Friday, December 28, 2007

entitlement

I'm having one of those days where I am amazed at how entitled people seem to feel. Nothing in particular happened today, it is just kind of a general annoyance to me. People seem to feel like they are more important, more worthy, more in a hurry, more deserving. Whether it be at a Caribou where they should order first, talk louder, deserve the comfy chair, or get their drink faster, or at a restaurant where the server should make everything perfect (which yes, would be great, but it is not ususally the servers fault! they aren't cooking your food), they can spread out and take up lots of room, or they can sit for hours and cause the server to lose a tip from others that could have been sat.

Why is it that people feel so entitled? Is it a new way that we are raising our children? Is it something that schools are teaching? Or parents aren't teaching?

Or are people just getting meaner and more self important? Maybe the whole self esteem push just went a little too far.

I have to say that the blinker thing is my biggest pet peeve while driving. Putting your blinker on means you would like move over...it doesn't mean that I have to let you in or that you can just move over. It is showing an intention to move, a desire. It is not a right! This is what the MN DMV says about signaling:

Signaling
When you wish to change lanes or make a turn, signal with an approved
signal device to inform other motorists of your intention. Signals are
to be activated at least 100 feet before you make the turn. Continue
signaling until you have completed the turn or lane change.

okay, that is enough of that rant for the day! off to the in-laws to re-do Christmas since Mike was sick!

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

More on The Golden Compass

Here is a great interview from NBC...

I am wondering what kind of an opening weekend it will have. I'm hoping for a great one!

Monday, December 03, 2007

The Golden Compass

Perhaps I have written about this before, but I am amazed at people's intolerance. I'm not even able to type very well right now, as I am dissapointed and upset. There is a movie coming out on Friday that I am extremely looking forward to titled The Golden Compass. The Golden Compass is part of a trilogy of books called His Dark Materials. The books are a coming of age story, an adventure story, and a fantasy story.
There is currently rounds of emails going around calling for a Christian boycot of the movie because it is anti-Christianity. The author is atheist. The two main characters of the trilogy represent Adam and Eve, and yes, they kill "god" at the end. What the emails don't touch on is why the author is atheist:

Some of the articles and talks I've written are to do with the subject of religion, which I think is a very interesting one. The religious impulse – which includes the sense of awe and mystery we feel when we look at the universe, the urge to find a meaning and a purpose in our lives, our sense of moral kinship with other human beings – is part of being human, and I value it. I'd be a damn fool not to.
But organised religion is quite another thing. The trouble is that all too often in human history, churches and priesthoods have set themselves up to rule people's lives in the name of some invisible god (and they're all invisible, because they don't exist) – and done terrible damage. In the name of their god, they have burned, hanged, tortured, maimed, robbed, violated, and enslaved millions of their fellow-creatures, and done so with the happy conviction that they were doing the will of God, and they would go to Heaven for it.
That is the religion I hate, and I'm happy to be known as its enemy.

hmm, hating organzied religion - especially the catholic church. Wait now, isn't that how Martin Luther felt when he rebelled and posted the 95 Thesis? And how many of us look at other religions, especially islam, and have huge issues with that? This is an actual post from a Christian on Godtube in response to a video from Fox News:

I think we need somebody like Pullman more in the Islamic world than in the West. A wave of atheism through the kids in today's Musllim countries would put a stop to this nonsense about killing the infidels and blowing yourself up or crashing planes into buildings to get your 72 virgins in heaven.

umm, so atheism is okay for islamics but not for christians? and please tell me that this person was being sarcastic:

People like this make me mad, how DARE they think they have any right to teach our kids what THEY want them to believe. Kids are very Open to ideas at that age and no one has the right to try to teach them to follow there religious outlook on life (and like it or not, this IS a moive aimed at kids) You don't see Catholics or Christians trying to teach kids to believe that there way is the right, Before there old enough to pick for themselves, like this!

wow. I'm not sure how people get so caught that they don't even think before they post stuff like this.

and as for lyra "killing god" that all happens after they open hell up so that the spirits can be freed, then they free god so that he can join everyone.

anyway, i'm going to see the movie on friday and we'll see if my opinion changes before that.