The Entitlement That Is Civilization

I just finished reading Derrick Jensen's Endgame Vol 1 and 2. I have never read so much so fast. Civilization is killing us. I have followed the peak oil crowd for sometime now but this is beyond the scope of the looming oil fiasco. Jensen has called out the big boy in charge. He accuses civilization of murder. Much like Tim Wise's book White Like Me blew my mind about privilege Jensen's book did the same for me when it comes to civilization itself. Abuse is rampant and the denial is deep. Do we act or do we hope peak oil will take care of it for us? The entitlement humans have is obvious but somehow we have a veil that blinds us to it. There is no doubt the planet is in peril and DJ wants action from us. This action is dangerous and necessary but the risks keep most of us from acting. I love the twenty premises he uses to challenge the fence sitters. Hope is not working and pacifism is it's ugly brother.

I'm Tired

I'm tired of the stupidity within the American public. I'm tired of bigots disguised as republicans. I'm tired of a country in utter denial about racism. I'm tired of apathetic students. I'm tired of ignorant uncles and cousins. I'm tired of neutral brother-in-laws who do more damage than the bigots they refuse to confront. I'm tired of a silent sister. I'm tired of a principal who lives her life in constant fear. I'm tired of an English department with no insight or backbone. I'm tire of kids walking into my room with camouflage. I'm tired of the Pledge of Allegiance. I'm tired of the outdated American Constitution. I'm tired of yellow ribbons. I'm tired of oblivious white people. I'm tired of our addiction to oil...even though I'll miss it's perks. I'm tired of email responses. I'm tired of fiction. I'm tired of homophobes. I'm tired of men dominating women. I'm tired of Christians. I'm tired of religion. I'm incredibly tired of the fairytale known as god. I'm tired of old white men controlling the world. I'm tired of patriotism. I'm tired of "god bless America." I'm tired of you.

The Poison of Privilege

Mariza I have something to share but before I do you must be aware of the fact that this no ordinary lesson in school but a bit more intense, you see we’ve all been fooled.

Time out, wait a minute, hold that thought, I’m fairly young and my mind can be bought. I’m here to socialize, get by, and follow the norm; this is what I’ve been taught since the day I was born.

I no longer can spout the status quo I’ve been given it all for the cost of my soul. White, American, heterosexual, male, born in the middle class with no reason to fail. My life has been formed by men who look like me but what I’ve discovered isn’t easy to see.

What are you talking about the President is fine. He talks of freedom and patriotism all of the time. Look where we live, the home of the brave and the land of the free. You never owned slaves and neither did he.

That’s just the surface of what I’m talking about. You see there are these things called privilege, power, and clout. I never earned the benefits of my status, color, or sexuality but they all have shaped everyone’s reality.

Don’t you think that this fuss is a bit absurd? Your life is carefree and you’re free as a bird. If people work hard it all equals out. That is what they tell us I have no reason to doubt.

Wait a minute you’re a woman, Mexican, and a teenager at that. Nobody cares what you think you’re only a stat. What’s brilliant about this system we’re in is it picks the same winners yet we all think we win. So we go on believing in the American Dream where democracy is broke and capitalism is a scheme.

I’ve been listening and you make some sense. Let’s flip the script because reality’s best.

Mr. Sliwa why are people oppressed?

Mariza this is English class it’s not on the test.

I’m tired of learning about dotting my “I’s” and cross my “T’s” this world’s full of liars, haters, and thieves. Can someone please tell me why I feel such a loss? I’m beginning to crack from the weight of this cross.

Just sit in a row and follow the bell. I am spinning my history so you’ll fall under this spell. I have to remain neutral or you’ll never think but this white ship is starting to sink.

What is this whiteness and privilege you hold? Is it true we still have slaves just not bought and sold? My people are dying for just a few resources. Could you spare what you stole with wagons and horses?

What did you read or hear that provoked this attack? White males have always had a target on our backs. This country’s traditions are slipping away. Even the concept of marriage has gone to the gays. So shut up and listen and it will all be just great.

I’ve tried but it’s no use I can no longer relate. Maybe one day you’ll be in my shoes with no light in sight just a slow burning fuse. Please take my hand and place it yours. Together we’ll fight for justice not wars. You see we’re just allies not enemies at all. This poison called privilege is killing us all.

Men nearing the end?

As I sit and watch NFL football I begin to realize what is wrong with American society...MEN.

I grew up watching football and playing a bit of it as well. It has become our national pastime, an institution if you will. This morning I turned on the TV and decided to treat myself and watch the game after some exercise earlier in the day. Usually it's torture to watch my Cardinals but I figure they're playing Washington so we may have a shot. During the pregame B.S. I caught a quick glimpse of the Washington Redskins marching band. Yes, apparently the Redskins have a band. I'm not sure if it is a full marching band but there were some guys playing trumpets and marching along the field. What caught my eye was the fact that these men were in full head dress and dressed like native chiefs. The men racially appeared to be anything but native. What is amazing is that it is 2007 and we STILL have a team in our nations capital call the Washington Redskins. What's even more disturbing is that we still dress up people to march around a field in some Halloween costumes to entertain men. Why don't we have the Atlanta Africans while we're at it. We can dress up some guys in black face and give them loin cloths to wear. Maybe we could have the Phoenix Mexicans and give them sombreros and thick mustaches. We seem to love false history and stereotypes.


I criticize men for this because men created teams like the Redskins and the Cleveland Indians. Look at the Indians logo sometime, it's fucking ridiculous. Next time you're chanting at a Braves or Florida Seminoles game think about how absurd it is. Nothing like mocking the faith of a culture from whom you stole their land and conducted genocide against. Better yet, you're doing it at an athletic event and you named your god damn team after them.



Being a man it gets a bit old observing the ignorance of other men. That's why it was refreshing to see a few years back a group of Native students in Colorado flip the script on the man. They decided to name their intramural basketball team The Fightin' Whites. Everythings gonna be all white was their slogan. They even had a couple of mascots. One was a Yosemite Sam look a like and the other was a 1950's clean cut white man. I thought it was a brilliant move. Maybe during half time they could mock Christianity.


Men are oblivious because they can be. It's a man's world and with that comes privilege. The privilege is that we are rarely questioned about our choices and there are a different set of standards we have to follow. In many cases this is a white man's world. Don't get me wrong, all men have privilege but white men have a whole other level of privilege. There is a reason we don't see a team called the Fightin' Whites. Sure we have the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame but let me quickly point out the obvious. First, Notre Dame is a Christian university. Christianity is the dominant faith in this country. It is a Catholic university which is the largest sect of Christianity. Both of these affiliations come with privilege. The mascot is a leprechaun/shamrock, a fictional character mind you, who represents the Irish. The Irish were at the bottom of the food chain when arriving in America but like all other European immigrants they eventually assimilated into the white race. Obviously 43 white male presidents in a row and a history of law makers and laws created for white men by white men has given us more than just a few privileges. So when you try to compare the Fighting Irish with the Redskins it becomes pathetic.

The problem with all of this is the fact that men are really no longer needed. We have enough sperm frozen to last generations, so that really eliminates the main basic need for men. Think of all the major problems in the world. Most of them can be attributed to men one way or another. It's not like women would need protecting if men were gone.

I believe that nature has a way of selecting what it needs and eliminating what it doesn't need or what is harmful to nature itself. If men continue to be the problem it wouldn't surprise me if the end of men is near. Problems like war, prison rates, crime, violence, pollution, genocide, murder, rape, hunger, and practically every other major issue can be directly traced back to men.

Well boys it's time to pony up and become real men. The men we are portraying now have obvious flaws. What we are doing is not working. We are broken and we may want to start listening to women. My wife is a brilliant women and has more strength than any person I know. I have tried to listen to her and I have learned about what it takes to be a decent human being. So quit worrying about what your boys think and start listening to the women in your lives. Unfortunately most of us have convinced each other that we're superior to women but like everything else up to this point we were wrong.