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Darkstarr’s Diatribe
An ongoing rant by Darkstarr the Technomancer
Issue # —1: Introduction and Disclaimer
“One of the most dangerous things in the universe is an ignorant people with real grievances. That is nowhere near as
dangerous, however, as an informed and intelligent society with grievances. The damage that vengeful intelligence can wreak,
you cannot even imagine.”
—Frank Herbert, Heretics of Dune
Diatribe: a harsh criticism; a prolonged denunciation; public condemnation (Webster’s Dictionary)
Yeah, that probably nicely sums up what I planned to do with this column. When my friend Reki asked me to do a weekly editorial
for his website, my first thought was to do something along the lines of a combination weblog and complaint session. Unfortunately,
three things prevented me from doing so:
1) Blogs are a dime a dozen;
2) Complaining is easy—it’s actually doing something about the things that bother you that’s hard; and
3) Who wants to hear (or in this case, read) the bitching and moaning of a deranged lunatic who desperately needs to get a
life?
But then, I thought about it. Sure, there are a lot of things that bother me about living in this madhouse we call “society”,
and yes, I could very easily write up a nasty, virulent attack article at least once a week about the things that bugged me
the most that particular session… However, there’s so much complaining going on these days that one more opinionated,
egocentric, harsh and overly critical series of raving grumbles was a little like asking Congress to do the right thing, instead
of gratifying their own bloated egos and lining their own pockets at our expense. So, I decided to write a weekly (or semi-weekly)
editorial for Reki’s site, in which sometimes I’ll gripe and groan about the latest needless stupidity in the
world, but sometimes I’ll get philosophical and perhaps even a little metaphysical, as the mood arises. And whenever
I get a burr under my bum, instead of just whining like so many other people, why not do something to lance the boils on the
buttocks of life by not only pointing out where the human race went wrong this time, but even trying in my own misguided way
to set people back on the right track.
In other words,
I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!!
As J. R. R. Tolkien pointed out through the character of Treebeard in The Lord of the Rings, it’s one thing to shout
“stop!”, and another to actually do it. So, with that in mind, I ask all of you who read these words of wit (or,
as the case may be, a rhyming vulgar term for excrement…) to keep in mind that what I have to say is exclusively my
own opinion, and should not be taken to represent the viewpoint of Reki, the people who host his website, anyone on any webring
that Reki’s site is connected to… or, to be brutally honest, the views and opinions of any individual that’s
at least half as sane as an emu on LSD.
Also, while I will try to keep the profanity to a minimum, I will use adult language occasionally as I feel the need to. If
you’re easily offended, please go elsewhere. If you disagree with anything I have to say, more power to you! Please
do not send Reki or anyone connected to Aquila Productions hate mail, death threats, or complaints about content, as you will
be blocked as spam. (Threats of violence against me, Reki, or anyone else connected to this site and/or webring(s) will also
be reported to the appropriate authorities as the situation warrants.)
From time to time, I will occasionally make mistakes about the facts in whatever situations I’m ranting about. I can’t
help it; I’m not perfect, nor have I ever claimed to be. Therefore, any inaccurate facts that I may put out should be
checked by you, the reader, through unbiased and independent sources before you act upon it or react to it. As for opinions,
there can never be a “right” or a “wrong” about an opinion on anything, only informed, misinformed,
or outright ignorant. But whether you agree or disagree with me, please, PLEASE, always keep in mind that my opinions are
just that—opinions, and just my opinions.
“All old truths want a new interpretation, so that they can live on in a new form. We need to take these thought-forms
that have become historically fixed, and melt them down again and pour them into the molds of immediate experience.”
—Carl Jung
“Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.”
—Albert Einstein
Well, if I haven’t scared you off with my unfortunately necessary warnings, or driven you off with all these asinine
disclaimers, then I’m happy to have you read my commentaries. For ease of reference, the table below lists both the
post date and the subject of each episode of this psychotic rant as they appear; feel free to browse through them in any order
that you feel like, as any connection from one topic to another is merely coincidental.
And now, without further ado…
ON TO DIATRIBES' LIST
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