Jim Lamarche - SAVING LIVES

Friday, 11 October 2024

THE FREEDOM FARCE

“The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts,

while the stupid ones are full of confidence."

Charles Bukowski

Freedom is just a feeble excuse to set fire to the barn.

Fascinating to me ... there are some people you meet

who you feel immediately comfortable around, and others

who are terrifying. What's up with that?

When I was in Grade 7 at Centennial Central School in Comber Ontario (1968), we had a class uprising/revolt. Our new teacher (Mr. Kennedy) was young; just out of teacher’s college and he was weak.

We discovered early on that we could control him (if we stuck together) and one rainy early afternoon that late spring, turned the classroom into a party, tying him up to his chair, blindfolding & gagging him and spent the rest of the school day partying, listening to music, dancing and creating chaos/destroying the classroom. It was a blast! It was also the most important lesson I learned in all of grade school AND it wasn't in the curriculum. No. Real world.

The reason for our revolt was a simple one … too many rules & not enough freedom.

Just a small flaw with our plan. We had the same conditions as the rest of the school did. Yes, rules & restrictions, decided by grown ups who supposedly had more wisdom/maturity than we did. It was no different than any other public school in Canada, only we had a rare opening … and we used it.

What I find most interesting (in retrospect), is that the school must have known what was going on (from the noise, loud music in the classroom), but did nothing to stop it.

Mmmmn ok. Echoes. That familiar - out of sight, out of mind.

Truth is, we were a pack of unruly brats who seized the moment to create mayhem BECAUSE WE COULD! Collectively, we saw an opportunity where we could get away with confusion, and we took it. Fundamentally it had nothing to do with ‘freedom’ per sé, because we knew that the rules were universal (not just confined to us). I mean, it’s not like we were being treated unfairly really; it’s just that we thought it would be cool if we finally stood up for something that was actually ours (not theirs).

Ok, we were old enough to understand that law & order were basic cornerstones of every civilized community wishing to remain productive, functional & organized and that even our parents & teachers had to obey the law & follow the rules too. Fuck that! No, this was a one off rebellion shared by 13 year olds wishing to make a point FOR FUN!

The freedom angle was just an excuse, a reason to push back against authority. Sounds almost legitimate right? It was a momentary awakening in that if enough of us young teenagers got together (all over the world), we could change everything and that for once, they would be answering to US! An event beyond what any of us could imagine; bliss in anarchy in overcoming the powers that be which also meant PUNISHMENT to every man, woman & child who opposed us.

Payback? You bet! Being told to wear our boots outside after a winter snowstorm, or - or no Playstation until after the homework is done? How about no dessert until we finish all our supper? NO MORE! I'll wear my running shoes outside after it snows, play video games instead of going to school - hell, I'll eat dessert FOR supper every day if I want! You can't tell me what to do anymore because you don't matter!

Ah, adolescence. What I would give, to be a kid again ...

and so ...

Welcome to the freedom farce.

Fast forward 50 years and what I’m seeing recently sure feels a whole lot like that Grade 7 uprising in Comber only it’s everywhere. In comes a President who acts like an entitled man-child and those following him, look & act just the same, encouraging a hundred million followers to do just that … revolt. Why? Freedom! Only it's not against our teachers, principals, parents or the police ... no, it's the elite progressives (Democrats, Liberal Socialist whiners who think they're better than us). You're NOT better than me!

Righteous entitlement flexes its muscles just like it did in 1968 in Comber Ontario, only it’s a whole lot bigger & meaner. It really is all the same stuff only it’s every public school across the country.

Same argument … we won’t live by your rules anymore. In closing, mark my words. There will be more freedom marches, convoys, and protests not that unlike what we just saw in Ottawa. It was a so-called revolt against vaccine passports (so they say). I say LIE! It had little or even nothing to do with that. An excuse to tie up the teacher and throw a smash bash is what I'm thinking. Let's turn our Prime Minister into a clown, make a lot of noise, deface monuments and spray paint graffiti on the sidewalks of our nation's capitol is what this is really about. A fuck you partay!

Epilogue:

We never saw Mr. Kennedy after that day. Either he quit or was let go (I'm thinking the latter). We had a substitute teacher for the last 2 months of that school year. That day is indelibly stamped in my psyche to this day, just like it was 53 years ago … and ‘freedom’ (now, just like it was then), is just a feeble excuse to set fire to the barn.

jimlamarche.ca

Thursday, 10 October 2024

SHADOW OF A MAN

There is this theory, grounded in Jungian psychology that has been passed on, revised and charted by mature travellers and translators seeking altitude. Archetypes.

Entitlement

The male psyche is a labyrinth of possibilities ranging from the mature King, Warrior, Magician, Lover paradigms down to any number of infantile variations often seen in our anti-heroes, villains and politicians. In our Marvel infused universe, sometimes it's fun to love the bad guy.

The latter's mission? To capitalize on becoming the ultimate victim, amassing followers and making all those who see their obvious weakness as accomplices in the plot to overthrow their righteous agenda. The terrifying clown capers conditionally condoned … their sadistic masochistic impotence addicted to behaviours quietly sanctioned by those unable to escape their own stunted afflictions having been reminded over and over since they were kids, that they are damaged dummies too. Hell, maybe it's time to STFU and grow a pair!

It’s an entitlement that defies all other entitlements because it is rooted in abstract absolution; a dystopian despair in a perilous pact with a malevolent martyr.

Tis the age of the sanctimonious sociopath.

Fred Trump

The Know-it-all Trickster

Every human can relate to it, albeit some more than others. That resounding resentment justified in jest. That incessant need for attention, acknowledgment, relevance with recognition they never got as kids so now? It’s payback time. If I can't have it? I'll just TAKE it!

The tyrannical trickster with a penchant for pain, posturing for punitive posterity. It’s making his kid eat every bite of his boot leather 'tough love' liver and onions because that’s what his Dad made him do. What's necessary. You see, nothing in this world is free and everything you get, you must fight for because if you don't - THEY will! It's a self sustaining liquid lunch logic that defies explanation with zero visibility. Self preservation demanding danger. A trick.

Most become fathers. Some billionaires, famous actors, musicians, movie producers and yes … politicians. The obvious giveaway is the forced stance, outwardly appearing solid, strong, hyper-masculine and impenetrable but to those who look more closely, they are still children, having never evolved in their emotional maturity past adolescence. Shadows.

Never loved so they too are unable to love. Their evolution is almost always defined by their parenting, specifically their fathers who pass on the torch of dysfunction to their sons; proud of being able to watch them take on the mutation like it’s a well earned boy scout badge to cherish ordained in faith. The words empathy & humility are in fact in their vocabulary only they don’t subscribe to the stupidity. Feeling real joy is weakness (a lesson learned early on).

King, Warrior, Magician, Lover

Our shadow systems become murky versions of what could have been. An idea.

Where real Kings leave a legacy, tyrants leave torment. Kings develop practical wisdom with self discipline, acquiring then becoming mindful mentors, detaching from their mothers and yet are decisive protectors. Warriors embrace fear, core values and resilience against corrupt cons. Magicians celebrate creative diversity and commit to lifelong learning. Lovers cultivate patience in waiting, becoming spontaneous benefactors of benevolence.

And so … The corporate "yes man," the wife-beater, the hot-shot male junior executive and the emotionally distant father are all boys pretending to be men and most never become one. In all the procurements, bluster and bombast there remains a sobbing ‘crybaby’ because that’s what Dad called him again and again when he was 9 and that’s what stuck.

Inspiring Integrity

The mature masculine exists. It’s at minor league baseball in the stands, cheering his son on, then taking him out for ice cream after the game; congratulating him for a solid effort even though he struck out and his team losing. Being consistent in his messaging around consequences when one doesn’t keep their word/promises made. Inspiring integrity. It’s showing him how to build a tree house in the back yard, ride a bike, drive a car and love his new wife after he gets married. It’s being open and present when his son tells him he is gay. Failing an exam in college, reminding him that it’s just a temporary setback. It’s about encouraging him to learn and grow without ever forcing him to be someone he is not.

It’s becoming a grandfather and putting his 6 year old grandson on his knee and reading him a passage out of ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’ only to suddenly stop and let him run to his Nana who hands him a cookie; letting him go with a smile. Thankful. Content.

It’s about letting those he loves live their lives without interfering.

Epilogue

Your children are not your enemies - you need not fear them. Differences are not battles that you must win or lose. If you lock yourself into seeming warfare, all perspective becomes lost.

Terrible and hurtful things are said. The whole family suffers and the wounds are slow to heal. Win or lose are words a family does not need. Me? I like the idea of being remembered for someone who nurtured kindness, not blame.

Jim Lamarche - Sept. 2024

SHADOW OF A MAN

jimlamarche.ca

Wednesday, 9 October 2024

THE GENDER GAP

“Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive.
Both men and women should feel free to be strong.
It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum
not as two opposing sets of ideas."

Emma Watson

watch the gender gap video clip
(bottom of page)
sound up - 1080p

One report on sheep found that 8% of rams exhibited homosexual preferences - that is, even when given a choice, they chose male over female partners. In fact, apparent homosexual individuals are known from all of the traditional domestic species, from sheep, cattle and horses to dogs, cats and birds.

Imperial College, London UK. 2019
link bottom

The Imposition

Right. There are 'gay' animals ... know something? Your little Muffy-wuffy lying on the floor licking himself and affectionately looking up at you could be as queer as a 3 dollar bill.

Who knew? Turns out there is roughly the same percentage of animals that are LGBTQ as we are. I'm guessing humans were just supposed to skip that part? A biblical implication?

"If a man lies with a man as one lies with woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads"

(Leviticus 20:13).

You see, the whole movement is just a reaction - to oppression. Can't force nature. Be it race, religion, climate or gender. It's all overplayed because it feels like it has to be. Woke is a pushback, that's all; and a costly one. Now, there are millions of parents out there who are actively ‘encouraging’ their kids to be gay or trans because it’s trendy (and because it pisses the mother in-law off). Weird wokey pokey gone wrong.

That, in itself is just as dangerous as ‘conversion’ therapy (forcing the gay out of them). Your child’s gender should never be your idea (or anyone else's) but solely theirs and gender oppression works both ways ... (and it was never meant to go this far).

Oh, and as for 'conversion therapy'? Let's keep exorcisms where they really belong ... in the movies. My gender, is none of your business.

Animal Magnetism

Just a tad curious ...

So what is this obsession we have with gender? It's practically bi-polar. You are either one or the other. Male? Female? Black? or white? No greyscale and no colours permitted here. Sure, there's the biology but then there's the psyche. Our true gender lives in the latter (and many would say that's a load of crap). For some, it’s a fascination and a preoccupation with expectation and tradition.

For others? It's finding comfort - in the familiar.

Lingering Lust

Somewhere in there is the idea that if we're going to realize our full potential, we need to become who we really are and that is ultimately defined by what's between our legs. Of course that being if you’re a girl, growing up to be a woman, preferably pretty in her childbearing years then compliant and soft spoken, kind and maternal just like Mom was and if you’re a boy? Becoming a real man! That being strong, proud and masculine like Dad.

Now that said, there is an inconvenient truth that has peeked through in the last several decades. That being that some ‘women’ are (by nature) more masculine than others AND some ‘men’ are more feminine. We are born one gender by two parents, one male and one female. We grow up loving them both so it kind of makes sense that we would adopt some of each in our evolving development and perhaps even embracing the opposite gender over our own (by nature); puberty being the wild card (where everything can go sideways).

Most university educated psychologists will tell us that we’re all masculine and feminine and that it is in fact the combination of the two that makes us who we are and - it's healthy.

Live and learn OR ... live and don't learn.

Where it all becomes unmanageable, provocative, controversial and well - a total can of worms is when sexuality is thrown into the mix. It is then that we (consciously or unconsciously) discover homophobia in adulthood. You see for millions of Canadians, when our 12 year old son expresses his more feminine nature or our daughter her more masculine side, it becomes a threat to our own gender identity and proof of our own inability to control the situation. I mean, what are people going to think? How does it look when I can’t even raise my own child properly? It’s an embarrassment of epic proportions - an existential failure.

Calling in the Cavalry

That’s when we need our doctors, lawyers, politicians, schools and churches to step up and fix this mess (or so we might conclude). So let’s talk options. If you’re religious there’s always ‘conversion therapy’; that costly camp ever so conveniently tucked away out of sight where you can send your confused adolescent for 'treatment' (to make him/her become clear again/unconfused), kind of like we did with the natives in residential schools earlier on.

Forcing them to become denizens in our own image. That worked out ok, right?

Out of Sight - Out of Mind

Nothing to lose and everything to gain by loving them for who they are, not what you want them to be.

Many parents disown their children after they grow up in fear and finally come out, shaking like a leaf in absolute terror of the outcome but having no choice because the pressure is deafening. Wow. That wasn't so bad. Yes, Mom & Dad admit that they always suspected but it was never discussed in the marital home. Why? Because such things are forbidden. Wrong. Disapproval followed by a distancing followed by a slow, cruel dissension.

I'm sorry dear but it’s not how we do things. We're just looking out for what's best for you. Relocating a thousand miles away and the yearly 10 minute phone call on Christmas day with Mom who is sad you're not there. "Dad says hi" (sitting 10 feet away watching television).

Adam & Eve
The Immaculate Conception

I have a loose theory on where this all started going way back to biblical times. To a place where men and women co-existed on the planet but were never intended to be equal. In the church, state and even in their homes it was just assumed that men were the superior gender, making the hard choices and taking charge of the elements in a way that women were never really able or capable of (allowed).

So, when our little Tommy wants to become Tammy, it seriously compromises the balance, throwing everything to the wind ... to chance - chaos. Unacceptable. What solidified the arrangement going back centuries was our belief in God coupled with women's compliance. The unspoken rule that was rarely challenged and when it was there were grave consequences.

Preferential Freedom

Quite the conundrum and we wouldn't be in this mess if they followed the rules and didn't mess with tradition. Maybe it's time to take it back; what they stole from us. Making it right means taking a stand. Preferential freedom is obedient, loyal and unforgiving.

I mean Jesus!

Now we have boys that want to be girls and girls who want to be boys?? That upsets everything - can't have it. I'm thinking that women by nature have less of a problem with the transgendered and that it's intrinsically a male phobia. Those women who continue supporting the church and state's (government/schools) intervention are those still following the directive presented to them as kids themselves. The words sacred & scared come to mind.

Empathy & Humility
a closing message to parents who think their rights are more important than their children's ...

The highest rate of suicide in the U.S. is amongst transgendered/non binary teens, so if your 12 year old son comes to you and and tells you he thinks he is a girl? Go with it! By allowing 'her' to be one, it may pass in a month or year. By fighting it you may harm them in the long term and alienate them from even wanting to live in his/her later teens. Why? What's your point? How does making them wrong benefit you?

Nothing to lose and everything to gain by loving them for who they are, not what you want them to be.

a jim lamarche remix

from the album ONE LIFE

assembled in photoshop, logic audio & final cut

featuring the Roland System 8

source music w/tomas mullarney

& jacob gossette

https://www.beaconband.com/

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/190987/scientists-explore-evolution-animal-homosexuality/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/16/us-trans-non-binary-youth-suicide-mental-health

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32345113/

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/

jimlamarche.ca

you fly to the moon

for emma

Tuesday, 8 October 2024

THE SUICIDE COLLECTIVE 23

It’s a ‘what you don’t know won’t hurt you’ game plan

with a good dose of shame and blame

in a recycled modus operandi
and all designed to

divide and conquer

Dateline July 1996 (Woodslee Ontario, near Windsor)

My Dad would have loved Trump. Stoic, stubborn - ‘knows everything’ kinda guy w/a touch of torment, hatred of women and a penchant for payback. Sound familiar? The BIG man and a BIG deal ... expensive suit, drives a BIG car and has a hot trophy wife (ok, you get it).

Payback

I mean ok (story is), he got right royally fucked over and so now they need to suffer (yawn) … listening still. It’s frikkin’ brutal. Rambling on about faggots on food stamps then about street blacks in Detroit getting what they deserve, (intoxicated at 2pm). Long awkward pause. "So Dad, just how is it that they deserve being dominated and oppressed"?

Listening to that pin drop in slow motion.

Even longer pause and that recurring look of death. Yikes! I'm in trouble now. I learned everything about the term "bleeding heart liberal" that day, and then there was no room for continued discussion on that subject. Dad's resentment was in his DNA and it was like he always had a dark cloud of hopelessness following him around that was created by someone else. Always the victim, fucked over by him, her ... THEM!

"You disgust me" - I remember that. I often wonder what some of Donald's early conversations were like with Father Fred. That warm, thoughtful Dad who loved him unconditionally.

Betrayal

The term 'deer in the headlights' comes to mind. That wide eyed innocence right before the splat ... and I'm hovering like a fly, waiting for the windshield on the freeway. Mom was that fly. Falling in love with another man because your husband is 'allegedly' abusive in Woodstock Ontario in 1966 is a no brainer custody court loss in a small town with patriarchal puritan values and a shunned man on a mission and access to (legal) weapons of mass destruction.

I guess my point being; toxic masculinity has been around for a long time. Long before Ronald McDonald - Humpty Trumpty showed up and dumped fuel on the flames. That said, Dad grew up during the great depression, then WW2 and his Dad regularly beat him as a kid (and yet Dad chose not to beat me). The human condition is fragile and progress is incremental.

Maybe I'd be no different if it had been me.

Fallout? It's to be expected. Tough love. It's how we learn.

The Division Bell

We had grown apart and his will to live was being compromised. In disrepair. He didn’t care (never did), a hint of suicide in the air (but would never/looks weak). Perhaps even contemplating how much damage he can do first. I remained distant. I had absolutely no idea what to do ... as lost as he was. His resentment; my legacy. Oh. Speaking of ...

Certain 'traditions'? Must continue. Resistance is futile.

Tapping into people's rage is an easy game changer, requiring very little work/effort w/the most to gain (politically). This is why it's so popular to the Populists.

It just works.

RULE #1. Deny & deflect.

Right. So just in case you didn't get the memo. What’s real is no longer important because everything you see is fake news anyway, so fuck it. IF we all get blown to smithereens? At least I will have had the opportunity to make my point. It's all about the collective. It's about what's right. It's about making the necessary sacrifices. This rant mirrors his. What's going on here? Not important. Look (pointing) ... all of our problems? ... are right over there!

'You're fired!' (God, that feels good).

It's chasing brown people out the back door, while crusty old white guys slip through the front (in broad daylight) and clean the living room out.

Drain The Swamp - Harbouring the Hypocrisy

Who knew that it could be so simple, so easy? It was originally about vowing/promising to take on the 'elite power structure' in Washington (ie. Wall Street, The Clintons/Corporate Lobbyists etc.). Then it quietly shifted to 'draining the swamp'; away from the power grid and towards removing/deporting those who supposedly threaten our livelihoods/freedom (specifically immigrants) and no-one even flinched or questioned the switch. Hey. Forget about that - look at THIS! Yet more tax breaks for the rich while gutting healthcare, education & essential social programs. A crime of the century scam, flawlessly executed and all in plain sight. The real irony? Most of those lower in the food chain endorse it (even though it hurts them).

Now, it should be noted that lies and deceptions are universal. They're everywhere and are not limited to one ideology or political affiliation. That said, millions of people take a great deal of comfort in knowing they are being lied to, by someone they can trust.

Hook, line & sinker - welcome to the con.

It's chasing brown people out the back door, while crusty old white guys slip through the front (in broad daylight) and clean the living room out. It's about Kanye West visiting the Oval Office (dozens of reporters) and in an incoherent rant saying "when we make everything in China and not in America, we're cheating our country" while Trump listens, smiles and nods his head. The Trump Collection (fashion suits, shirts, ties & accessories) are all made in China.

They know he's a sexual predator who wants to throw anyone in jail who challenges him. They know he lies. They know he had sex with a porn star while his wife was at home pregnant. They know he is a convicted felon who has broken the law hundreds of times. They know his products are made in China and they know he colluded with the Russians. They KNOW that he isn't Christian and fundamentally doesn't give a fuck about them ...

IT DOESN'T MATTER!

You just wait till your FATHER gets home young man!

The Father, The Son & the Holy Ghost (succumbing to the official narrative) ...

Quite simply put; punishment comes with the territory and sometimes it's necessary (so I'm told). Collateral damage? Whatever. It's just easier to point & shoot first, then ask questions later. Take me back to my Father's values, and to his Father's before that. Make America Great Again. I get it. They took away your freedom and now you want it back. Duly noted.

And so, a new President (and most powerful man in the world) has turned the world into an episode of Jerry Springer; you know the one where 2 women tear each other to shreds while the crowd cheers on “Jerry, Jerry, Jerry” all laughing and loving the shit-show! What’s important here is that I get what I need (and you don’t).

That’s what I mean by entitlement.

RULE #2 - BLAME. Problems? Blame them.

It's like the kid next door visiting, wanting to play with your toy (even though you're not) but you don't let him (because it's yours). Snickering when extending your leg just enough to trip the class idiot walking by in the cafeteria, his lunch tray crashing to the floor. Hilarious. It’s all about learning how to get away with shit without getting caught.

I’m troubled by all this and yet I’m optimistic. History has taught me that greed and narcissism is (generally) short-lived and when it gets right down to push & shove vs. humility, humans deliver regardless of what side of the fence you’re on; looking at the big picture. Right, idealist libtard. I'm ok w/that.

Ok. The woke movement IS insidious. That said, I would much rather be awake, than asleep.

Empathy & Humility

If someone else is in trouble, our first instinct is to help them regardless of the circumstances and that most of what’s going on is just an act, designed to attract attention. This is what needs to be remembered first and foremost, what we have in common (what we share).

That's what makes us not a Democrat or Republican - Liberal or Conservative thinker, but a human being. Wait. What's so funny?

The Suicide Collective

They say that 9/10 attempted suicides are just a cry for attention (cry for help) and maybe that’s what all this is about, only the 'powers that be' care even less now.

Commoners are still being shafted by the elite/wealthy (the owners) in America only in all their blind faith (in voting for Donald Trump), they just jumped out of a frying pan and into the fire.

Hurts so good tho.

for G.J. (Jim) LaMarche - 1925-2002