Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Out of Step.
I'm actually the exact opposite of the lyrics to this song. But hey, the title you know?
Ever have that feeling that you're simply existing in a world almost entirely out of sync with you? I've been feeling that a lot lately, probably due to all the small trips I've taken recently.
1. I feel like I'm the only person on the face of the planet who resents being felt up every time I want to get on a plane. (This is a problem I only have with our 'local' small airport security)... The gist is, too many staff and not enough volume of passengers, which results in the secondary random searching becoming commonplace for commuters. I'm actually starting to develop a phobia about travelling, and it has nothing to do with terrorists. The security 'fondling' is my terror these days. It shouldn't be necessary that I be molested every time I want to get on a plane.
I actually went to the website of the government department to complain about this issue, but they wanted so much personal information it was too Orwellian and i chickened out. Regardless, this rant will probably get its own blog one of these days when I feel safe enough that I won't have security stasi breaking down my door for daring to criticise. (-ise, ize? I've been living in NA too long, I can't remember the exceptions anymore).
2. Our society's obsession with health, weight, food. And why we need to fear everything in our environment and blame, threaten and disenfranchise those poor few who aren't as enlightened. A subject I've ranted on in many blogs, but it bears repeating... leave my fucking dairy section ALONE!
3. Animals. Now I like animals. When I was a kid we had a veritable menagerie of pets over the years. Hell if I lived in a different climate I'd probably have a menagerie again--BUT, the difference between me and everyone else it seems, is I don't lurrrrve animals. I don't dress them up in cute widdle outfits. I don't treat them like adored, cosseted or over-indulged children. And I don't expect my friends to sit on the fucking dog blanket covering the furniture when they come to visit. To me there is a clear line between animals and people, and the two are not treated the same. It's actually been my observation that many people who revere animals despise people. You might chortle to youself that by that yardstick I must be the frickin president of PETA, not so. To put it into some persepctive I read an article yesterday about an organisation that is rescuing pets in, Afghanistan. How admirable, you may think. Now picture a small child on the streets devastated by war--yes let's make him an orphan--hungry, frightened, and this rescue van pulls up (I have no idea how the rehabilitation of animals in this country takes place).. out leaps the rescuers to save--not little orphan Ali, but a little scruffy mutt.
I've used an extreme example but it really pisses me off when animals are put before people. You may disagree with me, in fact I'm sure you will. But I'll bet you dollars to donuts, the vast majority of people who donated funds to save the poor animals in Afghanistan wouldn't even have considered donating for people. I mean come on, how many times have you sat in front of the TV watching the news and veiwing a scene of utter horror, and then they pan to a cat or dog looking totally miserable and everyone in the room goes, "aww", hell I've done it myself.
Oh crap there were a few more things I wanted to rant about, but that last one wound me up... I have to go drink now. Heavily.
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Ever have that feeling that you're simply existing in a world almost entirely out of sync with you? I've been feeling that a lot lately, probably due to all the small trips I've taken recently.
1. I feel like I'm the only person on the face of the planet who resents being felt up every time I want to get on a plane. (This is a problem I only have with our 'local' small airport security)... The gist is, too many staff and not enough volume of passengers, which results in the secondary random searching becoming commonplace for commuters. I'm actually starting to develop a phobia about travelling, and it has nothing to do with terrorists. The security 'fondling' is my terror these days. It shouldn't be necessary that I be molested every time I want to get on a plane.
I actually went to the website of the government department to complain about this issue, but they wanted so much personal information it was too Orwellian and i chickened out. Regardless, this rant will probably get its own blog one of these days when I feel safe enough that I won't have security stasi breaking down my door for daring to criticise. (-ise, ize? I've been living in NA too long, I can't remember the exceptions anymore).
2. Our society's obsession with health, weight, food. And why we need to fear everything in our environment and blame, threaten and disenfranchise those poor few who aren't as enlightened. A subject I've ranted on in many blogs, but it bears repeating... leave my fucking dairy section ALONE!
3. Animals. Now I like animals. When I was a kid we had a veritable menagerie of pets over the years. Hell if I lived in a different climate I'd probably have a menagerie again--BUT, the difference between me and everyone else it seems, is I don't lurrrrve animals. I don't dress them up in cute widdle outfits. I don't treat them like adored, cosseted or over-indulged children. And I don't expect my friends to sit on the fucking dog blanket covering the furniture when they come to visit. To me there is a clear line between animals and people, and the two are not treated the same. It's actually been my observation that many people who revere animals despise people. You might chortle to youself that by that yardstick I must be the frickin president of PETA, not so. To put it into some persepctive I read an article yesterday about an organisation that is rescuing pets in, Afghanistan. How admirable, you may think. Now picture a small child on the streets devastated by war--yes let's make him an orphan--hungry, frightened, and this rescue van pulls up (I have no idea how the rehabilitation of animals in this country takes place).. out leaps the rescuers to save--not little orphan Ali, but a little scruffy mutt.
I've used an extreme example but it really pisses me off when animals are put before people. You may disagree with me, in fact I'm sure you will. But I'll bet you dollars to donuts, the vast majority of people who donated funds to save the poor animals in Afghanistan wouldn't even have considered donating for people. I mean come on, how many times have you sat in front of the TV watching the news and veiwing a scene of utter horror, and then they pan to a cat or dog looking totally miserable and everyone in the room goes, "aww", hell I've done it myself.
Oh crap there were a few more things I wanted to rant about, but that last one wound me up... I have to go drink now. Heavily.
X
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Wow...I guess there's one reason for me to be glad I don't do much traveling these days.
Hmm... on the animal thing. I definitely don't think animals should be put up there with people. In fact, like you, it pisses me off that so many people want to "save the whales" but ignore the poor and dying in their own cities. I do own a cat...and feel somewhat bad for her that I don't treat her quite so well these days, but then I remind myself that she's damn lucky to be alive and if she didn't belong to us she's probably be dead now, so tough nuts on having to live without much attention. Before I had a kid though, I lavished attention on her...not like she was a child exactly, but because I anthropomorphized her to an extent, and the human qualities I attributed to her made me feel more for her than her natural, animal qualities. I think much of our inappropriate adoration of animals can be attributed to anthropomorphization.
Hmm... on the animal thing. I definitely don't think animals should be put up there with people. In fact, like you, it pisses me off that so many people want to "save the whales" but ignore the poor and dying in their own cities. I do own a cat...and feel somewhat bad for her that I don't treat her quite so well these days, but then I remind myself that she's damn lucky to be alive and if she didn't belong to us she's probably be dead now, so tough nuts on having to live without much attention. Before I had a kid though, I lavished attention on her...not like she was a child exactly, but because I anthropomorphized her to an extent, and the human qualities I attributed to her made me feel more for her than her natural, animal qualities. I think much of our inappropriate adoration of animals can be attributed to anthropomorphization.
I totally agree with your last statement. I was even going to mention that, but as you can tell I got a wee bit wound up LOL. There was an incident at an aquarium (I think it was Vancouver, but I'm not positive), where an idiot of gynormous proportions hid until after closing time so he could swim with the killer whales... see he believed, really believed that these super intelligent animals would understand his kinship with them. The whales drowned him.
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