I'm a good person, really.

I know that a human being ought to be an end in itself, and not merely a means to an end. But that knowledge is wasted on me.

I look at a homeless person, and I just don't care. I understand that most have a mental condition that causes them to make the decisions they have made. I support only the social programmes designed to attack the cause of homelessness. Treating the problem with charity and hand-outs reminds me too much of parasitism. Bayview and Sheppard is my neighborhood, my home. Take your panhandling somewhere else.

I look at the latest gang-related homicide, and I applaud the culling of the criminal herd. Let the gangbangers kill each other. They do society a service. Only when innocents are harmed should we so much as lift a finger to stop the killing. Look at the photos of the shooters and victims of last year's homicides and tell me again why the police shouldn't profile racially.

I consider the American Dream of loan-sharking on a massive level, and I laugh at the innovative thinking that broke the mold. Loan money to people who have no hope of paying, and then profit by charging interest. Now, do it to entire countries on a global level. Since when is it not your fault that you spend far more than you make? Why, in some countries, you can't get a credit card if you don't have a job. Those countries aren't as powerful as the US for a reason.

I see hypocrisy in the things that are good. Throwing money at a problem won't make it go away. In some cases, it helps reduce the suffering, but in most cases, it merely massages away the pity in your selfish little heart. Your money really won't get to that starving child in Africa. You've only made sure that the flavour of the month in charge can afford more bullets for his soldiers. Plus, you get some taxes back in the process - awsome!

I embrace our way of life, know that I can make a difference, but would rather serve the self before the other. I won't leave the comforts of home. I will not get off my ass to help eradicate poverty. If I slum it, it's because I'm on vacation, and I'm interested in your national dish. I confess. I can fly away and be in Africa in a month, helping the Red Cross in some Godforsaken refugee camp, but I won't. And neither will you. The difference is that I admit that I'm selfish, and when we both get to hell, I'll know why I'm there.

I admire the ones who sell their souls for ridiculous amounts of money, because of the sheer weight of their achievements.




More than that, I admire the one who can give it up and fly away, to make the world a better place.

The more people change, the more they stay the same.

Clearly I'm wrong. Submitted for your consideration:

"Erin! You have done such a great job on this. I love
it! All of it! Sorry i haven't really written to you in
so long, i'm in the middle of dying amidst hundreds of
ISPs now. Again, a great and insightful job on the
webpage/site(?) You're the greatest and sweetest
girl and this page really shows it. luvesK."

Creepy eh? That even sounds like a totally different person... so cheerful... with that hint of superficiality and that dash of false sincerity. So different from the placid version of today. Apart from the above, a bunch of Nordic results, Mac stuff, and a Green Party petition, there isn't much left of you electronically. I guess that's good to know.

Not all of us are so lucky. If you look hard enough, you can still find an old footprint of fascist Dustin Chang seeking a worldwide programme of genocide... yeah.

-d