Hoo Boy in Book One: The Not So Daily Briefs 2014

No idea where to put this- daily or political… because today has been a very politically charged day. I’ll start at the end and move backwards.

The wife and I watched a wonderful movie tonight called “MANSOME.” Now… this movie may even be a little outdated right now but it certainly should be viewed by College Classes. It is an analysis of male grooming; the male identity as viewed through grooming rituals. This is a huge thing for me. Because… I want to be clear (as this is something that has always brewed inside of me)… we spend a lot of time in America attempting to reshape how women are viewed; we spend a lot of time discussing women in fashion, women in the home, women in business… the conversations as they relate to men always seem to be through the lens of the oppression of women. I think this may be why there are “Men’s Rights Activists” who are seen as hostile assholes. Which is why I can’t call myself a Men’s Rights Activist… I want to be a Human Rights Activist… I want to inspire the community to have the discussions that don’t pit us against each other; but explore who we are together,

This movie, MANSOME, does an interesting job. It investigates the Metrosexual thing (which is funny because I was considered a “metro” in High School… and the term “metrosexual” was created in 1994 but popularized in my area around 2001.) It also investigates what “man” is. It is an interesting thing. I was raised in a “Femi-Nazi” community by “Traditional Equality” parents. Which means, I was told chivalry was good but condescending on gender was not; but the community said chivalry was condescending against women..... is it any wonder why I’m so mutli-faceted and/or feel a connection with Two-Face?!

Plus… this movie did a great job of showing some of the bullshit in American culture with men. We’re told that caring about fashion and our appearance makes us vain… but heaven forbid that we don’t actually care about fashion or our appearance because employers, potential mates, and friends all judge is on appearance. So… in America, we are told that men are slovenly and careless and brutish; but the people considered most attractive? Clearly aren’t these things. And yet- we’re called out as a negative if we spend time trying to be “attractive” or “beautiful” or anything. I really appreciated that this movie analyzed some of this and how we, as Americans and even just as Men, are downright schizophrenic about “What is Man” and “Male Attractiveness.” I won’t say too much more about this movie… it is on Netflix Instant if you want to see it… but there is one thing that I really wanted to say (that I just remembered, lol).

SHAVE/BODY HAIR
I was actually in the Vagina Monologues in college. I hung out with women as friends a lot. So… I heard a great deal about vaginal shaving. Mostly- how shaving “down there” was a burden and made them feel like their vaginas looked like infant vaginas. Many times I’ve heard “What kind of sick man wants a bald pussy? Are these guys pedophiles?!” However… discuss men with them. Some men, by no fault of their own, have hair on their back or shoulders… statistically, women hates that. In fact, this movie discusses that. The men on screen consistently voted as MOST ATTRACTIVE are the ones that are bare chested and shaved down. So… I won’t but… couldn’t the same comment be fired back?! “If a man who wants a female’s vagina bald is considered a pedophile; then a woman who wants a male’s entire body bald should be as well.” Personally, maybe TMI… my preference would be hair unless you expect a man to go down on you..... because a hair sandwich can be awkward but otherwise… yeah, beautiful when natural. Of course… discussing male body hair with my wife… she is VERY uncomfortable with the fact that I’ve started getting hair on my back.

LACK OF TRANSITION
There were a TON of political conversations and political debates today. And all I learned was… there are two poles and the world needs to fill in between them.

First: Little story about how sometimes things can be. Some very staunch conservative friends somewhat prove the Cold Harsh reputation Republicans have earned recently. My brother, for one. He tends to believe that people who aren’t productive, are parasitic. There… uhm… there are a lot of steps in between that! However, Molly is a perfect example of the other extreme. She represents how most of the Liberals in my life have acted… which is to say “My idea of how the world is should be how I treat the world.” Here’s a great example… We work in a jail. We are constantly told not to give personal information; do NOT treat the inmates like friends; act professionally with a sense of detachment. Molly was tested in the Jail Library recently. She did so poorly listening to the instruction NOT to give personal information to inmates; that the trainer decided to help her understand. So, she put Molly with Max Security inmates… and told her that they were Max Security Inmates… and still?! “Oh yeah, I’ve been there… my parents live near there in BLANK city. That’s not too far from where my sister goes to college at BLANK University.” MAX SECURITY inmates… ideology man. “I believe the world works this way, so treating it that way will make it so.” Yeah- that… that isn’t true.

Second: Watched the Colbert Report interview with Bernie Sanders. I get that Colbert is actually VERY liberal and the character he portrays on his current show (14 episodes left) is a satire of conservative pundits like Fox News. That being said… he asked Bernie Sanders to name a single government where Government Overreach has paid off. Not surprisingly Senator Sanders went with Denmark. Colbert did something brilliant. He explained how Denmark has only 5.5 million citizens, less than the number of Twitter Followers Colbert himself has.

This is a big thing to me. EVERY day on Facebook, my relatives post how Norway and Denmark and places like that give free medical care, free college, free government services… and how the citizens don’t mind the high tax rates. THERE ARE SOME BIG DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THOSE COUNTRIES AND OURS
First of all… lets briefly discuss size. That’s an issue to discuss but not obsess over… lets look at the City Population of Los Angeles (3.8 mil) plus New York City (8.4 mil) plus Chicago (2.7 mil)… so, those three cities have a combined population of almost 15 million. Norway: 5 mil; Denmark: 5 mil… it proves an old adage. Socialism works brilliantly in small communities where you rely on your neighbor. It doesn’t work in places like America where we don’t even know our neighbor. BUT- size is not a strong argument; because whenever I personally make the argument I am quickly greeted with the phrase “But larger population means more in taxes!”
Second of all… lets look at those taxes. In Norway and Denmark when taxes reach about 50% or so.... those citizens expect and demand equal value in government services. After all; I pay you, you provide service… that is how intelligent economics works. The United States has a long history of NOT getting equal value for their tax dollars. We pay into the government, the government gives itself a gigantic pay check and impressive benefits… and the rest of the money goes to pork. So… no, I don’t believe the United States would deal well with 50% taxes because our government hasn’t proven themselves responsible enough to do FOR the citizens.
Finally… I guess… we have to realize something very obvious and stupidly ignored by everyone who points to Denmark and Norway as great government examples. These countries are NOT Republic Democracies like the United States. BOTH Norway and Denmark are Constitutional Monarchies. I am not saying 100% that this fact proves everything but… how a government works, how the people influence the government… the entire government process is different in those countries than they are here. That is not something to simply brush under the rug; that says a lot about the interaction between citizens and the government!

Third: So… we know how I feel about parties. Hell, American Politics has become so self-serving, so self-aggrandizing, so full of its own bullshit that I’m honestly not sure if it can be saved from itself.

Saying that… there is a political conundrum that I have always had… an enigma that I constantly try to solve in my head… a quandary that I am still no closer to unraveling. It is, in essence, the balance. How do you balance compassion with practicality? How do you approach the world and try to explain “NO handouts, NO free lunch” while also trying to take care of people who need help. Because… I think we should do both. People need healthcare, water, heat, a place to live, something to eat… people need to be allowed to take care of themselves and their offspring without government or business intentionally making it harder. But… everything has a cost, everything has a value… yeah, it is all well and good to say “Give the homeless free homes” but… the labor costs, the materials expenses, the permits, and everything else ALL have cost, all have value, all should be paid for. It is the great conundrum… you can’t GIVE people things for free while also fighting for fair wages and hours. Things have value....... that is the conundrum. How do you help those who need it, while creating a sustainable world, while repairing the economy, while doing enough but not too much? These sorts of questions play in my head constantly… and if I ever discover an answer… if I can ever figure out how to create policy that rewards hard work and takes care of the needy… then I’ll run for every office that has any power to make change.