Saturday, June 16, 2007
Firing at will on a saturday night
Its Saturday night and I'm staying in after a week of reflecting and looking for a new place to move to in a month and a half. Between this and some other stuff I've been thinking about recently I've decided to touch on a few things on my mind right now:
Shuck and Jive TV 2007
BET, or Black Entertainment Television was the brainchild of Robert Johnson, an Alumni of the University of Illinois and Princeton University. A man whose own story is undoubtedly inspirational for all ethnicities, Johnson sought to give a voice to the African-American community. Twenty-nine years later, as I watch see the line up for Saturday, it is clear that the Viacom Owned voice of Black America is one that perhaps should shut up for good:
12:30: 106 & Park
2:30: Top 25 Countdown
5:00: Rap City Top 10
6:00: 106 & Park
7:30-9: The Wayans Brothers
9-11: Girlfriends
11-Who cares: Boss'n Up*
*Boss'n Up is a film starring Snoop Dogg (That's a cue to change the channel right there, by the way), which depicts the life of a Pimp in Training. For those who have the opportunity to see this for free or even get paid for it... pass.
I would imagine that Mr. Johnson would be ashamed of what his ambition has become, but I suppose that he can't hear the screams of agony over his piles of money.
Speaking of Stupidity on Television...
I would be remiss if I didn't show something which The Agnostic Insomniac sent to me earlier, check it out: Shuck and Jive 2007
In this clip, a number of Blacks in a Baltimore Barbershop (way to think beyond stereotypes, ABC - perhaps you could've given them picks and Colt 45s as well?) discuss the 2008 Presidential Election. In true form, the group only discusses Democrats, specifically Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The topic didn't rile me up so much as the arguments presented by some of the distinguished panelists. One such person cites the experience Hillary Clinton obtained as first lady as a reason to vote for her (since First Lady is apparently a very prestigious title), while another cited America's inability to elect a Black President** as a reason to bank on Hillary. The video clip is only worse, as it features someone who mentions that the next candidate must have "faith in god".
If this is at all indicative of the knowledge base of the common voter, it challenges the integrity of democracy to say the least.
Stupid people elect stupid politicians
If you ask me, this is the story of Baltimore Politics now, ever since the Boy Blunder, current Governor (and 2012 Presidential Candidate) Martin "Promise Keeper" O'Malley headed to Annapolis to be replaced by Sheila "Skeletor" Dixon. The six months which have passed since this time have reflected a steady decline in the so-called Greatest City in America, which is best reflected in the rise in murders since 2006. In the six months we've begun to see some serious issues left behind by O'Malley, including a hard working but clearly broken Criminal Justice system, a faulty infrastructure within the City Government, and faulty support for Education.
In the time since Dixon's ascension to the position of Mayor, she has, to my chagrin, engaged in a "dodge and blame" defense technique. When issues come before her, she will generally attempt to do one of the following:
1) Dodge the concern by expressing faith in "staying the course" with her current plans (which essentially were O'Malley's plans), or
2)By expressing her outrage over the long standing issue (which she certainly could not have seen as a member of City politics since 1987)
Most disturbing about Dixon is her inability to accept information accepted in the country as evidence, which occurred for Dixon during a Howard County Fundraiser. In discussing a 2006 FBI report which ranked Baltimore only behind Detroit for violence in large cities, Dixon asserted that the report may not be factual. In an age where politics is more about accountability than it ever has been, Dixon's determination to avoid it at all costs may prove problematic as election day approaches.
Speaking of stupid politicians
As the city comes closer to the Democratic primary election (or for the heavily democratic baltimore, the general election), a number of candidates have stepped up for the opportunity to avoid actually fixing things while making $125,000 per year as Mayor of Baltimore City. These candidates include:
Keiffer Mitchell: City Councilman connected with the (in)famous Mitchell family of Baltimore City. Mitchell's expressed outrage with Dixon's idiocracy on multiple occasions. Strangely, he has no commentary on his complicity in these policies, having served as a councilman for more than 10 years. Hands down the number one contender for the title.
Andrey Bundley: Former Principal in the Baltimore City Public School System, Bundley gained much attention when he gained more than 30% of the Democratic Vote in the Mayoral Primary Vote in 2003. Unfortunately, given his controversial tenure as a high school principal, combined with the shoddy state of Baltimore Public Schools, few expect his candidacy to go far.
Jill Carter: Current Delegate representing Balitmore City in the Maryland General Assembly, Carter has been a vocal opposition to the O'Malley Administration, in particular with regards to the criminal issue in the city. Carter also has called for radical shifts in policy including firing the best paid member of the City Government, Leonard Hamm (who is much more amusing to call Hammbone) and replacing him with Ed Norris, Commissioner turned State Police Superintendent turned inmate turned Radio Host (He's our answer to Teddy Roosevelt).
Frank Conaway, Sr. - Former State Delegate for Baltimore City and Current Clerk of the Court for Baltimore City. Conaway is known more for his fiery rhetoric (as evidenced in some of his letters to The Examiner) and flashy suits than his politics. However, with an inside perspective on the criminal justice problem, Conaway may offer a new perspective as the mayoral election comes closer.
A. Robert Kaufman - A perennial candidate and socialist to boot, Kauffman has thrown his hat in to the ring for yet another campaign after his hearty defeat in the 2006 Senate Election to replace Paul Sarbanes, which was ultimately won by Ben Cardin.
As the day gets closer, I'll continue to keep you posted on the election trail, if I don't get nauseous first...
That's all for now, thanks for listening...
Thursday, April 26, 2007
You Can Leave The Halo Behind, There Are No Angels Here, This Is Earth Bitch.
Example, the battle cry of "violent video games" has already been marched out. The assumption is children can't tell the difference between pulling the trigger in a game and then doing it in real life. Please, if that was true then we'd all be taking assualt rifles gunning each other down all while trying to capture a stupid flag thanks to Halo. Then there is the "violent music," which usually revolves around how isolated and the real needs ignored of today's youth are, while their parents suck down another fucking martini. I look at todays music, I don't see a call to mass murder, I see a generation crying out for substance while being dopped up on Ritalin so they'll pipe the fuck down. Then of course comes the battle over gun control which is when we reach the absolute point of futility of trying to get anything done. Meanwhile the media circus winds down and hunts for the next blood trail. Next time you see a tragic event watch for the stages the media coverage goes through. First the attention grabbing "Breaking News" report, then the filler crap as they actually wait to find out what really happened, the speculation and morality expert debates. Then the full coverage kicks in once they know just enough to be dangerous with programing specials. Once it comes to an end hear comes the final act of masterbation for the media, they ask what can they do to not promote such violence and they question wheither or not it is right to cover such things so intrusively....
So why do we point fingers at the obivious bullshit scapegoats. One they are tangible, two they are fairly defenseless, three morality groups love the chance to push their agendas on everyone. Finally getting to the heart of the problem requires the kind of collective soul searching our society is not mature enough to do. Like Doctor Frankenstien we create our own worst monsters. When we talk about the American dream and the good life we never mention that not everyone will wind up living it. We think life should be easy when in reality it is hard. We think that there are rules that are unbreakable or at least seemingly that way. Also we are angry, angry at the fact that we are not the star, we are not the golden child, we are angry at life, we are angry at why life can be shitty and hard. Mostly we are angry out ourselves for not being perfect or living on that greener side of life. Listen to what the shooter at VA talked about why he did it, about the nice stuff all those "rich kids" had. Fuck, he wanted that stuff, and when he found out that some people just end up being the have nots for no other reason than tough luck that was reason enough for him to turn to violence. Now the fucker was crazy than Margot Kidder on qualudes to begin with, and he probably have done something violent anyways even if he had all that shiny shit. Why? Because the catch 22 is that when you have all that nice junk it still doesn't fulfill.
Look you have to realize that not all people can cope with what life is. You also have to realize that some people are just going be evil, crazy or just crazy evil. You can't always look to your leaders to solve the problem for you. Gun control doesn't answer it, take the guns away and he'd still kill, less people sure, but he still going to end someones life. Concealed carry permits for all doesn't do it, because people will still die, and your hoping that more often than not its the bad guy doing the dying. Its not music, TV, movies, games or things we know to be fantasy, scapegoats are just there to shirk the responsibilty to get heart of the matter. In the end the human race is both touched by what we define as good and evil, we are predatory creatures, you don't get to the top of the food chain any other way. We are becoming increasingly dissconnected from each other emotionally as we get packed closer and closer together population density wise. A lot of folks out there probably feel like they are trapped in tiny room where they can see outside but never really interact with the outside world. As long as you have that, you will have violence. In fact no matter what you do people are still going to do insane shit like this, all we can do is work to limit the need for these outbursts of violence, to remain aware that life is both fun and danger, and to choose not to be victims of fear or FOX news.
-Grey Fox
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Beer Goggles Vs. Date Rape: The After School Special You College Kids Can't Afford To Miss...

See with a guy is different, he should have known better, he made a bad call, its a shamefull story to tease him with. Hey guess what if you are upholding that definition its still rape. But in the real world it doesn't work that way which creates a legal problem when it comes to properly upholding the law and protecting those under the law. Let's say that guy wakes up and looks over at some loser he never ever wanted to fuck, but because he got drunk and his guard was down she was able to take advantage. Should he feel dirty? Ashamed? Stupid? If he is a rape victim absolutely not. He is a victim just as much if it were the woman in his shoes. Or are both just victims of their own stupidity for drinking to much and getting beer goggles and what comes with being beer goggled?

Beer Goggles: Sometimes one just gets past the goalie
My opinion is that you are always responsible for what you do at all times. Being drunk or high does not excuse you from making a bad choice. This is especially true when you intend to drink to the point of being drunk enough you can no longer allow yourself to think clearly and effectively. I have no sympathy for someone who get blasted and does something they regret, just as much as I have no sympathy for someone who tries to physically force themselves on another person. You don't have the right to ruin someone's life just because you regret doing something the next day. Congratulations they just slipped one past the goalie because you decided to take yourself out of the goal that evening by drinking beyond reason. I'm not talking about the people who get drugged into having sex, or pass out drunk while some dirtbag has their way with them. I'm talking about someone who decided yes this fat pile of crap is just the person I want sharing my bed and enjoying my genitals, but after that glow of alcohol wears off they want to run down to the creek and beat themselves with a rock. For those dumb bastards are having no sympathy from me.
But under the law intent is still what rules here so my best advice is that unless you are some couple that is already having sex, if alcohol is invovled its not worth it. You never know what the person is going to do the next morning, some people just turn around and make shit up to cover their own ass rather than admit to making a bad call. Others will have legit feelings that they were violated. Either way it will screw up your life wheither you are a guy or girl, of course in my fairytale world I'd like to think their was equal enforcement under the law.
-Grey Fox
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
When Boyfriend And Girlfriend Become One: Or The Curse Of The Frankenbitch Dickenstien Monster

Yes This Motherfuckin' Voltron!
So why should I knock on a couple that can't get enough of each other? Well thats not the problem.... Its the fact they won't spend time apart, the fact they won't be their own person, the fact that they ruin all the stuff you used to do by including their other half, and that other half Yoko Ohno's guys or girls night out and splits up the band...so to speak. Look when you want to spend time with your guy or girl you spend time with them, when its time to hang out with your friends you hang with them and sometimes that means going solo and leaving your other half behind. Its time to be honest your friends will never truely like whoever the fuck you date, because that just means its someone who is going to screw up your time to hang out, lead them by the dick or pussy and even use it to fuck up your friendships. When it stops being your buddy and more like your buddy with him or her it just sucks the life out of well...life! No one is stopping to say honey do your own thing I need to spend the night out with the guys or girls so they and I still know we are able to hang out. No instead it becomes a major U.N. relief operation to Darfur everytime it comes time to hang out because now Frankenbitch Dickenstien have to decide what everyone should do so they both can enjoy it......which means you and everyone else are not. Couples never seem to stop doing couple things together and thats a problem. People by their very nature are both dependent and independent and when one nature gets thrown into overdrive it can make problems think extreme loners and co-dependent freaks. Maybe people are so afraid of not having a guy or girl to call their own they never stop to set down boundaries so their relationships don't spiral into a fucking nightmare and one of them goes insane when it ends because they made the relationship their whole reason for living. Thats why we get that icky feeling when couples are never seen anywhere without each other and never do things by themselves and that makes things suck. This monster's victims are not hearty Romanian villagers with overbites but just having a good time.
-Grey Fox
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Hey, Asshole: Your PhD doesn't make you a Ph-Deity, you Ph-Douchebag.
In my capacity, I spend a lot of time assisting students, many of whom are graduate students who are earning their Doctorates. In the process of this, I've coined a few phrases that you may wish to remember for future reference:
Ph-Duh: The enlightened masses of students who, despite their academic achievements, are unable to comprehend basic tasks, such as reading a complete paragraph.
Ph-Dick: A Doctoral student unashamed of rubbing their academic status in your face by doing things such as mentioning "Doctoral student" in their email signatures
Ph-Douchebag: The upper echelon of irritating graduate students who will, in an incredible display of idiocy and absurdity, exhibit the traits of the Ph-Duh and Ph-Dick simultaneously. Although I don't believe in life after death, if there is a personalized hell, it is undoubtedly full of these people.
Mind you - not all of my work is with these classes of students - in fact, many of them are very amicable, and are glad to receive insights from the likes of me (some are very kind when I can fully assist them). However, I guess its true when someone once said that you don't remember the good ones as often as the bad ones. That being said, the worst conversation I've ever had with one of them took place today, and I feel the need to talk a little bit about it.
I can't go into many details about it for many reasons, but here are a few highlights:
1) The conversation started with the student complaining about my response time. We're in a high volume period in my division right now, so that's the nature of the business. From there, I knew it would be a bad conversation but tried to endure.
2) The student requested a status update regarding a standard procedure my office does. When I advised her of a common mistake she made and what the implications were the student exploded. We've been trained for this and warned, but nothing is quite like the real thing (especially when you're an open misanthrope such as myself)
3) When I tried to explain the situation to the student, she would not allow me to speak. On more than one occasion, the conversation consisted of:
"Ma'am, would you please allow me to --"
"GO AHEAD, SPEAK!"
"I'd like to try, ma'am, but you won't allow me to --"
"WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY!?!?"
"Well, ma'am --"
"GO ON, TALK!"
...Apparently, when you become a Doctoral student, you are exempt from basic conversation with people.
4) The student attempted to swing brass by making statements alluding to their great influence, speaking to the fact that 1)they had an attorney, and that 2) my office was being illegal due to her mistake. As someone well familiar with the Law, I was not particularly impressed with what she had.
5) The 'best' part: After explaining to the student what some students have done procedure wise, explaining to the student the entire process for her request, and enduring what even the nicest people would describe as verbal abuse, the student expressed her appreciation to me by saying that she would be in contact with my boss to tell her about what she described as "our little incident."
I'm not the thickest skinned person in the world, and I'll be the first person in the world to admit that. Still, there is a certain threshold which I have for verbal abuse. Once broken, I can become very outraged. However, on this day I felt myself reaching that limit, to the point that I considered walking away from my office and not returning. Such a thing has happened; in fact, a similar conversation occurred yesterday with a male I'd been attempting to assist over the past month. While their frustration is justified (and I can certainly relate having had to go through procedures as a former graduate student in the past), I could not, in good conscience justify treating people in the way I (and countless other people like me) are habitually treated by some of the so called enlightened students.
I don't know whether or not I'll hear from either of these people again - and I'm fairly certain I'll endure a bad conversation with one of them at least once more, as it is the unfortunate nature of my job. To this point, I humbly submit the following thoughts if you're a student so fortunate to earn college education:
1) Wake up. Your accomplishments may warrant you to more respect as having more academic accomplishments than many, but that's it. It doesn't make you smarter than anyone (Teddy Roosevelt was incredibly intelligent and he was a Law School Dropout), doesn't entitle you to any respect as a hard worker (Andrew Carnegie was industrious and didn't come close to finishing college), and doesn't entitle you to treat anyone as if they are below you.
2) Don't get cocky because of your degree either. For every person fortunate enough to have an experience, there are plenty who were certainly smart enough to be there, but didn't have the opportunity. In that sense, you've more benefited from chance than your intellect.
3) Be careful of who you jerk around, because you never know who you you're doing that to. The world is small, and you never know how your rude treatment of one person could impact your interactions with someone else. Also, Karma's a bitch.
For now, I'm going to sit down and reflect on my own sins as a supposed enlightened student... I would feel bad for making some people dumb, but I do that to everyone despite their education, so...
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
The Mall: Noah's Ark For Retards


Hecht's will be opening in 5 minutes....
Yeah that poor bastard at the gate was me, I opened the doors every morning to allow the throng of geezers that would do nothing but window shop until it was time for Matlock to come on to come in. People in a mall will stampede over each other like cattle just realizing why they have been sold the Ruth Chris Steakhouse. On top of that there were these women who would come into the store and buy tons of shit but come back the next day to return it. See they bought all that crap to run up their husbands credit card because they hate their husbands, of course he'd never have it so back to me they come. I even saw this woman break down one time as her husband called her on the cell phone to ask what she was doing, and she rattled off what she bought. 10 seconds later she burst into tears screaming no, and three female sales associates ran over to comfort her. It sounded like her child just died or something. Between the banshee wailing she managed to fumble out that her bastard husband said no to all her purchases. What the fuck? Its just meaningless shit!
Of course there are the kids. All I can tell is that there must be some fucked up wildlife program where children are released back into the mall to repopulate or something. This one time I was walking back from my lunch break when I saw this group of teeney bopping girls walk up to this boy looking at a video game display. The lead crack whore in training asked if he had a girlfriend. A little glimmer of hope entered his eye right before she said, "Just asking!" Followed by her and the other girls laughing at him and running off with the leader colliding into me and dropping her little purse or baggie full of make up. She looked up at me telling me to watch were I am fucking going. This girl is 12 tops and I am 20 something and 230 pounds, so I watched myself put my full 230 pounds in the form of my foot down on her little purse. You could hear all the make up in the bag being crushed and cracking, and the look on her face was like I just stepped on her soul. I walked off and said nothing. Do feel bad for her, all she had to do was find daddy and get another 50 bucks, or suck some cock for the same price, which is just practice for her anyways, and she'll be back to looking like a painted up whore in no time. You can find all this and more, at the mall.
-Grey Fox
Amanda Marcotte: IL Duce Of Douchebags
For the guys who think this shirt is a big laugh….Published by Amanda Marcotte February 20th, 2007 in Crime, Boggles the Mind
-Grey Fox
Good thing I have thick skin or else it would hurt me that so many of my new Jesus-loving fans think that it was fucking hysterical when I was raped. Jesus is proud of you. Rape is funny. Jesus said so.
Anyone who thinks that violent sexual assault is funny is immediately banned. Sorry. My skin is thick, but I still remember the pain of it sometimes and I have no tolerance for men who gave up their humanity such that they think rape is fucking wonderful.
People who continue to wax on about the Duke rape case: People don’t respond because you’re right. They don’t respond because they know from experience that anyone who defends men who write thing like this:
tommrow night, after tonights show, ive decided to have some strippers over to edens 2c. all are welcome.. however there will be no nudity. i plan on killing the bitches as soon as the walk in and proceding to cut their skin off while cumming in my duke issue spandex.. all besides arch and tack please respond
Hates women and would defend a rapist who was caught in the act on videotape. No one talks to you because you are rape-loving scum. If you think otherwise, you are mistaken. Your beloved boys who scream “nigger” at black women and joke about killing and raping them may escape the worst charges, but they are not angels. You know it, we know it. That you defend them makes you such lowly, sleazy scum that it’s no wonder no one talks to you. They’re afraid by acknowledging you, they will catch the evil. Know this. Absorb it. Hope you enjoy sleeping at night, you sick, hateful bastards.

...I know its tough to leave, please take this serverance I know you'll feel better. Take a bite, that's it, good girl. Just make sure you go out the back door.
In the next posting Amanda throws up a situation on rational person would defend to cover her ass, her big, fat, unattractive ass. (Yeah the insults come free kids) I am sure that the Duke Lax players are assholes, but they are innocent assholes. Innocent until proven guilty and so far innocent based on the evidence found. But Amanda would still burn these dumbasses, and they are dumbasses, at the stake if she could. She uses the racial slurs to ensure that she can vilify these dummies. Followed by a cute and subtle accusation that in fact they are guilty, by tossing the word "escape" in there. Escaping the worst of the charges Amanda? You mean like they actually did do it. Despite all the evidence? Despite the fact they are innocent until proven otherwise thanks to the way our legal system works, but you somehow through your divine nature know otherwise?
You sure seemed pissed when the Duke Lax boys close ranks and didn't talk to the police, its no like you have the right to remain silent, or let your lawyer speak for you. (Refering to http://pandagon.net/2006/06/05/insiders-protecting-each-other-outsiders-protecting-the-insiders/#comments) In fact your divine powers even told you they were guilty. You go so far to call them rapists even before their trial, nice way to stay level headed while talking about something important to you. You don't both to say alleged or call them suspects or at least pretend to pay lip service to the idea of a legal system that is based upon evidence and presumption of innocence. Though you do seemed suprised that this even made it to trial.(Refering to http://pandagon.net/2006/04/09/bobo-writes-a-rape-apology/) Hey guess what humanity is not perfect and from 200 years ago to this present day we have seen a huge evolution in personal freedoms, interpretations of the law, intellectual thought, philosophy, and even the way we bake bread. Good and decent people want to see justice done, keyword here JUSTICE. That means evidence, a fair trial the whole nine yards, even if they are privelleged and want to lawyer up. Now if being an asshole was a crime you, me the Duke Lax team would probably all be sitting on death row (ladies first :P); but its not a crime so even though you hate what they represent doesnt mean you can take it out on them hoping someone listens to you and punishes them anyway.
Really there is no difference between you and Bill O'Rielly or the Westboro Baptists. You are nothing more than the polar opposite of Ann Coulter. You are all rabid extremists thinking that the whole of America should rally behind you. What makes you really sad is that you will stand up for good things i.e. against the war on Iraq but push to the extremes. Look Amanda I think you make people take rape far less seriously than they should because when they see your name attached to what may well be a well thought out arguement all they think is evil feminazi bitch or whatever. I think a T-Shirt is the least of worries and is far less a deadly enemy to you than your own rabid mind.
You may claim your Douchebag crown along with a pint of Ben and Jerry's for the ride home.
-Grey Fox