People suck.

People are so completely dense, it isn't even funny. Having read the plays by Cho Seung-Hui, I can say that I was not disturbed in the very least by them. I remember when Columbine happened however many years ago, Harris's aol website was still up, and it contained some maps for the PC game Doom. Upon loading them, it became clear they were of a school. This was disturbing, and the message it gave was clear. On the other hand, Cho's plays were not disturbing or any signs of what was to come.

When I popped the first play open, I was honestly expecting to feel that cold, dark feeling inside like when I saw that Doom map from Harris. Nada, nothing. It wasn't there. There was no cold feeling, instead what I was reading was obviously over-sensationalized stuff that people were going to exploit and try to use to come up with a reason for why 32 people had to die at Cho's hand the other day. I think that is the problem; that people are looking for answers so hard, so intently that they are doing it in the most maddening ways possible.

I sat through many a writing class in college, and honestly, the amount of violent, sexual and disturbing pieces that teachers see is mind-numbing. Do you know why? Death, sexuality and frustration are things that cross the mind of every person at some point in their life. You don't have to embody what you write; writing is expressing one's self, and using their creative mind to do so. I've written a lot of things that would apparently set off "red flags" to many people that I'm going to shoot the world up and am in need of some serious mental coaching.

The reality is, writing, especially fictional writing cannot be used to profile a person or their intentions. Some truly happy, kind people I've known have written some macabre things. You know why? It was interesting, fascinating and it was a way to express their creativity. You don't have to be frustrated with the world, ready to weild two pistols and shoot everybody in sight to write about it -- you can be a normal guy, living a healthy, happy life.

If anything, Cho's plays read like parodies of the world around him than they do insight into the mind of a killer. The commentary by those who are reading this seem to be the real insight into the mind of the killer. It just seems that society has such a hard time, as well as a fixation with assigning blame everywhere possible. First thing we heard was an outcry about gun laws, which is true in some cases, and in others not. The kid apparently did this all the law-abiding way to obtain these guns. While stricter laws could put a cap on violent incidents involving guns, if people really wanted them, they'd be able to obtain them (much like drugs), or they'd just find another way to hurt people. Now we are getting bombarded with the school and its responsibilities.

Teachers, counselors, other students and everybody else, including the lunch lady should have been on top of this situation. A teacher, teaching a writing class, who has seen tons of student work, some of which was probably rather disturbing or expressed frustration is supposed to say 'hey, this kid is going to go postal' and prevent all of this. It seems that this kid WAS seeing a counselor on the recommendation of a teacher, and it still didn't change a thing towards the positive. I'm sure the parents will be next, along with somebody else, as somebody has to be at fault for this, so some sort of meaningless action can take place so that the next time this happens, we can say 'Oh, well, it wasn't due to THAT. We had THAT covered.'

It is really endearing to read something from a classmate that thought Cho was going to be a school shooter, but when you paint the picture of reality, I have a hard time seeing a group of students in the classroom huddled around in fear of some meager asian boy who doesn't like to speak much. I mean, fuck.. When I read these plays, I laughed. I laughed and laughed and laughed, as they were just so ridiculously bad, that I'm hoping they were intended as parodies or comedy. But they probably weren't, and the true picture in the classroom probably involved more people laughing and joking about these plays than fearing for their lives over them. I'm not saying this is the exact scene, but it seems more than likely that was the case throughout this kid's life.

But what really gets me are the hordes of people talking about how sick and disgusting the stuff that kid wrote, and how it was a dead giveaway that he was a killer. You know, I wonder.. When you profile somebody, and set a norm for what a person should be, and it comes to be, is it your fault for making that profile?

Muse on "Live Earth" concert; hypocritical

I have no clue who the band Muse is, but after reading this article today I can say I respect the hell out of them. While tons of criticism has already been launched at Al Gore's mega not-exactly-Live-8 concert to span 7 continents with 12 billion bands, there has been very little from bands. The concept of the concert itself is good in theory, but then ridiculous when you think of all that goes into putting on such a huge concert like this.

As Muse frontman Matt Bellamy talked about, you are inviting bands that are in and of themselves quite wasteful, with Bellamy specifically bringing up the "rock star jets" that bands have, and will most likely use to get to said gig. Concert organizers have been fighting off criticism by making these shows as "earth friendly" as they can. As seen in this article, John Picard, the environmental consultant for Live Earth says that they are taking every measure possible to ensure the 'greenness' of these shows. Specifically stated are that;

• Electricity to power the shows will be taken from renewable sources.
•Food and drink stands will use biodegradable containers.
•Rubbish will be sorted for recycling at the venues.
•Offices and walkways will be fitted with low-energy light bulbs.
•Air travel taken by event staff and musicians will be offset through carbon credits.
•Hybrid or clean fuel cars will be used where possible.
•Hotels will be told to fit low-energy light bulbs, use non-toxic cleaning products and put recycling containers in rooms.

That being said, the concept is still ridiculous and even with these provisions in place will be utterly wasteful in nature. It seems to be a huge trend for celebrities to talk big about saving the world, while they waste tons upon tons of money on the frivolous or wasteful (Angelina and Brad's new super-boat, Bono's existence involving private jets, islands, game developers). This whole issue of the bands and their transportation, as well as personal 'waste habits' seem to be the most wildly overlooked issue involved in this show, and no amount of on-site preparations can make up for the fact that these bands will need a way to get to this show other than steamboat, mules or piggy-back. Even if a band wanted to do this environmentally 'soundly,' who would pay for the band to get there in some expensive, alternatively fueled vehicle? Will Al Gore? Nah, his giant, energy-wasting home takes up his funds, while his disposable income is used to invent the internet and discover global warming.

Trapped in a Cube

I often-times wonder about society, and sometimes out loud. Sometimes I think of where I am and how that compares with society. No matter how hard, it seems near impossible to escape societal constraints, and just as hard to operate within them. As I sit at my new desk job, I think of how odd the whole thing is. I spend 8 hours a day sitting in front of a computer, and it is nowhere near as monotonous as the concept sounds.

I've always heard of the horror of desk jobs, and how they will numb your mind and break your spirits. But so far (granted, its only been a month), it isn't painful -- hell, its my lunch break and I'm inside, on my computer, in my cube due to inclimant weather. Shouldn't this be considered a problem? I'm 24 right now, and if anything I am proof that people my age have been slowly programmed to perform under the constraints of a desk job in front of a computer for 9 hours a day.

We, the young people of the world have been bred to someday move on and work, comfortably, in these conditions. It astounds me, honestly, just how simple it was to make this transition. It also frightens me to think of what the future is going to hold for society. If me at the age of 24 is completely comfortable at a desk for this many hours, staring at a bright LCD screen, with a very small amount of time to adjust -- what does that say for the future?

The Jetsons, of all things, has proven to be a spot-on critique (and warning) of society and where it is headed. I have a few more than 1 button on my desk (94 to be exact), but my job only requires a small portion of what I'm capable of, mentally. This doesn't even bother me that much, as I'm used to a lot worse when it comes to mental stimulation from a job. But the image of George Jetson in his swiveling chair pushing a few buttons every once in a while is rather haunting, because its reality now. It seemed like an absurd concept when the Jetsons was airing, and now it seems like if it already isn't now, it will be our reality in a short amount of time.