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 |   A third attempt at this blogging business. |
30DBC PROMPT: "June 5th Prompt"  , courtesy of PandaPaws Licensed VetTech   .Good evening, dear readers. I'll have you know that it's hard for me to take many things seriously...I don't know if that's just my overall nature, or there's something about life I "don't get", or some other hidden deformity in my brain that's just so desensitized to outrageous acts against humanity. That might explain why occasionally I may take certain things too far, because I think at the same time there are others who will claim you haven't done enough, and you kinda stop caring about some situations altogether because in the end you're not gonna make everybody happy and eventually you still have to answer to yourself and your reactions (or lack thereof). The reason I'm prefacing today's entry as such is that in today's prompt, we're asked to read an article about the assassination of Robert Kennedy (which happened on this day in 1968) and respond to the question "Is there a moment in history where you felt the same way, or did your parents (or grandparents) share their thoughts on pivotal historic events?" in regards to moments in history that have changed the world as they (or we) knew it.I probably shouldn't write this entry, because I'm in kind of a shitty mood. I should just pack up, close all my browser tabs, and try again tomorrow. But I've committed this far, so I'm not turning back now. I wasn't alive when Bobby Kennedy was shot (and I obviously wasn't when the same thing happened to his brother John in '63 either). And yes, I've heard anecdotes from a lot of respected people about where they were and how deeply it moved them at the time. I don't mean to marginalize or trivialize an event like that in any way, shape or form...but it wasn't the first time someone in the public spotlight was murdered in plain sight, and we all know it wasn't the last. Maybe because it happened long before I'd even know how to process something like this, it really didn't affect me, even though it affected many people who had a tangible impression on me. I don't mean to sound callous or uncaring, but rarely does anything actually impact me emotionally. Political dissent and controversy had existed for decades before the Kennedys were thought of as being the "Golden American Boys" destined to do no wrong in their country's eyes, and anyone who suggests they could've actually turned the United States into some sort of global superpower while still being buddy-buddy with everyone is blindly speculating. There's simply no solid evidence...all we have to go by is largely what others thought could've (or perhaps should've) happened. And that's a foolish way to look at history. The only event in my lifetime that may have resonated with me as much as the Kennedy assassinations did generations prior is probably 9/11...and I know this is gonna piss off a lot of people, but even then the atrocity of it all never really hit home with me (unless you consider the economy failing years later, prices going up while people lost jobs, and the general pissiness of the airline industry in the following years). And here's why: as much as I knew what was going on, I wasn't really allowed to feel much about it. I still had to go to work. My company's owner still wanted to make money. He didn't give a shit what was happening on the other side of New York State, even if one of my co-workers was losing his soon-to-be mother-in-law during that tragedy. My life was not given a chance to be interrupted; just inconvenienced. I wasn't gonna run and hastily join a military branch, nor was I gonna start hating and immediately profiling every single person with dark skin and a turban because they might be related to terrorists. I get it...it was an atrocity. Lots of people lost friends, loved ones, and valued members of their communities. It's unfortunate. But if what happened to The Twin Towers happened in Cairo, or Sydney, or Tokyo; would we still feel the same? Why did it matter more that it was in New York City? Why were the thousands of Americans more important than other members of the global population? Would it matter now if it was just one president, or a bunch of random people in a very large building? What if it was the world's largest homeless shelter? I'm not sayin' I'm totally clueless or a cruel, unpatriotic communist of a soul, but maybe I am. In memorial I might say a silent little reminder to myself of the sadness that day has meant to so many people, and I'll even trade messages of somber remembrance with a few of the people I was with when planes were hitting buildings and we didn't quite know what was really goin' on. The truth is, very few people born after 9/11 honestly know what it was like to be alive that day. They'll grow up accustomed to the freedoms and restrictions we all share, much the same as (regardless of what my history textbooks and parents/grandparents and teachers) I felt about the Kennedys when I was finally old enough for it to register that death and killing and any senseless (and especially politically-motivated) tragedy evokes a wide range of emotions for a lot of people. I'm just not one of them. And maybe I should be ashamed, but that's my battle, I suppose. BCF PROMPT: "What is your favorite activity on WDC (besides "Blogging Circle of Friends " , obviously)?"I have no idea how I'm even gonna try to write the rest of this entry. Like I said, I probably shouldn't have bothered. I'm pretty sure I could say just about anything at this point, and nobody's interested in reading it. Like "my favorite WDC activity involves anything I don't have to wear pants during", or "I like it when Charlie ~ gets huffy when he gets called Charles not Charlie".I guess I'd have to say "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" . I have a thing about participating in many activities...mainly, I don't wanna spread myself too thin. I fear that'd dilute the overall quality of my work and although I'm not perfect, I do kinda tend to pride myself on having things as close to perfect as possible. That sorta drives right into my next point: I'd feel terrible if something I threw my full weight behind failed (for whatever reason). I've been offered the chance to be a part of more than a couple big projects on WDC, and I've turned them down primarily because I'd be crushed mentally and inside (yes, I do have a bit of a heart  ) if they were to become unsuccessful. I know that's a part of life, disappointment, but if it's one I can avoid then that's what I'd rather do.And it's not that I'm totally unsupportive...I just don't feel the need to advertise every contest or competition I come across, and every time I donate to one it's not a big deal. I have no problem doing things quietly and anonymously. I don't need the thanks or the validation. There are so many other ways I see it through a lot of different members, daily. And that, my friends, is good enough for me. MUSICAL BREAK!! Remember when this concept was cute, and not an epidemic? THE DAILY BOX SCORE: 3 and 5: TV channels in the Syracuse area you might see me on tonight or tomorrow (and no, it won't be because I'm in any kind of trouble). As I was limping off the bus today after all my appointments, I was approached around the corner from my building by a man with a large video camera and a microphone. Because I'm generally too oblivious for my own good most of the time, I really wasn't paying attention to the idea he was talking to me until he was about a foot from in front of me and wanted to know if I'd answer a few questions. Sure, why not? He asked me about the Cortaca Jug riots last fall , which I barely remember anything of the sort happening, but apparently there was a commission, ummm, commissioned to study underage students drinking, crazy partying in the streets, kids throwing furniture from houses, and basically everything I haven't done since probably 1998. Anyway, the findings of the study were released today, and this reporter dude wanted to know my opinion. I think he wanted something anyway, and started telling me about the whole thing as if he was trying to sell me a religion just so he could get back in his car and go back to the "big city" with some decent copy. He said something about authorities cracking down using Social Media, and I kinda laughed at him and said that wasn't gonna solve anything because if kids wanna do dumb things, they're gonna do 'em anyway. Then he asked how I felt about police and politicians wanting to be more involved in keeping the peace during Cortaca Week, and I was brutally honest; I was hopeful, but I'd be even more hopeful if there were actual results, and he countered with something about coming downtown more if I knew there was an increased police presence or something like that, and seeing as how I'd just told him I live downtown, I just said that I tried to avoid large crowds and that Cortaca Week attracts so many more kids downtown as it is, that I probably wouldn't be changing my plans anytime soon for nearly anything. I doubt they'll wind up using it on any of the news shows if they haven't by now, since it was around 3:30pm when he interviewed me, but whatever, it's cool either way. Who am I kidding? I love a riot as much as the next guy. That's what I should've said..."Sir, can you please tell me where I might find the tossing of large objects into swarming groups of teenagers? Please and thank you!"  My PT didn't wanna let up on me today. Yeah, I'm working muscles. Woo-hoo  . My entire bottom half hurts, as does the bone in my lower left leg, absolutely not where it should be hurting the most. Yet it's possible my doctor could still clear me from all restrictions on Monday, even though walking seems like a pretty terrible idea right now.  Remember the story I mentioned yesterday about the Cheektowaga Racist Stripper Mom? Apparently she'd made some national headlines, as well as inspired a few memes and other random stuff people do on the internet when someone acts like an idiot and gets caught. But this piece of commentary is very well-written and provokes a separate, sensible set of emotions that often get lost in the ether when someone says "racism is offensive". Seriously, check it out. And that is all for tonight. I'll go back to refreshing CNY Central every three minutes until my face shows up for one reason or another. Peace, we didn't start the fire, and GOODNIGHT NOW!! |
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