Sawed-Off Disclosure

It’s hard to post this without looking like a totally pretentious hipster douche (which, ashamedly, I am). These songs are sort of “guilty pleasures” of mine. Their respective artists are not ones that I would regularly listen to, and I generally dislike the rest of their catalog. Whitey Reggae, Born-Again Christian “rap” metal, Some talentless girl, German Industrial Metal, and Phil Collins.

I apologize if you’re an actual fan of any of these bands. No offense.

Matisyahu - “One Day”

Lana Del Rey - “Radio” [sorry about the actual video, it must be a fan of Lana’s, but the song is right.]

POD - “Alive”

Phil Collins - “Another Day In Paradise”

Rammstein - “Sonne”

Greetings, cybernauts! Who on earth said I had to be in a really shitty mood to blog about my feelings? Who said I had to be whining and bitching to tell the few of you how I feel? Maybe this little entry will be a new lease on life for someone… or not, that’s cool too.

Remember when it was cool to be straight edge? Me neither. At the peak, where I grew up, I knew three kids who drew X’s on their hands, and that was in 8th grade. Then when I grew up, and I intermittently met people who claimed “Edge”, and one of them turned out to be the worst person I’ve ever met. But the fact is, me being “friends” with people who have claimed “Edge” is not an issue to me anymore. I’ve already lost many friends from being hardline about my beliefs, but I’ve since either rekindled or remained close with a select few, whom I deeply cherish. Not to mention my beloved significant other is totally drug free by choice as well.

I’ve learned in my short time on this earth that this is a sell-out kind of world. There’s no way around it. People are going to do what they want; try new things, explore new frontiers as it were. I don’t hold any grudges, or even really judge people who decide to responsibly partake in substance use. It’s the abusers and the reckless I disapprove of in the short run, but there is one type of person who loses my respect faster than any person ready to do a shot at the bar. And that’s the sell out.

I can’t tell you how nice it is to hear from young adults that they’ve chosen to claim straight edge as a way of life. They see the importance of clarity of mind, and the sometimes terrifying effects that drug and alcohol abuse can wreak on the human body. This is the person who has made a noble choice to take care of their body and mind, but then they squander such a sacred (sacred to me) decision away, and it goes up in flames, like the spires of cigarette smoke that reach for the sky in a throe of desperate escape.

If there are any human traits I don’t respect, it’s betrayal and hypocrisy. If you’ve ever been betrayed by someone for anything, you know what that’s like to endure. Hypocrisy, to me is just as bad. It makes us inconsistent. It’s the former free-thinker who gives her heart and soul up for some deity, and swings like a pendulum from selfhood into a fit of overcompensation, who proselytizes her newfound beliefs. I feel the same way about people who have abandoned their drug-free lives.

I don’t even care about what people who hate sXe kids say; calling us “losers” or teasing us about our decision to be drug free… We know about the drug culture, but there are those of us who matter, and we don’t let it under our skin. We’re the ones who soldier on. Soldiers of reality! We’re the ones who face the reality and the pain of life head on, which makes us stronger. We don’t fill our bellies with liquor, or cloud our minds with drugs to help us “forget” our woes. We remember our woes and overcome them. I’ve made it to 23 years of age completely rejecting this culture, and I think it has both humbled and strengthened me as a human being.

I have resolved to stay true to my convictions, and not life and limb can persuade me to do otherwise.

Thanks for reading, for what it’s worth.

Happy Birthday, Bob Marley!

Let’s think for a second how stupid it is to idolize someone like him. He was a reggae singer who promoted peace. Fine, I have no problem with either. But like John Lennon, I see no true reason to look at him for guidance. The ideals they both tout are perfectly simple. It’s basically the shit that we’re taught in pre-school. Hell, if Barney sang some better tunes, I bet people would have bumper stickers dedicated to him…

Point being: that Marley’s popularity is so widespread, and yet those who appreciate him generally couldn’t name any other reggae artist if they tried. They wouldn’t know Toots and the Maytals from Symarip, from UB40 from Easy Star All Stars. Let’s face it, all you want is the peace quote and a hit off the joint. That’s fine by me too, but now and then it is important to sit back and question why this needs to be done… There are many great minds out there, but none are more revolutionary than those who say something and it strikes some sort of epiphany or revelation in you.

“Make love and not war! ‘Cause we don’t need no trouble. What we need is love” -Bob Marley

Seriously? How trite is that? Who’s moved by that? Mark Twain’s remark, “A fart is the cry of an imprisoned turd” left a more lasting effect on me. I think of that line every day! Love is the assumed message. At least it should be, generally. I don’t personally feel gratification when it comes to hating someone, but when it is justified, hate is no different than simply being male or female. It’s a fact of life. Practice love, by all means, but I won’t take you seriously if you preach it as though it’s a new idea.

So, I’m not trying to tell you what to do, I just think it’s better to think for yourself. Just because Bob Marley, John Lennon, George Carlin, Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein, Richard Dawkins, Pat Robertson or anybody else in the world said something you agree with, doesn’t really put you in a position of understanding. Yes, I know this is totally a “holier than thou” type of discussion, but let’s be honest with each other: What’s the message in hanging a poster of the Grateful Dead or Bob Marley on the wall? You like weed? Well, I reject that culture. The music it produces just isn’t that great.