What If We Decrease The Legal Drinking Age…

Now, I figure this post could be controversial for some as it might look like I’m telling people how to raise their kids and that’s not my intention. It’s just a narrative of personal experiences of myself and of other people. But I suggest that you do read it with an open mind and enjoy it.

Disclaimer done. Now let me get on my soapbox…

via The Smoking Section.

Yep, it may look like I’m encouraging teenage drinking, but let me explain myself. Hope you’re comfy where you are, I might take a minute. It started a few weeks ago when my government wanted to increase the legal drinking age. Yes, MY government. I love my country so much, I act like I own it. It actually got me thinking as to whether it will solve our drinking problem. Obviously, I thought it wouldn’t.

What you need to be actually doing is decreasing the legal drinking age. Why? For one simple reason: Teenagers like things. I’ll say it again, TEENAGERS LIKE THINGS. Another thing, teenagers —especially of this generation— have short attention spans. So, they get attracted to things quickly and can get rid of that thing just as quick. Music, fashion trends, role models, you name it. So, why not include vices, such as the popular one of drinking.

via apolloidt.com

Let’s just imagine if kids could only start drinking when they are full-grown adults: let’s say 21. Who knows how many years they were drinking before their 21^st birthday party? I’m not saying that all teenagers drink, but it’s noticeable. Why? Because they like things, illegal things. It’s the danger of getting caught that gets them going, that extra burst of adrenalin, you know? So, they start drinking, then they start binge drinking and then comes the 1^st “toilet-hugging session”. Anybody will tell you that is a session you’d rather want to miss. You then vow to stop drinking, but then you probably get back into it after 1 week —but from now on— you’ll know when you’ve had enough.

That’s what you need to know in order to prevent over-indulging: knowing your limit. Depending on the type of person you are, that is a limit you’ll hold on to for your drinking career. Some people hold true to this process, others don’t care and keep crossing their drinking limits. We are concerned about the latter, but I’m not talking on their behalf. But, government makes them the poster children on how not to live your life. Which explains their reasons for wanting to put this into law.

Remember when I said that teenagers have goldfish-like memory? How are they gonna find their limits when they only do it from adulthood? That’s usually the time period where society expects you to be a responsible somebody, but you’re now here drinking like you’re a college student? “That’s unacceptable” would be the response from the masses. Also, who’s to say they’ll even stop at alcohol? They could start getting into hard drugs. Some could even skip booze, skip weed and jump right into cocaine or heroin and the others. But, hey, that’s not what government tells you. But if you look around properly, you might see it.

So, as much it seems to be that an activity meant for responsible people is being introduced to irresponsible ones, it seems to be a way for them to be more in control of their vices. It might not be a foolproof plan, but at least it can try be progressive. Unfortunately, this would work better in more liberal environments like European countries. But, T.I.A (This Is Africa), and we’re more conservative here. If you believe it won’t work, that’s fine. The least you could do is hear other opinions. After all, a great relationship arises from good listening.

Think about it…

IDGAF…

This post has strong language, so those with sensitive eyes can close the tab or go watch Dora the Explorer, as I’m assuming you’re at least 6 years old. And they said The 19th Letter doesn’t love the kids. Besides those Tough Love posts, we love the kids. Disclaimer done.

IDGAF has become a staple phrase in the vocabulary of one too many cool kids (relatives to hipsters). You may be asking yourself: “What is a cool kid”? Trust me, if you value your sanity, DON’T find out. But if you really need to know, the answer’s available at a  Tumblr blog near you. Knowing them,  you’ll probably find them on Twitter, because they’re too cool for Facebook. Which kinda makes sense, because the “book” probably scared them away from joining up. See, they don’t need to read no books, they don’t need no edjumacation because all they need to survive in this world is swag and you know why? Because they just don’t give a fuck!

And if you look to your left, you’ll some of them rising above their adversities by applying a simple mantra of 5 small yet powerful words: I Don’t Give A Fuck. Now, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if it was only the cool kids that are—I’m saying this VERY loosely—free spirited. But alas, not giving a fuck has become mainstream now and the hipsters are crying on their American Apparel sweaters because they didn’t give a fuck first, if that makes any sense. No? I thought as much.

Now everybody doesn’t wanna give a fuck because they are seeking the attention of the cool kids in hope that they’ll be accepted into their clique. But, remember, these are cool kids. The irony will blast your mind in 3…2…1…BLAOW!!! I’ll mop up the brain splatter later.

I wouldn’t be surprised if IDGAF will be seen as the 21st century version of peer pressure. Think about it, has anything positive ever happen after somebody screamed: “Hey man, I don’t give a fuck!”. 8 out of 10 times, the person will either be in a hospital or a holding cell. IDGAF and YOLO are surely becoming the leading causes of injury among youths since Abraham Lincoln started killing vampires. What if this is a ploy of population control by “The Man”?

via iftheshoefitz.com

But, you know what the funny thing is? You really do give a fuck, we all do. I believe that it’s easy to care, not caring is difficult. Because of that, we pretend to not care as a way to “prove” that it’s possible, but it really isn’t. We fake it till we make it as a way to show some kind of superiority over those that don’t have that kind of ability. What people need to realise is that apathy is not good for your mind, your soul or your health. Because while in public, you don’t have a care in the world but behind closed doors, you’re a nervous wreck.

So, don’t worry: It’s okay to give a fuck sometimes…

“We may have found a cure for most evils; but we have found no remedy for the worst of them all, the apathy of human beings.” — Helen Keller

Does Plastic Surgery Ruins Marriages?

There’s this picture that I saw recently that made me see the light, hence the title of the post.

I’ll post it at the end of the post, because I feel the need to break it down for the dazed and confused readers. But I do warn, the picture might not be safe for work. There, my disclaimer is out so you can’t try and sue me (as broke as I am, I wouldn’t even sue myself!)

Anyway, I’m sure that there are some highly self-conscious creatures that exist on Mama’s Earth, right? And a majority of those creatures are known by the scientific name of homo femme sapiens, but for the sake of simplicity, the creatures are called women.

Bad sexist jokes aside (I AM sorry for that, ladies), women tend to be more keen to change their physical features if given the chance and the money. Why? Well, the reason isn’t that clear-cut; women wish to alter their bodies for medical reasons, others to make themselves feel more confident, to be able to marry a handsome (and maybe rich) man, some to get that promotion their A-cup boobies couldn’t get.

A very grey area, no? Well, whatever the reasons may be, the procedures usually lead to the same destination/goal: to look more attractive. Although, some operations might do the opposite, but let me not digress much further.

So, old girl makes a plan to get enough money for that dream surgery, we won’t debate on what the plan could be, get “guidance” from friends and family, travel to the public surgeon (preferably Dr Rey from Dr 90210), gets told all kinds of bullshit from Dr Rey and the person she brought with, get fed tons of anaesthesia and the gory operation commences in front of cameras that are linked to a TV network which distributes to their satellites for the whole world to see. Then she wakes up…to a whirlwind kind of PAIN, but no worries, as long as she looks good after this.

She went from a frumpy, buck-toothed, boulder-nosed, sagging cheek girl with cottage cheese thighs to a sexy, confident, Botox-lipped, D-cupped woman with her tight butt and little nose in the air like she’s born with it.

Suddenly, she meets a guy. The man of her dreams. The man she looks at and thinks: “This is the father of my kids”. Don’t worry, this implies she’ll marry him; THEN they’ll have sex.

Then we fast forward through all the flirting and hard-to-get mind games and all that other bullshit.

Would you look at that? She finally married the man of her dreams. Now she can relax, as her life is now set, her Disney fairytale has a happy ending. She’ll do whatever it takes to the best wife she can be to her husband.

AND THEY HAVE SEX. LOTS AND LOTS OF SEX!

9 months later, a baby is about to be born, the beginning of a new generation, an addition to the prestigious bloodline that includes history of inbreeding. And the moment of history arrives – but what follows is not joy, rather confusion.

“What the hell, this baby is ugly! He doesn’t look like any of us”

Oh yeah, remember the man is handsome and rich…but as thick as bricks! He’ll assume that the wife has been cheating on him with somebody that looks like Alfred Hitchcock and Robert Mugabe combined. But we all know the truth, right? But she can’t tell her that, because he’ll divorce her.

Too late, he already filed for divorce this morning; she’ll be served with the papers by the afternoon. Because, in his mind, he can’t be married to a philanderer or a woman that deceived him; she made him think she’s beautiful but actually isn’t.

She could either regret having plastic surgery or fight the soon-to-be-ex for a few houses or an 8 figure settlement and get more surgery and go get a new sucker to leech off find a new love.

So, yeah. That’s why I believe that plastic surgery has been ruining and will continue to ruin marriages. Makes you wonder why divorces are so high, doesn’t it?

Here’s the picture I promised you…

 

I’m Thinking of an Ugly Word…

…and can you guess what it is?

Give up? Don’t worry, I’ll hook you up and get right into it.

This ugly word I’m talking about is…fornication. Makes you wanna shake and shiver, doesn’t it? Just say in your head quickly, ‘fornication’ oh, man *shrugs*

It is an ugly word used to describe a beautiful thing. Or at least that’s what I’ve read and been told. But, then again, have you ever wondered why it has been assigned that name?

I can think of one and it involves the Church.

Think about it, the Bible is very vocal against people having sex before marriage — for some, doing it is basically an abomination. If you even thought about thinking about having sex, you must be ashamed of yourself.

You know why? Quite simple; make it seem like a very evil activity and hope nobody will get curious. “Evil” may have been a bit extreme, but it’s the best word to use at the moment.

But, I digress.

I don’t think the main problem with fornication is the actual sex but the lust a person acquires leading to coitus. Search up the “7 deadly sins” and bam! There shall be lust. But some might argue that lust is not as damaging as the other 6 sins, although just because one sin is less “evil” than the other doesn’t mean it’s less bad or more good. But let me not get too deep in that.

This word is a good example on the human condition works. If something was deemed alright by the public, then some type of authority claims it’s wrong and gives reasons why it’s wrong, who are you to defy them? You’ll probably go home, think about it, realise it’s indeed wrong and you’ll resent yourself for a while.

It’s this critical moment for some people to decide whether to be a believer or a heretic.

Humans, huh? We are a bunch of interesting beings, aren’t we?

One last question: if you didn’t know about the concept of fornication, would you still have sex?

What Do You People Know About Insomnia?

I’ll help you answer that: Nothing. Want me to repeat that? You people DO NOT KNOW shit about what it’s like to suffer from insomnia! I don’t know about you, but every time I log on to my Facebook or Twitter account at a certain time of the day—let’s say after 10pm—there just have to be some dumbasses posting about how they lost the ability to sleep and think that is enough to be “having insomnia”.

What most people don’t realise is that insomnia is a serious disorder; it can be a potentially life-threatening condition because it messes with a process needed to recover your body from…well, whatever your body was doing the whole day. It doesn’t require a specialist to tell you that sleep is one of the major activities that can prevent an early death. Coincidentally, Nas once said that “sleep is the cousin of death”, but this isn’t about metaphors, so let’s move on.

I really need to stop depending so much on Wikipedia for my posts, but it defines insomnia as:

…a general term describing difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. Insomnia can have many causes, including psychological stress, a poor sleep environment, an inconsistent sleep schedule, or excessive mental or physical stimulation in the hours before bedtime…

Seems pretty clear-cut, doesn’t it? Well, some people seem to think that because you can’t fall asleep within 20 minutes, its insomnia. No it’s not, that means you’re not tired. Go watch TV, read an encyclopaedia, crash the car and listen to your parents’ lecture, just do something that WILL make you sleep, damn it!

Another “symptom” is being unable to sleep at night because you slept during the day, therefore you have insomnia. Really?! Come on, people! How this defies public logic is beyond me, how do you expect to doze off at midday, wake up at 5pm and hope to asleep AGAIN by 10pm? That’s like drinking coffee then downing a cup of sugar because the coffee wasn’t sweet enough. Speaking of coffee…

You drank 16 cups of coffee and now you can’t sleep? Well, what in the fuck did you expect, genius? Caffeine is a stimulant that promotes somnolence. In other words, you drink it you’ll stay up. Matter of fact, you should take the coffee and— you know what, I don’t even know I’m going on about this, let me conclude this piece.

This is one of the things that annoy me the most about social networks, mostly the people in them, but it’s all the same. If you’re gonna post that you can’t sleep, go ahead. But if you’re gonna claim to be an insomniac after one night, keep it to yourself or prepare to be destroyed. Unless you got a ghost living with you, you ain’t saying shit!

I’m going to bed…

MORE INSOMNIA THEMED PICTURES FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT  ———-> HERE 

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOMALIA…OOPS, INSOMNIA —-> HERE

A Depressing Laugh…

This is a note that I originally posted on my Facebook profile (I’ll put that up in a bit). I know, I know, 3 posts down and already I’ve got writer’s (or blogger’s) block. Maybe, I should go to a monastery and get myself some inspiration, until then, read on…

Now, I would start this piece on a depressing note, but that’s one side no one, not even myself, will get to see. Either because I hide it behind a smile or I just got “lifted”, depending on the situation. Or just paint the miserable emotions into a new shade of humour, amusement and chuckles. The latter seems to be modus operandi of some of the most depressed people on Earth. Still don’t know who I’m talking about?

Here’s a clue: It rhymes with comedians.

Yes, you read right, comedians, humorists, masters of wit, jokers. Granted not all of them are manic-depressive, pill-popping, suicidal porn addicts who get their kicks by getting people to laugh at their stories of ex-wives’ affairs with their brothers. Some comedians can be the personification of sunshine, trees, dolphins and rainbows (Not all at once, though), but what about the sad sacks? Well, for one thing, they are walking contradictions. Much like cheerful Emo kids or bodybuilders, need I go further?

Needless to say, despite of their back stories, they have managed to craft a winning formula, mixing their dark side lifestyles with light-hearted anecdotes, instead of generating pity from the audience, the audience laugh until their ribs start poking their lungs. Who needs a shrink telling you that “Everything will be come right” nonsense when you have a few thousand people thinking “You’re very funny” or “You’re awesome”? But, the truth is, people are inadvertently being sadistic laughing at this comic. We have all done it, no point denying it. But, why is it like that?

It’s simple: People like laughing at other people’s pain. There’s nothing better than knowing that somewhere out there, there’s somebody who is living a much more miserable life than you. You’re having man/woman/money trouble? Well, somebody just broke up with theirs, and you’ll think to yourself: “At least that wasn’t me, my life isn’t that bad compared to his/hers, ha-ha.” Messed up, right? But, what can you do? It’s life at its best and worst. I guess it’s an eccentric way of making you appreciate what you got, not taking anything for granted etc.

But, I digress.

Either way, it all falls down to one point: There’s a thin line between people laughing with you or laughing at you. Half of the time, you’re getting laughed at. You don’t realize it at first as you see as it as the crowd ‘relating’ to what you’re saying and you’re liking the reactions, but once you look behind the façade of the laughs, that’s where you’re introduced to the world of depression, addictions, psychiatric troubles and, in some extreme cases, suicidal thoughts.

Chill out, though.

This isn’t supposed to send you on a guilt trip for laughing at comics doing their thing behind the mic (No homo). It’s just a different approach on what could be going through their minds long after the punchlines have been catapulted towards the crowd. For all we know it could be relieved satisfaction or bittersweet melancholy.

Just a thought…