Thursday, September 30, 2010

The Truth About ME


Many people who know me will tell you I can be really lively, bubbly, funny, smart and just overall great to be around.
Behind the scenes, though, I am very selfish, apathetic, depressed, angry and want to destroy everything around me.
Perhaps the real me is a balance between the two, but so long as I'm the one writing this blog, I'm going to assume everyone identifies me as the negative traits.

Two things I know I have are pride and passion (though usually when I don't need it). I am a Mass Communication major interested in electronic media, meaning I create and edit videos and care about what kind of garbage is being fed to us through television, radio and movies.
This is relevant as the main theme of this blog from here on out is to outline the idiotic injustices we are being subject to in regards to mass media and how we should be aware and stop it.

You know, we can revolt. And there's really no reason why we shouldn't. But usually people don't want to "work that hard" or leave the supposed comfort of what they already have. I understand. Do you think I like to be angry about this stuff? Not in the slightest. But since these feelings will not go away, I will do my best to inform the public and really try to take action instead of sitting around and taking it.

So, if you're wondering, yes, I'm becoming more and more anti-capitalist. Of course, living in such a country as the United States of America, I can't entirely escape the grasp of monetary value, but I can fight it. And I mean fight more in a college and post-college sense and not the whiney high school I-have-no-idea-what-I'm-talking-about sense.
I've been waiting for college to turn me into a pseudo-hipster know-it-all and now here I am. Only I'm going to try to be constructive about it at the same time as complaining.
What am I doing about it now? Well, first of all, I've always been suspicious of advertising and have never gotten into what's exactly 'popular.' Sure, that has roots in teenage rebellion, but I now see what those sorts of things mean. I cannot help what kind of gifts I receive from friends and family, all of which were probably bought from Meijer, but what I can help is what I buy for myself. My favourite store in the entire world is Salvation Army (not that corporate Goodwill poseur). I'm looking into tailoring my own clothes. I'm really interested in becoming a freegan. I could go on.

In short (TL;DR*), I'm a Mass Communication college student, I'm angry with how our society is being run and I'm going to complain about it loud enough for people to hear me. Or, rather, I'm going to present the realities and cross my fingers that people will get angry with me.

Let's start a revolution.

*TL;DR = Too Long; Didn't Read (because, come on, let's be honest)

I can has THREE FAVRIT BLOGS?


This is my new absolute favourite blog. For those unfamiliar, it is a music themed blog about viral videos which spawned from the original internet meme website: icanhascheezburger. The "Cheezburger Network" has expanded rapidly, with Intertube Records coming onto the scene around August 2010. The site includes creative original pieces from otherwise anonymous YouTube users. Some are 100% original, some are mash ups of popular songs, some are remixes and some are AutoTuned versions of the news. I do not consider any of it popular music (my nemesis) because it isn't backed by money. Pieces that involve popular music are usually satirical or just showcase an individuals skill at making different songs sound good together. My favourite entry from recently is a mash up of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit and Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up. Gold.

Everything posted on Cracked.com is pure genius (as well as informative). When the contributors get to write about their own experiences in the same sort of style, it gives the overall piece a feeling of connectedness; like they're actually talking to you. One of my recent favourites is called "The Worst Board Game of All Time" written by Seanbaby. He mock plays a game called "The Dr. Laura Game" and answers questions as the stereotypical conservative ex-radio host. Good stuff. They also occasionally review new technologies coming out. They recently threw together an information page about the still-highly secretive Nintendo 3DS with their input mixed in.

I love the videogame called Pokemon. I've been playing it and the sequels since it debuted in the States back in 1998 or so. This fan site updates everyday with information about current games, upcoming games, television shows, manga and everything else Pokemon related in the world. But that's not what makes this a superb fansite. The site also contains detailed information about leveling up, evolutions, moves, secrets, all they way down to the formulaic math used to figure out stats of each individual Pokemon. It is an extremely useful resource. Pokemon is also an extremely community-based game, giving a highly social experience to an otherwise very private medium. This is achieved through the DS's wifi capabilities. You can basically communicate with anyone else in the world with the games.