I just caught wind of this situation of people dressing up as Virginia Tech shooting victims. I couldn’t actually believe it when I heard it. It is perhaps one of the most distasteful things I have ever heard/seen. There are YouTube videos of the guy who dressed, on the phone with a reporter. His excuse for this costume is “shock-value.” How much did your mommy not love you as a kid to need that much attention? It’s people’s deaths, and not just people, but fellow college students. It makes me sick to think that anyone would have the stomach for this. I find it in no way funny. I am all about constitutional rights, but this isn’t about that. This is about moral character. Apparently human life means nothing to this “man” as well. It’s hard to believe someone would actually say this, but “Seeing people die and hearing about your friends dying is no new thing.” Apparently because something happens a lot it makes it ok. I actually wasn’t aware of this. It’s hard for me to actually put down in words how much disrespect I have for these people, but don’t just take my word for it, take a look for yourself.
I happened to catch Keith Olbermann’s Countdown last night while taking one of my study breaks. I was pleasantly surprised by his Special Comment. It was amazing. It was the most realistic piece of journalism I have seen this year. It was so hard-hitting and powerful I had to post it on my blog. For every American out there, please, watch this video.
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Bon Voyage Teenage Matt!
It’s 2:16 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2007. It’s T-minus 3 hours until I am officially no longer a teenager. It’s really weird to think about. This is my last blog as a teenager! It seems like those years really flew by. So, much has happened in only 10 years to shape me. It’s probably going to be the most crucial decade in my entire life in terms of growing and changing. If I just take a quick jaunt down memory lane the first thing I think about is all the people that used to be so important in my life. I would have done absolutely anything for them and now I barely talk to them if I do at all. I am not necessarily sad or upset by this it is just interesting to see how much time just a couple years can make. I have shared some of my most intimate thoughts and best times with these people. It’s growing up I would imagine. I really do want to thank all those people who I have lost contact with, somehow you have changed me, or helped me to change myself. Also looking back I remember all the pain that came along with getting me to where I am today. That is something I probably will never, ever forget. I hate to whine about stupid petty stuff, but growing up hurts. It hurts a lot. It reminds me of the quote from Little Miss Sunshine when Frank is talking to Dwayne about Proust.
“..he looks back and decides that all those years he suffered, Those were the best years of his life, ’cause they made him who he was. All those years he was happy? You know, total waste. Didn’t learn a thing. So, if you sleep until you’re 18… Ah, think of the suffering you’re gonna miss. I mean high school? High school-those are your prime suffering years. You don’t get better suffering than that.”
There is really a lot of truth today. I think when I first got my heart broken. I mean really, really broken. Debilitating physical pain broken. That’s when I made the most self-realizations and grew the most as a person. I just come back to how much has happened in only 10 years. It’s just too much to go over. It’s been good and I wouldn’t trade all the pain, suffering, good-times and unforgettable memories for anything. I really am going to miss the innocence that comes with being a teenager, but at the same time I am fully ready to assume responsibility for my life. The future does not scare me. I am ready for the ups and downs it brings. I am going to try to make this coming decade better than the last. So, here is the closing to one chapter of my life and the opening of an entirely new one. Happy 20th me!