One of the first things I ever wanted to be was a film critic.
I used to watch Roger and Ebert all the time.
It seemed like the greatest job in the world-
You get to watch movies and films all the time,
picking out the good stuff,
pointing out the bad.
One of my favorite shows was The Critic,
voiced by Jon Lovitz.
Great show.
But these days, everyone has an opinion.
Everyone is a critic.
So how can you get paid for doing something everyone actually does?
Some of them are paid off.
We know this.
You ain't got to lie.
Everything is subjective,
and its hard to go off someone else's opinion.
So what's the point of critics?
To help save you money!
Find one you like-
like a friend.
You don't always agree with your friends-
and sometimes your friends lie,
But they usually have your back.
The more you get to know them,
the more they get to know you-
Sometimes if you're lucky, they'll even know what's best for you.
This is for the film critics out there.
I understand where you're coming from.
I salute you, but I am not, nor will ever be, a critic.
More power to you-
if you don't like what I have to offer, tell me why-
or don't.
I won't hate on your hustle,
and I'd appreciate it if you don't hate on mine.
And with that, let's begin the beautiful dance.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Intellectual Property
So here's the deal. bite my stuff if you'd like to,
think that you'll make some money off it,
just know that each and every syllable
that comes from the mind of PW
is meant strictly for the purposes
of PW.
Here are a few key words that are in store
for you,
if you steal my ideas,
you no. talent.
hack.
Lawyers.
Sleepless nights.
Guilt.
Loss.
Regret.
Shame.
Curse.
I can go on and on,
but I like to steer away from the
Verbose.
Now that this is documented, let's concentrate on the actual writing.
Be Inspired, Be... Yourself.
Love your influences, learn from them, take that,
and create some thing NEW!
It's a blessing.
Thank You!
think that you'll make some money off it,
just know that each and every syllable
that comes from the mind of PW
is meant strictly for the purposes
of PW.
Here are a few key words that are in store
for you,
if you steal my ideas,
you no. talent.
hack.
Lawyers.
Sleepless nights.
Guilt.
Loss.
Regret.
Shame.
Curse.
I can go on and on,
but I like to steer away from the
Verbose.
Now that this is documented, let's concentrate on the actual writing.
Be Inspired, Be... Yourself.
Love your influences, learn from them, take that,
and create some thing NEW!
It's a blessing.
Thank You!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Lofty Ideals
Write what sell, write what you know, write about what's important, write about what really matters. Nothing really matters. But it does. Sometimes. There are no rules that cannot be bent, but to break them all is pure rebellion.
Rebellion is only just when it faces injustice. Who is to say what is just and what is not? Is the authority the audience or simply
the Writer?
No.
And YES!
It seems as if the angry settler has reared his nose back in again. Along with the shameless peasant and the nosy cave dweller. Why write a blog, they say, you can't make any money from it...
?
I suppose you can but who would pay to see it? For free, yes, but for money... Why? Things are bad enough as it is.
But it's fun.
Yes. well so long as you're not spending valuable hours that could spent in the gym or at work.
And as long you're not letting your non-fiction not FOR PAY words start seeping into your crass commercial works.
Deal.
Deal?
Yes, deal.
That was easier than I thought.
Rebellion is only just when it faces injustice. Who is to say what is just and what is not? Is the authority the audience or simply
the Writer?
No.
And YES!
It seems as if the angry settler has reared his nose back in again. Along with the shameless peasant and the nosy cave dweller. Why write a blog, they say, you can't make any money from it...
?
I suppose you can but who would pay to see it? For free, yes, but for money... Why? Things are bad enough as it is.
But it's fun.
Yes. well so long as you're not spending valuable hours that could spent in the gym or at work.
And as long you're not letting your non-fiction not FOR PAY words start seeping into your crass commercial works.
Deal.
Deal?
Yes, deal.
That was easier than I thought.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Altruism
Altruism (n)
1. the principle or practice of unselfish concern for the welfare of others
2. the philosophical doctrine that right action is that which produces the greatest benefit to others
It's interesting that my mind wanted to speak on altruism, because all of a sudden, now that I've put my fingers to the Netbook, I'd pretty much rather talk about anything but altruism. I've had classes that spoke on the topic before, and to this day, I'm not sure whether it really exists. When I was younger and more idealistic (read: The College Years) I was much more inclined to believe that there were people out there who simply were altruistic people. However, in my post grad life, I'm at the point in which I believe that some really cool people may accidentally happen to have altruistic moments- moments in which they actually allow themselves to give up something for free, with no thought of how it will or will not return to them. Would they give if there was no such thing as karma?
I suppose what makes me so frustrated about the topic is that it seems that people only give when they know they'll get something back. Whether it's an actual return of money, goods, or services, or even the feeling that one gets when they know they've helped someone. I suppose I used to believe that people who were addicted (or just actually enjoyed) giving back were only doing it because it made them feel better about themselves. I thought that this wasn't real altruism, because they were certainly getting something back from it.
I feel differently now.
I've seen how the economic climate has changed people in the past few years or so, and I know in fact, that people are colder. You can't convince me that they are not. It's not that I blame them- when people go into survival mode they can become extremely vicious. They will fight for themselves and their own til the end. I think it's most people are built. It makes people do terrible things, but when you present the evidence of what these people have to done for their survival, there are few that will feel any remorse. To most people, it is a dog-eat-dog world, and you will never convince them that it is not. There is no use in trying to convince them otherwise.
But there is an upside.
It's in this climate in which we can find the actual altruism that perhaps does exist in our society. When people who have nothing still give of themselves, knowing it may even come back to bite them in the long run. I read a story about a couple who was losing their house, and when they were asked about their expenses, it turned out they were giving away hundreds of dollars a month to charities and those less fortunate. When asked about these expenses, they replied that they simply couldn't bring themselves to stop giving. Whether this came from some form of guilt or not, it is the sentiment that counts- not its reason. It is because it is so much harder for most people to give, that these folks shine even brighter.
I found the aforementioned story to be impressive, but the most amazing story I saw recently was a youtube video a friend of mine shared with me. It was of a dog (seriously, a dog) risking life and limb to rescue another dog that had been injured on a freeway. It dodged the speeding cars, grabbed the other dog by its teeth, and pulled it to safety. This actually happened. Give it to a couple of dogs to show us how much we suck. I don't know many people who would do that. How is it that they can have a higher capacity for compassion than we do? I'd blame society, but that seems like a cliched argument.
So I suppose I've proven myself wrong. True altruism does exist. Apparently, even in creatures a bit lower on the food chain. And perhaps it doesn't matter if you know you'll get something back- it can still be altruism. That dog got his friend back- that's a reward that all parties involved can share. In the end though, one thing is for sure. It is, and always has been, a choice. Not particularly a popular one, but a choice all the same.
Let's one up the dogs.
PW
1. the principle or practice of unselfish concern for the welfare of others
2. the philosophical doctrine that right action is that which produces the greatest benefit to others
It's interesting that my mind wanted to speak on altruism, because all of a sudden, now that I've put my fingers to the Netbook, I'd pretty much rather talk about anything but altruism. I've had classes that spoke on the topic before, and to this day, I'm not sure whether it really exists. When I was younger and more idealistic (read: The College Years) I was much more inclined to believe that there were people out there who simply were altruistic people. However, in my post grad life, I'm at the point in which I believe that some really cool people may accidentally happen to have altruistic moments- moments in which they actually allow themselves to give up something for free, with no thought of how it will or will not return to them. Would they give if there was no such thing as karma?
I suppose what makes me so frustrated about the topic is that it seems that people only give when they know they'll get something back. Whether it's an actual return of money, goods, or services, or even the feeling that one gets when they know they've helped someone. I suppose I used to believe that people who were addicted (or just actually enjoyed) giving back were only doing it because it made them feel better about themselves. I thought that this wasn't real altruism, because they were certainly getting something back from it.
I feel differently now.
I've seen how the economic climate has changed people in the past few years or so, and I know in fact, that people are colder. You can't convince me that they are not. It's not that I blame them- when people go into survival mode they can become extremely vicious. They will fight for themselves and their own til the end. I think it's most people are built. It makes people do terrible things, but when you present the evidence of what these people have to done for their survival, there are few that will feel any remorse. To most people, it is a dog-eat-dog world, and you will never convince them that it is not. There is no use in trying to convince them otherwise.
But there is an upside.
It's in this climate in which we can find the actual altruism that perhaps does exist in our society. When people who have nothing still give of themselves, knowing it may even come back to bite them in the long run. I read a story about a couple who was losing their house, and when they were asked about their expenses, it turned out they were giving away hundreds of dollars a month to charities and those less fortunate. When asked about these expenses, they replied that they simply couldn't bring themselves to stop giving. Whether this came from some form of guilt or not, it is the sentiment that counts- not its reason. It is because it is so much harder for most people to give, that these folks shine even brighter.
I found the aforementioned story to be impressive, but the most amazing story I saw recently was a youtube video a friend of mine shared with me. It was of a dog (seriously, a dog) risking life and limb to rescue another dog that had been injured on a freeway. It dodged the speeding cars, grabbed the other dog by its teeth, and pulled it to safety. This actually happened. Give it to a couple of dogs to show us how much we suck. I don't know many people who would do that. How is it that they can have a higher capacity for compassion than we do? I'd blame society, but that seems like a cliched argument.
So I suppose I've proven myself wrong. True altruism does exist. Apparently, even in creatures a bit lower on the food chain. And perhaps it doesn't matter if you know you'll get something back- it can still be altruism. That dog got his friend back- that's a reward that all parties involved can share. In the end though, one thing is for sure. It is, and always has been, a choice. Not particularly a popular one, but a choice all the same.
Let's one up the dogs.
PW
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