If you went to a dry wedding, you'd listen to awesome music, too
Oh my GAWD, did I really live this long and am now just discovering Patti Smith? I am definitely not punk rock.
Okay, I lie. I HAVE heard, "Because the Night," but I never really liked that song. It wasn't until I looked her up on YouTube that I really began to APPRECIATE her.
Not much of a voice, but what she lacks in voice, she more than makes up in her general awesomeness. So mannish, so skinny, so...I don't know...off. The first video I looked up was "Gloria," and it mirrored so many of my issues with the uber-Christianization of the U.S., not to mention I live in Dallas, the fucking Bible Belt of Bible Belts.
Oh, so you didn't know Dallas was like that? Well let me tell ya.
On the surface, Dallas is a progressive city. It's touted for its big-city amenities: restaurants, culture, large-market appeal; but to me it's a small town, checkered largely by even smaller minds.
Punk rock doesn't live here. Maybe in Denton, but not here.
For one thing, in the two offices I've worked at in Dallas, everybody is Christian. And not Catholic. I mean, Christian. Like they love Christ, but it doesn't stop there. They want YOU to love Christ, too. And they look at you weird if you don't show an inclination toward their way of thinking.
I went to a co-worker's wedding not too long ago. The reception was held at the church where the service was due to some issue with the original location (corruption, lost deposit, etc.). Since it was at the church, there was no alcohol served, which was no surprise -- I've actually been to a dry wedding before, one where I was maid of honor -- so Matt and I were leaving when he stopped to use the men's room.
The place reminded me of a school -- the reception was in a gym of sorts, and there were fliers and banners up everywhere, not to mention offices that made me cringe, as if I was going to be sitting in one of those offices if I was caught without a hall pass or something.
So Matt gets out of the restroom, and he calls my attention to something. It was a glass kiosk with all kinds of banners and announcements. On the wall facing the restroom, away from passersby, was a flier with giant letters, "Pornography attacks Christian families!"
Okay, so pornography is somewhat unpure. I give it that. But that's for consenting adults to decide. Plus, it's not like it's in front of our eyeballs everywhere we go. It's not like the dang presidential election or the terrifyingly unstable stock market or something. But whatever. It's porn. Does it really attack people? And Christian families in particular?
I look at the flier, say it's fucked up, and then I look at the paper right underneath it. It's this elaborate article explaining this incident in which porn was made to look like the bad guy and some poor innocent kid was the victim of this terrible, terrible thing called pornography. The words are not quite clear to me, but that was the gist...
And then there was this third piece of paper under the article, with letters just as big as the first one: "Tolerance is the enemy of righteousness." What. The. Fuck.
Matt and I couldn't have gotten out of there faster. It's like the devil was there. This shit is not Christian. It's crazy.
Really? Tolerance is the enemy of righteousness? Really??? Isn't Christianity rooted in tolerance? Like, love thy neighbor and stuff?
Not like this sort of psycho-fuckery defines an entire city, but I keep running into this sort of thing. Like if show any kind of deviance from the totally straight-laced way of thinking, I'm a weirdo and totally excused as "not one of us." It's a strange, strange, cliquish city, this is. I wanna say, "oh, by the way, I have pre-marital sex, live in sin, and have brown hair, and oh yeah, also I'm half Mexican, but shhhhh! because I know you have to whisper that word like you whisper the word, 'black,' or 'African American.'"
Ugh. I tolerate this mentality at best. Because I kind of like living here at the moment. But I guess that means I will never be "righteous." And that's fine by me.
Wanna know my favorite songs right now? I know you do.
Wilco - I am Trying to Break Your Heart
MGMT - Time to Pretend
Duffy - Warwick Avenue
Duffy - Syrup and Honey
The Kills - Sour Cherry
Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
Vampire Weekend - Bryn
Delta Spirit - People Turn Around
Brazilian Girls - Pussy
Cafe Tacuba - Esa Noche
Devendra Barnhart - Carmensita
Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
If you were to google or YouTube anything, do Pussy by Brazilian Girls because that song truly kicks ass.
Okay, good night, kids.
Okay, I lie. I HAVE heard, "Because the Night," but I never really liked that song. It wasn't until I looked her up on YouTube that I really began to APPRECIATE her.
Not much of a voice, but what she lacks in voice, she more than makes up in her general awesomeness. So mannish, so skinny, so...I don't know...off. The first video I looked up was "Gloria," and it mirrored so many of my issues with the uber-Christianization of the U.S., not to mention I live in Dallas, the fucking Bible Belt of Bible Belts.
Oh, so you didn't know Dallas was like that? Well let me tell ya.
On the surface, Dallas is a progressive city. It's touted for its big-city amenities: restaurants, culture, large-market appeal; but to me it's a small town, checkered largely by even smaller minds.
Punk rock doesn't live here. Maybe in Denton, but not here.
For one thing, in the two offices I've worked at in Dallas, everybody is Christian. And not Catholic. I mean, Christian. Like they love Christ, but it doesn't stop there. They want YOU to love Christ, too. And they look at you weird if you don't show an inclination toward their way of thinking.
I went to a co-worker's wedding not too long ago. The reception was held at the church where the service was due to some issue with the original location (corruption, lost deposit, etc.). Since it was at the church, there was no alcohol served, which was no surprise -- I've actually been to a dry wedding before, one where I was maid of honor -- so Matt and I were leaving when he stopped to use the men's room.
The place reminded me of a school -- the reception was in a gym of sorts, and there were fliers and banners up everywhere, not to mention offices that made me cringe, as if I was going to be sitting in one of those offices if I was caught without a hall pass or something.
So Matt gets out of the restroom, and he calls my attention to something. It was a glass kiosk with all kinds of banners and announcements. On the wall facing the restroom, away from passersby, was a flier with giant letters, "Pornography attacks Christian families!"
Okay, so pornography is somewhat unpure. I give it that. But that's for consenting adults to decide. Plus, it's not like it's in front of our eyeballs everywhere we go. It's not like the dang presidential election or the terrifyingly unstable stock market or something. But whatever. It's porn. Does it really attack people? And Christian families in particular?
I look at the flier, say it's fucked up, and then I look at the paper right underneath it. It's this elaborate article explaining this incident in which porn was made to look like the bad guy and some poor innocent kid was the victim of this terrible, terrible thing called pornography. The words are not quite clear to me, but that was the gist...
And then there was this third piece of paper under the article, with letters just as big as the first one: "Tolerance is the enemy of righteousness." What. The. Fuck.
Matt and I couldn't have gotten out of there faster. It's like the devil was there. This shit is not Christian. It's crazy.
Really? Tolerance is the enemy of righteousness? Really??? Isn't Christianity rooted in tolerance? Like, love thy neighbor and stuff?
Not like this sort of psycho-fuckery defines an entire city, but I keep running into this sort of thing. Like if show any kind of deviance from the totally straight-laced way of thinking, I'm a weirdo and totally excused as "not one of us." It's a strange, strange, cliquish city, this is. I wanna say, "oh, by the way, I have pre-marital sex, live in sin, and have brown hair, and oh yeah, also I'm half Mexican, but shhhhh! because I know you have to whisper that word like you whisper the word, 'black,' or 'African American.'"
Ugh. I tolerate this mentality at best. Because I kind of like living here at the moment. But I guess that means I will never be "righteous." And that's fine by me.
Wanna know my favorite songs right now? I know you do.
Wilco - I am Trying to Break Your Heart
MGMT - Time to Pretend
Duffy - Warwick Avenue
Duffy - Syrup and Honey
The Kills - Sour Cherry
Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
Vampire Weekend - Bryn
Delta Spirit - People Turn Around
Brazilian Girls - Pussy
Cafe Tacuba - Esa Noche
Devendra Barnhart - Carmensita
Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
If you were to google or YouTube anything, do Pussy by Brazilian Girls because that song truly kicks ass.
Okay, good night, kids.
posted by deconstructionist at 2:45 AM
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