Rants and Observations

Two things:

While watching TV tonight, I got to watch a commercial where the two dudes from Scrubs were making humorous pleas for nationalized health care. They urged young people (aged 18-29, the least-insured age group in America, according to the commercial) to vote for coverage. As if this thing isn't a mess enough already, now we need Hollywood working the young and impressionable into a frenzy over something they don't necessarily need.

Sure, it's good to have a safety net, but as a supple young man I don't really need to worry about heart attacks or colon polyps or brain aneurisms, or whatever health issues older people have. I eat healthy, exercise, and try to keep certain bad indulgences to a minimal or moderate level. In my opinion, keeping a positive outlook can be better for one's health than "just-in-case" insurance. The body is designed to fix itself after all!

On another, unrelated note, I have a theory as to why American men revere football.

I didn't give too much thought to the sport until last year when I got into a fantasy league. Even then I didn't watch the games or care about outcomes unless the Steelers were doing something worthwhile. This past Sunday I ended up watching a majority of the games. I wondered why.

I reasoned that it had to do with the job I have now. For five days each week, I sit in a climate-controlled room staring at a computer. My co-workers talk about breast feeding sometimes. Football, with all its physical triumph and conquest, was suddenly appealing. Watching burly men grind out yard after yard for the glory of the end zone made sense in a primal way. Even though I'm not actually doing anything, I want to, and can relate. The other day, the Wife and I were talking about how being lethargic only makes you more lethargic. So, instead of conquering something myself, I sit and observe.

This theory offers an explanation as to why America shifted its love from baseball to football. When men had to do physical work, they wanted a more strategic, less physical form of sport. What comes to mind when one thinks of baseball compared to thoughts associated with football? Think about it. And don't bother getting health care. Sitting on the couch won't hurt you any time soon.

Eco-Guilt

An article in the City Paper I read last week told about the increasing amount of potentially harmful chemicals in the water supply. Concern over what we're consuming is growing like the Pacific garbage mass. (For reference, a picture of a nerd with a trash ball he caught. http://bit.ly/tOsWo)

Think about it, all the things we consume, be it the food we eat then poop out or the cleaners we use to wash ourselves afterwards, and the packages in which all these consumptibles are delivered have to go somewhere. When one considers the cost associated with certain products, it can make you feel pretty damn guilty.

I feel bad about the amount of waste I generate and am taking steps to make my environmental footprint smaller. (http://www.myfootprint.org/en/ Here's a calculator to show how wasteful you are.) According to my results, there would need to be 5.5 earths for everyone to sustainably live as I do. I told Christina and she replied, "We might as well kill ourselves." Apart from suicide I'm trying to take steps towards limiting the waste I create. I won't drink another bottle of water, which to me is the most over-indulgent, unnecessary frivolity of modern man. I have to drive to my crappy job, but at least I'm angry about it and my car gets decent gas mileage.
I'm trying to eat less beef because on an episode of Manswers they pointed out that only 38% of a cow is butchered for meat. Couple that with the amount of resources it takes to raise cattle and the harmful methane gas they fart into the atmosphere and I feel too guilty to enjoy the deliciousness of that wonderful animal. I also am trying to shower with less soap and I try to keep the ligts off and unplug unused appliances.

Environmentalism doesn't have to be a movement or a brand image, just a subtle change in way of life. In fact, trying to market "green" may end up having adverse affects on what could have potentially been a positive thing. So don't buy a Prius or carbon offsets if you're feeling bad, just tone down on eating cow and using plastic so much. Consumption will never lead to conservation.

Voting

I decided recently that I don't think I am going to vote anymore. I don't see the point. Voting for change didn't really solve anything. The shift from a Republican party-run government to a Democrat controlled one only brought on new complaints and arguments. And the constituency seems to be pissed. A recent study showed that 57% of people would like to see Congress replaced (http://bit.ly/tROqF.)

I began to become disillusioned with politics after the Ron Paul Revolution failed to really materialize. I truly felt passionate about what was going on there, but apparently the rest of the country didn't agree, which is fine although it made me sad. The sadness has worn off; now the whole political process seems like so much wasted effort. People's problems won't be fixed by government. Look at the health care debacle.

So instead of partaking in the burden of democracy, I'm going to put power behind my dollars. Money has more influence than politics, rather than investing time into seeing what candidate best lines up with my views I'm going to see where I want my money to go and dispense accordingly.


On an interesting side note, when I was wondering if it was a good idea to stop voting, this episode of South Park came on: http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/103888/