Drunk drivers are some of the most loathsome people on the planet. It's too bad that there will always be alcoholic drinks (because banning them has proven impossible) and irresponsible asshats, and that no number of dead innocents killed by drunk driving will ever be high enough to put a stop to shitbags thinking that freedom includes the right to do whatever they want, other people's lives be damned.

The father of one of my middle school classmates, who lost his brother in a drunk driving crash the night after his high school graduation in 2000, pleaded and pleaded with students in a speech to my middle school to not drive drunk and kill someone else's son and brother. I wonder how many students actually cared about this grieving father's speech that day, and didn't think that this man was just another parent who wants to spoil their fun.

Speaking of fun, is prison fun? Is forever bearing the guilt of knowing that you killed someone's family member or friend because of your own irresponsibility and carelessness fun? Is one fun night out drinking always worth it in the end, even if someone pays for it with his or her life?

A message to teen girls all across America.

Don't get raped, especially by your school's star athlete. He will get a slap in the wrist and whine about going to a trial while you will be slapped in the face by your school's administrators, your school district, and the courts for exercising your first amendment right of freedom of speech by not cheering for your rapist rather than being the weak, submissive woman they expect you to be.

The moral depravity of the Republican Party is horrifying...how can so many Americans allow themselves to be fooled so many times that this country has become a laughingstock of the entire world? The string-pullers in the GOP are playing us for idiots, and it's worked because many of us REFUSE to think for ourselves or to think critically about our future.

We're better than this. McCain/Palin is Bush/Cheney III, plain and simple. They are different individuals, yes, and it's true that they may have bucked the Party line occasionally in the past. It doesn't make them, however, true "mavericks" like they claim. The evidence for the similarity between the two pairs is out there to be examined, and it's easy to find--if you're willing to look. The fact that Sarah Palin has more media exposure than Obama should have no bearing on whether she deserves your vote. The fact that she is a woman and that Obama did not choose Hillary Clinton as his running-mate should have no bearing on whether she deserves your vote. The election of the President of the United States is not American Idol--it's infinitely more than some superficial popularity contest, and it's exceedingly dangerous to treat what could be the most important election in our lifetimes as such.

For those who want to sit out: it's your choice, certainly, whether or not you want to vote. You may think that your one vote won't matter, but millions of people think this way. Millions of votes can make a world of difference in an election like the coming Presidential election, which is bound to be close (and shouldn't even be remotely close). The outcome of the election will affect you one way or another, and your vote is an investment into your future. Don't let the past discourage you.

Cynicism hurts everyone, though it's a natural fallout from 8 bleak years of Bush/Cheney. The U.S. can't afford any more cynicism from its voters--cynicism gets people elected who will perpetuate that cynicism through their heinous acts. It's a vicious cycle. It's defeatist. Our country and the world can no longer afford for anyone to be apathetic and self-defeating.

Why take the easy route and just refuse to vote? Why take the easy route and just believe everything you're told without a sliver of doubt? Why take the easy route and vote just for your own self-interest? Would you do something so willingly even if it would result in harm to yourself, your family, your friends, your neighbors, your community, and indeed everyone else on the planet?

Haven't people--shouldn't people come to your aid when you're down and can't get back up? Without each other, we can accomplish but little. Are we not our brothers' and sisters' keepers?

Heed Obama's message of hope and brother/sisterhood, and elect him the President. A strong nation is a nation unified.

I am so sick of celebrity-bashing. That it amuses and gratifies so many people disgusts me. They are treated by the public like zoo animals; we point and laugh at their antics while safely behind reinforced glass windows and metal bars. Or, it could be that they are parading across a giant stage, doing their acts for our amusement, and we are the ultimate judges of their performances; unfortunately, their acts include moments of their personal lives we have absolutely no business in.

We shamelessly ridicule celebs like Britney, Lindsay, and Paris for shits and giggles instead of paying serious attention to the real dangers of underage drinking, drunk driving, and drug abuse. We lambasted Britney's poor parenting skills while so many relatively unknown people are abusing, kidnapping, raping, grossly neglecting, and murdering their children. Luckily, the Caylee Anthony story has gotten plenty of national attention, but the vast majority of the rest of the cases similar to hers are given little attention. Instead, people prefer to read the latest posts on their favorite sleazy celebrity gossip blogs or watch yet another E! News story about some celebrity's latest trip-ups and drama. 'Cause come on...real news is bor-ing, right?

We may argue that the news is being forced down our throats by the media. That is right, but we also have superpowers called "changing the channel" or "not reading tabloids". We don't have to pay attention, but we're choosing to. That's what's fueling the unhealthy celebrity obsession. By buying more magazines, tuning in to more TV programs, and bringing more traffic to celebrity gossip blogs, we are indirectly encouraging more of their destructive behavior and ignoring far more urgent concerns.

So a paparazzi took a shot of Britney's girl parts. Members of the general public have come to the conclusion that she wanted us to see that picture to bring more attention to herself. Britney's not 100% mentally stable, but I doubt she would want that kind of picture being shown all over the Internet and on TV. Instead, it is because some photographer wanted to take the most sensational shot to sell to mags for $$$. She may have brought it upon herself by being so (in-)famous, but that doesn't mean that there's a free-for-all for her dignity. Let the woman retain all of it that she has left and leave her alone.

The only celebrities I know of who seem to genuinely want to draw attention to themselves are P. Diddy and Paris Hilton. There are probably others. Call me stupid or call me naive, but cynicism is not how I roll.

I'm boycotting YOU, CNN.

Two very good articles:

http://www.cctv.com/english/20080418/103173.shtml

http://www.cctv.com/program/chinatoday/20080417/107718.shtml

I hadn't been on CNN.com in weeks. I'm glad I hadn't, because apparently things got rather nasty in there with the hatred of China. Jack Cafferty called the Chinese "goons and thugs". O RLY. Then what are the Tibetans who set fire to Chinese businesses then? Freedom fighters? Apparently, CNN also cropped a picture of the demonstrations in Tibet, putting the focus of the picture squarely on the Chinese military trying to control the group of rogues who were committing an act of organized violence instead of the Tibetans themselves and the destruction they had caused. CNN prides itself on being fair and accurate. Well, cropping pictures sounds awfully like something the Chinese government would do--diverting attention from the truth. The Chinese media used--gasp!--the WHOLE PICTURE. With the FIRES and everything. What does CNN have to gain from all this?

I am so sick of all this BS nonsense about China being evil. It's turning into an all-out hate-on-China fest. Sooner or later, the "discussion" is going to turn into this:
"The Chinese all work in sweatshops for pennies a day."
"They gamble, drink, smoke, and spit everywhere."
"The Chinese people are bucktoothed, dirty scumbags who eat cats and dogs."
"They shit and piss into holes in the ground, and can't see out of their slits for eyes."
"They want to poison our children with their toys and make nothing but junk [thank you Mr. Cafferty]."
"They're taking over our businesses, schools, and communities with their dirty Communist ways!"

There are already people out there accusing China of genocide and "occupying" Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Who knows what kind of arguments they'll come up with next.

I don't know the extent to which CCTV is controlled by the government. What I do know is that after reading about all these people needlessly bashing China, I'm relieved to know that people will stick up for it still. Stick up for the people, their happiness and pride. Stick up for China's future. No more of this hate and ignorance.

And you wonder why these things happen.

School shootings, suicides, etc.

You may or may not have heard of Megan Meier, a girl who committed suicide last year due to being personally insulted by a MySpace "friend" (whose account was actually created by an adult neighbor). She had been diagnosed with depression and ADHD, had always had some self-esteem issues, and was trying to lose weight. At the time she met this "friend", according to her parents, she had never been happier, and was thrilled beyond belief that a cute boy actually thought she was pretty. After several weeks of communicating, the messages from "Josh" became more and more mean-spirited and insulting. The icing on the top of the cake was a message that insinuated that the world would be a better place without her. After she read this message, she took it to heart and hung herself.

It had since been revealed that the mother responsible for creating this account did so to monitor Megan's attitude toward the woman's own daughter, who had a falling out with Megan not long before. Soon, other neighbors got the password and began to correspond with Megan on MySpace through the "Josh Evans" account...and they definitely did not have kind words for her. They knew she had these disorders, and that her self-esteem was extremely vulnerable, but instead of trying to be understanding, they thought it would be entertaining to bait her and see her reaction. They called her ugly, among other things, even though she was actively trying to lose weight to improve her self-image.

Her parents monitored her MySpace activity, and only let her access her account with their permission. It's not clear whether her mother knew of the age limit for MySpace account-holders, which was 14 years of age (Megan was 13 when she died). On the day she hung herself, her mother had forcefully asked her many times to log off her MySpace account, but she wouldn't, and Megan became more hysterical the more comments she read insulting her character and weight.

Not surprisingly, many bloggers have posted about this, and most of the ones I've read were highly sympathetic to Megan and her parents. On one sympathetic blog post, the blogger asked for justice for Megan's family and harsh punishment for the woman responsible for the fake account. One commenter (unsurprisingly, who remained "anonymous") posted an unbelievably cruel, insensitive comment:

"Anonymous said...

Justice? What a waste of space you people are. If a girl is that messed up in the head to where "breaking up" with a guy she had never met sent her over the edge; she was going to off herself sooner or later, no question about it. I mean, what if, God forbid, she got a rejection letter from a college?

What is this garbage about "things a 13 year old girl should be interested in?" Myspace does not let 13 year olds have accounts. She was an online liar too!!"

Insulting a recently-deceased 13-year-old girl, calling her a "liar", and insinuating that it's a waste of space to ask for justice when the girl would've committed suicide eventually anyway is not just insensitive...it's downright cruel. The person who wrote this would not have been out of character posting demeaning messages about Megan on the "Josh Evans" account. This is the kind of "human" being who thinks making fun of, mocking, teasing, baiting, and insulting people less fortunate or "normal" than him/herself (fortunate to be an insensitive bastard?) is horribly entertaining and boosts his/her own self-image. These are the people who directly or indirectly contribute to many of the problems with modern kids, including the school shootings and suicides like Megan's, by being prejudicial, intolerant, hateful, and less than understanding. All these kids with low self-esteem want is for someone to pay positive attention to them, accept them for who they are, and overlook their physical/emotional conditions. It's sad how superficial modern society's become.

There is justice to be sought in Megan's story. The message about the serious effects of bullying should be spread to every corner of the Internet and every community in the real world. Whether the mother who created the fake account and her collaborators should be persecuted is not the big issue--the big issue is bringing to light the facts, forcing people to pay serious attention to them and to prevent things like this from ever happening again.