The economy sucks. I've seen I dunno how many posts and articles and graphs showing how much it sucks, no matter what Washington or Wall Street might want to tell themselves and the rest of us.
The housing crisis? Still crisis-a-licious.
Unemployment? Still sky high. (And then there's the "speedup".)
...and so on and so forth. There's plenty of information out there.
The numbers are irrefutable and stomach-turning for me, and all things considered, I am incredibly lucky - I still have a job, I still have health insurance, I still have time before retirement for my 401k to bounce back, and I even have a small pension that took less of a hit than my 401k. But, even for me, a single woman who doesn't own a home or carry any debt, this shit is not hypothetical: the awful economy has been like a repeated punch to the gut. What does it say about the horrible-ness of it if someone like me, who ought to be relatively insulated from the crisis, is still feeling it significantly?
What do I mean, though? How has it hit me?
Well, first, let's talk about the fact that I work for a big multi-national corporation. In the past five years, we've paid cash to acquire two other companies and sponsored one of the world's most popular sports franchises to the tune of $20 million. Every quarter, our shareholder return grows. This year, my CEO got $6 million in bonuses alone. Meanwhile, hundreds of jobs here in the U.S. were eliminated and then replaced by offshoring operations in India and Mexico. That small pension, which should've been growing more every year, was frozen last year. My health benefits decreased, my deductibles increased. My salary, unlike shareholder returns, didn't increase enough to keep up with cost of living increases. On my little six person team, two of us have taken leaves of absence for major health reasons. I'm pretty sure all of us have been on anti-depressants and/or anti-anxiety meds at some point, and we're all working harder than we ever have, trying to keep up with expanding workloads and decreasing support. We're using outdated hardware and software that further challenge our efficiency, and management has become more and more draconian, because we're all supposed to be so grateful to even have jobs anymore.
So, yeah, I am luckier than a lot of people have been in this recession. I still have a job. But it's becoming less of a blessing every day, and I don't see much of a chance that trend will change anytime soon. I'm still holding on, but I'm not sure how much longer I'll still be able to say that.
Showing posts with label corporations suck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corporations suck. Show all posts
4.11.2011
One of these things is not like the others.
"We have to renew people’s faith in the promise of this country together: business & government, workers & CEOs, Democrats & Republicans."
- President Obama, via Twitter in February.
I believe that Barack Obama is an idealist. I buy that, on some level, he really, genuinely, whole-heartedly means what he says when he says shit like the tweet above. I think he thinks that all those disparate forces can really come together at a picnic table at the White House and drink beer together, or something.
I also think he's smart enough to know, on some other level, that he's totally full of horseshit. I said it before, I'll say it again: he's a Chicago politician, not some fresh-faced yokel just off the turnip truck. I think he knows what political realities are at play in Washington and elsewhere, and I think he makes the compromises he has to in order to act upon his priorities.
But in that statement above, one of those disparate forces stands out to me: workers. The rest of them - CEOs, business, government, Democrats, and Republicans - these are all powerful groups of people with deep coffers and plenty of access to decision-makers and policy-makers. All of these groups are doing just fine, making money and profit and doing each other favor after favor. CEOs and Big Business (which are really effectively the same damn thing) basically give campaign money and kickbacks and freebies to Democrats and Republicans (who pretty much are government); in exchange, government gives Big Business tax cuts and favorable legislation (health care "reform" and globalization and farm subsidies, etc.).
Workers on the other hand? Get nothing but screwed. I am starting to wonder if the president really has the good of the common person at heart....because his actions leave a lot of room for question there.
- President Obama, via Twitter in February.
I believe that Barack Obama is an idealist. I buy that, on some level, he really, genuinely, whole-heartedly means what he says when he says shit like the tweet above. I think he thinks that all those disparate forces can really come together at a picnic table at the White House and drink beer together, or something.
I also think he's smart enough to know, on some other level, that he's totally full of horseshit. I said it before, I'll say it again: he's a Chicago politician, not some fresh-faced yokel just off the turnip truck. I think he knows what political realities are at play in Washington and elsewhere, and I think he makes the compromises he has to in order to act upon his priorities.
But in that statement above, one of those disparate forces stands out to me: workers. The rest of them - CEOs, business, government, Democrats, and Republicans - these are all powerful groups of people with deep coffers and plenty of access to decision-makers and policy-makers. All of these groups are doing just fine, making money and profit and doing each other favor after favor. CEOs and Big Business (which are really effectively the same damn thing) basically give campaign money and kickbacks and freebies to Democrats and Republicans (who pretty much are government); in exchange, government gives Big Business tax cuts and favorable legislation (health care "reform" and globalization and farm subsidies, etc.).
Workers on the other hand? Get nothing but screwed. I am starting to wonder if the president really has the good of the common person at heart....because his actions leave a lot of room for question there.
Groceries v. Debt
While I was spring cleaning (and prepping for a landlord visit with a plumber) over the weekend, I set my Roku to the Newscaster channel and watched hour after hour of traditional Sunday political shows. It was nice to see David Gregory (who’s no effing Tim Russert, more’s the pity) actually push both sides and not just pander to the right (which he’s always seemed to me to do). I also stumbled into the delightful Candy Crowley, whose “State of the Union” hour easily became my new fave Sunday show when I watched her quiz Trump on the birther thing (and WOW is he off the effing grid on that!), plus she grilled Tony Blair about Israel & Palestine, and I like that a bunch.
I haven’t been a regular Sunday show watcher since Tim Russert passed, broadcast TV went digital, and I switched to Roku. Of course, not long after, I started pulling back from politics to focus on my own personal shit, and I’m only just now really starting to get back into the thick of it. Frankly, I can’t think of a better time to dive back into politics. I don’t know that there’s been a moment in my lifetime where the stakes were so clear and the battle lines so starkly drawn. Watching a concerted effort by Republicans of all stripes (not just the far-right fringey tea party folks!) to undermine women’s healthcare, social programs (and I swear, if I hear one more jackhole call them “entitlements” my head may ‘splode), unions, and all the other protections that make this the land of opportunity? It sickens me, and it makes me want to scream from the top of a building about the injustice and the bullshit.
People need to know this stuff, and so many who're directly affected by these policy decisions don’t. I understand why that is...it’s so hard to stay engaged when it’s so thankless, when the news is rarely actually good (sometimes it’s not horrifying, but that’s not much of a standard), when the leader of the fucking free world is AWOL while the core values of his party (and the essence of what we stand for as a country) are attacked and eroded.
It’s been awhile since I yelled at my TV because some ass said something totally fucking ridiculous. Like, say, anything that came out of Paul Ryan’s mouth. Anything at all. Or, when the goddamn president lauds a shitty budget deal where more and more people are more and more screwed - unless they happen to be rich and totally fucking okay anyway.
What frustrated me beyond belief, though, was the constant talk about “debt reduction” and the fucking budget deficit, as if those are the most important things on our national agenda right now. I didn't see a single economist, pundit, or wonk pointing out how debt reduction isn’t something you do when you’ve got sky high unemployment and an economy that – despite the recovery being felt by Big Business and the upper one percent – is still trying to dig down to whatever’s underneath rock bottom. Debt reduction is something you do when you have basic needs met, when you have a working infrastructure and average salaries that are keeping pace with the cost of living, when the middle class is growing and not shrinking.
To break it down in really simple terms, it’s pretty fucking stupid to pay down your credit cards instead of buying groceries or medicine. And by short-changing recovery efforts in the form of unemployment extensions and Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security and tax increases for the people who aren’t drowning, that’s exactly what our government is doing. I mean, yes, ideally we would be able to fund a social safety net *and* pay down our debt (which, incidentally, is the kind of thing you do with a big ol’ surplus, like, say the one Dubya was handed after he stole the election and then proceeded to squander instantly with tax cuts and invading other countries). We're not living in an ideal situation right now, and before we start doing some credit repair thing, we need to make sure people aren't sick or starving first. THEN we can get all fancypants worried about our goddamned credit score for when we buy a house in five years.
If you’re not reading Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman, I highly recommend. He’s one of the few people talking sense these days, and just seeing that someone else sees things as they are, not as it’s more profitable for them to be….well, it helps keep my head from ‘sploding.
I haven’t been a regular Sunday show watcher since Tim Russert passed, broadcast TV went digital, and I switched to Roku. Of course, not long after, I started pulling back from politics to focus on my own personal shit, and I’m only just now really starting to get back into the thick of it. Frankly, I can’t think of a better time to dive back into politics. I don’t know that there’s been a moment in my lifetime where the stakes were so clear and the battle lines so starkly drawn. Watching a concerted effort by Republicans of all stripes (not just the far-right fringey tea party folks!) to undermine women’s healthcare, social programs (and I swear, if I hear one more jackhole call them “entitlements” my head may ‘splode), unions, and all the other protections that make this the land of opportunity? It sickens me, and it makes me want to scream from the top of a building about the injustice and the bullshit.
People need to know this stuff, and so many who're directly affected by these policy decisions don’t. I understand why that is...it’s so hard to stay engaged when it’s so thankless, when the news is rarely actually good (sometimes it’s not horrifying, but that’s not much of a standard), when the leader of the fucking free world is AWOL while the core values of his party (and the essence of what we stand for as a country) are attacked and eroded.
It’s been awhile since I yelled at my TV because some ass said something totally fucking ridiculous. Like, say, anything that came out of Paul Ryan’s mouth. Anything at all. Or, when the goddamn president lauds a shitty budget deal where more and more people are more and more screwed - unless they happen to be rich and totally fucking okay anyway.
What frustrated me beyond belief, though, was the constant talk about “debt reduction” and the fucking budget deficit, as if those are the most important things on our national agenda right now. I didn't see a single economist, pundit, or wonk pointing out how debt reduction isn’t something you do when you’ve got sky high unemployment and an economy that – despite the recovery being felt by Big Business and the upper one percent – is still trying to dig down to whatever’s underneath rock bottom. Debt reduction is something you do when you have basic needs met, when you have a working infrastructure and average salaries that are keeping pace with the cost of living, when the middle class is growing and not shrinking.
To break it down in really simple terms, it’s pretty fucking stupid to pay down your credit cards instead of buying groceries or medicine. And by short-changing recovery efforts in the form of unemployment extensions and Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security and tax increases for the people who aren’t drowning, that’s exactly what our government is doing. I mean, yes, ideally we would be able to fund a social safety net *and* pay down our debt (which, incidentally, is the kind of thing you do with a big ol’ surplus, like, say the one Dubya was handed after he stole the election and then proceeded to squander instantly with tax cuts and invading other countries). We're not living in an ideal situation right now, and before we start doing some credit repair thing, we need to make sure people aren't sick or starving first. THEN we can get all fancypants worried about our goddamned credit score for when we buy a house in five years.
If you’re not reading Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman, I highly recommend. He’s one of the few people talking sense these days, and just seeing that someone else sees things as they are, not as it’s more profitable for them to be….well, it helps keep my head from ‘sploding.
4.09.2009
Compare & contrast.
Things attempting to damage my calm today:
* Woman in elevator at office asks if I'm in tomorrow; I'm confused as to why I wouldn't be. Takes me a minute to realize it's Good Friday, which I don't celebrate because I'm not a Christian, but people assume I'm Christian until/unless I tell them otherwise. Somehow I thought the black nail polish and dyed red hair would be enough to project a stereotype here! Maybe I should start wearing my pentacle to work? Or more tattoos....hmmm...
* Coming through the security doors on my floor of the building, I vaguely hear footsteps before the door closes behind me. A woman says, "Thanks" in total sarcastic mode. What, the eyes in the back of my head were supposed to let me know you wanted me to hold the door? 'Cause clearly you're able to speak....but weren't able to ask me to hold the door since you were, uh, BEHIND ME?
* This article pulled from the Sudan Tribune, talking about the dangers of colonialism inherent in so much charity related to African countries. Makes me question where the donations I've made to "Save Darfur" are really going. Sonuvabitch! But a good reminder to me to do the effin' research before sending money to anything. Intentions are important, but thorough knowledge doesn't hurt. Time to wade into learning more about Sudan, I think.
* E-mails from family members basically telling me I don't trust Yahweh enough and also am un-American for thinking taxes make a better society. Yes, taxes suck, but the alternative sucks worse. Also, stop trying to convince me to have faith in Jesus.
* Danny Glover speaks truth about the Obama administration and racism. A bummer, but also informative.
Things helping me hold on to sanity:
* Ellen Brown preaches to this choir about how banks are totally fucking evil. Maybe not in those words.
* The Mayer explains a fear exercise I love to hate.
* I have started a trend of reflexively un-friending or un-following or un-subscribing stuff that bugs me. I love Chicago Honey Co-op, for example, but yesterday, they were pimping out some article or program or something or other talking about "get off your fat ass and bike to work." Which, you know, just doesn't seem like it's gonna be anything but a bunch of "omg I'm so fat and lazy and disgusting, I need to bike - oh, and starve, too - my way to a socially acceptable body," and you know...I just don't feel like wading through that kinda bullshit just to hear about how the local honeybees are doing. Buh-bye! Ditto bloggers or Facebook friends who are dieting, proselytizing, selling something, or posting total nonsense. Someday I may crawl out of the echo chamber...or maybe not. For now, my brain really appreciates relaxing its tolerance muscles a little. I mean, they get enough exercise at the office, anyway.
* Elle posting at Shakesville about water. This is a beautiful, heartbreaking post.
* Speaking of really awesome posts that tear me up, there's this one from Beth at Fake Plastic Fish, one of my fave green blogs.
* This playlist:
* Woman in elevator at office asks if I'm in tomorrow; I'm confused as to why I wouldn't be. Takes me a minute to realize it's Good Friday, which I don't celebrate because I'm not a Christian, but people assume I'm Christian until/unless I tell them otherwise. Somehow I thought the black nail polish and dyed red hair would be enough to project a stereotype here! Maybe I should start wearing my pentacle to work? Or more tattoos....hmmm...
* Coming through the security doors on my floor of the building, I vaguely hear footsteps before the door closes behind me. A woman says, "Thanks" in total sarcastic mode. What, the eyes in the back of my head were supposed to let me know you wanted me to hold the door? 'Cause clearly you're able to speak....but weren't able to ask me to hold the door since you were, uh, BEHIND ME?
* This article pulled from the Sudan Tribune, talking about the dangers of colonialism inherent in so much charity related to African countries. Makes me question where the donations I've made to "Save Darfur" are really going. Sonuvabitch! But a good reminder to me to do the effin' research before sending money to anything. Intentions are important, but thorough knowledge doesn't hurt. Time to wade into learning more about Sudan, I think.
* E-mails from family members basically telling me I don't trust Yahweh enough and also am un-American for thinking taxes make a better society. Yes, taxes suck, but the alternative sucks worse. Also, stop trying to convince me to have faith in Jesus.
* Danny Glover speaks truth about the Obama administration and racism. A bummer, but also informative.
Things helping me hold on to sanity:
* Ellen Brown preaches to this choir about how banks are totally fucking evil. Maybe not in those words.
* The Mayer explains a fear exercise I love to hate.
* I have started a trend of reflexively un-friending or un-following or un-subscribing stuff that bugs me. I love Chicago Honey Co-op, for example, but yesterday, they were pimping out some article or program or something or other talking about "get off your fat ass and bike to work." Which, you know, just doesn't seem like it's gonna be anything but a bunch of "omg I'm so fat and lazy and disgusting, I need to bike - oh, and starve, too - my way to a socially acceptable body," and you know...I just don't feel like wading through that kinda bullshit just to hear about how the local honeybees are doing. Buh-bye! Ditto bloggers or Facebook friends who are dieting, proselytizing, selling something, or posting total nonsense. Someday I may crawl out of the echo chamber...or maybe not. For now, my brain really appreciates relaxing its tolerance muscles a little. I mean, they get enough exercise at the office, anyway.
* Elle posting at Shakesville about water. This is a beautiful, heartbreaking post.
* Speaking of really awesome posts that tear me up, there's this one from Beth at Fake Plastic Fish, one of my fave green blogs.
* This playlist:
"Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" - John Mayer
"I Got a Name" - Jim Croce
"Mr. Curiosity" - Jason Mraz
"A Case of You" - Jane Monheit covering Joni Mitchell
"The Part Where You Let Go" - Hem
"The Shape I Found You In" - Girlyman
"Running on Faith" - Eric Clapton
"Comfort You" - Denison Witmer covering Van Morrison
"One Good Year" - Slaid Cleaves
"I Drive Alone" - Esthero
"St. Peter" - David Ford
"Rootless Tree" - Damien Rice
"By Way of Sorrow" - Cry, Cry, Cry
"Heart of the Matter" - India.Arie covering Don Henley
"They Were Wrong" - Matthew Ryan
"Dear Chicago" - Ryan Adams
"She's Out of My Life" - Josh Groban covering Michael Jackson
"Mexico" - Kim Richey covering CAKE
"Say It To Me Now" - Glen Hansard
"31 Today" - Aimee Mann
"Spilt Milk" - Matt Duke
"Ain't No Love" - David Gray
"Gravity" - John Mayer
3.05.2009
Thinking about music.
So, I'm a bit of a musical commitment-phobe, as a listener. I dabble in just about everything - a little jazz, a little rap, a little classical, a lot of folk, some rock, some pop, some dancey-type-music (electronica? trip-hop? industrial? jungle? I don't even know the proper genres anymore), some Motown, a fair amount of pop-punk, some actual punk, and yes, folks, I even like the Country Music. Even, I shudder to admit, some of that crap kicked out by the Nashville Machine (Yes, they're soulless bastards who reduce what is a labor of love and inspiration for me, to a fucking assembly line....but sometimes an assembly line kicks out a quality product, too. Not everyone working there is a talentless hack.).
The digital music revolution has only made this tendency worse, for me. Now, I don't even have to buy or listen to a whole CD from one artist. I can preview and buy by the track, or read six gajillion music blogs and scope out new artists and the best tracks without doing the legwork myself (shout outs to Fingertips, my fave purveyor of 100% free-and-legal mp3s!). And, I can float from artist to artist and genre to genre, only getting the best of each.
Damn, that is awesome.
And, from the perspective of a musician, fucking scary as hell. I mean, my own experience trying to build a following and get people into my music....yeah, it's a full time job getting people to listen, and that's not even counting the making of the actual music. Or, you know, the day job I work so I can afford somewhere to make the music I'm trying to get people to listen to. This is where the old record labels came in and made it easy. They threw in money up front, and that meant musicians just had to walk in and make the music (of course, setting aside issues of who owned said music, and how it was made, and what it sounded like, and how it evolved, which is a whole other thorny issue). (Anyway.) My point, I suppose, is that without the record labels running the show (which is becoming more and more the case), the whole game changes.
I read this fucking brilliant post this morning, and was moved to tears and heartened and scared shitless all at the same time. Fun. Here's why:
That is a chilling statement right there, and it hits me in a sore spot. I make a lot of uneasy compromises in my life, trying to make space for all the things I believe and all the things I love and all the different weirdo pieces that make up Who I Am...and I worry sometimes that my failure to commit, really commit, to making a musical career isn't part of why mine is so stop-start-stutter-stop-start. I play and write almost constantly, I play gigs every couple months, I take baby steps wherever I can, wherever life has space for it, wherever I can push something to the side without losing my mind....but I haven't taken on the full time job of promoting myself and pushing myself and pounding the pavement the way I know is required of "making it," whatever that means in this Digital Age.
On the other hand, I don't even know that I want to make my living making music. I mean, sure, I love the idea of playing itinerant troubadour in my veggie-oil-powered RV...but would that kind of lifestyle even be sustainable? I don't know. Meanwhile, I'm trying to garner resources for a serious recording project, and fuck me if life doesn't keep making it fucking difficult as shit, between money or time or energy.
I don't really have smart things to say about this....that post just made me think about what I'm doing and why. Le sigh.
Getting back to my earlier point about me being a musical commitment-phobe, though, I recently stumbled onto Amie Street, which fucking rocks. Not only are we talking non-DRM files I can buy a la carte (sans eMusic's pesky monthly fee deal), there's no software to download, which are my major requirements for digital downloads I'm paying for. Track prices range from free to 98 cents, which is also awesome. I've been messing around with the site for a couple days, and just loving the hell out of it. I discovered a couple amazing tracks, plus found some new-to-me Dan Bern that has been blowing my mind. Also, Transglobal Underground, some of which I don't love....but some of which is so fucking groovy I can't stop drumming on my desk. Good times!
I will stop rambling aimlessly about musical things now. Back to your regularly scheduled day!
The digital music revolution has only made this tendency worse, for me. Now, I don't even have to buy or listen to a whole CD from one artist. I can preview and buy by the track, or read six gajillion music blogs and scope out new artists and the best tracks without doing the legwork myself (shout outs to Fingertips, my fave purveyor of 100% free-and-legal mp3s!). And, I can float from artist to artist and genre to genre, only getting the best of each.
Damn, that is awesome.
And, from the perspective of a musician, fucking scary as hell. I mean, my own experience trying to build a following and get people into my music....yeah, it's a full time job getting people to listen, and that's not even counting the making of the actual music. Or, you know, the day job I work so I can afford somewhere to make the music I'm trying to get people to listen to. This is where the old record labels came in and made it easy. They threw in money up front, and that meant musicians just had to walk in and make the music (of course, setting aside issues of who owned said music, and how it was made, and what it sounded like, and how it evolved, which is a whole other thorny issue). (Anyway.) My point, I suppose, is that without the record labels running the show (which is becoming more and more the case), the whole game changes.
I read this fucking brilliant post this morning, and was moved to tears and heartened and scared shitless all at the same time. Fun. Here's why:
Walk into the wilderness with me. If you believe in yourself, you’re never going to give up, you’re going to play until you make it. And believe me, if you put in all that time and no one is paying attention you will give up, that life is just too frustrating. But if you’ve got talent, you’ll see signposts along the way, enough positive feedback to keep you going.
That is a chilling statement right there, and it hits me in a sore spot. I make a lot of uneasy compromises in my life, trying to make space for all the things I believe and all the things I love and all the different weirdo pieces that make up Who I Am...and I worry sometimes that my failure to commit, really commit, to making a musical career isn't part of why mine is so stop-start-stutter-stop-start. I play and write almost constantly, I play gigs every couple months, I take baby steps wherever I can, wherever life has space for it, wherever I can push something to the side without losing my mind....but I haven't taken on the full time job of promoting myself and pushing myself and pounding the pavement the way I know is required of "making it," whatever that means in this Digital Age.
On the other hand, I don't even know that I want to make my living making music. I mean, sure, I love the idea of playing itinerant troubadour in my veggie-oil-powered RV...but would that kind of lifestyle even be sustainable? I don't know. Meanwhile, I'm trying to garner resources for a serious recording project, and fuck me if life doesn't keep making it fucking difficult as shit, between money or time or energy.
I don't really have smart things to say about this....that post just made me think about what I'm doing and why. Le sigh.
Getting back to my earlier point about me being a musical commitment-phobe, though, I recently stumbled onto Amie Street, which fucking rocks. Not only are we talking non-DRM files I can buy a la carte (sans eMusic's pesky monthly fee deal), there's no software to download, which are my major requirements for digital downloads I'm paying for. Track prices range from free to 98 cents, which is also awesome. I've been messing around with the site for a couple days, and just loving the hell out of it. I discovered a couple amazing tracks, plus found some new-to-me Dan Bern that has been blowing my mind. Also, Transglobal Underground, some of which I don't love....but some of which is so fucking groovy I can't stop drumming on my desk. Good times!
I will stop rambling aimlessly about musical things now. Back to your regularly scheduled day!
1.14.2009
Other people's words.
I'm still reacclimating to being back at work after a week off. I don't really have brilliant, insightful, inspiring, or thought-provoking things to say today. Luckily, other people do:
Hillary Clinton's opening remarks during the hearings confirming her as the next Secretary of State:
Lesley at Fatshionista writes about lines and stuff, which is way more brilliant than my crap description makes it seem:
Blackspot / ReThinking Capitalism talks about reframing music labels:
Ryan Adams (an artist I dig on several levels) muses about stepping away from music:
Hillary Clinton's opening remarks during the hearings confirming her as the next Secretary of State:
Too often, we see the ills that plague us more clearly than the possibilities in front of us, but it is the real possibility of progress, of that better life free from fear and want and discord, that offers our most compelling message to the rest of the world.
Lesley at Fatshionista writes about lines and stuff, which is way more brilliant than my crap description makes it seem:
I was hurt by fatphobia. I was injured by dieting. It’s taken me years - and I am still working on it - to begin to recover; to begin to have a healthy concept of food and eating; to begin to love my body for being mine no matter its size; to learn to see myself reflected in a mirror, or a shop window, or in a photograph, and not cringe; to survive in a culture that stereotypes me as lazy, stupid, disgusting, immoral, out of control, and so forth. I was bent by all this, and am very fortunate I never broke. If I draw lines, it’s because I don’t want anyone else - my friends, my family, even total fucking strangers - to have to go through that shit, to hate themselves for it. I don’t want to get sucked back down into that vortex myself.
Blackspot / ReThinking Capitalism talks about reframing music labels:
Basically, the business aspect needs to be put much lower on the priority list in the music business. If all labels followed this theory, there wouldn’t be a need to emphasize the money-making aspect - it would come naturally out of the talent they have nurtured and promoted instead of the One-Hit-Wonders they have used and abused.
Ryan Adams (an artist I dig on several levels) muses about stepping away from music:
that is not love. love is being accepted for who you are. love is taking care of yourself and caring for others and dreaming out loud when it matters. not chasing rainbows. not hoping for some eventual collective sigh of approval which will never come. how did i ever think in those terms? i always knew better. thank goodness i know now how to be honest with myself.
10.14.2008
XKCD nails it, as usual.
I would take it a step further, personally, and demand DRM-free files that aren't tied to a particular OS or device (attn: Sony and iTunes). Also, I heart xkcd.
9.26.2008
Lemme sum up.
A few thoughts about the recent financial shenanigans:
This is why I am anti-capitalist. Greed begets greed. Unfettered, unregulated, unhinged greed leads to horrors on a global scale, with no consideration for the earth or her peoples. Really not okay.
And even more not okay to be taking it out of my tax dollars. Fuck Paulsen, and Bernanke, and Bush. And, hell, Reagan, too, while we're at it. Supply side MY ASS.
- We live in a finite world with finite resources. Did people really think that "profits" could be an endless line upward on the graph?
- Doesn't anybody else find it just the slightest bit suspect that our financial system seems to be based on something other than actual value?
- This is what happens when money is made to "work" (i.e., "Make your money work for you! Give it to someone else to invest, and she'll cut you in on the profit!"). The very idea seems inherently dodgy to me. Money doesn't make itself, no matter what magic financial firms might be selling. I remain unsurprised that it's not working sans safeguards. (Plus I'm young enough that it's likely my 401k and pension will be sorted out before it becomes an issue.)
This is why I am anti-capitalist. Greed begets greed. Unfettered, unregulated, unhinged greed leads to horrors on a global scale, with no consideration for the earth or her peoples. Really not okay.
And even more not okay to be taking it out of my tax dollars. Fuck Paulsen, and Bernanke, and Bush. And, hell, Reagan, too, while we're at it. Supply side MY ASS.
8.12.2008
I am composed primarily of spleen.
So, my suck fatigue is ongoing, and my attempted media fast and bullshit vacation....well, it's harder to bury my head in sand than I expected it to be. Apparently my radar just doesn't like to go down without a fight. I keep stumbling into new things to get pissed about - like this "shocking" finding that - gasp! - body size isn't necessarily a good indicator of health, or this bullshit from the George W. "I Hate Animals and the Environment" Bush and his cronies, or this nonsense about corporations not paying taxes (Chuh. Big surprise there.), or this ridiculous jackholery where the Olympics told a seven year old girl she was too fat and ugly to be seen performing in their opening ceremony....and don't even get me started on the John Edwards affair thing.
Yeah, not really unplugged the way I want to be. I tried working my ass off (bathroom: painted! kitchen table: arrangements made! apartment: totally cleaned!), hacking my hair off, distracting myself with musical pursuits and good books, and letting myself get a little obsessive over a dude (which may or may not have been or indeed *be* productive)....yeah, none of that worked either. Le sigh.
This is all aggravated for me by various life circumstances that have inserted themselves into my head and reminded me that no matter how much work I do on myself, my history never leaves me. Shitty life circumstances can be ameliorated to some degree, but even the very best tools can only shift things so much. Sure, I can make choices that help, I can try to stop reactive behaviors, I can breathe and recognize the line dividing what I can and cannot change and have compassion for myself and the people around me....but that's cold comfort sometimes. I want my issues to come with an off switch, dammit.
Anyway, since I'm not having much luck keeping my head down, I've decided to shift from a Media Fast into a Bliss Blitz, a la Rob Brezsny:
This weekend, I am headed home to see the family, drink some beers, eat some pig, and spend some quality time (hopefully) in a hammock under an apple tree (please, weather gods, let the sun shine on me, and tell the bugs to go to hell, yeah?). When I get back, I plan to embrace indulgence in as many ways as possible: a trip to Lush, a mani-pedi excursion, a massage, a picnic dinner on a blanket to the tune of Holst's The Planets, maybe a trip to The Art Institute to see that Benin exhibit I've seen ads for, maybe I'll coat myself in DEET and brave the insect-filled insanity of the backyard (and potential rude assholes) and treat myself to a couple nights of playing music to the plants....we'll see. All I know is, if I can't turn off my awareness of the world's sucktasticness, then maybe I can turn up my awareness of the world's delightfulness.
Here's hoping.
Yeah, not really unplugged the way I want to be. I tried working my ass off (bathroom: painted! kitchen table: arrangements made! apartment: totally cleaned!), hacking my hair off, distracting myself with musical pursuits and good books, and letting myself get a little obsessive over a dude (which may or may not have been or indeed *be* productive)....yeah, none of that worked either. Le sigh.
This is all aggravated for me by various life circumstances that have inserted themselves into my head and reminded me that no matter how much work I do on myself, my history never leaves me. Shitty life circumstances can be ameliorated to some degree, but even the very best tools can only shift things so much. Sure, I can make choices that help, I can try to stop reactive behaviors, I can breathe and recognize the line dividing what I can and cannot change and have compassion for myself and the people around me....but that's cold comfort sometimes. I want my issues to come with an off switch, dammit.
Anyway, since I'm not having much luck keeping my head down, I've decided to shift from a Media Fast into a Bliss Blitz, a la Rob Brezsny:
In response to our culture's ever-rising levels of noise and frenzy, rites
of purification have become more popular. Many people now recognize
the value of taking periodic retreats. Withdrawing from their usual
compulsions, they go on fasts, avoid mass media, practice celibacy, or
even abstain from speaking. While we applaud cleansing ceremonies like
this, we recommend balancing them with periodic outbreaks of an equal
and opposite custom: the Bliss Blitz.
During this celebration, you tune out the numbing banality of the daily
grind. But instead of shrinking into asceticism, you indulge in uninhibited
explorations of joy, release, and expansion. Turning away from the mildly
stimulating distractions you seek out when you're bored or worried, you
become inexhaustibly resourceful as you search for unsurpassable sources
of cathartic pleasure. Try it for a day or a week: the Bliss Blitz.
This weekend, I am headed home to see the family, drink some beers, eat some pig, and spend some quality time (hopefully) in a hammock under an apple tree (please, weather gods, let the sun shine on me, and tell the bugs to go to hell, yeah?). When I get back, I plan to embrace indulgence in as many ways as possible: a trip to Lush, a mani-pedi excursion, a massage, a picnic dinner on a blanket to the tune of Holst's The Planets, maybe a trip to The Art Institute to see that Benin exhibit I've seen ads for, maybe I'll coat myself in DEET and brave the insect-filled insanity of the backyard (and potential rude assholes) and treat myself to a couple nights of playing music to the plants....we'll see. All I know is, if I can't turn off my awareness of the world's sucktasticness, then maybe I can turn up my awareness of the world's delightfulness.
Here's hoping.
7.09.2008
Marketing in the Office.
As I often mention (is my guilt transparent?), I work in a cubicle for a big giant corporation. In addition to the paycheck and health insurance, this also earns me perks like riding elevators and getting to say I "work downtown" "in a skyscraper" whenever I am talking to people from high school. (Petty? Mois? Non!)
Also, it makes me a captive audience for massive amounts of marketing. (Because it's not enough for ads to plaster everywhere outside the office - must get inside, too!) My company junk mails me offers for home and auto insurance (I own neither house nor car), I get telemarketed at work by investment firms and loan companies (isn't my name red-flagged somewhere as a virulent anti-capitalist?!), and then there are the Weight Watchers ads all the fuck over the office. Every door, every bulletin board, pasted with posters telling me how much diets suck, and why don't I try one? I mean, seriously, am I ready to lose? Am I? Huh?! AM I?!?!
I tear them down often.
Today's batch of bullshit was more annoying and illogical than usual. It was a mass e-mail from our Benefits Department, touting the weight loss focused "Positive Directions" wellness program. An excerpt:
Okay, number one...they used the word "may," which is the first sign of stinky bullshit.
Number two...I think finding different ways to handle emotions than knee-jerk eating is great (although I don't necessarily think all emotional eating is bad, either - moderation and all); but maybe they could also drop in something about counseling, or help in case people think they might have an eating disorder? Sheesh.
Number three...I love the way there's an assumption that *if* I'm an emotional eater, I must be fat and/or need to lose weight. Right there at the end - it says to check out the attached poster for *more* "weight loss tips." Ummmm....if I'm an emotional eater, maybe what I need is some counseling and perhaps treatment for disordered eating? Maybe losing weight wouldn't magically make the emotional eating part go away?!
My favorite part of today's dose of marketing genius, however, was the part where they reward you if you go through the "weight loss module" of the "Wellness Program." You get $75 in a healthcare spending account, to use on any covered medical expenses!!
Wait, when you lose weight, don't all your health problems magically disappear? Why would someone who's lost weight need *extra* money for medical expenses?! (Especially when preventive care is covered at 100%, so it's only interventive care that would be involved....hmmmm...)
I continue to be frustrated with the way this shit works.
Also, it makes me a captive audience for massive amounts of marketing. (Because it's not enough for ads to plaster everywhere outside the office - must get inside, too!) My company junk mails me offers for home and auto insurance (I own neither house nor car), I get telemarketed at work by investment firms and loan companies (isn't my name red-flagged somewhere as a virulent anti-capitalist?!), and then there are the Weight Watchers ads all the fuck over the office. Every door, every bulletin board, pasted with posters telling me how much diets suck, and why don't I try one? I mean, seriously, am I ready to lose? Am I? Huh?! AM I?!?!
I tear them down often.
Today's batch of bullshit was more annoying and illogical than usual. It was a mass e-mail from our Benefits Department, touting the weight loss focused "Positive Directions" wellness program. An excerpt:
Eating because something’s eating you?
If chocolate, cake or a bag of chips has become your “friend” when you’re stressed or anxious, you may be an emotional eater. It’s likely you’ve been conditioned to turn to food for comfort if it makes you feel better.
If you eat because of emotions, keep a food journal of what you eat, when you eat and why you eat. To help break the habit of emotional eating, find other things to do, such as walking around the block, taking a bike ride or playing with the kids. Check out the poster below for some other weight loss tips.
Okay, number one...they used the word "may," which is the first sign of stinky bullshit.
Number two...I think finding different ways to handle emotions than knee-jerk eating is great (although I don't necessarily think all emotional eating is bad, either - moderation and all); but maybe they could also drop in something about counseling, or help in case people think they might have an eating disorder? Sheesh.
Number three...I love the way there's an assumption that *if* I'm an emotional eater, I must be fat and/or need to lose weight. Right there at the end - it says to check out the attached poster for *more* "weight loss tips." Ummmm....if I'm an emotional eater, maybe what I need is some counseling and perhaps treatment for disordered eating? Maybe losing weight wouldn't magically make the emotional eating part go away?!
My favorite part of today's dose of marketing genius, however, was the part where they reward you if you go through the "weight loss module" of the "Wellness Program." You get $75 in a healthcare spending account, to use on any covered medical expenses!!
Wait, when you lose weight, don't all your health problems magically disappear? Why would someone who's lost weight need *extra* money for medical expenses?! (Especially when preventive care is covered at 100%, so it's only interventive care that would be involved....hmmmm...)
I continue to be frustrated with the way this shit works.
7.01.2008
It's All Connected, or, Dammit: Even Fair Trade Coffee Doesn't Make Dunkin' Donuts Suck Less
This (via Common Dreams) is disappointing. I guess on some level, I sort of knew that big conglomerate military-industrial corporations (a la Halliburton) weren't just making tanks and planes and bombs, but were also buying up companies that get even some of *my* corporate-hating money. Now, I feel obligated to read the book so I can get a list of all the places I will avoid (or feel guilty for patronizing). UGH.
I swear, I'm not going to be able to stop being a hypocrite until I'm living on a tiny organic farm with a wind generator and a composting toilet. Le sigh.
I swear, I'm not going to be able to stop being a hypocrite until I'm living on a tiny organic farm with a wind generator and a composting toilet. Le sigh.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
