Success

 

In High School and for a time after, my success was to get any full-time job and live out the rest of my life. I was the guy who had no aspirations. Anyone that knew me then would claim, and correctly so, that I truly did not give a damn about anything as far as life after High School, even my family would have told you that my plans were to "chill" and go to college. But even as far as college went at the time, I was unmotivated and directionless. 

Two days after High School graduation, I left Michigan to visit some friends in Dallas. Long story short, I fell in love with being in the busy atmosphere and all of the friends I had went to visit were amazing. One of them needed a roommate. I volunteered. But of course to do this, I would need money to pay rent for the apartment I would be moving into. And to do this, I would need a job. But this would be no problem because I had no self respect or ambitions, so as long as whatever job I could get could pay the bills, I would be fine with it.

Enter Wal-Mart

I had put out over 100 applications at one point. Two interviews and a few phone calls later, I was now a Wal-Mart employee, and I was living the dream.  Making $9.40 an hour working overnight. Spend my nights working my ass off (working there was NOT easy) and spend my days just chilling with my best friends. It was the life. However, somewhere between getting yelled at for having overtime and getting yelled at for cutting my overtime, I became disenfranchised with my working conditions. The dream had started to fade, and it was time for me to say goodbye to my friends (knowing I would be back some day) and head back to Michigan where I would begin the next step on my way to self-actualization.

Success at this point had taken a dramatic turn for me, for the better, but not by much. I knew at the time I entered college that I no longer wished to work for any sort of large corporation. I will be damned if I am ever just a number to some random big business ever again. It was the most dehumanizing and degrading thing I've ever been a part of, and I made a vow to myself at the time when I left Wal-Mart that I would not repeat it. 

So I had that. I knew that whatever I did, I would enjoy that, and enjoy chilling in my free time. During my first semester in college, I went through a few renditions of what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. The first was some type of auto mechanic, my uncle owns a shop in Beaumont, Texas and I would be guaranteed a job there. So this choice was practical, but after hearing a few people around me talk cars, I realized that I could not care less about cars or how they work, much less how to fix them, so that was out. The next plan was to be a medical marijuana dispensary owner. I was completely serious about this one, but after looking into it and assessing the risks involved as far as legality, combined with the fact that I would be stuck in this Godforsaken state, I decided that this would not be the life for me.

Me

And that is where we are at now. One week removed from my first semester at college in which I got a 4.0 (see, I'm not dumb, just not motivated), and I have a real dream of success, but this one is much more serious than any previous ideas. I've decided I want to write. This fulfills two of my needs in a career; mobility, and self management. I do not know if this is realistic, but what dreams are? This is the first dream I have ever really had, and I plan to run with it. This will be my success. 

So if you are one of my returning readers, please, hold on tight, and enjoy the ride with me. And if you are new, and this is the first post you have read of mine, welcome, I am ecstatic to have you.

--Kameron

As always I fully encourage any criticism, advice, suggestions, or general discussion in the comment area.
If you wish you can contact me at thecynicalreport@gmail.com, and please like/share my blog on Facebook and Twitter using the links on the side!

Osama's Body

First off, allow me to wish everyone a happy Star Wars day. May the fourth be with you :)

Today, I want to address the outcry for pictures of Osama Bin Laden's dead body to be released into the public domain. Many people are demanding the release of these photos, ranging from conspiracy theorists to families of victims of 9/11. 

First off, I want to call out the conspiracy theorists on this one. I will be the first to admit that I entertain conspiracy theories from time to time, but in this case why would the Obama administration claim to have photos knowing it would incense everyone into wanting to see them, and then refuse to release the pictures when they could have just as easily claimed to never have any photos. It does not make sense for them to lie just so they would have to lie again to prevent the public from seeing non-existent photos. Furthermore, even if pictures were released, most conspiracy theorists would simply claim that they were altered. Conspiracy theorists are relentless, and generally will not accept any proof contrary to their initial opinion.

Moving on from that, I feel like the Obama administration is making the right call on this one. Osama's dead body is not a trophy, and it should not be released to the public as such. Doing so would cause international unrest, and lead to more danger for our soldiers overseas. Imagine if the terrorists killed one of our leaders, and then released a gruesome photo of his dead body. I, for one, would be infuriated, as would the general public. If a photo of Bin Laden's dead body was to be released, it would be seen as a slap in the face to the terrorists, and other countries would also view it as distasteful. One thing we do not need is for other countries to hate us more.

And, finally, it is good to remember the circumstances of Osama's death. He was shot in the head, right above his left eye, and in the chest. Both at close range. These pictures would not be a pretty sight, and I imagine that, with the exception of his beard, he would be unrecognizable to the general public. I believe that if there is something our society doesn't need, it is to be further desensitized. Slathering the news with photos of this gruesome spectacle would surely do that, if nothing else.

As always I fully encourage any criticism, advice, suggestions, or general discussion in the comment area.
If you wish you can contact me at thecynicalreport@gmail.com, and please like/share the blog on Facebook and Twitter using the links on the side!

Osama Bin Laden Is Dead

I debated actually posting on this subject last night and decided to sleep on it. This morning I did the normal routine. Got up, handled the dental hygiene, and got on Facebook to see what everyone is talking about as I always do. I expected everyone to be discussing Osama to an extent, but it appeared that all those discussions ended at about 3 am last night (showing that us as a society has quite an ADD problem, but that is besides the point of this post). However, in the time that it was the topic of the moment for U.S citizens, some interesting questions were raised that I feel need to be explored.

Does his death actually mean anything? Are we celebrating revenge? Is it just bringing us together? And what does that mean for us as a society?

Does his death actually mean a damn thing in the "War on Terror"? No it does not. The "War on Terror" is a war against an ideology. Osama is nothing but a personification of that ideology. Someone will take his place. Al-Qaeda is a criminal organization, Osama had a right hand man, and his right hand man has a right hand man. It does not end, and it never will. So as far as that goes, we really do not have anything to celebrate, but we are.

Are we celebrating revenge? To an extent, I believe so. If you look at the core of the situation, everyone is simply celebrating the death of a human being. Now expand it a bit, bring in some roles, and we are victims of a terrorist celebrating said terrorist's death. In this capacity, I do understand the celebratory nature of the occasion by those families that were directly effected by any deaths that may have been caused by his attacks. But that is not an argument for justification that anyone else should attempt to invoke.

There are a ton of people that say "Its bringing us together!" and this statement would be supported by the flood of Facebook pages dedicated to the liking of "Osama is dead!" and "The guy who killed Osama" I personally found the sudden flood of fair weather patriots to be rather nauseating especially since all of those pages were probably started by people who just want to get a lot of likes on a page they started and care much less about any meaning, symbolic or otherwise, that his death may carry. But I desperately hope for all of us that we do not need death to bring us together as a Nation. In these times when not even our own government can get anything done, where we entered the 11th hour of a complete government shut down, and I did not see even a quarter of the togetherness as citizens that I saw in Osama's death. I simply cannot accept, because it truly would bring me great sadness, that only in death can this great country be brought together, even for a night on Facebook.

What does it mean to me? When I got the news, my honest to goodness first thoughts were "Maybe this means my brother can come home now." Him being a soldier in Afghanistan, I know this is a false hope, but it was my reaction to the news, and I thought I would share it.

I want to leave you with something my best friend said that I feels sums up my feelings, and I hope it touches you like it did me. Regardless of religious affiliation, it carries all the meaning in the world.

"Stop rejoicing over another human's death. He's only a symbol. Pray for peace."

As always I fully encourage any criticism, advice, suggestions, or general discussion in the comment area.
If you wish you can contact me at thecynicalreport@gmail.com, and please like/share the blog on Facebook and Twitter using the links on the side!

Movie Reflection: A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange is a film directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on the Anthony Burgess novel by the same name. And it is safe to say that it blew my mind.

A Clockwork Orange did not screw with me in a classical sense. The ideas presented in the movie are not hard to wrap one's mind around, but the cinematography gave it a strange voyeuristic effect that made it seem like I was watching something I was not supposed to be. That, combined with the intentional association of typically happy compositions with scenes of "ultra-violence" left me with a disturbed feeling of disassociation with my own life for a couple hours after viewing the movie. 

The first thing I noticed in this movie was the play-like feel I received from the actors. All of the lines were delivered very much as if it was meant to be an on-stage performance. This could have been a sign of the times, being filmed in the early 70's, but I also got the impression that a lot of the actors were classically trained, leading to a very play-like atmosphere on screen, and I quite enjoyed that.

In the beginning of the movie the word "ultra-violence" was used frequently. I have a bit of a problem with this in that none of the actions portrayed in the film constituted, in my mind, "ultra-violence". Now, maybe this can also be attributed to the film's age, as there is no doubt a bunch of these scenes were very edgy in the early 70's. I had always heard about the infamous rape scene(s). Not that I looked forward to viewing rape, as I find it quite disturbing, but none of the scenes really came across to me as being particularly gruesome or over the top. 

Another thing I noticed early on in the film was all of the eroticism in random places throughout, such as in the abandoned lobby where the "droogs" hung out. On the wall there were pictures of naked guys with their genitalia crossed out and a few dirty and disturbing phrases written, such as "If it moves, kiss it" and "Suck it and see". Also, a little later on, our main character, Alex DeLarge, broke into a house where all the walls were covered with erotic paintings, and even a sculpture of a penis becomes heavily involved in the story. Now, maybe this is my notoriously dirty mind at work noticing all these things (and anyone who knows me may claim this) but I think that this is Stanley Kubrick simply doing a good job of setting up a disturbing atmosphere.

*Spoilers From Here On*

 There were a few things I noticed from Alex's time in prison. The first was his admittance of enjoying the Bible, followed by all of his sociopathic reasons why, ranging from his desire to be one of the Romans torturing Jesus, to his love of the Bible's frequent sexual depictions. He did note that he had to skip the boring parts to find the interesting bits. Then there was the clever foreshadowing of the rest of the story by the priest, explaining how one cannot simply be made good, but has to choose goodness for oneself (this is also the overarching message of the movie). Another thing I loved was Chief Guard Barnes. 

 (explicit warning) 

Barnes was a light-weight version of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman as seen in one of Kubrick's later films, Full Metal Jacket.

 (explicit warning)

Alex's "rehabilitation" toward non-violence easily made up the most frightening scenes in the movie for me. Almost everyone has at least seen a still frame of this before. Alex in a straight jacket, tied to a chair, with eyes clamped open. A frightening sight, no doubt.

I found the music in A Clockwork Orange absolutely wonderful. Pieces like Beethoven's 9th  and The Funeral of Queen Mary are obviously great examples of music, but it was the way music was used in this film that blew me away. The title music from A Clockwork Orange is an electronic transcription of Henry Purcell's Funeral of Queen Mary by Wendy Carlos, and it created an effect of disturbance throughout the movie.

                                                        (Funeral of Queen Mary by Wendy Carlos)

Overall, I found A Clockwork Orange to be pretty enjoyable. I appreciated the use of Alex DeLarge as both the main character and the narrator. It made for an interesting connection with him and led to a relationship that I found riddling at times. Near the end of the movie I became slightly annoyed by Kubrick's constant spoon-feeding of the movie's message. However, I caught onto another message that I do not think they meant to imply. At the end of the movie where everyone is getting payback on Alex for being the ass he was in the beginning, they stumbled upon the overall hypocrisy of society. People responded to his presence with "ultra-violence" even after his complete reformation, thus causing him to resort back to his old, violent, ways. If they had allowed bygones to be bygones, he would have remained a reformed and non-violent person.

On a more personal note, the first edition of me and my father's podcast, Convince Me, is going up tomorrow Sunday, May 1st. It will be going live at 10:45 PM EST, and the recording will also be available for listening at http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/9791
We will be talking about Body Modification. So please, listen in, and call in live if you get the chance! To clarify, both the live and listenable versions of the podcast will be available at the above link.
 

As always I fully encourage any criticism, advice, suggestions, or general discussion in the comment area.
If you wish you can contact me at thecynicalreport@gmail.com, and please like/share the blog on Facebook and Twitter using the links on the side!

His Name Was Kameron

Hello everyone, I am the aforementioned Kameron. I have been really nervous about my first post, and as such, I have been putting it off quite a bit up until this point. I didn't know what to do for this post, but I think for now I will just let you guys know about me and what I am about, and maybe a bit about where this blog will be going in the future, assuming I can figure it out for myself.


As far as my life experiences go, I must admit that I am still a bit limited in this area, perhaps a bit too much. This is part of the reason I am starting this blog, so I can get myself out there as a writer and a person, and hopefully get to know some of you in return. I am currently a starving college student. I live with my mom and dad at this time, but I have lived out on my own in Dallas before deciding to come back to Michigan to further my education. We own three birds and a chinchilla, which I will most likely talk more about in a future post.


I am extremely interested in film, books, music, and video games. I used to play a little game called World of Warcraft quite a bit, but I have recently tapered off on that in pursuit of school and writing. As far as movies and music go, there are way too many favorites for me to list them all here in this post, but perhaps if you guy's wish, that could always be a future post. The same generally goes for books, although a couple of my all time favorite books have to be Lord of The Rings (a collective sigh of "of course" is heard around the world) and The Book Thief.


I am starting this blog because, for one, I believe it will be a great way to keep me writing during my time away from school. I also will enjoy the opportunity to write something aside from purely academic ventures. Thirdly, there are a lot of opportunities on this here internet, and I feel like this could be a good jumping off spot for me to get involved in some communities around the web. And, because I always intend on being honest with you guys (which I realize that at this point, there are no "you guys" reading this) I do hope that the content I post is quality enough for me to consider monetizing it a little bit. These are hard economic times, as we all know, and specifically where I live it is extremely difficult to find a job. Especially for those of us who have no interest in becoming mindless drones. So obviously, if this can at all help me get through college or any such thing, that would be the best case scenario. We will see. Hopefully at some point, I would love to start making some videos for you guys, and I also currently have a podcast in the works.


As far as the content that will be available on this blog in the near future, I really want to give my insight on some news that matters to me (and should matter to most everyone else). I also intend to, perhaps less commonly due to money restraints, review books, games, movies, and music with my little spin. All of this is up in the air at this point, because when I read over that it seems like it could get a little dry. Of course I fully intend to mix a good bit of myself in here and there. I hope to post at least once a week, and ideally a good bit more than that if things work out the way I hope they will. I am open to any advice though and I encourage you to give suggestions as you see fit!

Unless something comes up I think would be good to post about before hand, my first real post will be about A Clockwork Orange, just to kick things off. I have never seen this film before, but it has always been on my list of must sees. It should be a good one.


 I fully encourage any criticism, advice, suggestions, or general discussion in the comment area.
And if you wish you can contact me at thecynicalreport@gmail.com and like/share the blog on Facebook and Twitter using the links on the side!