Mourning the death of independent thought

I'm tired of all the bandwagon schmucks that are protesting our continued presence in Iraq, when they were all for this war to begin with. I'm not talking about the peaceniks who never thought we should be in there in the first place. If they want to bitch about this war, feel free to do so, you've earned it. I'm talking about the people who were in an all-guns-blazing jingoistic frenzy when Bush announced his ultimatum to Hussein, but now are just as feverishly anti-war because "Bush lied to us about the WMDs." Right. A couple of things...

First off, anyone who uses the cop-out line : "this war was all about oil from the get-go" should be shot. You think? Are you telling me you're naive enough to have EVER believed that oil reserves had nothing to do with this? Do you really think the United States would be interested to the point of military intervention in the injustices perpetrated against the citizens of Iraq unless we had oil interests in the area? If so, why aren't we all over Africa and Asia putting an end to the genocidal regimes in power across the globe? Because they don't have any fucking oil. Further, until hybrid technology and new advances in the automotive and heating industries wipe out our reliance on foreign oil, we HAVE to protect those interests. It's not even about the rich getting richer for the average Joe. Do you really think the Bush family is going to starve to death if there's an oil crisis? No, the rest of us jackasses are going to be paying $6.00 a gallon to get to work every day.

Second, just because there aren't any WMDs doesn't mean we were lied to. Sources close to Hussein have already said that Hussein purposely acted as if he did have such weapons and defied the UN inspectors because he underestimated the severity of the American response and was afraid of letting Iran know that he was more vulnerable to attack than they believed. In other words, Hussein feared Iran more than he feared the U.S. Oops. The fact of the matter is, Hussein and his sick, twisted offspring were murderous despots and the world is better off without them. I regret that any American lives were lost in the pursuit of our goals there, but for those screaming at Bush to get the troops out now, will you be singing the same tune when we bail out and either pro-Hussein Sunni extremists or, better yet, Iran moves in and takes the country over? Christ, even the Democratic Presidental hopefuls won't commit to an immediate troop withdrawal, even though it would probably win someone the election because they KNOW it can't be done. So, let's ease up with all this rhetoric. Again, let me reiterate that I understand some people are anti-war by nature, and that's cool if that's your stance - I respect that. This diatribe, if you will, is directed at the people whose views on war change every time the POPULAR view changes. Think for yourself, take a stance, and stick with it. It doesn't mean you can't admit mistakes if you make them, but have the balls to stand by your convictions and don't be swayed by the herd mentality. There's way too much of that shit these days.

Next up, the fashion industry. Esquire magazine recently had an article detailing 60 fashion do's and don'ts called the "(New) Laws of Casual Style." Google it if you want to read it, I'm not going to repost it here. They did have such nuggets as :

Small holes in jeans? Kind of cool. Small holes in sweaters? Pathetic.

Tennis and baseball are the most influential sports on American style. Discuss.

Animals make the best logos. Match the logo with the brand.

Sunglasses don’t belong on top of your head, folded into the neck of your shirt, or hanging around your neck by some nylon cord. If you have to remove them, hold them or put them on a table.


Jesus H. Christ. Fascinating. OK, so if I'm at the beach and I go into a bar or restaurant, I'm going to carry my sunglasses around all night or put them on the table where I'm sure to forget them because some asscake at Esquire thinks it's uncool to hang them on my shirt or wear them on top of my head? Fuck you, Esquire. But the article itself is only indicative of the larger problem : fashion, fashionistas, and the fashion industry in general. Why TELL people what to wear, in essence? I have no problem with people wearing any kind of clothes for whatever reason - whether it's comfort or the way they look. I dress the way I do because it's comfortable AND I like the way my clothes look. I mean, there are limits - I wouldn't wear a Motorhead shirt and cargo shorts to a wedding- but beyond dressing appropriately, who cares what someone else is wearing? Why be one of these mindless sheep who goes out and spends time and money buying new clothes every year because someone in New York or London decided it was "in" this year? Why should you give a rat's ass what anyone thinks but yourself? If you like wearing football jerseys out, wear them. If you want to tuck your polo shirt in, do it. If you like to wear it out, do that. Honestly, anyone who goes around critiquing other peoples' clothing really needs to find something better to do. Those people belong in the same hell as the morons who call up TV stations complaining that what they're seeing is inappropriate rather than just turning the goddamned channel. There's WAY too much conformity in this country as it is, it seems like every time I turn around, the government, special interest groups, citizens, etc.. are busy telling me what I should and shouldn't do. It's condescending, and frankly really fucking annoying.

Further, take a gander at the people setting the "trends": This guy on the right popped up when googling America's hottest designers. OK, so this is the guy that's determining what looks are "in" this year. I'll pass. And this guy here is apparently the most influential designer in the US. Evidently, he made his bones as the guy who popularized the "grunge" look. Nice. So, HE'S the guy who looked at a bunch of disaffected youth that wore clothing they bought from thrift shops and decided to recreate these tattered clothes at enormous mark-ups? The guy who "decided" it was cool for countless millions of suburbanites to wear the uniform of a scene they had no knowledge of, no association with, nor any understanding of, is the guy who's telling the fashion-conscious what they should and shouldn't wear? Sweet. Fashion and the fashion industry is the single biggest waste of time and money on this planet. Go to the store, take a look at what they have, find something that appeals to you, and buy it. End of story. Who gives a shit what anyone else thinks , be yourself.

And here's my favorite part of the Esquire article :

The man who imparts opinions via T-shirt has neither the intelligence to form a cogent opinion nor the good sense to keep it to himself.

This, while they're foisting their opinions on you simulteanously. Hypocritical? You be the judge. Esquire, blow me.

OK, that's it. I promise there will be more funjinks in the days to come, I'm just pissed off because I lost my keys at Sea World yesterday. Son of a bitch.