Uniformity pt. 1

Nick did a great post about the idea of collective identity in his last post in which the theory of collectivism vs the individual in Japanese culture is still as strong as always, reinforced by the "uniform" that people where in various aspects of their lives. http://gaijindesune.blogspot.com/

Nick, I have a question for you and then something for you to consider...you said the Japanese enjoy the uniform...I have no idea if this is true but I would put forth that I'm not sure if they enjoy the uniform but adhere strictly to its values. I base this only on a very small sampling of Japanese culture that heroically presents the individual against the collective. You see it in countless video games and serials that seem to focus on the idea of "the one" breaking free from the rigidity of their surroundings. Almost always they seem to be a part of the larger society, look relatively the same but something sets them apart. Small pieces of clothing or hairstyle. The japanese loner is omnipresent in many of these mediums, struggling to come to terms with his "individualness" (yes i made that word up) and how to use it in either a positive or negative manner. Social control mechanisms and adherence to the collective seem to be paramount values in this type of society.

Growing up there were always stories of the "japanese loner" that all of a sudden lashes out at the society around them committing some nefarious act against the collective ideal(society) or the individual struggling to break out (themselves). These circumstances happen in most corners of this earth, but seem so perfectly set up for Japanese society. Suicide rates in Japan remain very high due to extreme pressure to fit either a familial ideal (concentric society) or the national ideal (society at large).

This is also common in asian cultures in general, the focus on the collective or group and de-emphasis on the individual. Religion has played a large part in this. Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism all to varying degrees profess the collective ideals rather than the individuals ideals. Many times the focus upon individual is to destroy or subdue the ego and become conscious of the collective forces that bind humanity to the individual. Simply put it is through collective unity that individual harmony prospers.

Consider this against the Western ideal. The Western religions (Islam included) support are geared towards the individual. There is ONE god. The prophet of any one religion is just that, THE PROPHET. Western thought is the inverse of the asiatic thought, chiefly that through individual struggle the collective is strengthened. Use Jesus Christ or Mohammed as examples. Both went against the norm of their days, against the collective societies of their days to benefit mankind. The Jesus story even has the overarching sacrifice of the individual for the collective salvation. Compare that to the earlier idea of the individual attempt in Japanese society to be different or be something other than a cog in the machine and perhaps we see where we might be headed in the future. Perhaps asian society starts to embrace the individual more and more, breaking from the collective and in the West we become more and more collective to thwart the idea of an individual being the all-important mechanism in our society.

Or maybe it doesn't happen at all and respectively become fantasies about what is possible within our societies. Or maybe it is bubbling on the surface in our part of the world to become more collective. I suppose this happens when populations either reach a breaking point or become so densely packed that a collective identity is needed to bind individuals to greater causes or towards ideals that benefit the group. China, India and Japan are densely populated nations and while Canada isn't in that group, North American society in general is becoming more densely populated. Communism in Europe was born of the spectre that in Russia foremost and Europe overall people needed to feel a kinship towards each other rather than individual rights trumping society at large. It came at a time when "Europeaness" was being threatened by the new world individualism and being surpassed as the ideal or human interaction. A collective identity was needed to allow groups to overpower individual aims at controlling the group.

Where does that leave us? Frankly I don't know and am no longer sure, but in a later post I'll try to tackle this when I look towards team sports especially Professional team sports as being more about the collective and less about the individual.

As always thanks for reading, and Nick thanks for the thinking material. It helps in getting writing going.

peacelovefreedomjustice

-s

this has been a conversation heard in the freecity."

Defending the Indefensible...then one for Nick

ast night Michael Vick signed with my favourtite team for 2 years. How can this be defended? I can either swing to one side and find a justification against all disgust because it is my team or i can be someone who is excited regardless of what he did.

I fall into the latter category and have since this thing started. I am a Michael Vick fan and and Eagles fan so until he throws a customary 60 yard interception that was 32 yards over his receivers' head, I'll cheer for him, wear my Vick jersey and abuse the hell out of the wildcat formation in Madden when Vick comes up in a roster update.

But let's get this out of the way first, you know the the shadow that hangs over anything MIchael Vick from now until his death from memory. He did something vile. I like dogs, have wanted one for some time and while I am now firmly entrenched into the cats are better side of the universe, I still love dogs. When I think about what Vick did, it does disgust me and knowing me, I am fairly hard to disgust and am quite profane myself. But this was a different kind of profanity that Vick committed. He bred dogs in order to fight them then kill them when they couldn't make any more money or were so bruised and torn from fighting they had to be put down. I'm not going to mince anything here, he did some really unholy stuff. He electrocuted dogs, hung them from trees, hit them with large objects, starved them until they were ferocious then unleashed them on other equally starved dogs looking for blood. He shot them in cold cold blood, snapped their necks, wiped up the blood and started over.

Goddamn it that is cruel. I type this and a part of me is even disgusted with myself for being able to defend him. I mean how do you defend not just senseless murder but murder of something we as a dominant and smarter species should be taking care of. How do you defend such callous disregard for sentient life in order to make money when you've signed a 10 year 100 million dollar deal and have endorsements on the side to boot? How do you defend using animals as bloodsport?

I'll admit that I probably can't change your mind on Vick, nor do I want to. I got into it a bit with the wife this morning on the bus (as much as you can argue with such a sweet person like emsy) when she said she hates him. It is something that however riles me up a smidgen...

hear me out (or rather read me out)...

I don't really think i have an absolute right to be righteous about this. Sure i can be morally outraged and personally sick, but outright hatred for dogfighting? I EAT MEAT!

not just meat but a lot of my meat is most likely factory farmed, mass produced meat...i've never been to a factory farm but i damn well know and am not shy about admitting that their practices in procuring meat and then selling it are as heinous or more so than Michael Vicks...I buy meat from Costco which in order to keep prices low and to sell in bulk no doubt is part of the factory farm system. I've eaten at fast food restaurants for a good chunk of my life and know full well that the meat the procure is factory farmed. I have no right be holier than thou on this just because I didn't raise dogs to be slaughtered. I may not have done that but i have given money and will continue to give money to eat meat that I know has come from animals that have been abused, pumped full of steroids and drugs, kept in cages and quarters where they wallow in their own shit and piss until they die or are slaughtered, have their necks snapped, birds are flung around to kill them, beaks chopped off with pincers, wings torn off, branded cows, shocking cows and pigs, giving them meat from their own family to bulk them up for my consumption, stepping on dying animals to snuff the last breath of life from them and then just killing of hosts of animals when they do not meet the "standards" of size and weight that supermarkets and consumers demand for their dinners and BBQS. I mean really the sins of the farming industry are long ranging and cringe-worthy themselves. Vomit inducing and yet I happily eat the food.

So what am i saying really? that perhaps I am indefensible as well? Well yeah, many of us are. Fishing in this country is not properly regulated and really what is fishing for food other than putting a sharp hook in the water with bait so a fish can puncture itself through the mouth on the hook, struggle mightily for its life then get pulled out of the water to die of asphyxiation or a simple coupla wacks with a hammer or on the side of the boat if pressed for time. THen we skin it, de bone it , cook it up nice and serve it with some veggies and wine, discarding everything we didn't use in a strong show of our unchallengeable dominion over this earth.

Now a genius once said to me it's ok to eat fish cause they don't have any feelings and true enough fish are stupid...does that make it ok or right? We can't bond or domesticate them on the level of dogs/cats/rabbits etc because their brains are so tiny they forget everything in seconds. Still is it right? I don't think it is but it tastes good.

So isn't that the dilemma then? Taste. Dog fighting is morally abhorrent because we domesticate and befriend dogs and they seem to like us if we play with them and give them food and shelter. We in this part of the world have never been trained to eat dogs and the mere thought is repulsive to us. But if we were let's say asian of the chinese or korean way, we might have eaten and enjoyed dog or cat. It can be a delicacy in some places of this fucked up planet. Or let me put it this way, there are many people in India that think we are savages and brutes for our continual slaughter and consumption of cows.

Relative right? We don't revere cows or fish or pigs or chickens so they can be eaten, killed in some of the worst ways possible and raised to be killed in even sicker ways. I'm not excusing what Vick did, partially from social conditioning to like or at least tolerate dogs and partially because what he did is actually sick. I however am cognizant that what I do on a day to day basis can be just as heinous by proxy or by immediate endorsement. I've helped this planet die so much in my 27 years on this planet. I haven't done enough for this land and still don't do enough (though I am making far better choices on some things than I ever have). I'm not delusional, I know where I eat and from where it comes from. My finances do not afford me the ability to make strong anti-cruelty statements yet and even if they did I would like to think I would remember that once I was not rich enough to afford the luxury of making a respectful choice.

There are almost 7 billion people on this planet and about half a billion in North America. We are hardwired to be omnivores. I mean really, how do you think we are all getting fed, especially on the richer side of the world? any one can buy certification that says their product is safe and killed "humanely" but really can you believe that? If so, then my friends you have more faith than I, and I applaud that. I can't however. We are a society raised on the ideals and merits of consumption. We don't eat to live, we live to eat. With so many mouths to feed the burning question is do we a) feed the people as quickly, inexpensively and consistently as we can or b) do the right thing, respect what is given to us to survive, while more expensive more morally and consciously acceptable. We as a world go with "a" almost every time and it extends itself past food into other things like homes, services, electronics and a many many more products developed around our incessant need to have and have more.

That's really all i have or want to say on this. Sorry it took so long and to end on a lighter note and to dispel all my excited emotions at this point, a quick shout out to our dear Japanimated Nicholas Jones. His blog is up and since it bother you like I do to read it, I'll plug it here because it is good and interesting and he takes good pictures and for the moment is updating quite frequently. Also Nick I need a favour...at some point during your stay in Japan, can you get to Okinawa? I need you to find someone for me there. His name is Hattori Hanzo and I desperately need a sword. Tell him I have some vermin to kill. Large vermin.

http://gaijindesune.blogspot.com/

peacelovefreedomjustice

-s

p.s. sorry if i made you lose your lunches or any food you've ever eaten. I'll buy you some candy next time I see you.

An Obsession Followed by Some Laughs

See I have this obsession with sports in general and in particular with a) The Toronto Maple Leafs and B) The NFL/American Football. Now I dislike American very strongly and usually with armed with nothing more than misplaced vitriol, possible jealousy and heaps of conjecture. There are also legitamate reasons I can't stand the US, but there are things I truly appreciate about the US. Most of it comes as a result of being in Toronto and therefore a major market for consuming everything but Canadian culture and being bombarded daily by the US media export machine. One of the things I've really taken to especially since 1st year university is American football. Love this game. I think Canadians do things much better than the US on most things with a notable exception being the gridiron game. It's poetic in its athleticism, the running game matters and sets up everything else, far more like chess than other sports and the pomp and pageantry that surrounds and ballyhoos the game is in itself jarring (especially at the College level).

It is now august 13th. Tomorrow is a partial holiday for me. I'm taking off from work almost 2.5 hours early because the new Madden videogame comes out. Crazy? I've never said any different...it is Maddenoliday and if you are a believer, I wish you a great, fun and absolutely headache inducing Madden holiday (from all the screens and liquor and drugs you most certainly will participate in around this holiday).

Now combining my love of sports with my love of visceral armchair fantasy such as videogames is heavenly. I swear if only videogames could cook and clean than Emily you would be in serious jeopardy of losing your first wife for life title since virtual sex is coming (pun intended) right around the corner... (i'm kidding, please don't make me sleep on the couch, cats will eat me)

This obsession with sports and Madden in particular is wonderful this year because EA decided to release the game on a Friday ensuring a weekend full of childish, amateur, sloppy and undignified behaviour on the part of men who are believers in this holiest of days. I can't wait until tomorrow. I've been talking em to death about the game, the upcoming football season, how many sleeps left until the game. It got to the point where my enthusiasm has led Emily to actually be excited rather than worried and pre-tired for football season this year (which i am sure will change to chagrin and resentment by week 2) and a couple of night ago she woke up in the middle of the night thinking, only a few more sleeps until Saff gets Madden.

That is so cool. I consider that no small victory on my part.

Madden means football is only 4 weeks away. FLY EAGLES FLY, GO COLTS GO.

and to show to counterbalance my exuberance of things american and being a good Canadian kid and all, here are a few links showing that while America is great for many things, it is still one stupid dumb overvalued country that is going to hell for being so damn stupid and dumb. Watch in order and enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPkMUU9tUqk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0gb9v4LI4o&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOwwA5VUJzs&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fsportsillustrated%2Ecnn%2Ecom%2F2009%2Fextramustard%2Fhotclicks%2F08%2F13%2Fmila%2Dkunis%2Dinterview%2Dtom%2Dbrady%2Dbill%2Dbelichick%2Drelationship%2Fin&feature=player_embedded

peacelovefreedomjustice

-s

A Sinister Link

http://www.newsweek.com/id/210194?GT1=43002

that article up there got me thinking...how much do I rely on my handedness in my decisions? For starters as long as i can remember if I was ever picking a hand that held a prize, I almost always picked left...the times i picked right were only because i though that whomever was playing the game with me had figured out i'll always go left or someone else already picked left knowing it would be the hand i would covet...

Aside from politics which I am quite decidedly to the left through i hope no reliance on my handedness, i started thinking about the whole left/right thing and came up with this.

1. Bat left and right though better at batting right
2. Thrown right for baseball (left is ok but right is preferable), left for football
3. Write left handed
4. bite the nails on my left hand first
5. when crossing the street I look left first almost always
6. Box left
7. mouse navigate right because I learned that way first and the left handed mouse seems abnormally awkward.
8. Usually i put my pants on left leg first, socks on left leg first and left show on first
9. i only ever sprain my left ankle (3 times in the past year alone)
10. smoke with my left hand
11. dial with my left hand, on my left shoulder
12. my shoulder strap on my bag defaults to left shoulder until it hurts
13. chop vegetables and meat with my left hand
14. stir with my left hand until it gets tired
15. put my right contact lens in first
16. drive primarily with my left hand, right hand driving feels so wrong
17. middle finger salute primarily with my right hand

so reading that article made me think that i would almost certainly pick any Fribble on the left side and say it is more beautiful or when comparing anything I would bias towards the left side...kinda weird and wonderfully fascinating since i really don't understand you righties and think everyone but me and a few people look terribly odd when they write...do any of you do anything left handed if you are right handed? (and vice versa as well)

one last quick thing...one day when I cut off my hair, wear contact lenses and shave my beard, do you think they'll let me into the country again if i'm anywhere abroad? This government doesn't frighten me as much as appall me with the indifference (so be sweet about it) to outright disregard and slander (to be frank about it) towards coloured born outside of Canada Canadians...my parents are on a trip right now and I can only hope that they look like their passport photos and that the normal laws governing changing appearance relative to time passing do not exclude them from being the acceptable citizenry this country at this moment seems hell bent on preserving while stranding and disenfranchising anyone else. Is it just me or do they want every coloured person to feel like being a Canadian is more a privilege for them than others rather than a right conferred by birth or right conferred by earning the designation? and most importantly why aren't we any angrier? remember it starts with us, the darker ones and eventually they will find a reason to exclude any one who doesn't toe the line or clear their thoughts with the PMO...

peacelovefreedomjustice

-s

One of Those Moments

So friday the wife and I met up with some of our rag tag crew to check out the Hey Rosetta! and Jenn Grant show at Harbourfront. It was a free show that took an unexpected turn at the end of the night. To those who did not make it out, you really missed out on a great night of music and one really really cool moment at the end of the concert.

This is what happened...

We got there early and snagged front row centre seats (we did not sit however through the concert since it is a concert and not some prayer circle, we danced and moved). Hey Rosetta! came on at eight and blew us all away (again, since we last saw them about 2 months ago) then at around 9:45, Jenn Grant came on to play her set. Now the stuck up and ill-thought out, inflexible noise ordinances in Toronto decree that music must be stopped at live events at 11pm, and harbourfront is no exception to this cantankerous rule. So Jenn Grant (seemingly tipsy and very much giddy) wanted to play some more songs near the end of her set and began a song just before the hour struck 11...

The curmudgeons at Harbourfront cut the mikes, turned on the lights and like little dinkleberries started coming onto the stage and taking down the set. Now the crowd, us, we're for the most part nice good polite Canadian people, trying to enjoy a concert on a night where rain came and wasn't continually threatening the air. We were by the water and had just heard some damn fine music and just wanted that last song to be played. We did not disperse and in fact took out our vitriol on the evenings host, Craig Norris of Radio 3. We booed him mercilessly (yes it was a free show and no he wasn't't responsible, he unfortunately ended up being the scapegoat for the frustration) and someone even through a 1/3 full water bottle at him (as he told it this morning on Radio 3). He got pissed and walked off. The crowd still didn't leave and then the coolest thing happened...

Jenn Grant's band and Hey Rosetta! came back out. Jenn and Tim from Rosetta stood on the speakers right in front of us, everyone went acoustic and they played a song by Wilco (Jesus etc). Craig Norris even came out in the entourage and played the glockenspiel which was cool seeing as how he was treated. So everyone there crowded us and the stage (Norris estimates close to a thousand people packed in for the acoustic finale) and Emily and Nick were asked by Jenn to hold the lyrics for her and Tim (a masterful job they did by the way since it can hurt to hold your arms out for that long) while they softly sang and the crowd joined in to end the night on a surreal and whimsical note.

In short, it was fucking cool!

So they question that remains is not why does this city just plain suckdiddlyuck sometimes, or why do people often misplace their anger towards things and people who do not deserve their wrath...no the more pressing question at hand is WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU ON THAT SIMPLE FRIDAY NIGHT WHILE WE LOOSENED OUR TIES? Especially if you missed the last Hey Rosetta! show (you know who you are), what is your excuse this time?

It may have not been a seminal world changing musical event, but it becomes one of those binding musical experiences that forever root themselves in your mind, that you talk about forever and re-visit always. It was a you had to be there moment to really appreciate just how fantastic the whole thing was. Just awesome.

so to end of here, here is a picture of the Mrs and Me after she handed the lyrics notebook back to Jenn (which had quite a few MASH games on the backside) from the CBC flickr of this show.

Yeah I know, I look like a grinning monkey who can't clap properly in that picture, but hell I was still quite jazzed from the whole thing.

http://gallery.me.com/jowit#100592/IMG_0405&bgcolor=black

peacelovefreedmomjustice

-s

Ola Mes Compadres

Just some quick stuff while i have a chance...

tomorrow, all things being well, the wife and i are going to be at yonge/dundas around 9:45 for a FREE WINTERSLEEP show! If you haven't heard them, download welcome to the night sky right now...awesome band (so much east coast music is just jammin' these days)...that album has become an all time favourite with me...great stuff and again FREE!!!

Also in the news, on Friday July 24th, Hey Rosetta! will be doing a FREE show at Harbourfront. We went to a free K'naan concert two years ago and it was bloody awesome down by the water during the laziness of july.. Nick I expect you there since it is your last week in Toronto and since it is Hey Rosetta! Also to anyone who missed the show at Lee's Palace (Jason,Taufiq, Heather, Nam, Omar, Bubs, Waljee, Nerf, Jono, I'm typing in your direction) make it out...FREE and a band that is quickly becoming a required daily listen for me...thanks for that Nick...i owe now for Harry Potter and Hey Rosetta! but i gave you Neil Gaiman so for now kinda even...I'm sure this see-saw of mutual lending and recommendation will endure the years to come...

Lastly, I'm linking to an article in the Toronto Star from today...absolutely brilliant idea in my opinion...I'm one of those that loves the Gardiner, have always wanted to walk or ride the gardiner in something other than motorized contraption and this would be awesome...imagine a late september day taking your bike down the gardiner seeing the buildings just stretch and stretch before you? These my friends are ideas we need more of in this city...like the Jarvis Bike lane and expanding streets to be like Boulevards, we need to make this city live up to the promise we kids have grown up knowing it can full well achieve...

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/652918

that's all...

peaceloveFREEdomjustice

-s

An Alert and a Musing

've already plugged CBC radio 3 in the last post but lately at work I've been listening to a shit ton of music since my job is processing applications and doing with headphones doesn't really hinder or disturb the little thinking power I need to get through my day...in doing so I've been streaming Radio 3 and hearing some really great "indie" Canadian music and really trying to make a dent in my iphone data plan (and even streaming radio for 6 hours a day will not even closely exceed the 6 gig limit I have)...

Listening to Radio 3 I hear their commercials (for their own programming since it is a web and satellite station) for other programs which can be downloaded as podcasts. Specifically I have had a hell of a good day listening to the "Sessions" podcasts and wanted to send that information along to everyone. Sessions is where Radio 3 records and talks to bands at either their HQ studio in Vancouver or at their Toronto Studio. They also record concerts that have recently happened around the country and so far today I've listened to absolutely wonderful quality recordings of a K'naan concert at the Mod Club (album release concert that sold out) which was really nice, a Great Lake Swimmers session in the Vancouver studio (and it does justice to Tony's voice which is no easy feat) and right now I'm listening to a really beautiful Hey Rosetta! session from Vancouver which is just so crisp. Anyone who missed the concert should definitely download this podcast to taste a little of what the band is like live. Then make it out for the next show. The Chad VanGalen and Constantines show from Canada day at harbourfront is up as well (great show, a must-listen) and I'm hoping the Hey Rosetta/Jen Grant show from a couple of weeks ago will be up soon as they promised it would be (sans of course the little jam at the end since recording stopped at 11 pm).

and this is what I love about the CBC...as a public broadcaster they do a hell of a job getting us stuff for free...well kinda since it is publicly funded, but the CBC has been a champion of the arts for such a long time (to the chagrin of the government no doubt) and the community and multicultural exxchanges that art fosters and passes on. So for as long as it lasts make use of the free stuff that Radio 3 (and Radio 2 & 1) offer, we approach days when free will only be a theory of a time we are fast leaving behind, and even publicly funded will be forced into bed with profiteers and bottom-liners doing their level best to create middle classes of consumerism anywhere they can.

That word profiteers brings up this though about a Live song "Pillars of Davidson." When I first truly heard that song it hit me so hard and so deeply I was lost for some time. It was one of those repeat moments, where you just hit repeat on the music player and drift to melodies and memories and anything that words and sounds conjure. It was beautiful and wistful in a way I wish all songs and moments are. The song always gets me thinking about my ultimate or all time song list which I think I have to start compiling and will never finish which makes it all the more special since it means that music will still mean something to me years from now.

This hearkens back to a conversation emily and I have been having about songs that get stuck in your head, what they mean at that moment, what brought that song in and what made it stick and why some songs cling to fringes of your memory forever to be recalled and replayed whenever consciously or subconsciously appropriate.

So what are your songs? I'd love to hear from everyone about this. What songs stick? what are tunes on your all-time list and if you feel like sharing, why? Often music is the one mutually shared and desired bond between us. We can be pissed off at each other, not talking but one song could change all of it can bring us back, drive us further or at least offer us a common ground upon which to tread...it would be a privilege to know any and all of you through the music that moves you. If you feel the desire to see my list, it will be a post you can bring up and I will do my best to keep it updated.

Thanks for reading as always...your loyalty to my madness and indulgence towards my fancies continues warm me and make me smile.

peacelovefreedomjustice.

-s

(a caveat here...I have awesome headphones that Emsy got me for the false birth of the Christ and they do make everything sound better).