so they say

Have you ever watched the anime series Paranoia Agent by Satoshi Kon? In episode 9 the plot diverts to four housewives discussing the recent chain of events involving a child assailant and his victims (the plot for much of the series is about the first victim and the detectives investigating her case). Each one takes her turn alluding to a rumor she heard but before sharing she'll say, "You won't tell anyone?" and the others follow suit with waves of the hand and like hens clucking, "of course not, of course not!"

Miss Thing to the right is my Americanized version of those characters. This is a woman who buys overpriced shampoos and anti-aging lotions in bulk from infomercials.

"so they say" is en route to Hollywood where it will hopefully reach my friend Nadine from IUOMA (international union of mail artists). She, too, creates cards with squiggley caricatures and snarky captions. I think she will appreciate the one I made especially for her.

The whispers of this country are growing louder by the minute. The masses want explanations and answers and reasoning for the turmoil. What are these random acts of violence? Who are these angry aggressors and what are they trying to achieve? What message are they attempting to communicate? Is this the new form of protest?

Something certain in my mind is that there are far too many Miss Things twisting the truth and getting off on it. The media feeds us thoughts that we spew back like first graders (sorry to all respectable first graders). We allow ourselves to be distracted by our constant news feeds from our phones and our facebooks and our twitters. I think breakneck communication and mass information spread can be beneficial, but like anything, too much of a good thing isn't good at all.

The repetitive occurrence of tragedy in our recent past is somehow part of whatever revolution is taking place. It is the harrowing side of what the masses are feeling. The ultimate explanation seems to me entrenched in the common struggle experienced daily. Because of things like the aforementioned distractions many are apparently able to ignore quite a bit of the constant anal-fucking the government/corporations inflict. Although, clearly, there are a handful who are responding out of desperation and frustration and pain and suffering. After all, misery loves company.

Perhaps there is a way to change all that by rallying the forces that make their choices in love, not fear (helpful hint from Uncle Bill Hicks). Anyway, apologies for my armchair philosophy post.
Here's hoping both you and your mailbox is happy today. The post is one of those sacred, untouched parts of society that encourages me to keep faith in humanity. Take time to write a beautiful letter to someone you love- I guarantee it will help you both feel even the slightest bit better amongst all the reasons to feel melancholy!

Currently:
Listening to Ann Peebles- I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down
Reading The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
Drinking a honey mocha
Working on a Dear Juliet letter