The title is taken from one of my favorite Jimmy Eat World songs.
I was thinking about going to a nearby casino this weekend, just for the fun of it. I've never been to one, but I think it would be a fun experience (and maybe even a profitable one) as long as I am smart about it and not greedy. But the casino is in Alabama, were gambling is "illegal". Of course the only way the casino can exist is because it's on a Native American reservation. There are actually a couple of casinos in Alabama because of that loophole.
That got me thinking, and so I started drafting a letter to the Alabama representatives--
Dear Alabama Representatives:
I was wondering why we haven't taken ALL of the (wah-wah) Indians' land yet. I mean, how is it that a small area of land, commonly noted by their big casinos, became so untouchable, so holy? Didn't our ancestors just come in an snatch up the land from the people already here anyway? I'm not a history buff, so I'm not sure how the allotment of land was negotiated. But the question is, why can't we just commandeer those Indian reservations now, just like we did back in the good ole days? We didn't seem to have a problem doing it years ago, so what is our problem now? It seems you guys should have already suggested that, am I right?
Yours truly...
(Of course I speak in a facetious manner, so don't hate me.)
Friday, June 20, 2014
Addiction
"We're all addicted to something." - Thumbsucker (movie)
I was thinking about all the things people are addicted to and made a list:
alcohol, non-prescription drugs, cigarettes, porn, medication, adrenaline, religion, music, fashion, fitting in, being different, losing weight, technology, success, failure, love...
The list goes on and on and on, but the point was clearly made. Excess of something is said to be a bad thing. So, is the person who’s addicted to drugs in just as bad shape as the person addicted to success? In a sense, yes. Success, opposed to non-prescription drugs, is legal, and it’s encouraged and desired. But just watch the movie Wall Street, or just watch the real thing, and you might argue that it should be illegal.
But this isn’t about success. It’s about addiction. We all have it. And we’re all trying to beat it. Or maybe we’re not.
In the case of religion, one may argue that it’s a good thing to be addicted. But look at the everlasting conflict between Israel and Palestine, or go way back to the Crusades, or just consider current issues (i.e., suicide bombers). So, yeah, religion has caused A LOT of problems.
Maybe addiction in all cases IS a bad thing. But if we are all addicted to something, why do we evaluate another person’s addiction and are eager to voice our (dis)approval? To find out the answer on this matter, maybe we should ask the people who are addicted to judging others and the ones addicted to attention…
I was thinking about all the things people are addicted to and made a list:
alcohol, non-prescription drugs, cigarettes, porn, medication, adrenaline, religion, music, fashion, fitting in, being different, losing weight, technology, success, failure, love...
The list goes on and on and on, but the point was clearly made. Excess of something is said to be a bad thing. So, is the person who’s addicted to drugs in just as bad shape as the person addicted to success? In a sense, yes. Success, opposed to non-prescription drugs, is legal, and it’s encouraged and desired. But just watch the movie Wall Street, or just watch the real thing, and you might argue that it should be illegal.
But this isn’t about success. It’s about addiction. We all have it. And we’re all trying to beat it. Or maybe we’re not.
In the case of religion, one may argue that it’s a good thing to be addicted. But look at the everlasting conflict between Israel and Palestine, or go way back to the Crusades, or just consider current issues (i.e., suicide bombers). So, yeah, religion has caused A LOT of problems.
Maybe addiction in all cases IS a bad thing. But if we are all addicted to something, why do we evaluate another person’s addiction and are eager to voice our (dis)approval? To find out the answer on this matter, maybe we should ask the people who are addicted to judging others and the ones addicted to attention…
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