Mass Media: A Boon or a Curse?

Mass media is (according to wikipedia): A section of the media specifically designed to reach a large audience. The term was coined in the 1920s with the advent of nationwide radio networks, mass-circulation newspapers and magazines. However, some forms of mass media such as books and manuscripts had already been in use for centuries.
Mass media includes Internet media (like blogs, message boards, podcasts, and video sharing) because individuals now have a means to exposure that is comparable in scale to that previously restricted to a select group of mass media producers. The communications audience has been viewed by some commentators as forming a mass society with special characteristics, notably atomization or lack of social connections, which render it especially susceptible to the influence of modern mass-media techniques such as advertising and propaganda.

So my little blog is also a little piece of the mass media pie. But my question is this... is it a boon? Or is it a curse?

In my opinion it has the potential to be both... and indeed... it is living up to its potential... but not only its potential for being a boon... but also a curse...

The positives of mass media are many... and are of great significance... but its the negatives which I want to discuss here... because it is those negatives which have been gaining momentum over the past few decades...

I am talking of the evils like media bias, glorification of immoral and illegal behavior, sensationalizing ordinary events, invasion of privacy, perpetuation of certain superstitions etc etc.

People have told me... if you dont like it... dont watch/read/listen to it... i.e. pretend to be a Deaf-Mute (Credit GITS and the late Salinger). I have tried... Really... I have tried to ignore some of the worrying trends I have seen in the youth of the world today... all a result of the pervasive nature of some of these aspects of the mass...

UNDERAGE DRINKING/SMOKING

I see larger and larger numbers of underage teenagers drinking and smoking everyday... a combination of a multitude of factors... easy availability of tobacco and alcohol notwithstanding, there is also the peer pressure they must deal with... the "everyone who is 'cool' must do it syndrome" as I sometimes term it...

But who are the ones who made smoking and drinking 'cool'? Who defined that? Mass Media... in the form of movies, TV shows, sometimes books... (sorry bout this Salinger... but you did it too...)...

I am not asking everyone to stub out their cigarettes and pour their drinks down the drain... I am asking them to think about why they chose to pick them up in the first place...

CASUAL SEX

It is now considered uncool not to have had a multitude of sexual partners before marriage... again... a trend which was popularized by mass media... particularly western media... which the Indian media has been trying to emulate... (truly a sad state of affairs that...)... This is something I am not as much worried about... so long as it occurs between consenting partners... who really are 'into' each other... but often times I see couples which are formed simply because: "well... all my friends have a girlfriend/boyfriend... I didn't want to be left behind"...

There is a growing trend of competition for the number of 'conquests' that have been made (this holds true for both for men and women)... which is something I cannot bring myself to accept...

Again.... a trend popularized by the mass media... and again... I am not asking all of you lovers out there to run away and elope and get married or practice celibacy before marriage (assuming you ever get that far)... I am asking you to think about why you are doing what you are doing... and think about whether you really want to do it for yourself... or just to be considered 'cool'... and to consider how any insincerity on your part could cause significant emotional damage to your partner...

INSTANT GRATIFICATION

Like they say... all things in moderation... unfortunately the spread of mass media has caused the spread of the "instant-gratification-culture." Everyone wants everything to move fast and to get instant results/pleasure... Not a bad thing to want... but it should set off alarm bells when we see ourselves completely forgoing... even deriding all other longer paths to the same goals...

Relationships used to be built up over time... nowadays its more like a collection of one night stands... Any sport where there is no heavy hitting real time action is considered totally boring... Test Cricket... Baseball... etc etc... The trend of moving towards having everything done in shorter and shorter times is not new, and is certainly not a bad thing... it is part of human nature... It is a good thing to increase efficiency... but sometimes the price we pay for that efficiency is terrible... and we often times dont even realize it...

CRIME/VIOLENCE

People nowadays are exposed to so much violence via the mass media... its phenomenal... I wish I had verifiable stats.... but I think it would not be an exaggeration to say that more people see more violent scenes in one form or another everyday these days... than they did before the advent of mass media... and this is having a startling effect on our youth... even children...

I heard of a terrible case (Thankfully not in India) where a young boy was killed by a couple of 10 year old's in a pretty gruesome manner... I believe it was in the UK...

But even in India... I have heard of several disturbing cases involving teenagers and young adults... rape, kidnappings of friends, beatings, murders even... This is not normal... and it IS a problem we need to face up to... I am glad that we don't have as many guns floating around in India (in the hands of private citizens) as there are in the USA... In the USA... school shootings occur every few months...

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The fact is mass media is so pervasive and so powerful that everything they project has a significant impact on us all psychologically without us realizing it.

Mass media (intentionally or not) implants images in impressionable young minds... when they are not mature enough to make educated decisions about their lives... when they are in their rebellious phase and do not want to listen to their parents even... Now there is the potential to implant both good and bad things... and it is my hope that we are able to get mass media to focus more on the good rather than the bad... It is not a question of age restrictions on media... because its a well known fact that the more you try to keep adolescents from getting/doing something... the more likely it is that they will go to extreme lengths to get/do it...

55 Fiction #011: The Hit

#011: The Hit

Scene: 1

Akram: Didja get ‘em?

Abbas (patting his backpack…): They’re all here…

Shankar: Our reputation is at stake… we must not fail…

Abbas: Don’t worry… I never miss my target….

Scene: 2

Nanditha: No!!… Don’t!!…

Laughing raucously… they shoot her in cold blood…

Her pristine white dress stained blood red… she collapses…

Holi HAI!!!!

I figured I should put this one up now… given the theme… I hope you enjoyed it...

A Handful of Sand

She was standing in front of me… smiling… cheerful… full of life… as beautiful as ever…

Then… she frowned…

“What’s the matter? You look like you haven’t seen me in years…”

I snapped out of my reverie...

“It’s… nothing… I’m… just a little disoriented…”

“You haven’t been drinking again have you?”

She was giving me that admonishing look… It was the same…. Just as adorable…

I wanted to hug her tightly… but somehow… I was unable to move… I replied…

“No… I haven’t…”

She smiled… I felt like I had been enveloped in a mist of gentle warmth...

“Good! Drinking is bad for health!”

She turned away from me… looking towards the sea…

“So… how are things?”

“As well as they could be…”

“I see”

She sat down on the soft dry sand… then held out her hand… inviting me to join her…

Hesitatingly… I moved up beside her… and sat down… my hand clasping hers… It was warm and comforting… just like always…

We watched the waves for a while… in silence… the stars were shining overhead… and a cool breeze was blowing… The scene in front of us was so beautiful… it seemed that talking would somehow be disrespectful…

I stole a glance at her again… the breeze was picking up strands of her long black hair so that they billowed out behind her… her lips glistened in the moonlight… I fought the urge to hold her…

Suddenly… she spoke…

“Do you know why I came to see you?”

I was afraid… I didn’t want to know the answer…

“No”

She gave me another adorable admonishing look…

“Liar”

She was right… I knew… I couldn’t meet her eyes… I didn’t dare… they could always see right through me… to the core of my being…

She started to speak again…

“This is the place where we first met…. Isn’t it?

“Yes.”

“I remember you called me “strange” that time…”

I must have blushed… because she laughed… just like always…

“You’re blushing!”

“It’s because you brought up that old memory…”

She was still laughing… I couldn’t take it anymore… I grabbed her shoulders… I was about to pull her into an embrace… Then… I saw her face…

She was actually crying…

I struggled to find the words to ask her what the matter was… but… when I tried to speak… my lips refused to move…

She had already wiped her tears… she looked into my eyes and gave me a watery smile…

“It’s okay…”

I wanted to scream “It’s not okay!” but it was as if my power of speech had been sealed…

The sky was starting to lighten… she continued…

“I need to go now…”

In my mind… I was screaming with all my heart…begging… pleading…“No!!… Don’t go!!… Not… again…”

I was paralyzed… she drew away from me… and I could do nothing but watch…

As she slipped from my grasp…. I was released from the spell… I lunged forward and grabbed her wrist…

She struggled…. Straining away from me…

“Don’t go… please…” I pleaded…

She stopped struggling… but did not turn to face me…

“I must…”

I moved closer…

“I won’t let you go…. Not this time…”

She turned… tears welled up in those beautiful black eyes…

“I wish I had listened to you on that day…”

The memory flooded back into my mind…

4 years ago… at this very spot… she had smiled and said…

“Its only for a month… I will be back before you know it… and after all… we have our whole lives ahead of us…. Right?”

But she never returned to me… she was taken from me… by a cruel trick of fate…

I banished the memories from my mind…

“Then listen to me now…”

Another watery smile…

“You know I can’t…”

The sun had started to rise… she gently pulled her hand free….

It was happening again…. I fell into an all too familiar pit of despair… I grabbed her wrist again… tighter this time…

“No…. no…. this can’t be happening….. you can’t be leaving me again!!” I yelled…

I was losing all control…. Then… I felt her hand on my cheek…

“It’s okay… you will be okay…”

She moved closer and hugged me… I buried my head in her chest and wept…

She gently eased my head off her chest and looked into my eyes…

“You will be fine… I know it…

“How?”

She smiled… really smiled… more radiant than the rising sun…

“…because you promised me…”

I wept… she stroked my head… just like she used to… when she wanted me to do something…

“I want you to promise me…”

I whispered…

“Anything you want… Anything…”

She leaned forward and kissed me…

“Promise me…That you’ll take good care of her… like you did for me…”

I whispered

“I promise…”

and then she vanished….

I fell to my knees… I was left there… holding a handful of sand…

The harder I tried to hold onto it… the faster it slipped from between my fingers...

I felt something in my fist… I opened it… and saw the bracelet I had given her the last time we had met…

I closed my eyes and clutched it to my chest…

When I opened them… I was back in my bed… the bracelet was gone… and my pillow was wet…

A figure stirred next to me…

Kris…

I stroked her brown hair… she smiled… and opened her eyes…

Never again…

That feeling of desperately trying to hold onto something precious… only to have it slip away… like a handful of sand….

I never want to feel that again…

She hugged me and said….

“Its okay…”

END

P.S. After I wrote that story... I made up another ending... one where the woman with the bracelet had somehow ended up with someone else... and that "we" were still very much in love... but she made "me" choose Kris... then I made one where "I" managed to convince her to elope with "me"... but I figured... It would be best to go with the very first one... those of you who know me would probably understand why....

Saiunkoku Monogatari: Colorcloud Palace (Sai Yukino)

This anime is by far one of the best I have seen in the past few years. I think you would be hard pressed to find someone who does not like it. Well... here goes....

SOURCE: S1 from R1 DVD and S2 from fan-subs.

THEMES/GENRES: Comedy, Drama, Historical, Fantasy, Political Intrigue, Shoujo.

PLOT SYNOPSIS:

The story follows the adventures of Shuurei Hong (or Shuurei Kou) in the kingdom of Saiunkoku. Shuurei is a descendant of a noble family which has fallen on hard times. Her family includes her father, Kou Shouka, who works in the imperial library as a librarian and a family retainer by the name of Seiran Shi. Despite being a a noble family and Shouka holding a prestigious post, they are very poor with Shuurei and Seiran having to work odd jobs to support themselves.
Shuureis dream was to one day pass the civil service examinations and become a government official in order to help the people. However, according to the law, only men were allowed to join the civil service. Shuurei takes her disappointment in stride and spends her free time teaching the children at the local temple.
One day, the Emperor's Grand Advisor pays her a visit and makes a startling offer. He offers her great financial compensation if she undertakes a task for him. Frustrated by her poverty, Shuurei decides to take up the offer without even bothering to find out the details. As it turns out, the advisor wanted Shuurei to enter the imperial household for six months as the young Emperor's consort, and teach the Emperor to be a responsible ruler.
The story details the growth of Shuurei's relationship with the Emperor and other members of the court, the various intrigues that surround imperial politics, and highlights her determination to better herself and her country.

MY THOUGHTS

Plot: Political intrigue... or just intrigue in general has not been depicted better (IMO) in any anime in recent history. Shuurei comes across as a remarkably resourceful young woman and her intelligence and foresight are remarkably well depicted. As a viewer you are always wondering what the final consequence of each of her actions will be. There is almost always a hidden agenda behind an action that will end up surprising the viewer. Only series I remember viewing which does Political intrigue this well would be The Legend of the Galactic Hero's (a brilliant series IMO)... every arc (in Saiunkoku Monogatari) is gripping and enjoyable... there is drama and tragedy... but plenty of humor as well...
Another impressive aspect of the plot is that it does NOT rely on fan service of any sort. Well... its a plus point for me because I feel ticked off when I watch anime which just try to squeeze in eye candy at every possible opportunity... thats not to say that the stories are bad... but just that they use fan service to an excess.
The best thing about this anime though is the supporting cast.... e.g. the villains... or anti heros... whatever you prefer... They are all very crafty... and some are very like-able... in Season 1 I totally loved Sakujun... he was my favorite male character... Season 2... well.. I dont want to post any spoilers.... but Season 2 had less like-able villains... although they were still just as crafty... Shuurei's allies are also generally all very well rounded and developed... and immensely like-able.... characters like To Eigetsu, Seiran, Shuei, Koyu etc are all depicted very well...

Animation: Very crisp and clean. There are no faults to be found here. I really liked the settings and background work. It really feels authentic...

Music: The OP to S1 is something I could listen to on loop for a good long time... its very good... Ending theme is not bad either... but whats really impressive is the mournful Ehru tunes and other BGM that is included in the series... it is all very good....

Voice Talent: No faults here either... I loved the Japanese original VA's but the English dubbers (R1... dunno about Animax) were also great.... fansubs for S2 are also good...

Personal Note: Get off your rear ends and watch this series if you haven't done so already...

Overall Score: 9.5/10. would have gotten the top score of 9.7 but S2 is starting to give off reverse harem vibes... and the ending was a bit more ambiguous than I would have liked. Although it was fitting in its own way.

ALBUM
Work in progress.

Summer Wars (Mamoru Hosada)

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Get your own

Well.... peeps.... this movie might make history.... In the future.... it could very well be known as the calling card of Miyazakis Heir....

SOURCE:

Prints available right now are crappy (by my standards.... Blame all the Blu Ray Rips I have been watching recently...) and have audio and subtitle syncing issues... The English ones are hardcoded on top of the other subs... so sometimes it gets hard to read... but these are transient problems... cant wait for a better version!!!

PLOT SYNOPSIS: (Sourced from various sites and embellished)

At first sight, the world of Summer Wars looks practically identical to contemporary Japan. But there's one big difference: the existence of Oz. A mix between social network and virtual world (think of it like some kind of Facebook taken to new and radically extreme heights), accessible via phones, computers, televisions and practically any electronic device you can think of. A user can find anything inside Oz, ranging from the typical chat rooms to every kind of entertainment, shop, business and even government services like traffic, police and fire departments. Everything is connected to this massive worldwide network, all you have to do is register, create your own virtual avatar and log in.

Kenji is a shy and awkward man, his only real gift - at least as far as he's concerned - an aptitude for math, a subject in which he is skilled enough that he was very nearly Japan's representative for the global math Olympiad. With school out of session Kenji has taken a job as low level tech support for OZ, a job he quickly jettisons when Natsuki - the most popular girl in school - asks if anyone needs a job for the summer because she needs someone to accompany her to her family's traditional home to help out preparing for her great grandmother's ninetieth birthday party. Seeing an opportunity, Kenji jumps at the chance.

And things seem great at first. Natsuki is beautiful, smart and outgoing - exactly the kind of girl that Kenji would never have a chance with and he has clearly been idolizing her from a distance. The train ride is great. But then he finds out what Natsuki is really up to. With the family matriarch in failing health, Natsuki has promised to bring home her boyfriend to meet the family on this visit. But the thing is Natsuki doesn't actually have a boyfriend and so she has solved the problem by hiring Kenji under false pretenses. Once the pair arrive Kenji learns his true job: He must spend the next four days pretending to be Natsuki's boyfriend. But the panic he feels at that is nothing compared to the panic that sets in when what he believed was a math problem emailed to him by an anonymous source turns out to be an identity theft scam that cripples OZ and leaves Kenji framed for the chaos.

Watch as Kenji enlists the aid of Natsukis family tries to fight back and prove his innocence and save the world from the ensuing chaos!

MY THOUGHTS:

Plot:

The concept is brilliant... and the execution is even better... Mamoru creates an intricate network of characters (Natsukis large family)... and while he does not invest much time in developing them.... you still end up loving them all... with only the interactions between them to work with... He still manages to make it so that the viewer can walk away feeling like he somehow knows every member of the Jinnouchi clan...

The plot is great and 'clean' as well... making the movie perfect for family viewing... There is a little bit of everything in the movie... budding romance... comedy... some tragedy/drama... action.... and a peek into the lives led by members of large cohesive families... something that you very rarely get to see in an anime....

Animation:

What really astonished me was how effortlessly... almost seamlessly... he merged CGI with the traditional cels.... You would expect the transfers between the realms of animation to be jerky.... interrupting the flow as it were... but this is not the case...

The plot premise allowed the design teams imagination to run wild and they made full use of it... with creativity that can easily be likened to Miyazaki... Mamoru creates the strange and beautiful world of OZ and the various Avatars of the users.... The final fight scene took my breath away....

Personal Note:

In short... I believe that the successor who will take up Miyazakis mantle has just sent in his application... Fans of Toki Wa Kakeru Shoujo can expect to be pleased if not outright thrilled by Summer Wars.... and everyone can/should expect great things from this man....

Overall Score:

I dont ever give perfect scores out to anything I watch or read... cause theres always something that can be done better... but this one comes damn close to deserving one... as close as only a few others have...

ALBUM

http://s144.photobucket.com/albums/r175/OnimenoKyoshiro/Summer%20Wars/

9.7/10

Freedom Project (OVA)

SOURCE: Before you read any further. Please take note that I am an aerospace engineer and since this anime deals with a subject of particular interest to me, my views are perchance biased. First watched it in late 2008. Watched the Blu Ray version not more than a month ago.

PLOT SYNOPSIS:

Basic post apocalyptic scenario plot. Due to an event known as 'The Great Disaster' caused by the crashing of a massive space-station into the Earth, a massive climatic shift occured. Ensuing wars over scare resources wiped out the last traces of humanity on Earth. The last human survivors now dwell in tightly controlled environments on the Moon. The various domes comprising the settlements are collectively known as Eden. Adolescents are rigorously schooled and allowed a brief period of 'freedom' before being integrated into society as workers in different fields.

During this phase, most adolescents would participate in or become spectators to racing events where they would race each other using special vehicles which look like motorbikes (except they're so much cooler!). The principal protagonist Takeru is distinguished by the fact that he has built his own 3 wheeler vehicle with the help of his friends Kazuma and Bismarck (Biz). However, when his vehicle catches fire on a public road, Takeru is sentenced to 10 hours of community service where he is forced to perform maintenance on the exterior of the 'domes' which they all inhabit.

Takeru is frustrated at his failure to defeat his arch rival Taira in the race, and the fact that Kazuma's sister Chiyo (The one he had a crush on) is dating someone else. He is performing his duties outside the dome when he notices an object falling from space to the surface of the moon. He rushes over to see what it is and finds a smashed capsule containing pictures of a girl and various other people and children. On the back of the girls picture there was a message 'We are safe. Is anybody out there?' Infatuated with the girl, Takeru attempts to find out more about her and forces Biz and Kazuma to help him.

Alan, an old man whom they befriended tells them that the picture was of a place on Earth... namely Cape Canaveral in Florida on Earth. Intrigued, the boys try to learn more about the Earth only to find that all information about the Earth was tightly controlled. Feeling suspicious, Takeru decides to venture outside the dome to learn more. It is then that he, Kazuma and Biz discover the secret of Eden. The Earth was not a barren red wasteland as the Eden government claimed it to be. It was blue and looked to be in good health. Takeru decides to escape Eden and go to Earth to find the girl from the picture. The anime follows his exploits as he crash lands in Las Vegas and travels all the way across the United States to Florida in order to find the girl... will he find her? What happens next?
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MY THOUGHTS

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ANIMATION: The quality of the animation I have seen in this series far surpasses most anime I have seen (that I can remember... and I have seen a LOT of anime)... its simply mind blowing.... besides... they had Katsuhiro Otomo (of Akira and Steamboy fame) as the character and mecha designer...

VOICE TALENT: I dont usually pay attention to the seiyuus names but whoever they were... they did an outstanding job IMO.

MUSIC: Is very fitting. Dunno what else to say really. I liked it. Did not interfere with the feel or flow of the anime as some music sometimes does....

PLOT: Generic for the most part (see synopsis)... but well executed... concentrated on telling the story rather than dishing out fan service or other pointless distractions... some humor is integrated into the scenes, but the overall feeling is that of young people out on an adventure in a new world... some 'anti-establishment' / 'stick-it-to-the-man' sentiment in some scenes... but mostly its about the exuberance and the potential of youth... the friendship between teenagers boys... the incredible will to survive that all humans have...stuff like that... its predictable... but not boring... which is not easy to manage...

OVERALL SCORE: 8/10 I would say... Note again that I am biased because I have a soft spot for anime dealing with space.... I particularly liked this one because it uses some existing rockets (namely the Saturn V) and launch sites (Cape Canaveral). For a more objective rating I guess you could take off about half a point... or maybe one full point...

SIDE NOTE: This anime was sponsored by Nissin Noodles for some anniversary of theirs (35th I think). Anyway.... characters will often be seen eating Nissin cup noodles. So... yeah... thought you ought to know... product placement is coming to the anime world too...

55 Fiction Rush...

So.... as I said before... I saw the 55 fictions on some blogs.... (Namely Samandrita chan and Omkar kuns blogs)... and I thought it might be cool to write one.... and I did.... you might have read it... Anyway... it was hard... but fun... and I thought... why not do another?

4 hours later I had 10 of them... the format is compelling.... trying to squeeze in a story in 55 words is so hard! But the end result was surprisingly good (at least IMO).... I will admit that my 2nd attempt was not spectacular... but the others I feel pretty good about... I will be putting them out weekly....

So... heres the schedule.... I put up the titles so you can try to imagine what theyre about... LoL... and so that you know I didnt cheat! (They are all ready to go right now...)... Also... I guess I could convert those titles to links to the posts as I make em...

#001: Peer Pressure

#002: The Mujahid

#003: The Best Friend

#004: The Jumper

#005: Revenge is Sweet

#006: The Showdown

#007: Love Letter

#008: The Ubermensch

#009: Voyeur

#010: A Jester in Love

55 Fiction #001: Peer Pressure

I saw some of these on other blogs... thought I would try my hand out at one myself.... Damn this is hard... But it was fun...

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Peer Pressure...

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What are you waiting for?

I’m not sure if I want to do this…

Dude… come on… everyone does it…

Why?

Why? Just… cause…

I don’t want any trouble…

There won’t be…

But… what if…

Jeez… you’re lame… I’ll ask AJ instead…

No wait... I'll do it..

Finally!… All that dithering… for a single proxy…

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END

P.S. : For the uninitiated... (I doubt there are very many)... but by 'proxy'... I was referring to the practice of having someone else sign for your attendance on a register... a tactic frequently employed by college students all over the world... (I wish my professors didnt know me well enough so that they wouldnt notice I was missing when I try this myself)...

Watching a Rainbow

It was a Saturday... the 20th I think... and it was cold and raining... I was feeling thoroughly miserable... lots of homework, a midterm and a lab due the following week apart from the work I needed to be doing for my professor...

But things were not all bad... I had a date planned that night... However.... given the way that things were going... I was going to end up too tired to enjoy it... I thought about calling her and telling her to postpone our date....

But then I decided to wait a little longer before I made the call... I kept on working... fortunately I was not alone... I had a few underclassmen for company... good sports all of em... I helped them out with their work for a few minutes to take my mind off off my own problems...

It was evening when we decided to open the door to the lab to get some fresh air... I stepped out with one of the underclassmen... we were both ranting about how our instructors were all slave drivers... and then we stopped short... awestruck by the scene that greeted us outside...

It was a gigantic rainbow... bright and vivid.... the kind you see in picture books... we hurried over to the parking lot to get a better view... and were even more amazed.... the rainbow formed a fully complete arch... and vivid as a drawing the whole way through... we could see the aircraft on approach to the airport passing through the arc...

We yelled for the others to come outside and join us... and fortunately one of them had a camera... they took a few pictures... which they promised to send me (haven't done so yet.... must call them...)

In that brief moment... all my fatigue vanished... and I forgot about the cold and the rain... most of life's problems would seem insignificant in the face of such beauty.... But... even as we admired the magnificence of the colors and the size of the arch.... the rainbow began to fade... the sun had started to set....

Of all of natures displays of artistry... the rainbow is one of the most beautiful... and perhaps the most ephemeral... it was a reminder that even though all good things must come to an end... we must remember that every cloud has a silver lining... so to speak...

Just then... my cellphone buzzed in my pocket... it was her...

"What are you doing?"

If she had called five minutes ago... I would have probably given her an earful about my terrible workload... but... all of that seemed so insignificant now....

"I was watching a Rainbow"

END

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You know how they say that people should take the time to smell the roses? I think we all need to do that more often...

Nowadays... people are so caught up in some or the other kind of "race"... which is more generally termed as "the-rat-race"... but everyone has his or her own version of it... The thing is... I dont see too many people ever looking at the sky or admiring flora and fauna like I do (from time to time)...

Perhaps I am just odd that way... but I find that it makes me happy to look at nature... watching squirrels /chipmunks playing on that rusty old sculpture outside the ISTB, going out of my way to look at the cactus flowers when they bloom... etc etc... there is another incident where I was feeding birds... but thats another story...

Anyway... I digress...

The point I wanted to make is that we all need to get out of our own way and try to find some time to enjoy nature... the smallest things can often serve as great stress busters.... and simply make you smile... so... go out there and pretend you're a kid... chase a butterfly or play with a cat or puppy... admire the flowers... lie in the grass... something...

Dissent and its Opression

Let me start of by saying that the pictures included in the slideshow are only meant to serve as illustrations about how sometimes the powers-that-be abuse/misuse their powers and put down those that dissent... It is NOT my intention to to target any of the actual events/personalities/groups that some of these comics/posters may have targeted...

Also... full credit to all the artists to created these cartoons... I dont know who they all are since I got these from Google Image Search... but thanks for your hard work....

Start off with a brief Introduction to Dissent.... Some examples of Dissent... and how Dissent is sometimes dealt with... and how the lack of Dissent will ultimately give rise to Tyranny...

Enjoy...

The Fool

You are a fool... why do you even try?
Because I have hope...
Hope is a terrible thing... a dangerous thing... it can drive people insane...
Stop messing up the quotes from the Shawshank Redemption will ya?
Listen to me... you are a fool for hoping things will change....
So you are saying I must choose between being a smart cynic... or a foolish romantic?
Indeed...
Not much of a choice then is it?
Nope...
I prefer to be the romantic... as hopeless as my cause might be...
Then may you rot in this dump for the rest of your life...
Tell me... why are you so bitter?
Its not like it matters to me... but I feel bad when I see your efforts go to waste...
Such as?
When you try get people to clean up their act.... you get reprimanded for not minding your own business...
and?
Even when you try to tell others whats right and wrong... to make it so that the line between right and wrong is not as blurred anymore.... you get shot down...
You think that is enough to discourage me?
It isnt?
Of course not... I have allies here you see... ones who understand how I feel... however few there might be... and however disillusioned they might be...
So you will stay here then?
Yeah... but that does not mean I will limit myself to this place... I wont let you get lonely....
Ba..baka!... As if I care about that....
Youre cute when you act like that you know...
And you are still a fool...
I dont mind that... as long as I have you to worry about me...
You really are the biggest fool I know...
I sure hope so... cause I know you have a soft spot for fools like me...
I just want you to promise me one thing... no... two things...
What?
Dont push yourself too far....
and?
Dont you dare give up....
Kinda contradictory dont you think?
I guess I am a fool too....
Heh... you know what this reminds me of?
No...
A movie I saw once long ago...
How did it end?
Happily... The hero defeated his opponents and lived happily ever after with his lover...
Is that so?
Well... I guess the people who made that movie were all hopeless romantics like me...
I guess...
So... what kind of ending do you see in store for us?
Do you need to ask?
Yes...
A happy one...
... and thats all the encouragement I needed...
They embrace... and he walks away... she watches him... a single tear rolls down her face...
You really are the biggest fool...
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Another blog post I made elsewhere... and this one is again targeting the mods... yeah... I am anti establishment...

The Road to Hell…

As I watch the city empty itself…. Its inhabitants gathering up their goods and belongings… and boarding up their homes… I wonder… How did this come to pass? What is the reason for so many people to want to leave this beautiful place? It appears to be so pure and clean…. So… orderly….

I tap the shoulder of one such inhabitant… and ask… Tell me brother…. Why do you wish to leave this place? Isn’t it beautiful? Is there some tension between different sects?

The inhabitant sadly shakes his head…It is nothing of the sort my friend… we are all brothers and sisters here… no one hates another for such trivial reasons… but the fact is… we all fear for our lives…

I ask… Fear for your lives? In such an idyllic place?

The inhabitant replies… Things used to be different in the past… I am afraid this is a long story…

I reply… I have nothing but time…

The inhabitant sits down and begins his tale…

In the past… this city was not so beautiful…. People would often fight and say rude things… there was disorder in many places…. But even so… the people would still live happily and harmoniously together… it might seem odd… but we enjoyed the little bouts of rough-housing… we were obviously punished for our misdeeds… and we learned our lessons… even if those lessons had to be refreshed every so often…

But then…. things changed… times were dark… the old city was annihilated… and in its place… this beautiful new city rose from the ruins… built by the Emperor… The inhabitants were very pleased with their new homes and could not wait to return to life as usual…. But the Emperor wanted this city to be better in very way… and so he instituted a new set of rules and drafted a large army of enforcers…

The rules were written with good intentions… indeed many of the citizens are in complete agreement with the rules… however… the Emperor failed to give as much thought to the method of punishment for those breaking the rules… in order to nullify the bad elements…. He chose a seemingly simple method…. Death...

I ask… Death? For what kinds of crimes??

The inhabitant wearily replies…. ANY crime… EVERY crime… big or small… intentional or not… every day we are traversing a minefield…. Waiting for someone to trip…. Hoping it is not us… but that is not an existence which anyone cares for…. And so…. You see…. after losing so many friends...

I reply… Yes… I see…

The inhabitant points to a man who has suddenly jumped up onto a rooftop… Then there are people like him… who decide to go out in a blaze of glory…

The strange man starts gesticulating and talking loudly… saying some obscene things…. People around him are staring…. They all seem suddenly afraid… but there is also a hint of admiration in their gaze… and then… all of a sudden… a hooded figure descends on the man and a flash of light illuminates the rooftop.... the strange man smiles triumphantly... even as he starts to disintegrate into dust…

Inhabitant… while I do not agree with his methods… I understand his frustration… and that is why I must take my leave now my friend…

I ask… where are you going?

Inhabitant… in search of a new home… one where we wont have to live in fear of Death for every little mistake we make…

I reply…. Fare thee well my friend…

Inhabitant…. What of you?

I reply… I will stay here…. For as long as I am able… for as long as there are still people here I can call friends… I will stay with them for as long as I can…. and perhaps guide those who wish to leave... so that they may find a haven more suited to their tastes… in this way... I hope to honor the memories of the lost ones....

Inhabitant… Then… farewell...

As he proceeds to depart… hefting a large backpack…. He suddenly turns and calls after me…

Inhabitant… I just remembered something… its something I read somewhere…. It perfectly describes what our fair city is going through…

I ask… What is it?

Inhabitant… “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”

I look at him as he doffs his hat and resumes walking...

Yeah… sounds about right… but things may yet change… I have hope… even if its very little…. Its still there…

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Another blog post I made elsewhere.... and again aimed at the tyrannical moderators... this one also seems to do pretty well out of context...

Lament

I wander this desolate wasteland alone... one by one… my comrades are taken from me... for trivial reasons they fall by the wayside.... what is their crime? I ask... Only to hear a forlorn echo... TTTTOOOOSSSS..... the wind makes an odd sound rustling though the deserted playground....

Even my memories of the fun times of old are fading.... the landmarks brutally torn down.... the graffiti containing the feelings of the dearly departed being painted over…. by unfeeling and uncaring hands… I grow weary of this place.... it is not because of the people who speak in different tongues... I would definitely grow to like them given enough time... but the fear of losing another friend... especially a new friend... is just too much to bear.... the reason I must part ways with this place is because.... as things stand now.... I cannot be free... I cannot spread my wings and fly.... the concept of freedom seems to be alien in this supposed utopia... and life is far too fragile and easily taken away....

I wish I could turn back the hands of time and bring back the old days.... when our world was smaller… but we still had our freedom…. When there were problems…. But there were amicable solutions…. Where we could pray to the god... And expect some consideration…. This new world… this UTOPIA…. And its gods… assuming they are gods… and this IS a utopia… offer us no such consideration…. They smite those who only bend the most trivial of their tenets even with no ill intent in their hearts… but somehow allow vagrants and litterbugs to roam free even as they tarnish this ‘utopia’ with the rubbish that they constantly spew….

Alas… I neither have the authority to challenge the gods…. Nor the power to turn back time… but I do have one thing… and that is… my dignity… and I will never allow that to be taken from me… you will have to pry it from my cold dead hands… and in doing so… you will only prove that I was right… that this is not a Utopia…. This is purgatory… that you are not gods…. because Satan’s greatest trick… was convincing people he did not exist….

That said… I cannot leave this place just yet… there are those I must guide to other worlds here…. Those who do not know that other worlds even exist… that freedom still exists in those places… that their voices will be heard… even if the audience is smaller…. but the sincerity of the responses will be greater… and so I wait…. For those poor lost souls to come to me…. And I will continue to wait… until I am struck down as well… for that is the only way to honor my fallen comrades…

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A post from my blog in a different community... This here was a creative effort on my part aimed at the moderators and the TOS of said web community... but I think it does pretty well for itself... even out of context...

My New Hideout...

So... technically I should have made this post first.... but I am not the most organized person in the world... even if I am a rocket scientist...

I made this here blog for a variety of reasons... there were people who were telling me I should have a personal blog to keep all my writings in one place... people who told me to bugger off when I wrote what I wanted.... instead of what THEY wanted me to... violations of some of the more restrictive TOS on some other sites.... (Dont worry... I am not a psycho/freak/pervert... I just like to be the voice of dissent...) etc. etc. ...

The name of my blog will probably change periodically.... but not frequently... I might change it to some reference from the Samurai Deeper Kyo manga one of these days... I think I got lucky with the address though... I wanted it to be simply "the-laughing-man" but I was forced to add those "x's" at the ends... someone already had had the same idea I guess....

I write all kinds of crap.... sometimes poetry.. sometimes prose... some random rants... but most often you will find reviews on movies, books and more importantly... anime and manga I have watched/read in the recent or perhaps distant past....

Almost forgot....

You may refer to me as Kyo... tell me if you like what you see here... makes me feel good... and if you dont like it... tough... them's the breaks and all that sort of thing... but feel free to argue... engaging in argument is one of my favorite pastimes...