Saturday, August 2, 2008 at 11:42pm
Warped tour was bloody amazing. I definitely got to see a ton of bands and hurt myself squeezing between people. There were a few moments of rest between a couple bands so I got the opportunity to sit against a gate and watch the fifty thousand people walk by for a while. I had a bit of an epiphany when I saw this rocker looking girl, rather scantily clothed, with a cross tattooed on her back. This epiphany was later reinforced when I found myself rather enjoying a band called Family Force 5 who, really rock the fuck out, and are a Christian band. So what was this idea I had? Religion is a form of self expression that doesn't need to have anything to do with why it was originally implemented. Why I call people hypocritical and mentally enslaved doesn't seem to register or feel like a valid observation, because they hear me telling them something like, “Green Day is better than Reliant K and they are both gay and retarded for liking Reliant K more.” It isn't about immortal souls, angels, or eternal not-so-at-resting places, it's about viewing themselves as some reflection of what they've heard from the bible or about Jesus, and taking it on like a new band. I think it's important for me to point out that I don't think I have a problem with these kinds of people any more than I could be angry that someone liked rap over rock.
This speaks to a bigger point though. I don't think people are generally aware. When I can watch Shwayze semi-rap 7 songs about weed, then go across the lot to see The Devil Wears Prada express their faith though screamo, to me, it would feel like two conflicting mentalities. The next time you go to church for the pastor to scream throatily about how much love is there for you, you'll understand my confusion. I just can't help but think a venue where fuck is said every tenth of a second, girls boobs are popping out everywhere, and weed wafts though the air is the “best” time to show how awesome of a Christian you can be. So along with my usual comparison of religion to drugs, take with you a comparison to music. You can go to a rock concert, know your ear drums are going to get blown, people are going to hurt you, and you'll burn your face when you get home, but the amount of fun puts you in a mind to override that. With your religion, you know you won't be able to explain it, defend it, and usually won't know shit about it apart from the usual time honored tales, but it puts you in the mindset that may calm you down, keep you thoughtful, or make you connect with friends. I just ask that people be aware of that, before they pretend to know the facts. The more often they realize that they can be more honest to themselves and to me before they tell me their religious or really know truth, you know, because its true, because.
If you didn't go to Warped, you suck :p.
::Update::
I just read an article about another cartoonist being investigated and taken by police for "potentially offending Islam." In case you haven't heard, Islam is the new epidemic for Europe and any and everything that can be done to appease it, including taking down posters with unclean dogs and building indoctrinating schools, is being done. I really don't get this notion of taking offense, nor do I understand why people's ability to throw tantrums and hold signs grants them any right to walk all over the majority of people who only see a marginal social issue at best. Remember kids, those last pictures got a suicide bomber to kill 8 people at a Dutch embassy. These are the moments when I just wish it was my finger on the trigger to end these sorry lives who have forgone peace and understanding for ignorance and intolerance. I honestly don't understand why there isn't a bigger push from academics to tell these people how fucking stupid they are. Haven't we gone on long enough seeing what keeping people ignorant of the facts can do? When your legal system, as it is in Europe, is passing legislation to promote the religious views of a blatantly dangerous view system because they don't want to "offend," who's going to find the balls to go "HELLO, WAKE UP, this shit is ridiculous, no?"
It isn't all the "peaceful" practitioners of Islam that make it dangerous, it's the ones we read about in the papers. News flash though people, it wasn't the peaceful Christians who "just understood what things were really about" that led to the Inquisition and Crusades. Those times are relevant now as they were then. Stop excusing the works and history of your faith because that was then and this is now, and your not the one picketing funerals. When you look at the religions, again, it is simply blatant for why they can go either way when it comes to peace and love or terror and destruction. Yet, you people claim to know the absolute truths within them? We are living in the 15th century with 21st century weaponry. The same problem with them now is the same problem I've been bitching about for years. KNOWLEDGE, INFORMATION, PROVABLE TRUTH, OBJECTIVE AND UNBIASED ANALYSIS. The word "respect" doesn't register with me when you can pretend like it is okay to ignore those tenets of a productive society. While you may not regard yourself as stupid or as misguided as the "extremists," maybe you should tell me how keeping yourself in the dark is ever productive to anything.
1 comment
Updated about 3 months ago
Michele Elizabeth Zerbe wroteat 2:00am on August 3rd, 2008
you know what doesn't suck? yOuR cAr.
(sorry that doesnt really have to do with anything) :P
