THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT...PART THREE

"Our society,what a drag,our society,what a fucking drag"-Subhumans,early 80's.

It seems to me that intolerance and hypocrisy rule the day in our society.This theory is brilliantly illustrated by the recent arrests of several conservative republican/gay bashers for...engaging in or attempting to engage in homosexual activities.The floodgates were opened by ol' Ted Haggard back in 2006 and it's been a steady stream of conservative/religious two faced dick smokers ever since.
Bald faced lying is also high on the list.Look at any bushco speech,press conference,appearance on fox news and you'll see what I mean.They are lying and know it.The "journalists" know it and enable and foster it.We know it,yet for reasons that remain shrouded in mystery,there hasn't been an outcry.Shit,theres barely been a peep.Those that do speak up are marginalized,pigeon holed and sometimes arrested.And the citizens allow it to continue.But thats denial...another in the top 10.
But the thing that concerns me the most,and number one on my list is the ever increasing violence.
I was at the court tv news site today,as I am most days,and here's a sampling of what's occurred in just the last week:
4 murders,3 murder/suicides,a couple of school shootings,a handful of sexual assaults,a pregnant woman run over by a rival after a street fight involving at least 30 people,3 disappearances with shifty circumstances and finally,a dead little mystery girl washes up on a small island in a box.
And thats just at court tv's website.CNN regularly has posts of murders and assaults daily,and curiously,most of them happen in Florida.
I don't know why this is happening,I'm a news hound and have been reading about shit like this for years and trust me,it is getting worse with each passing day.
Mental illness?sure.People just not giving a fuck anymore?OK.Crazy ass war veterans?Not yet,but that's coming.Substance abuse?yes.Gangs?right again.Violence on tv and in the movies?Lots of people point to that and video games,but I think this one tracks back to mental illness.I love violent movies,I watch them all the time.But I know it's only a movie,that guy or gal with an underlying mental illness might not.Some like to blame music...all kinds of music,metal,rap,punk*...I think this tracks back to mental illness as well.Music stimulates emotion,but for it to trigger an act points to two rats fucking in a wool sock in July nutty.The music of the past was triggered by acts.If music is responsible for violence today,I opine that it's because,by and large,most of it sucks.
*A post script about punk music...There are a lot of "punks" in Austin,but the vast majority of them weren't even born yet when the first wave of punk music hit.They buy "punk" clothing at hot topic and fucking target.Punk was as much about fashion as it was about the music and ideals.Trends repeat,we've seen it over and over.But there was an attitude back in the day,an undeniable dissatisfaction with all things establishment...twisted hippies really.I was fortunate enough to grow up in a time where I could be involved in the hippy thing and the punk thing,the transition wasn't smooth but it happened.Us old school punks have fallen victim to a parody of our former selves.At once,you see these "punks" and smile at the memories they evoke and then are revulsed by the fact that they bought that shit they're wearing at a mall or chain store and think that Blink 182 is the shit.It's kind of sad,really.They have no clue.
Above all,I think we are so desensitized by all the chaos unfolding around us that any act,no matter how abhorrent,can be justified.
Oh yeah,there are lots of selfish,entitled assholes in the world too.