Forget Me, Forget You



Again the cattle march.
An endless sea of faces that I cannot put names to, and frankly wouldn’t bother if I could.
There is a general disconnection I feel in these halls, an underlying sense that I don’t belong.
I would guess that they all think the same,
but why do some students look the part?
Does it matter whose friend you were in high school, what parties you went to and what classes you skipped? I couldn’t be bothered to care. Once this year ends, we all leave this place, forgetting all the faces we never bothered to give a name, forgetting the shoulders we bump into and the feet we’ve trodden on. I’ll enter the adult world, and forget you. And you’ll forget me.
And the cattle will march again.



Currently Listening: Social Circkle- "Third Shift"

We're Not With The Terrorists

My English teacher told me once that one nation's terrorist is another nation's freedom fighter. I think that says a lot about terrorism. The only true terrorist has no nation and no flag. If you really want everybody to fear you, become something they cannot relate to. I think I'd be a terrible terrorist, but at the same time I think I'd be great.

Currently Listening: Converge- "Dark Horse"



Oh Racists, You're So Cute!

Sitting here in Journalism class, the topic of "winter holidays" vs. "Christmas holidays" was brought up. A guy sitting behind me (who shall remain nameless), piped up "It's Christmas holidays." I told him that it's no longer the case, as calling it that is insensitive to other religions. He replied: "Whatever. It's Christmas holidays. If they want to call it something else, they can, but out HERE (western Canada), WE call it Christmas."

For the sake of the story, let's call him Ricky. "Ricky," I said, "What about people who celebrate Hanukkah and Kwanzaa? Do they not matter?" Ricky then said "You can be politically correct to a certain extent, but then you just start kissing up to the foreigners." When I reminded him that this country was founded by foreigners (and is a multi-cultural and politically secular nation), he dismissed me. "Ricky," I added, "that's really racist." "So?"

Oh racists. What would I do without you?

Currently Listening: Embrace- "I Wish I"



The Lonely, Lonely Sea

The most calming experience in my life so far was sitting out on the deserted deck of a ferry on the way to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island, lying on one of it's benches, listening to Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) and shutting my eyes. It was almost surreal, being completely alone on the windswept deck, the music drowning out the wind and the waves. I could feel the ship move beneath my back, and although I was still, I knew that I was crossing a small part of the ocean itself. When my eyes innevitably opened, I went back inside the ship with an unusual feeling that I can't really describe. But the french fries and chocolate milk from White Spot seemed all that much better.



Currently Listening: Devin Townsend- "Seventh Wave"

Discomfort (White Noise)

The subtle sounds that plague our ears,
and warp our minds to hidden fears,
the same that poison thoughts and dreams,
and linger still in broken streams,
the sounds of white noise.
Block them, kill them, beat them down,
suppression in a world unfound,
and we sit and listen all the while,
the sounds of white noise.
Propaganda, lies, deceit,
an invisible war we can’t defeat,
discomfort in the living age,
to keep us all in a cage,
the secrets of our hidden rage,
the sounds of white noise.


Currently Listening: Woolworm- "Saint Bernard"

Good Night, Sweet Prince

(February 11, 1926 – November 28, 2010)

Remember: No Russian

This is something I've wanted to touch on for a while now, but never got around to. It's hard not to be aware of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, as the multi-million copies it's sold has made it difficult to ignore. One of the bigger stories was the controversy surrounding the No Russian level, where the player takes the role of a CIA agent posing as a terrorist, and is able to take part in the massacre of innocent civillians in a crowded Russian airport.

Predictably, parent groups and the general media were in an uproar over the game's content, and although Infinity Ward included an option to skip the level, the damage was done: terrorism was being forced into American homes. But is it really a bad thing?

Admittedly, the contorversy around the level is a bit bigger than the level itself, but when you consider the impact it made, I can't help but think Infinity Ward pulled off something extraordinary here. The level is not meant to make the US look good, it's military appear just or it's cause to be legitimate. And it isn't trying to create sympathy for the terrorists, or even their victims. It was presenting a (fictional) event from a different perspective, un-biased, un-confrontational. The balls it took to include something like that without using it as an excuse to include some American flag-waving is nothing to scoff at.

Is the rest of the game super-patriotic military shooter drivel? You bet. But the fact that a pinnacle of the story was told from the perspective of characters that the general public would be uncomfortable confronting is something very different indeed. Did they really accomplish much? Not really. But I think this is a step in the right direction for showing where narratives in video games (which are often shallow and uninteresting) can really go. Is it art? It's impossible to deny that anything is. Is it relevant? That's up to you.


Currently Listening: Behind Enemy Lines- "What Did We Expect?"

Hello one and none.

This is my blog, and although I don't expect anybody to read it, I do plan on posting a bunch. To begin, a thought:

There is no longer a middle class. I used to think that I was lower-middle class, but now I am certain that I, among with nearly the entire world, am part of a lower class of people. Not because of our heritage, prominence or celebrity, but because of money. The people who control the world's money (a very select few), have eliminated the middle class by stretching the wealth gap to a near breaking point. It makes it hard to understand why, in North America, we are to idolize these people and aspire to be them. If I somehow came into possession of a large amount of money, I would not want it. Not because I'd feel guilty for having it, but I would be unwilling to join such a small group of affluent haves, when all my friends are have-nots. I was born into a middle class, the upper class took that from me. And you know the worst part? I didn't want a class to begin with.


Currently Listening: By Surprise- "I Liked You Better"