Feed the Taco

Gifts, they’re a strange thing. At what point do you actually feel obligated to buy someone a gift? Is there some sort of expectation or are you trying to be nice?

I’m beginning to think the need to get a gift should indicate you shouldn’t actually give a gift. People you care about, you should routinely do nice things for them, because it’ll make them feel better about themselves or at least reaffirm you still care. But to do something for someone because it’s Boxing Day, it seems kind of cheap.

Maybe I’m being too hard on people, it’s easy to get caught up in stuff and the background of your life can get neglected. At the same time, this seems like a red flag regarding your life style.

I love X-men comics, don’t get me wrong. However, the comic has some huge flaws in their message about minority struggles. The X-men try to work at building harmony between humans and mutants while living in a world that hates and fears them. Okay, heard that a million times. Only, the x-men are doing it from a mansion, with top of the line technology and all while having powers that set them far above the common man. This isn’t really what I think about when I hear the term, “Minority Struggle.”

Unless the X-men are actually a metaphor for the wealthy elite, trying to keep society from self-destructing through the intervention of tech and power. Rich people are also a minority after all. The humans, who outnumber the mutants considerably, show a lot of similarities to peasants who’ve famously formed mobs throughout history to kill the elite. The humans are also less intelligent and tend to make a lot of rash decisions that end up biting them in the ass. The Sentinels attacked humans, the legacy virus infects humans (though this was a Mutant creation in most canon), and the weapon programs (i.e. Weapon X or Wolverine) tend to kill more humans than mutants in the end. It seems trying to destroy the mutant population always turns out worse for humanity (unless Mutants do it) and without the mutants, we’d all be doomed (how many times have the x-men saved the planet?).

Then there’s the Phoenix, a mutant that’s pretty much a god. Yea…

It also doesn’t help that the marvel universe is literally bursting with super humans. The mutant metaphor doesn’t really work that well when the billion other super humans that are indistinguishable from mutants tend to get along just fine despite mutants being hounded constantly for their powers. Not to mention the Avengers also live in a mansion, have super powers, the latest technology, and are pretty much the X-men relabeled as super heroes instead of struggling minorities, aside for the mutants who also happen to be in the Avengers.

It’d make a lot more sense if someone like Spider-Man was a mutant. He actually struggles in his day-to-day live and the media hates him. Spider-Man is also always out of money and is paid by the very man who exploits him.

Should the X-men be rewritten? Nah. But the writers should be a little more aware of this as they make new comics.

The fourth of July. If firing fireworks from the middle of the street at midnight and covering the road in smoke isn’t patriotic, I don’t know what is. During this time, many people are trying to remind of us how great their nation is.

I’m beginning to wonder, why do so many people call America their country? It seems to belittle the greatness they associate with the country by saying they are in some way capable of possessing it and at the same time it seems to indicate it isn’t mine as well.

America is a lot like an apartment complex. We pay our rent and in return we get basic services. It’s our home, but we don’t own it. We’re all just leasing and we have certain tenant rights and expectations or a lease agreement. So many people argue about those rights and expectations: secured entry, lease termination, when we can move furniture but at some point I have to wonder, when does America stop being just an apartment complex and becomes something more and do we really want it to actually become something more?

I’ve yet to meet a landlord I liked. In fact, I’ve yet to meet an apartment manager I’ve liked. Both groups tend to suck; they attract a certain type of scumbag trying to exploit people and do as little work as possible. It’s a pretty good analogy for politicians I’d say. So… why the heck do I want my landlord getting more power? Is it worth it to say the complex I live in has super awesome nukes? I mean, it’s an apartment complex run by landlords. I’m a little uncomfortable with that idea. So… should we really be proud when our apartment complex starts being more than an apartment complex? Or maybe we should become a little concerned.