How About Some Blissful Ignorance?

For the most part, I think it is perfectly acceptable to melt my brain on the extraordinarily shallow aspects of learning about the puddle part of culture when it comes to what is going on in the world.

I like to pick up a People Magazine on Sunday and see for the millionth time that Brad and Angelina are herding their quiver of children around France and buying them ice-cream, and realize that this is what is considered "big news" in the land of the luxuriously beautiful and hot tub full of money humans.

I enjoy flipping through the glossy pages of an US Weekly and see that section that is excitedly titled “STARS! They are just like us!!” And then being regaled with photos of them doing things captioned: They clip their nails! They wear flip-flops! They have eyes, ears, mouths and noses!

Look, I use a good 40 hours of brain on my job every week. I use another 40+ hours of brain cells on school a week. I use, if I am lucky, a good 35 hours on sleep, and then we will put the rest in for my weak bladder on peeing, which is probably another 35, dog watching, cooking, running errands, getting gas, smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. By the way: drinking beer is the best part.

So when I have time to sit down and sigh, and crack open something that has pages of words nestled within it, I can't have it be too serious, because what happens is I get angry, and then I start ranting, and then I want to expend all that anger energy that was supposed to be relaxation time punching a hole in the wall. And then I would probably have to fix that wall, and suddenly there goes all my couch time. So if you have ever wondered why I am a bevy of worthless information, ie what is Kate Gosselin up to, (Dancing With the Stars) this is why.

I am not the most politically savvy person out there, and it is for good reason. I keep myself subconsciously aware of what is going on, but in the same token, I know a few things about myself. Very few, but one of them is that there is honestly not much that makes me ashamed of people or disappointed at people to such a degree that I want to punch holes in walls. But there is one thing that gets me every time without fail, and that is hateful ignorance. Yes, I am biased against ignorant people that promote hate.

So it is not necessarily the politics thing that gets to me, it is the hoi polloi that bow at their feet. I know not everyone out there is a gun totin', money hoarding, camo but not in the Military wearin', Bible thumpin' hick, but Palin has been the one that gets me every time. She is like that annoying person we have all had in our lives who gets some sort of sick joy out of trying to bait you and bait you, and you know you shouldn't take it, but you do every time and end up nothing but pissed while they walk away unaffected.

If I see an article with her dim-witted face on it, I am drawn to read it whether I want to or not. It's like "Oh hey I thought I quit you, but you came back didn't you. Let’s just catch up and see how things have been going, I am sure I can check in and be able to walk away mentally unscathed." Instead it is like hearing about a kitten being drowned. I think she just takes me out of a comfortable spot that I enjoy being in, and that place is called reason. I can't quite put my finger on why she is still around. Why people keep writing about her, and why she gets any sort publicity that is outside of a joke. When one of her favorite things to say is, "You betcha!" and when she has to write on her hand to remember to say profound things, and when she is riddled full of ridiculously ignorant and violent solutions to making 'Merica a better place (Let's just whack the Iranians before they get the bomb, what are you a female Tony Soprano?) I can't help but think how she managed to get a hoard of followers to begin with. It almost makes me want to start a cult if it is that easy.

Many people will use the argument that by saying things like, "How's that hopey-changey stuff workin' out for ya?" makes her relatable. She talks to us in a voice that we understand, i.e. school teacher trying to talk to four year olds. She is just a small town bumpkin and is like you and me. The thing is, when people use the term, "He's the kind of person I could sit down and have a beer with," I would prefer that they not be referring to people that are in charge of this damn country. I don't want to sit down and have a beer with my boss at work, I want to do shots and drink beer with my friends.

Is it wrong that I want the people running the show to be more intelligent than myself? That they are able to put endings on their punctuation when speaking to masses of people? To be people to be able pronounce the word "nuclear?" I don't think so. I don't want a frat boy operating on me if my appendix bursts, so why in the hell would I want someone who is consistently trying to cater to the lowest common denominator in 'Merica running this country or having some sort of political impact on the lower rungs?

I am not just talking right-wing vs. left-wing here, (well unless I am talking about Palin who has a bad case of verbal poo and will let any ol' thing spew out of that word hole she calls a mouth without thinking) I am just talking about people getting trapped into a tunnelistic realm of thinking without researching looking at all of the facts before nodding and agreeing. Not everything can be based on faith people. Regardless of whether your opinion differs from mine or not, recklessly giving information out such as global warming isn’t real, look at all the snow outside!” is not a responsible method of delivering information to people that would consider you a credible source of where they are going to base their beliefs from.

I mean call me weird, but I don't think there is anything wrong with having a classy, well-spoken, eloquent and highly educated person who seems to be a lot better than me in charge of things. My parents weren't my buddies growing up; they were people that taught me morals and the foundation of living a life in a selfless manner to ensure that everyone gets a piece of happiness. They weren't there to party; they were there to make sure I looked up to them and respected them, and whether or not I was pissed at them for doing a thing or two I didn’t agree with, in hindsight I can see why. It was necessary for change to occur and it was imperative to ensure that I would have something to grasp onto when caught in sticky situations as an adult.

And I think it should be the same for people that have the power to influence piles of others into doing what they want. To me, hearing some of the ignorant comments and selfish attitudes that have come out in light of change all in coming to an agreement with a person who is not a human being that deeply and truly cares about others or making effective change is a slap in the face. All I see right now is just a negligent person who is drunk on power. On tequila even, and they just want to share the worm with us when they are done with the bottle.

Now pardon me, I have a couple episodes of The Bad Girls Club to catch up on, some crunk to listen to, some whiskey to drink, and a couple of puppies to romp on the ground with.