Thought for consumption

It’s interesting to hear people talk about the “good ol’ days” where the majority of citizens were consistently happy and there weren’t widespread instances of school shootings/acts of terror, significant death tolls outside of war, negative public schooling atmospheres (bullying, etc.), health outside of drugs/pills, and similar commentary. Yet when some “backwards” politician (usually Republican in title) tries to reinforce or make a law that would have gone over fine in said “good ol’ days,” society is apparently falling back into a state of turmoil because we’re going back to mindsets of past centuries.

I’m not making specific commentary on one law or lawmaker or another. Just the hypocritical statements people tend to make instead of stopping to genuinely think and study matters at hand. There *is* correlation to some of this.

The Right of Humanity

Did some stat collecting today (because morality is insignificant in North America) after seeing the following: The US Census Bureau reported that the African American population “grew at a slower rate than most other major race and ethnic groups in the country,” even with a 12% increase between ’00 and ’10. Delving deeper into this, I find that the CDC reports that during the 1970′s, roughly 24% of all U.S. abortions were performed on black women. The percentage (of course) rose to 30% in the 1980′s, 34% in the 1990′s and 36% in the 2000′s. That means that about 31% of all U.S. abortions since 1973 have been performed on African American women.

And then we have the estimate published in January 2013 that there have been 55.7 million abortions in the United States since ’73. With that in mind, we can deduce that approximately 17 million of the aborted babies were black. From 1973 to 2012, abortion reduced the black population by 30%, and that doesn’t even factor in all the children that would have been born to those aborted a generation ago. 30% is a fairly significant percentage, especially when speaking in terms of population decrease.

It’s not hard to imagine a KKK extremist salivating at these stats.

On March 19th of this year, the Chinese government released another factoid – there have been 336 million abortions of unborn children, many of them forcibly, during slightly more than four decades. 336 million abortions surpass the current United States population of about 315 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Let me rephrase that in case you missed it – there have been more deaths of unborn children in China in the past 40 years than there are people in the United States. Now everybody loves to get on China for forcing their “one-child” policy for more than 30 years, so I’d love to know the differences between the abortions we have here in the US to those that China has. Let’s be honest here – what’s worse in these terms – the government forcing you to have an abortion, or actually having the mindset to agree to it? If the majority thinks what China is doing is wrong, then why are we following suit in our own country?

To put things into context, from the US Holocaust Museum’s website, “In 1933, approximately 9.5 million Jews lived in Europe, comprising 1.7% of the total European population. This number represented more than 60 percent of the world’s Jewish population at that time, estimated at 15.3 million.” The common number you hear when researching how many Jewish people died in the Holocaust is around 6 million – about 2/3 of the Jewish population in Europe. If one uses the worldwide stat, more than half survived. However, you have to factor in the fact that the Nazi regiment didn’t just kill Jewish people, but many other members of different religions or social groups. The number only goes higher after that, but with this in mind, how is abortion NOT genocide?

Genocide: noun – The deliberate killing of a large group of people, esp. those of a particular ethnic group or nation.

And then, you have to think. What about future generations? If someone had killed your parents, before you were born, not only would you not exist, but your siblings wouldn’t exist. If you have children, they wouldn’t exist. If you have made a difference in the life of someone else close to you, that wouldn’t have happened, and who knows where they would be now, if anywhere. How many innovations have we missed out on because of this massacre? How many positive human influences have we never gotten the chance to meet? Being murdered early on costs much more than being murdered later. Those “embryos,” those “fetuses,” as they are derisively given the title of, lose more of their future than anyone that has already entered the world.

People are (seemingly) up in arms in North Dakota right now after they passed a ban on abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy. This doesn’t eradicate abortion outright in the state, no, but it’s a step in the right direction. However, some women are furious, stating the government is “attacking” them, taking their choices away, and stating the government has no regard for the people that they serve. But let’s back up for a second; isn’t this exactly what the opposing women are doing to the child that is growing inside them? Unborn children are the most vulnerable of our population because they can’t speak for themselves, and they can’t write to the government, or vote on issues, or even share a Facebook picture to prove to everyone they believe they have a grasp on whatever statement the picture is for or against. I’m pretty sure, though, that given the chance to do just that, they’d probably want to take it later on in life. The government isn’t “attacking” anyone – the only people doing that are the ones having abortion procedures done on them, because not only does it kill the infant, but severe physical and psychological damage occurs to the women who had the abortion, many more times than not (I shudder to think of the mindset of those that don’t have psychological ramifications). I’ll let you go do the research on that one, because it’s pretty startling/interesting, and I think I’ve given enough facts here. Some things you just have to see for yourself, as bad as they are. All I have to say is, it’s interesting (and quite disheartening) to see and hear “feminists” say they’re pro-choice when the “choices” are to cause severe damage to themselves/their gender or to give birth to a child, the latter being a natural process of nature.

When are we, as a people, actually going to focus and take action on serious issues, or at least be consistent with our views? Abortion exists because a deep and accurate understanding of abortion does not. I see all of these red equals boxes on social media networks, and next to nothing for supporting the unborn. If you want to use the current “red herring” focus on rights for homosexuals in the country for comparison, how does this not have to do with the unborn, especially since one of the leading arguments you hear from the GLBT community is that they were born the way they are? I wonder if they also understand that they’re also included in the overall genocide of humanity. If we need new leaders to come up through the ranks and make a stand for a certain belief, maybe we should stop killing them before they have a chance. If you’re a supporter of human rights, then you need to be consistent and support all humans first.

Human rights do not begin once a person reaches an age of accepted understanding. To be quite honest, we wouldn’t even be needing to deal with the topic of abortion in the United States if most people were pro-chance instead of pro-choice. Equal rights to life is far, far more important than equal rights for marriage. Without life, marriage wouldn’t even be in the picture. When even abortion-advocating law experts generally admit that Roe vs. Wade is an extremely confusing and indefensible ruling, between 3,300 – 4,400 helpless human beings have been and are being killed each day in the US for the past 40 years. The daily death toll exceeds 9/11 thousands of times over, and well, we all remember how sorrowful the nation was on that day. Mike Spielman, writer of Love the Least (A Lot), hit it on the head with this passage in his book:

The reason that so many people take offense at comparing abortion to past crimes against humanity is the same reason that the white establishment was scandalized when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. compared the abuse of black Americans to the Holocaust. It is easy to condemn crimes that are far away or happened long ago; it is much harder to condemn them when they sit right in your backyard. Abortion supporters are infuriated at the notion that abortion is comparable to the Holocaust because they incessantly argue that the unborn aren’t people. This is exactly the same argument that is always made to justify crimes against humanity: They’re not really people. The language that Hitler used to dehumanize European Jews is much the same language that is used today to dehumanize children in the womb. If we can’t compare atrocities past to atrocities present, then the term “never again” loses all meaning.

I have had people ask me in years past, while they’re in the process of marginalizing and dehumanizing the unborn, “Has the fetus actually done anything except be like a parasite to the mother?” I wish I was making that statement up, but I have heard this quote and very similar ones like it many times over. But years ago, the difference was, I didn’t have firsthand experience with knowing – or, at least, the memory of knowing – and the skill to properly voice my thoughts about it. Last year that changed, as I was blessed to have known and shared in the experience of someone who brought much happiness to people – more joy than some people I’ve known for years have accomplished in their lifetime. She did this in just two months, and not once was I able to hold her, “see” her, or look her in the eyes and thank her for what she did in the short time that she existed.

For those out in internetland, please, enlighten me. Please tell me exactly how marginalized members of a certain community are, even when they’re not dying in the thousands each and every day. Please tell me exactly why the unborn are “sub-human” and don’t deserve the rights that we who have exited our mothers’ womb deserve. Because not ever will I be able to erase my own experience with an unborn human. I see the aftermath of the existence of just one all around me, every single day.

I cannot fathom how our lives would be different if we gave everyone a chance.

The Solution Is In Us

As everyone who lives in the United States of America knows, two days ago was Election Day. Unlike the uber-commercialized holidays such as Christmas and Easter, the most commercialized holiday of all comes around only once every 4 years. During the months leading up to this holiday, we Americans are bombarded with messages from various candidates pleading for your “all-important” vote, in much the same manner as a high school student would for a prom court nomination. However, according to the majority of U.S. citizens, a vote for or against issues or candidates in the political coliseum actually matters.

In my experience, albeit only 26 years of it, I’ve found quite the opposite. In the past few years, I have seen multiple cases of instances where the majority vote “by the people” was overturned. Similar to antics seen on public school playgrounds, this juvenile and treacherous behavior that has been recorded time and time again in American politics led to my complete faithlessness in the system that America finds it easy to brand as “democracy.”

If you know me, or find that following me on Facebook/Twitter isn’t actually a waste of your time, you may be aware that I chose not to cast a ballot in the 2012 election that took place yesterday. I’ve had many conversations with both open-minded individuals and those that couldn’t wrap their own reasoning around my thoughts. All of these helped to not only reinforce my own beliefs, but it also helped me to understand where others were coming from (those who could reason without cloning others’ remarks and successfully back themselves up with legitimate hard information). In that respect, I thank those who took time to discuss the topic of voting with reason and respect without resorting to name-calling. However, I feel that I’m guilty of holding out on something – I never really told them about how I lost respect for the political standard.

It was over a year ago when this event happened to me. On March 8th, 2011, the Missouri Senate gave approval to SB 113, which effectively nullified everything that Proposition B, the “Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act,” stood for. In November of 2010, close to 1 million of Missouri’s citizens voted to pass Prop B, which was quite the majority. Jane Cunningham, a republican senator from Chesterfield, MO, made note of the fact that Prop B was passed by a larger majority than many of the senators had been elected by. If you don’t live in Missouri or remember what this proposition required, the following is a list of what commercial puppy producers were ordered to provide:

• daily access to nutritious food
• continuous access to drinkable water
• veterinary care for sickness/injury
• safe housing
• adequate space
• room to exercise

All of the above are necessary for any living being to live a healthy life; not just a dog’s life. However, a very small number of “suits” decided that it would be too costly to implement the rules, and therefore declared an emergency act to make changes to the proposition, becoming effective immediately and bypassing another popular vote on the matter. These changes included the removal of detailed criminal penalties along with the removal of size restrictions on breeding operations.

When questioned about the Prop B votes actually counting for something, Missouri’s governor, Jay Nixon (D), had this much to say on the matter:

“What I tell them is, but for the action of the public, there wouldn’t have been the force that was necessary to coalesce people to make these changes. Their votes did matter.”

Oh, I’m sure they did. The report on “Missouri’s Dirty Dozen,” a title for the worst puppy mills in Missouri, proclaimed their findings:

“…sick or dying puppies who had not been treated by a veterinarian; dogs and puppies found shivering in the cold in 28 degrees, dogs with oozing, open lesions and injuries that had not been treated by a vet; puppies with their feet falling through wire cage floors; and dogs so emaciated that their bones were clearly visible through their skin.”

Yes, I’m sure that those dogs were saved since Gov. Nixon’s cronies overturned the proposition to rid the state of this horror. If the vote of the people actually mattered, then you wouldn’t need suits making “emergency” bills that weren’t even up for discussion with the populace. (For more information on the subject, read this article.)

I had seen other examples of this kind of work before (and unfortunately after), but like most things in life, it always becomes more clearer when it hits home. And here it was, right in my backyard. The day that information was passed on to the public was the day I lost faith in the “system.” It was the day that the shroud was lifted from the ugly face of politics for me, and I was changed henceforth. If something this corrupt could happen to poor helpless animals, then it could happen to anyone or anything, anytime. I knew right then and there that it was time to back out of partaking in this game for good. My words were truly not worth a cent to any elected official. And if that’s the case, why bother speaking to them through polls that they will willfully ignore? They will spend millions on petty things like refurbishing parking garages but they won’t pass a proposition to save the lives of animals because it’s “too expensive?”

All my life I have always been the person to root for the underdog. I will support someone or something regardless of how small a voice they have if what they’re saying rings true. I believe everyone deserves a chance to be heard and respected, especially if they are in dire need of assistance. To see fellow human beings act this way towards puppies, I couldn’t then and still can’t figure out where the most evil resided – in the dens of the demons who put these animals through the Hell they were born into, or the succubi and incubi that open their treasure chests filled with gold, only to find that they can’t depart with just a fraction of it.

But then I remember. These are the same people who refuse to acknowledge the rights (sometimes even the existence) of a newly-formed human being inside their mother. These are the same people that would be willing to end the lives of the unborn if it meant more votes for them in the next election. Maybe they figure if those that they ignore can’t speak up against them, then their decisions can go unchecked?

On Tuesday, the sun rose. But it wasn’t like any other day. It was Election Day. To millions of Americans, it was time to go out and “be heard.” It was time to make a difference – rock that vote, so they say. Being in the small minority, I didn’t subscribe to any of this. I did not register to vote. I had no intention of voting for men that had no intention of caring about what the populace had to say, nor did I want to encourage the folly that is the bi-partisan monopoly. I had long since grown tired of hearing these man (and women) jabber on about what their opposing candidate had done wrong in their job. I had grown weary of falling into a depression of sorts when reading about each candidate and how they had no rock to stand on, but didn’t seem to care.

But mostly, I had become fed up with the dissent between American citizens who thought it was civil to ostracize their fellow man based on what professional liar they shared thoughts with; citizens who would rather scream and argue with each other about gay rights when the rights of the unborn go largely ignored; citizens who openly rebel against the older population because they think they know better; citizens who revel each other based on what political bumper sticker, sign, or meme they showcase. Is this what we humans have really evolved into? Is this what America strives for – the pinnacle of selfishness?

You’re probably asking what I did instead of voting. “Even Chrysler let all their employees have the day off to vote,” you say, “clearly it was an important day!” You’re right on one thing – it was an important day. Just like every single day of one’s life should be. In lieu of going to cast my vote for absurdity, I instead went out to make a difference.

Enter Clementine.

Clementine hadn’t met me before, and I hadn’t met her. We were complete strangers. I had seen her picture and had read short bio online that her caregiver had written for her, and had decided it was well worth the time to seek her out. She didn’t want much, really, yet at the same time, it was everything we all need to survive -

• to be free from hunger or thirst
• to be cared for when sick or hurt
• to have a roof over one’s head
• to have appropriate space to call our own
• to have room to play

Given that this was the “home” that she was born into, anything that I could give her would be better than the world she first knew.

Her mother is seen pictured on the right, tied to the tree.

It wasn’t a puppy mill, but it was just as bad. In more outlying areas (not exclusive to Missouri), the unchecked mass breeding of domestic animals, especially hunting dogs, is acceptable. Leaving them under something that can’t even be called living quarters is also quite alright with the general populace. With Clementine, she was just one of about six that were rescued from this place. Luckily, her siblings were finding homes to go to as well, and Clem was one of the last of her litter to be rescued. The mother, however, is still reported to be at the same place as she is seen pictured in the above photo. It saddens and disgusts me so completely that it is legal in Missouri for this dog’s owners to abuse this dog in this manner (as well as many others) but it is a 5-15 year prison sentence if one decides to rescue this animal from the Hell in which it lives. It makes you think. And believe me, I thought a lot about it. At this point, I’m trying to make myself feel better by saying I couldn’t take care of both Clementine and her mother if I was in prison, but it just doesn’t sit well still, knowing that she’s still out there in the cold.

Named “Clementine” after a character in the popular video game “The Walking Dead,” who was a girl that was rescued by the main character after the zombie apocalypse had claimed her family. Appropriate? I think so.

They always say that dogs pick their owners – not the other way around. Although that’s what the scum were doing at the farmland where the woman found Clementine and her family, it’s unnatural for that to happen. When I first locked eyes with Clem, held her, and then felt her tail wag, succumbing to the licks from her tiny tongue that came soon after, well, what can I say? It’s like she already knew me. It was a look of recognition. It’s a feeling that stays with you the rest of your life. I won’t lie when I said I had somewhat personal reasons to get a new dog. I knew that my other dog, Helo (also a Beagle), was longing for a new pack mate, as I saw him become depressed whenever any dog he was playing with left our house to go back to their respective homes. That being the main reason, I did have others, but they aren’t necessary to write about here. I felt driven to seek out Clem, especially at a time such as this.

The past couple of months have been a roller coaster for me, personally. I’ve been through a lot, and my wife (who is most certainly my better half) has been through a lot. We’ve had our fair share of ups and downs. When they are up, they were really, really up. However, the downs were the worst I believe I’ve ever had. Experiencing a loss such as the one that she and I had was an experience that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. I’ve had a lot of things just in the past couple of months change me, and I don’t really think I’m the same person as I was when the summer started. I don’t feel content with thinking about the trivial anymore, although I understand that no two people define subjects as “trivial” in the same way. I can’t quite put it into words, fellow readers, but maybe Clementine is the mark of the new me. I rescued Helo in much the same manner as Clementine, but my wife and I knew that we really wanted a dog in our family, and Helo is, was, and always will be the best and most welcome choice of a new dog that we could ever ask for. To be quite honest, we really didn’t need another dog in our lives. Believe me when I say that sometimes Helo can be more than enough to handle, as he sometimes has a personality that can be bigger than life.

However, it isn’t about what we need in life. What we need to do is look after and care for one another, whether they can speak our language, or they’re not able to speak at all. We always comfort ourselves with thoughts such as “what’s best for me,” “what can make me happy,” or “how can I improve myself,” yet we hardly ask what’s best for someone else. Maybe that’s the true American way – gratuitous selfishness. I hope and pray that I’m not the only person who thinks that selfishness what we as a country need to change about ourselves and focus on instead of imagining that one person in the White House can magically fix everything for us. How many people can grasp the fact that if we really want to see this country change, if we really want to see corruption in our government disappear, if we really want people to be civil and express humanity to one another once more, then we need to change ourselves? I know the donkeys and elephants love to do this, but blaming each other for wrongdoings or failures doesn’t accomplish anything. We need to be the change we wish to see, and that can’t get accomplished by getting in a quarrel with someone over taxes or by debating how a woman’s body reacts to rape.

The last thing I want to do with this blog entry is to make you, my fellow readers, feel a sense of inferiority. Yes, I chose not to vote, and yes, I did something that I considered more important than participating in what I believe to be a train derailment that gets worse with each course correction one makes. But that doesn’t mean that you have to feel that way. If you truly believe that your vote mattered, and feel content with helping out society by voting, more power to you. I, however, cannot feel that way any longer, and hopefully by explaining myself in this post made my stance on the issue understandable. No, not everyone has the ability to rescue an animal, but that doesn’t mean that one can’t treat a homeless person on the street to a meal instead of waiting for the government to make a magical cure-all for the poor. That doesn’t mean that one can’t design a thoughtful and peaceful protest instead of wishing one could punch people of a differing opinion through a computer screen. Who knows – maybe I’ll be blessed enough to talk someone out of having an abortion. Maybe you, fellow reader, will be blessed enough to steer someone away from darkness. Whether that happens or not, the first step is to acknowledge the love that Jesus exhibited for us before and after He died on the cross, and aspire to show that love to others instead of being spiteful. I do challenge you, dear readers, that if you do vote, take action for or against what you believe in outside of the polling station. That’s where the real change will happen. That is where hope truly resides – in us, not the US.

The person whom I adopted Clementine from (and Helo, interestingly enough) tried to steer me into a political discussion by asking me if I had voted that day. I said that I hadn’t yet, without revealing that I had no intention of going out to vote (I’m becoming an expert of sorts at picking battles). Apparently the person took that as her invitation to endorse Claire McCaskill. “That puppy you have there, she’s a McCaskill pup!” and so on and so forth. While anyone with a sane mind can acknowledge that the puppy knows absolutely nothing about our political system nor cares about it, there is one thing that dogs can pick up on 100% of the time: love. In return, they exhibit it tenfold.

I wish humanity could follow suit.

Keeping the dream alive

A few weeks ago I decided to start work on custom paint schemes for my iRacing rides. I found myself climbing the ranks faster than I anticipated, and I felt that a certain opportunity had arisen; an opportunity that I didn’t think would come around for a while, but now it’s here, and it’s time to act.

Yes, that sounds a bit on the dramatic side, but let me explain. I’m about one week away from becoming a Class A driver on iRacing. While I am by no means a “Pro” or “Champion” or anything like that, I will be racing with the higher ranks now instead of the more naive drivers in select racing splits. While I still feel I’m new at a lot of things with this simulation because it feels so real, I don’t forsee myself grabbing win after win, and I’m fine with that. With time and patience comes reward. In preparation for that, however, I felt that it was time to paint my car up (somewhat) professionally. I had previously run a simple paint scheme created in the iRacing paint section on their website, and it consisted of various shades of blue and a big iRacing logo. It looked sleek, but again, I felt more was needed.

I found the Trading Paints community and saw a bunch of schemes that I didn’t think that I could ever reach the professionalism as to how they looked, and then I remembered what series and cars I usually run. These consist of the Street Stocks, Legends, and Sprint Cars; you can find most of these on your local dirt tracks. In this economy especially, those drivers don’t usually get a lot of sponsors, and when they do, only the extremely talented (and usually not lacking in funds) drivers get them. Most cars have a single sponsor and maybe a couple of secondaries. My vision of a new paint scheme had thankfully consolidated. This gave me the chance to really stress a certain sponsor.

Unlike what most drivers have placed on their cars, I didn’t necessarily want paint my car with material and consumable items. I’ve seen excellent paint schemes in the Sprint Car Series I run and I really liked how they looked, but I wanted a little more “purpose” behind the livery. And I’m not saying in the least bit that the primary sponsors that others have picked are “wrong” to have, because like I said, they look pretty awesome, and it’s completely fine to choose those (I really don’t want to come off as an “elitist” in these regards). However, for those that know me, I have a lot of strong feelings for many “touchy” topics, but I usually don’t seek to voice them in company much, online or offline. I usually choose a more subtle route to voice my beliefs, and leave it up to people to decide for themselves what their opinion is about something in the aftermath.

Enter Abort73.com.

I have been a fan of this website for quite a while now, and the work that they do is something that I wish was supported more within my community (“worldwide” would be asking too much in today’s society). Wait, let me rephrase that. I wish it was supported more within my own species. The website deals with a topic that is something I believe is so serious that I’m not sure we deserve to notbe fully aware of it. There is so much authentic non-biased information out there about the topic but it hardly sees the light of day, and chances are, every one of us will be affected by this issue in their lifetime, directly or indirectly. At the current direct rates? Around one in three women, just in America. And let’s not get into the current indirect rates… That number would easily terrify me.

The website has a whole section of materials for people to use to promote them, but I decided it would be best to sport this on-track and get the message out that way. If I can spark the interest of just one person and make them interested enough to visit the site on their own accord, who knows how far the dominoes can fall. I feel the need to plant seeds, and this is one way I believe I can succeed with this. Some of you may even visit Abort73.com after reading this post. That’s the power of the internet; giving us a more open and accessible portal into the world. Now if only we could make our minds more open to factual evidence given to us on this information superhighway, and we’d really be set on the right track.

Starting around the age of fifteen, humans around the world can start to deal with the horror that Abort73.com discusses. Fifteen. If it wasn’t enough to wrap your brain around the topic in the first place, how do you feel about early teens getting to make that kind of decision after they’ve already made an insecure one? We shouldn’t have to live in a world where the pain from a decision, procedure, and aftermath of something this severe is felt.

I’m driving the #15 Abort73.com iRacing Street Stock (Chevy Camaro SS), Legends (’34 Ford Coupe), and Sprint for the indefinite future on the iRacing.com service. I’m hoping to get some wins in the upcoming seasons, but more importantly, to raise the eyebrows of people after the checkered flag drops. The paint job I’m currently sporting for my Street Stock has been downloaded over 300 times already. That’s 300 drivers that, if I meet on-track, will be able to see what’s on the hood. To me, that’s more important than what’s under it. Never thought I’d say that, but there comes a time…

My A73 Street Stock and Legends cars will be running in the Racing for Jesus Starter Pack Series (where I will be defending my championship title against some extremely talented racers), as well as select upcoming iRacing official series races. The A73 Sprint car will be speeding its way towards the green flag in all iSCS races from 2012 Season 3 and beyond. Download the paint scheme on Trading Paints here.

Calling for comments

I’m currently in the middle of a heavy writing/research/planning stage with my latest novel work, and I came up with an idea regarding the novel’s topic.

Readers, I need your help with it.

I have a few questions (which may or may not have sub-questions) that I would love to have answered to the best of your abilities. These questions do pertain to the novel’s subject matter, and chances are I will be tackling each of the comments I receive (or as many as I can) within the story. As you will see, there are select questions for two groups of people, and I would like for you to answer honestly, respectfully, and without resentment towards either side, whichever questions you may choose to answer. The comments in this post will be screened, and only I will be able to see them, so don’t worry about starting flame wars with the internet, or sharing anything deep and personal with a complete stranger. Well, unless that stranger is me, and you feel comfortable enough telling me those things, but that’s completely up to you.

Without any further rambling intro, here are the questions:

 

For the person of Christian faith -

1. When speaking with someone that does not share your beliefs regarding the teachings of Jesus and the written Word, what is one question that they may pose to you to challenge your faith, or to state their confusion regarding belief in God (for example, how can a loving God allow pain?) ? (For extra credit: Are the people you speak to about this topic usually open or close-minded on the matter, and if they’re close-minded, how do you try to open them up?)
2. What is the most significant example you have that you have personally witnessed that proved to you that a loving God exists?
3. How do you broach the topic of Jesus, Christianity, God, religion, etc., to someone who is agnostic or atheistic? Or do you choose not to? If not, why?
4. What is the initial reaction you receive when talking to a stranger or acquaintance when you tell them you’re a Christian? Or do they know by your actions?
5. If the world were to begin to “end” tomorrow (without being specific on the methods of the apocalypse), what would your first actions/reactions be?

 

For the skeptic/unbeliever -

1. What makes you confident or skeptical that God lives/that Jesus didn’t rise from the grave/that the Bible is full of false or outdated teachings?
2. How do you base your beliefs on God, god(s), or religion? By word of mouth? By book studies? Explain.
3. What is the most significant example you have that you have personally witnessed that proved to you that a God doesn’t exist or that made you doubt?
4. Why do you think religion as a whole (not just Christianity) is losing relevance in today’s society?
5. If the world were to begin to “end” tomorrow (without being specific on the methods of the apocalypse), what would your first actions/reactions be?

 

With any or all of your answers, please feel free to be as detailed as you’d like with your writing. The more thoughts, examples, or stories, the better.

Thank you for your time.

Bioware’s Mass Defect

I’ll begin by saying this post will have some spoilers for the entire Mass Effect saga. This is your first and only warning should you choose to remain spoilerless.

March 2012. This is a month I’ll always remember. Not for reasons I want to, however, but because one of my favorite game developers, Bioware, announced they will be changing the ending to Mass Effect 3 after a serious bout of fan misunderstanding outrage. In March 2012, Bioware decided that the thoughts of their “fans” of Mass Effect meant more than their writing process. This month, Bioware made the decision to forgo artistic integrity.

I originally designed this post to begin with the first half of it being the reasons why the controversial ending to Mass Effect 3 actually makes sense from a literary standpoint, but I concluded that would be like reasoning with a deaf chimpanzee. Instead I’ll answer the question that would follow that statement; why would it be like talking to a deaf chimpanzee? A few reasons, but the following stands out.

“Gamers” are no longer interested in respecting the developers’ product. Gamers believe they have the right to complain about their chosen form of entertainment, and demand that changes be made to a story that didn’t match up to their expectations or wishes. Thanks to the internet, gamers also believe they have a foundation to stand on that doesn’t involve “sheeple,” but like-minded intelligent individuals, and deserve to have their ideas and complaints treated in a higher regard than the people employed by the development company to actually write the story to a game.

I will admit that after those opening statements I sound a little biased. It’s because I am. It could be because I went to school for years to learn the writing craft, and to learn how stories work. Thousands of dollars and countless hours I’ve devoted to this topic, but this isn’t about me. This is about why I believe my chosen profession is at risk; risk from the people who don’t have the education or the patience to understand why a story works, but only know that they didn’t get enough “closure” with the character they have spent countless hours playing.

If gamers of the Mass Effect series paid attention to the trilogy’s tale, they would know that there are two glaring sub-themes in this work: unification and sacrifice. All of the big decisions that Shepard, the main character, made (which, consequentially, the player makes) dealt with these themes. Need to escape from a planet but need someone else to stay behind to assure the mission will be a success? Sacrifice. Need to unite entire races to fight a common menace? Unification. Those are two broad examples, and the series is riddled with countless more, but in the conclusion of the saga, we have our last big example of these themes: Shepard sacrifices himself to unify the galaxy. Granted, this was an ending I chose, but it was the only one that made sense from a literary standpoint from the decisions I made throughout the saga. I played a Paragon, someone who was always serving other people in order to change the galaxy for the better. I was “shepherding” the galaxy’s life, and my decisions, even if they appeared minor, had a “mass effect” on the galaxy as a whole, and were witnessed especially during the rising action of Mass Effect 3.

Here is where I think one of the more serious problems lies with the current issue at hand, regarding Bioware caving to “fan” demand for a new ending. Because the player makes the decisions throughout the game, driving the story’s plot, action, and character development, gamers think that they have the right to demand that their story have a better ending, no doubt due to the fact that they didn’t see themselves doing anything other than their Shepard walking off into the sunset, hand-in-hand with their love interest, with the Reapers burning in the background of a victorious Earth.

Think I’m wrong for summarizing the fans’ ideas for a better story? I have read a very good portion of “fan” ideas for a better conclusion to ME3 (before my patience ran out). I read them on the Bioware forums, I read them on news articles about this game, I read them on Amazon; they’re all over the place (I did hesitate to go on fanfiction websites, as I thought it would be beating the dead horse). However, I came across a common concluding statement to a lot of these ideas, as horribly depressing as it was to see it:

“It’s cliché, but it works.”

Think about that for a moment.

This was more than one person that said those exact lines. I believe out of the comments I read, I saw that line 10 times or more. These are “fans” of Mass Effect. Undoubtedly, these are the same “fans” that supposedly have gone out and told their family and friends about how deep and full of emotion these games are, and how the conclusion of the first two games was genre-defining. After getting a thought-provoking ending, the “fans” want an ending that is the direct opposite of that.

And now, we have Bioware stating that they’re listening to these “fans,” and will be changing the way the conclusion was handled in Mass Effect 3.

Maybe Michael Bay should have directed the game with Nicholas Sparks heading the writing helm. That certainly would have pleased the masses more, with their combined cliché powers.

I think the saddest part about all of this is how hypocritical gamers are about this situation in general. One of the main issues that “fans” have had with this game is they believe they didn’t get proper closure. Most of these statements are zoomed-in towards Shepard’s relationships between all of the characters in the game. Regardless of the fact that Shepard and crew are fighting a big frakking war, and there’s not a lot of time for chitchat (actually, I thought there was too much fraternization at times, considering the situations at the climax), I never felt that the relationships I had with Shepard’s crewmembers/friends were mishandled or ignored. I saw all of the characters, including even the ones brought in just for ME3 that weren’t in the first two, have a satisfying closure.

Why did I see this then and nobody else did? Because I think my definition of closure is different than apparently most anyone else’s. See, Bioware could have told us what happens to each character after the finale, but they didn’t (originally, who knows what they’ll do now). Why not?

Because the characters’ conflicts and situations were resolved within the game itself.

We see Tali and the Quarian’s situations with the Geth and their homeplanet come to a conclusion, albeit bittersweet in the final moments of the game. We see Miranda’s final showdown with her evil father. We witness Thane’s last breath, and Mordin’s last hurrah. Heck, we even see if Joker and EDI come together, and James Vega (of all characters) solve his moral dilemma with the N7 arc. Even characters that didn’t matter much in the series, like Kelly Chambers and Conrad Verner, get a good writing treatment for their departures. This list, of course, is just a portion of the conflicts and conclusions that we see for all of the characters.

Many of the parts where conflict is resolved are optional in Mass Effect 3, and this may have been why some people did not like the ending (that’s what happens when you power through a game). Bioware could have shown a “happy” scene for each character, but ending the series on that note would utterly destroy the carefully crafted themes and tone. Mass Effect has never taken the “happy” road; again, the theme of sacrifice must be stressed. Bioware decided to make an ending that was deep and meaningful, and one that required “fans” to take more than ten minutes to think about it before one came to a final opinion.

Obviously, the symbolic ending that Bioware crafted didn’t work out the way they thought it would. It’s still there, but get it now while it’s live, because they’re going to change it. For the betterment of the “fans.”

I don’t blame Bioware for addressing “fan” thoughts about the ending. In the USA, we run on a false belief of democracy, that the majority knows best. This belief standard is apparently reasonable enough to be put in just about every facet of our society. I believe in the business world, they sum this up by saying “Money talks.” From where I’m standing, it’s quite depressing that a major company like Bioware has stooped to the level of their consumers. Depending on how the news about this in the coming months go, I’m fairly certain that Mass Effect 3 will be the last RPG I purchase for maybe ever. I cannot respect a company that devotes so much time and effort into making something, in which multiple sources that work within said company say is their best work yet, change said product because a majority of people who experienced their product don’t like it for arbitrary reasons.

Allow me put it this way: what do you think of an owner of a dog that lets their dog run the show by walking all over them, pooping in the house, tearing up the furniture, barking at all it sees, and eating pieces of everything lying around? With good deduction, you realize that this owner doesn’t in fact “own” the dog. The dog, in fact, owns them. We look at what that dog does and know that what the dog is doing isn’t right, and isn’t widely accepted. Same goes for the owner. It is a well-known fact that if you get a dog, you have to teach the dog (through sometimes rigorous training) to not partake in any negative aspect that would dismay others. However, if the dog is taught properly and with love, the dog, and said owner, will be respected by many. The dog will have unconditional love for the owner. You don’t have to give the dog everything in order for it to be happy. You don’t have to feed them that extra bit of bacon, because there’s a good chance they’ll just want more, and said dog will be upset when get don’t what they want.

The same will go for Bioware, and any company that goes in this direction. In the case of Mass Effect 3, Bioware presented a grade A game, and crafted one of the best stories in the history of gaming. “Fans” ate the series up, and at the end, were left wanting more. The issue here isn’t that Bioware didn’t succeed in delivering anything that people needed to enjoy their product, but because people wanted more; they wanted it to be what they wanted it to be. Just look at the damning reviews on Amazon and MetaCritic (most of which were written before most people finished the game; that should say something about “fans”). Most people say the game was 100% fantastic up until the finale, which they disagree with.

This is not Bioware’s fault. This is the consumer’s fault.

Our society has changed. No longer are we just simply “entertained.” We demand more and more out of the things that we don’t need. Some people get a smart phone, and are thoroughly upset that they didn’t get an iPhone. When they get an iPhone, they’re upset their connection speed is “sucksville.” When their speed increases, they’re upset because an app they want is too expensive or isn’t available on their phone. When they get their app, they’re annoyed that it’s not the full version. When it’s the full version, they’re annoyed with how slow it is, etc.

To put it bluntly, Bioware is wrong in their decision to please their “fan”base. The wildly discussed issues regarding the game are not impeding the game’s performance, which is something that I believe is the job of the developer to fix. What Bioware is dealing with isn’t an error on their part. They’re being asked to answer to the emotions of the gamers that play the game, and that’s something you can’t just patch with a different ending. You can either go back to the dog analogy I offered, or remember the famous proverb, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Either way, this is the beginning of a very, very slippery slope; for the story of Mass Effect, for the overall arc of the history of video games, and maybe even for modern storytelling.

When you ask a gamer what their favorite game is, or what game they feel defines the subject, they’ll probably give you answers along these lines: Super Mario Brothers, Pokémon, Ocarina of Time, Grand Theft Auto, Goldeneye 007, Mortal Kombat, Portal, World of Warcraft, Tetris. Just to name a few. The common thread through all of these games is that you cannot choose your own adventure. There isn’t a grand story arc that you can change as you play, or debate about when you finish. They were point-to-point adventures or 1 goal action games. They’re simple. Most of these games were created in a time where there was minimal fan input. The internet wasn’t as widespread and rampant as it is now, and developers were left to develop games within their companies. They relied on themselves to make their product, and not people that were unqualified to make the same decisions. All of this, without user input, and we call them the best games of our times. I hear all sorts of “hipster” gamers saying “they just don’t make games like they used to.” Well, there’s a reason for that: gamers now believe they should make the games. And by all means, if a gamer can make a game, then go do it. If someone thinks they can write a better story or conclusion or whatever, do it. Go. Get published. We’ll see what you have. But know this; not everyone is going to love your work. Why is that?

Because we’re all different.

Perfection is not only an illusion, but extremely relative. I believe the conclusion to Mass Effect 3 was brilliant, and thousands others disagree with me. That’s fine by me. I don’t have a prayer in changing the minds of people who think the entire game sucked just because they didn’t understand the ending. What isn’t fine by me is the fact that Bioware thinks that the majority rules on this situation, and has decided to change things around. If this comes out as DLC, I’ll be fine with that, because I won’t buy it. But if this is a freebie update, one that will update without us choosing, well… Isn’t that similar to what the “fans” are arguing about? “Lack of choice?”

The saga of Bioware’s submission to “fan” demand will be felt throughout the industry, and maybe it will even spread to other forms of storytelling. Storytelling by the loudest voices… I can’t imagine that going wrong at all! It works so well for running everything else, it’ll work just as well for this medium!

Sarcasm aside, I honestly do believe that this is the end for thought-provoking video games. No longer will developers feel safe in crafting a saga only to have angry hordes launching death threats to developers on forums. The arguments over video games becoming too casual will disappear, because that will be the new norm.  RPGs without direct input from “fans” will begin with a story map, letting the player choose what path they want to take right from the beginning, to ensure that they get the ending they want. Some RPGs will offer one ending, in which they will inevitably change because of “fan” outrage. Some RPGs will have polls on their websites or Facebook pages while they write the story for their upcoming game, letting the popular vote become the final say on how a story will play out. Other RPGs will offer no endings at all; just hope for future sequels and prequels. If you don’t believe me that changing the ending of Mass Effect will have repercussions felt throughout the industry, well, it’s already happening. Hope you love your indoctrinated gaming future.

One of the characters I was always intrigued about in the first Mass Effect was Ashley Williams. In ME1, if you choose to get to know Ashley’s character well enough, she opens up with Shepard about how she believes in God. Although she has strong religious beliefs, she’s hesitant to discuss it with Shepard because she’s worried about the uneasiness it may cause in others. Whether we share Ashley’s belief in God or not, I think we can all empathize with this in some form or another. We’ve all been that person in a group that holds an ideal that nobody else thinks is “worthy,” “relevant,” or “right.” The original ending of Mass Effect 3 was more than likely created with the intentions of letting the players discuss the many conclusions, because of all of the possible interpretations that they can each can have. Now, instead of being able to talk about the ending(s), gamers believe it is their duty to go to the forums of the game developers and let them know just how “wrong” their ending was, and how they should change it or else they’ll boycott the company, or file FTC complaints, or donate to charities in protest (?) (But they’ll complain over $10 DLC? Thank God they stopped this nonsense.), or whatever. The “fans” of the the series, to me, seem like a rather unimaginative lot, don’t they?

It is extremely hard to write a story, especially a huge saga. It’s even harder to write one that is as widely praised and commended as the Mass Effect series. However, as with any story, you need an ending, and you need the ending to be the commentary on the overall themes of the story you have crafted. It’s not about “what happens after.” It’s not about “who lived or who died.” It’s not about answering every single question one has about the ending. The finale of Mass Effect taught us something. That something is most definitely up to the player, as you get to choose what happens in the final decision, but I believe each of them is quite the commentary on how the player has played his or her Shepard, and on the themes as a whole. No, I don’t feel like I need to describe what each of the commentary is, because it’s all there. If people stopped raging because their questions weren’t answered, maybe they would see too.

During this post I’ve always put the word “fan” in quotations. There have probably been many of you who have figured out what I meant by that, but for those who haven’t (and just can’t live without me clarifying that aspect), I’ll state why. I believe wholeheartedly that most people complaining about the ending to ME3 (again, I can’t say everyone, that wouldn’t be fair) are not fans of the saga. They’re fans in the sense that they love their story that they have created, but don’t respect what the actual storyteller gives them in the end. This is the equivalent of supporting a painter and then slamming his work when he puts the finishing touches on the canvas, ripping the brush from his hand and putting strokes where there don’t need to be strokes. This is the equivalent of someone loving the lines or measures of a song, and then rewriting the last lyrics or measures because they don’t believe the songwriter knows what their work is really about. This is the equivalent of someone deciding that Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece “Pulp Fiction” was too confusing because it didn’t show the story in the order of which it happened, and forces Miramax to get Tarantino to re-edit the film to please the viewers. These “fans” aren’t fans at all. They’re fans of themselves. This form of selfishness is the worst form I can think of, because it impedes on someone else’s experience. It’s because of this that democracy has no place in art.

Sure, it may be fascinating to read about; all of this controversy over an ending, and the writers giving in to the fan demand for a better one. But it’s fascinating in the same manner as watching a train wreck: it’s horrible to watch, but you can’t turn away. As someone who hopes to publish fiction in the near future, I’m looking at this with a fearful gaze. When I write, I never once feel that I have to submit myself to the hive mind. I know and understand that for each story out there, there is someone that can relate to it, and even more that can understand it. It’s those people that I’m looking to touch base with, not the people who would just as soon throw me under the bus if it meant that they’d get a better story out of it. The elitist mentality of the “fans” of a series will kill storytelling as we know it if companies can’t learn how to stand up to the consumer. So people didn’t like the ending to Mass Effect? Life goes on. They can pick another game to complain about, that’s their choice. If I don’t like how a story is going, I stop reading. If I don’t like how a story ends, I don’t read the next installment. If I disagree with a writer’s decision on how to handle a character’s final moments, I don’t write death threats to said writer. We all have choices. We all choose what to spend our money and time on. It’s not the fault of the person who makes whatever it is that you want to spend time and money on if you disagree with something arbitrary about it. If you loved 99% of the game, but didn’t like the ending, do you really deserve your money back?

The saddest thing about all of this controversy is that it has already been decided. Bioware has listened to the feedback, and will be making changes to the ending. An ending that, from a literary standpoint, was just about flawless. But I suppose that doesn’t matter as much as it should. I won’t get the DLC (if it is DLC) for a new ending, because I already saw what truly happened.

In my mind, the reapers have won the battle, and Bioware has become indoctrinated.

Please be respectful and sensible in your comments and I will more than likely unscreen them, regardless of your stance on the topic.

My iRacing career thus far (Jan ’12)

I have previously mentioned on this blog that I’m now racing on iRacing.Com. This has been an extremely fun and challenging step in my gaming exploits, but I hesitate to call iRacing a “game.” It’s without doubt the most realistic racing simulation that you can drive, and frankly, it does an excellent job of separating the racing “casual” from the “hardcore.” Although iRacing can be enjoyed by the non-sim enthusiast, it takes real dedication to work your lap times up to a real racing status. The cars you race against are driven by real people, most of which treat the simulation like it’s the real deal (which it pretty much is, aside from the g-forces, repair budgets, and potential hospital bills). That being said, people tend to make mistakes, especially rookies like myself, so there’s definitely an added challenge for rookies to dodge the other rookies on the track when they inevitably spin out.

I joined up with a racing league called “Racing for Jesus” in my quest to find a league to belong to. It’s made up primarily of Christians, which was something I was hoping I would find for many reasons. The first being that I wanted a positive Christian fellowship with this activity, since I knew I would be spending a decent amount of time with it. I also wanted to be a part of a community that would hopefully be helpful and friendly while I race with them and chat with them at their forums. I know how harsh the gaming community as a whole can be, and I didn’t want to be in a community where it was making it even harder for me to pick up the pace with everyone else. It’s hard enough starting out as a rookie, and I didn’t want to be berated on this journey too. It was hard enough learning the ropes of Left 4 Dead 2 multiplayer (which was my first serious look into what online gaming had to offer), and I learned firsthand how awful and degrading gaming communities can be with that game. Online multiplayer is a blessing and a curse; it’s great with your friends, and not so great with strangers. Every once in a while you will run across someone who is worth your time playing with, but overall, gaming communities just aren’t worth the frustration.  Most gamers expect you to submit to their every whim and expect that you’re as good as they are, and can’t understand that the perfect world in their head doesn’t exist. Luckily, with RFJ, the racers that make up the community are the antithesis of what the gaming community usually is. This is truly a blessing within itself.

I currently race in RFJ’s “Starter Pack Series,” which uses the cars and tracks that you get with a base subscription to iRacing. This has been beneficial to me, monetarily, as this means I don’t have to buy all the tracks and vehicles up front. We divide up the series into four races a month, with a champion declared at the end of each month. Sometimes the races are open to the public, other times they are password protected (although the password is left on the iRacing forums for others outside the group to use). In the month of December, I finished 5th in the points out of a total of around an average of 10 drivers (had to miss a race due to graphics card issues). So far in the month of January, I have won a pole and am currently tied for 5th in the points. It’s looking up this month, and I can definitely see my skills improving. I’m enjoying racing the Legends and Street Stocks. The Street Stocks run a bit tighter in general than the Legends, but they’re more forgiving in general. If you tap the wall or another car with the Legends vehicle, you mess the car up big time.

Further on down the road in my iRacing record, I would like to look into racing Late Models, Modifieds, or Sprints. I think it’d be fun to race the NASCAR cars, and RFJ does put on a Truck series every Monday (I work Monday nights, which is why I haven’t put a lot of thought into running the Trucks with those guys) but I’ve always had a soft spot for the short tracks. It’s what I grew up watching. I still believe that the Sprint Cars put on the best racing out of any asphalt or dirt series out there, and I would enjoy to be a part of that experience, even though it’s a virtual one (I’m not really seeing myself get a job as a professional racer in real-life, I don’t have anywhere near as much money as I would need to get a team going). We’ll see  how my iRacing career pans out. I’m looking forward to participating in official iRacing races in the near future.