Scott Kurtz's PVP Online for June 21 refers to the Macintosh using the character "Brent Sienna's" group, the Honorable Order of Macintosh Operators.
H.O.M.O.
Agent Red, a fellow MAC user, said that this "vaguely insulted" him, although he "couldn't put his finger on why."
To explain why he feels so uneasy, and indeed to unveil the true plight of MAC users everywhere, I have taken it upon myself to draw the parallels between MAC users and the H.O.M.O.'s of the world:
Well, think about it:
- We're ten percent of the population.
- The object of our desire comes in rainbow colors.
- We are constantly vocal about our preferences for fear of being snowed under by the rest of society.
- When people try to get us to switch, we scream and yell about how it's the right thing for us and ask them to "try it just once and see if they like it."
- Most of us have been this way for years; it's not a decision we just made overnight.
- Although our functions are criticized, the moral majority STILL agree that we are tastefully designed, have an innate sense of colour, and are always on the leading edge of style and fashion.
- Too, we are often emulated by the majority with thinly-veiled knockoffs of our style.
- And, no matter how they beg and plead, no matter how we may tear our families apart with the shame and stigma of our choice (and some still say it was never a choice!), still they'll never change us.
- Finally, our biggest and most visible supporters are in San Francisco.
MAC PRIDE!
Of course, this isn't necessarily true. It's just an observation.
We've all heard the phrase "turn the other cheek."
Also, "Show your enemy nothing but kindness, for by doing so you will heap hot coals on his head."
I'm paraphrasing slightly; I've never been very Biblical and I can't bring myself to hunt through the whole Good Book looking for a quote.
But lately, I've noticed a good bit of despair hanging around some people I know, and I just can't allow such a basely rotten emotion to get away unmolested.
In this case, despair is the enemy. Depression, A Bad Day, Ennui, The Blues, whatever you want to call it-- it's there. And it's insidious.
I found a great kind of cure.
It's an inspirational set of lyrics to a particular song I've been listening to. Oh sure, songs have cast out depression (or caused it) forever and a day; but it's not just the song that I want you to see here today.
It's also the group that performs it.
Many of you remember the Archies cartoon from when you were kids, which spun off into another musical scooby-doo-like chase cartoon entitled "Josie and the Pussycats."
Last year, they made a movie about it. And that movie had a soundtrack!
This was by no means a Moulin Rouge, or John Williams score, or an Ennio Morricone spiritual piece. It was CANDY, pure and simple.
Thing is, candy has a way of seeping into you and affecting you without you even noticing. Josie and the Pussycats was a funny movie, a trivial movie, a re-creation of an even more trivial cartoon-- but it had a message in it. At least, one that I found anyway.
I'd like to quote the song for you now. It's entitled "I Wish You Well," and after you read it I imagine you'll understand what the title of this entry means.
I wish you well
Couldn't you tell
After all these years
I wish you well
You're left in the world
That you're dreaming of
I wish you well
I wish you love
I wish myself
All of the above
What made me think
That I could survive
All the wear and tear?
It's not my thing
To stand here and pose
For some William Tell
I wish you well
I wish you love
I wish myself
All of the above
If there was a better time
I could not find it
It's mine not yours
And yours not mine
And we couldn't hide it
Don't take me on
A ride with you
It's a roller coaster
The only time I look at you
Is on a rock and roll poster
I wish you well
Where are you now?
Couldn't you see through
The sweat and tears?
I took my bow
While you confirmed
All my saddest fears
I wish you well
I wish you love
I wish myself
The world I dream of
I wish you well
I wish you love
I wish myself
All of the above
All of the above
All of the above
All of the above
...and there you have it. This is a person who's letting go of despair and wishing it well. Go hard, despair. Hope you have a good time.
But what's truly inspirational about these lyrics is that tiny little line that we are taught from birth never to say:
"I wish myself all of the above."
We NEVER get to admit NEED, WANT, or DESIRE. These things are icky, never to be spoken. You're allowed to fight for what you want and to elbow your way to the first place in line, but not to wish anything for yourself unless you simply TAKE it.
This sentiment is the crux of what I'd like to tell all those who are blinded by despair or weighted down by things they just can't let go of.
Wish it well. Wish it love. And for god's sake, wish YOURSELF all of the above.
There's never been any harm done by wishing someone well, and there's CERTAINLY no harm in wishing the same thing for yourself. By doing so you circumvent despair, hurtful feelings and harm entirely.
Wish it well. Wish YOURSELF well. And move on -- because baby, you deserve it.
I wish you well. I wish you love. And I wish myself--- ALL of the above.
Josie and the Pussycats. Philosphical Genius kittens of love. Who'd'a thunk?
I've decided to put all of these little "What foo am I" quizzes into one entry, so as not to clutter up the blog with these whimsical, death-of-all-online-journals quizzes.
So here they are, newest ones at the top (oh, and FYI, I'm deleting the ones whose links no longer work):
You're J'onn J'onzz!
You tend to be quiet and keep to yourself and hide
your feelings. You don't like crowds and
usually stick by your friends. You do find
people to be hypocritical, but it seems to
fascinate you as well. There aren't many people
like you, so you find yourself typically an
outcast.
Which one of the Justice League (cartoon) are you?
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You are Form 0, Phoenix: The Eternal.
"And The Phoenix's cycle had reached
zenith, so he consumed himself in fire. He
emerged from his own ashes, to be forever
immortal."
Some examples of the Phoenix Form are Quetzalcoatl
(Aztec), Shiva (Indian), and Ra-Atum
(Egyptian).
The Phoenix is associated with the concept of life,
the number 0, and the element of fire.
His sign is the eclipsed sun.
As a member of Form 0, you are a determined
individual. You tend to keep your sense of
optomism, even through tough times and have a
positive outlook on most situations. You have
a way of looking at going through life as a
journey that you can constantly learn from.
Phoenixes are the best friends to have because
they cheer people up easily.
Which Mythological Form Are You?
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Japan -
Viewed as the technological powerhouse of the 21st
Century, it has lived a reletively solemn and
singular history.
Positives:
Technologically Advanced.
Economic Superpower.
Healthy Populace.
Negatives:
Small.
Isolated and Sometimes Ignored.
Unlucky with Disasters.
Which Country of the World are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
Which Enemy of the Christian Church Are You?
Take More of Robert & Tim's Quizzes
Watch Robert & Tim's Cartoons
Which Personality Disorder Do You Have?
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You can now create your own South Park character at the following URL:
http://southpark.gamesweb.com/flash/sp-studio.html
Here's me:
I AM Thuper, aren't I? Thanks for athking.
What Mythological Creature Are you?
There is a cancer growing in our body politic; our social makeup is causing an allergic reaction, breaking out into an unsightly rash that everyone can see but are too polite to point out.
I'm speaking of course of Passive-Aggressive behaviour.
Clinically, this website defines Passive-Aggressive behaviour as:
- passive resistance to fulfilling social and occupational tasks through procrastination and inefficiency;
- complaints of being misunderstood, unappreciated, and victimized by others;
- sullenness, irritability, and argumentativeness in response to expectations;
- angry and pessimistic attitudes toward a variety of events;
- unreasonable criticism and scorn toward those in authority;
- envy and resentment toward those who are more fortunate;
- self-definition as luckless in life and an inclination to whine and grumble about being jinxed;
- alternating behavior between hostile assertion of personal autonomy and dependent contrition...
Yeah, that's clinically acceptable to me. Pretty much covers all the bases.
Let me state unequivocally for the record that I despise such behaviour. I hates it like poison, so I does. It's the one pattern guaranteed to set me off every time, bar none. It causes an almost animalistic urge in my primitive brain to rend, tear, and cull the weak from the herd with my snarling, bloody teeth.
The passive-aggressives in my life have run the gamut from avoiding contact with me but telling everyone else I know how much I intimidate / provoke / am insensitive to / hate them, all the way to sitting in the same room with me, speaking nothing but allowing a giant storm cloud to gather over their heads affecting every single other person's mood until they finally force me to ask them what's wrong, thus giving them the control the want.
In the animal kingdom, these people are the ones who die with their teeth in you so you have to cut out their mouthful with them; who don't have the decency to crawl off into the bushes and die but do it right out in the middle of the highway where they force you to drive over them.
They are the social inepts who sigh loudly and lustily to get you to include them in your conversation; the "victims" who whine about how they're hurting or how unfair life is; the "worst luck in the world" cases who say they can never succeed because "the world is against them."
And we are breeding them by the boatload.
We encourage this. It started as simple manners: Don't argue or criticize in public, only in private; don't start fights; don't appear churlish; don't don't don't.
However, there are always those who manipulate the system and what once were manners became weapons. "I can't because." "She won't let me because." "They hold me back."
Some of my friends don't even return phone calls because they don't want to tell me NO. They just pretend they aren't home or didn't get my message. I mean, for GOD'S SAKE.
Do I look like I'm afraid to confront you?
But do you know what I hate WORSE? I do it. I catch myself doing it and it infuriates me. What am I, a little kid? And do you know, that's exactly what this whole Cult of Passive-Aggressiveness reminds me of: Little kids doing everything in their power to avoid a spanking. They'll lie, hide, pretend they didn't hear you, or try to distract you with the old "look-what-I-can-do" routine and then pretend that nothing ever happened.
They'll see you next week and just pick up where you left off before the argument or whatever happened. GOD. Do you people think I'm stupid, or are you really that insane to think the world works that way??
Except apparently, it does. Let's move on, ain't no thing, don't get worked up about it, take a pill, calm down, water under the bridge.
Fuckers. I will not give in to your cult of lies.
"But Agent M," you exclaim, "your website is replete with references-- some very thinly veiled-- to people we know personally and you're just trashing them out of hand."
I must point out the difference. Every single thing that ever, EVER goes on my website is something that I have said, out loud and to the face of, the people in question, if it indeed does concern certain individuals-- and it's also something you can call me on if you want to cry "bullshit."
"So why do you use a pseudonym for your site?"
Because it's the theme of the site. I'm a SPY, dammit, I get to have a cool name. Do you think I'm afraid for the world to know that my full name is Craig Michael McAdam? Don't make me LAUGH. I'm not hiding anything.
Comments are allowed and encouraged. Discourse and disagreements, politics and posturing, go ahead, fill your boots. I don't fear your criticism and I'm happy to receive your congratulations.
What a pity that those of you out there that this is meant for won't say a word. You'll just go for coffee, smoke cigarettes, and tell all your friends what a sad loser I am. Somehow, though, I can't seem to bring myself to care.
But then again, maybe I'm just being passive-aggressive.
Sure, it's only an opinion. But at least it's MINE.