Rage Against The Machine

Note originally posted on Saturday, May 29, 2010 at 4:02am

Oh boy. The trolls, lobby groups and Steve Fielding will love this one.

So when did Australia finally slip into a nanny state mentality? Since when has it become okay to suspend adult rights and privileges because of our need to coddle and over protect the kiddies or pander to the religious? How do we fix this growing problem of political correctness, religious politics and overbearing government legislation that seems to be continually infringing on our lives, our rights and our freedoms?

I understand that protecting our children is a very important priority for Australians. I don't want our children exposed to things that they shouldn't be like drugs and porn and violence, but seriously people, banning junk food advertising? Are we for real? Shouldn't it be the responsibility of, oh I don't know let's just toss this one out there, the PARENTS to monitor what their children eat? Parents if your kids are hassling you for Hungry Jack's because they saw an add on TV, here's an idea, say NO instead of giving in and letting them stuff their fat little faces and then crying out "Oh but the advertising!".

It's time Australian parents stand up and take charge of their children instead of trying to foist parental responsibility on the rest of the country. I'm not interested in having my internet filtered, my games and movies censored and my cigarettes covered up for fear that the kiddies might see them and decide to take a puff. Sorry parents you won't like hearing this, but if your kids are smoking cigarettes it is your fault. If your kids are playing violent video games it is your fault. If your kids are watching pornography or talking to strangers on Facebook or gorging themselves on junk food and fizzy drinks, guess what? All of it is your fault. You are their guardian and it is your job to check these things. Stop blaming the government, the cigarette companies, the police, the media, the internet and everyone else except yourselves because your child is doing something that 'might' be harmful to them. It is your responsibility to make sure your children are raised in the way that you want and no one else's so stop infringing on my rights and whining at me. The moral compass that your children will grow up with should be guided by your hand and not the rules of a society in which you have schemed and manipulated to meet your own selfish ends.

I saw something on the news recently which made me really, really angry. A young, dumb dickhead teen stole a car while drunk and while evading police, slammed into another car killing two parents and their newborn baby. This stupid idiot died by his own stupid hands and took three innocent people with him. The next thing I saw was this young kid’s mother blaming the police! THE POLICE! Just for doing their job trying to catch this dickhead. She threatened that they would pay for what had happened. Then the media joined in! Crucifying our police force for simply doing what they're supposed to and trying to keep idiots like this kid off our streets! This is what Australia has come too when idiots like this kid can be absolved of blame for their actions simply by people pointing the finger and saying, "Oh well if the police weren't chasing him then he wouldn't have been driving so fast and he wouldn't have killed all those people!". Get fucked. The level of responsibility and accountability in Australia is declining daily. It’s always someone else’s fault. But I digress.

Another thing I understand is that Australia is a multicultural society. I think this is a fantastic thing! I have met some great people from different countries who are good friends of mine. I have Indian mates and American mates and Persian mates and Asian mates and they all offer me different perspectives on life and fun and everything which is great.

But being multicultural also means having many different religions and while Australia is primarily a Catholic or Christian nation there are also tonnes of Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and many other religions in this country. I also think this is a great thing! People should be free to worship whatever/whoever they like and the more choice the better. But what people should not be free to do is impinge on my basic rights as a human because their religion says they can. The Australian Christian Lobby is a prime example of this. This group of... people... think that its okay for them to make decisions about the way I live my life based on their religion and their beliefs. Well, fuck off. They wouldn't like it if myself and a big group of atheists came into their homes and censored their bibles and took down their crucifixes and said, "We are atheists and because there are now more of us than there are of you, you have to abide by our laws and believe what we believe!"

They would give us their religious equivalent of the middle finger and a swift 'fuck off'.

It's no secret that I like violent, bloody video games or that I like to watch porn or that I smoke cigarettes like a train and drink alcohol until I fall over or that I think religion is a bunch of hocus pocus bullshit. And I don't care, at all, if that offends you or your kiddies; but just because I like the above things doesn't mean that I want kids to get a hold of them, yours or eventually mine. Sure, if you see full on graphic sex, violence or blasphemy on prime time TV you should complain. I would and have in the past, complained about such things, but Australia is supposed to be a free country and I have as much right to access what I enjoy and what is legal as everyone else. Stop trying to ban and restrict everything that you don't agree with just because you can't handle your kids or it offends your delicate religious beliefs.

Here are two simple solutions to the problem:
1. If you have kids how about taking responsibility for them? Raise them correctly and discipline them when they're out of line. Don't let them smoke. Watch what they eat and what they do online. Take note of the classifications on the media that you purchase for them. Take an interest in your children's lives instead of palming them off to the internet or TV and then complaining when they see something you don't like. I think being a responsible parent is what I'm getting at.
2. If you are religious how about just ignoring the things that offend you. Isn't that what you preach? Turn the other cheek? Everyone has free will? All of that? I find almost all religions to be heinously offensive but I don't storm into your churches, mosques or synagogues full of atheistic zeal and demand that you stop worshipping your god because I'm offended by it.

When I have children I will raise them in the way I see fit. That means they won't be eating junk food all the time. They won't be playing the same violent video games as I do until I make the decision that they're mature enough. They won't be smoking cigarettes until they're of legal age and they can make their choice themselves but like a responsible parent I will educate them on the dangers. I will discipline them appropriately when they do something wrong and I will say no to them when I think it's necessary. I will teach them the values, morals and ethics that I think are right. They will be free to choose a religion that suits them when they are old enough to make an informed decision. Do you see the theme emerging here? I will make these decisions for my children until they are mature enough to take control of their own lives and I will make them as a responsible adult with my own moral compass. What I will not do is whinge and whine at you and the government and the corporations because I can't handle being a parent.

You will not make decisions for me or my kids. Not you. Not the government and certainly not your 'God'. And by your imaginary friend in the sky, if my kids turn out to be screw ups like me, well then we’ll all know exactly who’s to blame.

Massive Effect

Note originally posted: Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 11:50pm

I couldnt be arsed thinking of an original name for this one so anyone who's familiar with my notes should know what I am about to write...




Yes this one is going to be about Mass Effect 2. I've written briefly about Mass Effect 1 in one of my very early notes and commented on how much I loved the game and couldnt wait to see what number two had to offer. Well, I'm here to tell you that it offers a whole heap.

Geth. Ugly suckers.

Mass Effect 2 continues a few weeks on from Mass Effect 1. Shepherd and the crew of the SSV Normandy are on patrol in an outlying system looking for any remaining Geth. The ship is attacked by an unknown cruiser of gigantic proportions and, outclassed in every aspect, the Normandy is annihilated. Shepherd being the ever honourable hero that he is sacrifices himself to save Joker and we're treated to a fantastic scene of Shepherd slowly drifting through the vacuum of space above an unknown planet as his suit is compromised and he suffocates to death.

What!? The protagonist is dead? Wait a minute back up a bit here... Isn't he supposed to save the galaxy from the Reavers? How can he do that if it's dead? Enter Cerberus, the secretive human organisation dedicated to advancing the human species at any cost. You might remeber Cerberus from the first game. A certain mission on Luna perhaps? Anyway suffice to say that Cerberus works some magic to bring Shepherd back and the game starts from here.

Mass Effect 2 really builds on the original adding more characters, bigger guns and a much more polished feel. The combat has been overhauled to make it easier, the weapons are much better and feel more realistic and the classes are now each given a unique superpower which makes deciding on class a much harder option.

Gears anyone?

I went with a soldier this time because I wanted to check out the weapons systems and honestly, biotics arent really my style. Blasting through hordes of enemies in this game is definetly more fun than the first. It feels a lot more Gear'sish this time rather than an underdone attempt at a third person shooter and your comrades actually seem to be able to use their powers to your advantage rather than your detriment. However it really is the typical Bioware attention to detail and story that make this game shine. It's something that you'll wish you could play again for the first time.

If you played Mass Effect 1 and even remotely enjoyed it then it's a given that you need to play Mass Effect 2; if you haven't played either then you need to go out to your local game store, give the nice man behind the counter some money and then go home and play until you can't possibly play anymore.

9/10

Cheerio.

Thane. Best assassin ever. Ezio can suck it.

Mordin. Possibly the funniest/most badassed doctor since Doctor Who.