We are Family..lalalalalalala

Everybody loves Raymond is on every day, 20 times a day-give or take. A show about family, well most sitcoms are in one way or another. Why do we all like to watch these shows, shows about dysfunctional yet sometimes lovable families?

The answer would seem obvious, but is it?

Although the 'family friendly all American' way of TV has just about gone the way of the Dodo, (see the May post called 'Them Kids and Me') we still are watching shows about family whether we want to admit it or not.

Sex, talk, and cosmos:
Sex and the City, no matter what you say about it is centered on a family. A group of four women that prove in life you can make your own family, and in the end they are at times the most precious people you've ever known.

The same is true of other HBO, TMN shows that you would not suspect due to their
sexual nature, cuss words, and parental advisories. But in truth, they are so amazing in that they show the love people can have for each other, a love that does not come out of obligation or tradition. And although I like to think I have a great family (most of it) I also acknowledge those cousins and relatives you know who could give two poops about you, whereas some people you met a few years back, or even 19 ;) care so much more for you.

SCI-FI:
I dare you to watch Firefly (arguably one of the cleverest and greatest shows written), Stargate (either one), or even *insert any space-y show here* and tell me you don't see that family thing still happening. How many sacrifices for each other and often the whole verse happen? How many times do friends like Sam and Frodo have to show what a family should be? (Geeks will know the other related Hobbits, Bilbo aside, were not so nice)

The 'Typical' Family:
Although a lot of my friends are not so lucky in this department, they have us (their friends) and I do not think that these regular nuclear family shows set out to dissuade unconventional ones from watching too. After all, we all know someone overbearing, someone dorky, someone nurturing, and someone crazy and loving-yet utterly self obsessed.

So in a way we all do relate to shows like Raymond, and The Cosby's, whether we are living our own Seinfeld, Will and Grace, or Friends

The Tree of Me (parts of it)

I was watching some CBC show that follows pseudo celebrities on their path to look into their Canadian ancestry. And then I was like ‘meh, but I cannot do that.’ Well for one, I do not have much history in this country aside from my parents, anything and anyone further back is an immigrant, and tended to be a farmer, schoolteacher or something other. Yet although none of them were the Supreme Court justice, or a public figure I can hear recordings of (or enjoy the wealth of!) I do have a lot of quite extreme and interesting stories from Europe and these long past relatives. To name a few I can say how my great grandfather lived and worked in the U.S.A and Argentina for years before returning to his home country (Old Country as they say), a great uncle served multiple military agencies as a spy, another was a professor who knew many political leaders and spoke 7 languages, a great grandmother raised all 8 brothers and sisters essentially on her own, someone else was a merchant, another few restaurateurs, another few doctors, another a principle, and many saw unspeakable horrors in various wars and occupations.

I typically do not mention the specifics of my closer family, I.e. grandparents, it feels too close to home, they came here lived/and live good, and some saw some horrible things during the war(s).

So I cannot document a lot of this and look through an English historical library, but it is very fascinating. I do not know what their IQ’s were, some were obviously high and some not. Like every family. Some had it simple, most did not. Looking back through their pasts though I can say as a writer thank you: to the nice ones, the not so nice ones, the ones who had success, and the ones who lost it all. They all lived incredibly in some way and selfishly I can also say, gave me a lot of material for the future.

The weird part, as self obsessed as it sounds, is thinking that all these very different people are all part of me somehow. Kind of freaky methinks.

my comment to a comment.

I do not usually respond to comments, especially in a separate post....but....here goes.

In response to Moe. Yes it was an unrefined rant. As are all these posts. They are my thoughts at the moment, and consequently they still are.

In regards to the celebrity shut the hell up thing. I am not saying people who are 'noteworthy' cannot speak their mind and try to draw in people to various causes. Although it probably sounded that way.

If Bono wants to tell me about poverty I can deal but he better realize he is not my savior for telling me. If Angelina wants to adopt a million babies thats fine, good for her. But I shall not be taking anything she says more to heart than someone not so 'popular'.

My point is simple. All too often we are forced to listen to the opinions of idiots who can be heard because half the world is dumb enough to listen.

In response to the point about children not committing any evils....no one is free from sin. I agree. But tell me how forced labor that is not environmentally friendly or some bullshit is at all their fault. They may not be HOLY or sinless but compared to the rest of us they deserved what they got the least! (btw they were at school...not mining anyways and even if they had been they have no choice, they want to survive, they want to live and if they could be uber-liberal Suzuki followers in this country and get to live regular lives and have the opportunity to over analyze and deconstruct they WOULD!
Although......the kids in China who died have nothing to do with that so I am not sure what you mean.
They are innocent, more than most. I maintain that.

Not sure if that answers most of the questions but yeah....that it. All I have to say.
People are free to speak as they wish...my saying shut up to them is merely me saying...F*ck you, you ignorant moron. :)
Thanks for listening.

It’s not karma, you’re just a tool.

By now it is old news. Sharon Stone, the spread legs, ditzy, self proclaimed 150 IQ actress made a major faux pas. No, actually what she did was infer that China’s earthquake was karma for how they are treating Tibet. No. Actually she did not infer that, in fact, she outright said it.

Ok….WTF may suffice as a reaction.

One of my major pet peeves would have to be idiot celebrities vocalizing any of their thoughts. Any and all thoughts really, especially on matters such as these.

Yes, yes, there is free speech and all that but common please do us all a favour you borderline brain dead celebrities and just shut up. I know that there is poverty in Africa and even here—in fact I think I realize it more than you do, I also know that you are trying out Buddhism as a trendy religion, after dappling in some other ancient eastern belief that you think is brand new, and that you just rearranged your house a la Feng Shui or have finished reading ‘The Secret’ or whatever the new crazy Oprah book is, but please….shut up.

I doubt that Ms. Stone even fully understands what the political situation with China and Tibet is, nor is she likely to understand the sheer devastation that the ‘Karmic’ earthquake of hers caused.

To name a few: (these are approximations…)

- Approximately 70,000 people have died

- Thousands of which were children, many at school at the time

- Over 350,000 injured

- About 18.000 missing

- And more homeless than we can think of.

(Go to BBC news for updates and exact numbers)

Now shall we look at the definition of what Karma is:

Karma, from Sanskrit “act, action, performance” is the concept of “action” in Indic religions understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect. Essentially what goes around comes around.

This notion is not solely Buddhist or Hindu, the ‘Golden Rule’ of ‘do unto others as you want done unto you’ is found in many religions. The exact idea of Karma however, in the manner of which most people understand it, is that one is responsible for what happens to ones life based upon their own actions.

So, therefore it must not be the Chinese government doing many evils…according to Sharon Stone’s logic, it must have also been the children too.

I also heard on the news that many Chinese shop owners were hurt and even killed by Tibetan protestors….does that now mean we will see the Dali Lama and his people suffer in an earthquake or similar natural disaster? I think not.

For one if something is truly based on cause and effect than only the CAUSERS would suffer. But that is not what I see happening around the world.

If karma existed we would all be in trouble. Moreover, if Karma in the delusional celebrity and North American fad obsessed way existed we would all be royally screwed. Would you or I suffer for Stephen Harper or Mike Harris’ dumb decisions? Would the actions of parliament affect the kids in the local preschool? Aside from cuts to funding and such, no.

Ms. Stone apologized. Yeah I think she is smart enough to at least do that. But she is not the point. Idiots like her make similar large claims everyday. I.e. according to Pat Robertson and others New Orleans suffered Katrina from Mardi Gras and years of Voodoo. Hmm…funny, I did not know that tourist sluts taking their tops off meant countless Louisiana families would be stranded on their roofs and starving whilst a rich and idiotic government did nearly nothing. Also according to various American haters 9/11 followed a similar suit.

All terrorists, celebrities, fundamentalists just STOP talking. If there was justice in the way you see it your mouths would supernaturally be sewed shut.

The God I know does not work that way. But this is not me telling anyone what to believe. If Stone’s karma was real Washington D.C and nearly EVERY other capital in the whole freaking world would be a lot more scared. So do not misquote eastern philosophy, or the Old Testament and think you are saying anything we want to hear, or has not been said before.

A tragedy is exactly that—a tragedy. And we do not know why they happen. But maybe what we do know is that we know virtually nothing and all we can do is shut the hell up about why and get off our asses and help in some way.

Peace.

Mind Crush

Since I was little, before I knew all the things I wanted to be, (Yes, I said all) I heard of journalists getting killed around the world. Although, with my new found (well not so new found but rather getting closer to) desire to be a journalist I seem to be hearing it a lot more.

Although I plan on staying in Canada and living a fairly routine life in that sense how can I not get affected by the reporters around the world being silenced in such horrible ways. It does not matter that I do not want to be reporting from the front lines of a war zone, I would like to think I am enough of an empath that I do not only feel pain solely for people who remind me of me. As a mere human rather, I feel it for everyone.

Society has become so desensitized, it has in countless ways, but what I refuse to be okay with is the desensitization of how ones story is cut short—after all that is what a murder is, someone ending a story they have no right to.

The shortest line in the Bible is “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). Why did He, both Man and God, who new the beginning and the end weep? The verse occurs in the narrative of the death of Lazarus, a friend of Jesus. After being shown where his friend was laid, Jesus wept in front the tomb, shortly before he ordered Lazarus back to life and out of the tomb.

If He can cry over death, it is something to cry about, isn’t it? (This is not a point for Christian reflection unless you want it to be, even unbelievers can see my point I should hope. It involves us all.)

But sadly to this progressively sociopathic world it does not seem to warrant the same lamenting. Instead, and aren’t we lucky, we have idiots like Sharon Stone ignoring the devastation and making light of it through sheer and utter stupidity. Picking and choosing what to see as a real tragedy. And .that is in itself almost forebodingly funny and unreservedly pathetic and naïve. (Stone is a whole other rant for later)

Back to the job of journalists.

No one HAS to do it. People want to, or have to out of an indescribable passion for exposing the truth etc. We want and need to see the wreckage in the Sichuan province so that we know it exists. Yet by seeing it we are conditioning ourselves to be able to ignore it at a moments notice for self preservation. We do not agree with (or do for some of you) the various wars around this small orb but we want to see the aftermath to prove us right or wrong, to show those of us lucky enough to just sit here and right about it what life is really like. We want to hear stories from far away places so that we can see how lucky we are (for the selfish) and also see there is more than our introspective, privileged bubble to this earth (for the rest).

So we watch, listen, and digest the miracles and horrors that others are showing us. I will not get into ethics and potential propaganda and distortion of reporting since that is another matter entirely. But truth, truth and our need to acquire it is what keeps these people in these locales, is what keeps them from shutting up when they probably should for their own sake.

I started thinking about this a lot lately as I began watching a National Geographic feature series entitled: Don’t Tell My Mother I’m In… This documentary features host and producer Diego Buñuel (grandson of surrealist filmmaker Luis) as he exposes the unusual and often unseen side of places like North Korea, Afghanistan, Gaza, Columbia, and the Congo. This show ends up showing us something we do not always see in the mainstream media.

What got me so intrigued was his undercover job in North Korea. He was all smiles and irony as he explored this Stalinesque country full of Orwellian hotel rooms and party members all the while being closely followed by two ;’escorts’ that seems out of a twisted comedy. It is hard to explain but his dry wit made me keep watching. I think I have a mind crush on him now. Something most writers I have known get at various intervals. J

I guess what my point is, although very poorly made, is that I am proud of these individuals even though I would forbid them to leave their home had they been my children.

Luckily I do not have to ask any of you not to tell my mother I am wherever because fortunately for her I want to do what I can from here and choose to watch such important topics play on my computer and TV.