February 3rd, 2013

HELP THE RICH, SCREW EVERYONE ELSE

Hai guys, I’m back! Does anyone remember me? Probs not. Is anyone going to read this? Maybe not, anyhow! During my hiatus… Christmas happened, that was busy and stuff. I FINALLY got my folio site up and running, you can visit it here if you like. I still don’t have a design job :( and I’m going back to University this year to be eligible to work as a middle years and high school teacher, I’ve also kept up my exercising and can now run for up to 45 minutes non stop. :D My friend and I are also thinking about starting an online store. Anyway, who gives a shit? I have bigger things to discuss.

Before I get into this, may I just apologise for my absence of articulation and eloquent writing skills. I am by no means a decent writer, that is one of my greatest and most unfortunate flaws, I can NEVER express my thoughts through words in a way that does my thoughts any justice. In fact, compared to intelligent ladies like Bebe, Madeline, Arabelle and Meagan, amongst many many others, actually, most of the people I follow to be honest, I’m just another… well, I don’t even know. In my mind, I must come across as another naive, fairly ignorant idiot. My intelligence, or rather lack of, compared to brainy women like those who I have mentioned is, quite frankly, highly embarrassing. So yeah, please don’t think that I think I’m some high and mighty person who knows exactly what I’m talking about, because dude, for real, I actually feel humiliated when I consider my lack of knowledge. I’m going to attempt to explain how I feel and hopefully some of you might comprehend what it is that I am thinking. No one has to agree with me, it’s probably better if you don’t, huh?

This year, is an election year for Australia. September 14th is the date our current prime minister has set for us to all cast our votes and evict somebody out of the tribe. Oh… wait, sorry, this isn’t Survivor, mah bad. I already know who I’m going to vote for and it definitely isn’t going to be for the Liberal Party. For the American readers, the Liberal Party in Australia is the conservative right-wing party. I know it’s confusing, with a name suggesting liberty. In fact, there is no way in hell I will ever vote for the Liberal Party, I just do not agree with conservative values at all.

Seeing as the election is slowly approaching, I thought it might be a good idea to begin learning about political issues and economics and all that exciting stuff, and I’ve realised, that we live in a really, really fucked up world. I mean, I knew this before, but focusing on these issues has opened up my eyes to how unfair life truly is. For instance, why do third world countries even exist? How did we even allow that to happen? Why are first world countries faced with unnecessary medical problems caused by obesity due to over consumption? Why does a terrible meal at McDonalds cost less than a healthier alternative? Why are people dying of heart disease and strokes directly related to their poor health while people elsewhere are dying of starvation? I mean, why, WHY do we all allow this shit to happen?

Why are there people on the planet jet setting in their private jets, eating at the fanciest restaurants, and discussing the share market? While other people are born into dreadful conditions with absolutely no hope of ever breaking out, and living a half decent life. How is that fair? Why are some people perceived as better than others? We’re all of the same species. How can rich people in first world countries sit there and complain about how they lost a million dollars in their superannuation, when other humans, just like them, are forced to survive on merely a dollar per day? Or, I’m sorry, do people in third world countries not ‘work hard enough’ to survive? Because that is the sort of bull shit that I’ve been hearing a lot lately.

This relates directly to first world societies. There is an arrogant belief that those who are not rich, simply ‘didn’t work hard enough’. I struggle to comprehend that people actually believe this absolute garbage. You see the thing is, sure, some rich people did work hard to get where they are, but guess what? Just because you worked your ass off to be the owner of a successful company, doesn’t mean you’re not lucky, because, sorry to break it to you, but you’re exceptionally lucky. There are so many others who work incredibly hard, but don’t get the lucky breaks it requires to reach that level of unprecedented financial success. What blows my mind even more, are unbelievably wealthy people, who attack the ‘lower’ class. As if they have any idea what life is like on the bottom.

Take this infuriating article for instance. Gina Rinehart is the richest person in Australia and the richest woman on the planet with an estimated fortune of A$29.17 billion. There is one main thing you should know about Gina, she inherited her wealth, her father, Lang Hancock, was an iron ore magnate. She didn’t ‘work hard’ for her wealth, she was just ‘lucky’ enough to be born into an incredibly wealthy family. I could become very, very successful if I had millions of dollars backing me too Gina :) I mean god, I could start an awesome fashion label, I could start my own design firm, I have loads of ideas, but err, it’s kind of difficult when you don’t have a shit load of money backing you up, and no matter how hard I work, I’m not going to accumulate that shit load of money any time soon. Gina thinks the Australian government should lower the minimum wage of $606.40 a week to ‘stimulate employment’. Erm, are you fucking kidding me Gina? You make a reported, 1 million dollars every 30 minutes and you want the minimum wage lowered? Why don’t you try living on $600 a week? Seriously, do you know how difficult that would be, let’s break it down here.

Most people would spend about $50 on petrol even with a small car, going to and from work, I believe a weekly myki pass is about $50 too. Food would cost at least $100, which is about $14 per day. God help anyone trying to pay off a mortgage on a wage like that, but say somebody is renting, most places, even small places cost at least $250 per week, then you have all the bills, let’s say that was roughly $50 a week. That’s $400, so you have a mere $206 left to, occasionally purchase clothing, toiletries etc. Then you somehow have to try and find a way to still save money and maybe have a life. Oh no wait, if you don’t earn much, you’re not allowed to have a life according to Gina. Because someone working 40 hours a week full time, should simply work more and somehow, they’ll make enough money to be well off. LAUGHING MY ASS OFF AT YOU GINA, SERIOUSLY, YOU ARE SO NAIVE, I DON’T KNOW IF I SHOULD LAUGH OR CRY. Why does she want the fucking minimum wage to be lowered anyway? So she can pay her workers less and make more for herself? Because you know, a net worth of billions of dollars isn’t quite enough. Fuck, is it possible to be anymore greedy?

I don’t like people like Gina, they make generalisations about most ‘poor’ people. Like they don’t work hard enough, they’re lazy, if they wanted to make more money, they could, simply by ‘working more’. I hate job snobbery, I hate the fact that we’re so judged by what we do for a living. If someone tells a group at a party that they own their own accounting firm, everyone will be all, “aah, ooh, how interesting, wow”. If somebody else announces that they clean public toilets for a living, they’ll probably get a very awkward, uncomfortable response. The truth is, one is not better than the other. The only reason they’re seen as such is because one occupation earns a lot more money than the other, and I’m beginning to wonder why.

A lot of upper class people seem to have this idea, that anybody can get to where they are, as long as they work hard. The thing is, that is so far from the truth. The truth is, that in the society we live in, it is not possible for every single person to get rich. It’s just not feasible. Who is going to work in restaurants catering for the upper class? Other rich people? Who is going to work as a maid cleaning a rich person’s house? Another rich person? I was reading a comment left by one very ignorant woman on an article I read. She stated that if people aren’t happy with their lives, they should merely “get a better education and a better job” Uh huh, like it’s that easy. What if all the maids on the planet decided they wanted to just ‘get better jobs’. Who the hell would clean houses for rich people? What if all the nurses decided that they wanted better jobs? Who the hell is going to look after you when your body is weak and you’re terribly ill? Why do certain occupations earn SO MUCH MORE than others?

It’s unfair. Without all these little people, society wouldn’t function correctly. Even if we all decided to take the advice of these all mighty, all knowing, success stories, there would be some of us who would get forced to work for a lower wage. If everybody  who works as a public cleaner, refused to work as a toilet cleaner and aspired to be a lawyer, imagine how unhygienic public toilets would become. If everybody who works as a garbage cleaner decided they wanted to pursue accounting, because it’s a ‘better’ job, imagine how dirty and disgusting everything would be. If I and all my co-workers refused to work on the shop floor and instead decided to aim for higher paying positions, who the hell would sell products to anybody? You see, even if EVERYONE tried, worked as much as is humanly possible and aimed to ‘get ahead’ in life, it would simply be impossible. We can’t all be rich, especially in the capitalist society we live in. So looking down on ‘poor’ people like they’re some disease in society is so ignorant and shows a lack of understanding of how the community runs.

I personally don’t think that such a wide wage disparity should exist. I don’t believe that a company with financial issues should be able to make 1000 of its workers redundant, yet give the CEO a one million dollar pay rise the following year. I don’t think it should be possible for someone to be making millions of dollars a year, while somebody else is struggling to feed themselves. It’s not fair, because that struggling person has to be in that position in order for the other person to be attending high tea at some expensive hotel every weekend. If even ONE human has to struggle for the rich to be SO rich, than that sort of financial success shouldn’t be possible. It just shouldn’t. Not one person is better than the other. Unless you know, you’re a murderer or something. In the end, WE ALL DIE, we all become nothing, no one is going to remember Gina Rinehart in 1000 years anymore than they remember me. I’m not better than the next person because I’m interested in style and they are not. I’m not better than my siblings because I have a degree and they don’t. I was simply born with the capacity to achieve in an academic environment, and they weren’t. It’s not better, it’s just different, it’s only perceived as ‘better’ because of the world we have created for ourselves. We have decided that certain attributes are more favourable than others. Making everyone competitive as hell, no wonder anxiety and depression are on the rise.

I don’t like the idea that I could eventually be in an Art Director position, potentially earning $110,000 a year while my sister could be a senior hair stylist, potentially earning $50,000 a year, why such a huge gap? I mean, hair stylists work long hours, they work hard, and people still complain that hairdressers are a ‘rip off’, a lot of people who make ‘good’ money say this too. Shit like that makes me sick. Speaking of ‘good’ things, why are wealthy families often referred to as a ‘good family’ I mean, what’s up with that? Is my family, ‘bad’ because we’re not loaded? It’s so tragic, that we all only ever live once, yet some of us have to struggle through our entire lives, never achieving and doing all the things we want to do, while others have seen and done everything, only to feel bored because apparently it can’t really get much better. How is that fair man, how?

How is it fair that rich people believe they should be taxed at the same rate as everybody else. I mean, what is wrong with some people? The human species is so greedy it’s not funny. Say somebody is making $55,000 per year before taxes. In Australia, I believe a wage like this would be seen as fairly below average, apparently the average is about $90 grand per annum. So, if a person making $55k a year is being taxed at a rate of 17% (I believe the taxation rate is actually higher than this, but I’m just estimating) their take home pay will be $45,600. Hm, not so great. Now, what if somebody was making $1 million per year. EVEN IF THEY WERE TAXED AT A RATE OF 90% THEY WOULD STILL  TAKE HOME $100K PER YEAR. Fuck, is $100,00 not enough for you? Seriously? I think I could live comfortably enough on that sort of money. Oh, but not if I wanted to have a private jet and shit, because come on, those are necessities in life. So to all the rich people complaining that they pay more taxes, srsly, STFU. If you hate paying the extra tax, why don’t you swap your wage for someone paying tax at a lower rate? No, don’t want to do that? I thought so.

It’s so tragic that I can sit here on my laptop, while there are children in other parts of the world rapidly deteriorating due to starvation. There are girls in poverty being sold like objects in underground sex slave industries, and there are other people, buying $20,000 dresses in a boutique.

The world is so messed up up. Come on dudes, how can we truly call ourselves evolved and modernised when we allow our fellow people to live in such unfathomable conditions?

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I have so many images to add since the beginning of the hiatus. Ten is enough for one post though, right?

November 9th, 2012

INTERRUPT THE REGULAR

Hi there. Hello, What’s up? G’day. Yo, whatevz, what’s the happs? How are you? Gooood? Yeah, me too, well you know, could be better, but heeey, first world, can’t complain aye?

Okay then, now that the awkward postponed internet greeting has been dealt with, I shall get back to my regular blogging flow. Well, not quite yet. First, I’m going to congratulate the United States of America for electing Obama as the president once again. Thank you. I’ve been thinking about possibly moving to the U.S (specifically L.A) lately, and if Mitt Romney won… well, I would definitely have to reconsider.

Greeeaat, my left hand is currently falling asleep. How convenient, I have a feeling this is the result of typing and how cold my hands are at the moment. ANYWAY.

Speaking of American elections. I stumbled across this article about a bunch of ill informed American citizens who would like to move to Australia because Barack Obama will be the president for another term. I found it fucking hilarious. I was going to go on and on about why this idea is incredibly stupid, but I think this graphic I found sums it up quite well.

Yes, that’s right mofos. We have universal health care, and I’m pretty damn cerain we (most of us, other than a few crazy people) all like it. In fact, this year the Medicare levy was raised for those earning above a certain amount of money per annum. I think it’s about $84,000+ for singles, and guess what? There was no uproar, no talk about fucking death panels (uuuuuuuugh) in fact, most people working in Health care thought it was a good thing. I don’t understand how a country can truly consider themselves modern without universal health care to be honest. Health care should be the NUMBER ONE priority in my opinion, that and education. I’m so so so soooo glad we have Medicare. Sure, it’s definitely not perfect, but thanks to Medicare I have been hospitalised multiple times without having to worry about money. I received the best care from a damn Professor of Cardiology and I did not pay a cent.

The whole education deal in the U.S freaks me out too. I’m going to be honest here, I don’t know much about how the system works. All I know is, when I was on exchange, my friend and I didn’t have to pay for tuition in Buffalo because our CSP (Commonwealth Supported Place) was covering the cost, as it usually would at Monash. For a semester the money was given to UB instead. We, as international students, didn’t have to pay tuition to attend an American University, but the local students had to pay, WTF?! No really, what is up with that? Lastly, most of us think the whole ‘right to bear arms’ crap is a pointless load of bullshit. I hate guns.

October 30th, 2012

NO, SCREW IT, I HATE EVERYONE

I was supposed to discuss the next topic on my mind tonight, but fuck it. It can wait. I’m so infuriated right now, it’s not even funny. I blame myself for even bothering to an extent. Someone get me the fuck off of this planet. Thanks

FUCK MAH LIIIFE, WHAT IS WROOONG WITH PEOPLE?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SOMEONE PLZ TELL ME THAT EVERYTHING WILL BE OK. AT THIS POINT, I HAVE NO HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THIS SPECIES.

I would also like to add, that anyone who actually believes we live in a meritocracy is partially blind. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! OPEN YOUR EYES AND LOOK AROUND. UGH. Now I know why Diogenes of Sinope needed a lamp to look for honest people, I don’t fucking blame him.

September 28th, 2012

I’M SO OVER THE HUMAN RACE BEING SCREWED

The charming words in the title are the result of a rant my sister had tonight. A rant because of the main story that has been taking up a majority of news time locally, recently. If you’re Australian, you have most likely already heard of the tragic case of Jill Meagher. If not Australian, and unaware, type her name into Google, it won’t take you long to figure out what happened. I’ve walked on Sydney Road, quite a few times, during the day and a couple of times during the night. It is not a place you expect to find yourself threatened. Then again, a place that makes you feel unsafe and on edge shouldn’t even exist. I will never understand how anybody could ever think it’s ok to murder another individual. What right do any of us have to take life away from somebody else? No right, is the answer, nobody has that right. No one. 

About a week and a half ago, Madeline posted this. Madeline, is a smart cookie and she’s correct when she tells us that we still need feminism. To be blunt, and very Australian here (if ya know what I mean) fuck oath we do. Madeline’s post made me begin to think about all of the times, I have been treated differently, because of my gender. Because, I happen to be a female. Do you know how many times people tell me to fucking smile? Do you? I’ll tell you, A LOT. Most of the time, I just shrug it off, because I’ve heard it on so many occasions that I’ve become used to it, but sometimes, it really angers me. Why is it so important that I constantly smile? Once, an old man, basically ordered me to smile more. For what fucking reason? I don’t see anybody approaching any men, ordering that they smile more. Why, do we, as women, have to constantly exude this overtly polite, nice, warm, friendly, nature? If a man doesn’t smile, no one thinks anything of it, if a man looks pissed off… still, no one thinks much of it, in fact, many even find this attractive. You know, the whole… ‘bad boy’ image. If a woman doesn’t have a huge smile on her face 24/7, there are those who will assume she’s a bitch. I know this, because people have told me. I don’t smile very often, it’s not that I’m constantly miserable, but my natural facial expression doesn’t position itself into a fucking smile. I have no control over the way my face naturally looks without expression, yet people feel the need to constantly tell me to smile. Why the hell do I have to look friendly and welcoming all the time anyway? I actually like the fact that I happen to look unapproachable most of the time, perhaps it will deter freaks from approaching me when I’m alone. So yeah, there is that whole smile problem.

Another thing. A few weeks ago when I was working, I mentioned how awesome I was (because you know, in some ways, I am pretty awesome), my colleague (a male) made fun of me and mocked my confidence. At that moment, it was like there was a lightbulb in my head that suddenly turned on. Why should I not have confidence? I thought to myself. I explained to him that I find it bizarre that female confidence is often questioned and perceived as bitchy, especially if the confidence is displayed frequently, (unless it’s the social sort of confidence, the type of confidence that makes it easy for a woman to approach a man and strike up a flirty conversation, that’s the type of confidence men love) while male confidence and sometimes even arrogance is seen as a positive or merely laughed off.

Back to the whole smiling issue now. Have you ever been approached by a creep and spoken to? Have you ever looked back and given them the fuck off look? Have you ever told a bunch of boys to leave you alone? I have, and the response I most often remember is something along the lines of:

Why are you such a bitch?
I just wanted to talk!
You’re a slut!!!!!!!!!!!
All of these are always said in a frightening, aggressive tone

So you know, because I don’t want to engage in a boring conversation with some seedy dude, I’m a slut. Uh huh. You know what’s fucked up? Men don’t even really have an equivalent word to describe assumed promiscuity. It’s only us women that get the whole slut card shoved in our faces. I find the whole slut calling thing, when you’ve told a guy to get lost, really messed up. Firstly, because… well, what the fuck is a slut anyway? That is such a stupid, pathetic, oppressive insult. You know what I’m saying girls? Secondly, somebody randomly calling me a slut, is assuming that I happen to have sex with a lot of people, not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I find it rude that somebody would make assumptions about my sexual activity and attempt to degrade me for it, just because I don’t want to speak to them. As if I have some obligation to speak to them, just because they happen to be a man.

I think what a lot of men have to realise, is that we are not pieces of fucking meat. Yes, even if I’m wearing a short skirt and a crop top, even if my thighs are exposed, even if I have decided to expose cleavage, whatever. That does NOT IN ANY WAY OR FORM GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO TREAT ME LIKE ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHAT I AM, A FUCKING HUMAN BEING.  When I’m driving, I don’t appreciate being stared at by older men in their cars or trucks, like a bloody object. I’m not a toy in a fucking department store, show some god damn basic respect. The whistles, the cat calling, the blatant stares, no, I don’t find them flattering, I find them insulting and guess what?! That doesn’t make me a bitch.

Jill Meagher did not deserve what happened to her because she was walking alone, she didn’t deserve it because she had been drinking, she didn’t deserve it because she was pretty, what happened to her was not okay because she wasn’t some douche bag’s idea of what ‘hot’ is. It is never, ever, EVER, EVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER, okay to rape someone. EVEEER!! I don’t care if the girl is fucking naked and drunk, it is NEVER OK. Okay. Good. There is nothing a woman can do that makes rape justifiable. It is always wrong and it’s never the victim’s fault. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise, because that is the biggest load of bullshit that could possibly exist.

August 23rd, 2012

DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO

Are you familiar with that feeling, when you have a cold? It’s the end of the day, your throat feels sore from the constant speaking and perhaps lack of hydration, your nose is horribly dry from the overuse of tissues, and you just generally feel not so hot. Yeah, that’s me right now. We’ve all been there. I woke up this morning in immense pain, and ate some yoghurt as quickly as I could so I could give my stomach some sort of lining in preparation for the pain killers I swallowed. I set off for work. Ah work. I’m so over it some days. Seeing people there, from my past, that I don’t really want to see. It’s lame. I’m sure we all know what that feels like too. Oh how I crave the day I move from this city. I want to go somewhere where I’m completely anonymous. I feel like being anonymous will liberate me. Actually, I know it will. There is far too much pressure to conform here, not just pressure from the randoms that stare at me, from the people that society dictates I’m supposed to be the closest to.

But this post isn’t going to be a sad one, this post is going to be angry, because I am angry. There’s nothing wrong with being angry and there’s nothing wrong with having negative emotions. It doesn’t make you a bitch, it doesn’t mean you’re a party pooper or that you’re insecure or whatever. Anger is just another emotion as worthy as all the other emotions we are capable of feeling. Oh and don’t worry, despite how it may seem, I’m really not mad or negative all the time, it just so happens that I find a lot of angry topics more interesting. In reality, I am a decently pleasant person to be around. I don’t just stand there, giving everybody death stares. Or do I?

Yesterday, I was at home, trying to rest my virus infested body. My boyfriend very kindly came over and sacrificed his own health to keep me company. We decided to sit down and watch a movie. I was feeling quite content at that point, just sitting there, being calm, watching a movie, everything was alright. Five minutes into the movie, I hear an abrupt, loud, knocking on the door. I walk over, to find my grandparents standing outside. This is going to be interesting, I thought to myself. My grandparents are so old fashioned, I wasn’t sure if my boyfriend being there was acceptable to them. They came in, and my grandmother decided she was going to make a meal for the entire family. I repeatedly told her not to, but she insisted. It’s frustrating. I know I should be thankful, but really, everyone in my family is an adult, we don’t need her to come and cook for us. She should be enjoying herself, not doing chores for us. Unnecessary chores. What annoyed me even more, is the fact that I was sitting there, trying to relax, my grandmother comes and starts making some meal. Of course, I felt obliged to go help. My simple plans were ruined. When my grandparents are over, I have to begin doing house chores and continue to do house chores for the entire duration, otherwise, my grandfather will find a reason to whinge about something.

I was going about my business, doing house work, like a good greek girl, so I wouldn’t have to deal with crap from my grandfather. For a moment, I got tired and sat down. Grandpa asked what was wrong with me, I responded by informing him that I was sick. He gave me utter look of complete disgust and said, “yeah, you’re sick, yeeeah right”. At this point, I was so frustrated, I could feel tears building up in my eyeballs. I went and sat in my room, ranting to my boyfriend about how annoying his mentality is. Because I’m a girl, my place in life is to only be a house wife, that’s it. (Side note: You know once, my grandpa actually questioned why I was studying at University, he told me I should be at home learning to cook instead.) When I composed myself, I left my room and found my grandmother in my brother’s room attending to ALL of his chores. My sister’s room was messy as well, but my grandmother ignored that and marched straight to my brother’s room. Meanwhile, my grandfather was going INSANE because my sister’s room was not immaculate. He always yells things like, “For a girl, her room is so terrible, she should be ashamed of herself”. Ok, fair enough that you want someone to be neat, but why the emphasis on the fact that she’s a female? Why does the guy get away with doing nothing?! I mean yes, my brother works, but so do I and so does my sister, and if anything, my brother has the least physical job. Most of the time, he’s sitting in an office or driving around.

Anyway, back to my grandmother in my bro’s room. She made his bed, and was now folding all his clothes. I got so angry, and told her to stop. I proclaimed that my brother should be folding his own clothes and making his own bed. She totally snapped, “NO, he’s your brother, he’s a man, he doesn’t have to do this, the woman should do EVERYTHING You and your sister should be looking out for your brother, he doesn’t have to do anything.”. I was fuming. What the fuck man?! Okay, I didn’t actually respond like that, but I sure as hell was thinking it. What excuses my brother out of his duties and why should I be responsible for cleaning up after him and basically being his god damn slave? Because I’m a woman and he’s a man? GET FUCKED (not my grandmother, just this idea in general) that is bullshit.

Honestly, I feel quite sorry for my grandmother. That’s all she knows, she’s just grown up, in my eyes, basically being a slave to my grandfather. I mean, sure, he worked hard, but she worked too, and it isn’t fair that even now, when neither of them are working, she still has to do EVERYTHING. When the hell is she ever going to enjoy her life? Never, because (and I told her this) she’s been brainwashed, and doesn’t even know how to relax, or do something for herself, her whole life is just about doing things for other people. My grandmother also told my boyfriend and I, that if we don’t eat meat, WE WILL DIE. Ah, so cringe worthy, considering my boyfriend has been a vegetarian since birth. I do have a level of respect for them both, but unlike the majority of my family, I can’t even pretend to agree with these ideas. I just can’t, it goes against my own morals way too much.

Here is me, trying to make the outfit photos look a little more interesting by doing something other than just standing there like a statue.

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