Wednesday, April 11, 2007

American hegemony?!

The question of whether I should resume, or as some might protest, given my misadventures in school, begin my college education, often pops in my mind lately. The answer is I will resume my studies, not as before, at a semi-prestigious northeastern university, but likely at a hillbilly shack here in Florida. Just kidding, the schools resemble upper middle-class country club shacks more than anything.

I do not particularly care for Florida. My heart is not into the state. The problem I have with Sarasota is that it is not true southern since there are so, so many people from other regions of the US, and its not true suburban polyanna either, its too dirty for that. Its just inbetween, too middle-classish, too mega-american. I either want rich or poor, I cannot stand the static of the inbetween.

I visited my Dad's side of the family in Southern California last week, unfortunately they are not located in the OC, but in the San Diego area. I love San Diego though. Will Ferrell may be right when he proclaims San Diego to be the greatest city on Earth. My grandmother is the only one in the family who lives in the heart of downtown San Diego, at an elderly home where she lives downstairs from her sister. Grandmother is 96, her sister, 89. Both fiery as hell, about a thousand times too Irish for my liking. My grandmother's family emigrated from Ireland at the turn of the century; maybe they should have stayed put. Just kidding *clears throat*, I love Irish and all British people really, including people who were once under British rule. Its comforting to know that America is the new Britain, and not some horrible new monster running amok like no country has amoked before. And Britain, at the time of its reign, was really just the new Dutch, or the new Hapsburgs, or the New French, or new wave Romans, or new Douches, what fucking ever.

To be tangential, I am a subscriber to the notion that America is just in their adolescent phase, with a suitably adolescent president and society (a suitablyWASP president I suppose, also my AIM screenname, swear I did not plan that pun). For all you Euros reading this, I believe that eventually America will become like most of Europe is now, highly sophisticated and amazingly rational. If America doesn't, we are all fucking fucked.

To go back to WASP's, obviously I cannot neglect that topic, I recall a great phrase used to describe America during the middle of the 20th century, when it was emerging as a behemoth; "The WASP Ascendancy".

For most of the 20th Century: The CIA? WASPS. Ivy League? WASPS. Presidency: WASP, WASP, WASP.....Senate: Wasp Central. Most High ranking military: WASPS. The entire power structure of America: WASP!

I am not prejudiced against WASPS; I actually dearly love them and have learned a great deal about the proper way to conduct your life from them, but their influence on the shaping of America is too pervasive.

Diversity, whether it be racial diversity, economic, methodological, or intellectual, has always been the best way to create a global empire, perhaps the only way. Unfortunately, empries have often achieved diversity through subjugation of countries. And perhaps that is the only way to create an empire, given the scarcity of natural rescources on earth and the limitations of races of people.

However, at some point, a country will have to achieve global power through the strength of only their own people. My bet is China. Free trade is a good beginning. Starting untenable Middle Eastern land wars: Ehhhh, not so much. The memories of many people in power seem to be almost entirely subjective. Remember three or four good example over countless horrendous examples. Like say the CIA overthrowing Guatemala in the 50's with a safety pin and a bundle of dreams: Good example: Vietnam: Our bad.

My father was actually a service officer in Vietnam and edited the "Vietnam" magazine, the official military magazine publication of the war. Hooray! I read through a few of the magazines and they were surprisingly frank about the situation. I figured my dad and his weaselly PR background (AT&T, I actually typed in the cash symbol first by mistake, either one works though) would sugarcoat the magazine with frivolity, but no, it was at times brutally honest about American difficulties in Vietnam.

San Diego though, thats what I fucking wanted to write about. San Diego was fantastic, beautiful place, very friendly and intriguing people. Hotel was right in the middle of one of the largest gay districts in the world, Hiy-ooooohh! I did not know that. I kind of assumed, walking along the streets, that everyones gay. I didnt even know how to approach flirting with women around there. I just thought "well, it probably wont work, and your too ugly for the guys, so just sit this one out", and I did.

LA, thats where I want to be. Everyone must be thinking,man what a fucking cliched poser douche. Well... yeah! I just decided, a long time ago, to embrace whoever I was, and apprently thats what I am. Millions of Americans live very healthy and productive lives as massive, massive cockbags, hell, the presidents that way!

Why not me?

Sunday, April 8, 2007

Hopelessly Americanized

I have never, ever satisfied a woman. Ok, thats out of the way.

I also have always failed at satisfying myself, and fulfilling my destiny. No, I am not a WASP, not in name or heritage. During Henry VIII's call to switch from the Catholic Church to the new Protestant Church of England, a (supposed) ancestor of mine, Edward Heath, the Archbishop of Canterbury, made a bold and perhaps noble decision; He remained Catholic. Once again "supposedly", my possibly batshit insane, radical uncle supplied me this information, but supposedly he was the only member of the aristocracy to remain Catholic.

A noble move? Absolutely.
Smart? No fucking way.

The guy could have taken the easy way out and ensured that his descendants could one-day create a massive corporate fraud and/or start an unwinnable Middle-Eastern War just so they could buy a fifth yacht with a 300 inch plasma screen and maybe get a loving blowjob or two out of it.

I will never forgive Edward Heath for his atrocious decision to remain loyal and principled, it is simply unforgivable . Luckily? I am only Half British though; the other half is Sicilian.

Hence why I appear to be such an intolerant asshole. And half of me is a decidedly intolerant asshole. And so is the British half for that matter, since its an Irish and Scottish half, and not from the good parts of Ireland and Scotland, all thirty yards of them. All my blood is terrifying. However, my upbringing was incredibly soft, indulged, midwestern(ish) and almost absurdly American.

I try and mask my true identity behind my uber-patriotic Americanism and my tepid support of global German dominance. My logic goes that the German race comprise more of America than any race, so the majority could probably be behind this shit, right?

Please somebody tell me, I might need to go back on pills again.

America, however, is quickly crumbling. The decline of American rule is happening now, just as many intellectuals and academics predicted during the 50's, 60's, and 70's. Global hegemony will, supposing the environment does not implode by then, likely be the birthright of a future generation of an "Asian nation to be named later".

My bet is on India. Not that I endorse gambling your silicon valley startup company away or anything like that. Please don't, seriously, Indians are probably controlling all worldwide flow of information at this point. Do not encourage them.

One thing that has always cast a shadow over me is my full-blooded Catholicism. Just to permanently establish this: I literally favor, including nearly any sort of cult, any religion besides Catholicism. I love Catholic girls, get a massive hard on every time I go to church and see those firm catholic asses lined up pew by pew. And Catholic guys are usually very cool and fun to hang out with, but the religion, cannot stand it. I will be ecstatic when Catholicism finally loses its stronghold on the world. People forget that practically all of Western Civilization was Catholic before that uppity cracker Martin Luther reared his head.

I am not even sure I believe religion has a future in the Western World. One theory of mine is that electricity replaced GOD in the 20th century. Another theory is that once the working class started making a decent wage and being treated fairly at work they stopped giving as much of a shit about praying to someone for help, since the powers that be were finally lending their own helping hand. Fuse that with my electricity theory and maybe you have got something. The bourgeouis seems like they have been skeptical of God running back to the Enlightenment. Maybe its material wealth that replaces God and religion. I dont know and thats why it drives me fuckin nuts to have constant philosophical debates. I would rather just stare at pretty pictures than drive my mind to madness.

I have spent most of today watching dvr recorded programs, its a very sad day and cabin fever is most definitely setting in. I can take comfort that it is self-imposed cabin fever due to a lingering cold. I have a lot of trouble with grammar as well; I should start studying up on that. The best thing I discovered today is that google has a project underway to digitize all the books ever written. And that half their workforce is Asian, and most of the other half is from Eastern Europe. Actually, a lot of technology companies are like that. The companies just pick the top graduates from math, engineering, science fields, whatever. Its actually a validation of the American dream but of course Americans actually born in America do not benefit. Save the rest for the next post....