1) Gender norms in western society that condition males to idealize team sports and de-emphasize the arts and sciences, playfully or seriously encourage various kinds of communal and sexual rape, and manufacture emotional stupidity largely at the hands of ignorant parents.

2) The abuse of children unable to properly defend themselves.

3) Illegal immigration.

4) The marginalized status of students by poverty line wages as a means of perpetuating incompetent institutional demands and the lie of the "starving student's" dow-eyed beauty.

With the near almost exception of #1, however, what is my biggest gripe?

Marriage.

Weddings, especially. (A topic Mari and I have discussed intensively in part because I'm a part of an upcoming bridal party for Daniel and Seleen/Acacia).

I am, if anything, steadfastly realistic and future-oriented about my finances, money, and spending that money on anything. I refer you to the following article on how the modern western wedding, more or less, is far more about entirely unrealistic fantasies than anything:

http://www.bostonreview.net/BR23.5/Shister.html

For me, it breaks down like this: would I be willing to, with my spouse and/or family, pay for a wedding costing between 30,000 USD and up? Or would I prefer to invest that money, make a down payment on a house, or otherwise do something practical with it?

You can guess what I would choose.

I see no point in large weddings. They may have served a point at one time to introduce the bride to the greater religious, local, and economic community of the groom. Considering how passe those ties are among many of my generation, combined with otherwise reasonable people going apeshit over celebrating one day, and I am left completely at a loss as to the point of it.

To my mind, it would be the rough equivalent of buying a mercedes benz c-class. Yes, I have something that I can treasure for who knows how long, but if I'm living in a small apartment, eating mac and cheese, and have credit card bills higher than God's armpits, I think I'd quickly come to regret buying that car. To depart from the metaphor, I'd slap myself across the face, sell the car, and do something useful with the cash. Living well instead of excessively, for instance.

There are certain times or practices where fantasy, excess, and predatory capitalism converge to rob people of their reason and then their money.

Obviously it'd be naive of me to say I will never marry. While I've never met a woman that fits my specifications and do not see it conveniently happening in my lifetime, I am still technically young, dumb, and full of cum. Perhaps I missed a pamphlet on how to pick up chicks that are not psychotic wench beasts, and eventually I will find this copy in a forgotten back pocket. However even in that remote and (currently) unfathomable case, I equally cannot fathom ever asking or letting anyone spend opulent wealth on a wedding ceremony.

Should not the wealth of two families be used to make a brighter future for two people coming together, instead of a hyperemotional orgy of excess?

On that count, I like the practice of handfastening. That seems reasonably sane and both parties can set how long they want to be married. You invite whom you wish, you celebrate how you wish. As a minister, those are the only rituals I could perform with conscience.

And yes, I'm going to the inferno tonight to dance my ass off. I need some angry black shorts with some light chains, but I have no idea precisely how one goes about dressing goth. I like my non-descript all black deal right now, but the slacks impede some of my dancing. That and I kinda would like some more 'scene-y' clothes.

Well, back to working on the manuscript. (Right now it's the references section).

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