First, Scott Adams and "Why is Music Legal" today really had me smiling, in that "If the plural of goose is geese, why isn't the plural of moose meese?" sort of way.
Don’t forget – music is a gateway drug to harder stuff. Music attracts dancing. Dancing attracts alcohol. Alcohol leads to unwanted pregnancies. Unwanted pregnancies lead to abortion. If you believe life begins at conception, you have to believe that music kills babies.
This last bit of logic is like the humorous Tequila post from last month (link here)
But I digress... back in the early part of the last century, some people actually believed that music was bad for people, leading up to "Elvis" and those hips. Actually, it may have been the conservatives amongst us who were upset about it, and more to the point, they were frightened because they couldn't get their viewpoints foisted upon us, i.e. those with minds open for a lifetime of learning. Truthfully, I myself have a real problem with the lyrics in rap music, but the music itself is particularly popular with kids, and then the baby and bathwater things comes up.
Wil Wheaton reminded everyone that yesterday was World AIDS Day.
Over the years, I've just assumed that, as a species, we were moving toward eliminating or at least reducing the spread of HIV and AIDS. It turns out that I am wrong. For example, I didn't know that people in the UK know less about HIV transmission now than they did five years ago. Here in the US, our good pals in the religious right have been frighteningly successful in keeping people ignorant and afraid, and replacing facts with agenda-driven propaganda. This is real scary, because nothing helps spread a disease quite like ignorance, and AIDS doesn't care about your race or class or religion; it just wants to kill people.
Books like The Immortals by Tracy Hickman or Darwin's Children by Greg Bear touch on these same human issues and give us a frightening picture of what can happen.
As it turns out, yesterday Greg Bear noted in his blog that "that anyone who's been in power too long, starts to stink. And anyone who plans to keep our system a one-party system forever ... needs to spend some hard time in the ol' woodshed." I edited his comment for space, but I want to say that I agree with his point and this hard line conservatism is at it's core, what's been wrong with the last few years. Even in church, and the "you have to be on a mission" attitude ... I'm just saying, is this what Jesus really wanted?
Because this is what is all comes down to, the use of the religion, especially in these conservative circles, to accomplish the group's goals, to be in power, to have the most members, to have the most money, to have the most followers, to have the most votes.
What was that Golden Rule again? from Golden Rule Radical, some excerpts:
Christianity - In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. Jesus, Matthew 7:12
Buddhism - Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful. The Buddha
Confucianism - One word which sums up the basis of all good conduct....loving-kindness. Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself. Confucius, Analects 15.23
Islam - Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself. The Prophet Muhammad, 13th of the 40 Hadiths of Nawawi
Judaism - What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary. Go and learn it. Hillel, Talmud, Shabbath 31a
Wicca - An it harm none, do what you will
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension -
Buckaroo Banzai: Hey, hey, hey. Don't be mean. We don't have to be mean because, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.
I added the last one, there, it's not really at that golden rule website... I guess here is the final summation of what I would like to ask any person on a "mission" - after you've accomplished your great mission
What then?
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