Uncouth PerspectivesNot on the rug, man.

So, I wus sittin’ ‘ere and I wus wunderin’ to m’self… wut is it.. right.. this ‘ere hankerin’ ta go out and get yerself in all kind trouble.. right..

A prosperous warning to those who would live their lives for others. Those decisions in which we make, we must make with the understanding that the benfitting party must always include… ourselves. To make a decision otherwise, is nothing short of inane. Yes, inane. (I must include at this moment that I am speaking my words aloud, and focusing more on saying them than writing them, so you have been warned… okay..okay.. so I like the sound of my voice. Anyways.)

Back to what I was saying. Or at least, starting to say.

I was having a conversation the other day with a good friend.. and we were talking about relationships, love, and moving. You see, many of our friends from the old days have gone. They have moved up, on, and away. And this was somewhat saddening.. but, in putting in perspective, they have moved on to what they want and this is a good thing.

One person in particular we talked about moved to Chicago to be with his fiancee’. He had met her over the internet (and, that would be something I do not disagee with, as it were, as many might) … he visited her … and then he moved there. And I had made the comment that I did not know if that had been a good decision, because he had to worry about his life and his goals and not about a relationship. And my friend said to me, “Yeah, but he’s following his dreams and is happy. You can’t dispute that.” And, truly, I can’t. My mind has been changed and I fully support it, because most of us don’t have the balls to do it.

Another time, though, I was talking with a friend who lives on the east coast. She moved away from her boyfriend to go to college. He had made the offer to move with her, but she felt that he could not and should not give up his life just to be with her. He had to pursue his goals and dreams and not forfeit those for being with her. I know it caused them a lot of difficulties, but it was a decision that, so far, looks to be correct and beneficial.

Just thoughts. Thoughts. I’ve been thinking a lot about this the last day or two.. and so I’d like to offer my thoughts. You have to know yourself. You have to understand your dreams and your goals. And you have to reach for them. Also, though, there are times when you meet people who will help you with your dreams and your goals.. people worth being with. People who you never dreamed you could feel so close with.

If you are put in a position to make a decision to move afar to be with someone… make sure it is for the right reasons. Make sure you want it. Make sure you are ready. You need to think about your future. Don’t give up who you are and who you want to be, just to be with someone. If the move is going to sacrifice plans for your future, it is not worth it. However, if you can get your future and someone to share with it, do it. Do it now.

We are left with the images of the devastation wreaked by the terrorists and a persistent, nagging question: when will it happen again?

To answer that question, I wonder if we really need to look beyond our own border. America does have its infamous militias. These inbred, bucktoothed, self-proclaimed protectors of America (protecting what, exactly? The right to bear children with your cousin?) already have at least one building in Kansas City to their name. Unfortunately, we can no longer expect these people to be satisfied with outrunning Roscoe P. Coltrane and getting Daisy all molared up off some high-powered corn whiskey from the local still. Now they also would like to advance their political agenda and send America back to the 1950�s, or worse.

But the group that really scares the hell out of me is the right-wing extremist faction of the born-again Christians. (I�m talking specifically about the abortion-clinic bombers and doctor-killers, and not about the zealots that wander around college campuses and get into theological arguments with drunken frat boys.) These folks could be our biggest homegrown terrorist threat because they hide themselves behind religion and their Constitutional rights. When all else fails, they hold up a Bible and use it to justify their actions.

Isn�t it interesting how dissimilar these groups appears on the surface, yet how much they have in common when you look a little deeper. Think about it: they hate what America has become, they think that they are the chosen people to solve the perceived problem, and they believe the end justifies the means. The common thread is a violent reaction to the source of their hatred; namely, the rest of us.

It is also interesting how often violence is committed in the name of religion. The Middle-East terrorists hate us because of our perceived loose morals and decadent lifestyle, but really it all comes down to America�s support of the Israelis in their fight with the Palestinians over the same holy land. Like anything else, the Koran can be interpreted many ways and the fundamentalist, hard-line groups like the Taliban use it as a justification for their oppressive modus operandi.

In similar fashion, the Bible-thumpers pervert the Word of their Lord to their own foul purposes. They use the commandment, �Thou Shalt Not Kill� as justification for terrorizing and, ironically, sometimes killing abortion workers. Never mind that most people find early-term abortions to be morally acceptable. These wild-eyed maniacs do not really care about what anyone thinks� except themselves.

Frankly, having someone�s religious views pushed on you is onerous in itself. Violence certainly compounds the problem. But perhaps the worst part is all of these fanatics are really missing the point of what their religion tries to teach them in the first place. After all, isn�t religion really just a framework for how to morally better oneself in a civilized society? And at the heart of this philosophy is forgiveness and love for one�s fellow man. The violence is just a symptom; the blatant hypocrisy is the disease.

I say this as someone who is a capitalist and who is also rather Objectivish (I love that term)…I haven�t heard a worse idea in years.

Check out the website. Go ahead, I dare you. Ten bucks says I know what your first comment is � �Oh my God, what�s with the hair?� That, my friends, is Prodos, Australian radio show host and Objectivist extraordinaire. Just a little background on Prodos: he doesn�t know the first thing about the philosophy he claims to espouse and he is a sniveling asshole who can�t stand up to the Ayn Rand Institute when it threatens him because he actually had a positive interview with a group that didn�t think Rand was God. In fact, he eliminated all traces of said interview from his website, and acts as if it never occurred.

And I hate to say it (actually, I don�t, but that�s the accepted politeness here) but…people will have a very difficult time accepting someone who looks like that as the leader of any movement. He�s just an object of ridicule, and not someone who will be taken seriously. His radio interviews remove any semblance of respect anyone could have for the man.

The problems inherent in a Walk For Capitalism wouldn�t be gone, though, even if it did have a reasonable spokesperson. The reason the walk got started was that Prodos was tired of anti-free trade organizations protesting and getting media coverage. He seems to be forgetting a few things.

First off, be it accurate or not, capitalism is perceived as being the status quo. Walks for things that are considered radical are, as a general rule, given much more media coverage than walks that are not. Furthermore, even if it does get coverage, it will likely be bad, and this is not a case of �all publicity is good publicity.� The ways many Objectivists act during rallies are as droll as Prodos�s pictures, and if the media covered it at all, people would likely only laugh. Getting laughter because of one�s protest is far worse than causing outrage. Outrage at least shows that someone thinks you�re a threat. Laughter just shows that they think you�re not worth taking seriously. Is this the image that those for capitalism want to project? I would hope not.

So what to do if one really wants to advocate capitalism? In short, something. Don�t live the abstraction, live the reality. Picket signs and catchy slogans will always fall to dedicated and committed plans of action. Want a more capitalistic society? Make money. Start businesses. Donate to political campaigns of those who support your beliefs � hell, become a politician yourself if you�re oily enough. Write books � at least those are taken somewhat seriously. If you�re a talented public speaker, find some way to do informative talks and hold question and answer sessions or debates. Even talking to and having well-reasoned arguments with friends and family members can be useful. But please, don�t act as if this protest could accomplish anything good. Don�t act as if just whining about a dream will ever make it come true � no matter how many people whine in chorus.