Something I Noticed...

Pokemon X/Y is finally out, which means the old generation really is over. It's change we need and have been demanding for years, but I do feel a little sadness as we roll into the new Pokemon era. With this nostalgia in mind, I watched three episodes of the good ol' Pokemon show today, and I noticed something dark. All three episodes I watched, had a scene where Ash gets a loaded gun pointed at him.

I have been arguing for a long time that Ash has shitty parents. His father was mentioned once and never again, and his mother seems perfectly content with letting him continent hop alone, even surviving Team Rocket's murder attempt every day. How would you react to your 13 year old being held up by 4 rifle toting adults? Ash's mother shrugs her shoulders, says something about Gary being steps ahead, then goes back to the moscato.

Ash makes a lot of dumb choices, (Butterfree for a Raticate?) but keep things in perspective. He has a 6th grade education and has had hundreds of near death experiences due to a fatal lack of parenting. 

Skeptical, not Cynical

I have always been skeptical. I attribute this to my overly religious mother and her terrible parenting. Growing up in a christian family gives you a sort of 6th sense for bullshit, what with christmas (I refuse to capitalize that) being a zombie's birthday, or talking to the sky, or even the widely believed concept of an omnipresent space magician controlling my destiny. I grew up questioning these grand claims, wondering if anybody had bothered to do some beneficial fact checking. In school, I was smart, good grades, chess team, etc, but I had a problem with authority. Probably because I had none at home, I challenged my teachers to explain to me why we worship our founding fathers, or even later, how anyone could call quantum mechanics "math".

Skepticism is beautiful, a trait I look for and value in my friends. It can never do harm, it can never be a negative thing. If something doesn't sound right, look into it yourself, or challenge the presenter for a little proof. Skepticism is what science is founded upon, and what I task my son to practice each and every day. Asking questions and discovering answers to the contrary of what you've been told is a vital tool to figuring out the world around you, and preventing others from taking advantage of your naivety.

I do not like cynicism. 

When it comes to American politics, skepticism is almost mandatory for the average citizen, but being cynical about politicians certainly isn't. Just like blaming both sides when something goes awry, I find taking a cynical approach to be an easy way out. A way of excusing yourself from doing any real objective thinking, or actually finding out about someone running for office. The reason for my skepticism of cynics, is that I don't think I've ever actually met an evil person. Politicians who I disagree with, (most are republican) receive my grumbling, but I don't truly think any of them are bad people. I don't automatically assume that every politician is out for money, or personal fame. I don't automatically assume Congress won't pass something, or that our country is in the toilet, never to resurface. People are generally good, and while some leaders are truly corrupt, approaching the bunch as swindlers takes the entire purpose of government away.

There are lawmakers in this country who genuinely have an idea they are working towards that they truly believe will do good. Now, while I'm skeptical that your complaints about welfare are valid, I won't be some cynical jackass who just assumes every Republican is just as morose. Yes, John Boehner does not have your best interests at heart. Yes, the same can be said about Cruz, or Paul, or anyone else, but you can't use cynicism to automatically count out every aspirant just because you've been burned before. Our country is about hope, a grand dream and using Democracy to improve our collective quality of life. Cynicism violently strips that from us before we even try.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Grown-ups don't look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they're big and thoughtless and they always know what they're doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. Truth is, there aren't any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole wide world.

I know you hipster/goths love Tim Burton, and he is probably king of the macabre childrens story, but I have always loved Neil Gaiman more. For starters, he's an incredible writer, but what makes Gaiman truly transcendent is his accurate grasp on what it means to be a child. Gaiman knows how kids think, and he takes childhood adventure and wraps it in a disturbing setting. The Ocean at the End of the Lane, is the best Gaiman book I have ever read, and when you look at books like Sandman, American Gods, Neverwhere, Coraline, and Signal to Noise, that's certainly saying something.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is about a middle aged man returning to his childhood home in rural England to attend a funeral. While he is there, he journeys to the end of the lane to see the house where a little girl lived, a friend of his. Suddenly the memories he didn't know he had forgotten come rushing back, and all of the magic and terror of his relationship with her are remembered. 

Like all Gaiman books, it is filled with whimsy, Harry Potter esque childhood novelty and superb British humor. Also, like all Gaiman books, it gets dark. Very dark. That's what separates Neil's novels, they are children's stories, and they are scary. The Ocean at the End of the Lane scared the shit out of me, and not in a jump, "OH MY GOD DONT LOOK IN THE CLOSET!!!"" sorta way, but he scared me in a deeper, more intimate way. Gaiman makes you regret being an adult. He makes you yearn for the adventure of childhood. What fear he instills on you is death, and one you can't escape, because you're old. This book is absolutely amazing, and just dripping with all the things that makes Neil Gaiman such a great author.

If you do end up purchasing it, look for how he portrays women. One of the reasons I like Gaiman so much are the women he creates in all of his stories. The women in this book, (3 in particular), are so loving and happy, that you'll immediately be unimpressed with your own parents, as amazing as I'm sure they are.

The Republican Fantasyland

There's a safe way to conduct yourself during a political conversation, a stance that allows you to agree with both sides, and this tactic is in fact to blame both sides. What do you think about the government shutdown? The safe answer is that all of them should be fired. Do you agree more with Democrats or Republicans when it comes to our nation's budget? Again, say that they are both incompetent and you win the day. Who's more corrupt? You say, all of them are. It's a very libertarian approach, and one I admittedly used for quite a while. It makes you feel personally elevated above it all, as if you've figured out something that nobody else has. The problem with the "to hell with all of them" argument is that, well, it's wrong.

I do not blame both sides of our government for the shutdown. I blame republicans. I do not blame both sides for our national debt. I blame republicans. You see, when I was a kid, (born in 87, most think I still am a kid) I became politically aware during the Clinton years, noticing just how angry and spiteful a difference of political opinions could be. However, those are opinions, Republicans thought one thing, Dems another, but both seemed to be basing their opinions on the same set of facts. This is most definitely not the case anymore.

Ask a Republican what they think of Obama's financial skills. They'll first puke out something about our founding fathers, (you know, the slave owning rapists we all adore) and then make some point about how Obama spends too frivolously. Obama walked into the white house in 08 with the largest debt our nation has ever accumulated. Ever. That is not an opinion, that is a fact. That isn't some spin or idea I had, that's a number, a real one. It's the truth. Another fact? Obama has cut the national deficit in half. He has reduced spending, not increased, again, that's a fact.

I love to hear political opinions, and I always make sure to leave my own opinions open to change. I love being proved wrong, I love proving others wrong. I love having stalemate shouting matches over political ideals because it just shows me that both sides actually care about our wonderful country. I will not argue facts. I will not argue over something that isn't arguable. The Earth is billions of years old, global warming is melting glaciers, Miley Cyrus doesn't write her own music, and Obama has reduced spending. There are facts, and there are beliefs. My hero, Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist extraordinaire, said "facts are true whether you believe in them or not". I think that most certainly applies here.

So when you see these republican class-bigots spewing their "opinions" on tv, look closer. See how they are accusing Obama of refusing to negotiate? The facts say otherwise. When republicans call Obama a muslim, remember the fact that Barack is a member of the largest christian church in the third largest metropolitan city we've got. My favorite fact of this whole shutdown? That republicans run their campaigns on "American jobs, no more immigrants stealing our jobs, and no more jobs being sent overseas", but then proceed to furlough 800,000 Americans. Republicans, it is my opinion, that you are all full of shit.

GTA 5 Online

I somehow managed to play GTA5 online yesterday for about an hour before it crashed again. The launch of the online mode has completely sodomized Rockstar's servers, but there's some glitchy fun to be had as we wait for the patch. With all jobs and missions disabled, all of us who managed to connect didn't have much to do, except of course, shoot each other.

It's super fun, and I can only imagine how good it's going to be once it performs as it should. I robbed a corner store, then watched another player take the rap for it when the cops arrived. I unlocked a sawed off shotgun, and held my ground on top of a water tower, killing 8 before some maniac kamikazied a helicopter into my back. I also stabbed a player as he stood in a clothing store, texting.

So back to work for the weekend, and I'll try to get back online Monday, giving Rockstar some time to fix what is obviously a huge patch. Just real quick, did anyone else notice that John Marston is an option for your father in the create your character section? Look hard, it isn't easy to find.

Kalm

I love rpg's and I love rpg towns. I want to talk about my obsession with role playing npc communities, from Midgar to Adelhyde, all of my favorite rpg's have exactly one thing in common, great towns/villages/hubs/cities/. Vastly under appreciated, a good town can make all the difference, and the mid-numbered Final Fantasies certainly proved it. 

So the first installment in my video game towns idea will be Kalm, my favorite town from FF7. I know everyone remembers how industrial and steampunky 7 was, but do you remember just how German-industrial the main continent was? Kalm is directly design-inspired by old German villages, with insane roof angles and the staple of every post dark ages German village, a central town hub.

I love Kalm for so much more than it's architecture, it's the safe feeling the place has. For the first time since the game begins, you feel rested. You and your team crowd into the inn and talk about Cloud and the overall plan for the first time, learning about everyone and having a good laugh. It's all depression and death from here afterwards, but at least you got that good day and a half in a cozy little village that doesn't give one fuck about your metropolitan white people problems.

Something To Think About

As we hurdle into this completely unnecessary government shutdown, there is something I want to point out. Do you remember when Obama was elected? Do you remember that the Senate and Congress were both under Democratic control? For two years Obama and his congress passed reform after reform, until 2010 when Republicans won the house. Here comes the pay attention part.

The Obama/Democratic Congress from 08-10 passed the following;

-Wall Street Reform

-Credit Card Reform

-Student Loan Reform

-Health Care Reform

-Fair Pay Act

-Expanded GI Bill

-Reauthorized Childrens' Health Insurance Plan (CHIP)

-Expanded National Civilian Service Corps

-Fair Sentencing Act

-9/11 First Responders Bill

-Hate Crimes Act

-Ratified START Treaty with Russia

-Repealed Dont Ask Dont Tell

-Revived Auto Industry

-Stimulus/Middle Class Tax Cuts (largest in history)

This was accomplished in two years. Since the Republicans have taken over control of Congress however, NOT A SINGLE PIECE OF LEGISLATION HAS BEEN PASSED. That's also been two years. Two years of nothing, not one single piece of paper making it through the building and into law. There have been several unnecessary crises though, including debt ceiling threats, government shutdown penis-waving, and of course, filibusters. All of which punched the stock market right in the jaw just as it was beginning to struggle to it's feet.

You can dance around applauding each other's absence of shame in crippling the government, but 800,000 government employees just got furloughed this morning. Valley Forge, the national park down the street is closed. Republicans talk about jobs, and they talk about compromise, but even the most basic voter can understand numbers. Something to think about.

(Real quick, Obama just signed a bill yesterday that ensured our troops would still get a paycheck even in the event of a shutdown. Who said politicians aren't classy anymore?)