I guess I do this blog/Op-Ed/therapeutic piece for myself (and-a-couple-of-you out there) – to flesh out my Master Plan for humankind. I don’t think the Brain – from “Pinky and the Brain” –is too far off in his suggestion that we all want to take over the world!
Sure, I tell my students that you only know what you think if you can capture it in writing – but I think that is some silly motivational tool — as all writers write to create a power niche for themselves (myself included); and, perhaps…a conscience in resonance…
So what are my themes? What am I trying to suggest to readers and articulate for myself? It probably goes something like this:
On Education
This special education shit is just that, shit. There is no Jane and Joe Normal – all education needs to be specialized, and THAT, is the magic and artistry of teaching. I would also like to see school hours go from 8:00am-to-5:00pm with two shifts of teachers and these teachers empowered with en loco parentis — in the same manner that probation officers are: if you want your child in THIS school, he’s ours, not yours!
On South Africa
South Africa is just as cool a country as any other country. It doesn’t need to be vilified or compared to Nazi Germany – which most people vilify – but an alarming minority glorify… hmmm…suffice to say, South Africa is not even in the same category as Nazi Germany was – and I am sick-and-tired of ethnocentric, self-righteous bastards attempting to demonize a country that is no worse than any other. Get off it and get a life.
On Parenting
Let’s face it, most-of-us are simply not cut out to be parents. I think that a good parent needs to be superhuman (I kid you not). People who wish to breed should be carefully selected and receive the support of-the-rest-of-us. I know that such a mentality would lead to zero population growth – but that’s not such a bad thing – and the savings the nation would incur (with all children being directed into socially productive directions) would be astronomical. Sure, many professions would culled down to only the necessary and sufficient – but we would probably see many, many more new professions proffered by a progressive social entity: Hell! Just neutering all-of-the non breeders would create a multitude of job opportunities.
On Music
Though I haven’t written much about music – I would have to agree with Bob Dylan and Neil Young – that most contemporary music really sucks – so many wannabe musicians in search of a song – many so enshrouded in sharded, industrial metal – that the machine has consumed the melody. Once there seemed such a natural evolution of sound and melody…but now there is naught but cacophonous oblivion…
On Americana
We really don’t know what we are doing in our culture “where anything goes”; punctuated by “how much justice a person can buy.” We pay lip-service to democracy and worship power, as it is symbolized by the Almighty Dollar. I keep suggesting that the sun is setting on our empire and that most Americans don’t realize it. Ironically, most immigrants to this country (and we all are) have immersed themselves in the same shit they sought to escape from their mother countries – only they’ve been told by Mother Culture (do your recall Animal Farm?) that it’s eversomuch better than it was before.