CAPITALISM KILLS THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

It's true, and I know this from both sides of the coin. Most prominently from behind the counter, as the working stiff who has to cater to the greedy hands of the buyers and the sellers. This is made manifest by having to work on Christmas Eve instead of being home with my family relaxing and enjoying their company. Working the day after Christmas - at 5:30 a.m. so people can rudely go out and return the gifts that they didn't like and buy yet even more shit they don't need.

And the same is true for another day of the year that I like to celebrate symbolically: New Year's Day. I'll be CLOSING on New Year's Eve and I'll be opening on New Year's Day - all instead of being home and celebrating the last day of this year and the first day of the new year. I am a somewhat sentimental person... I like the meaning behind these sorts of days and I like to be able to reflect upon an enjoy them. And now I can't, and it's all thanks to Capitalism.

Of course, this is just my little pity pot story - if you watch Michael Moore's new film Capitalism: A Love Story, you'll get a nice strong dose of the evils of capitalism on the grand scale. But for the everyday Judy, such as myself, enjoyment of life is extinguished.

Cry me a river, I know. But it's a noticeable result and I despise it.

And by the way, to the critics: yes, I too am a consumer. We all are. Every human being consumes, and we woud die if we didn't. I buy things I need. I buy things I don't need. Read my post again if you think I am a hypocrite, because what I am saying is that being held hostage to the demands of the general public and the money-grubbing of the capitalists behind the corporations and having to adjust my life and thus sacrafice the enjoyment of my life for this reason, is just the fucking pits. Period. Those of you who work retail know the woes of which I speak.

Movie Review: Hippie Masala

I just finished watching Hippie Masala, a documentary film about 5 or so hippies that moved to India in the 60s and 70s in search of greater spiritual meaning. It was interesting and even enlightening. It has taken the mysitque out of life in India for me. While the terrain is absolutely stunning, I see what one man says in the film about it being beautiful to a visitor but to those who live there it is what it is. It seems that a woman's life in India is very difficult, too. Men feel that they can expect the women to do all the work, or at least most. One woman who married one of the Eurpoeans said that it was her dream to live out her life single, obviously so she could be in peace.

Also, I have heard that animals, especially cows are very revered in India, but I can't say I saw a life better than those in farms here. I guess I have a strange vision as to how animals should live. I bet if I had a farm people would laugh at me because my animals would have comfortable places to sleep, good food, clean environments, plenty of space, and lots of love - sans any fear of harm or death.

All in all though, an interesting film. I like learning about India and it's culture. I found it not too surprising that one man said that you could live there for 50 years and never be fully accepted. I wasn't too surprised because the same is true here. You will always be viewed as a foreigner, and will never be seen as only a member of that society.

Verdict: I am happy here in the States. I love my freedoms, I love belonging at least somewhere. I am an American, and that does mean something.

Slumdog

I really want to see Slumdog Millionaire. I have an affinity for all things East Indian, from the food to the clothes, to the music, to the religion (Hindu), to the English-speaking accents and their native tongues - everything! I also really care about issues that Indians face, including their very impoverished states. I don't understand how the caste system can still exist in today's India, but perhaps that is changing? There is so much more awareness and compassion today, and it only makes sense that certain social and religious things will start disappearing as time and awareness moves onward. Caste is decided by the color of someones skin. How very sad.

Us and Them

For a few years now I've had a keen interest in politics, moreover, the sociological implications of our two-party system here in the US. That is to say, what the precise differences are in the mindsets, ideals, and motivations between Liberals and Conservatives. I've had my own notions of what they were, but being the social scientist that I am, I needed the facts. Studies, statistics, evidence, if you will. Of course there are many of all three, but the most concise and reader-friendly compilation I've found to date are the explanations found on none other than Wikipedia.

Now there have been harsh criticisms of Wiki because of the fact that it's an open forum, anyone can change data on a page there. But. I have found thus far in my academic pursuits that Wikipedia has thus far proven to be a pretty good resource (I've also heard the same affirmation from professors). So, in short let me say, if you're really and truly interested in finding out all the facts, look beyond Wikipedia. This I've done on this very topic of bipartisan politics in our country, but I wanted to offer up a quick explanation for anyone interested.

Why I like these two sites for explanations on Conservatism and Liberalism is because of the psychological and sociological studies that were included. This not only gave me a clearer idea about what makes the average Conservative and Liberal tick, but also heightened my awareness of all the different offshoots within each party and school of thought. I did this research for my own personal interest, as political sociology is an area I plan to study further - I hope to be minoring in poly. sci. and history at university come fall - my major is soc., of course.

If this were biased information, I wouldn't give it credence in terms of garnering truth. Biased information only gives insight into the details of current waves within a school of thought - that's why it's interesting to read both Conservative and Liberal blogs, news forums, etc.

Anyway, without further ado, I present to you Liberalism and Conservatism. Enjoy.