Another Reason You'd Love to Live In Massachusetts

In an article from the Associated Press:

WEBSTER, Mass. - Officials have agreed to correct spelling errors in road signs pointing to a central Massachusetts lake with a 45-letter name.

Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg in Webster has one of the world's longest place names. It's been spelled many different ways over the years. Some locals have given up and simply call it Lake Webster.

But after researching historical spelling combinations, the Telegram & Gazette of Worcester said local Chamber of Commerce officials agreed that some signs were wrong. There was an "o" at letter 20 where a "u" should have been, and an "h" at letter 38 where an "n" should go."

I am so excited about this - I can't even tell you. This has bothered me so much for the past 29 years of living in this excessively imbecilic state that I couldn't be HAPPIER that the Massachusetts state taxes that amount to almost half of my weekly paycheck are going towards such ambitious projects that will make daily life that much easier.

Are you KIDDING me?!?! We are living among economic collapse - there are higher homeless rates than ever, food pantries are being emptied, applications for cash and food assistance are breaking records, but let's fix two letters on road signs alerting people that they are coming upon a lake with a ludicrously long name that people don't use anyway.

The most amazing thing of all is that there are still people wondering how we could possibly be in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

The U.S.A.: The Unaffected Society of Animality

It never ceases to amaze me how many people are just so wrapped up in their own life and their own existence that they rarely even notice, never mind care, when something happens that does not affect them directly. We are all guilty of this to some extent -although a lot of people are in denial about it.

Anyone who rides the MBTA can attest to this firsthand. I've had people actually step on me to get out of the train because they were late for goddess knows what. Meanwhile, people on the platform are pushing to get in, people are pushing to get out, and the folks in the middle are just carried along in this human tidal wave until everyone else is where they need to be. I've ignored people trying to talk to me because I have to keep walking to get to my punch-in clock on time. I don't know what the folks want...for all I know they could seriously need my help. Do I care? To an extent. But mostly, I'm focused on getting to work, getting home, and starting the cycle over again until I reach my beloved days off, when I can hide from the mass of self-serving.

Why do we act this way? Well, to over-simplify, we act this way because of stress. The United States is arguably the most productive country in the nation. We're also the most stressed out society. It astonishes me when there are studies PAID for that try to discover what the cause to our sky-high heart attack and cancer rates are. Common sense anyone? No? How about logic?

From a young age, we're conditioned to reach for goals. That's great - it instills a sense of worth and meaning. We are also conditioned to reach those goals through working - also good. However, in the United States of America, a "reasonable" work ethic is considered 40-55 hours a week of standard hours, plus many jobs have "mandatory overtime". This is 52 weeks a year, 5-7 days a week. Sure, you'll get the mandatory few holidays a year, and if your place of employment offers benefits, you'll receive vacation and sick time. Let me revise that, you will receive vacation and sick time, if your employer offers benefits and if your employer isn't one of the companies out there that give you the time but find a way to reprimand you for something if you take it. We all know they exist, but we like to hide behind the "that's not legal, so it must not exist" frame of mind.

I'm lucky to have a job that pays a respectable entry level wage, and has reasonable expectations of its employees. They are incredibly friendly to diversity, which is key for a transgendered man such as myself, and they offer a good benefits package. I am lucky to have this now, but I have worked in my share of so-called "corporate entities" that break all sorts of labor laws without being obvious enough to be held accountable.

So, what excuse do we have that we have made the workplace environment that treats employees fairly and with respect the rarity? People have been overworked and stressed to the point that no one cares about anyone else any longer.

All of the rest of our time is dedicated to working to create the success of others' companies and corporations - the little time we have left to spare is spent rejuvenating ourselves for the next workweek.

Earth Hour, 3/28/2009

Today, many parts of the world participated in "Earth Hour". For those who may not have heard of this, people were asked to turn off any unnecessary lights from 8:30p.m. until 9:30p.m. (in their local time zone). All through this evening, various parts of the world are going dark..or, well, dim. Participants in the Pacific Time Zone have almost completed their "Earth Hour". Here in Boston, ours ended just about four hours ago.

In my opinion - absolutely brilliant! It's more than saving energy, people - these days there's something to be said if people are successfully united over anything. We spend so much time cultivating the space between ourselves and others. Maybe it's just the Boston culture (Bostonians are such warm, hospitable people), but it seems to me that we have practically become obsessive-compulsive about making sure that other societies, cultures, races, orientations, identities -and often other human beings in general- are as far away from us as we can keep them. No longer do we openly acknowledge that we need each other, even though we know deep down that whether we like it or not, we are connected. Why are we afraid to admit that? Anyway, let me rein my thoughts back in...

Think about a time you were in a large group of people that shared a common goal. It may be as simple as going to a concert. Generally, the concert goers share a common goal to enjoy music and have a good time. I know that I - and I'm quite the wallflower shy guy - will find myself talking to people I'd never have talked to passing by on any given day, because having that commonality puts us at ease enough that our personal fortresses slide down and we start to see that we aren't among enemies; we're just among other human beings, cowering behind excuses...and we just may, by chance, speak with one another.

I can hear you - when is this rambling going to make any sense? Hold onto your toaster strudels, here it comes...

If we can unite over switching off a light bulb, or a YouTube video of a dude doing a silly dance all over the world (which I adore, by the way, and it could be a whole topic of its own...maybe it will)....then who's to say we can't unite for the eradication of AIDS or cancer, or to establish a global standard of basic human rights or even..*gasp* peace?

If only we could stop hiding from each other...