BLACK Friday...

Here are some things I don't understand.
1) Why are we OBSESSED with "family values"?
I don't know why I chose this point first, but I just watched Milk (which I'll talk about in a bit), and one of the main anti-gay arguments is that it attacks the idea of the "family." Now obviously I'm obsessed with my gays, but when they tell us that they're going to teach our children about being gay, we argue that they won't. We don't say "WHO CARES???" or even better "GREAAT!! THEY NEED TO KNOW!!!" I know that I'm blurring points, but a HUGE portion of us don't even have a ... regular? is that the right word? family!

I don't even care. I'll just say it. I basically HATE traditions. I just think that tradition makes you feel like things are RIGHT. Like... you can't break away because it's so comforting because we, as beings, are programmed to repeat successful things. Like... if you sleep on one side of the bed, then you want to keep sleeping on that side because it worked. BUT the problem is that you don't see what's affecting other people... or what works BETTER! And you argue this stuff steadfastly ... the longer you've been practicing the same stuff! And you get depressed when things don't happen traditionally anymore (holiday suicide rate... hello?).

I think the what we need to remember is that our society is built off of the idea that we want to be in a society where we do what we want. That's why we don't incorporate religion into our laws. And all of these movements are for being an individual. We want to be ALL individuals living safely in one society. So you can wear a navy blue top, black slacks, 14 inch red heels, dreadlocks, confined in your shack in the forest eating nothing but grass and fucking anything that gives consent. And that's FINE! You can live here! And I'll bet we'd find out that life is a little better if we not only allow these things, but we understand, accept and love them. And then we don't even have to worry about family values. People can just love the people around them, and receive all that love back, and make babies that they can care for, and everyone can help raise them. That would be a beautiful place.

2) Black Friday.
This was actually going to be a pleasant entry until I read about a temp at Walmart getting trampled to death in the name of shopping. WALMART SHOPPING! He lost his LIIIFE!!! And not like our troops losing their lives. And not an accident. And not even a vendetta. None of those are okay at all... but this was because people cared more about their... half price electronics?? How the fuck can this be a season of love and giving when it get's this INSANE!!!??

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I'm going to start volunteering. I don't know why I don't volunteer already to be honest. I just can't decide what I want to do! What do I want to support? I think maybe I'll send out some emails and see what meshes with me. I was thinking maybe I would work in a kitchen for AIDS... because I can't drive, and I'm afraid that I wouldn't mesh with children too well, even though I would love being with children. The other thing, which I think would be more of a challenge, and more of a learning experience would be to teach English to immigrants. It's quite a committment, but I see no reason to not dedicate 2 to 3 hours a week to someone. Anyway, if anyone wants to volunteer with me, here's the site that I was looking at. http://volunteerboston.org/HTM/VolOps.shtml
Or let me know if there is something worthwhile that you think I should dedicate my time to.

So Milk was pretty good. It wasn't GREAT though. I particularly didn't like the beginning... I felt like everything went SO fast and then the part they focused on went a little slowish-- not TOO slow... but INFINITELY slower than the beginning when I thought there was good stuff in the beginning. BUUUUUUT the acting was superb. I LOVED Sean Penn but I REEEEAAAALLY loved Emile Hirsch. He for SHIZ has some gay friends... because I KNOW the person he played-- he stood perfectly and he had perfect sass and he ... he was great! I just liked how they played gay because... it was more real then other interpritations. I'm sure they ALL have gay friends and/or are gay themselves... but I thought it was a better movie to look towards for the gays then Brokeback Mountain, which I thought was slow and not really representative (not that that was the entire intent of that movie). But this interpritation was that the gays are strong and smart but they are still gay and they act gay... like they weren't saying that the gays are just like straight people who like guys.. they are a community and they are wonderful and loving and fun and most of all, they want their rights and they deserve to have them! And all the gays weren't the same, but they didn't shy away from the cliches either. And they were not too shy to do some serious, almost gratuitous, sex and making out, which I really enjoyed. Surprisingly, I wasn't obsessed with James Franco, who I ASSUMED was going to be the light of my life after this movie. The story wasn't as much about love as I thought it would be. It was good, but I think they could have dramatized the love. I would have.

So, I actually woke up at like 2pm today, and VERY shortly afterwards, my grandma JoAnne called me, which was a treat because we don't talk that often, but I love her so much!! BUT I missed the 1pm and 4ish showing of Milk. So I decided to go to the 7:15 showing but it was sold out! But at that point I basically NEEDED to see it, so I went to the 10:15 showing. The Coolidge theater is BEAUTIFUL though! I am inclined to perhaps go there like... once a week, given my renewed love for independent films. Then I would have to become a member, I imagine.

Hopefully tomorrow I do some work -- I'd like to do the dishes before Katherine gets home since I've made a bit of a mess. Maybe I'll do it tonight!