Tag Archives: Social

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Random Thoughts 2014

Now that the holidays are over, it’s officially time to get back to business. Today, I will focus on the first “Random Rants” post of the year. A new year is supposed to be about new beginnings but let’s face it, it just feels like another day. You can go to bed with good intentions for resolutions to wake up without even bothering to try. The fact is that any day you wake up is a second chance to make a change in your life.

Now, onto the rants of the year.

It’s POT TIME! Well, if you live in Colorado anyways. People opposed to this say it will encourage people to smoke pot. Seriously? Pot is easy enough to get, and if people want it they’ll get it. Legalizing pot is not going to make a swarm of people who wouldn’t normally smoke it automatically decide they love drugs. What it will do is increase tax money into the government instead of being pocketed by possibly dangerous gang members. What it will do is make sure someone with a dime bag won’t spend the same amount of time in jail as someone with 10 kilos of coke. You’re not encouraging pot smoking any more than legal booze encourages drunk driving. Bonus: Did I mention free money to the government to possibly go to the schools and improve our declining school systems?

Duck Dynasty, the family of bigots? This isn’t newsworthy or even particularly shocking. They are Southern, super conservative Christians that were raised that way. Are they bigoted?  Not my place or anyone else’s. If you’re a real Christian there’s only one person who can truly judge. It’s crazy and has gone on long enough. I’m actually tired of hearing about it on the news. And, for the record the argument of free speech was only intended to protect a civilian from the government not a civilian over another civilian. And if you’re really shocked by this, you must’ve really dropped your jaw when you found out Paula Deen, an old woman from the South, dropped the “n” bomb. Find something actually newsworthy like troops losing benefits so people can sit around and play the PS4 on hard-working Americans dime.

Puffing With Kids? States are considering laws that prevents parents from smoking in a car with a child on the premise of the second and third hand smoke are dangerous for children. People opposed this state the government is over stepping control and it crosses a line. People have liberties, right? Last I checked, you can’t drink and drive.  Should we allow that since anything else is an attack on basic rights of humans? Laws like this exist because people are inherently stupid and must not realize the idiotic things they do and how it affects others. They make laws like this because people lack common sense, just like there are laws against driving under influences or anything else that seems like you should just know better.  Think about how much time is taken off the road to find a cigarette and then lighting it. I bet that math equals sending a text while driving, and texting while driving is illegal. That must be an attack on civil liberties too. The fact is simple: you want lung cancer, or any other smoking related disease that is your personal choice. That isn’t your child’s personal choice to possibly get asthma or worse because you couldn’t last a 5 minute drive without lighting up. And standing next to a “smoke free zone” sign with a lit cigarette hanging from your lip makes you look stupid, just saying.

PS4, why?! I really just wondered why you bothered to release a game system and only like 4 other games to go with it and several months before more are released. This seems like poor planning. I just needed to get that off my chest.

I hope that if you believe in this New Year hoopla that you accomplish your resolutions and get your new beginning.  For everyone else, remember when writing your checks out that it is we 2014. It always takes me until May to remember.

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Halloween Costumes, and You

I know Halloween was last week, but I couldn’t ignore recent events. I enjoy offensive jokes. I enjoy edging that line that Paul and Storm mentioned about how comedy is staying on the right side of tasteful and wrong. I enjoy watching movies and laughing saying “oh my god, that was so wrong it was right”. Maybe my sense of humor is all sorts of wrong, but I’m okay with that. But I have lines and limits, and I’m not sure if it’s age or maturity or a sense of what’s morally right and wrong. Though, admittedly that knowing that I’m doing something wrong is different from ignoring that. “Jesus why did you give me a conscience if I can’t use it to influence my actions?” from The Minor Leagues, Good Boys.

It makes me wonder when people don’t understand a line. When you dress up as a Boston Marathon bomber, or you and a friend dress up as the Twin Towers on 9/11, what in your head says “hey, that’s a great idea!”. Then when people point out how this is in poor taste, they get attacked. They are being offended for the sake of other people. They have no right to be upset if you’re not personally touched by it. They have no right to feel that this is a wrong thing to do, and the world is just too sensitive these days. I admit the world is over sensitive. That I can agree with. But I don’t think this is the reason they are over sensitive. I think being upset about this is perfectly acceptable and understandable. I think that I wish those people that think it’s a hilarious idea have to deal with the tragedy in their own lives. I think I wish they had a friend running in a marathon and lose their limbs or life, so they can tell me if we’re being “over sensitive” about this. In fact, I think they would’ve had it coming, and I don’t think I would feel bad for them at all. Karma, sir, is a bitch.

My husband was on Reddit, when those exact arguments were made to his offense over the costumes. He was a nice person, he didn’t wish what I wished on the people defending this. He fed the trolls with his kindness and compassion, and since the internet is full of “tough guys” that are, in the real world, losers that may or may not be virgins that are bullied themselves. Penny Arcade came up with this internet law: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19 .  This is 100% true. I believe Reddit exemplifies this. Internet forums are the true underbelly of our society these days. And if you think your costume is witty or ironic, you’re probably a hipster or someone so desperate for attention that you don’t care how you get it. And I would feel sorry for you, if I didn’t think you deserved everything that comes next. I do lack empathy for stupidity as much as I lack empathy for laziness.

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Keep After It

Sometimes I get lucky and I can write forever. I get ahead of my blog and Hubpages and get to try to enjoy myself. Most other times, I sit here staring at a screen hoping I get lucky and something will come to me. The rest of the time neither scenario works out well for me, and nothing ever comes. This is an unfortunate set of events that makes me hope that I’m in a slump that will end in 6 days time so I can accomplish my NaNoWriMo goal. I considered my rejected list of posts to do another “Rejected Blog”, but there’s only 2 sitting in that pile. One is just too boring to bother with and the other I’m just not quite ready to unleash yet. That leaves me here, where my mind has failed me.

I seem to come from a dying breed of people, there seems to be too few of us in my generation. I realize that this isn’t going to come easy, and I’m okay with that. I don’t want an easy solution or an easy way out. I want to work my butt off to succeed, because if I’m lucky enough to succeed I know it’ll be so very worth it. I want the feeling of being successful. I want the feeling of winning. I don’t want to be given my win; I want to earn every second of this joy of doing something that I want. I want the amazing feeling of knowing that I sold a ton of books and can watch my children’s dreams come true. I want the feeling that I taught my boys that working hard for your goals is the most rewarding thing we can possibly do. Sure, it’s easier to have things given to us. But it’s a hell of a lot sweeter to earn it yourself. I hope they’ll take that lesson and follow their dreams and be successful in them. That would end up being my greatest accomplishment.

People are their own worst enemies. People give up too easily. People are lazy and uninspired. I like to put my everything into everything I attempt. My father always told me not to go “half-ass”. If you’re going to do something, do it. My parents also instilled in me the need to work hard and accomplish my dreams. I was lucky that my parents always pushed me towards something, anything. I’m lucky that my husband is the same way as I am, so I have a partner that feels strongly in this ideal and that we want our children to be more successful in life than we are. We don’t give our oldest son free money, he earns it by depositing empty bottles and cans. I hope that I can make my children be the re-emergence of hardworking ideals. I hope that my time is coming, and I’ll gain a level of even mediocre success. I’m not greedy, even the equivalent of minimum wage level earnings will make me happy. But I’ll keep after it, because it’s worth it to work hard for something.

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Why Do We Even Bother?

When I was a child, I felt that all I had to do in life was to strive to be something that mattered to me. I was more realistic as I grew older and realized that this was a foolish ideal. There’s a reason they are called “starving artists”. So I went to college with the intention of being a teacher. This was a miserable choice for many reasons. The most important was because as well intentioned as I was in going into that field, it was unrealistic in a world where teachers are viewed as underpaid and overworked babysitters that teach to a test that doesn’t work. Plus, I hated the classes and it made me hate every second I was in school.

My husband, the supportive person he is, decided I should follow my dreams. It became his mission to make sure I became a writer and stuck with it no matter how discouraged I was. We are a partnership, and we were in this together no matter what. I try not to become discouraged at my progress. I dreamed that my writing, in combination with his job, would land me in a nice Victorian house with a decent yard, an office with wall to wall bookshelves, and each child would have their own room where they would play Legos or Barbies are whatever they wanted and a kitchen that you can see on Food Network. Alas… so much for dreams?

I often sit while writing and asking “why do I even bother?” We live in a world where hard work no longer matters and you have to hope for a string of good luck to carry you a little bit. Whenever I get discouraged in my writing or working out or anything else, I always say “I’m Brianne Kelly LaRochelle, and I’m no quitter”. This usually helps me get through a few minutes before my Irish temper flares up and I ask why I even bother. Why do we even bother? We live in a culture where things are given and not earned and it leaves a crappy world for the people who try their hardest to break through. Mediocrity is rewarded by everyone getting an equal prize or congrats. The ones who fight the hardest drown the fastest, at least that’s the way it seems.

I’m a fighter though, at least that’s what I try and tell myself. I’m fiery, and my spirit won’t be broken by my own failures or pity parties of “when will my time come?”. I’m retrying NaNoWriMo again next month, and I hope this one will be much more successful though at least I can say that I made it 1/5 of the way to the goal last time. That attempt lead to my first e-book. Maybe this one will lead to me completing my 3rd. (Also shameless plug, the “Buy My Works Here” link to the side lead you to my e-books on sale for $0.99 each.) So why do I even bother? Because I want my children to grow up with dreams that they want to achieve and the lesson that it will take a lot of hard work to accomplish this. Nothing in this life that is worthwhile comes for free.

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When to Self-Censor

I had a post written out that I stood 100% by. I believe every word I write here, there’s nothing I say that I don’t mean with every fiber of my being. Maybe I’ll post it later. I won’t delete it though, because I don’t believe in deleting a post as much as I don’t believe in erasing a tattoo. It’s a part of me and my thoughts and I refuse to delete it, even if I decide never to post it. I wrote it in anger. Anger isn’t the right word. It was posted out of sincere disgust of people. Writing in anger is an acceptable form of catharsis. Writing in disgust seems much more than that. It seems hateful. There wasn’t hate in my sentiment when I wrote it.

The problem with art is it’s subjective. A completely innocuous post of beliefs can turn into arguments and hurt feelings. With this dilemma, artists need to make a decision whether or not to self-censor. Some don’t, because negative publicity is still publicity. Some don’t, because they feel this ruins the integrity of what they do. I fall into the latter category. I did do it this time, because it felt right to. That’s the final category of writers: the ones with a great conscience to wrestle with. While I think my original post had very valid points, I felt it was too harsh. Or maybe it wasn’t harsh enough, but enough to cause hurt feelings. Though if someone were offended by the post, I feel it would be as a result of a guilty conscience of theirs rather than a cold gesture of my own.

I have to make a decision what to do with it. I still feel as strongly about it today as I did yesterday when I composed it. I admit I’m struggling with what to do. I can’t fully say that I won’t post it, but I can say if and when I do, I will post it unapologetically because I don’t feel like I should apologize for my well-intentioned beliefs. People shouldn’t apologize for their well-intentioned beliefs, only ones based in hate. And art should remain full of its artist’s integrity. It’s an age-old dilemma of whether or not to self-censor yourself as a person or as a person in the arts. We live in a culture today where everything is taken personally without a regard of the person’s right to believe in something.

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A Rant That Will Probably Offend

Edit: This is the infamous post. I’ve decided, with inspiration and encouragement from a friend I dedicate this to, to go against my instinct of trying to not to upset masses of people and post this after all. My friend is the main reason I am posting this because I see her struggles and it reaffirms my belief in this post. She gets screwed by programs meant to help people in need because so many take advantage of them. So, I stand by this as much as I did 2 weeks ago when I first wrote it. She deserves someone to speak out for her.
Yet, I oddly don’t care.  Maybe it’s not odd that I don’t care.  This is why I’m a terrible person. Over the weekend I saw a “ecard” type meme that said “complaining about EBT being down while on their iPhone 5”. I laughed because stereotypes amuse me and I’m a firm believer that stereotypes exist for a reason.
I thought about this for a bit. I always point out before I rant about this that I’m not opposed to people that work their butts off and fall short getting help from the government. While thinking about it, I get upset. I get irate. If you can afford tattoos, Air Jordans, cigarettes and videogames, you can afford to buy yourself food and diapers. If you can afford all that solely on the government time, I think it’s shameful and you’re stealing money from people in actual need. If you don’t feel like working at McDonald’s or another honest job to earn your way and better yourself, I don’t feel I should have to pay you. I’m absolutely sickened by this and I’m equally sickened by people who think everyone getting help is leeching off the system. There are people working as many hours as they can and attending school that are getting slapped in the face by people who just want to watch television while ignoring their meal tickets, I mean children. There are hardworking people out there in need and there are a lot of people that should be ashamed of themselves for taking money out of the mouths of the truly needy.
I’ve posted this same sentiment a lot. I hear news people calling everyone on these assistances lazy slobs. They’re focusing on the people taking advantage of a system of good intentions, failing to acknowledge that the best intentions usually fall victims to the ill will. While you’re collecting free money to watch television or play videogames, think for a minute about the soup kitchens or homeless shelters that could benefit. These are services that help the truly needy and are severely underfunded. Think about that mom working as many hours as she can, or that student that doesn’t sleep because they spend every second at work or at school. Think about our veterans, the ones that fought for your right to sit at home doing nothing, who need medical care or who has families that need help while their loved ones are overseas continue to protect us. Those are people in need. Need isn’t because “I don’t feel like it”. In life, sometimes you have to buck up and do things you don’t feel like because that’s what adults do.

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Did The Government Shut Down?

With this government shut down, I can honestly say in my daily life I can’t tell anything ever happened. The new keeps telling me how awful or how nonexistent the effects are to the average American. Realistically, I think that the shut down will cost more to start-up after the stalemate between partisan egos end. If they end. I lied; this does have an effect on my daily life. My headache has gotten worse, as has my feelings of apathy towards those in office. The new organizations can’t decide how or if this even matters. As I said in my last post, one of the things that we have noticed is that we didn’t notice departments of government shut down which makes me wonder if they were even necessary to begin with.

Now I keep hearing about how death benefits are being denied to our soldiers. That’s abhorrent. Loathsome. Disgraceful. But while our politicians are feigning outrage over this, how much money is going into their own personal care that could easily be given to these soldier’s families? How much does that gym cost? For the record, it doesn’t look like half of them even use it. So how much does it cost for the congressional gym not to be used, or to have their hair perfectly styled and their shoes sparkly shined? Don’t act like Obama is a villain over this from your high horse, while you’re enjoying benefits at the cost of tax payers while people are suffering. News flash: you’re all whiny entitled brats that think American’s are stupid enough to think one party is at fault here. Okay, I’ll give you that a great majority of America is too stupid to realize that you’re all against us. I’m onto your treachery.

Then there is the debt ceiling. One side has reached out to another, “let’s compromise”. Compromise is for adults, and last I check all you elected people are acting more like children than my own children. I have a prediction. This is how the “compromise talks” will go: “Get rid of Obamacare”. “No”. “I mean it, it’s gone or else”. “I dare you”. Then the shut down happens. Oh.. shoot, we were talking about the debt ceiling, weren’t we? You all need to grow up. We elected you to do a job, and you all suck at it. If we sucked at our jobs, we wouldn’t get paid and we would get fired. This needs to apply to our elected officials too. I can fix this political debate. Congress should get paid minimum wage, should get to follow every law they pass without exception, they should have to go through with reviews from their bosses (ie: constituents.), and they should have to pay for their grooming and gym themselves like the average American has to. And if we don’t like them, we should be able to fire them on the spot instead of waiting for them to buy their elections. Maybe it’s time we show those in power that the American citizens are their bosses and they need to answer to us.

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I’m Back!

Which is more than I can say about our government. (Cue “Rimshot”) I wish I could say I was off on some exotic vacation or caught up in the Red Sox playoff fever or wallowing over the downfall of my beloved Patriots. I wish I could even say that I had some super important thing I needed to do rather than write this blog. However, it’s none of the above. The “mild” illness that picked off my boys one by one and left them ill for a couple of days hit him. And when it came my way, it must’ve multiplied by each person it hit before me. At first, I decided “you boys are wusses, I’ve got this” and when I kicked it in two days time I discovered it was a trick my immune system played on me. My cold left me wanting to sleep in the bathroom so I had less to walk to make it there. Well played, body, but I did proceed to lose 5 lbs without working out due to the “sickness” diet. But now I’m back and in fighting shape.

Well except for that now that I’m no longer sick with an illness attacking my immune system, I’m not being attacked by a virus I can’t seem to shake called, and pardon my language, “bullshit”. That’s right, I said it. I’m conflicted. I want to be upset with the government, not because they’re shutdown but because of what they shut down. Sure, we’ve discovered that there are some people who are unnecessary in the grand scheme of keeping up the government. But why is it that we’re paying millions of dollars for certain vanities for the politicians to enjoy when there are people suffering. We can’t find money to pay out benefits to soldiers or help WIC or Housing programs for people in need but they can find money to pay for the private barber shops and such for our politicians? They need haircuts, polished shoes and clean suits, but babies don’t need formula and families don’t need help to bury a soldier that died so they can have those “free” haircuts. Who decides what’s really necessary? I’m not sure what’s worse though: that people are suffering and don’t even know it or that no one can tell us how we’re really suffering?

You guys want to be babies, do it on your own time. The smart people are blaming both sides for this cluster of disaster. The Republicans seem to only want to postpone Obamacare, which on the surface doesn’t seem unreasonable until we discover that they will continue to use that as a bargaining chip every year until they can get rid of it and they think we’re too stupid to know that. The Democrats seem to only want to not give up anything, which works because people are only reporting that the Republican’s are at fault here. If America was truly smart, we would fire everyone in office and start from scratch. Not because I think that the people we elect in their place will be any better, but because it will show them that we’re America and we will decide not some snot nosed entitled politician with their own political aspirations that they care more about than the people who elect them. If we don’t re-elect any of them, we will send a message that we’re in charge, not the highest bidder.

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My Thoughts of the Week

I wish I could say this post is going to be extra awesome since I missed Wednesday’s post as a result of… well you try getting work done with a toddler climbing over and out of everything while shredding every piece of paper he comes into contact with while screaming with laughter because he knows he’s doing something wrong. The moral of the story: toddler plus working at home equals nothing good can come of it. The lesson is that now I will have to regain a love of coffee after 2 years of sparingly drinking it so I can accomplish writing, parenting, and homemaker duties. What’s sleep? That’s going to be me soon. Again. This isn’t about me. Well, I suppose it is since it is about my thoughts of things this week. So, with that I can get on with my thoughts of things this week.

  1. I’ve been working out a lot lately, trying to get back into my pre-baby shape. Well, my pre-baby pre-baby shape, since I did gain a few pounds before I got pregnant. I opted for a girl power-esque station. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I definitely was thinking that I’d get some P!nk, some Katy Perry, some Adele, some Kelly Clarkson. I definitely didn’t consider Rihanna would be on that list of “girl power”. When I think girl power, I think of someone like P!nk that just tells everyone “well, this is me and if you don’t like it too damn bad”. When I think girl power, I think “Stronger” from Kelly Clarkson. I even think of Christina Aguilera or the Spice Girls. I can’t say I’ve ever considered Rihanna, though I will give the station credit for not subjecting me to Miley Cyrus. I don’t think either of those really represent women empowerment. Miley Cyrus acts like a 2-year-old that is desperate for attention and gets it. And Rihanna… I’m sorry to say but a woman who gets beat up by a man and precedes to go back to him not once, but twice or thrice is not someone who promotes women empowerment. That makes me think weakness, not strength. I know it’s Pandora and I know that it’s a music station and not a social issues station, but I really just needed to get that off my chest.
  2. Michigan is trying to pass a food stamps bill that requires people to work or do community service to receive benefits. It also denies unemployment benefits to people who refuse a drug test, which I’m noting because I don’t want people to think I only read half of it though this has nothing to do with what I’m about to celebrate. That is absolutely perfect and I agree with. If your argument is that you can’t get work so you don’t work, this makes it so people aren’t getting free money anymore. You don’t want to work, fine but you’re going to do something that is responsible and giving back to their community. I’m surprised this isn’t everywhere, because I’m 100% for this and it doesn’t make sense why you wouldn’t be. I can’t get free money so I can sit around playing videogames all day, why should anyone else? Too many people get too much for free. No, I’m not against programs made to help people. I’m against programs made to help people going to people who think that it’s a free ride, not a tool to help people in actual need. And for people who think there aren’t any jobs for them, I’m certain there’s a lot of programs that are there to help communities that need volunteers. Everyone wins, except those who think the government is there to support them. It seems the federal government might follow suit, and I would support it.
  3. I keep seeing that Ben Affleck commercial about hunger in America. I’m glad an actor is trying to raise awareness of this problem. However, I don’t think he should say “they go to school with our children”, because I’m fairly certain that his children do not go to school with people who suffer from poverty or hunger. So don’t say “our” children. “The country’s children”, yes, that would be acceptable. If celebrities are that concerned with children’s hunger, more of them should donate time and money to food shelters and pantries that need the help and supplies to feed these children while you’re busy making commercials about them. I appreciate the awareness being raised, but I think they should more collectively put their money where their mouths are.

Those are my thoughts for the week. Have a great weekend!

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To Empathize, or not to Empathize

I was talking to my friend and was joking about how a life insurance place called me about a résumé I had up on a site. She laughed, and said “now that’s a good career for you if the writing thing doesn’t work out.” I wondered what she meant, but then it hit me. She was right, and I’m not sure if it was a compliment or an honest observation on my personality. It’s true though; I could sell life insurance or coffins. “What do you mean you don’t want insurance? It’s not like you’re going to live forever. You’re going to be dead anyways. Could be today, could be tomorrow. You should be ready.” “Oh you’re not dead yet? Why not get a coffin while you can pick your own. Before you know it, you’ll be dead and your kids will buy the cheapest one possible.” Death isn’t an “if” scenario. It’s going to happen. In fact, it’s one of the few definites in life. And I have an abrasively rude enough personality to admit it and tell everyone else when they don’t want to admit it.

I wonder about empathy. Do I have empathy? I’m empathetic to the animals on those ASPCA commercials. Those are innocent creatures put in their situations by cruel and horrible people. I feel bad for innocents being put into horrible spots by people. Victims of genocide, innocent people caught in the crossfire of non-innocent people. I feel empathy for people in other countries who live in abysmal situations because that’s the only option they have. I do have empathy. I have empathy for innocent people in the world who suffer wrongdoing for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I empathize when I know someone who has a family member that’s ill or passing.

But what makes a person in their principles is to know what their shortcomings may or may not be. I admit that I lack empathy for people to. I don’t feel bad if someone gets in a car under the influence of something and smashes themselves something and killing themself. I don’t feel bad for people who are victims of their own circumstances and not of others. I don’t feel bad when people get themselves into rough spots and complain instead of getting out of it. I don’t feel bad for people who I don’t view as innocent in their problems. I’m not sure if that makes me a bad person. It might, but I’m honest enough to admit it.

Empathy is all perspective. Personally, I’m more empathetic to animals or fictional people than I am the everyday person. Again, I’m confident enough in my short comings to admit that although I’m not sure if that is a shortcoming. Maybe my friend is right though, I’ll check out that career path at a later date if everything else fails. Until then, I’ll share my honest opinion here and have the mass population of people view me as a cold-hearted person.