I write blogs on trains. This time I wrote two. Hot stuff.
Might as well face it...
You're addicted to BLOG! You see, I've come to the conclusion that the direct plan of action on a train is to blog. It's horrifying.
I've left my headphones at home, so I can't play Postal 2 or Left 4 Dead because people will complain, especially given there are children sat next to me (and yes, I have already taken a seat over there). I brought a book, but the books I need (perhaps a more appropriate word would be “should”, seeing as I have a rather nasty habit of not reading “essential” texts) are all on my computer regardless. It's funny though, if I were to read Walter Benjamin's “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” it'd probably last me until Christmas....in 2112, although it apparently was expected of me to read it in one week. BULLSHIT. First time I've contributed to the swear jar today, that's mildly impressive....
So, that paragraph has taken me from Cleethorpes to Grimsby station. As yet I still have to visit Habrough, Barnetby, Scunthorpe, Doncaster, Meadow Hall before I get to my destination: Sheffield. I'm waiting for the announcement system (TANNOY IS A BRAND) to say exactly where the train's headed before I confirm the former list. It hasn't happened. You know this kind of misinformation (well, lack of information) actually allowed me to persuade my own mother that Eddie Guerro returned at Hell in a Cell driving a low rider with Chris Benoit in the back of the car. Madness!
Iggy Pop just stared me down from a massive billboard. He is a genius, after all, I don't know anyone else who chooses to sell time over car insurance. In fact he was wearing a clock as a monocle at the time.
Have you ever noticed how when you're on a form of transport you end up being incredibly selfish, depending on the medium on which you're travelling? For example, when I attended Franklin Sixth Form College for two years, I got the bus there every day. I became frustrated when people didn't let buses out from their stops at the side of the road. When I'm in my car I adopt a completely different personality. I've always got somewhere ridiculously important to go, and screw everyone else! Buses are my bitches! Yet, I still envy cyclists who can circumvent road works and red lights by shooting onto the pavement momentarily. Trains are a little odd though. They stop for nobody, asides from other trains, but that happens about as often as I play games online. All the cars pale in comparison to the power, size and oddly enough, comfort. I don't get to lounge about when I'm driving; perhaps Pimp My Ride is in order?
We've just about arrived at Barnetby now. I should say that the overall train journey is going to be one hour and fourty minutes (Why do I write everything that isn't a year in full words? It would be easier to say “14: 15” than “a quarter past three o'clock”. I'm too English for my own good.)
Is it wrong that as the train went past some gas cannisters I wanted to shoot them? I mean after all, real-life physics are better than games physics, right? I even ragdolled once when I tried to kick a football. Funnily enough, I permanently damaged my foot from that. People have fallen off cliffs and made better recoveries than my fucking football accident. Disclaimer: Football means soccer ball for all you yanks.
Some kid's playing on their DS next to me. I guess I should be grateful that they sound like they're on Wario Ware and not Nintendogs. After all, Nintendogs is so annoying it's sold more than the combined sales of Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy VII combined. There is no justice.
I think I'll play Postal 2 with no sound on. If anyone sees the gore then they can throw themselves off the train.
Written at 12:55 on Friday, 16th October
Zeitgeist is Infuriating
Zeitgeist is a documentary film that in a couple of hours of your time will decimate your pre-existing views on religion, 9/11, war and capitalism. You'd could call me an unequivocal leftist for enjoying the film, and trust me, it's the basis for much of my disenfranchisement with modern society, but I think even the liberals would squirm at some of this film's material.
Zeitgeist offers evidence and fact to substantiate its claims that the world has been mastercrafted by an elite aristocracy whose selfish regime has been built on fear and money. For example, how many religions would you say share the same sort of mythos as Christianity? (By “mythos” I mean Christ was born on December 25th, adored by three kings who followed a star to the east to Bethlehem, etc.) None? A couple? Maybe a few, after all we're all somewhat ignorant? Try hundreds, most of which pre-date Christianity's conception by thousands of years. Even Horus of the Ancient Egyptian mythology (whom I would commonly associate with pyramids, the Valley of Kings, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation and other quaint voodoo) shares many of the same traits as our beloved saviour, Jesus Christ. What's more is that both aforementioned religions are based on PAGAN beliefs about the Sun, constellations, the seasons and other more down to earth things. Remember the last time you saw a “Christian” fish symbol on a car? The Jesus fish is a symbol of the NEW AGE: PISCES. What about the cross you sometimes see on gravestones and churches, especially the ones with the circle around the centre where the lines intercept? It turns out that's actually based on the Pagan cross of the Zodiac. It nails religion the the cross and crucifies it (oh LOL).
However, by far the most maddening (and that means driving me insane and angry at the same time) segment is when they dedicate a substantial period of time to deconstructing the story of the alleged September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks. I find myself in a difficult situation on that one because LOGICALLY it would be fair to say that it was set up by the government. There is so much evidence given to contradict what has been said OFFICIALLY about the attacks, as well as offering you a spade to dig yourself a hole full of betrayal and mortification; you know, that feeling of being lied to. The problem with this is that people are not only up themselves with being politically correct about the incident, but also it's an event that has such a massive effect on the world we live in that it seems almost impossible to deny it being an inside job. We trust our nations' leaders to make the world run smoothly, why would they ever even consider doing that? That question sounds rhetorical, but I'll answer it anyway. It comes down to profit, fear and profit (put broadly, of course).
But what was EVEN MORE appalling than the content of this film was that my friend I was watching it with clearly didn't understand what was being dissected. The amount of times I was asked “So does that mean....? What did that say?” was more than just a few times, to be sure; I guess I just naturally have a knack for all things political and sociological. I eat that stuff up (as I'm sure my classmates will back me up on); nevertheless, it says somewhere that Americans were too stupid to realise all the evidence against the popular 9/11 story was right there on the live television broadcasts. That claim is not entirely true. Years have gone by, facts have multiplied and this remarkable film has been made to showcase the best (or worst) of them, yet people don't get it even when it's been slammed in their face like a glorious steel chair doused in fire and barbed wire.
It reminds me of PLATO'S CAVE. Once you're out you can see how much of a charade the world you used to know is, yet if you mingle with the dwellers you end up being killed and made to look as credible as a shadow-puppet.
Written at 20:55 on Sunday, 18th October
