Worst-subtitle: The meaning of words don’t matter if everything else is un-understood
So. Like. A thought hit me a few years back, dear worst-reader. Been kinda busy with it ever since. It goes something like this. I was questioning (my) worst-choices in life that had lead me to hang-out in one of those lodges for a few hours. You know the lodge I’m referring to, eh? One of them humpty-dumpty buildings/facilities either right in the middle of nowhere or next to a barbershop or a five-n-dime, in and around suburban-hell? On the outside it never looks like much but inside you’re overwhelmed with red, white & blue taped and glued everywhere, except for the 1970s fake wood paneling, which is taped and glued but hides walls from interior and exterior cheapness galore, covering everything up with more and more 1970s cheapness galore. These lodges always have a bar, a pool table, foldable chairs and foldable tables and those obligatory candy striped table cloths that may or may not be made of plastic which has the sole purpose of covering über plastic dining furniture. There is always a jukebox to be found and lots and lots of neon mirrors decorated with Bud and Schlitz and Coors advertisements. Another indicator that I was stuck in humdrum-hell was the average age of the lodge’s patron-members. Yeah. These lodges are full of two kinds of people. There are the old and old-old people and then there are the bearded, middle-aged children of these old-old-old people–who are getting old-old to. You know the children, don’t you, dear worst-reader? They’re all fat and full of eat and can’t find the right thumb on their left hand and because of the behaviourisms of their parents are relegated to repeating their parents idear of fun and enjoyment and life’s meaninglessness. For. Don’t you know. Dear worst-reader. These lodges are the only places where the working poor families of my beloved & missed #Americant can wet their whistle at the cheapest prices anywhere–especially during happy-hour. Even though this is a member-only lodge, outsiders can get in as long as they’re with a member. Membership, along with a small yearly fee, is possible only with having served in the US armed forces. Yeah. I was a real outsider.
Now. There is a reason worst-writer has no friends and doesn’t do much socialising—and is also an expat. This place I was stuck in for a few hours is part of that reason. Ever since I was a child I never fit anywhere. I barely had any friends and, to be honest, I have never minded a second of it. Solitude has been good to me. Other than that, I’m a pain in the arse to talk to. I also can’t stand small-talk and my contempt for most people stems out of my super-power which was/is to have learned the magic of reading at a late date in life. You know. Reading to expand and not close the mind. Anywho. If I do end up talking to someone about the weather (in any given situation), I’ll find a way to make them feel bad about their existence–or at least make myself feel bad for having partaken in their f’n existence. Then again. If the topic at hand turns to all-things politics, that’s when I have to re-evaluate (my) life choices and at the same time figure out if I’ll get out of this conversation with mental capacity intact. Put another worst-way. Before getting it rhetorically on in an #Americant lodge of misconstrued patriotism and what I think of #Americant politics, national interests, the latest score from a sporting event, etc., there always seems to be a moment where I just lose my $hit.
Exactly that is what happened while I was bored out of my mind in this lodge and a geezer (old man) tried to strike up some small talk on account he wanted to know why I no longer live in my home country. That bit of information, btw, he surmised out of being friendly with my mother and her new lodge member boyfriend, which he also called his member-friend. Long worst-story short, after I insulted him a few times about the mendacity of discussing the weather on account my beloved & missed #Americant just elected a $hitbag to the presidency (this was around 2017-18) I wound up asking him if he knew the difference between patriotism and nationalism. Bingo, baby. What do you think could come of such a conversation with a former Korean War vet?
Below is part of a winded “mission statement” from this lodge that I researched after I got out of dodge. Please keep in mind, dear worst-reader, it is not my intention to criticise or denigrate this lodge and/or organisation. May its god bless its members. I do respect what these places are supposed to be. But that’s where my niceties end. Hence I have a lot of contempt for all-things organised, ritualised, laid to waste in the rot-bed of nostalgia and, lastly, dumped on the dungheap of weak-minded tradition(s). Even though one might assume that I’m a bit disgusted with all-things #Americant at this point in my worst-expat-life, I still believe that there is lots of room for improvement when it comes to what and how people believe in the things they think are true, righteous, meaningful. It’s just that in my life I’ve found that most of the beliefs stem out of something misconstrued if not downright diabolical. With that in worst-mind. As with anything that requires belief, faith and submission, there still needs to be rational thought, consideration (for others and everything else) and, perhaps most important, tolerance. And as you now shall see, with words like these, things get complicated—especially in times when most people are intellectually incapable of figuring out the $hit they’ve gotten themselves into. People are so deeply indoctrinated in things of the past that there is no way to see or imagine a future that could/should be different. Hence, as of February 2022 Russia and the US are the brink. China is hosting an olympics where all visitors and guests and athletes are not allowed to mingle with its people–which I suspect would be the case with or without Covid-19. And the whole world seems to be basking in the crunch-krapp of financial woes that has enriched the rich to a level comparable to late 19th and early 20th century megalomania.
Which begs the worst-question: What’s the difference between patriotism and nationalism?
But before we get on with providing worst-answers to worst-questions, one of the things I did, as mentioned, after I finally got out of that lodge, was to look up their website to get a bit of edumacation about something I’ve always been aware of but never really gave much worst-thought. What threw me for a loop was when I came across a long winded Mission Statement of this lodge (organisation). The preamble list below (numbered) is a small part of the entire mission statement. The indented comments (-) are from worst-writer. Keep in mind, dear worst-reader, as a college drop-out, a man that is a hop-skip-jump away from sixty, and worst-writer that has never been able to earn a dime with what is I wanted (and still want) to do with my life, I’m comfortable in claiming that I know a thing or three about subtext, innuendo, social and political framing, newspeak, etc., etc. Not unlike how some interpret things like religious scripture or Constitutions, now more than ever, it’s time to get a grip on what is making people do what they do so that the world and life cannot move forward (progress as opposed to regress).
Mission Statement:
- To uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America
- Is anybody doing this considering the current state of affairs both domestic and international, especially considering Jan 6, 2021? Also. A great example of not upholding is how political ideology has practically occupied the judicial branch of the US government via the Supreme Court.
- To maintain law and order
- Why do such words give off a feeling that a foundation of fear is being entrenched, deeper and deeper?
- To foster and perpetuate a one hundred percent Americanism
- Ok. But does it have to be my way or the highway all the time? When can we get back to sneakers and jeans and loose women and junk food–and bigotry and racism and hate stuffed in the corners of a dark closet–left to rot?
- To preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in all wars
- Uh, right. War. Violence. Preserve the tradition of it all. Consider the wars that have been fought since WW2, of which none have been won–only money made.
- To inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation
- Wow. This one’s so bad I’m just gonna leave it un-worst-commented.
- To combat the autocracy of both the classes and the masses
- WTF!
- To make right the master of might
- Are you guys serious? WTF x 2 = WTFFFFFFFF
- To promote peace and goodwill on earth
- So now you’re a beauty pageant?
- To safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy
- Yeah, this is gonna be great in a few hundred years when enlightened people get a load of what their great, great, great grandparents were up to. Will it be hard to accept that you’re from a history of dimwits.
- To consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by our devotion to mutual helpfulness
- Ok. That’s cool. I’m too tired to worst-write anything about this one.
Ok. Ok. That’s a bunch of words. In a neat list. Nice sentences, too. I’ve even included a link below where you can read a whole bunch more just like it. But here’s the thing, dear worst-reader. How much of this mind-boggling, superficial, mendacious $hit can humanity take? Even if I do not rip each of the ten preambles apart to reveal subject, meaning and subtext–in the context of what is going on in the world today–is it a surprise to those of us who strive for higher intellect and knowledge, especially when it comes to the worst-written word, that this stuff is part of the reason #Americant is THE LAND OF FREEDOM TO BE STUPID? Btw, it seems to be accompanied wholeheartedly by Canada at the moment. I mean. Read through those words again, dear worst-reader. You could consolidate all ten preambles into about three concepts.
- Submission
- Get with the program
- Coercion
- My way or the highway, baby
- Behaviourism
- Be me, be like me or be NOT
The worst of it all? None of it is about getting people to think for themselves. Wow.
Again. Don’t get me wrong, dear worst-reader. I don’t want or mean to insult people who believe this $hit. Seriously. Whatever floats your boat. But in these times of #Trumpism, right-wing bat$hittery, all of which fits perfect to the ten preambles (above) as long as you believe and follow and never, never question, the only solution to absolve one of his/her mindless sins: it to get the fcuk out. I mean it. Get the fcuk out of Dodge. In case you’re still confused…
to make right the master of might; to foster and perpetuate a one hundred percent Americanism
Wholly krapp, dear worst-reader. WTF is going on! And it’s not like these words are new. They’ve been around for longer than I have, I’m guessing. How come it took me so long to see through them? Wait. Scratch that. It took me quite a while to see through religion. And all the while the country that is supposed to be leader of the free world is stuck in grade school, maybe even middle school and it will most certainly never graduate high school. (Or did you actually think former prez pee-pee-hair was a grownup?) And to think this organisation with such a sincere mission statement is one of the biggest in the world? Not unlike a church. Not unlike a mindless society. Orwell–your work is done.
I’ve well established that I am an avid anti-trumper. But I’m also of the idear that former prez pee-pee-hair is not the sickness but instead a symptom. If that’s true, where/what is the sickness? Could it be in the banality of the ten preambles listed here? Or could it be in the horror of asking an old man in his favourite cheap-drink watering hole what the difference is between what he believes and what he is incapable of understanding/comprehending/knowing? Yeah. Indoctrination is a biatch.
Which brings me ‘round to the difference between patriotism and nationalism. I suppose some would simply say there is no difference. Whereas others might go all out and write a doctoral thesis on it. As far as worst-writer is concerned, it’s probably time to figure this out. As in. Patriotism is ok and in most cases acceptable. I mean. What’s not to like about loving your country. Nationalism, on the other hand, is what becomes of patriotism when mass delusion-confusion sets in. Hence the ’n’ in nazi. Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is there is a difference between these two concepts and only one of them could be something less than evil. Have a read of the link below for more info. And so.
I finally got out of that lodge and swore to never step a foot in it again. The problem is, every time I visit my mother I have to pass by it. And I have to accept the fact that her new boyfriend is a member of it. The saddest part of it all, dear worst-reader, is that my mother will end her life never having lived it without depending on yet another flagrant, arrogant, generationally privileged white guy that proves proof is in the pudding named #Americant. Oh well.
Still gotta luv mom, eh!
Good luck suckers.
Rant on.
-T
Links that helped with this post:
worstwriter 