What You Are Laughing At

The Torrent

I’m miffed. Nay, I’m angered. Nay, just annoyed be I, but quite so. This is okay. Anger is NOT a bad emotion. That’s a natural reaction to a situation. It’s a bizzarro happiness, a reflection of acceptance in a crack’d and blood-caked mirror under a nearly-shorted lightbulb.

Why are we so down on anger in this country? Anger Management was not only a (moderately decent) movie, it’s a multi-million dollar industry now. Like anything good and healthy, Anger has a bad reputation because it was mis-used. Same thing happened with firearms, marijuana, and Paris Hilton’s audition tape. Someone did wrong with it, and now we all must suffer.

This is perspective. This is where we have a view of what we MIGHT have, were it not for idiots ruining it for us. The Government playing a backwards Robin Hood, (see: “trickle down economics”), cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans while at the same time cutting welfare benefits to those at or under the poverty line. While I don’t agree that the wealthiest folks should have giant tax cuts, I also don’t feel they should be penalized for having the where-with-all to make that kind of dough.

Just because they can afford to pay 50% in taxes doesn’t mean they should have to. I can afford a Jaguar S-Type yet nobody forces me to buy and drive one. But if we didn’t have to pay taxes, none of us would. Sales tax would be 30% across the board, so they government would get it one way or another. It’s not like the government’s track record for spending is stellar. It’s like a redneck 4th Of July: Got some extra cash, gonna get some cheap beers, throw a BBQ, and blow the crap out of a stump or two. The neighbors, meanwhile, stare in amazement as the young’uns find their only nourishment suckling what’s left of their BBQ sauce-dipped rat-tail. At what point does a wealthy neighbor help out? When the poor neighbor volunteers to clean up his yard, mow the lawn, and paint the house. Love thy neighbor, got it. But I ain’t coddling thy neighbor.

And I’m the A-hole for having an opinion? America was built on angry opinions! Taxes were too high! Restrictions on my G*d worship! Arranged marriages! And when the system could not be beat, the founders set sail for a new land, a new time and place, to build a nation from the ground up. Hard work and toil and faith were the ingredients. And we worked VERY hard to dupe the natives out of land and impart slavery so the White Folks wouldn’t have to do any of the actual work, because damn, have you been to Georgia in August? HOOOO boy, that’s HAWT! We’re adept at telling people what to do, it’s just usually wrong for the masses and should be kept to ourselves. And I know that now because of perspective. I’ve worked hard, and I’ve hardly worked. I like them both, and I've rarely had anyone do either of them for me.

More anger to come as I hit the roads.