Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Loser

1. Still sick.

Wiping nose on shirt 'cause too achy to get toilet paper from the bathroom.

Moving on.

2. While watching the Biggest Loser and being auditorily assaulted by the nonstop trumpet playing from the apartment across the courtyard (of course, not to be mistaken for the alarm clock that suddenly went off at 10PM the other night and wasn’t slapped off until after midnight – yeah, that was an AWESOME night), I had this thought:

Why do these contestants yell at Jillian and Bob?

I mean, really.

You are in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime experience to erase years of bad habits, laziness, and inactivity.

You are being given full time access to personal trainers, fitness programs, gyms, chefs, cooking training, eating training – I mean, the list goes on.

So when Jillian tells you to squat your ass until it touches the ground, you best squat your ass until your quads snap right off your body.

How much of a spoiled brat are you that you yell at the people that are trying to improve, if not save in some cases, your life?

I wanted to choke a bitch with a sweat rag.

And the quote of the night goes to LT, who had a less-then-favorable weigh in, and was ultimately eliminated:

“I came to a fat loss show and I gained three pounds! Yeah I’m mad! Wouldn’t you be mad if you went to a make over show and you got uglier?”

Well, LT, when you put it that way….yes, yes I would.

3. If this were the Rebublicans, this shit would headline CNN. At the end of the day, it's probably not a huge story (meaning - it has nothing to do with how this person will fix this nation, just like the whole "how many cars does McCain have" issue but for some reason this is the shit that gets reported - whatever). But if the McCain-Palin ticket was having this problem, you can bet this would broadcasted from the top of the Empire State building.

I mean fuck - Palin farts against the wind and it make headlines. Biden doesn't know basic history, has strep throat from having his foot down there for the last month, and no one says "boo."

Fucking Whoopi Goldberg ask McCain if he is going to turn her into a slave again, and no one says shit.

Not even a blip.

I know I have been beating this bias-media thing like a dead horse, but come on - CNN doesn't even try to hide it at this point. My own local news station doesn't even hide it (of course, Illinois is Obama country, so what a surprise). While reading a recent pro-Obama article (from an actual news source) that a fellow blogger posted, I happened to skim most of the comments (there were like 150, and I finally had to stop after 75). That comment section sounded just like the recess playground in elementary school - it was nothing but horrible name-calling (name-calling! by adults!) and personal insults and attacks against Palin (and McCain, who is obviously associated).

Now, before you jump down my throat, I will also point out that I also read a shit load of conservative articles/blogs. But to be honest, I don't see these types of comments against the Obama camp. Questions/concerns/factual finger pointing? Yes, yes, and yes.

But name calling?

Like children?

Uneducated children?

And I mean that serisouly - like, there were no actual counterpoints, or actual feedback - it was like, "Palin's a bitch." Literally.

And yes, there are certainly exceptions to this rule - there are Democrats who do not do this and there are Rebublicans that do - I am not saying this is exclusive, or that one side is innocent in this.

But why is it that, if you are not voting for Obama or (gasp!) considered conservative, you are the definition of "evil?"

Or, even worse (as I heard today) a racist?

A fucking racist.

I wasn't voting for Hillary either, so does that make me a lady-hater?

Why can't it just be as simple as, "I don't agree with his politics?"

And if it were McCain spouting Obama's politics, I wouldn't vote for his ass either.

Why can't it just be as simple as a disagreement of politics? Why can't we agree to disagree, instead of Democrats launching insults of being "Bush" lovers (p.s. I am not - I never voted for the guy)? Why does it have to get ugly to point of insulting?

I used to say that I can't wait for this election to be over, but the truth is that, even after the votes are cast, this election has revealed far uglier and deeper problems with us as a people and nation. Politics aside - it literally brings me to tears when I think about the direction the US is headed - the economy, the media, the anger, the divide - just how people treat each other, how intolerate people are showing themselves to be.

I am just so horribly sick of it all.

19 comments:

Tri-Angle said...

I'd be pissed too Meg
That's such a drag

The Big Cheese said...

Excellent post. This girl can write.

jessica said...

just to reassure you that there are plenty of big babies on both sides...

all the Obama signs in my neighborhood were stolen right off their wire frames last night.

people are ridiculous.

Unknown said...

hey, if you ever need some balance with the political name calling and feel like it's all coming from the left, turn on some rush limbaugh... :)

Anonymous said...

I've pretty much given up reading the comments section of any article - whether it's a political argument or a cake recipe. There's something about being able to post online that really brings out the meanspiritedness in some people.

M said...

Cheese - thank you.

Jessica and Lauren- As I mentioned in the post, I acknowledge that BOTH sides do their share (does anyone even listen to Rush anymore?), but there seems to be an incredible backlash against those pro-McCain, and really nasty stuff from people that get genuine thrills about digging dirt up on Palin- listen, I don't love her either, but I am not going to gloat over her being pummelled, nor would I gloat over Obama's missteps. You don't like her, don't vote for her. Why can't it be left at that? Why has her presence elicited such hate from people? I honest to God don't understand this.

What is sad is that being a Republican or conservative has become such a dirty word - ESPECIALLY if you are my age, and female. How many Facebook profiles you see that say "Suzie Smith joined 'Women Rebulicans for McCain!'" I'll tell you - none, if any - or at least not in the circles I hang.

And it's not that female conservatives my age don't exist - but it's become such a shameful thing to be of this political persuasion, and why? I don't know, maybe because Bush is associated with it. But who knows.

And for the record, you can't actually put up McCain signs here or risk some sort of retribution.

Deb - Totally agreed - and I am usualy careful only to read them on sites that I know there will be useful feedback, or act as a sort of forum, but I let myself get sucked in today.

21stCenturyMom said...

I have to agree that this election is ugly. They are all ugly. There is bias and hypocrisy on both sides. It is obnoxious. The news is biased one way or the other depending on the outlet. There's no such thing as objective reporting any more. And everyone is crying foul at each other - there's no point in getting upset on one side or the other.

sigh....

Truth is we have no good candidates. None. It's clearly a case of the lesser of 2 evils. Pick your poison and hope for the best.

Anonymous said...

GREAT POST. Trying being a conservative Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Like you said, if you do not agree with someone's politics, it is OK , do not vote for that politician. No need to name call or tear each other apart.

The (IRON) Clyde said...

Am I the only one that was laughing my ass off as those people where FLYING off those slip and slides on TBL last night?

I'm sorry, but that was pure comedy at it's best. That one guy almost lost his shorts as he slid 20 feet past the end of the slide on the grass.

M said...

21CM- Yeah, I agree - I said "lesser of two evils" to someone the other day. I think it just makes me sad that that is the choice we get left with, instead of an actual honest candidate.

I work from home a ton and used to do it with the new channels in the background, but the last few weeks the tv has been off - I simply can't stomach and national and local news at this point. I just can't seperate my feelings right now, and it starts to cloud my ability to look at both sides.

This is sad because I have really been enjoying learning a lot about this stuff this election - a position I never before took in my life. But I noticed that the more I learn and understand, the more outraged I get, and the more I just want to shut it down.

Clyde - I was thinking "What the hell is so hard about walking up the hill?" But it did sort of look like fun....

:) said...

Clyde...the grass sliding was the best! I was rolling on the floor.

Hee.

Nice post, Meg. I am right there witchya!

Go Mom Go said...

I agree with you on the name calling.

Now for the REALLY important stuff, TBL...I wanted to do that water slide deal. It looked like a blast. I was thinking how much I would enjoy having that time to work out -- I think one of the contestants said "if I have to do this for 6 hours I will". My thought was I wish I could find 30 minutes!!

Keep it up Meg!

prin said...

Yep. Voting adults become children at election time. And the majority of the loud ones don't have a clue about anything except what the media (which we all know is insanely biased) brainwashes them to think, and then they get all passionate about it.

It's not just the US. The difference is, up in Canada, the ignorant don't say anything. They don't vote either. They just don't care.

Ever try to fight city hall? It's all red tape and bureaucracy. So how can one head of state single-handedly ruin a nation? It's the biggest bureaucracy there is. Unless he's a tyrannical dictator, there are other people contributing to those errors. Lots of other people.

Likewise, unless McCain or Obama decide to use their veto for every single decision, they aren't going to accomplish what they set out to do.

Well, at least that's how it works in Canada anyway. That's what democracy is about- stagnation.

So quit being so passionate about it everybody. Be passionate about the democratic process, be passionate about getting a chance to exert your democratic rights, but don't be passionate about a politician. They're all exactly that- politicians. They say what you want to hear with no intention of following through.

That's what politics is about.

Democracy is just about choosing the face that looks prettiest on tv.

JMO, of course.

prin said...

Oh, and get well soon. :)

Eric said...

It's pretty simple Meg, if you can't attack the points or the issues, you have to attack the person.

BTW, that WAS priceless what LT said :-) And I agree, if Jillian tells you to do something, do it. She hasn't lost to Bob yet. The only time Bob won was when that Kim chick was on there.

Captain Cactus said...

Prin ... Canadian politics is certainly recently about stagnation, but isn't always. With the current parties though, it's the best option since the minority governments at least don't have enough power to really screw anything up.

The only really positive thing in Canadian politics is that we get our elections done and over with before anyone can get too worked up. Don't fool yourself into thinking that the far left wing and far right wing crazies aren't vocal though!

Melissa said...

I tried out for Biggest Loser once, didn't get picked and the season I would have been on it one girl was going to quit and I was so ticked off cause there were thousands of us that would have loved to be on that show and would have given everything to be on that show and we weren't picked, so it was like a slap in the face when she was going to quit. She didn't quit. Jillian talked her out of it, but I was so mad. I was yelling at the TV at Jillian cause I thought she shouldn't talk someone into staying that didn't want to be there.

I was scared the other day to put my McCain button on my purse. How sad is that?

Maybe you are sick from all the politics. Turn off the tv, radio, and don't read the newspaper and call me in the morning. :-)

Hang in there girly.

Fave said...

i jsut have to say regarding BL (aka the bigget loser). I love the show - it's reality tv at it's finest - this one actually isnt' about people arguing while we laugh at them, but people maing their lives better for themselves.
i, too, was quite perturbed when people were whining - do they not see their own finish line? I mean they say they want to get skinny - someitm esit may be hard to put down the chips and do a few lunges, but really people. sheesh.
too bad yellow didn't get voted off - she was whining too much for this girl.

starttothink said...

You know, I heard an interesting take on it all last weekend.

Not that I want this (please understand), but look at it this way:

If Obama wins, we actually DO win, a little.

Why?

Because he will F-up behind belief.

And then we can say: "See? It has nothing to do with him being a black man. It has EVERYTHING to do with the fact that the guy is a complete socialist moron."

Or something to that effect.

I hear the very honorable Reverend Jesse Jackson doesn't want Obama in... he's scared he'll ruin it for future generations of blacks who want to follow in his footsteps.

Of course, this begs the question...
What footsteps? The guy has walked down the hall a couple of times. When he's around.

I'm with you. I want this damn election to be over already. My head hurts, and I'm sure I'm going to die of high blood pressure caused by socialist idgits, before I'm 35.