MarkSteffen.net

Good lord... a well-reasoned political argument on Gawker →

Democracy is not OH MY GOD THESE LAWS WILL MAKE US PUSSIES! Democracy is people working together to sort out just what the rules of society should be. Obviously, this process is labored and often hilariously corrupt, but that’s what living in a “free country” is supposed to mean. It doesn’t mean that you get to grab a gun and storm City Hall just because you think a soda ban is some kind of sign of the End Times. It’s fucking soda. Don’t be such a pussy that you can’t live without a 42 oz. cup of the shit. If you’re the type to flip out just because you can’t have that, then who’s the real pussy?

It goes on to talk about the very obvious “soda is bad for you, shut up,” point, as well. Making this my favorite op-ed of the day.

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I live at the intersection of Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard. I feel like this is indicative of something.

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Where The Wild Things Are (Taken with Instagram at Brooklyn Botanic Garden)

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WHERE BROOKLYN AT!!

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Pizza and Pops. (Taken with instagram)

"Seven simple rules of going into hiding: one, never trust a cop in a raincoat. Two, beware of enthusiasm and of love, both are temporary and quick to sway. Three, if asked if you care about the world’s problems, look deep into the eyes of he who asks, he will never ask you again. Four, never give your real name. Five, if ever asked to look at yourself, dont. Six, never do anything the person standing in front of you cannot understand. And finlly seven, never create anything, it will be misinterpreted, it will chain you and follow you for the rest of your life."

— Arthur Rimbaud version of Bob Dylan - I’m Not There

(Source: jaxson2011)

People Who Grab Tons of Napkins When Buying Food

peopleyoucanttrust:

You should only need a few. Either they’re planning on spilling that food all over themselves or they’re equipping the cleanest bomb shelter of all time. 

Things I Do Not Understand And Definitely Am Not Going To Talk About

thingsidontunderstandand:

• We tried so hard not to try so hard.

All of us. Not even relationship things. Just this entire generation.

"Eventually something you love is going to be taken away. And then you will fall to the floor crying. And then, however much later, it is finally happening to you: you’re falling to the floor crying thinking, ‘I am falling to the floor crying,’ but there’s an element of the ridiculous to it — you knew it would happen and, even worse, while you’re on the floor crying you look at the place where the wall meets the floor and you realize you didn’t paint it very well and when you’re having sex with your next lover on this very floor they will also notice that you didn’t paint it very well and they will think less of you for it. And then you think, ‘Is that sentence too long?’ and then you have to hold the contradictions of sobbing uncontrollably and wondering about grammar in your head at the same time."

—

Richard Siken (via zaidikidogo)

Forever reblog.

(via realityisrunningaway)

To everyone overly concerned about the Facebook IPO

Get out from behind that shroud of capitalism and social media, realize how lucky you are, and remember what Vonnegut tried to keep at the forefront of all of our small, undoubtedly stupid brains:

Notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, ‘If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.’

And for god’s sake, don’t say that in a status update.

As usual, Aaron Sorkin is pitch-perfect. 

The rules are about to change, and one of them is this: Decisions are made by those who show up. Don’t ever forget that you’re a citizen of this world. Don’t ever forget that you’re a citizen of this world, and there are things you can do to lift the human spirit, things that are easy, things that are free, things that you can do every day. Civility, respect, kindness, character. You’re too good for schadenfreude, you’re too good for gossip and snark, you’re too good for intolerance—and since you’re walking into the middle of a presidential election, it’s worth mentioning that you’re too good to think people who disagree with you are your enemy.

carafornia:

so fucking awesome. 

thedailywhat:

IMDB Bio of the Day: Much to the Internets’ delight, IMDB writer Jon Hopwood profiled Kim Kardashian in a thoughtful, well-argued roast of an IMDB bio.

Choice highlights:

Kim Kardashian is emblematic of the shallowness of American culture in the first two decades of the new millennium. While some cultural critics call her the prime avatar of the “famous for being famous” faux celebrity crowd, she along with Paris Hilton is a new breed of cat whose celebrity comes from the release of a sex tape and the canny exploitation of the resulting publicity. Like her good friend Miss Hilton (their relationship predates Kim’s “celebrity”, Kardashian is possessed of photogenic good looks but is short of any other discernible talents outside of the bedroom. Both expanded their celebrity by becoming reality TV “stars”.

Porn pioneer Harry Reems has commented how surprised he is at how porn stars like Jenna Jameson are accepted now in mainstream culture. His life was ruined by his participation in porn in its “Golden Years”. As for Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian, the release (accidental or not-so-accidental) of boudoir tapes didn’t result in shame but celebration. America like ancient Rome seems to have shuffled off the moral coil of virtue of the Republic and is now enjoying its Imperial self in an orgy of ignominy. It’s always more fun on the toboggan ride down the hill than it was schlepping up it in the first place.

Thankfully, a few screen grabs were snagged before the site was alerted to Hopwood’s shenanigans and took the bio down. Well played, Hopwood.

[uproxx]

When people have the balls to stand up to what media has done to us in thoughtful, hilarious, and intelligent ways I don’t so much hate the world.

"It was my failure to hide what I wanted to hide that made the story succeed. God, what a ghastly enterprise to be in, though–and what an odd way to achieve success. I’m an exhibitionist who wants to hide, but is unsuccessful at hiding; therefore, somehow I succeed."

—

David Foster Wallace in conversation with Larry McCaffery - 1993

What I’m thinking every time I get in front of a keyboard or open my mouth.

GPOY