Achoo

In lieu of depositing a fine mist of unrefined data on my monitor, I divert my neural convulsion to a keyboard. Though it may or may not be comprehensible.

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The Affluent and the Common

You will never understand
How it feels to live your life
With no meaning or control
And with nowhere left to go
You are amazed that they exist
And they burn so bright whilst you can only wonder why
        - Pulp, “Common People” (1995)

The myopic view that the “haves” experiential depth of life is somehow better than the have-nots. The verse focuses on the inability of the “haves” to perceive the intrinsic value of a life they view only as a curiosity.

Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis

You never thought that hip-hop would take it this far
Now I’m in the limelight ‘cause I rhyme tight
Time to get paid, blow up like the World Trade
        - The Notorious B.I.G., “Juicy” (1994)

About 32 years since “Juicy,” and about 25 years since 2001. I wonder how many people just assume the line is about 2001?

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Pepper

You never know just how to look through other people’s eyes
You never know just how you look through other people’s eyes
        - Butthole Surfers. “Pepper” (1996)

Sonder: the awareness that other people all have their own complex set of feelings and experiences. John Koenig, “The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows” (2012)

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Transactional Objectification

“You are their supervisor, not their friend.”
        - My Boss (2021)

What can one sentence say about a person? If empathy for another is “friendship,” I don’t think they have many friends. To them, empathy is an instrument for manipulation; otherwise, it threatens the integrity of their authority. Any genuine empathy creates a debt they refuse to repay, unwilling to lose a portion of perceived superiority.

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Unlived Unknowns

I miss me / I miss everything I’ll never be
        - The Smashing Pumpkins, “Rocket” (1993)

I sometimes find myself envious of the paths others took. Where would I be if I chose differently?

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