Malicious Smile

The new single from Converge's upcoming album "All That We Love We Leave Behind", the song "Aimless Arrow", is the inspiration for this piece. I don't know the lyrics at all, and I don't think anyone knows, but the sound & the feel of the song were enough to inspire me.

---

My back is against the wall, but you wanted it this way.
What you felt for me is now gone; I can see it in your face.
From where did the memories come, when we'd go the extra mile.
A time when I'd beg to god, before his malicious smile.
The burden replaced our hearts; anger was the killing blow.
We could've sought a fresh start, but time sank our souls too low.
The end began too soon.
The end came too swift.

Walt is toppling the mountain - Review for Breaking Bad, episode "Say My Name"

This episode was fairly slow throughout. Very little intensity occured when compared to some of the earlier episodes in the season, but that's only if you take it at face value. Walt continues to devolve into something monstrous, selfish, and most damneding of them all perhaps, confident. This episode is centered almost entirely around Walt's pride (indeed, take note of the title of the episode), which has been the focal point of the season in general, but so far this is the episode in which that story element takes the front seat all the way through., relentless & defiant of all that stands before it. 

This episode may also be the end of the Fring investigation on part of the DEA, but you'll have to read further into my review to understand why. The final episode of this half of Breaking Bad may also mark the eve of the coming conflict, which seems inevitable, between Hank & Walt/Heisenberg, de-facto, man'o-a-man'o. Hank has even been usurped officially by his superiors in the DEA, specifically in the case against Gus Fring's right-hand man, Mike, but Hank will no doubt find his attention turned towards the ever present "blue sky" that Walt produces, right under Hank's nose no less. The vestigial remains of Gus' empire are coming to a heed in a big way, and as always it seems, Walt has something to do with it.

Mike has let a little something slip so far, and that something gets picked up on, big-time, by the DEA. They're hot on his heels with warrants for his arrest, and while he's a very resourceful fellow who has dealt with perhaps worse scenarios before, this occasion will be the end of him in some way or another. His part of the deal with Walt is all that he's vested in now, but that also carries a price. Just when it seemed he was getting out for good, to be a grandfather for good, and to get away from the life that could have seen him dead many times over, Walt decides that he won't let Mike leave on his terms. Just before the episode closes, tinged with a tugging sense of tragedy, Mike, sitting absolutely still and shocked, the last of his blood leaving his body, falls dead.

It wasn't a heart attack that did him. It wasn't ricin that did him. It wasn't even a hit-man or a DEA shootout that did him...

It was Walt, fueled by his craving for further power, who took his life. It was all for the money that he felt was entirely his. It was the Olympic-summit of pride that drove him to make this the old man's last day alive. Some could say it was all coming anyway; after all, Mike has almost killed Walt several times in the recent past, and Walt doesn't let things like that slide as everyone knows. However, did it have to be out of his boundless pride? Could Walt be any less noble and any more morally bankrupt?

Now that just leaves Jesse, and then Hank, and then...Skyler, for Walt to deal with. What further damage he'll do to carve his niche as the great and powerful Heinsenberg, is anyone's guess. After all, the Walt that everyone wanted to love is gone. Just know that crap is going to hit the fan, and it won't be pretty

A Canadian, proudly endorsing:

Humanity is grey

There's a clique of mostly unintuitive folks polluting the internet, and even beyond, who deem intelligence as the ultimate test of a person's worth. These same people often wax misanthropic, or at least border on it, by claiming that the majority of humanity is stupid and needs to go. Hell, even I have had this feeling here and there so I couldn't exactly wash my hands of this.

I do feel an ounce of shame for it, though.

What prompted me to drop my two cents on this subject? Why, the following video of course:

Before I tear into "TJ" here with my frustrations over this overrated wave of misanthropic pessimism, I'm going to summarize him.

I'm a Youtube user and I am subscribed to his channel. He's been around since 2006, about as long as I have. The guy found an audience amongst those interested in, fledgling, or those who hold the sigil of atheism. He's evolved into a fat (noticeably less-so over time due to short-lived weight loss), almost witless rip-off of George Carlin since then and one could never describe his delivery as consistent if they would want to maintain an ounce of dignity. He sometimes pumps out something entertaining, such as his film reviews or where he addresses people directly usually to argue against them, but when he does something like the embedded video above, that's where he dives right into the abyss of pretention.

 

 

Plus, given its premise and what he says, and with a good look at what this guy pulls off with his off-Youtube activities (it's always good to question its veracity, but there is some truth to be found on his Encyclopedia Dramatica article), he really shouldn't throw stones in the glass house he calls home.

 

 

When TJ talks about humanity, he often broadly underhands us as unintelligent, uninteresting nitwits who are just sheeple trudging along for comfort sake. It's as if intelligence is the penultimate measure of anybody's worth or character to people like this conniving motherfucker. Are people like him missing the fucking point? Do they not realize that some of the most heinous people to ever walk the earth were also some of the most intelligent? Do they also conveniently leave out the acts of altruism that people carry out, such as food banks, animal rehabilitation centers, and other usually volunteer organizations that help less empowered in the world? It is one of the things that goes to show that no matter how intelligent you are, if your principles, or lack thereof make you a reprehensible piecce of shit, then your intelligence means nothing to someone like me. To someone like the asshole in the video above, all you need is to be intelligent!

 

 

What is a measure of intelligence, anyway? No one is a jack of all trades, and that applies for even the smartest of folks. A person who may come across, at face value, as a slack-jawed yokel may be quite proficient in repairing downed vehicles. Whereas a person is an experimental physics prodigy, he or she may be out of their element as per the intricate mating patterns of the Portuguese Man 'o War. Is anybody who thinks that the average man or woman is a bumbling idiot who follows the herd, any one of these arrogant assholes starting to see just how much grey there is to humanity?

I think the best way to judge anybody is their strength of character. It's a far more admirable quality to have than just being a smart cracker who can invent a new slice of bread or, as for what happens with many scientific breakthroughs, voluntarily or involutarily strengthens the military-industrial complex in some way. I'm sure if Einstein were alive today, he'd feel immense shame at what some of his inventions were used for. After all, he is one of the brains behind the nuclear missile. But how many oh so intelligent scientists are remorseful knowing that their work is being used to take lives around the world? Keep "strength of character" in mind, think of the potential number of Mensa society members contributing to death & destruction, and then talk to me.

TJ, on the other hand, is anything but as intelligent as he seems to champion in his videos and some of his writings. The guy is really no different from the average man. He's obsessed with the size of his dick, he bumbles at more than half of anything he does (see: 'Freespeech videos' for an embarassing example) , and he is lazy. The guy can't lay claim to much by way of strength of character because of his conning his Youtube audience through e-begging campaigns. The guy once said, "you motherfuckers owe me" in an e-begging video where he was desperate to do the nasty with a fat chick. That is called SELF-ENTITLEMENT folks. He also once gave a lame excuse as for refusing to get a job like any self-respecting asshole (hint: he doesn't really have any) - he doesn't want to work for a giant corporation! To that I say this:

You, Mr. Contradiction Synonymous, "work" for a giant corporation with your moderate Youtube audience & success, and you directly benefit them through monetization. That company is called Google, in case you forgot, and you contribute to their continued rise to be one of the most powerful IT companies on the planet every time you post a video. And for more than a year now, you've actually made a few videos in which you blatantly advertised for numerous products. Your latest baffling piece of advertising crap was for an NCAA videogame by Electronic Arts. This isn't the only time you contradicted yourself, but boy, any time you talk about how giant corporations are shit (I do agree on this to some extent, but I'm more realistic about it than you are), you should simply keep your mouth shut if you want to maintain any dignity whatsoever.

Compared to him, here's my checklist:

• I actually want to work, namely in the IT and Film industries.
• I have an independent spirit and I'm more likely to gift someone else than to even ask for anything.
• I don't care for cliques whatsoever.
• I'm not self-entitled.
• I don't con people out of their money with false advertising or guilt-trips, let alone flat-out incompetence in living up to my end of the bargain.
• I'm not fat.
• I don't envy people for their success; I only think about mine.

Although I have to give him kudos for intending to vote for Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party for U.S. President this year..