Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2005 2:31 pm
Let's not get too pissy. Nobody's knocking anybody else personally. I do not worship either John or Paul, although I believe that John documented his struggles with his own self and his sad childhood in an honest way, while Paul CONTINUES to be in denial and is still plastering the house of his own phoniness with icing and whipped cream. And, although John's music sucked a good deal of the time, he was not afraid to let the message get through.
I also do not believe that people with money are to blame for all of society's problems. But I do believe that venal, greedy, small-minded people will use their skills and wiles to acquire, acquire, acquire to the exclusion of all else, including their humanity and the good that their EXCESS money can do to alleviate the troubles of others and provide an uplift to humankind in general. But this sort of thing has to snowball and be ruled by common sense, and carry on for generations until it becomes a natural thing. Fat chance of that, what with everybody grabbing onto their share, and then coveting more and more, from organized religion to nasty politicos, while preaching, "What? Me worry?" to the masses.
Brian, you are to be commended for doing good with your money. And it's also good that you can actually see concrete and personal results from your own efforts. But, don't tell me at my age, that charity is altruistic, or I'll barf in the collection basket...
My biggest problem, I guess, is that some people think they deserve to have a million times more money than it takes them to be comfortable and provide for themselves and their loved ones, while others do not have the means to get by past their next meal. It's that there is immeasurable human potential lying wasted because the possessors of same can't walk far enough to make the phone call that could start the ball rolling, while others ride around in limousines paid for by mediocrity.
If that's Paul from time to time, then let the chips fall; if it was John from time to time, ditto, and so on for Bono, Mariah Carey, LL Cool J, you name the "celebrity". Our grousing about the whole why worship Macca thing is just one peek under the cover of our being fed up with lowest-common-denominator entertainment when there are issues too big to tackle without a quorum of interested people.
I also do not believe that people with money are to blame for all of society's problems. But I do believe that venal, greedy, small-minded people will use their skills and wiles to acquire, acquire, acquire to the exclusion of all else, including their humanity and the good that their EXCESS money can do to alleviate the troubles of others and provide an uplift to humankind in general. But this sort of thing has to snowball and be ruled by common sense, and carry on for generations until it becomes a natural thing. Fat chance of that, what with everybody grabbing onto their share, and then coveting more and more, from organized religion to nasty politicos, while preaching, "What? Me worry?" to the masses.
Brian, you are to be commended for doing good with your money. And it's also good that you can actually see concrete and personal results from your own efforts. But, don't tell me at my age, that charity is altruistic, or I'll barf in the collection basket...
My biggest problem, I guess, is that some people think they deserve to have a million times more money than it takes them to be comfortable and provide for themselves and their loved ones, while others do not have the means to get by past their next meal. It's that there is immeasurable human potential lying wasted because the possessors of same can't walk far enough to make the phone call that could start the ball rolling, while others ride around in limousines paid for by mediocrity.
If that's Paul from time to time, then let the chips fall; if it was John from time to time, ditto, and so on for Bono, Mariah Carey, LL Cool J, you name the "celebrity". Our grousing about the whole why worship Macca thing is just one peek under the cover of our being fed up with lowest-common-denominator entertainment when there are issues too big to tackle without a quorum of interested people.
Mainly I think that instead of arguing about who sold out and who has grown fat and rich, we should all thank Paul and the rest of the Beatles for cranking up the music business and making it possible for a bunch of disaffected schmoes (and I include myself) to be hanging out on the Internet and talking about it 40 years later. Disagreements? Human nature. "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." Even a Blue Meanie can't argue with that.