...The dumber we fall.
I have a theory. And this theory is based on the simple premise that history repeats itself. If you look back, you should see that every empire, every huge republic to this point has gone to a very similar cycle: rapid growth, extreme prosperity and strength, complacency, and ultimately decline. America is no different. Once we established ourselves, we rapidly became one of the strongest and richest country's in the world. However, if we're not careful, we're going to go down the same road as Rome, as Japan, as all of those other empires who crashed and burned.
Take a listen to this. I'll wait. A special thanks to my friend Ashley for sending that to me. Okay, got it? Are you amazed? You should be. Are you surprised? You shouldn't be. Just in case you didn't know, Obama doesn't just snap his fingers and create money. It comes from you, me, all of us who pay taxes. And that money gets dumped right back onto morons like that caller, who not only have no idea why things are so easy, but aren't even greatful for the fact that they don't have to work and they STILL somehow get paid. I'd be willing to bet this woman is overfed, and has no intentions of finding another job. She, like so many other Americans, has discovered that you can get away with almost anything in this country now... and that doing less work actually pays off more for you in the end. See, America has gone through the growth and strengthening phase, and unfortunately we're now on the downward spiral of history. But why? Why are we failing just like everyone else... and more importantly, can we stop it?
First think about why we're failing. The main problem we've run into here in this country is complacency. Things have gotten so easy that, compared to past generations, no one has had to even lift a finger to get things done. America has grown to rely on other countries to produce our goods, while we manage them from here. We are an import-reliant country, meaning that if suddenly there were no other countries in the world to produce the goods we need, we would be screwed.
And that unfortunately will be our downfall. So many people in this country are so ignorant, so simple-minded, and so not-driven now, that we can't even stand on our own two legs. I hear a lot of people complain about how the United States is a babysitter for the rest of the country and how we need to focus more on ourselves... well, we can't really do that. Many of those countries that we "babysit" are actually providing the goods that we need every single day. The only thing we can give them is money, which they in turn use to produce more goods. It's a cycle, and if we suddenly stopped giving them money, they wouldn't be able to produce, and America would be on it's own. "Great!" you might say, but you would be wrong.
My question is, how did this happen? How did America go from a country that prided itself on its self-reliance, to a country that can't even take a dump without the help of a foreign country? Where and when did this change take place? The obvious answer is Socialism, but really it's more complicated than that. I think Capitalism is just as much to blame. On the Socialist side, you've got Welfare. The idea that every single person should be able to make a living, regardless of whether or not he's working, is just ridiculous. I've complained plenty about welfare, but it really is a major driving force in why so many people in this country are ignorant, lazy bastards who think they're entitled to something that they very clearly are not. But don't forget about the capitalists. In our quest to make more money and spend less, to squeeze every last cent out of every last thing we make, we've outsourced so much of our labor and materials that you can't even call a Chevy an "American" car anymore. Chances are, more of that vehicle was made in Mexico than America, and chances are more of that Toyota you see on the road was made here in the States than anywhere else. Our greed has also contributed to getting us to this point.
I will never forget the days after 9/11 for a lot of reasons, but a big reason is because for the first time since I've been alive, I felt like all of us Americans were on the same side. For just a few weeks we all set our differences aside and had a "fuck the world" mentality that really made me proud of our country. I thought to myself, this is what it must have been like to live in America in the 30's. This is how it was when people felt a certain pride when "buying american." This is what our country has lost over the years. Of course, it faded, and soon we were back to watching Perez Hilton make a mockery of humans everywhere. Sadly, the only way we're going to save this country is if we can get that mentality back.
This is a two-pronged solution. First, we all need to start taking responsibility for ourselves. We need to realize that there's no safety net out there, there's no one to catch us if we fall, except for ourselves... and we need to be confident enough in ourselves to know that if we DO fall, we can make it right on our own without anyone else's help. If that means getting rid of welfare altogether, so be it. It certainly would save this country a lot of money. And if it means that some people succeed and others don't, or that some people do better for themselves than others, so be it. Those who don't do as well should strive to do better, not expect the government to step in and level the playing field. On the other hand, people need to come back to reality and accept that we, as Americans, are all on the same team. Of course American-made things are going to cost more... you get what you pay for. Instead of sending that factory to Mexico to save some money, why not keep it here and take pride in the fact that you can still be rich and make a great product? Instead of buying a toy for your kid that was made in China (most likely using Lead or some other kind of poisonous material), why don't you spend an extra dollar and buy an American-made toy that will help an employee of that toy company keep his job? Why do we constantly try to screw each other over to get a leg up, when we could instead all try to help each other out knowing that in the end, it helps us as well? And notice that in neither of these solutions is government involved (other than getting OUT). Government cannot solve this problem, it's not designed to. WE are the only ones who can do this, and it's our duty to make it happen.
I guarantee you if we do these two simple things, America will return to greatness. We will buck the trend and stop our downfall mid-fall. We will turn ourselves around and get back on top of this world where we belong. If we DON'T stop this right now, at the very worst we will be invaded or bought by another country (ahem, China anyone?), or at the very least, we will wind up breaking this country into smaller, more manageable pieces, with those of us who know what needs to be done in one part, and those who think money comes from nowhere in another part. How long do you think that'll last before all out war? It's going to be an interesting, messy future. Assuming the world doesn't end in 2012.
All Talk and No Walk
Our President made a surprising Prime Time speech the other night, all about "the worst natural disaster in this nation's history" (the oil spill). He made a big to-do about how BP will pay for everything they've done, including damages to those people who have suffered along the coast. He made it clear that he would hold BP reponsible until every last drop of oil was sucked up. He also said that from the beginning, he's been working to solve this problem and get us all back to normal. Oh yeah?
Perhaps you don't recall anymore (since the speech was so mesmerizing I guess), but Obama and his crew were NOWHERE to be found at the beginning of this mess. It wasn't until weeks into this that anyone from the government even looked in the gulf's direction. And even then, there was almost no activity up there. Say what you will about how much (if at all) the government should be involved in this whole thing... I'm just trying to point out that they weren't here.
And sadly, that exposes what this Oval Office address really was: a PR move. Obama for the first time is seeing some pretty serious decline in his approval ratings, and I'm sure his cronies freaked. I mean, when it gets to the point where the (liberal) network news is telling you that maybe the (liberal) President should have done more to be present in this huge disaster... it's time to do something right? Well, they did. And I will say that Obama is a fantastic speaker, as I've said from day one. But when you really drill down into his speech, what was actually said?
The only actual actionable items that I heard come out of that address were that he's going to freeze deep-water drilling for six months... and that he's going to look into more regulation for oil companies who drill offshore. Now both of these are terrible ideas, but I'm going to leave that alone for now. Instead I'm going to try to figure out why he then proceeded to go on for almost 20 minutes posturing and filling us all with hot air about how he's been there from the beginning and how you can count on him to make sure BP doesn't screw this up.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not siding with BP here, but I do think that's pretty low of Obama to try to act like he's been in charge of this whole thing from day one. I mean how stupid do you think we are? Very stupid, I guess, and unfortunately he's probably right. I've already seen a ton of coverage recanting Obama's "strong words" and "stern warning" to BP... I haven't really heard anyone yet say "hey wait a minute... this is the same guy who was asleep for the first half of this disaster!" Are we so quick as a country to forget Obama's transgressions? Were we this quick to forgive George Bush when he screwed up with Katrina? I don't think so. And you probably need to think about why you and all of us continue to roll over for this President and his buddies, why the instant he makes a speech we all stop in wonder and forget why we were even upset in the first place.
I'm just sayin'...
E-LEC-TRONIC
It's one of my favorite times of year: time for E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo. The time of year when nerds come out of hiding and gather in Vegas, surrounded by disproportionately hot women and more videogames than you can puke out after a long night of drinking. It really is pretty awesome to see what these videogame people have come up with after sitting in their caves for a year, and for the first time in I don't know how many years, I think we're starting to see some truly forward-thinking and futuristic stuff once again.
For the past few years, E3 has been about what sequels were coming out, and how the big companies (Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony) were going to duke it out to make more money and get better videogames. The Wii was really the last bit of true innovation to come out of E3, until now. Now Sony and Microsoft both have motion solutions, and we're starting to see some truly functional 3-D stuff as well. It's a very exciting time, whether you're a gamer or just a dude who likes to push a button and make things blow up. So, here is my "casual dude's guide to what you should watch for at this year's E3."
--Microsoft Kinect/Sony Move (or whatever) - Microsoft and Sony both made a big deal out of their motion peripherals last year. Microsoft's looked too good to be possibly true, and Sony's looked like a homosexual magic wand. In other words, neither of them impressed. Well, here we are a year later and games are starting to be developed for these peripherals. I want to know if they're going to be any good, and if they're going to compete at all with the Wii. I also want to know if Nintendo has any more tricks up its sleeve to keep their system profitable and cutting-edge.
--The Best Graphics of This Console Generation - We're finally reaching the end of life for these current consoles (unless you work for Sony, who claims the PS3 will last for another 10 years). Developers have had a lot of time with these consoles, and they're finally starting to come out with some really impressive visuals in their games. "Ghost Recon," "Halo," "Killzone," "Crysis 2," they've all received staggering graphic overhauls, and the results are absolutely incredible.
--3D Stuff - 3D is still a very big question mark in my mind. 3D gaming is running into the same challenges as 3D movies. How do you make it cheap, and how do you make it enjoyable for more than one person? The glasses are still the biggest barrier here. Nintendo announced a 3DS, which supposedly doesn't require glasses, but from everything I heard it was pretty underwhelming. It'll be interesting to see what they can figure out with 3D in the coming months.
As you can imagine, there's a ton of other great stuff going on in Vegas right now. Way too much for me to write about here. But if you're at all interested in learning more about what's coming down the pipe, check out Gametrailers.com. They do the best job of keeping up with stuff and putting it all there in video for you to see first-hand. You're welcome.
The Hurt Locker
In Iraq during the middle of the big war, one man stands alone against terrorists who create IEDs to try to blow up unsuspecting soldiers and innocent bystanders alike. He's the bomb diffuser, a person crazy enough to strap on a kevlar suit and helmet, and walk within a few feet of a device that could instantly kill him and everyone around him. Okay so now we know what a bomb diffuser is, so you can picture the type of guy who is the main character of this movie: someone with a deathwish. So he and his two buddies go around disarming bombs, and you never know which one could be his last...
Okay let's get this straight right off the bat: this movie was good and enjoyable. But it did NOT deserve the Academy Award. This is what I was afraid of. Had this movie not won the award, it would have easily been one of my favorite war-related films. Unfortunately, as the winner of an Oscar, it is now held to a much higher standard in my book. I'm not saying that "Avatar" should have won it either, but (especially in 3D) "Avatar" was better than this movie. Tangent: I think the Academy has gotten pretty ridiculous when it comes to judging movies. It's like if the movie's not making some profound social statement, it's not worth mentioning. I guess they've forgotten that the main point of movies is to entertain... right? RIGHT?
Back to the movie: this is an interesting story, about an aspect of the army I didn't know existed. They actually have a dude whose job it is to go around trying to diffuse these sloppy bombs made by animals in the desert. Sign me up! No thanks. I can't believe that anyone would want to do that, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Some people truly do have a deathwish, and I think "Hurt Locker" does a real nice job of showing how that deathwish can have a profound impact on those around you.
The acting in this movie was very impressive. I was a little worried at first that it was going to be too "Top Gun" for its own good, but they pulled it off and I admire them for that. There were some very tense moments that were incredibly believable and (I think) realistic. There were also some surprises that I didn't expect, and some very VERY angering moments (I can't tell you how many times I yelled "JUST SHOOT HIM!"). If you want to know how stressful it is to be an American soldier, watch this movie. If it were my call, I'd just drop a huge bomb on any suspected IED... unfortunately that's now how it works in the real world, and "Hurt Locker" does a great job of showing you the crazy rules our soldiers have to follow.
So should you see this movie? Yes. You probably already have, but if you haven't, then yes. However, don't go into this expecting an Academy Award Winning title. You will be disappointed. Honestly, for your entertainment dollar, I think you'd get more out of watching a movie like "Jarhead..." but "The Hurt Locker" was by no means bad and it was also education in its own twisted way. Give it a shot, at least until they release a 3D Avatar on Blu-Ray...
THAT'S IT!
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