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[BlakeK]

I don't know what made me think of this but why hasn't a punk band ever named their major label debut "30 Pieces of Silver" or some variant. Maybe change it to "For 30 Pieces of Silver...". I think it would be a good tongue in cheek title.

[skateandannoy]

Looks like you're going to have to start a band, put in work in the underground, working your way up the bill, get voted "album of the year" on punknews.org, sign to a major label, record a new album with higher production value than all your previous releases, and name it that!

[BlakeK]

Looks like you're going to have to start a band, put in work in the underground, working your way up the bill, get voted "album of the year" on punknews.org, sign to a major label, record a new album with higher production value than all your previous releases, and name it that!

Yep. The hard work is out of the way. Hello to money!

[BlakeK]

I got stopped by the police on my way to work for going 50 in a 35. I didn't even know they were behind me as I pulled into my work's parking area. I got out of the car with my sack of Cokes and turned around to see a police car had pulled up behind me with its lights on. Two officers got out of the car and I started to walk towards them, unsure as to what they wanted. The driver was kind of freaked out that I had gotten out of my car but was pretty polite about it. He asked for my license and registration and went back to the car. The second officer approached me and began asking me questions about where I was going. When I explained that I was a counselor at the building where I was parked he told me that he thought my job must be stressful and walked back to the car and briefly spoke to the other officer. The driver quickly got out of the car and told me everything was okay and gave me my stuff back. He explained how the speed limit changes drastically and quickly and asked that I please try and slow down.

After they had gone, I was shaken and still very nervous. It got me to thinking about my interactions with police as a teenager and even as a young adult and how drastically different my experiences with police officers have been since I have gotten older and am of a higher socioeconomic status. I really don't know how people can have a good experience with police like I had today and not think about what it is like for people who don't enjoy a relatively high socioeconomic status and/or are a member of a minority.

I feel lucky to be in a place in my life that the fear I have for police while learned is no longer necessary. I remember the days when I would get stopped and searched regularly and was talked to like I was subhuman. I remember being slammed on the front of a cop car at 17 and screamed at while in handcuffs because I dared to look the officer in the eye. I will never forget seeing a 17 year old kid clocked upside his head with a maglight for smarting off. There are so many fucked up things I've had police do to me or that I've seen done to others that I will always be instinctually terrified when I see police lights behind me.

I don't know why I'm writing this really other than it really got me thinking about privilege and how it pisses me off that so many with privilege deny its existence.

[skateandannoy]

Yikes, I'm sorry to hear all that Blake. I'm glad at least this incident ended well. It's true though what you're saying. In general, people don't like to or seem to incapable of looking at things from anyone else's point of view.

[BlakeK]

Yikes, I'm sorry to hear all that Blake. I'm glad at least this incident ended well. It's true though what you're saying. In general, people don't like to or seem to incapable of looking at things from anyone else's point of view.

Don't be sorry. I know I'm very lucky and the things that I've experienced and witnessed are very tame compared to what other folks have been through.

[BlakeK]

On to another random thought, was everyone here aware that the Goo Goo Dolls used to be a pretty awesome band? I know, it's weird but you should check out their first few albums. I used to think they were pretty good when I was young. I think it was the song from that shitty Nicolas Cage movie that signaled the end of that!

[pronetoaccidents]

There song laughing is amazing. The album hold me up, I think it's called is amazing descendentsy type punk

[BlakeK]

There song laughing is amazing. The album hold me up, I think it's called is amazing descendentsy type punk

I'm glad that someone else appreciates their music. I think Becca does too if I'm not mistaken.

On to a new random thought, I am so sick of hearing/seeing the terms social justice warrior and cuck. It is getting ridiculous. I hope this alt right thing is just a phase and that people like Milo Yiannapolous fade away soon.

[pronetoaccidents]

sorry to slightly back-track but goo goo dolls are so criminally underrated (well, in the sense of their awesome old stuff. and underrated by punx) that i gotta post the top tracks

it's got a husker du/sugar vibe, but still distinctly their own. it really is one of my favorite albums of all time.

nates a fan too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPk5vlbsLyc&list=PLhWQZuZrtM36VQl8bybnZi9Sa9zPzMqW7&index=9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-9LYGA_sho&list=PLhWQZuZrtM36VQl8bybnZi9Sa9zPzMqW7&index=12

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WznUcNkx2po&index=2&list=PLhWQZuZrtM36VQl8bybnZi9Sa9zPzMqW7
(Best Descencents song they never got around to writing)

[skateandannoy]

There song laughing is amazing. The album hold me up, I think it's called is amazing descendentsy type punk

I'm glad that someone else appreciates their music. I think Becca does too if I'm not mistaken.

On to a new random thought, I am so sick of hearing/seeing the terms social justice warrior and cuck. It is getting ridiculous. I hope this alt right thing is just a phase and that people like Milo Yiannapolous fade away soon.

I don't know what cuck means, but it is easily the grossest combination of consonant and vowel sounds. As for the SJW thing, it's amazing that anyone considers that an insult. Who doesn't want justice... in society?

Unfortunately, there's a weird hyper libertarianism in nerd/ game/ tech/ internet cultures. As everything becomes more centered around the internet, that ideology will continue to have and gain a voice. I know a kid that goes to MIT that is a crazy libertarian and is obsessed with Bitcoin. They just churn those fuckers out at that place. I wish Chomsky was still teaching there. Whip those rich kids into line. I think the alt-right (which let's be honest, is just the right finally showing their true colors) is going to be the new face of the republican party. That dickhead British kid is probably going to try to run for President of the US and then say he's being treated unfair when he isn't qualified for not being born in or a citizen of the country.

[BlakeK]

Thom Hartmann has some great stuff about libertarianism that I had never heard discussed before. If you're interested in the subject I recommend doing a YouTube search of videos where he discusses the history of the libertarian movement/party. I think if more people understood what they've tried and are trying to do they would not be as enamored with it.

I also wonder why anarchists that I have met in my life have always aligned closer to the Democratic Party rather than the Libertarian Party. I really don't get people who call themselves anarchists supporting Bernie Sanders. I think Bernie Sanders is great personally but don't know how an anarchist could say that they support any form of socialism. I really am curious as to what people's thoughts are on this.

[hatmoose]

i think the general idea is that it's better to increase the social safety net in the existing structure that we have, than to allow the libertarian party to completely destroy the country in every conceivable way and leave us at the mercy of 'market forces', even if the second one has less government in it

sorry that's kinda hyperbolic

[BlakeK]

i think the general idea is that it's better to increase the social safety net in the existing structure that we have, than to allow the libertarian party to completely destroy the country in every conceivable way and leave us at the mercy of 'market forces', even if the second one has less government in it

sorry that's kinda hyperbolic

I guess my problem with anarchy is what do we do with all of the shitty human beings? Whether we are talking about them in the context of the economy or crime in general, how would those who believe in anarchy handle such folks and deal with such situations? If the slate was wiped clean in some miraculous way, what's to stop entrepreneurs from doing all of the shady shit that libertarians dream about? When I've spoken with anarchists in the past, they have said that people can choose not to participate in that economic system and there could be smaller economic systems for each community. I guess that could work as long as no one got too greedy in that system. The issue of what to do with individuals who have caused harm in some manner to people within those communities is where the conversation stalls or ends.

[ramblinrabble]

Nicolas Cage should have starred in The Passion.  Just take a couple minutes and think about it.

[BlakeK]

Nicolas Cage should have starred in The Passion.  Just take a couple minutes and think about it.

If I was a billionaire, I would finance a scene for scene remake starring Nicolas Cage. You're right, it would be amazing. I'm picturing his facial expressions in the torture scenes and it is hilarious.

[ramblinrabble]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JKdeNv3Rlv0

[skateandannoy]

i think the general idea is that it's better to increase the social safety net in the existing structure that we have, than to allow the libertarian party to completely destroy the country in every conceivable way and leave us at the mercy of 'market forces', even if the second one has less government in it

sorry that's kinda hyperbolic

I guess my problem with anarchy is what do we do with all of the shitty human beings? Whether we are talking about them in the context of the economy or crime in general, how would those who believe in anarchy handle such folks and deal with such situations? If the slate was wiped clean in some miraculous way, what's to stop entrepreneurs from doing all of the shady shit that libertarians dream about? When I've spoken with anarchists in the past, they have said that people can choose not to participate in that economic system and there could be smaller economic systems for each community. I guess that could work as long as no one got too greedy in that system. The issue of what to do with individuals who have caused harm in some manner to people within those communities is where the conversation stalls or ends.

Well, part of what would lead to an anarchist utopia would be mass education (identifying, understanding, and acceptance) in society about all manners of oppression. Rather than returning to a market, or even barter style economy post-"revolution" a gift economy would be the type of thing enacted for purposes of trading. Everyone in an anarchist society would know the market economy libertarian's dream thing would be a form of oppression and be actively hostile to such an act/ ideology.

The thing is that the anarchist revolution isn't coming in the same way the American revolution came. Just about everyone in the world has to know and understand what they are getting into. It's not really the type of thing that can be taught after-the-fact. And the ideology of anarchism is so radical that it is incapable of co-existing with most other systems for the most part, especially capitalism, so the revolution would have to be global. I think the two most likely candidates (pun?) for the coming of an anarchist society, would be a peaceful, global, mass walkout/sit in/ refuse to work style protests that were successful during the labor movement (which you don't get unless everyone is really educated on the issue), or the natural changing of systems that occurs in human society as systems become outdated. Capitalism literally can't exist forever. It's dependence on the exploitation of resources is its power and curse. Like how it replaced feudalism, it will eventually be replaced by socialism as humanity races ever nearer to its own extinction, and for the safety of the species will eventually have to change tack toward more careful uses of resources. People socialized in a post-capitalist society would probably be more understanding and sympathetic to a cause such as anarchism because it's no longer such a radical departure, but a happy alternative to the entity of the state.

I'm still an anarchist and I think it's possible that a mass radical labor movement could bring such a change but, you know, there's more than one way to skin a knee. So uh... yeah that Nic Cage guy huh.

[BlakeK]

Ca you tell me more about this gift economy?

I also wanted to ask you about this global revolution and mass education. It sounds like you would need the majority of the people on earth to achieve the goals mentioned. I just don't think you could get that many people on the same page. It's a beautiful idea and I may be too cynical but I don't think that there's any way to mobilize that many people and all work towards a common goal, all the while educating them along the way. I also am still confused as to what would happen when someone violated another person either through physical violence or theft of property (assuming property is still a thing). I just don't know how to handle those who would exploit the new system (or lack there of) and/or cause harm to others. Since I assume there can't be laws in this new utopia, it would make it hard to gauge what an offense against another is in some cases, who decides if they're guilty, etc. without a legal system or without Wild West type duals.

This whole revolution seems more suited for those with high aptitude across many disciplines, who work hard, and have strong morals to which they adhere. I just don't know how many people fit that description.

I guess I just have a hard time with the lack of organization that anarchy would bring. I'm more for democratic socialism. I know there is no one way for an anarchy to exist but it just seems too chaotic which I suppose is part of the point.

[skateandannoy]

This probably explains the concept better than I could: https://www.servicespace.org/join/?pg=gift

Angela Davis in her 2003 book Are Prisons Obsolete? her thesis on the subject is that rather than one large replacement for the prison system, using a number of different methods of reconciliation rather than retribution: a democratization of punishment, to preserve the human and civil rights of "lawbreakers" and to try to rehabilitate people who have done wrong. There's a nice true story in the last chapter that personifies the way she sees the future of crime and punishment.

There's certainly push to democratize work to give most people some useful skills in more than one area, but I wouldn't say everyone needs to have multi-disciplinary high aptitude.

[BlakeK]

I read about the gift economy and I just don't think it could be implemented even if the current order was wiped clean somehow. It just seems as if people would end up finding a few things they are good at making or doing and would be constantly giving the same gifts over and over. This would be a problem because it would eventually lead to a similar system we have now as people begin specializing in providing specific goods or services. I think that it could also lead to an overabundance of certain things and eventually people would be asked to begin doing certain jobs or giving certain services which would again lead to specialization and eventually to a system similar to the one we have now. I personally think that this system would be preferential due to being less exploitative than the one we have now but it wouldn't be a gift economy so much as one where people barter. I could be completely wrong and just cynical I just don't think people could change the way they think about economic systems so drastically

[BlakeK]

The new Lethal Weapon tv series looks terrible. I wish FOX would have done an It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia spin off and had weekly installments of the classic Mac and Dennis Riggs/Murtaugh team complete with mid episode role switches. I always get excited when It's Always Sunny has its Lethal Weapon episodes.

[BlakeK]

My wife has been watching the JonBenet Ramsey special the past two nights and the case is way more shady than I thought. I always knew there were some messed up aspects of the case but damn. I dont know who  killed her, though I suspect the brother but that is just based on watching the special which suggests he did it. I am fairly certain that the parents were involved in covering up and fabricating evidence.

[BlakeK]

Say what you will about his accomplishments and whether or not he kept various promises but every time Obama gives a speech, I remember why I voted for him twice. I don't know how he can be so hated by so many without bringing race into the discussion. I can't stand listening to conservatives and/or Republicans talk about how he's the worst President ever. I completely understand the disappointment some, including myself, feel regarding his policies but I have yet to hear a good reason why he's worse than Bush Jr and Sr, Clinton, or Reagan. Does anyone have any idea excluding race why people hate him so much?

[skateandannoy]

Say what you will about his accomplishments and whether or not he kept various promises but every time Obama gives a speech, I remember why I voted for him twice. I don't know how he can be so hated by so many without bringing race into the discussion. I can't stand listening to conservatives and/or Republicans talk about how he's the worst President ever. I completely understand the disappointment some, including myself, feel regarding his policies but I have yet to hear a good reason why he's worse than Bush Jr and Sr, Clinton, or Reagan. Does anyone have any idea excluding race why people hate him so much?

Because the right wing is more radical and organized than ever and use their televised propaganda arm to character assassinate him and everyone else that disagrees with their opinion. And the Republican controlled Congress have blocked everything he's tried to do for the sake of making him look like a lame duck to give them a better chance at winning the White House in 2016 by making Democrats look incompetent. People dislike him because there is a lot of misinformation about him floating around and the fact that little has gotten done in years under his presidency. Not for lack of trying, but because he is up against extreme opposition. It's why everything he's done lately is through executive order. There's just no other way. I watch Fox every day. They're like fucking comic book villains.