What are you doing right now?

[EndOfTheEarth]

Besides posting on here and replying to this thread. Original credit for this goes back to Fate and Nathan on MX.

[Fake]

I used to excuse it in people who were too young to vote, and assumed that everybody would actually study up on their politics once they became of voting age.

Ah, my youthful naiveté...

I'm personally not sure what to think of Romney. I disagree with him on a number of issues politically, obviously, but at this point I'm not sure whether or not that matters. I'm beginning to shift my priorities--I'm beginning to realize that, while one or two terms might cause a lot of chaos and damage if mishandled (Wars and stupid decisions, mostly), it's kind of short-term thinking once you get a committee to stop the President from screwing up royally. It's a stagnation, in a way.

My problem is that I don't think that the people in the government these days are actually telling us the truth (Shocking, I know, but hear me out.) Not on matters like extra-marital affairs or secretly using experimental weapons and drugs on orphans--I'm fine with those sorts of lies, all governments have them and it's cheaper than peace anyways--but about themselves. Obama originally was opposed to gay marriage, but then changed his mind. While a part of me was glad that we were advancing, another part of me was a bit down about the fact that Obama had apparently gone against his ideals, his honor; just so he could conform with what the Democratic party wanted.

Not that I know for sure why Obama changed his mind. I'm just suspicious.

So, about Mitt Romney: Is he a strong potential leader who isn't afraid to let us know what his opinions are; someone who honestly believes that he's doing the right thing and is trying to make America better as he sees it? Or is he just another wide-eyed politician turned into his parties puppet because it's the only way he could get enough support to get a chance of being the head of state?

To be honest, I have no idea. I hear he started out Pro-Choice but then changed his mind once he gained power and became noticed. Something about not wanting to take a life, and the sanctity of life and whatnot. A cynical person might suggest that, assuming he's telling the truth, you'd have to be pretty messed up in the head to have to have the revelation that murdering children is wrong. The abortion debates aren't about whether or not murder is ok, it's about whether or not a murder is happening at all. Luckily, I'm not a cynical person, and will assume that he was visited in the night by his former deceased Business partner, followed by three ectoplasma based anthropomorphic representations of the human perception (Or maybe conception?) of time, who taught him the evils of his ways and be generous and whatever.

...But seriously, I'm not sure if he's acting on his own morals and beliefs or what his party wants. I mean, yes, a President should listen to the people to better support them (I heard a story about a politician who basically gave his party the middle finger on an issue because he went along with what the people wanted and voted for, when he could legally stop the bill from passing (I don't know if it was a bill being passed or something else, but you know what I mean), because of his honor and whatnot. It made me happy), but not just the guys who sponsor him and glare at him menacingly when he wonders if they might be wrong about something.

Simply put, I want a strong, incorruptible leader, regardless of their opinions, because opinions change and compromises can be made when you're dealing with the good and just. So I probably won't be voting for anyone who has a chance of winning, but I'm a cynic anyways so I might as well.

[Contradiction]

What I've determined for myself is that cynicism will get me absolutely nowhere. So I really try to avoid it in my personal analyses.

As for, specifically, Obama's stance on marriage equality - do you know no one who has changed their stance on gay rights or marriage? I don't think that an evolving opinion indicates rescinding one's honor in any sense. Given his record with gay rights, I don't think it was an illogical or an unprecedented shift at all. I think it's obvious that he was motivated by political pressures (I'd argue that his campaign has undoubtedly been positively affected by the decision), but to what extent I don't find incredibly important. It's politics.

Romney's abortion stance is known to have changed from pro-choice to pro-life, and I'd argue that political factors were much more influential than personal ones in this case. Romney wants his positions to be politically advantageous, and a gubernatorial race in Massachusetts is much different from a national Republican presidential primary. Sure, I don't like how much his stance is obviously calculated, but I neither blame him nor really expect much different from any political candidate. Especially given how he can frame in a moral, revelation-esque light this particular issue.

It sucks that our political system is dictated to the extent that it is by reelection and monetary interests, but I think the best way to effect change is by working through the system rather than simply criticizing it or doing nothing but lamenting its faults.

That doesn't mean at all that I don't prize politicians who stand for something and let you know exactly what that is. But they're a rare breed, and I'm not sure a few in the sea of the current system are going to have much impact.

I want a strong, incorruptible leader, regardless of their opinions, because opinions change and compromises can be made when you're dealing with the good and just.

I'd argue that there is no causative relationship from strength and incorruptibility to goodness and justice or even necessarily compromise.

Personally, I'd seek out the good and the compromise first, because I think there's a stronger causation from this end to that one.

[Fake]

I typed up a response to this, but it was mostly unrelated and about my frustration with the legal system in general.

I suppose I just want to believe that the problems in life could be fixed by voting for someone who broke the mold; everyone realizing all of a sudden how great it is that this guy doesn't care what his party says, and then it'd all usher in a utopian paradise because the political system would be perfected and we'd magic away all of the struggles in life and make it so our words of peace and justice would actually correlate with our actions and internal beliefs.

:/

Sorry about that. Politics depresses me, because when you think about it there's never been a happy ending.

[EndOfTheEarth]

It's an old idea, or, that's what I've gathered from all the readings we've done recently on Yeats, Pound, and Eliot. They actually got what they wanted, amusingly enough. Didn't end particularly well.

There's no magic bullet, there's just welding on another bar and hoping that it helps hold things together long enough.

[Xuut]

Today was really disappointing because my parents said no to me going to Calgary and doing British Parliamentary style debate at the University of Calgary. 

:V And I'm helping train everyone too. wow this sucks. Oh well, hopefully I can go to Worlds in January.

[Lamp Post]

Why did they say no?
And for a trip or like next year?

[Xuut]

Because I have to babysit and stuff. And they don't like the roads at this time of year because it's a little dangerous. 

It's a trip next weekend to the University of Calgary to do a special debate. U of C is worse than the local uni here. XD So I wouldn't want to go to it anyways. 

[Fake]

Wondering if I should use my story idea for Nano or just indulge in myself whenever I want instead.

It's basically the same concept I had with the two gay angels raising the Antichrist, but focused on her and without a comedic focus, and while I'll probably keep the demon and angel as lovers, they won't be raising her and, while important to a degree, aren't going to be real major players in the plot, won't be loosely disguised copies of Crowley and Aziraphale in personality, role, or description this time, and will be given slightly more drama than I originally intended.

So, yeah. Drama, but less of my usual contrived, "I AM SUFFERING CONSTANTLY," angst and more realistic issues ("I AM NOT SURE WHICH ACTION I TAKE IS THE MORAL CHOICE!" "I CAN NOT AFFORD TO PAY THE BILLS THIS MONTH!!!" ) , with any luck. Not sure how to play the supernatural elements, but I've paid Mr. White and Mr. Strunk here (You can't see them, because this is text and not a picture of me, but they're two very nicely dressed gentlemen sitting at a table to my left, quietly reading. They asked me to tell you, "Hello,") to break one of my fingers every time I consider having the Antichrist use demonic (Or any, really) powers on her enemies or whatever oxen excrement I usually do in these settings. She's a teenage girl, not Harry Dresden with a wig. Which will make for some interesting scenarios.

Of course, in one years time I'll look back on this and think, "Golly, Crowley from one year ago was so childish and cliched. I sure am glad that I don't commit as many social faux pas now that I got past that simplistic, wish fulfillment genre of fiction!" so there's that.

[EndOfTheEarth]

Out of curiosity, have you seen or read Angels in America by Kushner?

[Fake]

Can't say I have, but I can try to find it in my school's library if you think it'll help.

Mind you, I'm probably not going to write the above story after all. I was thinking about it, and realized that the main thing that appealed to me about the original concept (From recently, I mostly just included it with the GO ripoff in my head because it was basically the same thing) was just that the central character was innocent and relatively likable. While I like the concept of prejudice and being considered evil/inhuman, I don't need to go with the Judeo-Christian inspired concept of, "Heaven," and, "Hell," or anything pretending to be those with a different name.

I've been stuck in a rut of contemporary fantasy, coupled with supernatural aspects and religious horror.

Sorry about explaining all of this in this way, by the way. I just have trouble keeping my thoughts together when I'm trying to talk to someone over the internet these days.

[Contradiction]

I have to write an essay on a motif in Cormac McCarthy's The Road, and, not knowing what else to choose as, inconveniently, there is no SparkNotes, I've chosen cannibalism.

I have no idea how to write this.

[Contradiction]

Tomorrow, I turn 16.

Holy shit.

I'm younger than practically everyone I know, including on here. I was 12 when I joined TTS. Oh my fucking god.

16 is a weird age. Most people celebrate it because they get their driver's license (I won't; I literally drove a car for the first time today) or because they think it's like some magical age where now you're truly a teenager (whatever the hell that means). But it really doesn't mean anything for me.

Everyone around me is turning 18, so they can vote and smoke and have sex legally.

I can drive (except I can't).

They're turning into legal adults. What. Some of them I've known for over 10 years, and now they're adults and we're all leaving high school in 7 months.

I can't even wrap my head around this shit.