The Case for Human Extinction

If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s humanity’s hubris. Collectively, human beings think of themselves as the most evolved species on the planet which in turn seems to cause people to believe they occupy some special place in the animal kingdom. Worse, people think that if we are in fact evolving, that we’re ever evolving into something better than we already are. Such a belief is demonstrably untrue. I submit as evidence (as if there weren’t already a ton of evidence to the contrary) the “handsome criminal,” an apparently attractive man and criminal whose mugshot recently went viral, presumably because he is handsome.

Obviously, the news agencies have nothing better to do than to help such schlock go viral; after all, they’re just trying to keep people entertained so that they don’t spend any time examining exactly how worthless their lives really are. To that end, I don’t really blame the media. But I have yet to say exactly what the problem here is. It’s this: The viral mugshot has the potential effect of further glorifying criminals, a problem you can’t say America doesn’t have. It clearly shows that human beings are no more evolved than any other animal, approving of the worst among us based on looks alone. Worse, women are now acting like men in a situation where they had the opportunity to take the high road instead of behaving in just the way they have criticized for years.

I am not saying it is wrong or criminal to look at a picture, and not knowing anything about the person, pass judgment on their attractiveness. I’m not even saying it’s wrong or criminal to look at a picture of a criminal who is physically attractive and say they’re physically attractive. But I will say it is not only wrong to look at a picture of a criminal who is physically attractive and not only say the criminal is physically attractive but is MORE attractive precisely because they are a criminal, but that such behavior is downright fucked up. Keep in mind we’re not dealing with a criminal who was incarcerated or branded a criminal based on some noble fight against unjust laws or fight for human or civil rights. No, Jeremy Meeks was a gangbanger. It may be the case that since being incarcerated for grand theft auto that Meeks is a reformed man, but then how does a reformed man wind up getting caught up in a sting operation to get guns off the streets? Just asking.

Meeks is not a person a civil society should be lifting up. Sure, I suppose this means we are not a civil society or that the collective vision of American society is or wants to be something else. But if this is how criminals are going to be treated, as celebrities, then don’t be surprised when the next school shooting occurs. (Interestingly, celebrities that act like criminals i.e. Justin Bieber, Linsay Lohan, Amanda Bynes, Chris Brown, etc. are all the more popular for their antics.) All of this is certainly not evolved behavior if we’re going to hold the word ‘evolved’ to its popular usage.

I’m baffled most by the role women have played in the mugshot going viral. Evolutionary

psychologist have long hypothesized that women adore risk-taking behavior in men – this is why they go for the bad boy, supposedly – but if this were true, why isn’t a picture of Marine Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, a soldier who threw himself on a grenade to save another man, going viral? Oh, that’s right, his face became a little disfigured in the process. That in mind, women have long been embittered by men objectifying women. Only, given the opportunity, they’re going to do the same goddamn thing? Or worse? Apparently, a commenter on one news agency’s website asked, “Is this the picture of a rapist? If so, please send him to Chile, Santiago.” Women had the opportunity to take the high road here. They took the low road. Women, if you can’t think of a reason why men rule the world now, you never will.

All the attention heaped upon Meeks once again places a spotlight on just how misguided America’s values are. We pay models, athletes, and CEO’s far beyond their worth while the people who do actual work and even sacrifice themselves for others are denigrated. Is humanity’s existential angst so great or self-esteem so low that people will pay any price to be distracted from it? Arguably so. But is there a fix? Yes; extinction. If that answer seems harsh, well, what else should be expected for a species that doesn’t bother to ask if it deserves its place in the world even though it can? Surely, humans think they are the only ones who CAN ask if they deserve their place in the world. You guessed it; I’m not of the opinion that arrogance is an evolved trait.

What I've Learned From 80s Music

I often lament that Hawaii (where I live) is perpetually stuck in the 70’s. I think that might be changing, and Hawaii is finally entering the Me Decade. With this in mind and my wife playing 80’s music even though she’s not even drinking, I’m taking a moment to reflect on the music that changed my life, teaching me valuable lessons as a grew from a boy into the taller boy I am today. So what have I learned?

1)    Don’t stop believing. You gotta have faith-a-faith-a-faith.

2)    If a dude looks like a lady, it’s because of those Bette Davis eyes.

3)    According to war correspondent Huey Lewis and the News, love is a battlefield.

4)    Cruel summers are made all the worse when you are hot for teacher.

5)    You might be my lucky star but I a-am the warrior.

6)    Relax, don’t do it, and you’ll be like a virgin.

7)    There’s only one cure for a love song.

8)    If you want a new drug, you should spent one night in Bangkok.

9)    Every Yankee rose has its thorn.

10)  When the phone rings and I wonder, “Who can it be now?” it’s usually London calling.

11)  Even when I wear my sunglasses at night, your true colors come shining through.

12)  When I’m hungry like the wolf, I want candy.

13)  There are several transportation options: Walk this way, walk like an Egyptian, jump, bust a move, or push it, push it real good.

14)  I go right into the danger zone when I’m dancing with myself.

15)  One thing leads to another, but only in my dreams.

16)  I need a vacation. It’s urgent.

17)  She works hard for the money, usually from 9 to 5.

18)  You can make love out of nothing at all. It’s magic.

19)  S-s-s. A-a-a. F-f-f. E-e-e. T-t-t. Y-y-y. Spells “safety.”

20)  If you still haven’t found what you’re looking for it’s because you’re where the streets have no names.

21)  It hurts so good when you hit me with your best shot.

22)  Girls just want to have fun. Particularly Mickey; she blows my mind.

23)  I’m never gonna give you up because you’re my obsession.

24)  I’ve got Jenny’s number but it’s Gloria who won’t pick up the phone.

25)  Beware of careless whispers. Voices carry.

Have fun coming up with your own. A little nostalgia goes a long way.

Miracle Whip

“No miracle has ever taken place under conditions which science can accept.” Renan

On occasion, the believer likes to point toward fulfilled prophecies and/or miracles in their scriptures as evidence for the existence of their god. To these people I have but one thing to say…C'mon! How much of a sucker do you have to be to think that prophecies and miracles aren't just the ravings of madmen? Okay, enough of the ad hominem attack.

Sure, prophecies have come true in the most vague senses of interpretation. Surely miracles happen too, because really there is just no other possible explanation for some events than divine intervention. Riiiiight. When it comes to prophecies and miracles, theists are quite ignorant of the criteria needed to fulfill the definition of these two divine words. And away we go…

Let's start with prophecies. A prophecy is the description of an event that is told will come to pass to fulfill a spiritual message. Now, what kind of criteria must a prophecy stand up to, to prove that it's of supernatural origin and is genuine? First, a prophecy must be clear and give sufficient detail to exclude its fulfillment by otherwise vague events or details. In the NT, the savior's name is Jesus; not Immanuel or Joshua or whomever, as loosely prophesied in the OT. You can't toss around the notion that Jesus is just another name for Immanuel or Joshua after the fact to justify a prophecy coming true. Nor can I predict, "Something bad will happen next Monday." Given that bad things happen everyday, and Mondays are typically the start of the work week, it wouldn't be much of a startling prophecy.

Furthermore, common events are not subject to being called fulfilled prophecies. Anyone can say a city, or any particular city for that matter, will be destroyed. It's guaranteed that at some point (no matter how far into the future) a city will no longer exist. Next, a prophecy cannot be staged or manipulated. Did Jesus really rise from the dead (which by-the-way was never foretold in the OT)? I seem to recall Jesus' followers not recognizing him when he returned from the grave. Maybe he had an impersonator. Maybe he didn't die at all, but was just wounded and then nursed back to health. I'm just brainstorming possibilities here. Finally, a prophecy must be made in advance of the predicted event, obviously. Sadly for the believers, no fulfilled prophecy has ever stood up to the test of these criteria. 

Miracles pretty much suffer the same fate. What is a miracle? A miracle is the supernatural violation of the laws of nature. Some of the previous criteria for testing prophecies apply here. A miracle should be unique and be unable to be staged for the amusement of those who don't know much about how the world works. I might mention then that eyewitness accounts of miracles are not the extraordinary evidence required to believe that a miracle has taken place. Would you believe me if I told you I had tiny people living in my air vents and that they every so often would attack me with laser beams? No, because such things are not consistent with the reality we're all familiar with. Moreover, it cannot be shown that a ‘miracle’ has violated a natural law of the universe when not all the laws of the universe are known (or at least not known how exactly they all work together). Reports of miracles may be chalked up to unknown forces and have nothing to do with a god. It seems it would take a miracle for there to actually be any miracles. 

Now, I do apologize if it appears I’m nit-picking the subject, but we must do so to ensure we’re not being duped. It's not likely that theists can rule out possibilities other than "God did it" in their quest to believe in prophecies and miracles. What with the simple criteria I've advanced here, no prophecy or miracle stands up to the test. It is exceedingly more possible that prophesies and miracles are merely stories meant to be inspirational (though I don’t see how) or influence the actions of the easily manipulated. [Think David Koresh and the Branch Davidians, or Shoko Asahara and the Supreme Truth Movement, or the Heaven’s Gate/ Halle-Bopp suicide cult, or…] Yet theists cling to these stories as some kind of truth like naïve little children, afraid of the Big Bad Wolf that is reality. Well, reality is not a Big Bad Wolf, it simply is what it is. In that reality the criteria for validating prophecies and miracles are not satisfied. Such is the legacy of theistic belief.