WISDOM
OF THE SAGES
EPISODE VI: SUMMER 2016
EPISODE VI: SUMMER 2016
Hello People of the
World;
Hoo boy, summer has
finally here, and how! Actually, I have no idea what it will be like
weather-wise as I am beginning to write this on the second of this month. Only
four weeks before I post it. Well, it is warm and humid, you know what that
means, right? Incessant bitching about how summer-like the weather is turning,
especially since, GASP! summer follows spring!
Well, here we are
once again as time creep slowly forward. I do not what I am writing at this
point. Whatever it is, your bitching about the weather will never change. It
will also never change it to the exact way you want. I do have a very specific
reason why I bring up the weather and may have shared it here before but I will
save it for another time.
Until then, let's
begin this month's edition, shall we?
1:[ Since when has the word
“pimp” come to mean something good? All I see in media and in public are the
dudes calling each other a pimp like it is supposed to mean being good at
“scoring” women. Excuse me, are not pimps lazy asses who exploit woman for free
money by beating and threatening them into having sex for money? THAT is
supposed to be a good thing to call a man?
If that is not bad
enough, we now use words with positive meanings as insults. Look at how we all
called Obama “elite” just because he was learned. It is really a bad thing to
be smart in today’s society?
I have been
thinking lately about how we communicate. We have pretty much de-evolved into
speaking in grunts and shouts, in emojis and LOLs. We live in a very strange
age. We live in a world where words that have a positive meaning are given a
negative connotation so as to depower them. How about “Social Justice Warrior”
that dudebros pass around because black, brown, or gay men and women have
started speaking up for themselves and some white men have had the temerity to
agree with them.
How is calling
someone a “warrior” supposed to be bad? I thrive for social justice, that
everything should be just and fair, not based on color or sex, but that idea
that we are all equal in a societal sense. I believe in that. So, by calling me
a “warrior” that wants social justice, aren’t you just calling me a super hero?
To use a phrase
bandied about: grow up and get over it.
2:[ The more I watch it and
see the reactions to it, the more I think that most people are missing the
point of Wong Kar-Wai’s “The Grandmaster”. On the inter-nets I am always seeing
this great film compared negatively to the “Ip Man” series starring Donnie Yen,
when they are two completely different types of films.
People do not have
the capacity to thinking critically or abstractly. We simply look at things in
the way we want them to be, otherwise is just is not. It always seems that we
have to have this very narrow worldview.
When people comment
on “The Grandmaster”, they always remark on how the Donnie Yen “Ip Man” series
is superior, because ACTION! and where he beats the shit out of those ten guys,
best fight scenes ever. Yes, “Ip Man” are action films, they are supposed to be
exciting and bright and loud. I get where they can get lost though as “The
Grandmaster” is more a philosophical film than the “Ip Man” series. It is about
the growth of self, depicted in the conflicting ideologies of north and south
fighting styles.
That the martial
art you choose is an extension of yourself. When Yip Man, turns toward the
camera in the mid-credits scene and ask you directly, “What’s your style” it is
a moment of reflection, he is asking “How do you lve your life, in search of
truth, of self, or to show off, to add nothing useful but just fight?”
It is about a life
style, a way of thinking, and acting in the world. Not, optimism, but
progressive, not only in societal behaviors, but, in thought, action, and
interaction with others. What we seem to be actively avoiding is an evolution
of thought, when we overlook such ideas….
3:[ What do we mean when we
say American has become a country “easily offended”? America has been offensive
for all its existence. People still think that this country was conquered.
Obviously, they have been taught history wrong. But people are getting mad
because people get mad about stupid shit people say, crying, “you’re imposing
on my free speech!”
The ironic thing is
that many people think the First Amendment works in one direction, only the things
they say or support. Many think it is one way, but it is not, it’s the other. What
people really fear is taking responsibility. That is it, isn’t it?
They simply do not
want to take responsibility for their actions, their words, or their views.
They want to brush it off and be seen as some Free Speech Martyr, as if those
who are offended are really trying thought control and being “Thought Police”.
Shiiiiit, how does this concept of being “Too PC” control your thoughts? If
some one being offended by what you said, controls your thoughts to begin with,
you are such a weak-minded piece of shit it becomes hardly surprising that we
now have the presumptive presidential nominees we have and how easy it becomes
to have the media spoonfeed us our opinions.
For example, I have
seen so many people wait for the new Redletter Media review to come out and the
see YouTubers ape their review’s points in their comments on other videos.
Geez, if you offend
someone, they have as much right to be offended, as you have to say it to begin
with. Free Speech is not your personal shield from responsibility. Stand it
like a man….
4:[ When I was entering
Harold Washington Library downtown and noticed this lady was just taking her
time going up the escalators. Look, there are thousands of people who sand on
the escalators. It is no big deal to me. I consider myself a patient person and
have been working on giving some consideration to others. But there are some
knuckleheads who think it is some machine designed to get their stupid selves
someplace faster. As if their shit to do is SO IMPORTANT!
When will people
learn that the escalators are for folks who have a tough time on the stairs, or
just want to stand still as they are whisked up to the next floor? It has
gotten so bad that CTA has had to post sign that “Left is for Climbing, Right
is for Standing: Pass on the Left!” And still, no one shows the courtesy of
doing this. On my way into the library, some young fella who is needed right away, just pushed past me
and the lady ahead of me without an “excuse me.”
Simple
consideration: we need it in so many aspects of our lives. You know?
5:[ Game of Thrones has
definitely turned into a soap opera. This season was simply a plotline check
list that was constantly checked off, strung together by scenes that were made
to illicit an emotional response masked as “storytelling”. Yet none of the big
reveals or “shocking deaths” meant anything, had no attachments to the overall
story; thus proving that the producers D&D are not good writers when they
waded deeper into the “A Song of Ice and Fire” waters without their George RR
Martin floats.
The true parentage
reveal landed with such a dull thud because it had absolutely NO BEARING on the
story or character and only feeds into fan expectation of prophesy and dragon
riding nonsense. What if the baby opened its eyes to reveal blue eyes then boom
cut to Dany on the seas crossing the oceans. Her story has built to this. But
it was wasted in useless scene after speechmaking, dragon-riding scene. This
whole season was filled with such “Awesome, EPIC” feel-good nonsense, like Dany
making Tyrion “Hand of the Queen” though he was no damn good at it, just
because folks wanted it.
The big ‘splosion
meant nothing either but to put Cersei on the Iron Throne so we can Boo and
Hiss her. Margery Tyrell’s death meant nothing either because it was just to
get her out of the way. Look at Ned’s death. It meant something to the story as
he had a plan, and we knew what it was. To save his daughters, he would give up
honor and lie about usurping the throne. But that did not happen. Same with
Robb and Cat, they were on the cusp of securing a surprise victory when the Red
Wedding took place, those shocking deaths meant something. With Margery, she
schemed and plotted without an endgame that would make her death have an
impact.
Finally, Arya has
simply become a child serial killer and we are cool with it even though her
whole trip to Bravos meant nothing in the end and had no impact on her story
because she slit that old guy’s throat for us. Now, she is a psycho, fucked in
the head enough to make meat pies out of humans. Sorry, but that is not justice
she gave him. To paraphrase Don Corleone “That is not justice, your dad, mom,
and brother were killed, not eaten.” All this shows is that she is sick in the
head now and that ruins the character but we excuse it because she killed
Walder Frey, the man who rightly killed Robb and Cat because they lied to him
and used him and betrayed him. But since his is a harsh old man, we don’t like
him.
But no one cares
about logic as long as Jon is the “Prince Who was Promised” and we get out
balls tickled with cool scene after cool scene. Very disappointing.
It is a damn hell
waste of a show that started so strong….
6:[ I cannot help but be
frustrated with myself about my writing of late. I do my best to provide a
thoughtful and clear, with some grammatical errors I am sure, ideas that
hopefully entertain or/and enlighten; to try and help readers see things from
my perspective. Of late, I feel that no one really cares about my point of
view. So, I feel that I do not want to offend readers with my ideologies, which
is funny considering I wrote an item here about allowing people to be offended
at a person’s words, stances, or views.
I set myself a
deadline to complete Wisdom of the Sages, in hopes that I will be able to write
more consistently with a deadline looming. Lately, I have found myself racing
against my own deadline struggling with putting in words my ideas that I hope a
readers finds. I have all these views on things that are not really shared with
my friends and colleagues and I am sure someone will tell me to remain true to
myself or some such nonsense but I have to ask myself, “Do people really want
to here an alternate perspective when all they want is their own opinions and
views echoed back at them?”
It is a struggle
that has been getting more and more difficult as I do not find myself taking a
binary or expected stance on many topics. But I guess, right now, writing out
my dilemma, voicing my predicament, I can somehow move forward and write out my
thoughts on all the other items here in this month’s edition. We will see….
That is it for this
month. As always, I invite you to comment, correct, or contradict anything I
write here. I am open to a critical debate. Thanks for taking the time to check
out what I write here and I will see you in a month.
Until next time, remember
“I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control everything
really are.”
2016 Ernest M Whiteman III