Thursday, June 18, 2015

Hipsters, Hippies and High Fashion

Since the fruition of nomadic civilizations, whether it be humans, neanderthals, orangutans or dolphins, social conformity has always sat at the top of the list of necessary survival activities.  Many terms have been used to identify the various levels of group conformity. Pack, flock, herd, pod, mob, gang, and the recently established group known as Hipsters. This dynamic group can be recognized by its unique style of clothing and social conventions. In the beginning a common goal shared between these Hipsters was to set themselves apart from the mainstream culture. It started out as a rather small population. Non-Hipsters looked upon the slowly emerging culture with their heads cocked sideways just a bit- that was normal.
Over time the Hipster culture grew larger and larger, eventually drawing in new members much like the behavior of celestial bodies surrounding a black hole. Although the exact moment is unknown, it is clear now that the Hipster culture has taken over all previous mainstream cultures. Hipsters look upon the Non-Hipsters with their heads cocked sideways- this is normal. Spotting an individual wearing colors that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye is a rare occurrence. In fact, so rare that it permits a double-take just to confirm it's reality. Meanwhile, spotting an individual wearing a pair of floral print leggings and a plaid lumberjack blouse hardly merits the batting of an eye.
The evolution of Hipsters may seem a bit strange at times. Occasionally it might even come across as bizarre, much like sparkly vampires and cuddly werewolves . People think to themselves, "What has this world come to? These look-a-like hippies are everywhere...and yet we still have global warming to look forward to". Well, the good news has come. In all actuality, this odd type of social conformity is just another aspect of history repeating itself and is nothing to be worried about. Remember the decades of high fashion models striving to achieve the junkie look with every chicken broth flavored cotton ball they ate? These long haired, free spirited, breakout artist following young adults trying to emulate the Baby Boomers of the Woodstock era are exactly what history would have predicted. 

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Annihilation by Ambiguity

Why is it that when you ask someone what their thoughts are on the LRA/Joseph Kony they immediately say, "He's a monster! He needs to be captured and killed, he's taken so many lives!" Meanwhile, when asked about abortion they are quick to say "Women should be able to make a choice!"
The death toll from abortion is somewhere around 500x that of the LRA. (This is a rough estimate used merely to make a statistical comparison. Don't read too much into the reference itself). 
Who then is responsible for all the casualties associated with this Pro-choice era? Is it the mothers- who are often making a short sighted decision to get through 'the now'? Is it the people of the church who are not fighting hard enough against Congress to abolish Pro-choice? Is it the scientists, professors and teachers who do not spend enough time thoroughly educating students on embryonic and developmental biology?
Is the current war between Pro-Life and Pro-Choice based upon Women's rights to their bodies, or is it fueled by the ambiguity regarding the definition of life itself?
17th century English philosopher, John Locke, is known for his thoughts on natural rights, which he expresses in his Second Treatise of Government. His famous words, "The right to life, liberty and property", were of great inspiration to Thomas Jefferson while drafting the Declaration of Independence. Would it not it seem that Pro-choice is without a doubt unconstitutional?