Social Justice For Some?

I could go on about how horrible the concept of Social Justice is, but everything I have to say about it and those who forward it has already been said a thousand times.

One thing I will mention is that while they claim to stand up for victims, they seem to forget two groups: Jews and men.

Let’s get the argument about men out of the way: the narrative of Social Justice states that those who “suffer” from unequal outcomes deserve special treatment. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 93% percent of all inmates in 2015 were men. So, by Social Justice Warriors’ logic, the criminal justice system must be rigged against men. Yet do you ever hear about that from them? I haven’t.

This argument, in their heads, can be ignored because of all the other privileges men have had over the centuries.

Now to the longer, even less justifiable issue. I don’t see many Social Justice Warriors standing up for Israel, which faces daily threats from Islamists. Rockets fly over Israel every day, and no-one seems to be standing with them except about half of the world’s Jews and a handful of others. Everyone else seems to either support or abet Islamic extremists.

On a side note, you cannot say you support Jews but oppose Israel. Israel is a Jewish state, and if you oppose it and instead support Palestine – a Muslim state – you oppose Judaism. So, doesn’t this make Jews victims?

The latest attitude toward Jews from the Vatican is that since they are descended from Jews, Catholics have an obligation to support and protect them. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Charter calls for the mass extermination of the Jewish people. So, shouldn’t Social Justice Warriors be supporting Catholics and opposing Palestinians? Apparently not. Also, people seem to forget that Catholics do not make up the majority of Christians in America (according to a 2012 Gallup poll, 23.3% of Americans identify as Catholic, while 51.9% identify as Protestant). White Supremacists also exclude Catholics from their circle. The KKK didn’t just kill blacks back in the day – they killed Jews and, you guessed it, Catholics.

But I digress. Whenever you put a modifier before “justice”, it ceases to be justice. Social Justice Warriors and other radical leftists are ignorant, bigoted, hypocritical imbeciles who have been dragging down our country since Obama first started propping them up. Everyone from Bill Maher to Ben Shapiro acknowledges this. Sam Harris once made a great speech on how radical leftism and political correctness led to the rise of Trump, a compulsive liar and admitted fraud. Fortunately, at least for now, he has proven to be a moderate president and the country has benefited from his limited time in office. Of course, we’re only two months into his presidency, so only time will tell how history remembers him.

I might write something later on why I feel Trump’s presidency may be necessary for America, regardless as to how beneficial it may be.

Beauty and The Beast ramblings

Some folks have been calling this nonsense a controversy, so I said to myself “screw it, I’ll just ramble about it for a bit”.

Why does anyone care if LeFou is gay? I know Disney wants to pander to broader audiences to make more money, but frankly, I don’t understand why the demand is there in the first place (well, that’s not entirely true… I know a lot of people are entitled, identity politics-spewing, self-obsessed idiots who like taking advantage of the first amendment and trolling as many people as they possibly can with their stupidity). That may sound hypocritical considering I’m voicing a strong opinion, but the difference is I’m ACKNOWLEDGING that this is a mere opinion and I encourage those who disagree to come forward and voice their responses. Intellectual diversity is the only form of diversity that matters.

The origins of the story of Beauty and the Beast, which go back to the days of cave paintings, is really about understanding the three-dimensional nature of humanity. Villeneuve’s fairy tale specifically focuses on the idea that one who looks menacing may actually be kind at heart. In 1946, Jean Cocteau brought to contemporary culture the character of Avenant, who was the antithesis of the Beast – pretty at first glance but evil at heart. That love triangle was replicated in, among other works, the Disney version of the fairy tale in the form of Gaston.

Labeling the tale a story of acceptance is simply a shallow way to justify cheap corporate pandering.

Enough already!

I’m sick of people letting politics interfere with award shows, which every rational human being knows are just meaningless cash-grabs disguised as entertainment.

The Grammy’s are the latest example of this nonsense. Leftists are complaining that the results were racist and conservatives are complaining about leftists complaining that the results were racist. Give it a rest, damn it!

Maybe Adele won because her album sold more copies than Beyoncé’s. Maybe she won because the judges liked her music better. Maybe she won because people are sick and tired of fools hailing Beyoncé as some sort of goddess. Frankly, I couldn’t care less; I simply want people to calm down.

If you like a singer’s voice, listen to it. If you like an actor’s performances, watch them. If you have a preferred sports team, don’t demonize its opponents.

Regardless, performers are here to entertain you, not run your lives. Just because a couple of critics think one person is more talented than the one you favor doesn’t mean they are any worse people than you. And performers who make slightly less money and acquired slightly less fame than their counterparts have no right to complain about how terrible their lives are. I have no sympathy for the “plight” of anyone who makes enough money to buy the world twice over.

Alright I’m done ranting. If anyone wants to discuss this, feel free to leave a comment.

A Historian’s Perspective on The Importance of Domestic Job Growth

Preliminary Note: I believe NAFTA is one of the worst things to happen to us in recent years.

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Many economists argue that sacrificing factory jobs in this country is worth overall economic growth. Well, I’m not an economist (yet), but I do know something of history; the last time corporations sacrificed workers to increase profits, our nation was rewarded with Black Tuesday.

In the 20’s, the market did nothing but rise. Everyone appeared to be making record profits, but with unemployment rising, debt proliferating and wages disproportionately low (sound familiar?), the economy was doomed to fail.

Right now, the national unemployment rate may be down in many fields and the demand for skilled labor may be rising, but the working class seems to be getting fewer and fewer opportunities. Corporations will only bring in profits for so long; when every-day Americans become unable to buy new goods no matter how inexpensive they may be, when people lose the ability to enter the workforce and contribute to the national economy, when only corporate executives make any profit whatsoever, history will repeat itself.

It can be argued that we mainly got out of the depression because the Second World War increased the demand for unskilled labor. Since college costs have increased (I blame the unions) to the point that many (NOT including me) doubt its worth, there are plenty of folks entering the workforce with nothing more that a High School diploma. That means if corporations don’t stop outsourcing, we’ll have a crippling surplus of unskilled workers, and that’s never a good thing. Now you may be thinking, “what if we make college free?” My answer, and the answer of many economists is: there is no way we’ll be able to pay for that. If you’re going to say, “but many countries in Europe can do it!”, don’t. One, most of those countries are suffering much worse problems than we are, two, our economic system is profoundly different than theirs at the core, and three, we have significantly more people we’d have to cover than any European country. I could go on, but if I haven’t convinced you by now, I doubt anything else I can say will change your minds.

If we put an end to outsourcing and increase wages to match inflation (something we haven’t done since Reagan), I don’t think there would be a negative impact on the economy as people will have enough money to contend with increased prices. Of course, this would be politically toxic as many among the socioeconomic elite feel they will not make as much money if such laws are passed and will lobby against them, killing them before they even reach the House Floor. Some economists have come up with a less unrealistic alternative: continue to outsource old markets, but open new markets for unskilled laborers in their place. I think that will fail all too quickly, as corporations will outsource THOSE jobs as soon as they emerge.

Oh, how I wish NAFTA never happened…

Gun Control In The Wake of The Orlando Shooting

“A [weapon] is never a killer; it is a tool in the killer’s hands.”

–Seneca

In the wake of the tragic massacre that occurred last weekend, voices in the liberal community are once again pushing hard for stricter gun control laws. This also happened after the Sandy Hook shooting, the Colorado Movie Theater shooting, and a number of other instances involving troubled individuals carrying assault weapons. Each time, I have voiced my opinion against banning assault weapons, and I freely admit my views have not changed.

You cannot blame an inanimate object for the actions of a sentient being. Objects do not have the capacity to do anything on their own; even automated equipment needs to be constructed and started by the hands of a living, sentient being. My point is that we have to look at WHY the shootings happened, not HOW. Most of the earlier mass shootings occurred because a mentally unstable individual got their hands on an assault weapon; in response to those cases, I say enforce background checks to make sure such individuals, as well as those with prior legal charges, do not get their hands on such weapons. In addition, I am an advocate of smart guns, and I believe there should be (potentially) subsidized programs where for a nominal, if any fee, gun owners can send their weapons to manufacturers to have them converted.

This recent shooting was an act of Islamic Terrorism. You may think that makes me want to ban Muslims from owning firearms; if so, you are wrong. A major problem with this country, as well as many in Europe, is that we isolate Muslims from our communities, and terrorist regimes such as ISIS prey on the anger that ensues. I believe we have to integrate innocent Muslims and teach them to be better citizens.

The gunman was actually on the terrorism watch list, but the FBI found insufficient proof to indict him. What the FBI did know was that he frequently spouted inflammatory rhetoric and was known to have extremist views. I believe people like him are a danger to society and need to be detained and reeducated before they can act on their ideas. Unfortunately, the current legal interpretation of the First Amendment forbids such actions from being taken. My personal belief is that many the freedoms granted by the Constitution are good in moderation, but they should not be taken to such an extreme that we end up tolerating extreme intolerance.

Another argument made by liberals for banning assault weapons is that they are unneeded for anything other than killing. That is simply not true. Some people like to take them to firing ranges for fun. Some like to think of guns as potential collectibles. Some just feel safer having them instead of simple pistols and hunting rifles in case of an attempted armed robbery.

Others, when arguing for disregarding the second amendment, say the Founding Fathers could not possibly predict guns would be as powerful as they are today. Well, three hundred years ago, muskets were deemed extremely dangerous military-grade weapons, and three hundred years before that (when gunpowder was first weaponized), people fled from anyone who carried what were then called hand cannons. I believe people in the future will think the automatic assault weapons of today are obsolete and largely non-threatening. The point is, power is subjective, and just because something is deemed dangerous today doesn’t mean it will always be considered dangerous. I would venture to say at least a few of the Founding Fathers realized this when they wrote the constitution.

I will say that I have a rather uncommon view of the second amendment; I may touch on that in a later post.

If anyone would like to debate me on this, feel free to leave a comment.

The blood-soaked future of Virtual Reality Technology

Mark this day in your calendars, I’m calling this now:

One day, VR Technology is going to advance to the point that it will enable a person to enter an entire virtual world, enabling them to do whatever they want without physically moving their bodies. I’m sure this will appeal to millions of people.

I believe that some psychopathic hacker will take advantage of the fact that all the users will be in a prone state, trap them in said state and once he has all those millions trapped, kill them by frying their brains.

That’s right, I’m predicting that one day MILLIONS of people are going to die because VR will be taken too far.

I’ll be proven right… you’ll all see.

Pandering

One of my cardinal rules with regards to writing is NEVER PANDER TO ANYONE! WRITE WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND – IT WILL ALWAYS TURN OUT BETTER!

However, I do understand the importance of attracting viewers, which is why (among other things) I will be writing a sort-of-fluffy ChromxSumia oneshot in the near future. That does not mean I am going to modify my writing style to please others, but rather, I’m choosing a topic I know people like so as to please them.

But enough about me, lets talk about Marvel and DC!

New 52’s Green Lantern got his power from his gay fiancée’s ring. Earth 616’s Thor grew boobs and Captain America is now black. I disapprove of all three decisions (along with the other bullshit pandering going on) WITH A PASSION.

Understand this – I am not homophobic, misogynistic, or racist. I simply believe that changing existing characters to pander to minorities shows nothing but a lack of creativity. What’s wrong with inventing new characters? Or popularizing older ones? I heard about a lesser-known Marvel heroine called Misty Knight, who happened to be black and seemed like a pretty badass character (having a robotic arm made out of a metal that trumps Adamantium). Why not try to bring her back? And there are plenty of ideas out there that haven’t been written yet… why not start experimenting? You have the time and money!

CORPORATIONS ARE INFURIATING!

Though what’s worse is cable news. WHAT HAPPENED TO GIFTED INTELLECTUALS WRITING THEIR OWN MATERIAL EXPLAINING WHAT’S NEW! WHAT HAPPENED TO UNBIASED NEWS REPORTS DETAILING EVERYTHING THAT’S GOING ON! God, all that seem to be left are imbecilic pundits and blondes with more silicon and Botox than intellect.

Alright, enough ranting for now. Until next time, my friends!

Regarding Homosexuality among other things

The past couple of years have really been full of controversies surrounding homo-, bi- and trans-sexuality. Left-wing idealists over-encourage admittance and acceptance, religious fundamentalists oppose and condemn to the point of absurdity, and the media overcapitalizes on anything outside of the status quo.

I have no problems with who people choose to sleep with (how many is another story), but I also don’t want to know about it. So you like someone of the same gender – who cares? Sexuality isn’t something to advertise; doing so only makes people uncomfortable. At least, that’s my feeling. I believe that who you enter a relationship with is your business. Hell, when I get married, I’ll tell my parents and friends, but I’m not going to shout out to everyone I am capable of contacting, “Hey everybody! I love women, and I’m about to get married to the most beautiful woman in the world! Deal with it!”

People in the so-called Gay Pride movement, on the other hand, just stoke the flames of already volatile arguments between radicals on both sides. As I said before, I have no problem with people choosing to enter relationships with persons of the same sex, but when you act so flamboyantly and outlandishly, it’s not a form of expression – it’s a form of ludicrousness. I have the same feeling towards heterosexuals who advertise their sexual preference and towards anyone who is overly upfront about anything. Subtlety, politeness and general courtesy are (in my opinion) the best ways to show others how good a person you are. Of course, if you have strong opinions, there is nothing wrong with talking or writing about them so long as you do not intentionally say or write something inflammatory.