Thursday, January 17, 2013

South Park Politics: Douche vs Turd and Other Stuff

The TV show South Park (Comedy Central) frequently broaches political issues all across the board.  i thought that since i have to make posts, occasionally, that i might tackle a few issues and annoyances in that way.

Points:
1) We are all Cartman - some people delude themselves into believing that they do things selflessly.  Everything an individual does is for their own good (somehow).  The reality is that everyone is only looking out for themselves.  None of us are this prepackaged perfect version of humanity.

2) Hate Crimes truly are "a savage hypocrisy".  Something happened on the way to "equality".  Somehow the concept of equality was largely morphed into something far more sinister.  Laws ostensibly about "equality" became prejudicial and biased.  Suddenly it became a hand up (with programs like affirmative action).  What does it say about people (especially the "guilty white liberal") that they have to introduce bias and discrimination to promote "equality". 

The hate crime laws are a further extension.  Basically, they are taking a crime and saying that because person X may fit certain criteria that a different crime was committed.   i don't care why someone did it, just that they did (why i would never give breaks for mental illness either).  Unless it shows direct premeditation, i don't care.  The laws are already on the books (without the added BS "race card" layer that only seems to go one way).  Also, hate crime laws are intrinsically saying that certain people (especially minorities) are worth more than others.   At least their health and well-being are more highly valued in the courts.

3) Vote or Die: what i have seen from some of the older set of people is that they actually believe that voting matters.  Realistically, one vote has never really mattered on anything important - ever.  You have every right to complain about things even if you didn't vote (unless you are a liberal).  From a practical standpoint, the chance of your vote really mattering is less than winning the lottery.  Yes, i am jaded.  Yes, i live in an area where the majority of people would vote against my wishes.  i know that even if i did vote that it wouldn't actually mean (or change) anything - so why bother.  Apathy and disdain are the only things that truly make sense.  There are far too many people in the US and the states for a single vote to mean anything.  There is really little point in voting (and even if it was close they would likely find a way to "cheat").

4) Douche vs Turd:  This was in an episode where they were sort of tackling voting.  This is a thinly veiled metaphor for basically every election.  The people who run are usually uncontrollable egomaniacs with god complexes.  In other words, you usually have to decide between two absolutely horrible choices (both of which screw you over - the ad campaign in Brewster's Millions makes more sense now that i'm a little more chronologically advanced).  The real decision seems to be the best between two evils - is it any wonder much of the population sits on the sidelines?  

So, what is better - a douche or a turd.  The douche vs turd metaphor falls short in one regard...  the vast majority of people who run for high offices are already douches - the big question is who is a turd.  You could say it was incompetent puppets (like Obama) or the people who sell out their ideals.   Or, if you are results oriented, you would see the people who implement bad programs as the out of control jerks they are. 

Politics was NEVER meant to be a career field.  The problem with the system is that you have had people turn it in to a career.  There really should be low pay (if any) for the job.  The amount of money involved tends to attract more harmful elements.  Then you get into the whole principal/agent problem.  Basically, that means the politicians are forgoing (or purposefully neglecting) their real duties to focus more on getting re-elected.  They don't seem to care how they spend your money (and try to buy votes).   In other words, they are short-term focused at the detriment of the long term.       

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