when I resist or refuse to draw/create and someone will say, “Didn’t you say you’re an artist? Why aren’t you using that talent?”

If I choose to speak–about anything–at length, I soon enough hit a roadblock with someone and have to curb my words. Oh no; I’ve said too much. [Yes, I hear REM, too.] I said something inappropriate, even if I try to speak cautiously and respect the interests of those present. Look out; it’s the next detour which is sending me to Shutitville. I’ll see you some other time, maybe. Or, I should realize you and I will never see eye-to-eye and avoid future discussions (with you). [Some people you try so hard to communicate with that you fail to accept the possibility that not everyone will “click” with your way of thinking. Some connections you just have to avoid or accept as failures.]

If I try to make friends online, without first seeing someone’s face and physically shaking their hand, I’m weird and/or crazy. Certain games provide the means to connect with other players…and then, perhaps, post notices about privacy and avoiding certain subjects to protect them and everyone’s privacy…which makes the whole interactive aspect questionable. Are we so starved for social contact that we inject it into video/computer games only to wince and feel pain when it’s too much to bear? Why play dangerously?

All I know is that I see an opportunity to socialize without my usual face-to-face social anxiety, to meet and interact with people around the world, to put an internet tool to its best use, not its worst, and I’m classified as “wrong.” I don’t want to “quick chat” and leave it at that. I’m not using a handful of stickers to substitute human interaction. If you want to talk about what is wrong, it’s trying to put my typically busy, heavy brain’s thoughts into less than three words from a very limited selection of phrases/faces.

What if what I need to say doesn’t fit those words? How does one say “You suck” or “Let’s do this, again, sometime” with a wink and a tongue? Do you have any idea how infuriating it is to see others repeatedly rubber-stamp the same tired words/symbols on my screen and be unable to convey what is going through my mind?…to have a microphone but be unable to adequately use it?…to see food or some other useful object and be unable to use it? That is evil.

You cannot reconnect with someone another day just by sending a “friend invite” and potentially adding them to a list, especially if that person/list doesn’t seem to grasp how to use it or speak my language. Right now, I have a few friend lists which might as well be coated in cobwebs because more than half of the people on those lists don’t seem to know how to communicate nor send invitations to play…nor respond to my invitations. A few might not be legitimate players, meaning they are some sort of spying or hacking weeds sitting in my interactive space. And, for some reason, I cannot remove them? How did they even get on my list?

I need to get to know my teammates, if they are worth knowing, and have the chance to establish solid friendships. Otherwise, I’d rather just go back to the old games that require someone to sit next to me when sharing a game. But, if I am limited to teammates I can see and touch, I’d rather curl up in a ball and die. I cannot adequately negotiate with the people around me to find adequate teammates, which is why I sadly turn to the internet and search for companions.

[Sigh.] There is a whole world out there, with some feeling much the same way…and we cannot make those good connections? Surely, there are success stories…or, as people like to fuss and say the internet is a liar, are the stories fake news? Is there no true happiness? Is the whole of the internet just one sly slot or claw machine that teases you with a prize you cannot get?

I get the concern for online security/privacy/safety, which only exposes our weaknesses, our need for interaction and our fear of being hurt and/or robbed. But, then, I wonder why we bother making and maintaining an internet, at all. Is it just one more scheme to get our money, time and energy?…to steal our souls?

Yet, so much is hinged upon the internet. If I want to see a doctor, I’m advised to get an online account with some app and link it to an email account, so I can receive all sorts of useful charts and sort out appointments. [Because using a printer or sharing a phone call is too much trouble? Isn’t that just putting more personal information online where anyone who can hack could tap into it?] If I’m going to go that far, why can’t I be phone or pen pals with the doctors (providers) I like and meet for lunch, sometime? Is that wrong?

If I want to get the instruction manual for some item I just purchased, it’s not in the box (anymore); but there is a tiny booklet that tells me, in seventeen languages, I can either scan a QR code or go directly to a listed website to find the information…maybe…if the link even works or the internet doesn’t glitch. Well, great. Maybe I will learn how to use this thing…or maybe I’ll wish I never shopped for anything.

Is it possible the internet was created to teach people a lesson about want?…to give them too much and eventually drive everyone who isn’t tech-smart away from it into the garden of the oblivious?

Is the internet any different from what happens when you apply for something offline only to get “third party” junk mail which agitates you to no end? Is the internet really any safer than your physical mailbox? You submit personal information like an address and/or phone number to get a chance to win or do something you want and get a bunch of stuff you don’t want which only adds to social conflict and landfills. You might even fill out a form for a legitimate and very personal need, like a doctor’s office, and some “third-party” business could get enough information to send you something you don’t want and sound like they know something you wish wasn’t public knowledge. So, instead of worrying about people you cannot see accessing your “personal data,” you’re bothered by countless businesses and jerks pestering you with a paper trail and sending you bills for things you didn’t buy.

Everything wants to be linked to an email account, which means you have to have some means of online/internet communication/interaction. You have to create an account to access something. And, those application portals don’t usually have opening and closing times. So…just about any time seems to be the right time to create an account.

But, it’s not the right time or place for me to speak or draw?

Whatever.

Am I wrong…here?

I’ve heard plenty of opinions from who may be “the wrong people.” But, what do you think, reader?

If you’re looking for me, I’ll just be standing over there. That’s me, in the corner, losing my…mind. [I can’t say I’m losing my religion because I’m still sorting out that bit.]

Dec

Response to When All the Signs Say It’s Over… Ask Carolyn (Hax)

By writingbolt Leave a Comment

Categories: Responses to Ask Carolyn Advice Columns
Tags: advice, ask carolyn, Carolyn Hax, cheating, column, conditioning, diet, dieting, exercise, genetics, happiness, health, healthy, infidelity, opinion, privacy, psychology, relationships, response, STD, strategy, temper, wrong

***

Ask Carolyn (Hax) column originally titled “When all the signs say it’s over, why even snoop for proof?”

There are two letters to this column. The first is given an unfairly hasty response and prods me to add my own thoughts. The second receives an exceptional response; I cannot complain and–shocker–compliment Carolyn’s philosophy (in this instance).

This particular “Anonymous” is one half of a touchy relationship in which an STD and infidelity may be kept a secret (by the other half). The half in doubt wants to check the other half’s phone to confirm their suspicion…at the risk of triggering the other half’s dangerous temper and committing an unforgivable crime of violating privacy. Without this confirmation, the doubting half feels they are risking their life with someone they have yet to fully trust (or who has given sufficient reason to break that trust).

Carolyn cuts the chase to a fairly simple one-sided decision: leave the relationship, now. The doubt and concern for triggering a dangerous temper is enough to bail and put this person behind you.

I have a similar plan in mind but not one so final.

—————-

Anonymous (lover who dreads STDs, tempers and infidelity), if you take Carolyn’s advice, you give in to your suspicion without confirmation and could spoil an otherwise valuable relationship. If you continue to react that way, you’ll likely cut more and more people out of your life based solely on a glimmer of doubt.

Let me ask–though I know I won’t likely see or hear the answer–do you genuinely love this person with a temper? Is that temper equally scary and strangely attractive because it gives that person passion, a drive to stand up and take command when needed? If you can answer yes to the second question, you have sufficient reason to stick with this hot head and work this out.

You know crossing the line will get you into trouble. You surely have also heard the expression about two wrongs not making a right. But, not crossing the line will not get the answer(s) you seek…UNLESS you open a door instead of shutting one. Or, open one while appearing to shut another.

So, here’s my alternative solution to your doubt/safety crisis. Honesty. Be honest with your partner. And, if you feel you’ve already tried that, lay down an ultimatum before you walk away.

Say, “I no longer feel safe in this relationship. And, since I cannot get the answers I need without upsetting you, I guess I have to leave.”

Now, you may sound like you are out the door, but you don’t have to go so quickly. And, you’re not crossing the line to get what you need for reassurance; you’re putting a little piece of cheese out to lure a rat. Wait for the response. If that response is…

A) Silence, be prepared to pack up and move on with life, as painful as that may be. This wasn’t the love you wanted. [And, yet, there is a chance that silence might dissolve into a humbling confession…so leave room for that.]

B) The unpleasant truth you expected, you have confirmation without committing a “crime.” Pack your things and your feelings and go.

C) A willingness–even if it comes with a hostile outburst–to let you look at the phone in question, there’s your chance to do the deed without inappropriate secrecy/violation. You’ve opened a door.

Yes, this is a bit of a touchy situation with no comforting way out of it. But, you don’t have to *assume* the worst, even if you think your gut instinct is alerting you to the truth. In such tense, emotionally-charged matters, it’s easy to let little dark influencers steer you wrong. It’s the same sort of temptation that drives some to infidelity. And, the fear of being open and honest is the stuff that keeps those little monsters active; it’s their food.

———-

I will just say a little something else about the second letter and response.

Finding Willpower, I am right there, with you, in a way. I may be in different physical (and maybe mental) shape, but I too know what people are saying is right (for all humans…which is a bit inaccurate…because each of us is a bit different) and cannot exactly get my brain to follow all of those recommendations. I know I COULD do a number of things to improve my health. But, I have no idea if those suggestions will work for me…especially, as Carolyn says, if I don’t find pleasure in them. If we are not happy making adjustments, those adjustments are just adding to our discomfort and likely to encourage actions that undo our healthy ambitions.

Carolyn gives a great suggestion about working (out) with friends…yet I wonder if you, like me, don’t lack in that regard. Perhaps a lack of adequate emotional support has led to your present situation. Some people are emotional eaters; others starve themselves or eat all the wrong foods when distressed. That’s as bad as sitting on a couch all day.

Doing what makes us happy certainly has its benefits…as long as we are wise enough to know not everything that makes us content/happy is healthy. Can we still be happy but cut back on (the portions of) sugar, fat, etc., without sacrificing taste?

One little detail that might have slipped Carolyn’s awareness…

You say “drink less.” Does that mean you might be indulging in alcoholic beverages (a tad much)? If so, you’re not hydrating your body; you’re dehydrating it…even though so many cultural people like to think wine and beer are fountains of youth from the gods. We all need to drink (liquids); and you surely hear those who push drinking more water. So, it’s not about drinking less…as much as it is about *what* you drink.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why someone “drinks too much.” Either it’s in your family’s DNA, it’s natural…and probably unhealthy, or it’s due to a lack of something elsewhere in your life, it’s your solution to unhappiness, your “fix.” Just as simple–though no more easy to achieve–is the solution. Find an alternative way to elate and comfort yourself. Find a healthier substitute. You might start by trying to trick your mind into accepting something like fruit juice as good as wine, taking out the alcohol and side effects (unless your particular makeup doesn’t respond well to certain fruit juices).

For many, especially those who are either serious extroverts or prodded to socialize by those extroverts, social drinking is a conditioned response that needs to be curbed/broken. I wish I had a clear-cut path to freedom, but I don’t. And, if I did, it probably wouldn’t sit well with everyone; it might sound like a health nut trying to tell you all fats, sugars and salts are bad. [And, that would be a lie; there are good fats, sugars and salts. Diet foods are a cruel joke; that’s the truth.]

Also, how you eat your food plays a big part. If you eat in a rush or while sitting or standing uncomfortably, you hinder digestion and can cause a number of other ailments. We need to digest in peace and comfort. So, be sure to mind where and how you enjoy your meals and snacks.

You could try giving yourself a carrot on a stick. Promise yourself a treat after getting some exercise. You can have a bowl of ice cream after you go out for a spring/summer hike. You could take a snack with you as a friend on your hike/walk and then find a quiet, relaxing place to enjoy that snack without upsetting your stomach. Now, you’re feeding your mind and body and getting exercise.

There is also the possibility that whatever you think your healthy body should be isn’t what nature intended.

[I still say Jennifer Hudson was just fine when she was “fat” and sounded better when she sang; I think she might have been pressured to look at herself negatively and fracture her self-esteem while obtaining a slimmer figure, which might appear healthier but may yet be unhappy. Why is Oprah Winfrey considered the iconic yo-yo dieter? Because she isn’t happy doing what others tell her is healthy; her attempts to stay trim are backfiring. And, personally, I think her seduction into celebrity status has turned her into a marketing tool, which isn’t allowing her to think clearly. She will sell you a diet plan but not give enough evidence to show she truly believes in it.]

You might be conditioned or pressured to change your ways when your current state is exactly what genetics gave you. And, if you fight that too hard, you could just as easily go over a cliff and die unhappily. So, be sure to check your family history and evaluate what is a comfortable level of adjustment for you. It just might help you take those “baby steps” toward improvement versus leaping into a fat-sucking operation.

[I guess I said more than a little something. Oh well. I still am surprisingly pleased with Carolyn’s response. But, have these ideas/suggestions, as well. And, good luck to a healthy makeover.]

Oct

The App Biz Hustle; Everybody Dance With Me

By writingbolt Leave a Comment

Categories: Concerns and Alerts and Uncategorized
Tags: app, application, artificial intelligence, cattle, confusion, distraction, fear, Force, freedom, hustle, influence, pie chart, privacy, scam, scheme, security, smart device

***

Hi. I’m a pleasant voice hired to speak with you about a new “app”
that was just released for free trial (and later sales). My goal is to instill fear and confusion with my words, hoping you will submit and buy the “app” I am pitching, which was made by some guys who just graduated from college and are working out of a garage.

This “app” offers you a dazzling pie-chart-displaying service which is intended to offer reassurance from the fear and confusion I just injected into you. Fear of what you ask? It doesn’t matter (delicate laughter).
But, for example, do you hate hearing the phone ring every hour or at times when you are involved with other business and/or people? Thanks for supplying that time-sensitive personal information which will now be passed on to my employers for future programming adjustments and more annoyance for you. Enjoy our repetitive ads and spam calls until you submit to our payment plan.

Now, once I have your approval to pay so much per month, you will no longer have to worry about anything my employers could do to you. What can my employers do to you? It doesn’t matter (delicate laughter).

But, for example, do you hate hearing the phone ring every hour or at times when you are involved with other business and/or people? Thanks for supplying that time-sensitive personal information which will now be passed on to my employers for future programming adjustments and more annoyance for you. Enjoy our repetitive ads and spam calls until you submit to our payment plan.

And, to add even more reassurance, please, continue to enjoy this slide show of people smiling and enjoying unrelated activities, during which one or more people are holding a “smart device” which could be using our “app.” Thank you for purchasing our “app” and continue to financially support the young college graduates of your planet; this is what all that money invested in a higher education affords.

As long as people keep pitching “smart” devices as the only not obsolete way to interact and do business, you have less and less freedom to decide what you do with your lives…and money. And, it’s really your money that matters to us, not your lives, which are worthless. But, don’t listen to that; watch this montage and listen to music we bought from a poor artist for a nickel.

Background singing voice (to end this commercial): “And, I think to myself…what a wonderfulll worrrlllld. Oooh yeaaah.”

Jan

Response to Husband Hiding COVID-19 Email (Ask Carolyn Hax)

By writingbolt Leave a Comment

Categories: Responses to Ask Carolyn Advice Columns
Tags: advice, advice columnist, Carolyn Hax, concern, covid-19, crisis, divorce, editorial, email, marriage, mask, opinion, privacy, psychology, quarantine, relationship, relationships, separation, therapy, trust, vaccine

****

Ask Carolyn (Hax) column originally titled “Husband exposed to COVID-19, didn’t tell wife”

Here we go, again, casual readers; another hasty and somewhat flippant advice column handed off to professional therapy by the columnist sought for advice. [Had it been couples therapy, I might have let this slide. Buuuut, couples therapy was not exactly the suggestion given.]

“S” is the deeply agitated, potentially overly controlling and clearly COVID-19 concerned (paranoid?) wife of a man who deleted an email–from a shared business email account–regarding an exposure incident at a meeting of some men’s club the wife permitted her husband–who might as well be an indentured servant from my understanding of the situation–to attend; she refused to attend this men’s club meeting after receiving invitation/permission. The husband deleted the email which mentioned “positive cases” and said nothing afterward; the wife, as “administrator,” saw the email (when it was still in the inbox?) and tapped into the deleted emails (days later)–which sounds rather paranoid and distrusting of the spouse, right up front–to find the then missing file before turning to an advice columnist for female fury support.

——-

**Now, before I explode with my usual rant, let me just present one case in which I could, admittedly, be wrong in snapping yet justified in my outrage over the careless, flippant therapy suggestions. IF this shared/business email account AND men’s club meeting are linked…if the men’s club meeting was considered a “company function”…and the husband neglected to inform his wife and business partner of his exposure…and if the wife is honest about the couple having kids also put at risk from his exposure…then the most I can say is this couple needs to have a serious talk and sort out their differences, including opinions on getting vaccinated and all the differences Carolyn Hax clearly could not process on her own.

I also question how the couple married without a better understanding of what could be trusted; I’d rather not think the man was horsewhipped into the relationship simply because he was some sort of “eye candy” without any ability to function on his own…or that he was some wealthy playboy who seduced this woman into believing he would never deceive her…while she saw the posh life he offered and couldn’t refuse.

It’s also possible this isn’t the first dispute over the “COVID-19 crisis” to divide this couple. If the husband and wife have disagreed about getting vaccinated a few times, already, this incident might just be the husband’s latest semi-deceptive-but-equally-foolish attempt to avoid another confrontation and feverish, siren-like outburst from his significant other. Knowing my own parents and their differences, I can relate; no one–and I mean no one–enjoys hearing my mother explode when something upsets her sensitive composition. It’s like lighting a match to ignite a hurricane.

But, it isn’t justified cause/reason to commit the man as a mental disaster and let the wife walk away with no blame, at all. Why? Is she so innocent because she supports the “right” or “left”–whichever it may be–viewpoint on everyone needing to get vaccinated?…though conflicting reports keep suggesting (as I’ve feared) the vaccines are nothing more than cattle-prodded flu shots which have as much likelihood of making you as sick as you’d be had you caught a bad case of the flu…unless you are among the unfortunate masses who suffer so badly that, yeah, death happens (which is a whole other debate for another day). Is this suspiciously political divide in the media going to ravage countless marriages, as well, risking not just physical/medical health but also mental health?

[BUT…if this is a company email account shared by the husband and wife…and the email was from the head of the men’s club about positive cases found…wouldn’t other members of the same men’s club ALSO receive the email alert? Wouldn’t all members of the club be informed?…not just the one tied to the “administrator” of this one rather severely monitored business email account? Or, was it the couple’s responsibility to inform all associated with the men’s club?…which sounds strange.]

[And, if the husband, knowing his wife had access to the email account and the ability to check for deleted emails, was still dumb enough to bother deleting the troubling email…well, shame on his stupidity. Or, pity the poor fool because he didn’t know what else to do, being a guy clearly desperate to socialize without the extreme concern over potential exposure and with some reservation about being vaccinated, to which I can relate because the barrage of news reports is confusing and not reassuring in any way. And, if the wife cannot understand that, she needs to check herself before she wrecks this marriage.]

BUT, if the men’s club meeting was just the husband’s “allowance” for socializing outside of an otherwise rather restrictive relationship, a means of having some sort of sanctioned friendship outside of the marriage (a marriage between a daring extrovert and a paranoid introvert not entirely unlike myself)…then witness my full fury as follows.**

——-

This female-empowerment-over-one-sided-disputes-regarding-couples-who-cannot-adequately-communicate-with-each-other business has to stop! [You have no idea how tough that is to hyphenate until you type it.]

Carolyn Hax, once again, responds with ill-equipped sensibility to the one-sided confession/argument, siding with the pleading client and recommending therapy for the “insecure” and otherwise defective husband who “cannot be trusted, can’t engage meaningfully in an intimate relationship and is a…bad example to children.” As if the wife–who is allowing this guy to use a shared business email account to socialize with a men’s club only to study the waste basket of deleted mail, just in case he, once more?, cannot be trusted–is a saint?!

S-O-FREAKIN’-BEEYOTCH!

First of all, if it isn’t obvious, we only get the wife’s take on the situation in what is clearly a couple squabble…which is probably sufficient evidence for Hax to suggest therapy. But, just for HIM?! Because HE is the problem? Oh, no, madam. The problem is the married couple, who, together, are a bad example for any children they may or may not have. And, from the wife’s tone, I would not be surprised if they had no kids…but that she wishes they did…so she could lord them over her husband, get them to side with her, because she doesn’t trust him much…if at all.

How do we know the wife isn’t as deceptive as the husband? Maybe “for other reasons” she can accept some of the blame for this tense situation (but refuses to do so, much the way she says her husband accepts zero responsibility). [If what the wife says IS true, then her husband is my mother at her worst; and even I might not recall the rare instance when my mother actually admitted to her own guilt instead of denying everything pointed at her. And, regardless how I feel about my own parents, I wouldn’t write them off to some unknown therapist whose advice they’d likely ignore/deny…but I might call them defective; sure. The difference is…I didn’t choose my parents or to be born under them. This woman CHOSE to marry this man and accept him as he is, flaws and all. If that’s too defective for her to accept, this marriage was a mistake from the start.]

This relationship smells like a “pre-nup” situation with the guy in a very compromising position. Even if he truly had reasons to be distrusted…SHE MARRIED THE GUY!! AND, she agreed to let him be a part of a men’s club…provided the email communication is handled through an account under the umbrella of a business she–in some fashion–controls or owns? [Had she denied him the membership in this men’s club, I’d be inclined to question her level of trust and feelings for the guy; wouldn’t you? Would that be a fair and loving relationship?]

If you haven’t read the column, let me add this little chip to your shoulder. The wife says she was invited to join the husband at the men’s club function but turned down the invitation…”for other reasons.” ‘Reasons she does not mention…why? What’s she hiding? Could it be insecurity over her own COVID fears? Is she afraid what people will say?…maybe that she’s just reacting out of fear of being among “the exposed?” Is she afraid of being called a kooky recluse?…because she just might be among that lot? Is her own self-consciousness acting out here to justify her position in the relationship and, maybe, excuse her for being so damn controlling?

If control of the situation was flipped without changing the hands of the crime, if the husband was administrator of the email account AND the one responsible for deleting an email the submissive/associate wife found (or became aware of its contents some other way), then I would likely side with her and say she is speaking out for the safety of all parties involved, as I would if my manager(s) attempted to hide something alarming and dangerous from the public/customers. [But, that isn’t this case. So, let’s not get carried away with “what ifs.”]

The mere idea of suggesting the husband is so defective that he cannot be trusted (at all) or capable of engaging an intimate relationship with his heart and soul; it’s outrageous and more likely to push the guy off a cliff than be of any help to him or his unfortunately flawed marriage. The wife is worried about “World War III.” I am fairly certain what would unfold from discussing the email situation with the husband would more likely be World War 300…because this cannot be their first big fallout or their third…UNLESS the wife or husband came into this relationship with kids in tow…and they recently married. If they’ve been together long enough to have even two kids, it shouldn’t be much of a shock to face this upheaval.

I’m inclined to say the wife is reluctant to deal with differences of opinion and marital confrontations, regardless of their intensity and/or who is to blame. And, if that is not the case, then the husband is tired of “always” coming to blows with the wife and “blowing up” when one of these disputes begins because there have been far too many (disagreements). If you had to defend your opinion of anything, so often, in the face of someone intent on refusing to see your point of view, sparking your temper this easily, you might understand.

Am I being hasty in promoting divorce (over therapy)? Not entirely. But, how often does therapy resolve these situations compared to cases in which the couple either refuses to accept therapy or ultimately delays a seemingly inevitable divide, whether that is a legal divorce or “separation?” And, how does deeming one half of a (formerly) willing union as defective and untrustworthy a solution any better than committing someone to a life in prison without sufficient potential for “rehabilitation?”

Does anyone expect therapy to resolve this matter, or is that just an excuse to spare the wife from dealing with her half of the problem? No ONE is fully to blame in this case, even if only one is the loudest and most likely to deny guilt. The problem isn’t solely his deceptive deed or measure of his character; it’s a divide over the current health crisis. And, considering a shared business is fuel added to the fire, it seems only more likely one side of the divide would resort to this sort of short-sighted deception to avoid a confrontation (and potentially ease already apparent tensions, even though the deception seems hazardous…though all parties involved should have received the concerning email, eliminating the greater, inflated concern over one man deleting the copy to which he–and his wife–had access, before and after deleting it).

————–

Miss S, after all of the above, my own personal advice–ill-equipped as I am (as anyone handed your case as it was written may be)–is limited to this. Either work out your trust issues with the husband (and, potentially, father of your children, if there are any children and if they are not from a previous marriage/relationship) on your own or see a couples counselor/therapist and pray you both can let down your “supremacy” guard enough to accept the textbook guidance, which I doubt from the many accounts to which I’ve unintentionally been exposed. Yes, I’ve been exposed…to lousy marriage situations and heard countless sickening tales which could easily destroy my faith in the traditional marriage dynamic and set me on course for self-destruction, much like I expect your supposedly untrustworthy husband to be.

Treating your situation is sort of like radiation therapy for the various cases of “big bad C” out there, which seems as deadly as the COVID you now fear. The prescribed radiation treatment too often causes further suffering, misery and, inevitably, death…which would likely be the result, anyway, if left untreated. But, maybe, not treating the problem would be a slightly less painful or hasty death?

Then again, maybe it’s not…THAT bad. But, if this isn’t THAT bad, you wouldn’t be going through your husband’s deleted emails and turning to an advice columnist for assistance (or just gal-pal support which, as you fear your husband doing to you, you might flap in his face to bolster your side of the argument).

But, as I stated above, if this email account is for business-related communications, I presume the men’s club was an event to promote your shared business?…and not your clearly social-interaction-without-scandal-starved husband’s brief vacation from an otherwise suffocating marriage. Forgive me if that sounds harsh or blunt; but you DO sound like a deeply troubled introvert (“for other reasons” you won’t mention) and paint him as a daring extrovert (for reasons you feel permitted to mention with inflated numbers); and that is not such a foreign concept, these days, that you should feel self-conscious. It seems quite common…and tragic. And, what is just as cruel and tragic is an advice columnist pegging your dear husband (and father of your children?) as untrustworthy, insecure and…well, I’m just repeating myself, which I hate to do.

In short, ‘bad call on your part. Now, you’ve probably made countless husbands (and various other partners) so insecure they could kill themselves and added tension to my already dangerously elevated blood pressure. But, then again, that’s my fault for reading your letter and the advice foolishly given. I’ll accept that much blame. Anything else I or Carolyn might say is inadequate to resolve your problem(s) because it’s colored by your emotionally colored rant. But, putting all blame on the husband and suggesting he face professional therapy because of his supposed defect…that is not mature or fair. And, you (ought to) know that. If you take Carolyn’s words and flap them in your husband’s face, you permit me to stand by your husband, regardless of his character, and spare this world from the hazardous excess of “girl power” that could easily take control of this world and only flip the problem of inequality instead of solving it.

Should you confront your husband with your concerns, well aware it might turn into a big thing? Probably. I mean, couples need to communicate to reach some sort of agreement and/or compromise on many situations, including this one, which is highly charged, considering the PERCEIVED threat level. Would the alternative–not confronting him–resolve your distress? Probably…not. Isn’t that much obvious? Not addressing a concern or problem does not make it go away. Confrontation seems inevitable. But, what is not inevitable is how that confrontation is conducted. Dwell on that suggestion a bit before having that serious talk with your chosen life partner.

Defuse the situation before it can explode. Make the discussion as comfortable as possible for both parties. And, if after all of that, it still blows up in your face and you still feel like you cannot trust your husband with anything, isn’t the next step obvious? I think it is. You just don’t want to go through it, much the way you don’t want to socialize in what might be a hazardous environment…even though not every bit of business can be handled remotely. And, no vaccine, so far, guarantees the safety of you, your husband or any children to which he is a “poor character” lacking “integrity.” It would seem he wants you to relax (more) and stress out less, should you overreact (which you will never see as overreacting, lest you become tragically self-conscious and threaten your own life…and all lives linked to yours) to what was in that email he foolishly tried to hide from you…who clearly lords over all outside communication in your business/relationship.

Understand I am not putting all blame on you (nor will I put it on HIM). This is a shared responsibility and concern; the two of you differ in opinions on the matter. That’s all. If you are the submissive half of this union–which does not seem likely the way you manage emails (among other things you won’t mention)–and he is perpetually a loose emotionally-charge cannon, I can sympathize with you and say he’s like my mother. But, that does not make you entirely innocent or free to enlist someone in doing the deed you ultimately must face yourself, as his partner.

[If I haven’t made it clear, yes, divorce is the unfavorable but possible result if you two cannot work this out on your own. Therapy might give some insights and suggest activities you one or both can attend, as if that would help, considering it is such an activity that contributed to this “blister” of concern. But, considering this conflict is linked to business you two share, it sounds like a personal matter that’s bound to upset a professional one, like the Gucci story. And, you don’t want it to come to that. I doubt even a professional therapist wants to have a hand in what could topple a financial empire. That sounds more dangerous than a severe flu bug.]

But, wait. There is one other possibility. You could do whatever you feel necessary to ensure the safety of yourself and those who concern you most WITHOUT COMMITTING YOUR HUSBAND TO AN ASYLUM! If you must, YOU quarantine yourself (and children); separate yourself from the one you married but cannot trust. Maintaining some sort of business and/or communication with him–avoiding legal action (such as divorce and all that probably comes with that, concerning the business ties you seem to have)–you work this out until it is, once again, safe to reunite and reconcile this incident as a loving, forgiving couple (of parents, who are a good example to children and just about anyone else).

[There. I said my piece. And, this sounds far better than putting your husband in jail or a straitjacket.]

Sep

Join the Cancel Culture Club!

By writingbolt Leave a Comment

Categories: Concerns and Alerts and Uncategorized
Tags: behavior, career, celebrity, forgiveness, freedom of speech, gossip, habit, intent, internet, karma, law, lawsuit, mistake, news, privacy, racism, scandal, tabloid, tattle, tattletale, trolls

****

Have you heard? It’s the latest hip thing to groove your generation. And, if you’re down with sacking the kings of mountains (or queens of the Stone Age), you’ll be top of the crap heap or just another brick in the wall in no time.

It’s the Cancel Culture Club! And, unlike the Culture Club of the 1980s, this one is headed by Chief Boi R and D; that’s Research of online history and Development of public scandal. Ain’t it cool? Ain’t it cool to be nosy and rat on rolling stones?

Don’t know what I’m sayin’? Well, catch this, faze-ing beach bois and manly valley girls.

“This ain’t a scene; it’s a god-damned arms race.” ~Fall Out Boy

“It’s interesting when people die; give us dirty laundry.

Dirty little secrets; dirty little lies.
We got our pretty little fingers in everybody’s pie.
We like to cut you down to size.
We love dirty laundry.” ~Don Henley

Someone says or writes something etched on a tiny piece of internet territory. Celebrities are practically encouraged to rant as an alternative to professional therapy; anything to stay famous if the price is right. Maybe no one says anything, in response. Maybe they do, but it gets swept under a rug.

You know how it is. You blog, and, if you’re lucky, some rare soul leaves a comment. Or, you pour your furious heart out on the screen, and all you get is dead silence and shady “follows” from people who might just be covers for secretive, spy-like organizations or websites looking to make a dime off you (possibly by involving your internet space in a scam). [I’ve looked into a few “followers” and found empty spaces and a few 404s. Surprisingly, not that many 420s. They seem to be swarming to arenas like Rocket League.]

Years roll by, and the thought just sits there, collecting cyber-dust. Then, out of the blue, someone pulls the pin on a tabloid grenade and blows up your claim to fame or just a sustainable lifestyle. Boom. Down goes your career and all you cherish. You’re public enemy number one and will be joined on the firing line by a dozen other similar saps wishing they were in a witness-protection program.

[So much for The Great Escape, Boys Love Girls.]

Welcome to the Cancel Culture Club, where the drinks are free but the price of admission will take you by surprise. You don’t get drunk here. You get SUNK…as in cement boots of shame and a cold farewell.

What? You thought it was just an innocent explosion of your temper? You were under pressure and venting steam? Oh, I understand. But, the trending majority do not and are too eager to pull the trigger that ends your comfortable life.

Sure. Some unpleasant crimes hidden away in a deceptive past may finally see justice served. [If you were raped at a younger age or drugged on a date, you have every right to shed light on the monster.] But, just as likely, the white paint will go too far and wipe out some colorful characters who merely cast a brief shadow on the immaculate world so many wish was their utopia. There seems to be no such thing as a small crime or little slip, anymore. The oppressed are rising up like The Planet of the Apes and taking down anyone who gets in their mad way, big fish or small fry.

[My skills at getting the dirt on people could use some honing. It’s no good to kick up a fuss without sufficient evidence. And, back when I was in school, there was no internet, just tiny bits of film you could magnify in a library, clippings of old news articles and whatnot. I suppose it could cause the same scandal if you put in the effort to research, but you’d have to buy air time on TV versus taking the convenient YouTube/Vimeo route you have today.]

Well, wake up mouseketeers. If you get sucked into the dark pleasure of tattling, it’s only a matter of time before we all go down in flames. You think you’re innocent, now. But, you just try to paint yourself as the next Mother Theresa. Good luck. The writing is on the movie screen.

Now, I’m not saying we should all throw away our conscience and/or morals, if we have any left. I’m not giving everyone a license to be rude (all of the time). But, I understand how events can boil and cause some otherwise innocent souls to be bent to the side of darkness.

Right now, you might not have an axe to grind. Tomorrow, someone does something to threaten your pleasant outlook on life, and you feel the burning prod of revenge. If you lash out, your action might be justified. [Well, maybe not in this present age of turning every little thing into a crime.] You’re only truly a monster if you make a habit of it and take pleasure in your torture. A one-time rapist can still atone. A serial or habitual rapist needs more help (and maybe some jail time).

[Then again, Cain only had one brother and put an end to that rather quickly. I guess there wasn’t much room for atonement there…unless he started a Big Brother organization for counseling troubled youths with annoying siblings. Ha. Can you imagine? The guy who murders his own brother managing a company that counsels youths lacking proper emotional support and discipline.]

Maybe, as a kid, you stole something from someone or a store, just because you couldn’t resist the desire to have one of your own. If you were still a good little kid, you might have returned what you stole (and golden if you apologized). Even if you kept the stolen good(s), as long as you don’t take up a life of crime, you can, at least, seek forgiveness, even if the victim doesn’t forgive you. You can redeem yourself.

Cripes; even Luke Skywalker wasn’t a whiney bitch all of the time. He had his light and dark force moments, like his father before him. Did he join the Sith? Nope. He turned his semi-robotic life around and shed some light on the universe. Just imagine if he’d been cast out of the rebel alliance or struck down faster than that prune-faced emperor guy. Your box set would probably be a fraction of the size it is now. [I think I heard a stand-up comic recite this bit, once.]

Let karma (or a higher power) sort the criminals from the innocent (if you can’t trust the police or government). Don’t be the internet troll unless you want to abolish free speech, forgiveness, atonement and privacy, along with your long list of tiny crimes. Be the internet muse or the internet counselor. No one needs a troll. [Sorry, actual trolls who might just be nice creatures living under bridges. I’m just…I-I should come up with a better term for the type.]

As The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus says…

“A pebble in the water makes a ripple effect.
Every action in this world will bear a consequence.
If you wade around forever, you will surely drown.
I see what’s going down.”

So, either mind every little thing you say and do in life (because someone seems to be watching and privacy just might be endangered) or take your chances and pray you don’t take the fall. Eventually, even the rats get eaten, when there’s nothing else left to call food or target practice.

Thanks, Internet. You’re the bad gift that just keeps giving, like “smartphones,” your ugly cousins who suck the enjoyment out of every live experience because they can’t stop filming and scrolling. Like Jurassic Park, you were the dream of a man seeking a free circus, and you spare no expense. You let us in and made us feel fairly comfortable with all of the ice cream and toys before the dinosaurs broke out of their cages and started tearing us all apart.

If you’re looking for me, I’ll just be sneaking around the heaps of ankylosaur feces, peeing in can of shaving cream. You know, ankylosaurs, the dinosaurs who knows how to CLUB.

I won’t likely be joining. I’ve never been a good “joiner” (or reader). Knowing me, I’ll be too blind to see the hammer coming. But, I’m not that blind, yet. And, I’m just too cynical and bitter at my age to shut my mouth. ‘Doesn’t make me a fill-in-the-blank-ist. I’m not a mobster; I typically operate solo. If I hurt anyone, they probably had it coming and ignored the warnings.

Party on, rebels.

Apr

Modern (Cellphone) Chivalry Gone Mad!

By writingbolt Leave a Comment

Categories: Concerns and Alerts and Uncategorized
Tags: app, apps, battery, cellphone, cellphones, charging, chivalry, editorial, humor, identity theft, modern, need a charge, opinion, privacy, rape, recharge, recharger, recharging, security, sex, technology, theft, trust, violation, wireless

***

Can I charge your what?!

Bumping cellphones?

Getting App-y with it?

Have you seen the commercial where pairs of people meet and, without more than a few words mumbled so softly that I could not tell what the freak they were doing, connect wireless devices and pass along a little battery juice, not unlike the new-fangled system of tossing something to someone with the swipe of a finger on the screen, like payments for just about anything imaginable. I thought it was some odd new way to exchange phone numbers without using one’s voice; heaven forbid you have to speak up and ask with real words these anti-social, wireless-technology-infused days. But, I would be wrong.

I hate to be the party crasher, one more time, but what sense does this make?

How is touching wireless devices to transfer battery power any smarter or better than the “old days” of offering to light someone’s cigarette with a book of matches or lighter you opted to carry just in case you had the chance to play Mr. Chivalry and potentially score points with some woman (or man, if you were the type of woman to boldy carry the flame-maker)?

Here’s the catch, though. Back then? Lighting a cigarette or cigar opened the door to real conversation. You know; that antiquated thing two or more people do when they look at each other, speak with their gullets and hopefully, actually listen to what the other people have to say. You didn’t light the cigarette and then ignore the person unless you were just passing through/by the scene and, likely, scoring points with whoever you accompanied, who thought how nice you are to do that for a stranger.

Oh, wait, I get it. It’s like finding someone on the side of the road with a flat tire or no gas in their car. You just give them a lift.

Except, this lift comes at a high technological and personal risk, most likely, even if you think you’re protected. [Because, honestly? These days, I don’t know who is protected; not even the people creating the forms of protection because they’re still human and thus fallible. And, replacing people with machines is just as stupid because humans build the machines…unless there is some mechanical deity out there itching to replace humanity.] But, even the person stuck on the side of the road can turn into a hazardous situation; sometimes the situation can be a trick/trap. I guess you just take your chances (or look away because you “can’t trust anyone”)?

When you share an umbrella to escort someone to their car in the rain, you don’t hold your wallet and all of your personal account info in the same hands. Maybe if we just used the wireless electronic device for one thing, like making phone calls or checking our heart rate while we excercise, this wouldn’t be a concern. But, what good is a watch if it doesn’t also tap into your favorite video feeds, activate every electrical device in your home, track every move everyone you’ve ever met makes via “social media,” start your car and allow you to pay for dinner?

If your device runs out of battery power and needs to be charged, getting a small (or however big of a) charge from another is only going to encourage you to spend more time ignoring others and your surroundings (if you’re the inept type who runs into walls, crashes their car from being distracted, etc.). Granted, lighting a cigarette for someone was also inviting them to chug down more harmful chemicals into their lungs with a greater chance of suffering some tragic fate. But, at least, the smokers were, usually, social. You don’t light a cigarette and then tune out the rest of the world as if you put on one of those “ultra-modern” goggle systems that transports you to some virtual reality.

But, while the device is charging, you’re free to talk with the person giving you the boost, some will argue. And, if that charging time only lasts a few seconds? Nice five-second chat you just had. I bet you, um, er, uh, *clear my throat*…really learned a lot about the other person.

But, maybe you’re done with your device and can recharge when you get home. So, why not give up the juice to someone who seems to need it right now? Well, why don’t I just drop my pants for the person who hasn’t had sex in three weeks and is moaning about it? Can we get more instant-gratification withdrawal?

Why do parents put timers and “child locks” on kids’ devices? To limit their use of said devices for whatever reason. It could be because the kid is too easily addicted to the device and not being responsible (not taking care of homework and chores). Or, it could be because the kid has a curious mind and the adult world at their fingertips, unlike the generation of my youth, and might tap into some very…questionable content.

Well, I think adults could benefit from locking themselves down, too. Though, it seems, when you put a lock in an adult’s face, they try to pick it, anyway. [Better to not let them know there is a lock, at all. Don’t tell the mortals there’s a tree of wisdom they can’t touch.]

How does offering to sacrifice some of your device’s battery supply to another, just because their device decides to run out of juice, help any situation other than some rare instance when some APP or other feature on a particular device is needed (because your device doesn’t have the same feature/APP)? Only in those seemingly small instances might this be some kind of valuable courtesy. Otherwise…

Well, here’s what I foresee in the near “transparent” future…

“Hi. It looks like you’re about to die, there.” [Looking down at the other person’s device.] “Can I give you a charge?” [Why does that sound like the abductor saying, “Can I give you a lift?”]

“What?” [I wasn’t paying attention to anything but my tiny glowing screen. Who are you? Oh. You’re offering me some battery time.] “Oh. S-Sure. Here.”

[Two wireless devices get intimate with each other on some scummy surface. Was it good for you, Android? Ol’ Iphony needs an E-cigarette.]

“There you go.”

“Um. Thanks.”

“No problem. Have a nice night.” [Wink. ‘Got your personal info. Hack you, later.]

Am I wrong? AM I WRONG? When people have to be concerned about what’s in their wallet or what the wallet is made of lest someone scan their pockets? When you can shop in an actual store without taking your money or credit card out to scan it, just walk past some scanning gizmo which sends the bill to your mailbox?

Honestly, you’d think people would see this stuff coming. [And, I bet some do…while salivating in their sleep.] But, I guess, if you’re dumb enough to just nod when the commercials show people needing to replace their “phone” every time they trip and drop it in a sewer grate, I guess you’re gonna think this is cool and normal.

[Oh, how I miss the days when buying a new telephone meant you wanted something new to look appealing on your countertop or desk and didn’t need to be replaced for as long as you chose to use it. The landline never needed to be replaced unless something actually damaged the wires, which usually required a mistreated cat or some foul weather.]

How long is this teasing game of “Put everything into your computing device.” and “Aren’t you going to buy protection for yourself?” going to continue? Is this the new insurance scam? How long before we offer cellphone protection other than a little person shaped like a padlock? What if said insurance service is just the Prudential rock that starts the snowball to (heck) rolling? Just keep turning people into scared cattle. Shake them pockets til you’re bleeding green with laughter. Oh the promises of get-rich-quick business. Make it bigger and faster, and screw better; that’s just the lie you keep selling.

[Or, is making all of this so effortless and open to crime exactly how we break the crime spree, sort of like disarming the bully by denying him/her an emotional response (or, in this case, having everyone respond emotionally so he/she cannot tell who is the victim)? If everything is within grasp and free to take, where’s the thrill in stealing? Is that the logic? So, if we stop wearing underwear and other clothes, we can stop worrying about stains and certain odors?]

So, have fun storming the castles without firewalls. You get one stinking badge of stupidity for being Ignoro Mondoso. Prepare to have your finances die with your wireless device if you drink this poison. And, enjoy living in glass houses; because, soon enough, I fear, walls may have no meaning.

Kudos to all the adult-education facilities racking up student-loan debts and passing out degrees for tech’ jobs so everyone can have a means of tapping into whatever and whoever they want at any time. So what if your cell-madness factory takes out some farmland that could produce healthy food for millions, replacing that with a handful of temporary jobs to make countless replacement parts for something turning people into mindless microwave ovens, soon replaced with dozens of machines and a handful of supervising technicians who just “take the call” when something goes wrong at the robotic plant.

Pretty soon, you won’t have STDs, anymore; at least, not the kind that requires a medical procedure. You’ll pay a visit to your “computer guy” and, if he/she can’t fix the problem, you’ll just get a new “part,” anyway. Pretty soon, you won’t have to call it prostitution or rape. You’ll just excuse me while I bump my device against yours and have myself a good time. How much is a Virgin Mobile worth on the geisha market? If a cherry pops in someone’s pants, does the owner make a sound?

“No problem. Have a nice night.”

Nov

Voting Is a U.S. Right, Not an Obligation!

By writingbolt 2 Comments

Categories: Concerns and Alerts and Uncategorized
Tags: ad, ads, advertising, celebrity, convenience, election, government, history, internet, law, media, memorials, monument, monuments, nature, obligation, order, peer pressure, pressure, privacy, reality TV, right, rights, scandal, system, transparency, United States, vice, virtue, vote, voting

*****

If you live in the not-so-United States, there’s a lot of hub-bub about VOTING. Oh. Hey. Is that today? Yes, it may be happening right now! Wait. Read this.

It goes into all sorts of heated debates about rights which nip and peck at matters like race, gender and religion. It teases about aspirations for taxes, schools, jobs and the big ol’ dinosaur of a “snake-in-the-grass” known as insurance. It starts to sound like a chariot race at some Roman coliseum or an NFL football crowd. It’s like war without most of the bloodshed. I guess…that’s…a good thing?

And, unless you pay no attention to TV or…apparently…any screen receiving “feeds” of some “newsworthy” kind, you are sure to see and/or hear something about the push to vote. It might be worse than the push for pumpkin-spice everything, the obnoxious internet service monopoly commercials and…well, no, none of those is as annoying as the lawyer who can’t stop flashing his face and talking in his annoying voice every half hour because he decided to invest in every branch of life as he knows it, thinking that gives him a right to be a broadcast nag. On that matter, I vote NO.

Now, back to the bigger voting matter(s). Oh wait, we interrupt this blog for a commercial endorsement by some celebrity…yep, I think it’s none other than Mr. Technology Rapper, Common. Okay. Uh-huh. Got it, smooth talker.

So, as I was saying…

What? Wait 8 seconds to bypass this ad for candidate Dingleberry? *sigh* Oookayyy…

Ya see what’s happening here?

Now, if you have the patience and don’t suffer from one of those “attention-deficient disorders,” I have a few things to say. And, I might get winded. But, that’s just part of the misery of being a citizen in “the greatest country in the world.” [Nobody’s perfect here. Okay, Earthlings? If you seriously cannot read all I have to say, you may kindly skip down to the lower portion that begins with “Let me just make this short and bittersweet.”]

Americans?…and all who occupy the country even if you are not “legally settled in” the place. Voting is a citizen’s right. Yet, from all the noise going around, it sounds more like an obligation pending. And, on the sides, you have all the talk about interference and other reasons to be concerned.

This time, the red guys win. Next time, the blue guys win with the adolation of most “celebrities,” those members of some “academy” or “foreign press” association. [It all sounds like secret society talk, like some Luminati or Nazi nod or stroke of the nose. We got ya, boss. Wink.] Nothing good can really be achieved if every day is spent battling Joes and Cobras, or if one “side” paints the town red just for the other to paint it blue when they dominate “seats.” It’s just a waste of time and energy (life).

If recent years haven’t made it abundantly clear, the whole U.S. voting system is a joke and a mess. [Remember the “chad” fiasco from a previous election? That thing that made the cryp-to-spo-rid-i-um scare seem trivial.] But, like other U.S. messes, it goes around and around, and no one really makes an improvement. Is that stability or insanity? [And, if anyone in Russia is laughing at this, take a look in the mirror, once in a while. Are you really any better off? Is any country truly happy with itself? I’d like to know, and I might like to live there.]

And, when the voting is supposedly done, the winners get a mixed bag of quiet time (in which they can do whatever they want) and time in the spotlight when they either get mention for some kind of achievement or pestered for what they did wrong. The latest gladiator to enter this arena has been grilled and then grilled some more for being an all-around fool. Yet, all the noise hasn’t made him even flinch.

Does that mean he’s just that secure in himself or is all the noise just noise and an illusion of unrest? And, if it’s an illusion of unrest, what is going on here? What are “they” protecting at the risk of several minds, not to mention lives?

I begin to question the whole security and essence of my existence. Don’t you? Are we all just cattle being scared into bumping into each other, dropping money we supposedly earn to secure our “status” in this world and our futures, dropping it on the grate that filters into some system we have no control over though we are pressed to vote it into existence year after year? Are we just batteries in some grand machine, handed illusions of better lives until we are broken and replaced? Or, are we truly valued individuals who have a right to live on the same planet and, at least, not assault each other as we find balance with the environment?

I know the concept of everyone living content and having kids as they will is beyond my comprehension of population control. It’s some idyllic fantasy of a science-fiction show about some people and aliens in spandex costumes breaking apart the universe in pursuit of other worlds to occupy and systems of order to upset. [Yeah. Let’s upset some other race. Not ours. Whatever. I guess it’s all learning from experience. Right? Even if it takes an eternity for the light bulb to glow.] I can but choose not to imagine what life would be like if we were no different than deer and lions chasing around in the wilderness, risking the chance of being slain and eaten. But, such is “domesticated” life, conditioned in our minds for such a long time. Right?

And now, back to our voting program……still in progress.

—–

If voting is a gauntlet of fear and anger with a roaring crowd occupying some sort of stadium, arguing over which “side” will rule the land, I really don’t want any part of it. I mean, I am not sure I fit into that sort of medieval mentality, that clash of kingdoms and warlords where you paint your faces to represent a side and then unleash all kinds of confetti-infused mayhem on the land. You’d think the country would have evolved beyond the WW2 days of war bonds and collecting materials for vehicles, rations and weapons. Is this Game of Thrones or Fantasy Island?

If you are pressed to vote and looked down upon for not voting, isn’t that sort of…bullying? Isn’t that as bad as sexism and racism?

Is the “system” so desperate to keep everyone “involved” just to appear as if they care and can work together rather than actually learning to work together?

Has life on this planet become all about the “clicks” and “likes” rather than actually putting our hands together to make some good happen?

Are the “powers that be” so concerned about order crumbling into chaos that their only reassurance is to pressure everyone to partake in this mad scene called a vote?

If we all quarrel and fuss, are our voices reassuring anyone?

Is this like a game of Marco Polo in which being heard confirms we’re still alive and not up to no good?

If a tree in the forest makes a sound, does that mean it’s not plotting to end you?

And, if you must vote with only what you get from ads and debates and those colorful not-so-little flyers passed around until they litter the streets like some 1940s war-era movie disaster, isn’t your vote a bit mis-educated? Misguided? How many candidates make the same promises and then bend differently once in office? Does it really matter who gets in the offices? Does any side really win forever? Does anything good last? Is everyone ever happy?

[Now, I am sure it’s worse in other countries. I know no Americans are getting beheaded, killed for going against the flow and/or voicing opinions that don’t agree with the ruling force. Women aren’t as “repressed” in the U.S….though one could argue the conditioned mindsets of makeup and fashion are a bit like shackles. Is that comforting to know or just a different color of the same crap?]

I cannot honestly say I have any grand knowledge of or trust in any candidate. Sure, I could “research.” But, if all I get is the “resume” of aspirations, am I not still taking a gamble on a person’s character? I cannot be guaranteed one person put in a government job slot will improve anything. And, whether or not my vote does some good cannot be proven. It’s no better than me offering up a prayer unanswered or tossing a coin in a fountain and making a wish. Yet, both of those are not NEARLY as costly to “air time,” taxes and the environment.

[I have voted in previous elections. And, did it make me feel good? Not really. I get that voting, as a right, gives people a chance to decide who gets some sort of job which is supposed to improve the way everyone lives. But, there’s just as much chance my choice will get slammed for some crime he or she did not previously admit and turn out to be something I did not want, at all. I trusted a man’s calm face only to then question is motives and worry about the environment not only threatening job security but the resources that sustain life. If my vote contributes to making my life miserable or ending it sooner than it should be…what the frick am I achieving?!]

When George Washington became the first president of the “United States,” I doubt everyone who could vote voted. People were present and denied the chance and/or right to vote. Some couldn’t make it to wherever it was decided to have their say. Yet, some consensus pushed him up the red-white-and-blue pipe to the top and convinced him to lead the people as he had led some faction through war. And, somehow, this was better than the old taxing ways of the “red coats” and the even older conquering broods that stormed lands, slaying and enslaving natives. Well, it got his face stamped on a few things; that’s for sure. But, is that such a great thing, considering what other places have been stamped with and/or the names they’ve been given? [Boy, I sure enjoyed my weekend at Screw-Your-Soul Lake! I got the chance to climb Mt. Sisyphus and ride the It-Doesn’t-Matter-Horn.]

SEGWAY ALERT! [And, I don’t mean one of those semi-trendy electric scooters.]

And, let’s stop making memorials for every damn wrong humans committed! Aren’t movie remakes enough to let people know they aren’t learning from past mistakes? We’re not making new good; we’re just remodeling the old bad. A statue that represents a racist attrocity isn’t going to stop people from being racist. It’s just as likely to remind people how and/or why to commit one. [What did that guy do? Oh…now that I think of it, maybe I should do that.]

Ever heard of a killer that mimicked a past one? That’s kind of what history does. It’s a sneaky reminder of all the good and bad deeds done in the past, and that filters through our minds like panning for gold. Some will get the virtues while others collect the vices.

Just because there is a Mecca, pope or Buddha doesn’t mean everyone is going to pray to it, him or her and get the benefit. But, at least, those three are hopeful options versus big, glaring reminders of some horror that took place. I’d personally rather walk down a street to find some positive inspiration rather than a reason to feel depressed and/or unreasonable guilt, thank you very much. Yes, many, many people died here. But, you don’t see nearly as many memorials for all the natives trampled and slaughtered under the cover of Thanksgiving! No. Just plenty of casinos and “reservations.” Did we learn anything, class?

And, breathe.

Voting is not something you hand out on the street, not knowing where it has been and where it is going. You don’t smuggle foreigners into voting booths to sway your preference. You should not have to even worry about another country tampering with the ads and/or results. [I won’t name names because that’s like the old school ritual of gossip about “germs.” And, that’s…kinda like bullying. But, thanks a bunch, electronic “conveniences.” Is it so hard to print paper forms or take a vote in person? Why not just have every voter stand in front of a video (or “phone”) camera and voice their choice like the kooks who participate in those “reality TV game shows” who send someone packing every week? Wait. Can that be tampered with, too?] You don’t quibble about ID proof or pester your citizens about anything that they are or do other than being a registered citizen and their choice of candidates. You should not be fed similar mud-slinging stories from all of the candidates and then forced to make a choice with poor education.

If voting is no better than a “Catholic school” permitting some questionable–to say the least–practices or drilling old scripture into your heads that isn’t being respected, it’s as useless as making a complaint to the boss at work who brushes it off for whatever reason and works under the thumb of another guy who works under the thumb of another guy who… Can’t we come up with a better system, already? Or, just do our best to respect the decisions of some person or persons that want to make such decisions so badly so as to keep our heads and liberties, if we still have any.

Let’s not trade dictatorship for democracy or shuffle the cards and pick one of the already disfunctional systems.

And, god or gods help us, let’s not hand over the planet to the alien robots some aspire to replace our humanity, as flawed as it may be. As cool as some might think it is to meet a Transformer, do you really want to be replaced by one or be denied the chance to have real children of your own who go on to have their own children, and so on? Do you really want humankind, your kind, to end its historic tale in a blaze of disaster and failure? Do you think all monkeys want to be known for flinging poo?

I’ve personally heard enough about the origins of democracy to make me give up my fascination with ancient Greece. But, I’d really like such negative and worrisome feelings to just go away so I can wander in daydreams of the old exquisite architecture and happier toga parties…or kimono parties in the Far East, surrounded by cherry trees in full bloom.

Making televised ceremony of some “heir” taking a throne before making baby heirs to ensure the future of one family keeping the old kingdom’s balls rolling isn’t better. It’s like “reality TV” government. And, I really don’t see how probing into the lives of your leaders is allowing anyone to think clearly enough to run any nation. It may be “transparency,” but I don’t want someone watching me poop just to know I am not up to no good. Are the concepts of trust and faith so dead and gone from this world? Are we all so criminal that no one can be trusted with doing GOOD? [And, if you’re booking a flight to Mars just to get away from it all, send me a letter, telling how much better you have it there, provided you don’t repeat these mistakes we humans haven’t learned to correct, yet. Bomb-shelter scare, anyone?]

Ideally, you should have a chance to speak with the candidates and get a feel for what you really like and dislike about the people. After all, this is all “for the people, by the people.” Right? Well, how close is “by the people” if the candidates are just images on a screen and some audio clip endorsing the ad? And, how much do we really get out of debates other than who slammed the opposition best and who stood up for him or her self? Are debates just a wrestling match and test of social stability?

—–

Let me just make this short and bittersweet. [I just like to say that in hopes of preventing myself from foaming at the mouth and exhausting all of my resources, resources like those considered so abundant that they can be wasted on everything “WiFi,” cable-fed and campaign-related when there are people and other animals struggling to live in a world that can’t come to terms with population control and balance with nature. And, maybe, if you DO suffer from a drifting mind, you’ll float down here and get the consensus of my thoughts.]

If voting is not simply a right of United States citizens (and should be a right in other countries, as well), if, instead, it is some sort of obligation like taxes, attending certain schools and obeying certain laws, then it should be an educated decision people make as comfortably as depositing waste in their toilets. Yes, I am saying voting should be as pleasurable as pooping and peeing. And, right now, it’s not even close.

If you made voting available online–as I am sure many are considering even now–that is not the solution! A swipe right or left on some mobile device might be easier than going to a foreign building to fill out a ballot, but it’s as or even more likely to be corrupted and, thus, futile, just because you cater to lazy whims and, again, consider resources like electricity and all of these invisible rays passing through our bodies and everything else on the planet just to transmit “decisions” we should be making face-to-face, with each other, considering such resources so abundant that they can be wasted when so many go without and fall to the wayside.

Let’s really work together to find a “system” that works as well as or better than those supposed globally peaceful “federations” you hear about in some show about “space explorers” who…end up going to war with other worlds and fighting over who is right and wrong, anyway. There has to be a better way! Let’s find it! Not just Americans. Not just celebrity-sales-pitch slaves. Every human on Earth.

Oh, now don’t get any pushy ideas about me as some candidate. I have little to no concrete wisdom about running a house, much less a country or planet. Just noble aspirations and a weakening heart crumbling under so many social pressures and failures. And, I don’t have a clue who I could work with to make things actually better for everyone.

Don’t vote for me. Vote for your city, state and/or country’s security. Vote responsibly or not at all (just like using drugs, including alcohol, pills and all things weed-y). If you cannot meet with the candidates and feel confident in what they could do (because we cannot expect anyone entering a sea of mysterious operators from warring factions to be some kind of Moses parting the Red–Red? Hmm.–Sea), then your vote is dangerous and likely futile.

If no one votes…well, that’s not likely to happen anytime soon. But, if you don’t vote, does it really matter? Someone’s going to step up to make decisions, in pursuit of establishing noble order, domination of territory or just a place in history books. Some folks will follow that person while others will resist. And, if you do vote only to complain later about and/or suffer from the results, did you achieve anything good? And, isn’t that a shame?

I’m Writingbolt, a currently faceless (because I honestly fear for my life, sometimes) identity on a cash cow farm…er, blog site, and I support this statement, even if it fills enough pages to quality for a whatever Times bestseller. If nothing else, I’ve stated my opinion, for what that’s worth. I’m told it’s good to write down one’s thoughts. I hope that’s true. And, I hope I haven’t wasted any precious resources with this output.

Jul

Cherish Your Anonymity

By writingbolt 2 Comments

Categories: Concerns and Alerts and Uncategorized
Tags: anonymity, blog, celebrity, computer, court, crime, editorial, fake, genuine, harrassment, journal, law, lawyers, moral, news, offense, online, personal, privacy, punishment, real, sexual harrassment, thoughts

*****

With so many suffering heavy punishment for speaking their minds via modern technology, it’s ever more vital we who do not “tweet” with our actual names spelled out on a glowing screen applaud and celebrate our “anonymity.” We cowardly souls who bravely don costumes and vent as we feel fit when technology works with us; we should be comforted and celebrated.

It seems like every day in the news someone is getting grilled for something “offensive.” We have squads of LGBT and feminism police officers, hordes of body-celebrating (instead of shaming) and various other armies going to war with the most sensitive of mining equipment capable of picking up the slightest blip of questionable commentary, increasingly adjusting the high standard of moral conduct until everyone who isn’t a violated woman or LGBT-type person will be guilty of offense and thereby open to verbal, mental and physical assault by the so-called victims. So far, we without publicized names have been safe of retaliation.

I can’t speak for every offense case, but I would not be surprised if some offenses deemed fit for court or the loss of a job turned out to be misinterpreted. After all, kids on a playground can cry wolf and have a teacher call a parent simply because the tattle-tale had a sweet face or stronger voice than the supposed offender. And, who is to say some of these offensive voiced bits aren’t said at times when the speakers are not in the best of moods or right minds? I know I don’t subscribe to alcohol or recreational drugs. But, others do. And, just because shit comes out of one’s mouth three years ago on a bad day does not mean that person is anti-gay or a chauvinistic maniac.

And, what if someone is a tad gay-phobic or unclear on the nature of that lifestyle? Is every inappropriate remark worthy of jail time or a giant fine? Are we catering to lawyers so they can put their hideous faces and names on every item advertised on local TV? I don’t want to see so many lawyer ads. I don’t want those people thinking they run the place just because they are getting old and think investing in a little advertising everywhere makes them immortal. You TV lawyers have really become annoying! And, I will not likely support you or any cause/company with your name on it because you are (annoying).

But, I’m getting off-subject, now. Ehem.

You really have to mind your words and be sure you don’t touch another living soul lest you be accused of inappropriately fondling someone. A pat on the back could be deemed the grabbing of a breast (on your back, apparently). A sociable kiss on the cheek might be viewed as unwanted intimacy of the worst kind unless you can certify you are from a nation that does this socially as a part of their native culture. Parents who kiss their kids on the lips? You’re likely next on the chopping block.

One wonders if “social media” isn’t a mousetrap. It lures people out of hiding to voice every little thing to come into their tiny brains…only to get them in trouble? Snap! You’re dead and out with the banana peels you slipped on coming in here.

But, I suppose, being anonymous DOES have it’s setbacks. I mean, people are less trusting of random or fake names…unless you learn to share a sense of creativity and/or humor and can spell correctly (which so many cannot). [Stop trying to speak English if you cannot use a dictionary. I don’t use Spanish words I don’t know how to spell.] You can’t really be a shopkeeper with a fake name, can you?…unless it’s a brand name. But, even then, you have to be accountable for that shop with a real name/some form of ID. People who use their real names seem to be taken more seriously because they seem fearless and, well, real, genuine.

[Yet, in this shady world of face-less interaction–unless you use some service like Skype which seems already forgotten these days–how do you determine a real face you see is that person’s real face? And, how many “faceless” internet users stalk those “real” people, taking advantage of the exposed while remaining randomly generated user names, often with long barcode-like numbers attached, giving me the impression they are “bots” or some call center staff members in a building dominated by Middle-Eastern folks by the dozens?]

It seems astounding that more celebrities don’t use fake online names/accounts. But, maybe they do, and all we know are the ones we hear about in the news when some mosquito with a microphone or phone-camera is stalking these people.

Once upon a time, people kept personal thoughts on parchment scrolls they had to carry with them wherever they went. If anyone else read them, it was because the author read, lost or donated the scrolls. Many years later, people kept notebook-style journals, especially teenage girls, who would lament brothers and parents violating their privacy. Now, we have computers of various capacities and sizes. And, instead of a PC journal like the one Doogie Howser, M.D. kept, so many turn to blogs and these accursed “tweeting” type accounts, putting everything “out there” for the world to see and LIKE and shallowly evaluate from afar…from anonymous spaces.

In short, those of you who have not put your real selves out for all to see, ye who do not YouTube your boob lube and hash-tag your new ‘do rag and personal mag’ (magazine), blippity blobbity blah!…. My blood pressure spiked just then and tangled my tongue-fingers. Or, is it my finger-tongue? Anyway. Those of you, like me, who create unique identities for themselves online for whatever reason, embrace and applaud your anonymity, today. And, count your blessings. Because you could be somewhere down the list of those moral-criminal-hunting Elmer Fudds and receive severe punishment for the slightest misunderstanding or careless outburst on your worst day. But, for now, you’re Joe Cool and free to be loose with those journalistic lips.

[We should start a holiday. But, no one seems to follow me on those thoughts any better than I follow others. So, I guess I’m limited to suggesting and waiting for some trendsetter to print up all the hoopla and manufacture all the swag.]

Happy Anonymity Day(s)!

Mar

A Family Imbalanced

By writingbolt 4 Comments

Categories: Concerns and Alerts and Uncategorized
Tags: adulthood, assistance, crisis, emotional, family, foundation, help, helpful, imbalance, independence, maturity, personal, privacy, roots, sanctuary, social anxiety, support, thoughts

****

I am, once again, working through some deep-seeded feelings and–if you the reader so decide to give it–get some input. In this age of short attention spans, I consider it amazing if the average reader can digest all I have to say. [So, pat yourself on the back if you do. And, if you’ve read similar thoughts in previous posts of mine, bare with me; it wouldn’t surprise me if I repeated.

NOTE: If all you do is click LIKE on this post, I will be annoyed because I don’t know what you hope to achieve by doing that. And, I will feel like a spectacle, standing in public in my underwear.

What inspired this purging of the soul? Recent events in which I have been giving much of my time and energy to my family and seen little in return. Sometimes my offers of assistance and input are rejected, with or without mention of how I should live my life differently. That reaction seems to run in the family (myself included, under certain circumstances). I just wish someone would step up and say, “Now, what can I do to help YOU?” Or, “How are you coming with ___? Need any help?”

I seem to be more willing to help my family (and anyone who triggers sympathy in me) than they are willing (and/or able) to help me. Granted, they have loaded their hands with fairly full lives of their own while I struggle to “get myself together.” I cannot offer much more than my helping hands, remaining mobility, “over-thinking” and sympathetic brain (for working out all of those little mental wrinkles that plague those with failing memories or certain problems that need solving)…and patience. And, if a member of my family did anything that shocked or upset my “code,” I might be less willing to offer help.

[IE If someone chose to get drunk and go broke, I might have a hard time offering financial or even emotional support. That is, in part, because I’ve never let myself be so careless and cannot relate; I don’t feel like I have the “coping skills” to deal with that situation. I could easily hand over money and risk leaving myself in financial danger, but I am resistant–for whatever reason–to do so. And, I’ll get more into that sort of situation in a moment.]

It’s actually somewhat amazing I am willing to help my family, at all, when, some years ago, I was at a serious crossroads with the core of my being, and my family essentially looked the other way, treating me like a misfit of society who didn’t want to “go with the flow.” [Which is ironic after years of chasing fads only to be told this behavior was costly and pointless.] I realize solitude and defending myself so long has depleted my resistance and left me more in need of human contact and cooperation.

Long ago, in my late teens, I wanted a fresh start, a makeover of sorts. And, if anyone supported the entities that rubbed me the wrong way, I withdrew from those supporters to defend myself, rather than accept people simply telling me I am crazy for being so troubled by something they saw as harmless. [This came with trusting professionals with my life and feeling my life was threatened by those professionals.] All I knew at the time was I needed to purge my being of what felt like a serious mistake, similar to atoning for a sin. And, my family, my foundation, my roots, stood in the way.

[You might hear or read sources that say you should “be” and “love” yourself. I have felt unable to do that thoroughly because I continually run into opposition, including family. If you like metaphors, it’s sort of like being a young bird wanting to fly and having your wings either torn to shreds or weakened by lack of proper nutrition.]

Now, this endured for many years, me unable to trust my family with just about anything and feeling misunderstood. I had no privacy, no freedom to maintain a room of my own (design) as I saw fit. [If I left the house, I’d return home many days to find my possessions rearranged, altered or missing. Thus, each time I wanted to leave home, I couldn’t help being concerned and was denied the option to use locks to secure my space.] I survived by doing what I had been told to do since I was little…keep myself busy. But, this wasn’t advancing my life in any good way I could see. When I wanted to have “adult” discussions, no one could cope with my rapid-firing concerns/hesitation. And, if they felt like bringing up old news–like that time I was trying to put behind me–any chance of cooperation went down in emotional flames rather quickly.

[Again, ironic, considering another member of the immediate family has had several makeovers and never once had to worry about his own room being invaded/rearranged.]

A bothersome pattern involves me buckling whenever I hesitate to try/do something and seek input from family. I’m reluctant to ask, worrying about the response I may get. And, if the response comes with some measure of judgment, objection, insult/offense or resistance, I give up the quest for assistance/input and recoil into a troubling state of helplessness.

Add to this my inability to do just about anything for myself, including stepping outside my comfort zone (if you can even call what I had comforting) to meet new people, to socialize, and I am a rather handicapped individual going nowhere. Before I stopped going (and began fighting to defend my decision), I couldn’t even go to mass/church with family without feeling lacking in their acceptance, feeling a bit like a reject and enemy. The church was supposed to be my sanctuary, and it couldn’t be; not with my family and social anxieties.

This is just the tip of the emotional iceberg. And, after giving these thoughts a few hours of my time, I am feeling lost in thought and depleted. So, without knowing what else to say, I will stop here. If I feel up to it, later, I will revise/add to these thoughts.

* I am writing this in addition to a previous post about lacking love and friendship. *

Writingbolt's Creation

Posts Tagged ‘privacy

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S-O-FREAKIN’-BEEYOTCH!

Join the Cancel Culture Club!

“This ain’t a scene; it’s a god-damned arms race.” ~Fall Out Boy

“It’s interesting when people die; give us dirty laundry.

Dirty little secrets; dirty little lies.
We got our pretty little fingers in everybody’s pie.
We like to cut you down to size.
We love dirty laundry.” ~Don Henley

“A pebble in the water makes a ripple effect.
Every action in this world will bear a consequence.
If you wade around forever, you will surely drown.
I see what’s going down.”

Modern (Cellphone) Chivalry Gone Mad!

Voting Is a U.S. Right, Not an Obligation!

Cherish Your Anonymity

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Posts Tagged ‘privacy

(MY NAME) IS HOME.

(MY NAME) IS NOT HOME.

S-O-FREAKIN’-BEEYOTCH!

“This ain’t a scene; it’s a god-damned arms race.” ~Fall Out Boy

“It’s interesting when people die; give us dirty laundry.

Dirty little secrets; dirty little lies. We got our pretty little fingers in everybody’s pie. We like to cut you down to size. We love dirty laundry.” ~Don Henley

“A pebble in the water makes a ripple effect. Every action in this world will bear a consequence. If you wade around forever, you will surely drown. I see what’s going down.”

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Archives

Meta

Dirty little secrets; dirty little lies.
We got our pretty little fingers in everybody’s pie.
We like to cut you down to size.
We love dirty laundry.” ~Don Henley

“A pebble in the water makes a ripple effect.
Every action in this world will bear a consequence.
If you wade around forever, you will surely drown.
I see what’s going down.”