Thursday, July 27, 2006
The Art of Boycotting Pt. 2 Companies concentrate on your camp like IBM...
So as I was saying in the first boycotting post, I am boycotting SONY because their customer service game me the old 1-2-12 on my laptop (partly the reason why my blog content is so mediocre). And also because of that racist and bigotted PSP advertisement (refer to Pt. 1). So I'm looking for a new computer what about IBM? They make great 
computers. Well, acutally I'm boycotting IBM too because of their involvement in the Jewish holocaust.
This an old story, but it is a story that hasn't been told to the masses. I myself only learned of it after I watched 'The Corporation' two years ago. Anyways let me give you the abreviated version right now: IBM built their profits by providing Hitler and the 3rd reich with the punch cards that they used in the concentration camps, thus enabling the Germans to process the victims in the camps more efficiently and exterminate them with ease. IBM cannot claim ignornace on this because the president of IBM is seen here enjoying tea with Hitler. Also, IBM regularily sent technicians to the camps to service the machines during the holocaust. So IBM got what they wanted:madd loot. And Hitler got wat he wanted: 6 million dead Jews. So, fuck IBM.
Here's a song by Cadence Weapon where he raps ambivalently about the whole boycotting quagmire. My favourite line is the last one:
'I won't say stop buying, cuz it isn't realistic. Or cop 'em, cuz you wanna make your own damn decisions.'
Cadence Weapon-30 Seconds
computers. Well, acutally I'm boycotting IBM too because of their involvement in the Jewish holocaust.This an old story, but it is a story that hasn't been told to the masses. I myself only learned of it after I watched 'The Corporation' two years ago. Anyways let me give you the abreviated version right now: IBM built their profits by providing Hitler and the 3rd reich with the punch cards that they used in the concentration camps, thus enabling the Germans to process the victims in the camps more efficiently and exterminate them with ease. IBM cannot claim ignornace on this because the president of IBM is seen here enjoying tea with Hitler. Also, IBM regularily sent technicians to the camps to service the machines during the holocaust. So IBM got what they wanted:madd loot. And Hitler got wat he wanted: 6 million dead Jews. So, fuck IBM.
Here's a song by Cadence Weapon where he raps ambivalently about the whole boycotting quagmire. My favourite line is the last one:
'I won't say stop buying, cuz it isn't realistic. Or cop 'em, cuz you wanna make your own damn decisions.'
Cadence Weapon-30 Seconds
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Reading is Fun...damental
Due to my hiatus, I haven't been able to fill you in on what I'm reading. Here's the latest book report:
Tom Wolfe-I Am Charlotte Simmons
This year I’ve been trying to read a lot more, and I’ve found a great love for books. I used to stick pretty strictly to non-fiction and biographies and what not, but this year I’ve read quite a few novels and I’ve gained a greater appreciation for story telling. Apparently, Tom Wolfe is one of the great writers of our time. I saw documentary on Marshall McLuhan that he hosted and I liked what he had to say. I’ve never had the pleasure reading Wolfe, so I thought I’d start with his latest: I am Charlotte Simmons (all 676 pages of it).
This book is basically a detailed survey of what life is like on the campus of an elite, big time American university (think Duke). Even though I’m a recent graduate of a big-time Canadian University, movies like Animal House, Van Wilder and Old School have assured me that it is a completely different reality from anything I experienced.
The difference between those movies and this book is that those movies are hilarious and celebrate the supposed best 4-7 years of your life. I Am Charlotte Simmons took another view; that the moral decay on the modern University campus is indicative of the greater erosion of societal values. That’s fair enough; I don’t think that Wolfe came to any earth-shattering conclusions. It is pretty common knowledge that college students binge drink, swear profusely, have promiscuous sex, experiment with drugs, cheat on schoolwork, listen to objectionable (?) music and crave popularity or some combination of any or all of the above. But 676 pages of it? Ironically, the best part about reading the book is that Wolfe has an incredible talent for description, and his descriptive, literary techniques stretch the book out farther then it needs to be. But also keep the reader’s interest and keeps the reader’ eyes glued to the page. He also challenges the reader with his impressive vocabulary and idiosyncratic word choice.
One beef I had with I Am Charlotte Simmons is that it is supposed too be very accurate, based on research that Wolfe did at a handful of American Universities (Stanford, Michigan, UNC, Penn), but one of his markers of moral decay is rap music. He continually brings up this preposterous caricature of a fictional rapper named Dr. Dis who everybody on campus listens to. And the even more preposterous lyric that recurs no fewer than 6 times: ‘Suck on my testiculls like a popsicle.’ I mean c’mon there is some very bad Hip Hop out there, and I’m sure that Wolfe could have used a real-life example. But the truth is that as bad as rap music can be sometimes no rapper that is that obscene is as ubiquitous as Dr. Dis was in the book. I think it just underscores the fraudulent perception that rap music is the reason for moral decay in our society. I also thought it was kind of weird since Wolfe freely employed real life examples of Britney Spears, Ben Harper, Dave Mathews and OAR throughout the book. Had he replaced Dr. Dis with someone like Ludacris the reaction would have been ‘hey Ludacris’ lyrics really aren’t that offensive.’ Had he replaced Dr. Dis with an equally obscene rapper like Necro the reaction would have been ‘c’mon nobody listens to Necro.’ Is it an example of Wolfe’s inability to hide his conservative bias or is it simply that he (like most middle aged white adults) is out of touch with youth culture when it comes to music?
Anyways, the book was just okay, some parts were as cheesy as a harlequin novel and some parts were such an enthralling read that you couldn’t put the book down. By the time I realised that it wasn’t a great book I was already 400 pages in and I had to finish it. I wasn’t going to wait a year and a half for the movie to come out. (They are making a movie out of the book due for release in 2007.) The truth is that a movie of this book will be a fucking disaster (but hey Wolfe got 5 million for the rights to the book).
Books are almost without fail superior to the movie adaptations (Da Vinci Code anyone? Edit: I read the book but won’t even bother with the movie). And a movie of I am Charlotte Simmons will be whack as hell and entirely ineffective. I’m assuming that it will be marketed as a warning to incoming naïve college freshman about the ‘realities’ of university life. But the truth is that the movie won’t even be for 17-19 year olds, it will really be for parents to get worried about what really goes on when they ship junior off to university. It will be as sappy as a teen movie but will have too many ‘mature themes’ that an R rating will keep its intended audience 17-18 year olds out of the theatre. And 19-22 year old will be too broke and disinterested to bother going to see it. I think that I should have skipped Charlotte Simmons and gone straight to the Electric Kool Aid and Acid Test.
Here’s a boring interview with Tom Wolfe and John Stewart on the Daily Show.
http://video.lisarein.com/dailyshow/nov2004/nov102004/
I've heard a lot about Mumia and his case (thanks to RATM). But the truth is I didn't know much about the man himself and I wanted to learn about him from his own words. For those of you who don't know Mumia is a journalist who is on death row for a crime that he most likely didn't commit. The claims are that he made so
many political enemies due to his association with the Black Panther Party and MOVE that he was framed through COINTELPRO. He's been on death row for over 25 years and his appeal for a fair trial has become an international cause. But that's not what Death Blossoms is about.
Death Blossoms is a collection of short essays about race, politics, the media, poverty injustice in America, faith, family, redemption and introspection. These vignettes are truly an amazing read. Its incredible how someone who is about to be sne t to death can write with such lucidity and an honesty that a free man could never write with.
Mumia's writtings really makes you think about the world around you and how you conceptualize it. Even the title Death Blossoms speaks to this: that out of imminent death his thoughts have bloomed into something truly beautiful. He writes his prose with poetic language that is neither pretentious, nor verbose. Here's an excerpt that I enjoyed:
"At first, the differences between a mighty oak and the tiny green acorn seem humongous. But upon reflection, one sees that the only real difference between them is time. You are living acorns in the forest of life, with all the potential, all the powers of the most massive oak tree that ever grew. You are in the process of becoming."
So yeah that is my book review for now. I'm already digging into a seminal classic with Zinn. This one's about 750+ pages so I'll fill you in on that, when I'm done.
Tom Wolfe-I Am Charlotte Simmons
This year I’ve been trying to read a lot more, and I’ve found a great love for books. I used to stick pretty strictly to non-fiction and biographies and what not, but this year I’ve read quite a few novels and I’ve gained a greater appreciation for story telling. Apparently, Tom Wolfe is one of the great writers of our time. I saw documentary on Marshall McLuhan that he hosted and I liked what he had to say. I’ve never had the pleasure reading Wolfe, so I thought I’d start with his latest: I am Charlotte Simmons (all 676 pages of it).
This book is basically a detailed survey of what life is like on the campus of an elite, big time American university (think Duke). Even though I’m a recent graduate of a big-time Canadian University, movies like Animal House, Van Wilder and Old School have assured me that it is a completely different reality from anything I experienced.The difference between those movies and this book is that those movies are hilarious and celebrate the supposed best 4-7 years of your life. I Am Charlotte Simmons took another view; that the moral decay on the modern University campus is indicative of the greater erosion of societal values. That’s fair enough; I don’t think that Wolfe came to any earth-shattering conclusions. It is pretty common knowledge that college students binge drink, swear profusely, have promiscuous sex, experiment with drugs, cheat on schoolwork, listen to objectionable (?) music and crave popularity or some combination of any or all of the above. But 676 pages of it? Ironically, the best part about reading the book is that Wolfe has an incredible talent for description, and his descriptive, literary techniques stretch the book out farther then it needs to be. But also keep the reader’s interest and keeps the reader’ eyes glued to the page. He also challenges the reader with his impressive vocabulary and idiosyncratic word choice.
One beef I had with I Am Charlotte Simmons is that it is supposed too be very accurate, based on research that Wolfe did at a handful of American Universities (Stanford, Michigan, UNC, Penn), but one of his markers of moral decay is rap music. He continually brings up this preposterous caricature of a fictional rapper named Dr. Dis who everybody on campus listens to. And the even more preposterous lyric that recurs no fewer than 6 times: ‘Suck on my testiculls like a popsicle.’ I mean c’mon there is some very bad Hip Hop out there, and I’m sure that Wolfe could have used a real-life example. But the truth is that as bad as rap music can be sometimes no rapper that is that obscene is as ubiquitous as Dr. Dis was in the book. I think it just underscores the fraudulent perception that rap music is the reason for moral decay in our society. I also thought it was kind of weird since Wolfe freely employed real life examples of Britney Spears, Ben Harper, Dave Mathews and OAR throughout the book. Had he replaced Dr. Dis with someone like Ludacris the reaction would have been ‘hey Ludacris’ lyrics really aren’t that offensive.’ Had he replaced Dr. Dis with an equally obscene rapper like Necro the reaction would have been ‘c’mon nobody listens to Necro.’ Is it an example of Wolfe’s inability to hide his conservative bias or is it simply that he (like most middle aged white adults) is out of touch with youth culture when it comes to music?
Anyways, the book was just okay, some parts were as cheesy as a harlequin novel and some parts were such an enthralling read that you couldn’t put the book down. By the time I realised that it wasn’t a great book I was already 400 pages in and I had to finish it. I wasn’t going to wait a year and a half for the movie to come out. (They are making a movie out of the book due for release in 2007.) The truth is that a movie of this book will be a fucking disaster (but hey Wolfe got 5 million for the rights to the book).
Books are almost without fail superior to the movie adaptations (Da Vinci Code anyone? Edit: I read the book but won’t even bother with the movie). And a movie of I am Charlotte Simmons will be whack as hell and entirely ineffective. I’m assuming that it will be marketed as a warning to incoming naïve college freshman about the ‘realities’ of university life. But the truth is that the movie won’t even be for 17-19 year olds, it will really be for parents to get worried about what really goes on when they ship junior off to university. It will be as sappy as a teen movie but will have too many ‘mature themes’ that an R rating will keep its intended audience 17-18 year olds out of the theatre. And 19-22 year old will be too broke and disinterested to bother going to see it. I think that I should have skipped Charlotte Simmons and gone straight to the Electric Kool Aid and Acid Test.
Here’s a boring interview with Tom Wolfe and John Stewart on the Daily Show.
http://video.lisarein.com/dailyshow/nov2004/nov102004/
Sam Smith-The Jordan Rules
I won't get to in depth about this book because unless you are an armchair jock like myself you won't find it too interesting. This is a great book about what really went on with the 1991 NBA Champ Chicago Bulls. Beyond all the glory and champagne, Smith does a great job of describing what really happens behind the curtains of the production that is pro basketball. The reader learns that although Jordan is the greatest player of all time, his competitiveness drives him so far as to insult his teamates and even punch Will Perdue in the face in the middle of a practice. Sports is one of my hobbies so its always great to learn about what happens in the locker room and what drives pro athletes. This book garnered major national attention when it was released and was a huge hurdle for the Bulls in the 1992 season, it was great to read it and get the backstory. All first hand accounts so you know it was legit. And Michael Jordan punched Will Perdue in the face!!!!
I've heard a lot about Mumia and his case (thanks to RATM). But the truth is I didn't know much about the man himself and I wanted to learn about him from his own words. For those of you who don't know Mumia is a journalist who is on death row for a crime that he most likely didn't commit. The claims are that he made so
many political enemies due to his association with the Black Panther Party and MOVE that he was framed through COINTELPRO. He's been on death row for over 25 years and his appeal for a fair trial has become an international cause. But that's not what Death Blossoms is about.Death Blossoms is a collection of short essays about race, politics, the media, poverty injustice in America, faith, family, redemption and introspection. These vignettes are truly an amazing read. Its incredible how someone who is about to be sne t to death can write with such lucidity and an honesty that a free man could never write with.
Mumia's writtings really makes you think about the world around you and how you conceptualize it. Even the title Death Blossoms speaks to this: that out of imminent death his thoughts have bloomed into something truly beautiful. He writes his prose with poetic language that is neither pretentious, nor verbose. Here's an excerpt that I enjoyed:
"At first, the differences between a mighty oak and the tiny green acorn seem humongous. But upon reflection, one sees that the only real difference between them is time. You are living acorns in the forest of life, with all the potential, all the powers of the most massive oak tree that ever grew. You are in the process of becoming."
So yeah that is my book review for now. I'm already digging into a seminal classic with Zinn. This one's about 750+ pages so I'll fill you in on that, when I'm done.
The Art of Boycotting pt. 1
I don't wanna sound overly preachy or self righteous, but as a consumer its important to support companies that are morally defensible. And companies who have moral transgressions should be made to pay. The easiest way as a responisble consumer to affect these companies and their bottom line is by boycotting their products. Only when their bottom line is compromised, do they start listening to the public. The only problem is that boycotting isn't so simple, or effective for that matter. Corporate malfeasance is so widespread that if you boycott all companies that are irresponisble in some way, shape or form you may find yourself without any products to buy. For example I have a big problem with Nike, due to their labour policies in developping countries. They manufacture $200 sneakers for less than $5 in east Asia and pay the workers a pittance to do it. But what is the alternative? I mean Adidas, Reebok, Puma, And 1? They're all do the exact same thing. In fact the only major shoe company who I can think of that manufacture their shoes in North America and pay their employees a fair wage is New Ballance. I have a decent sized shoe collection and ask me how many pair of New Ballance I own: Zero. The truth is New Ballance are a great quality shoe, are reasonably priced and are really comfortable. But they just aren't stylish enough, which is what attracts me to sneakers in the first place. I am a hypocrite. We're all hypocrites. With globalization so widespread it is impossible to live in the 21st century without being a hypocrite.
But boycotting some companies is a must for political, and more importantly personal reasons. My newest personal consumer vendetta is against SONY. They make great electronics and I have so much SONY product in my house it is ridiculous 3 SONY TVs, 2 Sony headphones, 1 Soundsystem, man....I even have 2 minidisc players!! Honestly, who owns a minidisc player, let alone 2? My allegiance to SONY ran so deep that I recieved a SONY VAIO laptop as a gift from my family. But after 7 months the laptop broke down and SONY's customer service put me through the ringer even though I had the extended warranty too. I'll spare you all the details but after 2 months of wrangling with SONY head office they offered to cover 1/2 of the estimated damage. Unfortunately the estimate had doubled from the original price of $800 to $1600 which put me back to square-1 and they had the nerve to act like they were doing me a favour. This experience was enough to sour me from ever buying another SONY product as long as I live. I thought that I might just be being petty and that 1 very negative experience shouldn't sour me from patronizing SONY but then I saw this ad for the new white model of the SONY PSP and it confirmed to me that SONY wasn't a company that I wanted to deal with. This ad dipicts a white woman grabbing a black woman's face. I found the racially charged subliminal messages in this ad appauling. So FUCK SONY.
But boycotting some companies is a must for political, and more importantly personal reasons. My newest personal consumer vendetta is against SONY. They make great electronics and I have so much SONY product in my house it is ridiculous 3 SONY TVs, 2 Sony headphones, 1 Soundsystem, man....I even have 2 minidisc players!! Honestly, who owns a minidisc player, let alone 2? My allegiance to SONY ran so deep that I recieved a SONY VAIO laptop as a gift from my family. But after 7 months the laptop broke down and SONY's customer service put me through the ringer even though I had the extended warranty too. I'll spare you all the details but after 2 months of wrangling with SONY head office they offered to cover 1/2 of the estimated damage. Unfortunately the estimate had doubled from the original price of $800 to $1600 which put me back to square-1 and they had the nerve to act like they were doing me a favour. This experience was enough to sour me from ever buying another SONY product as long as I live. I thought that I might just be being petty and that 1 very negative experience shouldn't sour me from patronizing SONY but then I saw this ad for the new white model of the SONY PSP and it confirmed to me that SONY wasn't a company that I wanted to deal with. This ad dipicts a white woman grabbing a black woman's face. I found the racially charged subliminal messages in this ad appauling. So FUCK SONY.
Here we go again....
After a lengthy month long break from blogging I'm happy to say that the hiatus is back off again. I'd like to apologize to my loyal readers for being AWOL. But I'm back and will try my best to post more frequently.
