Spirited Away

 

By: Jonathan Seidel

Beer street: super touristy—overpriced food, grace alcohol deals, loud music, colored lights, circus fire breathing and strip clubs

Walk down Bui Vien Street in Ho Chi Min City and your entire perception is transformed. The same experience occurs in Phuket as well on Bangla Street. The regular streets are filled with small shops and malls but turn onto this street at seven in the evening and Vegas takes flight on the other side of the globe.

The long strip of an endless supply of bars and strip clubs. The music can be heard from just behind the street sign. It is entering another world. A block over and silence brews. Darkness fills the air. Sleek quiet as motorists swoop by. Locals sitting down for a supper at McDonalds and others walking from the mall. Bui Vien is a gate to another dimension. Suddenly, colors fill the night sky and booming music is non stop echoing across the pantheon of alcoholic venues. The night sky is no more. The moon is brightened by the color schemes from the disco lights permeating the entire strip. It is a long walk but the new world is an extension of naughtiness. Enter the angelic plaster of color and fun. Away from the gloomy silence outside.

Each side of the strip is packed with different forms of entertainment. Incredibly repetitive and endless. A pattern of restaurant, bar, strip club repeat. Consolidating the naughtiness in a single dimension away from the public eye. A street that scares locals and entices foreigners. Outside each institute is a representative or two attacking the visitor. Come here and try this. Guiding them in their broken English. Don’t worry you’ll like this. We have this deal tonight. You’ll get to see something nice and maybe something naughty. Catering to the western familiarization with jam packed noise and alcohol. You won’t regret your choice to dine with the devil. 

The visitor has no idea what he has gotten himself into. He is hounded at each joint. He can’t even move a few feet before being confronted with an offer. You know you want to. Just try a little bit. There is so much to choose from. Don’t like the dancers here go there, the chairs are uncomfortable here go there. There is but possibilities block after block. As long as the street is straight moving vertically the bars persist. The music bears down on his shoulders boggling his mind. It sounds good, the reps are sweet. They have a good deal why not try. It is a tourist trap. Captivating with a theatrical set. It seems familiar and it seems enjoyable.     

English music and English titles deceive the foreigner. Something that I can get behind. Someone understands me. Sweet for escorting me. It plays on the senses of the foreigner. Loud music and booze. A classic tale of collegiate experience. The fragment of Vegas presupposed on a single street. A multitude of vendors, so much to choose from. Capitalism at its finest. Feel right at home. Don’t find a local area and try something new, go for familiarity. Go for the comprehensible. An area buttressed by its lingo. A directive for foreigners to feel solace. Even the non-partier feels peace for its western mastery.

A plot to gather all the foreigners into a single an area. All tourists meet in this middle. This is where the cool stuff is happening. This is where it is popping. Popular but crowded with tourists. It is a popular place for familiarity. For the homesick to receive relief. A taste of home in a foreign land. Strep through the door and find the humbling recreation of home. A toxic place for expense and experience but a place for relaxation and rejuvenation. So far from home a few extra bucks for a peaceful evening of youthful spirit goes a long way. It is but the western visualization. A paradise in nowheresville. A baseball stadium in a field. 

Yet it’s not home in the truest sense. It is home for the youngster. The collegiate experience re-experienced. The aspiring Tourist to feel young again. Entering a dimension disassociated from the elderly instability. Lost youthful fire. No worries, this dimension is reinvigorating. Here is collegiate experience 2.0. Here is a way to feel young in a foreign land. The fountain of youth in a desert. Young adults to grandparents walk down the strip reliving their glory days and making new memories. It’s a pastime of joy and fun. The strip recreates a new moment. For the elderly to accomplish the feats of their youth. Get a lap dance, chug a bucket. Just have a good time.

It is a circus. Fire breathing and music entice the visitor. A circus of youthful spunk. Representatives inviting though visually incapable to a good time. Come inside and your dreams will be made. You will accomplish and be ecstatic. A great sales pitch but bolstered by the surrounding variables. Engulfed in the youthful vigor. The elder jumps at the chance. Get me two shots no chaser.

Safety Second

 

By: Jonathan Seidel

Satirical safety symbols: no rules on Vietnam streets on a motorcycle 

A motorcycle in Ho Chi Min City is scary for a tourist. Finally some safety guidelines. Yet there aren't really any. The symbols are but nice aesthetics on a bustling street. Rules are irrelevant and security is a personal risk.

Vietnam struggles with traffic safety simplicity. No matter if in the old town of Hanoi, open streets of Hoi An or urban Ho Chi Min city. Motorcycles racing down the pavement. Streets are crowded with motorists swerving from side to side. Not waiting for pedestrians no really care for them. The motorists always have the right of way. The motorist speeds down street. If there is room to maneuver he does. The liberty of the motorist is in his activity. He is riding and therefore every crevasse can be exploited. Anywhere he can fit he goes. More daring in his risky behavior. Sliding right around cars to get by. 

While the motorist has more leeway, his autonomy doesn’t match with the legal heteronomy. He is driving on public roads forcing him to follow the rules of the road. The road is consigned by the governmental apparatus. Legislating the safest way for motorists to securely travel from place to place. He may not wear a helmet in his driveway but once he makes it to the highway he can be charged by authorities. Privacy and personal rule only goes so far as his property. Once he is on the open road, his rules no longer apply. He must adhere to the rules of the consensus legislation. Disobeying them for personal gain is a selfish and dangerous action. The rules are put in place for collective safety. Deriding is a danger to everyone involved.

What if the rules are not in place? What if they are no signs? What if there is no instruction? Streets, open roads leading to narrow alleyways. No signals nor identifiers. Just turn when you feel like it. Honk as much as you want. It is a little theatrical in its assault on conventional driving. There is a system, there is order. Such linearity is absent. It is absolved in the face of some Wild West charade. An action flick with each motorist as the protagonist desiring to circumvent traffic. It is the way of the culture. Adapting to the lack of signals upends any visual literature of comprehension. Any clues for interpreting the hallowed simplicity of just
Go go go.

A local is skilled. Maneuvering efficiently around cars. Yet the tourist is spellbound. Do I cross now? Can I make it in time? Standing on the corner like an idiot as motorcycles swing by. Finally, a local takes the leap. Stepping softly into the street trotting along. Unfazed by the incoming traffic. Motorists are speeding and with ninja reflexes, he stops short permitting a motorist to pass as he continues with another passing behind him. It is a game of avoid the incoming objects. Looming fast to his vulnerable body. He walks normally across the street but to the foreigner it is a dance. Deciding at the pivotal moment to jump off the ledge into the uncertain sea of traffic. Majestically twirling to reach safety on the other side. Short bursts of increased stamina which the local makes look easy in his tap dancing synergy. 

Walking is a guessing game. Avoiding traffic skipping across the street in haste. Yet on the back of a motorcycle holding for dear life frightens the core. This is their way. There is no concern lest you fall off. The unsecured is a matter of insecurity. Holding on for dear life. A motorcycle itself lacks protection. It is one thing for a car to bump but another to actively confront incoming cars. Motorists all over the world use the shoulder. Daring drivers willing to do so to get an edge but their options are limited. A barrier divides. Yet such is not the case. With no barrier or lack thereof, the motorist sprints from side to side. Absent stoplights he quickly shifts from lane to lane for a clean right turn. The motorist on the speed track is confident in his abilities to realize his craft.

The road is an endless loop. Each looking for an opening to exploit. Where is the free path forward. It is a game of snake. Finding the holes to run through. A running back inserting himself between blockers. Methodically sleeking past the two cars ahead. Motorists vie for the spot. It is a race without a winner. Each aspiring for their destination. The rules are to advance with caution. No external variables to alter the fluidity of traffic. The apparent synergy is programmed by consistency. Habituation confers a harmonious regulation. The signs are negligible. They shout caution not stop. They refer to yield momentarily before racing across the intersection. 

It isn’t arrogance or pride that befalls symbolic dismissal. The signs are welded by the institutional apparatus. It classifies the road but meagerly. The drivers are their own hazards. They watch out for themselves. As predominantly motorists the slim vehicle can easily be shaken. It requires attention and investment. Some tutelage to avoid others. Symbols are important for drivers too busy elsewhere. Yet the motorist can swerve rather quickly applying more torque and drag. An ability a car can neither complete nor accomplish. The presence of traffic fails to accommodate the signaling as the maneuvering avoids the vulnerable passing along. 

It isn’t a matter of instability or unconcern but confidence. No law enforcement is enforcing. It is the custom of the land. Inscribed on a shirt sold at a souvenir shop. The shock of the foreigner is the incivility yet this uncivilized notion is baked into the local hard drive. The flow of traffic doesn’t require the longevity and complexity of safety signs. Rather the motorist compels himself to care for his own safety and those around him.

Driving Conveniently

 

By: Jonathan Seidel

Mailtruck as a tuk tuk: the over-industrialization 

Have you ever been perplexed by the oddly shaped mail trucks? If so there may be a reason why that is foreign to locals but normative to certain eastern foreigners.

The urbanite and suburbanite are used to big long vehicles. City dwellers enjoy all sorts of public transportation. Big busses though sometimes small traverse from stop to stop. Driving their route encircling the city. Bigger busses to accommodate all their passengers. The same for trains and subways. While at times compact they are quite large compared to other automobiles. They are necessary to carry thousands of travelers are a time. A directed route on a grid. An established system to get from place to place. Connecting various areas with a single vehicle. A coordinated model for enjoyable institutional linkage. Absent automobiles or for larger quantity movement. Public resources are indelible. It works best in a city with much walking. People can make their way to a bus stop or down to the station. Convenience and compatibility.

For suburbanites, subways are less but busses may be present. Despite the use of other automobiles, for those to walk on the sidewalk or unable to get across the highway, a bus is helpful. A bus allows people to cleanly enter the bus and get off. If there is room to get to the bus then the bus may be used. A bus is unnecessary when walking isn’t popular. Suburban areas either have less cars or sidewalks for people to get to the bus or home. In a similar vein to the city, the bus is a useful tool with applicable room. Yet given the available space, more cars gross the streets. Buses are present but not all too frequently. Therefore cars can roam the roads. Aiding people to get from place to place. 

Even a country boy is far more familiar with the giant tractors and pick up trucks than the small punch buggies. Size in rural areas is a due to necessity. Unlike suburban minivans, rural areas are open roads. There is little traffic nor need for a smaller vehicle. Big trucks for farmers and other locals. Minivans are for bigger families to place groceries in their trunks or pick up carpool. Buses are far while cars are relevant for more spread out culture. Car culture combines space and distance as well as affordability. Bigger cars for bigger families. Bigger cars for longer drives. Work is far so drive there. The Walmart is far and the nearest town is farther. Work needs bigger cars. 

Eastern countries are obsessed with motor vehicles. The small narrow streets require a smaller vehicle to get around. With local necessities next door, the motorcycle is a fluent option for ease. Even if one is exiting the older town for a much wider option the simplicity of entering the city, to one’s house with a smaller vehicle transfers over. Yet even in more open areas and cities, motorists are popular. These cities are mixed with open areas and smaller areas thus a motorcycle is the most tenable option. Efficiency takes the cake. The old town is flooded with walking but the walkways are near non existent. Just small room between the street and the shop. Maximizing property space over spaced walkways. 

In suburban areas outside the old narrow town there are still lacking walkway space. In the same regard motorcycles are the most relevant. Much street but little walkway. More cars in the suburban area but lacking walkway space still makes motorcycles easier. There are more cars and even an auto service for tourists. Motorcycles are cheaper and more versatile. There are areas that are not car friendly so motorcycles make sense but even in bigger areas where there is walkways even if half paved. Cars soaring through the streets, yet still so many motorcycles for convenience and price.

Leading to an interesting creation of the tuk tuk. There are taxis and auto services but they are not always along the road. Like normative motorcycles, tuk tuk’s are smaller and quicker options. Able to maneuver the narrow streets and avoid big cars. They are cheaper to purchase and less safety obligated. Get in and head out. They wait by the side of the road. Like a bus or a taxi but easier for the roads and for owners to own. While its presence in the third world represents an underdeveloped asterisk, it is quite applicable to the vast area. A taxi with more versatility and viability. A different function and a different experience. 

A single caveat. There are walkways but these walkways in the suburbs are covered with additional aesthetics or goods. Covering the pedestrian area with otherness. Pop up stands and motorcycles fill every square inch. The pedestrian is stuck. There is nowhere to walk. He is forced to walk in the street. Good for motorcycles to avoid him but not for cars. Motorcycles can swing around but not cars. The sidewalk is used as a driveway for motorists. Cars have no place in the little space available. Even motorcycles act as an Uber type. Crosswalks are irrelevant and street lights absent. Pedestrians are encountered by motorists swerving around them ensuring some sense of security. 

America may be the car capital of the world but not with motorcycles. Proportionally there are more motorists. The open roadway inspires more driving and less walking. The narrow roads meet the wider roadway. A miniature highway if you will. Pedestrians are the tourists while locals enjoy their two wheelers. Walking is second nature to suburbanites but the locals are country folk in rural areas needing to drive to reach their destination. Tourists purchase motorcycles and bicycles as they would do for cars in a different area. Even within the city, it is incumbent to drive through the narrow bend and park on the sidewalk like a local.

The postal service mail truck while not evidently similar to the tuk tuk is a distant cousin. A popularized version of a motor styled rickshaw. The entire premise is the versatility and adaptability of such a vehicle. Given the quantity of motorcycles it is no wonder the popular version in the region is a motorized version. The same can be said for the postal wagon. The American obsession with four wheel drive finds its formulation in the small but portable mail truck. Apparently there was a  motorized version that was discontinued due to its unpopularity. It was foreign and unheeded by the community. It was strange and uneven for auto fanatics.

Instead of a two wheeler motorbike, the postal service went for a four wheeler. A nice composite to the Model T of the Detroit emblem American automobile. Two wheel rickshaws do carry disproportionate materials on the back or front. It is quite peculiar but makes sense given the climate and the set up. Yet for mail men the systematic filing and order needs a trunk. There is the way of the satchel on the bike throwing newspapers to each house but the postal service is direct and labeled. Yet in spite of its four wheel drive, it looks different. It is smaller than most cars and driven on the right hand side. Peculiar yet necessary for efficiency. The need to traverse each street with sleek mobility while handling private accessories. 

The postal rickshaw is prominent for a suburban vibe. A smaller four by four with a sliding door. It is compact and well preserved. Enough room for the postman and all the letters. Filled to the brim categorized to the address. Comfort for a smooth conscience. Necessary to carrying so much mail and easy for postmen to maneuver the streets. Driving on the right side of the street quick to turn left fill up his satchel with the necessary mail open the sliding door and slip out in a dash. Everything is tailored to his efficiency. UPS trucks finagle around in their large hauls. The postman is quick and deliberate. Get the job done in haste. 

Rickshaws are a tailored vehicle. Depending on the terrain and the content a different uniquely proportionate vehicle will be constructed and facilitated. It’s about the destination. There are some slower carts but the tuk tuk like the mail truck is about efficient haste. The mailman can park on the side taking up little traffic and head to the houses. His satchel filled with mail for the designated houses. A walkway for him to park and walk down the street to each house on opposite sides of the streets. He is moving blissfully quickly. No slouch on the job. In suburbia there is conditioned sidewalks to grace the neighborhood. Leaving his truck behind in favor of optimal movement. 

The presence of rickshaws in the western world have been usurped by public transportation. The sheer size of the walking population. Of highways separating one area from another. In a car heavy society, smaller vehicles are a nuisance. Some have bikes but a car is more resourceful. The capital and materials make it a better option. Mail trucks are but a residue of smaller efficient options. A lost art in the west yet one of deep importance.

Flight Simulation

 

By: Jonathan Seidel

Capitalism and theatrical airports

Airports are anything but flying. They are filled with stores. Selling all sorts of valuables. So much merchandise and expensive food. What happened to just flying.

Outside an airport is filled with taxis, suitcases and tears. Chauffeurs assisting clients with their bags and families embracing their loved ones. It is a heartfelt goodbye and away for a new chapter. The bristling of cars dropping off people leaving the city. All are headed for the same vehicle. All are searching for their flight. Passengers unloading their bags with haste hoping to make their flight. Rushing around a few screams here and there. It is a busy section coming and going. Racing to the flight. Yet within much of this stampede is an emotional moment for loved ones who hold tight for a couple extra minutes. The airport is here time to head inside.

Predictably, the airport has logistical and security measures prior to reaching the airplane. Entering the airport the passenger must find his section. His airline is huddled up somewhere with a line for unloading suitcases. The passenger waits his turn sometimes tirelessly and endlessly until he makes his way to the counter. His suitcase is weighed and his passport checked. Annoying at times but logistically relevant. Waiting on line is a bore but the airline set up ensures the boarding pass is received and suitcases are loaded onto the airplane. This is a part of the airplane process. Retrieving the necessary documents to board the plane.

Once retrieved, the passenger moves onto the security section. Lining up just as he did for his airline. Now instead he is with the rest of the passengers of all airlines. All single file ready to be checked. There is a guard who checks the boarding pass ensuring it is valid. The guard permits the passenger entry into the security section and another guard motions the passenger over to place their bags and electronics on the trolly. Instructing the passenger which things come off and which go in a bag. Laptops must be taken out and placed in a bin of their own while belt shoes and hat go in another. The passenger then walks through the security layer grabs his stuff and heads to his gate. 

Security is essential for safety on the flight. Since airborne is dangerous guards need to make sure no danger enters the plane. After security the next logical step is the airplane but it isn’t. Before ever making to the gate, the passenger is greeted by a score of stores. Duty free but also his local brands that desire his money. Stores selling watches and clothing to books and legos. A variety of types for the passenger to indulge in. The passenger has been processed by the airline and security and now is processing the curious stores. He didn’t just enter a mall. He chose the airport. He saw the airplanes, the tower and others with suitcases. Maybe they’ve all been duped. Maybe he paid for the mall experience. 

Confused, he sits down to figure out the situation. He looks around and all he sees is stores. He swears he remembers arriving at the airport. He did check in. He reaches into his pocket and takes out his passport and his boarding pass. He didn’t dream that. He sees fellow travelers purchasing items so they are there. He isn’t dreaming them up. A little lost, he looks up and sees the dashboard with the list of flights. He finds his and lets out a sigh of relief. He walks and follows the signs that lead him to his gate. He sits down awaiting for his flight but he has some time. He arrived early and the tedious longing for boarding inspires to him return to the mall-like center of the airport.

He picks up his stuff and decides to explore. He has enough time on his hands why not check it out. He retraces his steps reverting back to the store collage. He sees all his local brands. While not in a spending mood, the interest of boredom combined with familiarity enjoins his spirit. Just a little peak. This is nothing like shopping in a mall and at the same time it is the exact same thing. He is not particularly in the mood to spend but there is a deal. He knows the brand and they are offering a generous opportunity. He’s heading out why not give himself a go away present. Preparing him for journey. Imbuing a newfound sense of confidence. He checks with his local store and it was a little overpriced but it was for the journey so worth it.

He moves on and grows hungry. He sits down at the food court. All sorts of restaurants crowded in a single chamber. A single rotunda surrounded by pop-up shops that have engraved their name into a section. Some more refurbished than others. Offering overpriced meals and overpriced drinks. It’s the airport. Sit back and relax before your flight. Enjoy a cold beverage or a tasty meal. The food is more expensive but way better than anything you’ll eat or be served on the plane. Reluctantly buying the meal to satiate himself. He stands up takes a long last look around at the commodity enveloping him. Amazed at the surreal experience surrounding him. Maybe another nicknack for the ride.   

Entranced by all the materialistic agenda. All the possible purchases. The voiceover goes off. Boarding in fifteen for flight now. Shocked he checks his watch realizing he has forty minutes till his flight. He grabs his stuff and dashes back to the gate. Lining up right behind fellow passengers bags in hand. He waits his turn and hands his passport and his boarding pass to the attendant just as he has done prior. She checks it and wishes him a pleasant flight. He follows his fellow passengers down the terminal to the plane. Entering the plane he is greeted by the crew and is guided to his seat. Placing his luggage in the overhead compartments and stowing his bag underneath. He firmly takes his seat awaiting further instructions and takeoff. 

In the midst of journeying to the airplane he was stopped by the market of commodities. He is attracted to the untaxed giveaways. The local stores with branches even in the airport. The commodities follow the passenger from his home to the airport. Leaving him as he flies. A salute to his safe flight. A reminder of their eminence in the local scene. They have ownership and influence until the tarmac. The runway is the separation between material and bliss. Between commodity and nothingness. The commodity desires his participation up till he leaves the area. Once he has left they have no more power but just before he leaves. A last second decision to buy their goods. A special gift before leaving.

It is an enticing prize for the passenger. The passenger has arrived early to smoothly pass through check-in and security. The passenger is ever unsure of the length. Taking a risk coming late is anxiety ridden. Instead he comes early. He makes his way through. He has so much time. Maybe he’ll explore, walk around a little bit. He has so much time and there is so much to see. Waiting for a plane needs something to pass the time. Why not place some stores for convenience. Why not provide a pressing enhancement for the tedious traveler. To enjoy wandering from one to another. Looking closely at each item closely. To feel satisfied in the waiting hours. A time to fill and a time to be fulfilled. 

The mall-like system is familiar. There are stores that remind the passenger of his home. No matter from where he is flying. He may be boarding an airplane back home and the airport resembles his own. Some tweaks here and there. Yet the commodification is represented in its own relatability. The passenger enjoys the souvenirs and the niceties on display. He forgot to buy a gift for his wife or kids. Something for himself to feel accomplished. He knows a mall and he knows materialism. It’s a commodity and it’s purchasable. The nation nor the airport matters. An interest for the company to make money and for the passenger to aspire his own dignity. A last chance for a customer and a last chance for a purchaser. 

Buyer and seller meet in the middle of the airport maze. En route to their flight. Passengers are caught by the numerous possibilities. This is not disconnected. This a part of the process. This is the support. Though a voluntary part. Unlike the first two sections there is no obligation to entertain the stores. They are there, they may even inquire to buy but more or less they remain as a desirable. If you are bored or curious, it is available. Increased capitalist functioning. Commodities for all sorts of travelers. A commodity for everyone. The airport adds an extra rung to the ladder. Permitting stores to enter their scene. Potentially profiting from their arrangement. It may be the store’s items but the airport’s land. 

The airport provides these luxuries. They are in the airport and the seller’s interest. Luxuries are persuasive to purchase but also nice to look at. While it seems to take away from the flying experience. It seems to split the airport into a mall but the mall is just parcel of the airport experience. The mall does not encroach on airport territory but strategically placed post-security. A mall next to an airport would precede any check-in. Instead the airport turns its own corridor into a theatre. It permits commodities entry to provide a good time to the passenger. He is bored and lonely. Sitting tediously awaiting his flight. Let’s bring the buyer and seller dynamic. Synthesizing the market in an airport of all places. 

Brightening up passengers’ days. Providing that solace through commodification. Distracting the passenger through dialectical theatrics. Check over here and over there. Explore the territory. Enjoy a cold beverage while entertaining an untaxed bottle of whisky. Maybe check out the clothing line or a nice watch you’ve been eyeing for some time. Never making it to the store, the airport brings it to you. So busy on your trip, here’s a few commodities to make up for lost time. Here’s a way forward. Do it before leaving. Ready yourself for that meeting or vacation. A cure to boredom  and an antidote for insolence. A representable illustration of proper “fun”. It’s big but sufficiently compact. Everything is on the surrounding area. There is room to explore and relax. 

An airport begins as a process to the plane but is quickly interrupted by a chain of stores. A mall looming out of nowhere. A theatrical marvel right before the plane. The airport wishes its passengers to enjoy their stay and explore in their free time. Don’t worry there is something for everyone.

Smooth Sailing

By: Jonathan Seidel

Roller coasters and rafting: bumpy and pictures-hyperreal coordination 

A roller coaster is a high speed mechanical ride. It is the enjoyment spinning around in loops and drops. The entire ride is exposed and coordinated. Put your hands up and scream as the cart speeds up and loops around. Raft rides are not of the same amusement. Slowly wandering through the forest. Only at the end was the roller coaster realized.

Raft rides are single carts moving at their own speed. One conductor per raft. Sit back and relax. Enjoy the ride. Yet there is no time to be passive. The slow glide is only the beginning. It is only preparing the riders for the unexpected. The conductor expertly guides the raft. Pushing off rocks on each side of riverbank. Oscillating side to side. The ride is relaxing but the water begins to feel heavy. The raft swaying jumps a little. It becomes bumpy. The passengers grab on gradually for dear life. The once chill flow has risen to a different wavelength. The passenger is alert. He has stopped conversing with his friend. He looks straight ahead holding the bamboo tightly for his own sake.

The ride is bumpy. There is no drop yet but it’s gotten real. The passenger startled is aware and ready. He is trying maintain his balance. Afraid the conductor may slip up. It resembles more a ride at a state fair rather than an amusement park. Safety wise he trusts the conductor but he must take initiative. There is no helmet nor life jacket. He is fully exposed. He holds on lest he fall off. The conductor ensures his safety but skepticism has him rethinking. Just a grip on the bamboo. He is only human. He may slip up no matter how professional he is. The water is bumpy but still calm. There is to fear but rest assured this is only the first half. It is only preparing for the bigger twists and turns. The awkward menacing of a tightly cleaned uneven ride is ambitious yet left remaining stiff.  

Sailing along the river blue happens upon rest stops. For anyone who needs a break from the ride. Offering beverages and a seat to relax after the bumpiness became nauseating. Clenching tightly has overburdened. Whatever the reason there is time for comfort, only for the ride to restart. Though rejecting the rest stop is preferable as well. Continuing along the river, the bumpiness ceases as the rocks spread out. Then an observer waves and the passenger waves back. The observer quickly pulls out her camera and the passenger eagerly accepts. How sweet of an observer. She is interested in the rafting. Then moments later the raft pulls under an aching bridge with more observers waving flags and flashing their cameras. The passenger is overjoyed. He is entertained by the ride and observers. They both think it is cool. 

After the bridge, the slow steady ride quickly increases in speed. The conductor swiftly moves back in forth like skiing with poles down the mountain. Moving ever faster over the rocks. What seemed like a nice somewhat relaxing trip has transitioned to a high speed ride. Bouncing off rockets the passenger grips tighter. Screaming scared he may fall off. The water rushing and the raft flying. A few minutes of turmoil cools into a calm pace only to revert to the small drop off and twist around the corner. This outing has exceeded the passengers expectations. The shift is quick and sharp. No longer birds chirping and smiling at the beautiful green nature around him. Surrounded by natives working the land. Nothing to worry about. Yet instantly, the raft is a full blown roller coaster. Up and down and round and round. 

A treacherous episode of breathtaking gasps. Unexpected but enjoyable. Confused at the situation. This is a nice raft ride. What happened? What changed? When did the raft become a roller coaster? He doesn’t have anytime to fully analyze these inquiries. The peace was momentary. Just enough time to catch his breath before taking a nosedive into the rocky terrain. The current carrying the raft with immense speed. Such force shoving the raft ahead. He desires to put his hands in the air and cheer. Afraid if he does so he’ll fall off. In a moment of sheer risk he puts them up for a second before quickly yanking them to the bamboo to remain aboard. His heart jumps and he is swooned by the swinging raft. An accidental tailspin heaves a heavy sigh of relief as he regains control. Phew he mutters a curse under his breath and a silent prayer of thanks. The conductor smiles. All according to plan. 

Bliss rolls in. The final loop passed. The raft slowly makes its way to the final stop. Reaching the end with a nice steady beat. The conductor pulls up to the side aiding the passenger off. The passenger thanks the conductor and makes his way to the to the street. Looking for his friends and a bathroom. En route he is confronted by the observer. She shows him the picture. How sweet he thinks. She hands him the picture and says five bucks. He continues on to the restroom he runs into another observer hurrying to pee to avoid him. On his way back he picks up a bottle of water and behold another observer is the cashier. He realizes the ruse. He’s been duped. It is all interconnected. Not locals or natives. It is only a bamboo raft ride. Sailing through nature. Nothing more, nothing less. Yet it is not the case. 

The bamboo raft ride is the interconnected enterprise. The houses he saw on the side were for the workers. This is an amusement park. A theatrical assessment. The raft, the rest stop, observers and convenient store. All are pieces of the same brand. The capitalist brand. Enticing participation for more money. While a little dissimilar from average roller coasters. Combining the slow Hershey ride with the unsecured county fair is the bamboo ride. The Hershey ride is chill but unexpected. Able to receive treats but has infrequent out of nowhere twists. Adding the elements of the unsettling anti-safety and explosiveness gives the bamboo raft a nice synthesis. Yet it doesn’t seem like a roller coaster nor expected. It is shocking for the rather stumbling twists and devious observers. Yet that is the ruse. 

This isn’t a ride but a roller coaster. This is blindfold roller coaster. A space mountain where one can’t see where the road is headed. Unsuspecting but yet freedom and fun. The entire system is a web of linked characters. Instead of a mechanical system driving the cart and taking the picture, a person does it. It is unsuspecting because it is foreign. Roller coasters are machines not people. A person who becomes the mechanical energy ought to also equate other variables in the same vein but it is not obvious. Only afterward is the realisation an epiphany. Of course that was their role and the goal. It is not devious nor devilish. It is the rules of their game. It is the humanized instead of computerized roller coaster. The right mentality would have easily solved it and expected the unsuspected. 

A difference between deception and ignorance. Comprehension is simple for the normative but not when visiting a foreign nation. The passenger is not aware of the style of rafts nor of this place. The expectation is shattered when bumpy becomes sliding. When pictures become portraits. It is illogical to the foreign passenger but evident to the native. Understanding the frame is undemanding the variables. If observers are locals they are not perceived as workers. The mechanical is devolved into human exertion. Yet this is precisely the agony of the advanced. The inability to see the interconnected web due to definition. 

Nothing But My Truth

By: Jonathan Seidel

Post-truth and hyper reality: lies and relativism 

The biggest issue of the contemporary age is not the absence of truth but subjectively objective truth. It’s not the decay of truth but the reinforcement. The power of perceived truth. Relativism is reactive rather than proactive. Each trying to derail the other’s truth. It’s just the continuation of modernity. From dual truth to multiplicity truth. From collective banners to smaller guerrillas. It is an illusion for ideological masochism.

Everyone lives in a hyperbolic chamber prideful in their own hygienic purity. Stopped in an endless echo chamber with zero tolerance for otherness. Changing the radio at the song they don’t like. It sounds off putting. It sounds sharp and eerie. There is little signal. Little connection to reciprocate. They cover their ears and shout back. People are exposed to other ideas through screaming battles. Yelling matches of the supreme degree. Everyone raises their point while overwhelming the other. There is no listening only speaking. Yip yapping with an endless vocabulary. Recycling the same jargonist hyperbole. It isn’t receptive nor instrumental. The slogans bounce off the other and back on the speaker. Listening to their own words into a dogmatic salute. Each sector screams charming their own base but with no recipients. 

Post-truth doesn’t mean no truth but my truth. Truth was objective now it is subjective. It was ideological and still is ideological. There are no rules except one’s expression. The meta-narratives have been retyped and lines redrawn. Thematically it’s the same world with a few new rules. Each truth is vying for candidacy as the biggest bully. Who can annoy the most people. Who can convince those to join their cause. So many lackeys placed at the hip. So many sympathetically duped into nonsense. Don’t think for yourself join our tribe. If you don’t you are this bad word or this mean word. Who can you scare the easiest. Who can you manipulate the easiest. It is all a game for supporters. Who can whip up the most empathy for their cause and vile for the opponent.  

Truth as it was half a century ago has splintered into more groups. Yet these groups are not isolated. They find commonality. Different groups that would seem worst enemies are bffs. Though many of these are one-sided. It is more an endorsement of another. Truth is important but only partial truth or a specific truth is accepted to be an affiliate or a friend. The Islamic world detests the LGBT community and yet the latter consistently promote their cause. For the latter it is the anti-colonial rhetoric. Libertarians promote pro-LGBT liberties and yet the latter criticise those anti-social care. Overlooking the deafening discriminatory ideology. It is an interesting pairing because one side advocates while the other side surely fails to reciprocate. The principle remains no matter the inadequacy.

What guides truth is general precepts in their absolute. Truth is splintered into personal expression but such is a false presentation. Truth isn’t subjective but projected. Subjectivity only matters in the accepted jargon of sexual or racial orientation. Limits are imposed. Yet not everyone is equal. The personal expression does not identify with external world. It’s called subjective but no one is saying Russia is entitled to their truth. The Israelis and Palestinians are entitled to their truth. Everyone wants to engage on one side or the other. Israelis are Nazis. and Palestinians are terrorists. Occupiers or jihadists. Each person is inserting their will onto the conflict. That is not subjective truth or relativism. A century ago, communism was hated upon but supported by others. The same is today. Splintered ideology is a different frame rather than conditional truths.

If anything is relative, it is the multiplicity of narratives. The various frame games. The debate today is mostly ad hominem attacks and screaming. Strawmanning and slurring. When there is debate one side takes the progress narrative and one takes the inequality narrative. One is the rebel and the other the revolutionary. The ideology isn’t necessarily minted into an ontological view of reality. Rather it is merely situational reflection. A conservative sees the world as human initiative and the liberal sees the world as institutional initiative. Can man solve issues on his own or does he need help. Even many conservatives concede to communal-state assistance. Especially in light of religious ideas for the latter, it is through guidance they can succeed. Yet this is different than federal assistance. The impact on the federal level is not only farther reaching but more compromised. Intending to salvage all under a single rubric.

People themselves are incapable of fostering the greatest good therefore institutions need to intervene whether domestically or internationally (it is no shock that numerically democrats exceeded their republican counterparts in warfare). This view of citizen v institutional  programming is a hot issue in many debates concerning medicine and schooling. The claim is that the right of such liberties is the state’s responsibility for the citizen. While whitewashing market criticisms may at times be fair it also demands human excellence as well as human duty. Yet this is parcel of the issue. Take immigration, those who wish to increase it do so on rights. High octane responsibility while limiters do so on duty to country folk. The liberal mind is concerned with all man while the conservative mind is concerned with fellow man. If all man is to be considered then it is the responsibility for each person to partake in the governing issues of the world while if it only some responsibility then only fellow men and even just the environmental surroundings are to be concerned.  

This inevitably leads to the Marxian view of good and evil on one side and the realistic proposal of good v evil on the other. To take a domestic example, CEOs are oppressors for profiting from their workers’ profit. Yet the capitalist will say the CEO hired the worker and provided him the opportunity, his interest and risk labels him the profiteer. Unlike a king, the worker is only a temporary worker who can climb up the ladder to be the CEO who profits. There is a progress vs. stagnation argument. To be fair Marx’s reality was a little more bleak but avenues have opened up since then. Opportunity has been provided, yet contemporary marxists will assail the opportunity as unequal. Lacking all different kinds of variables that ensure certain people do not get a leg up. Institutional intervention levels the playing field. If everyone gets the same medication and the same schooling everyone is equal (though this rarely ever happens due to the communal conditions). If the privileged are taken down a leg then the underprivileged can reach the same level. 

The capitalist sees this as sheer dubious intervention. People need to pull themselves up from the bootstraps. Try their best and then they will succeed. The capitalist has blind faith in achievement via hard work. It is a metaphysical truth while for the Marxist societal oppression is a metaphysical truth. Fate and destiny are the typological binary of the human condition. Either fate is the determining factor or destiny can be carved with engagement. Can he exceed the limitations imposed on his youth. Can he supersede the detrimental implications undermining his rise to stardom. Fate is a deal nobody asks for. It is spawned onto man. Yet once man is formed he can make choices. He can decide his future. Yet to what extent that is possible is under scrutiny. The debate is continued from a century ago. Only in a progressively democratic world can both points diverge. 

In a world of diversity both can staunchly adequately present their image. Progress versus stagnation is representative of human cultivation. The Marxist is the enemy or the capitalist is the enemy and no one is losing their head. To a degree this is the relativistic assault. The ability to finally have open deliberation. Communism is no longer dreaded nor decried yet neither is willing to give in an inch. Theoretically the opinions of the adversary can be held but practically they cannot be applied. To be a communist without blackballing and exiling. Though while communism in version areas is more acceptable, capitalism isn’t or privileged folk have no say. The previous argumentation may be muddled but the debate surrounding beliefs continues. In place of capitalism and communism you have a traditionalism and intersectionality. The same binary persists. Institutionally it is permissible but manifesting said belief is forbidden. The permissibility of adversarial opinion is not witch hunted but it is frowned upon. 

Heresy hunting is admissible but it is less institutionalized and more civil. There are examples in Assange and Snowden but this was the government against one man. While there is suppression, it is far more on the citizen level. Repressing voices is the style of the politically acclaimed townsperson. Deciding the truth by his own ideals. Orienting himself with a newfound tribe of protected hegemony. The civil doctrine of suppression is a far more daring sin. For the government to supersede the national ethic is to betray the people’s trust but for the people to do so undermines the fabric of the social order. It negates the principles belying the democratic ethos. The democracy part is tainted by beliefs in institutional structures but not ethical values. To insist on a monolithic doctrine no matter how noble is to usurp the label of democracy. It is to crush liberalism with a shade of tyrannical fright.

Relativism can only exist in a horizontal society but such a framework is subdued by false prophets and perennial advocates. The illusion of democracy in its strictest sense is the complacency of theoretical possibilities with the realistic insufferable rejectionist fragmentation. To mold a system of checks and balances that is readily colluding against its promised objective. An idealistic aspiration for divergent positions that is cross examined with criticism without scrutiny. To acknowledge otherness and revere it. To respect rather than tolerate opposition. Such a reverence is foreign. Each side at the other’s throat. There may exist two sides or more but its lack of approval is staggering. On the face of it there is multiplicity but its acceptance is a matter of reality rather than desire. People believe different things and are permitted to do so despite opposition and rejection. 

Medievalism rarely permitted difference. Politically, difference was a matter of death. Socially, difference was tolerated. The king’s law was the law. The project of ideological monism pervaded. The norm was a byproduct of state legislation. Different communities were regarded as second class citizens or even worse. A Jew couldn’t seek to override his exclusion no matter his wealth nor his charisma. Protesting was futile. Modernism has permitted diversity by virtue of its code of ethics. Not only could Jefferson and Hamilton disagree but they could debate it. Previously disagreement was either a conversation or non-starter. There was rarely any openness for otherness unless in its comical destitute form. Jews can reside in the country if they are stripped of their dignity. If they are excluded and hounded for their deviance. To be reminded as a living example of treachery. 

Modernism finally opens the floodgates for speaking one’s mind. Rebel in protest. Revel in the privilege of disagreement. Your protest will be condemned. Challenging norms is always a flaunting charge of inexplicable insolence. Yet one of courage and moral vision. Pushing the boundaries. Fear has continued to deny the disagreement. Freedom of speech and expression as notarized in the constitution, is but a selective phenomenon. It is selective to the side that believes they are correct. Silence a disagreement. Either the founders were idiots or prestigious. Intervention is by each side’s cultivation. Abolitionists compelled slave owners, McCarthyism denied communism and the mainstream purged anti-war callings. Today there is the hormonal therapy and abortion battles. How far is freedom of speech? Screaming Nazis? Burning the flag? Mocking the president? 

Unfortunately, most deny others that which they do not like. It’s not even about theoretical but practical. The plurality allows different people to do different things. The law doesn’t establish various laws but instead legislates permission for others to abstain. Abortion is permitted but those who disagree abstain, gender reassignment surgery is permitted with dissenters abstaining. It is not entirely permitted as a prostitution and drugs are still illegal. The law isn’t even about not affecting others but the person in their own vicinity is prohibited. The law itself is not about impact on others but rather what is deemed permissible to do to the self. The law intrudes where it believes it can curb the social practices. When it believes politically the dangers are strong. The state was complicit in deriding change in the sociopolitical exchange. 

The greatest emphasis of the power of the relativism is the acceptance of otherness to some degree. The government has more or less stayed out of sociopolitical elements. On the surface that it is. Mainstream sources turn groups into far right fanatics. There is a stronger liberal push that highlights the comfort with duality yet the threat of radical proportion is complicit in a cabal revolution. The state has limited some of its immense taboo orchestration. Yet the sociopolitical discomfort is wayward. It isn’t as horizontally implicit. The people argue of these issues and the state responds like a parent deciding the punishment for her kids. Who is right and who is wrong. At times arbitrarily deciding depending on if mom or dad is punishing. Each parent favors a different child. Each side teases the other hoping the parent will find favor in their side and punish the sibling. Siblings who despise one another. The parent doesn’t try to resolve tension only heightening it by consistently choosing each side to make their favorite child happy while angering the other. 

The state is not absent from sociopolitical controversy. The brunt of the debate is civil but the state does engender a more poignant force in fanning the flames. Cursing the child for disagreeing with her. How dare you. Your brother will be praised while you shall wallow in a timeout. For your insolence he will get an extra candy and you nothing. Yet this is but parcel of the insidious state monstrosity. The state was always perceived as the threat to the people. The premise of revolution is to overthrow the problematic monarch. Democracy has promised through elections to be a horizontal society but it isn’t. Ideally, the system enumerates a chain of coherent equality. Elections create self-interested elites who deny the normative principle of democratic peoplehood. They create their own neo-aristocracy. They feed off the horizontal cultural war only deepening the conflict. Each side appeals to the electorate to help them against the even adversary. Never realizing that there is more unity in the chambers of the elite. Colluding for self interest rather than the people. They are necessarily friends but their self interest overrides solving the people’s grievance.   

The irony is the explicit distaste for hierarchies and yet appealing to them. It’s akin to Bill Burr’s joke about feminists curling their pigtails in a fire or hostage situation. Only against the system when it doesn’t impact you but when your back is against the wall, deriding all principles for the easy way out. Liberals promote more government to quash others’ freedoms while conservatives promote more local government to enforce their ideals. One advocates equality as long as it for their side and one advocates liberty as long as it is for their side. Hypocrisy is evident. The government eats it up. Happy to intervene.  The enemy is the state. This isn’t an anarchic proposal but one of scrutiny and suspicion. Unchecked power is dangerous. Each side is building their own nuclear weapons to topple the other side. Each side of the horizontal society is ignoring the problematics of the electorate. When
Such inquires are raised they are shot down in favor of the culture war. The are perceived commoners playing dress up are not pretend. They are given the nuclear codes and they can use them. They may be imbeciles but even a toddler can push a big red button.

The horizontal society is a the semantic reality but truly it is a vertical society. There so much jargon but none of it is genuine. The truth is the governmental intervention most of the time well intentioned. Great ideas with terrible execution. Theoretical results with impractical impacts. A dubious society unaware of the detrimental consequences. Deriding the dangers posed for their own victory. What happened to democratic diversity. So we reached a point of political acceptance of communism but whiteness, masculinity and other apparent normative features are evil. On the other end only traditionalism is acceptable. Only government can instill this truth. Screaming are the minority of libertarians waving their hands. Let people be. Stop with the authoritarianism. Stop with heresy hunting. Accepting one feature and moving on to accost another. None of this is democratic. It is institutionally employing an ultimatum. That is tyrannical. That is devilish. 

Modern day democracies are a binary of opposites with the same resolution. Deploy institutional pressure. Deploy the nuclear codes. Scare them or even coerce them into submission. A truly scary time that fails to live by its democratic model. The preoccupation on Trump fails to assess the congressional evil. Their lack of democracy. Worse, is the people’s tyranny. Democratic backsliding is the institutional aspect but the people have been doing so for some time now. Outlawing otherness is the tyrannical spirit. The monistic undemocratic side. If only the people united under a common enemy—the state. An “enemy” that is to be pressured and assessed. Criticized and judged. 

Philanthropic Profit

By: Jonathan Seidel

NGO’s and philanthropic businessmen: Mr. Beast good or bad? (Sowell, 57)

Mr. Beast, aka Jimmy, the most popular YouTuber was railed for healing the blind. Charities created to do that job took to twitter to shame him. CEOs of these groups chastised the YouTube for clout. Yet is this even fair?

Mr. Beast may be doing it for the clout. If we were to accept the nefarious or even agenda driven narrative, that Mr. Beast is looking for views, is that so wrong? Ought we to shame someone who is making himself famous by helping others? He makes a buck healing someone? These NGOs would have you believe Mr. Beast is a villain. He is extorting the helpless for his YouTube channel. He is extorting them for personal profit. Yet none of the blind actually care. The NGOs may care but the victims do not. The victims are now blind free. They can finally see. It took a flashy profit-driven YouTuber nefariously paying for their medication to make more money. For people to see him as a saviour of the people. Evil man he is. The formally blinded are overjoyed. They hug him kiss his cheek. They may even recite a prayer for him or to him. He has blessed them and saved them from torture. He has committed a beautiful deed but apparently such a deed brought of profit is devilish. It ought to be shamed and censored. I do not think the cured care nor see it that way. 

Mr. Beast has used the ill as an example to show his philanthropy. How terrible. He has exposed the cruelties of the world and aided the downtrodden. He has given awareness to hundreds of millions of viewers to this dire cause. Again how awful a man. These people are unnoticed and even if Peter Berger aspires for people to give charitably to Africa it doesn’t happen. Even more so to a cause incredibly remote from them. People aren’t flocking to aid those downtrodden because they have no connection. NGOs attempt to raise awareness but the funds are insufficient. Seeing this gaping hole, Mr. Beast took it upon himself to travel and show that this is an important cause. Maybe Berger would be satisfied with such selfless aid. Did he make a bunch off the video? Probably. Does it matter? No. Since the people he helped are ever grateful. They are being exploited for his pride. So let him show off his grace. At the end of the day, thousands of people will see. That is a win. Whether or not he is such an angelic figure is of little relevance. What matters is the results. 

Is it so wrong that he is publishing this content online? While he is making a profit he is also exposing the dire circumstances these unfortunate people are living with? How much more can you ask? Profit-driven or profit-induced good is still good. It doesn’t need to be non-profit to be good. To be marked as sacred and pure. Such a belief is idiotic. Why can’t money and fame bring goodness? Why does it matter the motives? So Mr. Beast is trying to win the heart of a young maiden or he is trying to grow his channel or he wants people to like him. It really doesn’t matter. His ulterior motives are saving so many at the time. His ulterior motives are not subjecting anyone to harm. They are not distorting nor undermining the treatment. All he gets is some more love and coverage. If the video does really well maybe he’ll do a second trip or use the profit to finance a different trip for a different cause. What a mensch. What a selfless person. Yet all the chatter is how horrible, how selfish and dishonourable he is. 

The haters seem to forget how money meshes with morality. It is no coincidence that slavery ended at the behest of the industrial revolution. Once machinery was profitable those anti-slavery could push back hard. Not only is slavery evil but is unnecessary. This is a devilish act that needs to be abolished and it can be easily replaced. Then the abolitionists in their financed esteem set off to globally push abolitionism. They returned to the shores of Africa to which they first participated in the slave trade and sought to end it immediately. Just as the Europeans forced natives to end ritual sacrifice here they did for slavery. With the economic prowess to thrive in a technologically developing world they were able to “realign” their values. The abhorrent evils were dealt with. The same can be said of the democratic universalism. Democracy was not only promoted as the most economically viable option but then was battled for its expression. For other countries to enjoy the splendour of free markets. The imperialist threads of the 1870s and 1970s were heavily morally induced. Capital enabled ethical restoration. 

This has been the truth throughout America’s short existence. Slaves, women, blacks and then all races and types to equality. Once it was economically viable it was morally possible. A great contemporary example is going green whether veganism or renewable energy. The anti-group is heavily against due to its ineffectiveness. It’s impractical and poses more torture on the individual. It is economically inviable. Technology hasn’t reached that point where vegan food and renewable energy provide the necessary comfort and necessary quotas. They are both super expensive and unhelpful in the world. The same goes for electric cars. The greatness of Tesla is its sleek supercar type ideal. While it has its faults, it is a good car. Yet it is expensive so for the average person there isn’t an option. Until then people roaming the streets halting traffic for the sake of the earth are just making people more annoyed. Most people know of the issues, there just isn’t an economically viable option absent the advocates own hypocrisy at times. 

The power of technology produces like Tesla newer better models that aid people in aligning with necessary good. Advocates have a better job convincing people with a new product than halting the streets. It does nothing but annoy and only creates more hostility. While that may be cruel and unfair, that is the way of people. This is the way of the consumerism world. There is endless competition (ideally) and endless opportunities to reach the pinnacle. Want people to go vegan make it more affordable and delicious. Want people to stop using fossil fuels make better electric cars and stop politicians and Hollywood stars from doing so as well (it can’t be a commoner thing). It is not that people do not care but the options presents are deeply asymmetric. By this lousy electric car that costs a ton to charge and only lasts a few miles. Eat this fake burger that costs double the price and is utterly disgusting. It isn’t that people are immoral freaks but that the options are between delicious and disorienting. 

Alarmists have also caused scepticism to wreak havoc but that is beyond this short piece. Better facilities, better possibilities for all have been provided because someone invented something and made a profit out of it. The consumer market cannot change on a dime to the idealists do it for the sake of whatever. It is just not how the (post/meta)modern man is hardwired. What is attractive is that which is beneficial. Go out and make something that is useful. Spend time working instead of shouting. Morals outshine with cash flow. When an option is better and bolder it will win out. Until such an option is readily available to the consumer it will not be heeded. The question isn’t spare a few bucks, it is upend a lifestyle and pay and extra few thousand at least. It is too early. Yet no one is too entrenched to give up when the better option is safer and better. People love to drive but self driving cars with their superiority will probably win out. Capital has the power to build bridges and mend fences. The opportunity needs to be willing and up to the task.

Mr. Beast has all this money and he with all this capital invests in helping others. Does he win? Absolutely. Do people love him more because of this? You bet. Does that make him evil? No way. He has the funds to do something to help others and he does it perfectly. He waltzes into the area and sets up everything needed to fulfil the ill’s long awaited hopes. He does it because he wants to. He is able to. He pays for everything and makes a return on his investment. His return on investment pales in comparison to the value of sight. The people would pay anything for their illness to be cured. He does it all for free. He does it all for them. So what if it is prideful and selfish. He has saved thousands and intends to do more. Why should we stop him because some NGOs are unhappy? He is helping and they scream menace? They are just upset that he is doing their job smoother and more efficient. He has done what takes them so long to do. He got off his ass and paid instead of running around gathering funds. 

Why are they so mad? NGOs have their own drama and internal issues but more so they are inefficient. They are non-profit organisations that struggle to raise money. People don’t always want to give to causes they know little about. Yet if Mr. Beast opened a gofundme the next day, he would be able to do their job a few times over. His influence and his popularity exceeds their capability. So it is a show. Who cares. They can see that is all that ought to matter. For NGOs to be upset is either because he is ruining their business which is then a good thing since if he heals them all and they do not exist we’ll have a healthier planet. More so he did it better than them. They’re upset because a boastful twenty something year old who makes crafty funky videos on YouTube saved thousands of lives. He is the better model. He doesn’t exist to serve the ill but he is willing to help out. To be angry is to be selfish. If all the NGOs cared about was healthy people like their mission statements say then they would be overjoyed. They would be promoting more people to do so. They just want to be relevant at best and profit at worst. A true charity would be elated that someone else is taking the mantle. 

Mr. Beast’s actions deserve praise not ridicule. He has brought better attention to some issues the intended organisations couldn’t. Whether people like influencers or not, they help. Mr. Beast is healing people. That is all that matters.