Artificial
Posted 06-06-2009 at 03:04 PM by Willravel
This morning I woke up to my alarm clock playing a song that was stolen from the original artist by another artist via "sampling". I stepped into the shower and used shampoo and soap with god knows what in them. I use a plastic sponge thing. When I get out, I put some crap in my hair that I couldn't even begin to describe beyond "white stuff". I call it "shmutz" to friends and family. I grab some cereal and pour soy milk on it. It's tasty, but again I don't really know what any of the ingredients are beyond wheat and soy. Maybe some salt? I'll have to go back and read the labels.
I put on running shoes made from plastics and rubbers and cloths. They're supposed to give my feet support, but I've never seen anything to suggest they're better than going barefoot other than stepping on something sharp. I put on pants made mostly of plastic, and put my headphones in my ears. I'm listening to a song that couldn't be replicated with any kind of existing, non-electronic instruments.
When I get back, I drink a protein shake made up mostly of over-processed milk and sugar. Look how healthy I am. I'm building lean muscle and strong bones.
Now I'm sitting at my desk, which is ash veneer over "engineered wood". I'm eating a snack that's supposed to be healthy, but it's mainly subsidized corn. I'm watching "Inside the Obama White House" on my DVR, as Hillary Clinton tries desperately to feign being casual for the camera. It's supposed to be an exercise in transparency, but it's really just a drama about political personalities.
Later I'm going to get into my car, which is made from many processed metals and plastics and runs on heavily processed fossil fuels and I'll go see a movie about something that could never happen. I'll probably even have a small popcorn, which is processed corn, butter and salt. It's more calories than I probably need for a 7 hour period.
When I get home, I'll take Jack for a walk. Jack will have to be leashed and we'll be on concrete the whole time. It's the same route I take every day.
I'll give him a treat made of... well it's called a milk bone, but it's mostly flour. I'd give him something more substantive, but I keep forgetting to ask his vet which meats dogs can digest. I'll try to remember next time.
After a relaxing evening, I'll curl up in my organic sheets and fall asleep.
I'm so green.
I put on running shoes made from plastics and rubbers and cloths. They're supposed to give my feet support, but I've never seen anything to suggest they're better than going barefoot other than stepping on something sharp. I put on pants made mostly of plastic, and put my headphones in my ears. I'm listening to a song that couldn't be replicated with any kind of existing, non-electronic instruments.
When I get back, I drink a protein shake made up mostly of over-processed milk and sugar. Look how healthy I am. I'm building lean muscle and strong bones.
Now I'm sitting at my desk, which is ash veneer over "engineered wood". I'm eating a snack that's supposed to be healthy, but it's mainly subsidized corn. I'm watching "Inside the Obama White House" on my DVR, as Hillary Clinton tries desperately to feign being casual for the camera. It's supposed to be an exercise in transparency, but it's really just a drama about political personalities.
Later I'm going to get into my car, which is made from many processed metals and plastics and runs on heavily processed fossil fuels and I'll go see a movie about something that could never happen. I'll probably even have a small popcorn, which is processed corn, butter and salt. It's more calories than I probably need for a 7 hour period.
When I get home, I'll take Jack for a walk. Jack will have to be leashed and we'll be on concrete the whole time. It's the same route I take every day.
I'll give him a treat made of... well it's called a milk bone, but it's mostly flour. I'd give him something more substantive, but I keep forgetting to ask his vet which meats dogs can digest. I'll try to remember next time.
After a relaxing evening, I'll curl up in my organic sheets and fall asleep.
I'm so green.
Total Comments 12
Comments
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Personally, I find that soy milk is misnamed. Is there a way to milk a soy plant? It should be called soy juice, but then no one will put the stuff in their cereal.Posted 06-06-2009 at 04:46 PM by 777
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You're probably right about that.
BTW, it contains water, soy flour, cane juice, "plant sterols", calcium carbonate, vanilla "flavor", sea salt, and some vitamins. Plant sterols are, basically, steroid alcohols which are taken from plants. It's supposed to reduce cholesterol, but it's effect isn't really certain. Some say it's dangerous, some say it's beneficial. It's in my belly.Posted 06-06-2009 at 05:01 PM by Willravel
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Soy Milk sucks, man, you gotta drink whole milk. The only thing I want done to my milk is pasteurization. If I could get it from the cow and boil it myself that would be awesome!!!Posted 06-06-2009 at 05:18 PM by Xerxys
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Sooo glad there was no reference to a blow-up girlfriend
Artificial is as artificial does. We as a species are apparently unchanged genetically/physically from what we settled into 200,000 years ago. But we did something 40,000 years ago which changed the way everything was done, interactions handled, life lived - you name it. Was this sea-change to an image-making, inventive and inquisitive race of beings due to "artificial" influences? After all, without knowing squat about language roots I would guess that the word "artifact" is a key part of what you are talking about. And I for one think we can be much more "natural" to our nature if we allow our layering of experience and creativity to flood our lives.
Now, really, soy milk? Unless you have an intolerance, well, I just don't get it.Posted 06-06-2009 at 07:29 PM by kramus
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If "soy milk" is misnamed, what about "coconut milk"?
"Soy juice" doesn't work (it's not actually the juice of the bean), and neither does "soy drink," as that can have many connotations...as would "dairy drink."
If you're referring to the white fluid extracted from mammals' mammary glands, then, yes, I suppose milk is milk. Cow's milk, sheep's milk, goat's milk, etc. Generally, though, the logic behind almond, soy, rice, peanut, oat, quinoa "milk" is that it's a milk-like "extract" or product otherwise produced from plants. That's the key: "milk-like."
And, Xerxys, man, whole milk? That's 8g of fat per cup. I'd rather fill my fats with plant fats over dairy fats, thank you. I'll stick to both skim milk and unsweetened soy milk.Posted 06-06-2009 at 09:15 PM by Baraka_Guru
Updated 06-06-2009 at 09:19 PM by Baraka_Guru -
40,000 years ago? You mean when modern behavior widely developed?
I have an intolerance. I don't even like soy, it's not that tasty and I remember reading that it lowers sperm count.Posted 06-06-2009 at 09:19 PM by Willravel
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It's one of the reasons why I don't even bother to fake being green, no not the soy milk, that stuff is gross. I tried it but it didn't take.Posted 06-06-2009 at 09:33 PM by Cynthetiq
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The entry is more about reconciling philosophy with reality. I think green but often act gray. It makes me wonder about both the philosophy and the reality.Posted 06-06-2009 at 10:21 PM by Willravel
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The disconnect is as simple as "We judge ourselves by our intentions, but the world judges us by our actions."Posted 06-06-2009 at 10:35 PM by Cynthetiq
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Ideally we all judge each other and ourselves by both intent and actions. Accidentally doing the right thing may have the same result as intentionally doing the right thing, but intentionally doing the right thing suggests a likeliness to do the right thing again. Thus my intent is everyone's business, and theirs mine.Posted 06-06-2009 at 11:01 PM by Willravel
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welcome the ocean of commodities. swimming about in it puts one in mind (well, it can) of nicholas cage's character in some david lynch film, the exchange around his elvis jacket, the thing which allows him to express his individuality.
in my coffee i put some sugar from mauritania. i bought it at a boojie supermarket located in the contracting sphincter of manchester-by-the-sea, the epicenter of everything that makes white island white island. apart from the fact that it is 4 times the price of other, similarly sugars processed by by of not being processed in the same way as other sugar, it is not that different from any other. except for the fact that the bag says mauritania on it.
this because i ran out of soy milk. the soy milk was silk (tm) which packages their product so as to approximate dairy milk so as to loosen the distinction between soy and dairy at the level of consumer activities. why this should have occurred to the marketing department at silk (tm) is perhaps explained by the fact that the supermarket at the center of the ever-tightening sphincter at the center of white island classifies organic as a type of ethnicity. so silk (tm) spares potential consumers from having to travel into dodgy neighborhoods where all those ethnics are.
it is all more than passing strange.Posted 06-07-2009 at 06:08 AM by roachboy
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Yes, I was thinking of the flowering of Modern Man. We have used our environment in ways that are radically different from other animals. Including extracting, refining and combining elements in ways that are for our immediate benefit and which have a negative impact on the world around us. Negative, being of course, our modern slant due to an interpretation of awareness of the Circle of Nature, Mother Nature, Gaia, that partakes of some elements of Native American ethics combined with New Age Hippie stuff.
Not that there is anything wrong with that, I just want to be open to the possibility that our nature as makers, tool users, accumulators and pattern finders leads us to delve into the Grey, the Black, the Not-Green. Awareness of how easy it is to act in a clever yet ultimately destructive way by following our nature is the modern Green.
But I don't want to think of it as wrong, or not right, to so readily follow that clever and destructive path. It may not be as intelligent as we would wish. However it could be nature's way of easing Homo Sapiens Sapiens out of the way and allowing the Next Big Thing in the hominid line to step up to the plate.
That all said, I drive an Odyssey van, eat processed foods, wrap leftovers in plastic etc etc. And I will ride our Western society right down to the end because this is where I am and that is the way I am. I won't get overly concerned about the nasty stuff and I can pick up trash that someone else left lying about, or serve an organic salad at dinner. Not much beyond that though.
gee - I don't even know the point of this post of mine. Well, at least it doesn't leave as large a carbon footprint as driving the kids out to rent video games.Posted 06-07-2009 at 10:23 AM by kramus
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