Dangit, Avril.

OK, so I don't want to waste more than a couple of minutes on that wretched Hello Kitty video that everyone's talking about. It's just... If you  haven't seen it yet, it really just is as bad as everyone is saying. It offends by sheer virtue of existing. It makes Girlfriend look good. Hell, it makes Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl look good. And I am vehemently against anyone over the age of 24 doing anything having to do with a cheerleader costume. (except for private bedroom moments that remain private.)

I'll even admit, I kind of liked her ten years ago. And we're the same age, and I try to be at least somewhat supportive of people of my generation doing well. But... egh. I've never deserved so much side-eye for my guilty-pleasure pop music addiction.

The racist aspect of it has already been talked to death by people smarter than I. And... through an American lens, I can see why people would say that. The video, though, was supposed to be exclusive to Japan, where she's been more popular than here for oh, at least a good 5 years. This reads to me less as "white girl uses Asian girls as props" and more "white girl tries badly to be Kyary Pamyu Pamyu...while using Asian girls as props." Plus awkward Skrillex hair something something.

And by "tries," I mean... not really trying at all. More like let's do a couple hours of greenscreen and on-location shooting, throw in some random Japanese words (the way Japanese musicians frequently throw in random English words) and put a cupcake on it. And of course, OF COURSE, that guy from Nickelback was involved.

But then, when was the last time someone failed to get rich from underestimating the intelligence of a national population? Even if the single flops in Japan as hard as it's flopping here, Youtube page views still equal revenue.

I can say this, though. I haven't seen such a blatantly lazy, cynical grab at the common folks' money since Eric Turner in the most recent Indiana legislative session.

Questions

Ever wonder if maybe the end times crazies are right, maybe things are ending, but the mainstream church leaders maybe are the bad guys?

I mean, fundamentalism is catching on all over the world, cruel laws toward the marginalized run rampant, and anyone who read revelation knows the bad guys are winning right before Action Hero Jesus steps in to (bleep) some stuff up.

Then again maybe Mary just really stuck to her story, and maybe the writer of Revelation was just chilling on Patmos on some really good stuff, man.

I had a few fights this week with Christians because I spoke up about me and the many others hurt by the church, and I got brushed off with a "well, cruelty is everywhere."

Pretty sure that isn't what Jesus meant, and that was my sign to the question I have been wrestling for months, should I go back to church? But I don't think that church is any place for Jesus or for me.

I get this image sometimes of Jesus and Siddhartha, bro-ing it up like Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan, like "They figure it out yet?"

"Nope."

"Sigh. 'Nother round of skeeball?"

"Sure."

"You know, Jeezy, one of these days you're gonna skeeball yourself into a coma."

"Nah, it's cool, Dad already did that back in the 90s."

I don't know what it means any better than the next person. But "be kind" translates to every heart's language, and for now, that looks like it's all I have.

I Post Links: "Why can't a smart woman love fashion?"

This essay by feminist writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is perfection.

I had learned a lesson about Western culture: Women who wanted to be taken seriously were supposed to substantiate their seriousness with a studied indifference to appearance. For serious women writers in particular, it was better not to dress well at all, and if you did, then it was best to pretend that you had not put much thought into it. If you spoke of fashion, it had to be either with apology or with the slightest of sneers. The further your choices were from the mainstream, the better. The only circumstance under which caring about clothes was acceptable was when making a statement, creating an image of some sort to be edgy, eclectic, counterculture. It could not merely be about taking pleasure in clothes.

Day 29: "What the hell is a pergola?"

Day 29 prompt: What word(s) did you learn OR make-up this year? How did you learn it/make it up? Did you start using it?

I  had no freakin' idea what a pergola was, I just called them "that thing that kind of looks like a patio roof but not really and usually people plant vines on them or something."

And then Allen, the ex-or-whatever-he-is used the word in front of me not long after we were dating.

It was kind of embarrassing to admit I didn't have any idea what he was talking about. He was pretty kind about it, though. He just pointed out one in someone's lawn/garden as we drove by.

YMMV, but in hindsight I think it's hilarious that I was so embarrassed just over not knowing what a word is. And now I totally have an occurrence of Baader-Meinhoff phenomenon every single time I see one. (Also, I got to teach a lot of people what Baader-Meinhoff phenomenon is in 2013!)

And I still think pergola is kind of a weird word.