Saw 5, Facebook Updates and (some) First Time Voters

Today, the fifth installment of the Saw franchise opens up. Granted, the main villain has been dead for two films, but continues to wreak havoc. These movies are for horror fans who thought Friday the 13th just had too much plot development and not enough gore. Speaking of which, is anyone watching the show Fringe on Fox? I am enjoying it (although I am starting to learn that I like any show I watch in HD, is it the show or the HD-ness?). But this show Fringe – incredibly violent – they showed some woman’s head explode into a bloody mess. But some how a female nipple will still not pass the censors. I am not one of these ultra “liberated” minds that thinks sex should be everywhere, I just would like to see some more consistency that does not treat a tit shot as more vulgar than a guy’s jaw falling off of his face in a pile of puss and blood (more Fringe scenes).

I think we as a country are entering a very dangerous time of unprecedented narcissism. The explosion of Facebook demonstrates that. Now I am on Facebook and review every movie and book I read and try to update my “status” once every few days with something witty. But like MySpace, my main purpose through these sites is part friendship, part marketing of my comedy. Now this may make me a hypocrite, but I admit that I have an arrogance and a self-absorption that goes with putting your life on stage every night. But I am supposed to be at the extreme of arrogance with the IBankers, African-American wide receivers in football and serial killers. But now that has become mainstream. I appreciate it when people update their page with something funny. But when people put things like:

“Jim is thinking”

“Mary is working out”

“Mike is wondering what groceries to buy.”

it makes me want to kill the internet. I think it is emblematic of where we are going as a people though. We are becoming the masters of the universe without the benefit of accomplishing or creating anything. Instead of heliocentric we are becoming a society that revolves around ourselves. We join groups that mean nothing “1,000,000 against Sarah Palin” – oooooo I bet she’s terrified. But I am still more impressed by a woman in her 40s who sh-t out 5 kids, looks like that and is the governor of an American oil outpost. It certainly beats the thousands of women and men who have joined the “Save Darfur” group, which may have 500,000 members, but has raised about $800 in money.

I know plenty of secularists and atheists who are unselfish people who just think religion is not the right way to solving problems, but still recognize that society or something unknown is bigger than the individual. The most dangerous people and where I think our society is headed is towards the people who believe in nothing but their own importance.

Unfortunately Barack Obama had to play this game to galvanize the young voters in this country to vote. He is an engaging charismatic candidate and in marketing terms, he is a great product. But it took him plus gimmicks like Facebook pages, text messages and e-mail promises of an early glimpse at his VP choice to get the young people really excited. I think anyone who was eligible to vote in 2004 and did not, but is voting this time should be ashamed of themselves. George Bush was already fu-king this country good and hard in 2004, but not until 2008 when a celebrity candidate (I like him and have seen some of my concerns and problems erode in the last few months wit Obama) emerged did young people get truly involved. The idealist in me says, well now they have been brought in to the process and will stay -great for Democracy and this country. But the cynic in me, which is usually right, tells me that these are the people that don’t read papers unless they are free and take 2 minutes to read by the subway, people who update Facebook when they are taking a sh-t and that “can’t live without their DVR or blackberry” says that these people cannot be trusted with our future. Just as scary as a religious nut may be frightening, so is this “energized” voting bloc. The only thing is that the nuts have been invested in their cause a lot longer. At least that commitment is commendable.