Opinion and news insight

It used to be pictures. Now the morning feed is one meme after another telling me what is right, how I should talk, ways to react and new ways to view things. If I were paranoid, I would think Instagram is a propaganda tool.

Never use cruel words… We must always focus on light… If you want a woman to stay in love with you.. The strongest people make time to help others. These messages on my nite feed in 7 posts.

It doesn’t matter who I unfollow, because the lessons are incessant. They keep trying to mold my thoughts into something “better”.

I go to IG for artwork and to look at the pretty women selfies. Now it’s becoming a moral lesson full of programming and deprogramming. This is not what I wanted. So many preachers, and deep lessons I must stop reading upon waking. This is when our subconscious is most open. I don’t want to become a master of emotion and wizardry. I don’t want to become a better person, I like who I am. Don’t you?

No, it’s not called gas monkey garage. The real name should be the Richard Rawlings show. I realize that the show is dumbed down a little bit as not to lose some of the audience. There’s another show on Motor Trend network with a guy who builds cars, with a similar haircut and goatee. That guy builds beautiful trucks, but if I feel like he is ripping off Richard, I can’t imagine how Richard Rawlings might feel.

The early shows were more comedy driven. If you were to be in a legal state like Colorado, you might find some extra humor built-in. Later, the show changed dynamics a few different times. The show was more serious and even had some tension with the head mechanic Aaron Kaufman. He butted heads with Rawlings and wanted to focus on racing. After the show with the Falcon, it lost some luster for me. I was not entertained watching Aaron go out and lose races.

The drama. The arguments over builds and colors were obvious and manifested with Aaron pulling up stakes. I guess Richard was really close with his head mechanic, because if you left me in that situation, I would use my TV show and IG account to turn that vacancy into a national search for the best mechanic who wanted to replace him. Could have done trial builds and it could have been made into something cool. There are plenty of great fabricators and car builders who would have loved to be on that show! Instead it was treated as a melancholy moment. Aaron’s replacement was not really highlighted. Meantime, Aaron started his own TV show. I’ve tried watching it a few times, and it just doesn’t hold the entertainment value.

Gas Monkey crew? There’s a new guy on with Richard, he’s also on Garage Rehab. He seems like a nice enough dude, but I do not like seeing him on GMG. I feel like he is another alpha dog, and too much in Rawlings business. I would prefer Dennis Collins be more prominent. Dennis is one of Richards’ friends and moneyman from the Dallas car world who is a Jeep fanatic. He is non assuming, and allows the star to shine brighter.

Richard is amazing on the American Psyche, a successful guy who started with a normal family and brings the audience along to share in his success. Selling his builds for hundreds of thousands of dollars, racing horses, or monster trucks, hanging out with Burt Reynolds. That’s the good part.

The flip? The best part of Fast N’ Loud, are the authentic buyers, doing the Texas wheeling dealing. If he’s buying or selling it is always entertaining as hell. This is the true magic of the TV show and the High Point on any episode for me. Classic high and low.

I read his book, got it in hard cover. Decent read. It’s the Texas businessman in bluejeans that is above all the welding, and drama, that make the show entertaining. It’s fun watching this guy make money buying something broken down, getting it running and selling it for a few grand more. In a way, Richard Rawlings is some sort of a role model. Capitalism and cold ones.

In watching interviews with Jimmy Page the guitarist and leader of Led Zeppelin, his class is incredible. His music, clothing, and homes are so tastefully chosen. When reading on Jimmy Pages career, so much public comment suggests it was all heavy metal, the devil and drugs. I feel like people don’t really understand.

What made Led Zeppelin so great, was the band was put together by a really smart man who understood where music needed to be and created a way to take us there. As he chose the blues and classical roots, along with his master musicians, Americans couldn’t get enough, fast enough.

It seems Jimmy’s advanced knowledge of esoteric teachings, and appreciation of things fine brought an illuminated individual to stardom. Jimmy appreciated the finer things and it was deep in the foundation of his records. The tasteful way they were recorded, and inspired way they were written and performed.

Today, the pop, country and rock culture of music is to a large degree tasteless and simple minded. There is no foundation of fine art. In fact, having too much class is taken as stuffy and not chill. Occasionally a tasteful work floats through, as DJ Snake and Justin Bieber, “Let Me Love You”. Bubble gum simple level and just pop enough to be consumed big by the masses. Underlying was the talent and work a couple of deeper artists.

Deep is not someone who read the Secret.

Most all pop music is stupid and low class today. The work is conceived and performed aiming to a low level of sophistication. Insultingly low. Why compositions of the 70s and 80s took you on a real journey of changes, and tempo changes, and emotions played out on multiple real instruments.

Led Zeppelin was intellectually slightly above and ahead of the mindset of its time. Today, so much of what we are given as entertainment is aimed at the lowest common denominator. It’s why 50 years later people still listen to Led Zeppelin records. It’s why much of today’s music will be out as quickly as it came in. In an age where making a beat in an hour is a bragging point. As simplistic compositions that have sometimes only one change, and no bridges. Featuring lyrics that are as imaginative as the clever rhymes pulled off. I feel like today’s music could possibly have a negative affect on attention spans and intellect, binging the level down, rather than raising a level of art and secrets to be discovered.

Single out none, follow any hashtag and see the same meme posted by several accounts over and over. My theory is there is a source, then a bunch of hungry content copy cats. So many self professed leaders, however my focus today is on the universe pushers.

There is nothing wrong with the universe. My issue is with posts that suggest letting the universe take you where it wants. First of all, there is an unspoken doctrine of no God. I poked around adding comments on various posts, the replies implied I “was misguided” if I believe those things. Further, I “was in the wrong place” if that is my belief.

One influencer has over 70 thousand followers. Her minions jumped into the comment thread to tell me that my vibes off. This anti-God 21st century hippy movement is bringing on all kinds of well meaning people brought in by wholesome artwork with words of ignorance written in a frolicking font. First bringing them in, then indoctrination through many new posts.

Here is the deal; anyone can call themselves a healer, a spiritual guide, or a light worker. You can call yourself anything you want in an IG world. There is no accreditation required as in the real world. Or should I say, the real universe? People go into character to become stars.

Back to the universe, the universe is marvelous and the universal subconscious mind is powerful. They exist and the power is incredible. But the universe was the creation. When praying, I would suggest praying to the creator. To tell God to put me where I am supposed to be. The universe builds and destroys inadvertently and without cause or warning. I don’t trust the greatest variable.

The Universe, instagram, and God. Three different things.

The more something makes you feel great, the more you will miss it when it’s gone. Small level, a simple crush on that one you have deep conversations with. They won’t be there later and with it, comes a longing. The amount of feelings of love are replaced with about that much emptiness.

On a heavy level, the drug that makes you feel so great, will cause that much in discomfort when it wears off. Addiction is just when you give in to what feels good at the cost of your well being.

My theory is the same as what some ancient religions already figured out thousands of years ago. It says wanting is the problem. I feel suffering is built directly into the pleasure.

So for as great as a lover can elate your heart. To the same depths your heart will be broken. So as great as the high you feel, the withdrawal will be as low.

According to this logic, with self discipline I can force myself to control the things I want. Than I am pre paying for feeling good later. It is like paying the effort to go through working out, and the relaxation is the reward. Not eating longer is rewarded with the pleasure of the food when you finally get it. Depriving yourself of your crush to be alone makes it that much better when you get your love back in your arms.

How great it will feel to read music when you stick with piano lessons, and go through the pain of learning the notes one at a time.

It just all comes down to prepaying. There is no free rides. I skip that road of least resistance.

This message is so damn good, because it applies to countless situations.

Fast and Loud, relaxing after work Monday nights. I just can’t. The show is decent, and I don’t switch to another channel. I turn it off. The commercials are incessant. The break that happens at :50 after the hour is the hardest kick in the gut. This is like a double break, where they come back to the show for a minute in between.

No show is worth it anymore. Life is too precious. I never got a time share sold to me, because I would never agree to being sold for an hour. People are paying to watch commercials. It’s not that a few commercials are too much to ask, it’s just greed.

Cable networks should raise the rate, and lower the amount. That’s basic supply and demand. I will sit through the show and the breaks without abuse.

How fair is this solution? They get to keep being greedy, the sponsors actually get attention, the viewer is happy, and you don’t kill the medium. Something happened and even with a great compromise, it’s hard wasting hour portions of my life with nothing to show for it.

This must be my own greed, for my valuable time.

Growing up watching funny comics, buying albums by Steve Martin, Bill Cosby before the Cosby show, the sweaters, the Jello, although. Before I knew what hypnotic beverages were. Enjoying George Carlin’s HBO specials, Eddie Murphy Sunset Strip. One I found hilarious Franklin Ajaye. Hell, even Joan Rivers all some of the true talents who actually created laughter in my life. Funny was funny. Rodney Dangerfield had an act. These guys could create laughs on broadcast television. Those days are now ancient. Most are retired, some are with the Lord, and others incarcerated.

Now, it seems that political correctness has created a vacuum in stand-up comedy. Inside this vacuum, the only racial jokes you can do anymore are about white people, or whatever you happen to be. A Mexican can get away with Mexican jokes. I challenge you, come up with 10 minutes of funny, without saying anything that will get you twitter beaten and run out of the biz. You can come up with stuff that’s probably amusing, but really, is it funny? When there’s walls everywhere stop you from crossing lines that used to create enough attention to get big laughs. Hilarious Andrew Dice Clay YouTube videos remain to remind us, when it was okay to be stupid in the name of comedy. Because after all, the point is for us to laugh.

You must have a twisted sense of humor, right? Over the years, you have literally seen it all. The standard act, a black man talking about long boring black funerals. A white guy doing dick jokes. Potty humor, and the ever increasing political agenda creeping in. That stuff ain’t funny. Saw a cruise ship comedian recently and he was such a cliche it was uncomfortable in the room. 5 minutes in, I could clearly understand that his intelligence would not allow anything deeper than 7th grade humor. The old farts in the room sipped off their drinks and smiled. If we all had twisted needs for a laugh as this act delved into Adam performing cunnilingus on Eve, there would have been a laugh somewhere. Gasps, as he moved on quickly.

Right now, I run a Netflix challenge. The idea is simple, although the comics are being put through this test Unknowingly. If I can make it through the first 5 minutes without even smiling, it’s gone. I’d rather watch Breakfast Club another time. The problem for me is that I sat through 1 comedian beginning to end in a year. The audience is laughing, so it is clearly my issue. Most would be better off telling jokes. The stories, or lies are a distraction. “I was at my girlfriends apartment and….” Just get to the part that she farted in front of you. The challenge should be on the comedians to come up with a real act, instead of an adoring crowd who wants to listen to a bunch of fabricated falsehoods bellowing with laughter during pauses. The challenge should be for Netflix to more tastefully choose some comics that have a funny act put together.

What has changed. When Chris Rock got his break on television, there were still only a handful of places to be showcased. Now, a full time comedy network, several more networks shows, premium channels, and of course the new on demand video world more opportunities are available.

Maybe I’m being too harsh. I think I will raise the test to 10 minutes. Just because I want to donate more of my life to that 10 bucks a month. Right now, it’s been good for a couple Vegetarian documentaries, and some kung fu joints.

Alright, I want to try for a moment to assume the earth is flat. Ok. What is the flat earth sitting on top of? What’s holding it up? Is it still? Is it free falling through space? Would it have made a difference to anything if the world really was flat? The big money from the sale of model globes? Why are people flying at 30k feet not flying off the edge? Ever? All the aircraft and water craft, why is there no photo anywhere that shows the end of the earth? Could it be simply there is no end to it? That would be the ultimate selfie. Social media would be filled with #FEREAL. Are all the modern photos from space craft all faked, but nobody can show us all the end of the earth? Of all the flat earth preachers is there one who has traveled to the end of the earth to prove us “globe believer sheeple” wrong?

The believers don’t believe in other things that go with a ball shaped planet. Like gravity. No satellites! Okay tell that to direcTV, or XM radio, the weather services, or maybe your own GPS when you are navigating to Walmart for a new wholesale conspiracy theory.

Again, I have to ask; Of all the thousands of space taken photos flat earth believers call fake. Can anyone produce a single photo of the end of the flat earth? Where are the thousands of photos sent back from all the people that saw the edge of the flat earth? I see lots of silly illustrations depicting what they say it is. On the other hand I can see live images from the international space station and the earth is curved from all of them. That’s a lot of fakes VS no evidence of anything flat. A documentary can apparently make the smartest of the earth, regardless of shape, abandon 2,000 years of science.

This inspired a theory of my own.

What if there are several conspiracy theories exposing real truth. Suppose someone wanted that theory to go away? What if they paid to have the most stupid idea propagated by having a documentary produced to convince people he planet is different from all the other planets and is flat? Then, when hot theories come up, they can just laugh and say “Yeah, sure, and the earth is flat too” So brilliant, maybe we can do a new video to make them believe the moon is made of blue cheese.

Delete account on Facebook? Not because they exploit our private information. Whoever assumed differently? Whoever added the ability to pic a color and post words bad idea bro. Political season particularly annoying. Nobody cares if you are day 3 with the flu, the news reposts are awful. Why does everyone feel the need to post if a celebrity dies? There is no way certain people are that emotionally tied to everybody who died. Maybe one out of 50? Facebook became more than irritating. It’s just it seems for now at least you need be on it to be legit.

Instagram was always my favorite. Low on captions, just pics. Clean feed, and pleasant to look at. First it got good with stories. Then more written memes, a direct part of why I hate FB. Enough word of encouragement already. How do you know I just need to hang in there? How many times do I need to hear about Steve Jobs starting in a garage? Who are all these mediocre posers telling me how to succeed? Nobody can be liking this stuff. Sponsored posts now litter the feed. Every bad musician or self proclaimed motivation a-hole is now on more than my friends pics. Stop writing on Jim Carrey’s face. If I want to read I’ll go online.

Greedy people and evil algorithms. Why would FB buy the other, and turn it into the same thing? Because they make money the same way. If we could block all the things I dislike, they wouldn’t make any money. What idiot created the link button, so whatever you post goes to both platforms? They ruined a better fun unique platform.

Now I have 2 delete account clicks to consider.