Last night while skimming Twitter, I asked my husband, "Do you think Lamar Odom is going to die?" He looked at me wide-eyed and said something along the lines of: I don't wish the guy harm but, honestly, I don't care either way.
We aren't Kardashian fans (or foes). We aren't NBA fans. The only thing we know about Lamar Odom is he was in the NBA, dated Khloe Kardashian and had a drug problem, knowledge we gained from, most likely, Twitter headlines because that's where most of our news comes from nowadays. We don't dislike or like him or what he's about - it just isn't on our radar.
So, with news he overdosed at a whorehouse in Nevada and is fighting for his life ... well, it's sad but why is everyone coming out of the woodwork to praise the guy? Where were they when he left the NBA years ago and started this doomed voyage?
I find it creepy and happening more in my personal life as well as with celebrities. Is it a fear of death? We are uncertain with mortality so when someone is on the verge of death, whoever they may be to us, we feel frightened for them? We pity them?
Take a person. They are in your life, in whatever capacity, but you don't necessarily care for them so you keep your distance. Bam. They have a terminal illness. Why do we then reach out to them? Show love and support if we don't like them? Stop badmouthing them as if God will strike us down?
Why is not OK to dislike someone who is fighting a disease or illness or someone who is dying or died? That's not to say you wish ill on them but why is not OK to not care?
Someone dies. They weren't the best to you in life - maybe they were mean or hurt you or whatever. Why must we pretend the negatives didn't happen and focus on positives? So we can be at peace? If you would have never made peace with the person during their life, than why do it after death when they aren't here to accept it?
I don't know Lamar Odom and never will. I don't dislike him but I don't like him either. Why must I care he is dying? Why is it not OK to not care?
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Why Aren't We Allowed To Not Care About Caitlyn Jenner
Following his divorce from Kardashian pimp Kris Jenner earlier this year, Bruce Jenner came out as a trans woman. Earlier this month he changed his name to Caitlyn and began referring to himself in public with feminine pronouns. He is now she.
When I read the news and saw the now infamous "Vogue" cover, I was happy for Caitlyn. I did not watch the April 20/20 interview with Diane Sawyer but I heard she gave a genuine story of her struggle with gender dysphoria. I hope her story helps to make transgender a more mainstream and less threatening term in society and helps any confused individuals out there fighting between male and female.
That's where it ended.
I never liked Bruce Jenner. I wasn't around for his Olympic success so the only thing I associate him with is Kardashian. An empire of talentless, ignorant whores invading America with plastic bodies and empty minds. What kind of person would marry into that family? His children with Kris are an Instagram porn model (honestly, what else does she do?) and the other is a supermodel who rode to fame on her last name. He married a woman, had two kids, then married another woman the same week of his divorce. Two more kids, who were stars of reality shows, then divorce and a final marriage to Kris which also ended in divorce. Not much to like and, lo and behold, she will have her own reality show.
So, while I can appreciate her courage, I don't understand why we are not allowed to not care about Caitlyn Jenner. If we share this sentiment then we must be a pro-Jesus bigot or deemed insensitive. Even Clint Eastwood can't make a joke - during a taping of the Guys Choice Awards, he compared Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to other actors-turned-athletes like, "Jim Brown and Caitlyn Somebody." I don't know about you but to me he was joking about how over-saturated the news has become with the name, not about transgender being a negative.
I see the need for shaming people who spread hateful messages (i.e. "Christians" like the Duggar family who forget about the greatest commandment and focus on hating select groups of "God's children") but what about us who don't care? Be a woman. Be a man. Just get off my newsfeed already.
I can't say I like this person much either but I couldn't help but agree with Bob Costas in regards to his take on Caitlyn winning the ESPY's Arthur Ashe Courage Award.
Costas wished Jenner "all the happiness in the world and all the peace of mind in the world," but said, "I think this is a play to pump up audience the way lots of things are put on television, to attract eyeballs, not because of the validity, but because of whatever the kind of gawker factor is."
We don't care about Caitlyn Jenner. Think about all the people commenting one way or another. How many transgender people have you met in your life? How many do you personally know? How many would you call an acquaintance or friend? I can easily assume the percentage for most Americans is very, very low. It's one thing to Tweet your support and tear down people who think otherwise but what does that mean? What does that do? Do you support Caitlyn or do you want to be part of the narrative?
Did you like Bruce Jenner? Did you care about Bruce Jenner? I didn't and I'm sure most of you didn't either. So, since I didn't care about Bruce why should I care about Caitlyn? Would Caitlyn want me to care simply because he is now a she? Should we care about someone who goes from male to female or vice versa, pushing aside who they are as a person?
Caitlyn is currently worth $100 million. Now there's a new reality show, book deals and talk of her motivational speeches going from $40,000 to much, much more. She's fine. She's not a sad, confused teen struggling with identity during one of the hardest periods of life.
I don't care about Caitlyn Jenner just as I don't care about the Duggars and their news that wasn't shocking. I didn't care before so why should I care now?
When I read the news and saw the now infamous "Vogue" cover, I was happy for Caitlyn. I did not watch the April 20/20 interview with Diane Sawyer but I heard she gave a genuine story of her struggle with gender dysphoria. I hope her story helps to make transgender a more mainstream and less threatening term in society and helps any confused individuals out there fighting between male and female.
That's where it ended.
I never liked Bruce Jenner. I wasn't around for his Olympic success so the only thing I associate him with is Kardashian. An empire of talentless, ignorant whores invading America with plastic bodies and empty minds. What kind of person would marry into that family? His children with Kris are an Instagram porn model (honestly, what else does she do?) and the other is a supermodel who rode to fame on her last name. He married a woman, had two kids, then married another woman the same week of his divorce. Two more kids, who were stars of reality shows, then divorce and a final marriage to Kris which also ended in divorce. Not much to like and, lo and behold, she will have her own reality show.
So, while I can appreciate her courage, I don't understand why we are not allowed to not care about Caitlyn Jenner. If we share this sentiment then we must be a pro-Jesus bigot or deemed insensitive. Even Clint Eastwood can't make a joke - during a taping of the Guys Choice Awards, he compared Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to other actors-turned-athletes like, "Jim Brown and Caitlyn Somebody." I don't know about you but to me he was joking about how over-saturated the news has become with the name, not about transgender being a negative.
I see the need for shaming people who spread hateful messages (i.e. "Christians" like the Duggar family who forget about the greatest commandment and focus on hating select groups of "God's children") but what about us who don't care? Be a woman. Be a man. Just get off my newsfeed already.
I can't say I like this person much either but I couldn't help but agree with Bob Costas in regards to his take on Caitlyn winning the ESPY's Arthur Ashe Courage Award.
Costas wished Jenner "all the happiness in the world and all the peace of mind in the world," but said, "I think this is a play to pump up audience the way lots of things are put on television, to attract eyeballs, not because of the validity, but because of whatever the kind of gawker factor is."
We don't care about Caitlyn Jenner. Think about all the people commenting one way or another. How many transgender people have you met in your life? How many do you personally know? How many would you call an acquaintance or friend? I can easily assume the percentage for most Americans is very, very low. It's one thing to Tweet your support and tear down people who think otherwise but what does that mean? What does that do? Do you support Caitlyn or do you want to be part of the narrative?
Did you like Bruce Jenner? Did you care about Bruce Jenner? I didn't and I'm sure most of you didn't either. So, since I didn't care about Bruce why should I care about Caitlyn? Would Caitlyn want me to care simply because he is now a she? Should we care about someone who goes from male to female or vice versa, pushing aside who they are as a person?
Caitlyn is currently worth $100 million. Now there's a new reality show, book deals and talk of her motivational speeches going from $40,000 to much, much more. She's fine. She's not a sad, confused teen struggling with identity during one of the hardest periods of life.
I don't care about Caitlyn Jenner just as I don't care about the Duggars and their news that wasn't shocking. I didn't care before so why should I care now?
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Apple Debuts New Watch: Is It Smart?
Life isn't easy. You fill your days while also trying to get a solid 7-9 hours of shut eye a night. There are long commutes, difficulties with parenting, annoying bosses, expanding waistlines, adult responsibilities ... you love anything that will make your life easier.
Don't we love the easy way? I don't want to eat healthy and exercise to lose weight, I want a trick or a secret. I don't want to use my remote, I want to talk to my Xbox One and let it do the work. We are lazy growing lazier by the second.
I was late to the Smartphone game on purpose because I didn't think I needed it in my life. Did I want it? Sure. Did I need it? No. Finally Verizon decided to give me a free phone because Big Business wanted me smart! So, I bought a Smartphone and became dumber. Yeah, I could access the Internet anywhere, Tweet and Facebook, use fancy apps and Facetime but is it healthy to be glued to a glowing screen throughout the day? Probably not.
So, when I heard the Apple Watch made its debut I was less than excited. Apparently "notifications and messaging are at the heart of the Apple Watch." The reasoning? Why would you want to waste time digging out your phone from your pocket or your purse when you can look at your watch? Weather, music, apps, information right on your wrist!
Are we too lazy for Smartphones? I can assume the lemmings who need to have something no one else has yet will purchase the (starting at) $349 contraption but will people purchase this smart watch because it will fulfill a need in their life? You still need an iPhone in order to use the Apple Watch. Is this innovation or a gimmick? Does anyone need a smart watch? Depending on use, it will last 18 hours so will it be another thing to plug in constantly?
Are we going to continue to drift away from life, constantly obsessing over keeping constant track of our health, taking filtered pictures to make our lives seem better so our Facebook friends will Like and Comment? Instagram and Twitter followers trump life experiences. What are we moving towards?
Is technology moving in the wrong direction? Are these new inventions a sign of humanity spinning its wheels towards becoming inhuman?
Don't we love the easy way? I don't want to eat healthy and exercise to lose weight, I want a trick or a secret. I don't want to use my remote, I want to talk to my Xbox One and let it do the work. We are lazy growing lazier by the second.
I was late to the Smartphone game on purpose because I didn't think I needed it in my life. Did I want it? Sure. Did I need it? No. Finally Verizon decided to give me a free phone because Big Business wanted me smart! So, I bought a Smartphone and became dumber. Yeah, I could access the Internet anywhere, Tweet and Facebook, use fancy apps and Facetime but is it healthy to be glued to a glowing screen throughout the day? Probably not.
So, when I heard the Apple Watch made its debut I was less than excited. Apparently "notifications and messaging are at the heart of the Apple Watch." The reasoning? Why would you want to waste time digging out your phone from your pocket or your purse when you can look at your watch? Weather, music, apps, information right on your wrist!
Are we too lazy for Smartphones? I can assume the lemmings who need to have something no one else has yet will purchase the (starting at) $349 contraption but will people purchase this smart watch because it will fulfill a need in their life? You still need an iPhone in order to use the Apple Watch. Is this innovation or a gimmick? Does anyone need a smart watch? Depending on use, it will last 18 hours so will it be another thing to plug in constantly?
Are we going to continue to drift away from life, constantly obsessing over keeping constant track of our health, taking filtered pictures to make our lives seem better so our Facebook friends will Like and Comment? Instagram and Twitter followers trump life experiences. What are we moving towards?
Is technology moving in the wrong direction? Are these new inventions a sign of humanity spinning its wheels towards becoming inhuman?
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
I Did Not Watch The Academy Awards: Oscars Aren't For Us, They're For Them
I did not watch the 2015 Academy Awards. Yes, I have a TV. Yes, I was available Sunday night after about 7 p.m. Instead my husband and I watched The Matrix.
"The first one is great, the second one is not as good as the first and I thought the third one sucked," was his pitch for watching the trilogy. How could I not take the bait?
So, there we sat watching 1999 Keanu Reeves in all his Keanu Reevesness after putting our twin toddlers to bed. I mention my kids because maybe they're the reason I didn't watch the Academy Awards. Having children, especially two at once, depletes your capacity for bullshit. I don't give a shit about some stuff I used to give a shit about - i.e. dramatic friends on Facebook, celebrity gossip, what people think of me, frustrating family members. I got other fish to fry than wonder why Susie Smith wrote: "I am so pissed off" in a recent Facebook status. Keep on fishing Susie Q.
So, we have the Academy Awards. Rich people celebrating themselves - one big circle jerk. They get all gussied up - or not gussied up because they are so hip - and answer mindless, safe questions from smiley, happy reporters and then sit around schoomzing and boozing and being fabulous before we are told who or what was best this year. Then they go and party because why not? The lifestyles of the rich and famous - let's celebrate us!
They love themselves more than we love them. The one thing I can't help but think is they make movies. Movies. Entertainment yet we treat them like gods. Isn't that bizarre? They are strangers. Forever strangers we will never meet and get to know yet we act as if we have a close relationship. Eerie. Do you love Meryl Streep or the roles she played? Who is Meryl Streep anyway? Don't get me started on her and JLo pumping their fists when Patricia Arquette mentioned equality for women. Give me a break. Like it's so hard to be Meryl Streep or JLo or Patricia Arquette. Why don't you take the money you spent on hair, makeup, transportation, etc. for the Oscars and donate it to these women you care so desperately about?
Anyway, I'm not going to lie, some Oscar winning or nominated movies mentioned in news headlines were added to our Netflix list but that's where it ends. I saw "The Grand Budapest Hotel" in the movie theater months ago because my husband wanted to see "Transformers 4" and I needed a reprieve from my children. We got a sitter, he saw robots and boobies and I ate popcorn and candy, drank a soda, and saw anything else. Anything. I would have watched a Kirk Cameron flick if it meant a reprieve. Was "The Grand Budapest Hotel" good? It was weird but OK. I felt like maybe some of the humor was lost on a sleep deprived mother like myself but who knows. Do members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences know? Do you know?
I liked Marilyn Manson's new album, did you? If you didn't, or most likely don't like him or his music, does that mean I don't have good taste in music? What if I think you don't have good taste in music because you didn't like it? What if I watched "Legally Blonde" the other day and enjoyed myself? Am I a rube? I will say the sequel is unwatchable but that's my opinion.
I will leave you with this quote from Neil Patrick Harris who will forever be Dougie Howser to me, who has been in the business of show so long he doesn't know what it's like to be human. After the show he was interviewed about his process for hosting.
"I'm not a big fan of what I call quota comedy where you stand up there and you have to say x number of jokes about each movie and do digs and low brows. For me that just makes the rest of the audience that's not being talked about feel like they're not special and the person you're talking to gets their feelings hurt. So we wanted to make, I wanted to recalibrate the minds of the audience, not only in the room that have gone through the red carpet gauntlet but the people at home who are saying, 'Shush shush shush it's on right now.' To remind people why they're caring about tuning in, why they're caring about making movies."
Recalibrate? Shush shush shush? Worry about celebrities not feeling special? No thank you.
"The first one is great, the second one is not as good as the first and I thought the third one sucked," was his pitch for watching the trilogy. How could I not take the bait?
So, there we sat watching 1999 Keanu Reeves in all his Keanu Reevesness after putting our twin toddlers to bed. I mention my kids because maybe they're the reason I didn't watch the Academy Awards. Having children, especially two at once, depletes your capacity for bullshit. I don't give a shit about some stuff I used to give a shit about - i.e. dramatic friends on Facebook, celebrity gossip, what people think of me, frustrating family members. I got other fish to fry than wonder why Susie Smith wrote: "I am so pissed off" in a recent Facebook status. Keep on fishing Susie Q.
So, we have the Academy Awards. Rich people celebrating themselves - one big circle jerk. They get all gussied up - or not gussied up because they are so hip - and answer mindless, safe questions from smiley, happy reporters and then sit around schoomzing and boozing and being fabulous before we are told who or what was best this year. Then they go and party because why not? The lifestyles of the rich and famous - let's celebrate us!
They love themselves more than we love them. The one thing I can't help but think is they make movies. Movies. Entertainment yet we treat them like gods. Isn't that bizarre? They are strangers. Forever strangers we will never meet and get to know yet we act as if we have a close relationship. Eerie. Do you love Meryl Streep or the roles she played? Who is Meryl Streep anyway? Don't get me started on her and JLo pumping their fists when Patricia Arquette mentioned equality for women. Give me a break. Like it's so hard to be Meryl Streep or JLo or Patricia Arquette. Why don't you take the money you spent on hair, makeup, transportation, etc. for the Oscars and donate it to these women you care so desperately about?
Anyway, I'm not going to lie, some Oscar winning or nominated movies mentioned in news headlines were added to our Netflix list but that's where it ends. I saw "The Grand Budapest Hotel" in the movie theater months ago because my husband wanted to see "Transformers 4" and I needed a reprieve from my children. We got a sitter, he saw robots and boobies and I ate popcorn and candy, drank a soda, and saw anything else. Anything. I would have watched a Kirk Cameron flick if it meant a reprieve. Was "The Grand Budapest Hotel" good? It was weird but OK. I felt like maybe some of the humor was lost on a sleep deprived mother like myself but who knows. Do members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences know? Do you know?
I liked Marilyn Manson's new album, did you? If you didn't, or most likely don't like him or his music, does that mean I don't have good taste in music? What if I think you don't have good taste in music because you didn't like it? What if I watched "Legally Blonde" the other day and enjoyed myself? Am I a rube? I will say the sequel is unwatchable but that's my opinion.
I will leave you with this quote from Neil Patrick Harris who will forever be Dougie Howser to me, who has been in the business of show so long he doesn't know what it's like to be human. After the show he was interviewed about his process for hosting.
"I'm not a big fan of what I call quota comedy where you stand up there and you have to say x number of jokes about each movie and do digs and low brows. For me that just makes the rest of the audience that's not being talked about feel like they're not special and the person you're talking to gets their feelings hurt. So we wanted to make, I wanted to recalibrate the minds of the audience, not only in the room that have gone through the red carpet gauntlet but the people at home who are saying, 'Shush shush shush it's on right now.' To remind people why they're caring about tuning in, why they're caring about making movies."
Recalibrate? Shush shush shush? Worry about celebrities not feeling special? No thank you.
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