A party political broadcast for the apathetic, from an angry drunk
by Benjamin
I have a problem with you.
I mean, not specifically you, sitting at your computer playing on the Internet when you ought to be doing something far more important. You’re a harmless procrastinator, inching closer and closer to death without being totally cognisant of the fact that one day you’ll be gone and nothing you’ve done in your whole entire life will have mattered. You’re harmless. No, I mean you, each and every one of you, the bolus collective audience as a group. You suck.
I’m going to cut straight to the chase. Each and every one of you has potential. You’re not a beautiful and unique snowflake, to paraphrase an over-paraphrased, overrated, verging-on-fascist style-over-substance pseudfest of a movie, but you could become one. Make the right decisions, fail to succumb to apathy, follow your heart and try and avoid the bad luck that dogs anything with a pulse, and there’s every chance you could turn humanity on its head and make a permanent, indelible mark on civilisation. I’m not joking. You could change everything.
Thing is, you don’t. Never have, never will. You can’t, you won’t. You’re an apathetic, skill-deprived, underperforming son-of-a-schmuck who might as well just shit out the rest of your days phoning in your lines in a 9 to 5 trainwreck of a life, squirming through relationships you don’t really want to be in and going through the motions of being a happy, well-to-do human being when really you want someone to switch off your charade of a life and change the channel to something interesting. You and psoriasis are on an equal footing. You’re a flake. Except you’ve willingly seen at least one episode of America’s Next Top Model, and psoriasis isn’t sentient and doesn’t have eyeballs, so in at least one important respect you’re losing.
Even versus Karl Rove – accepted by many to be the walking, heaving human being equivalent of psoriasis – you lose. I’m not going to explain why. You just do.
Here’s where, in normal circumstances, we might think about publishing a top ten list. We’re a site on the Internet, after all, and the idea is that you post ten articles a day and get paid roughly a gonad hair every ten words for the privilege, so actual textual content with paragraphs and things isn’t normally the order of the day. We did an article called "What would Jesus do?" which was just a list of things we thought it would be funny for Jesus to have sex with, for Christ’s sake. Paragraphs don’t really belong on the Internet. They seem wrong, like thoroughly researched investigative journalism, or linking to Goatse or Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up now that they’re both so totally over.
But you deserve a little more punishment than a bullet list can provide. You see, your apathy isn’t just affecting you. It’s not just affecting your family or the people you know. At best estimate there are well over six billion people on this tiny, choking crapsicle we call a planet, and you’re affecting them all. I’m not saying you directly control the fate of the universe, but every time you don’t give a shit, a baby dies. So care, asshole.
This has been a political broadcast on behalf of caring. Your heart endorses this message. And I’m going to lay off the goddamn whisky and go to bed.
April 9th, 2008 at 2:14 am
Thank you; My goal in life has been achieved.
April 9th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Thanks, Ben. You’ve done a nice job of saying what’s going on in my head a not insignificant portion of the time. I would recommend not laying off the whisky.
April 11th, 2008 at 2:47 am
This one’s going on my refrigerator.
April 12th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Moving towards the rum. Or the tequila. Or moonshine.
Mmm, beautiful moonshine, how I would love your ghostly shimmer if I could still see.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Hmm. I can´t really see how pissing inaccurately can kill a baby, but I´m obviously stupid.
April 18th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Well that’s a nice way to tell us we suck. Don’t be prejudice. Not everyone using the internet is a nolifer..
April 18th, 2008 at 3:37 am
You are the Best- thank you, because what you write is the truth, you took the time to remind us all yet again of who we are.
Truth is not always beautiful or attractive,often hard on the ear and punishing to the senses. However, there are many that find that the Truth offers, freedom and a sense of living purpose, such people will enjoy your thoughts. You are sage to remind us that we are all here as visitors on this planet and for such a very short time.
yours
TREE
April 18th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
You ever heard “macarron Chacarron” by El Mudo? I was reminded of this song as I read this…
Because drunken rambling is drunken rambling, whether people believe it has meaning or not!
April 18th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
“Don’t hide behind words, Bones… tell me how you REALLY feel!”
April 20th, 2008 at 5:51 am
I am japanes
April 21st, 2008 at 6:22 am
I want some of that there smart whicky he was drinking
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:05 am
“but every time you don’t give a shit, a baby dies. So care, asshole.”
I never gave a shit and never will …. this must make be the biggest baby killer on the planet …. and i dont give a shit.
April 24th, 2008 at 12:25 am
Armenia4life!!
April 24th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Who are you to judge us if you, too, use the internet???
May 12th, 2008 at 9:39 am
I love you Ben.
May 25th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
For being drunk, there is a coherence and nugget of truth in that rant! But, then again, Jellybean makes a valid point! Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go do some real life stuff! ; )
May 28th, 2008 at 2:45 am
I like how you switched up the links for goatse and never gonna give you up. Priceless.
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Wow..now if you could keep the intellegence and get rid of the booze(anger)..you could reach even further with your message…I know a great Alcoholics Anonymouse meeting you can start with.
July 14th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Fine words Ben, may I just ask though – what are you doing with your life? Come pay us blokes in Afghanistan a visit – that will open your eyes! (bring whiskey)
August 17th, 2008 at 10:19 am
what? How the hell is caring going to stop babies from dying? Are you some sort of Christian scientist who believes in healing by anonymous telepathy? Why am I even replying to a stranger’s drunken ramblings? what?