It’s been over 3 months since my last blog post. It’s been really easy to make excuses to not write, the most convenient being that I’ve felt like I have nothing original to contribute. I work at a pretty pointless job and I feel utterly disconnected from things that matter. Being a call centre monkey makes me feel like my opinions, whether they be incisive, outlandish or something else entirely, don’t matter at all.
I have let myself become defined by my job.
Supposing that the weight of one’s opinions is defined solely on the character of the person expressing them is rather illogical. There is such a thing as authority, of course. Opinions on what needs to be done about climate change, for example, mean more coming from an environmental scientist than from a douchebag American Republican senator (here’s looking at you, Inhofe). Credibility must be earned.
But there’s always more to it than that, isn’t there? Sometimes an utterance can simply have the ring of truth. I think that, given my own belief about how little I matter, I began to doubt the validity of my own observations. That is a fear that many writers can relate to, I think. But instead of just writing through it, I dismissed my writing as trivial.
And it is trivial. To everyone else. To me it’s vital.
The one thing that everyone can be a truly credible source about is one’s own worldview. My observations can to you be completely meaningless, but it’s the only thing that, as long as I’m honest, I can put into words and feel like I can create that ring of truth.
So, that being said, some brief observations, to basically recap the past few months:
- Comcast is a fucking terrible company with a bullshit business model and utter disdain for its customers. It’s proof-positive that no corporation should ever have too much control over any industry. The Comcast-NBC merger seems to me a pretty effective attempt to hold on to an outdated and irresponsible business model. I am of the opinion that media should be as accessible as possible, and should not only be for the eyes and ears of people who can dish out over $2000 a year on cable services. Comcast has taken the opposite approach, and I hope they sink for it.
- In spite of the above observations, knowing full well that Comcast lacks any real kind of customer care, the Comcast customers I deal with regularly are by-and-large the most entitled and ignorant bunch of knuckle-dragging twits I have ever had the displeasure of being yelled at by. There is a game to be played to get what you want, folks, and some of you have caught on, but ranting and wailing about how much your cable/internet/phone service sucks (no matter how true) isn’t going to get you anywhere. Think about how capitalism works, choose your words carefully, and you’ll get what you want. Gnashing your teeth, beating your chest and cursing us is going to get you terminal holds and generally ineffectual customer service. Yes, I understand you’re frustrated, but no, I don’t really care. I take more calls in a day than anyone else on my campaign. I don’t have to energy to care. I want to fix your problem, pacify you, and move on to the next poor sucker who got overcharged.
- Reading for fun is so fucking awesome. I totally forgot that for a while. Writing for fun is equally if not more awesome. Books clubs are utterly pretentious, yes, but also completely rad. Cheers to the written word.
- I have not been forced to hear any Christmas music this year. I don’t miss it at all. You can take whatever Proustian nostalgia “Silver Bells” or “Winter Wonderland” awakens in you and festively shove it up your ass. The only Sleigh Bells I want to hear this year are an art-noise outfit from New York. I will, however, humbly accept any gifts and have already reveled in my Christmas baking.
Man, that felt good.
