Hiromi_X
In praise of anger
 Go on. Argue with me.  Got a bit of an anger management problem, I admit. |
I give her a break, though, because she grew up during a depression and a war. What I can't stand is the onslaught of platitudes from positive thinkers. You're having a shit day, or else your whole life is shit, and one of these motherfuckers will pop up and say, "Oh, we all go through that, that happens to everyone, at least you've got your health, why don't you look on the bright side, you're so much prettier when you smile!"
Motherfuckers, looking on the bright side of life, looking for the good in people, finding the silver lining, fucking smiling through the pain - what all that boils down to is "shut up and accept the status quo." FUCK THAT. Without someone getting angry at injustice, nothing would change. You suppress anger, you stop social progress.
Besides drawing attention to flaws in society, anger generates the greatest of pastimes: Recreational Bitching. This is not mere bad-mouthing or complaining; it is venom tempered with originality of expression, uniqueness of point of view, richness of vocabulary (profanity optional). Extra points for clever references and wordplay or puns. There is nothing like getting your grump on. Shut the fuck up, positive motherfuckers.
But -- really -- who can be angry when listening to this:
It's fucking beautiful. Listen to it, motherfuckers. If Wes Anderson can do anything, it's putting together a soundtrack that matches his movies flawlessly. It's the song that played during the jaguar shark scene in A Life Aquatic, the one that's missing from the soundtrack: Staralfur by Sigur Ros. Tears just pour down my face when I listen to it; I can't help myself.
Comments
o damn, i have that song ever since the movie & it makes me a puddle. it makes me teary-eyed. seriously.
1. Posted by emily zilch on December 29, 2005
emily zilch, I only hope the lyrics aren't horribly mundane or just...wrong.
2. Posted by Hiromi on December 29, 2005
I'm trying to keep the Wolverine claws in. HR frowns on slashing those that piss me off.
I want them though, so I can.
When the "Don't kill yourself Doctor" said I had anger "issues." I flipped her off and stormed out of her office. Fucking quack. She cowered in a corner as I spewed my guts. Shivering help when I was about to eat buckshot. What a numbnuts.
I'm feeling much better now.
You know, every time I pass her office, I flip her off and say, "How's this for anger issues, bitch?"
Anger is a useful thing, but it can consume you. Think the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings.
Just talking to that coward made some sense.
There's two ways I'll check out: By accident, or murder.
3. Posted by Whirly on December 29, 2005
Hiromi, Sigur Ros is like that.
4. Posted by Darkneuro on December 30, 2005
Sounds like somebody's got a case of the Mondays!
5. Posted by Ray on December 30, 2005
That song and that scene are inextricably wedded in my mind. I love when directors can do that.
There's a Brian Eno song called "An Ending" from Apollo that I had heard a million times, but Soderbergh used it at the end of Traffic, and now whenever I hear it I get all choked up thinking about how the Mexican kids have a place to play baseball now.
And not to harp on the Bill Murray thing again, but My Bloody Valentine's "Sometimes" in Lost In Translation does the same thing to me. One of my favorite albums, I've owned it for 15 years, and that movie changed it for me, made the song even better.
I need to go buy some Sigur Ros now.
6. Posted by Ray on December 30, 2005
Hiromi,
One question - and I hope I don't upset you as you seem to have a quick trigger - was your mom a practicing buddhist?
If yes did she truly follow the teachings as they relate to reincarnation.
If yes, did she take you to the temple and did you study when you were younger.
Peace, harmony and tranquility.
7. Posted by wayne on December 30, 2005
although the song keeps skipping, what I can hear is awesome, I'm cursing my wireless connect.
and I just wanted to say I like it when you call me motherfucker.
8. Posted by rayray on December 30, 2005
Deleted drive-by chakra scold.
9. Posted by L'etat on December 30, 2005
Great song, and great attitude. I get angry sometimes, and like you said, anger is sometimes a motivator to do better, greater things. I've always thought that suppressing emotions is a bad idea. If it's good, honest anger let it out. Of course, there's self-indulgent, petulant anger too, and that's not so creative a force.
Mark
10. Posted by Mark on December 30, 2005
Mmmmmm that gave me the chills, in a good way.
11. Posted by alwaysarousedgirl on December 30, 2005
Whirly, I'd put workplace anger in a whole other category. It's completely excusable and sane to want to kill your coworkers.
DN, yeah, I've downloaded a whole bunch of other stuff. I'm pretty musically retarded these days - I need complete silence to concentrate on work, so I don't listen to anything.
It's funny, Ray, Brett quoted that same movie line at me.
Wayne, my mother was a practicing Buddhist. I can't comment on what the correct way is. She practiced Japanese Buddhism as regular Japanese people do, which is highly syncretic. Actually, most if not all forms of Buddhism are syncretic - look at Tibetan Buddhism, which is a complete merging of traditional sutras and native religious beliefs.
rayray, "motherfucker", like "aloha", can mean so many different things.
You're absolutely right, Mark. I wanted to keep the post short, but I focused on anger as a catalyst for change, and as a source of humor. I like sharp-edged, caustic humor, but it has to be clever. I don't like plain old mean-spiritedness or pointless griping.
AAG, it's beautiful, isn't it? I tend to get obsessed with things, and Brett has been asking me to stop playing it. ;)
12. Posted by Hiromi on December 30, 2005
Lyrics (at official unofficial Sigur Rós site) http://sigur-ros.co.uk/band/lyrics/staralf0.php.
13. Posted by James on December 30, 2005
my mother does the same. it is excruciatingly annoying.
and yes, bitching. IS the best. You HAVE to see Mean Girls!!
xxB
14. Posted by boudica, baby on December 31, 2005
There's a saying: "if your hand goes forth, withhold your temper. If your temper goes forth, withhold your hand".
Its funny the effect that family and upbringing have. My parents are both extremely passionate and physically powerful people and juggernaughts when they're enraged. All their kids have inherited this to some degree, but two of us (myself and my younger sister) are very selective about letting it out. The last time CJ was really angry it was during a lecture in Law school and whatever she said ended the lecture and sent everyone home for the day. Having seen my share of anger for this lifetime, I really have no more use for it. If you threaten something or someone close to me that's about the only thing these days that will set me off.
Recreational bitching is a whole other thing and lots of fun, especially while driving, say, or after a hard day's work. It's very cathartic.
15. Posted by Buck on December 31, 2005
It seems we agree that anger can be used positively, to enact change and reform and that it's a great source of humor. Those two spefic things alone I decided to discuss. I'm glad y'all get it.
Now I'm gonna go on a roadtrip with some Sigur Ros.
16. Posted by Hiromi on December 31, 2005
Brett, the Mexican kids thing was in Traffic. "Traffik" is the British miniseries upon which the American movie "Traffic" is based.I think Traffik was way superior, involving Afgan opium farmers and how international economid aid ends up fucking them, the making and distribution of the drug, two awesome German policeman, and the story of the addicted daughter of a government Minister. I think there're six volumes. The level of of detail and character development is amazing. If any Austin readers want to rent it, it's available in VHS at Vulcan South. The DVDs dubbed the Germans, which annoys the crap out of me.
17. Posted by Hiromi on December 31, 2005