Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Pinch Hitter

[Editor's Note: Hey all, I was tired of thinking of things to say and shit so Zane Thompson is filling in for me today on Classic Brian. I don't know what we'll get and he probably doesn't either.]


Note: This is NOT supposed to be a religious or political rant…we’ll see*

When I was in 6th grade at the wonderful Franklin Middle School, my World History teacher (the wonderfully creepy track coach) Mr. Flohr made us turn in current events every Friday. At the time I blew them off and always made everything up, but looking back this class marked the first time that I had ever really cared about the world around me.

These days I make it a habit to at least read the cover articles of the New York Times and USA Today every morning. I find it extremely important to know what’s going on with my fellow citizens of the world. I want to make it clear that the word “fellow” is very important in that sentence. Regardless of religious beliefs, race, gender, or any of that other shit you have to answer for a census, we have all been put on this Earth TOGETHER. Why would your religion condone killing another human being because of their own different beliefs? How does this make sense in context with any other doctrine, and I am in no way singling out Islam right now, although they seem to be the most noticeably hostile religion at the moment. For thousands of years people have enslaved and killed other people on behalf of their religion, whether it be the Egyptians enslaving the Jews, the Spanish Inquisition, or the jihad taking place around the world today. Why????? What happened to the human brain that makes us forget how we all really got here in the first place? Whether you believe in evolution or creation or reincarnation it does not change the fact that we are all brothers and sisters. Nothing, NOTHING changes that fact. We are all born on the same level, we all are given a piece of paper and told to fill our life out on it however we so choose. So why is it that not every person chooses to live in peace, to respect all other citizens of the world just how they would respect their mom. Every human life is as valuable as the next, so why do so many people make it their goal to make others’ life so damn difficult? Life is a blank slate, there are no rules or creeds that any person is required to live by, and no one ever has the right to try and choose the RIGHT path. 


I asked Eliot to let me write this in light of the recent uprisings in the Middle East, namely Libya. It just astounds me that a leader of a country can possibly use violence on his own people in order to keep meaningless power. Even more troubling for me is the fact that there are people working under him that are willing to look their fellow countrymen in the eyes and then proceed to spray a machine gun into their crowd. Sure, this sort of violence is nothing new and in a historical context is mild, but it just makes no fucking sense. Why did Gadhafi ever CHOOSE to rule with such an iron fist? Why did he not choose to allow his people to live freely. As Kanye said, “No one man should have all that power.” No one, even an elected official, should have the right to tell me that I need to live a less pleasant life just because they say so. Where do the Chinese get off setting a limit on the amount of children a family is allowed to have. Doing so is suggesting that those at the top of the government making the decisions were given some sort of innate power to limit the freedom of fellow human beings. More importantly, why do these leaders make these decisions? When did a lack of compassion for another’s well-being become such a chronic problem?


Unfortunately, no country is more to blame in my mind than the United States of America. The political battles these days are always advertised as good vs. bad battles between the Democrats and Republicans, depending on what side you’re on. Yet take a closer look and the misuse of power is astonishing. Several of the prominent issues these days should not only be non-issues by now, but they should have never been issues in the first place. Who are any of us to tell any homosexual that they aren’t allowed to marry? How can any man or woman who claims to have any resemblance of a heart and soul deny another man or woman the right to be happy. People this is the 21st century, science has all but proved that being gay is not a choice. Gay is not a choice just like being born with one leg is not a choice, but a one legged straight man is still able to marry and enjoy all the financial safeties that come with it. If California allows its citizens to vote down gay marriage, can they also vote away all Hispanics? Republicans take such an unconstitutional stance on the matter that it’s a joke. The Constitution explicitly states that Church and State must be separated. So then how can Republicans rightfully defend the ban of gay marriage, when their only defense is based on the fact that they believe the Bible outlaws homosexuality. That in itself is combining Church and State. Every politician needs to think about what is best for the citizens of their nation, and in many cases citizens of the world, before they make any decisions. Political stances should not and cannot be based off of religious beliefs. Simple, as clear cut as something can possibly be.


Same thing with abortion. Until an argument can be made that doesn’t involve religious beliefs, than abortion NEEDS to be legal. No old Southern Republican should be against a 15 year old girl who made a mistake one night, having an abortion. Every one has the right to choose, because without this right we are all slaves to man made rules and religions. Holding political power does not give a person the power to choose the way another person has to live their life. Once again they need to all just stop and think, is this what is best for my people, the human being. Republicans seem to be very out of touch with this doctrine these days, and it’s sad because it’s leading to even greater threats like the Tea Party and others on the far left are not excluded from this as well.


I hate the fact that every person has to be a part of a group. I hate that as someone who was born in the United States without any choice in the matter, I am expected to be blindly patriotic and continuously affirm and prove my belief that USA is number one. Sure, I root for the United States to do well in the World Cup and whatnot, but I was born on planet Earth. I fully consider myself a citizen of the world first, and my theory is that if everyone felt this way the world would be a much safer and enjoyable place to live. When I’m at an airport and see that there are four men with turbans boarding my plane I can honestly say it has no effect on me. America probably has more people willing to hijack a plane and fly it into a Middle-Eastern building than the other way around. 


“We’re all out here trying to make a living, sometimes we get in each other’s way.” John C. Reilly dropped this wonderful line at the end of a horrific movie named The Promotion. It’s a terrific line, because conflict does happen. Sometimes you do get beat out by someone else for a job or a spot on a team. If we all just stopped and realized that that guy who just beat you out for the job is just trying to make a living the same as any of us are, then a lot of harsh feelings and ill will can be avoided. Apply this to a bigger stage and it still works. Every country need to supply their citizens with oil. If the leaders of these countries were to step back and realize that the worse solution to this problem would be greed and loss of life, then we would no longer be fighting wars over oil. Every human life is as valuable as the next, no man or woman is more important than another, and no one has the right to live otherwise.


--Zane Thompson


*-[Editor's Note: That is exactly what this was.]

33 comments:

  1. You touched on probably the single point that I feel most passionate about, which is that it's SO important for ordinary people to be informed and keep up with the headlines. The more informed people are, the more they can change.

    But you absolutely did single out Islam, and you come dangerously close to blaming that hostility on Muslims instead of on Muslim extremists. Much the same as how we can't blame Christianity for the assassination of Doctor Tiller, we need to keep a clear separation of Islam and Islamic extremism.

    Other than that though, I really like this article. Keep up the good work. Keep being informed. Knowledge is power.

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  2. Great stuff, Zane! I watch the Daily Show everyday and usually keep up on my documentaries and I think it's sad that soooo many people disregard what's going on out there in the world. The only part I disagreed with was "America probably has more people willing to hijack a plane and fly it into a Middle-Eastern building than the other way around." We can never know that for sure and the nationality is irrelevant (but i could see that's what you meant). Regardless, it's always awesome to hear of other young people, especially friends, staying in touch with the news.

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  3. Immortal Technique's "4th Branch:"
    "How could this be the land of the free, home of the brave/indigenous holocaust and the home of the slaves. Corporate America dancing offbeat to the rhythm. You really think this country never sponsored terrorism? Human rights violations we continue the saga, El Salvador and the Contras in Nicaragua. And on top of that you still want to take me to prison, just cause I won't trade humanity for patriotism."

    -Carrie

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  4. I feel like you seriously oversimplify things when you say some of this stuff, especially the whole abortion thing. Yeah, it's rough on younger girls to have kids, but some people think that's a mistake you should have to live with. Just like you think not allowing abortions is wrong, some people think allowing abortion is murder. And I don't really think it's right to say that you hate groups, because you clearly single out a lot of groups and establish yourself as rather leftist.

    -Classic

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  5. Actually Brian, all of the positions Zane advocates here are basically libertarian in origin. Just because more democrats than republicans take those positions does not make the position "leftist."

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  6. Ill see you in PS 101 tomorrow Nick.
    haha

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  7. Yeah true, my bad. But the point remains the same.

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  8. brian i feel like you read the wrong article...he doesnt single out groups he uses the groups in place and how they act to say why he hates groups. zane you got it completely right. brian those who say abrtion is wrong are taken away a persons choice. thats one of the main points of this article. whether a person thinks its right or wrong they dont have the right to make someone else think like them

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  9. wooo just realized i can comment on this without creating some kind of account, Zane i gotta agree with brian on the over simplification point i think abortion and gay marriage aren't as connected to religion (although they some what are) as you are thinking. Also I find groups necessary to an extent, without them there'd be a shit ton of chaos in both ordinary life and politics. Finally I feel like you're spending a lot of time questioning why people don't live by your beliefs and values, but it really shouldn't be surprising that everyone sees things in different ways.Feel like this mighta been a little harsh for my first post... sorry about that
    -Griffin

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  10. give me one other reason that people are against gay marriage outside religious purposes...please

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  11. well no, the point is that the baby doesnt want you to kill it and is entitled to its own life. the debate is whether its considered a human when its been in the womb for 4 months. im of the opinion that something that lives inside you dont really have a say in such things, not to gang up on you brian.

    -Eliot

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  12. my beliefs in values are irrelevant. im saying drop all preconceived beliefs and values. theyve all been created since after man was created. being gay was an issue in Rome, so who decided one day that it is WRONG?

    my beliefs and values are based off the belief that we are all put on Earth here together and regardless of why we believe that has happened no one can have the power to tell me that I dont have choice in a matter that concerns ME.

    _Zane

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  13. Griffzilla
    I'm confident that I'm gonna be on Zane's side when I say gay marriage (not abortion) is majorly connected with religious beliefs in our political system. Sure they're are other reasons (in my opinion, bs reasons) but google or youtube up any same sex marriage related debates in our politics and probably 90% of the time, religion is the source of opposition. So I would say it can be simplified.

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  14. Also whoever was looking for other reasons people have opposed gay marriage besides religion, I've got one. Some politicians believe it will lead to "redefining" our constitution. Like if we let gays marry then that might lead to polygamy. But I guess that ties back to religion too so fuck me, right?

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  15. but your beliefs of respect and equality aren't universal Zane, religious teachings are typically considered fact by believes im not that surprised extremists exist, you look at the freedom to have a child, but for the chinese government its a sacrifice that must be made to supply basic rights to there citizens (although the results-large scale sex based abortions-are horrible its not a perfect world, and its extremely difficult to live a life without gettin in the way of at least a couple peoples freedom, and you value freedom and respect but not everyone is gonna agree, Gadhafi obviously seems to believe that there is a better way of life, if you truly believe in respecting your fellow citizens of the world you should logically be the most serious of vegitarians walking around with a bell on your waste to warn smaller creatures of your movement so u dont accidentally step on them and stopping other from doin harmful activities to other life forms but wait, then you would be limiting someones freedom and youve already broken your own system, i really dont mean to be mean and im sorry im so far behind this conversation
    -Griffin

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  16. I mean the point I'm making is when you say "No one has the right to tell me what's right and wrong", that's an anarchist view. That's like saying fuck the government and fuck laws. Some people consider abortion murder, so to them, it shouldn't be a choice we get to make, just like it's not a choice we get to make if we wanted to go out and kill some random dude on the street for whatever reason. Sure every law is always gonna be debated to some extent, and maybe some laws are wrong, but if we didn't have them, the world would be royally fucked because there are plenty of bad people out there that would take advantage of that in a second.

    -Classic

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  17. Also @ Eliot, the point isn't that the baby doesn't want you to kill it. It has no idea wtf is going on, just as a baby outside of the womb wouldn't know if you wanted to kill it. The issue is whether or not anyone has the right to take a human life at any stage for any reason.

    -Classic

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  18. humans don't live in bellies.

    -ELIOT

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  19. Also @ the anonymous person who said this: "brian those who say abrtion is wrong are taken away a persons choice. thats one of the main points of this article. whether a person thinks its right or wrong they dont have the right to make someone else think like them"...so we just get to do whatever the fuck we want whenever the fuck we want to? thinking abortion is wrong is a choice in itself, as is everything we do in life, but choice needs its limits, and thats why we have laws. no one is ever like "laws against murder and rape are wrong because they obstruct my freedom of choice!" but that's the whole point of the abortion argument. It's not about the right to choice, it's about whether a fetus is considered a human being developed enough to be valued at the same level as a human being outside the womb. and i know i've sort of inadvertently imposed my values in my arguments, as do we all, but im not saying that I'm right in my views and you're all wrong in yours. I respect everyone's right to their opinions in most cases, including this one, despite disagreeing. i just think its rather hypocritical to condemn suppression of choice on one hand and then shut down those who choose to believe differently than you. also, sorry for my excessive and multiple responses. it's just something i'm rather outspoken about.

    -Classic

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  20. haha, so a fetus is what? an alien?

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  21. i thought that whole rant was about my one comment. i was like hooooooly shit-that's awesome. but yeah. a fetus is a fetus. i dunno. i just dont think it's on the same level as sentient beings that are humans. and ive never grown up in an improper and ill-prepared environment, so i don't really know how serious that should factor in to a decision on abortion. we could debate this for years, maybe we'd get somewhere. but it's abortion, so we probably wouldn't.

    -Eliot

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  23. Just to throw in my opinion on this whole abortion thing...
    Abortion is really just the result of a more serious underlying problem, the problem that Nick talked about in his last post. If society could be more comfortable with sex, it could be more comfortable with educating people about sex and about contraception and make it easier for contraception to be obtained.
    Abortion is an serious and extreme option to a mostly avoidable problem. However some people are not mentally responsible enough to avoid this situation in the first place, nor are the mentally responsible enough to raise a child in a good environment. While adoption usually the better option, some people don't have the sense to see that is what is best for the child, and will instead raise the child in an environment that will further the cycle of abuse and maltreatment that they grew up in. Abortion is one way to stop this cycle if there is no other choice.
    Obviously, this is a bit personal to me, and my own life observations have made abortion seem like a justifiable option to me, though I understand why some people would not see this.

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  24. "i just think its rather hypocritical to condemn suppression of choice on one hand and then shut down those who choose to believe differently than you."

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  26. and @ jenni, i agree with a lot of that. some situations are a lot harder than others. there definitely needs to be a lot more prevention going on than there is

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  27. i quoted it because i thought it was the best statement thus far.

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  28. i fuckin hate all of you and your beliefs. sue me.

    -Eliot

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  29. oh ok my bad robert. all this contention is making me all defensive and shit i guess haha. <3 thank you.

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