What I don't like

Sorry I haven't written, I've had my reasons.
By now, you've probably heard about Wade Michael Page. If not, count yourself lucky, and carry on. I only mention him because he was involved in a subculture I'm not too keen on. He was a white power skinhead. Now, as a fan of some Oi!, and Ska, I'm not against skinheads broad brush, and I keep my hair pretty short, not to mention that I wear Dr Martens constantly, but I will admit that there's not much left for me with skinheads as a whole. Here's the problem; non-racist skins pretty much constantly have to say they're not racist. It's just like there has to be non-stop apologetics for Punk rockers taking up the swastika. Why identify with that uniform, then? If I dress up just like a cop, people have every right to expect I'm a cop. If I don't want people to think I'm a cop, I have to dress differently, don't I? It's only through overly complicated semiotics that people can justify it. I'd prefer to make it plain and simple- I'm just some random guy. Make of me what you will. If tomorrow, my plaid shorts were taken up by some far right militia as their badge, I'd wear other shorts. Much simpler than trying to fight some meaningless battle about my 'right" to wear plaid shorts. I tend to think that any uniform is constraining, but that's just me. Of course, we can never fully escape other people's perceptions, so we all wear uniforms to one degree or another, but why invite misperception? Likewise, I'm all for self-expression, but you have to be open to the concept that you're miscommunicating, or that you're not who you think you are, and be willing to adjust, accordingly. Jello Biafra might think it's about violence, but I think it goes further. I think the real nazis are within. But, hey, I don't want to get too mystical. I'm just saying that I'd rather change my clothes, than change my mind. Because of that, there subsections of subcultures that I'm not really all that keen on and there are subsections of subcultures who are none too keen on me.What I've been trying to get at in this blog is getting past the notion of subculture, as we have known it. So, no, I'm not trying to preach indie rock, or metal, or goth, or hardcore, or emo, or even me, myself and I- I'm preaching that we all create our own culture, and then, try to get along with every one else. But, that message puts me at odds with both folks like mr. page, and, his unfortunate victims. I don't have anything against Sikhs, per se, but I don't really buy into the notion that a deity cares about my haircut. I think that's silly, marks a person, and constrains them. Certainly, no one should have bothered them, let alone kill them. I've not lost sight on who is the bad guy, here. But, the crime would be much less imaginable if there was no uniform for Sikhs, and no uniform for Skins. I'm not saying the crime would be impossible, but it certainly would be laid bare- this was a murderous psycho who wanted to kill people he thought wouldn't have the strength to fight back- not a Skinhead trying to kill Sikhs. Anyway, that's enough about what I don't like. Soon I hope I can get back to talking about what I do like.

Science! Is there life on Mars?

The livestream from Lollapalooza was decent but nowhere near as exciting as Coachella. Let's hope Mars is Better: http://www.livestream.com/spaceflightnow