Proof Men are Insane Pt. 2: Down the "Dating Advice" Rabbit Hole

 

Refers to women as "bitches" and "critters" on a monetized Youtube channel.

LOL.



I... no, it's too easy.

Another dry erase king here to tell you what womenfolk really want.

[Seinfeld voice]:  "What's the deal with work-averse men and their dry erase boards in the algorithm?"

The douchenozzles in the screenshots above run "dating advice" channels aimed at educating other Romeos-in-training looking to score with "critters," as the specimen in the first photo refers to women.  Classy.  Tips include gems like "How to Pass Her Shit Tests" and "never downplay your Sexual Market Value".  These pieces of hot flaming dog doo ADVICE are passed off as "female nature secrets" that are guaranteed to help you score big with that giggedy gorgeous dimepiece you've been salivating over.  Already in a relationship?  Suck it up, buttercup!  Fidelity is for SIMPS!  Everybody knows women don't respect men in relationships anyway.  Once they know they have you, they're already looking for some other poor sap to break.

That's just a sample of the type of "advice" you can expect from these channels.  All of these men are selling something on the side, be it a book, a class... grey-market steroids at the local gay gym (kidding... I think).  I won't be giving their names lest I contribute to their viewership but there are TONS just like them all over Youtube's free site.  Some are old school Pick-Up Artists, some are "pimps and playas", some are women (ugh), some are AI cartoons with humanish voices.  Same general idea.  Just type in "dating advice for men" or "dating habits," "dating secrets" or "dating tips for guys" and prepare to be horrified at the absolute state of the modern male.






Oh, the Irony

PUA Julien Blanc lectures his devout herd

While these fellas treat women like naive children who need to be led, their whole scheme is actually dependent on mindless male lemmings buying what they're selling.  The entire setup is just one dude preaching at an audience of silent, wide-eyed men paying to learn how to make small talk and master basic social skills.  That's it.  No 2-way interaction or deeper discussions where they learn from each other or even ask questions.  Just one guy lecturing at a bunch of of adult men as they listen obediently, not realizing it's all the same basic advice reworded and packaged slightly differently. The comment sections are a sight to behold: 

(Click to enlarge)

So you want a house-slave who can't leave?  What a catch!

Yes, get your passport and don't come back.

This is the same con run by the Tate brothers, two abusive pimps currently on trial for human trafficking and other horrors.  Their "empire" is built on the backs of these trafficked women but also on their male subscribers, who pay to learn the tricks of the trade... the sex trade.  You see, this idiot made the fundamental mistake of shitting where he ate, bragging openly about crimes he was still actively committing.  There are tons of ex-pimps with Youtube channels, books and the like, but they don't actively traffic women anymore.  You have to pick a lane, numbnuts.  Still, his devout cult remains loyal, showing up recently to [checks notes] do push-ups in a parking lot to show their support.  

Totally rational, heterosexual behavior guys. 






"Too Masculine"

L😆L source?

The accusation that we "want to be men" is catshit crazy.  Sure, if by "being men" you mean being treated with the same dignity and respect as men, being paid the same for the same work, viewed as worthy individuals with unique talents/goals/personalities/intellects like men are viewed, then yes... we want to be "men".  It must be nice to have full agency over your reproductive system and not have to choose between slavery to your spouse or slavery to a corporation that overworks/underpays you for your basic survival.  So I admit, YOU GOT US THERE.  

What I find troubling is that so many men openly long for the days when women were forced into marriage via financial servitude with no choice in whether to stay or go.  The fact that they literally don't care whether we love, like, fear or despise them as long as dinner's on the table and the house is clean is frankly horrifying.  As long as they don't have to exert any effort to keep us, that's what counts.  While few men would publicly admit to thinking of chattel slavery as positive, most find it perfectly acceptable to keep one house slave to do all the child-rearin' and unpaid labor:  his wife.  And that's what it is when you are forced to work your life away for no pay and can't leave--slavery.  Not love, marriage or matrimony.  Indentured servitude... slavery.  Survival. 

I can hear all the men saying "But she's getting a free house, nice clothes, all her bills paid!"  So were the African slaves in colonial America.  They had a place to sleep, food to eat, clothes to wear.  Some were even taught to read and allowed to live INSIDE the master's house with the family.  But they weren't paid for their work and had no agency over their bodies or their lives.  Many were raped, beaten or killed and NONE had any power in politics or society.  The fact that SOME slave owners were decent to their slaves does not excuse the practice, just as the fact that some men are decent to their partners.  Nobody's health and safety should depend on whether the oppressor they encounter decides to show them mercy. 

Every free adult person should have full control over their bodies and lives regardless of race, sex, disability religion or political affiliation; the fact that I even have to say this is beyond depressing.  We call ourselves the freest country on Earth while wealth inequality is at an all-time high and we incarcerate more of our population than any nation on the planet.  Billionaires literally own our politicians and the media we rely on for information about the society in which we live, yet the myth of "equality and justice for all" is still repeated by every patriotic racist, misogynist and homophobe from the chilly coast of Attu Island, Alaska to the balmy banks of Key West, Florida.  Stockholm Syndrome is a bitch.   

We've still got a lot of work to do in the way of equal rights and justice, but we've come a long way since the 1950s.  If men had their way, they'd undo all that progress--many would opt to turn this place into a Christian version of Afghanistan under the Taliban.  Liberal men are no better, promoting "sex workers' rights" and the right of men to take over women's sports, prisons, rape crisis centers, bathrooms, changing rooms and more simply because they claim to "feel like a woman," whatever tf that means.  All under the guise of feminism.  To all of this, I say:

👏👏🏿👏🏼

 





Owning Your Shit

Not "perceived as," he IS dangerous.

Mental illness, emotional instability and good old fashioned evil are not restricted to any one sex/gender. The big difference is that women are far more likely to seek professional help and take accountability for their mental health on the whole than men, who would rather take down everyone in their orbit than talk to a therapist or try medication.  But if you say that, they try to flip it back on you and blame the way they were told to "man up" and hide their feelings when they were 8 or something.  Never mind that it's overwhelmingly other MEN and boys who perpetuate that mindset.  But because they often lack the courage to confront other men--be it their abusive father, their boss or the schoolyard bully--they take it out on the women around them.  

You picked the wrong one today.

I've personally watched several male family members choose the dark path & succumb to their mental illnesses rather than take accountability and seek help.  Some have died as a result and a couple more are perilously close as I write this.  It's beyond heartbreaking and frustrating watching the slow motion trainwreck coming and being powerless to stop it.  Meanwhile their sisters with the same issues, same genes and opportunities survived because they weren't coddled/enabled all their lives and did what was necessary to manage their mental health. 

This isn't even almost unique to my family:  The white male suicide epidemic is real; ditto the "deaths of despair" issue which includes suicide, liver failure due to alcoholism & drug overdose deaths disproportionately affecting men in America.  This is true across races and affects men from the wealthy white suburbs of the Northeast to the inner cities of the Midwest to the rural dregs of the Southwest.  Factors like poverty and unemployment play a major role, but there's no denying that men as a whole have always been reluctant to admit they need help and then consistently seek it out compared to women.

This comes down to ego and lack of accountability--the tendency to blame others for their misfortunes and circumstances instead of accepting them as they are and getting on with it.  Men also seem more likely to reject treatment for physical ailments like high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes, as if taking medication makes them "weak".  Some simply think they know more than the medical professionals trained to treat them or believe they're invincible.  Whatever the thinking, it's toxic and needs to be addressed because it's killing men at a startling rate.

So let me be the first to remind you in case you haven't heard it lately, fellas:  you're not owed a damned thing in this life.  Not a fast car, not a fancy house, not a college scholarship, a big promotion, a closet full of name-brand clothes and jewelry, and especially not a female companion to tend to all these things and do your bidding.  I don't know who promised you this when you were younger, but they lied to you.  In fact, every loved one who let your bad behavior slide or made you feel like a miniature king compared to your female siblings/cousins growing up did you a huge disservice.  They failed to prepare you for adulthood by giving you false expectations about how real life works.  Even if your actual family was horrible and abusive, you still received these messages through media and pop culture which can have a huge impact on the developing psyche.  I know because girls received the same messages and have to work at deconstructing them constantly.  

But you still have a choice in the matter.  You can choose, right now, this very minute, to take responsibility for your own happiness and peace.  To stop blaming others and start doing the inner work to live up to your potential.  Not in the hopes of securing more money or sex or clout, but simply because you deserve it and can do better.  Look at where your life is lacking and ask what YOU can do to improve it, whether it's getting certified in some special skill for work, losing 30 lbs, reducing your blood pressure by 20 points, improving your conversational skills or going to therapy, name it and claim it.  Set a short- and long-term deadline to make it specific and then get to work. 

 Or you can choose to keep blaming liberalism, feminism, socialism, woke-ism and every other "ism" for your misery and watch your life go nowhere.  Objects in motion stay in motion/objects at rest stay at rest and all that jazz.  Misery loves company so there's no shortage of like-minded insufferable dudes to connect with online if nothing else (MGTOW, Red Pillers, incels, the whole of 4Chan, etc).  Maybe that's enough to sustain you into old age.  But if the goal is actually turning your life around and being happy, it's a dead end up ahead.  

(If you're one of the few decent men who stands up to trash like this and quietly challenges the toxic ideas he's been fed all his life, this isn't for you.  You'll presumably be as horrified by the things in these articles as I am).

Proof Men are Insane: Part One

Ladies and not-so-gentlemen, I present to you:  the Sexual Market Value Calculator.  No, this is not tongue-in-cheek or satire.  You choose your sex and from there, you enter things like your income, mental health markers, weight/height, ethnicity, education and--if you're a woman--a whole host of extra physical traits like "waist-hip ratio" and "breast size"--to find out how much you're worth to the opposite sex.  I laughed out loud at my results, which read in part as follows:

I know where I'm going on my next vacation.  (The red & yellow zones!)    

"Better than 61.6% of women. " Take that, women!

"Therapy, meds, time".   Because that's worked wonders so far.   🙄

Thanks a lot South Asian men!

Seriously, I don't recommend using this thing unless you're either so gay you WANT men to reject you or your self-esteem is so solid you don't mind being ripped to shreds by a faux-scientific tool like this (honestly, "peer-reviewed data"?)   Because big yikes.  There's truly nothing to be gained from it except a simmering rage.  At men and whoever raised them to be this entitled and emotionally destitute.  At the self-hating women who uphold this absurd hierarchy of oppression by "going along to get along".  At the capitalistic worldview that treats invaluable things as commodities.  At E V E R Y T H I N G .  

I think 20 year old me would've spiraled into a 2-week depression after being called a "6.5," but [current age] me sees this for what it is:  a half-baked, sloppy attempt to keep women firmly in their "place" by ranking us according to superficial things like age, subjective beauty and disability level, all of which we have no control over.  But more than that, it tells us a little too much about what men really think of us as human beings (and by extension, about their warped values). 

You see ladies, the Sexual Market Value Calculator is not about your worth but theirs.  It's a window offering us a glimpse inside the minds of all those "nice guys" you meet on Tinder whose niceness mysteriously fades when you want to keep things platonic... the guy friend who seems almost giddy when you're struggling with relationship problems and a tad dejected when you're happy and thriving.  The 20-something Andrew Tate-obsessed incel who spends 2 hours a day in the gym and 16 hours a day on 4-Chan... the 74 year old "harmless" Miami retiree in a Speedo who spends his days drinking and "just complimenting pretty girls on the beach, officer, I swear"...

In case you still aren't seeing it:  MEN ARE NOT OKAY.  They do not see you as a friend or an equal or a human being on their level and nothing you do is going to change that.  

The very term "sexual market value" is pure nonsense outside of prostitution, which is apparently how men view dating and relationships:  as a transactional capitalist game where one's worth is determined entirely by superficial traits like a man's wealth and a woman's beauty.  This is already a raw deal for women who are considered "over the hill" at 30, but even that low bar isn't being cleared by men these days in many hetero relationships...  

I've seen so many jobless men try and "trap" women by knocking them up and then talking them into keeping the baby while they're hormonal and vulnerable, promising them the world only to pull the rug out once the kid is born.  He moves in and expects to be waited on hand and foot like a manchild, doesn't help with the baby OR hold a steady job.  The baby becomes a pawn to control the mother and her purse strings.  The few fathers who are employed nearly always expect their working wives to come home and do 90-100% of the housework and childrearing too.  I've even seen a few shameless aspiring pimps going the Andrew Tate route, "encouraging" their girlfriends to strip, sell themselves on OnlyFans or IRL as an escort/prostitute while they play Xbox and "goon" all day.  (No names, but you definitely know who tf you are).   

And I'm supposed to care that there's a "male loneliness epidemic" when you rate my worth as a human based on the appearance of my body parts... parts you would likely force me to sell if you could?  Excuse me while I laugh until I choke, throw up in my mouth a little and keep right on laughing, choking and vomiting until the sun explodes and swallows the Earth. 🌞💥🌏

The Male Mindset:  Nature AND Nurture

Objectification in action, Exhibit Y(ikes)

Of course I got my education about how men really view us when I was just 12 and stealing my dad's porno mags, which gave me priceless insight into how men think.  All the content was written and photographed by men, which meant even something I'd normally find hot (like a lesbian sex scene featuring two gorgeous women) could be made repulsive and offensive with the sickening word choice and tone.  I knew then that I never wanted to be naked in front of a man in a sexual setting, lest I feel like a gazelle standing in front of a hungry lion on the Savannah.  (It wasn't until a few years later that I actually became that gazelle, which only further cemented what I already suspected to be true).  You never know what men are thinking, but you can be sure it's degrading and often predatory or violent--a far cry from the flowery romance novels, soap operas and fanfics of women's fantasies.

As much as I don't want to believe in the "male brain/female brain" thing, it's impossible not to notice the glaring differences in the way we experience basic human emotions like love, lust, passion, disappointment and anger.  Some of this can be blamed on social conditioning, but not all of it.  Sex hormones like progesterone, estrogen, DHT, DHEA and testosterone really DO have a measurable effect on mood, thinking and personality--denying that is courting pseudoscience.  The fact that men are so much more likely to be serial killers, gang rapists, terrorists and family annihilators who do things like dismembering their pregnant partners is proof this is a biological difference.  (Some of those crimes are 100% male). 

But when you realize that they're already mentally dismembering us by rating our individual body parts from 1-10 and objectifying us at every turn, you start to understand that murder is not an aberration but the extreme end of a very long spectrum--an almost logical conclusion to the twisted fantasies they harbor and normalize via porn, advertising, movies, etc.  

Case in point:  the vagina bagels.  🥯

Strong/independent = undesirable.  So is "settling down."  Young/naive = prime quality.

For any dudefolk who may be reading this, the image above is NOT how vaginas work.  Whether you sleep with the same dick 100 times or 100 dicks 1 time apiece, it has the same effect on your anatomy:  a negligible one.  The vaginal canal can accommodate a full-term human baby, which DOES cause stretching and laxity (but generally nothing like the bagel picture above).  Most sex toys are far larger than actual human penises... or at least I think they are.  Most are too big for me anyway, yet I've never met or heard of a woman who was experiencing prolapse due to dildo or vibrator use.  Not one.

Now sexually transmitted diseases are a different story.   A higher lifetime body count increases your risk even when using protection, as not all STDs can be prevented with barriers (HPV, herpes & other skin-to-skin diseases).  And women tend to contract STDs more easily from men than the other way around due to anatomy & the mechanics of PIV sex.  Still, protected sex with 50 men would be safer than unprotected sex with a cheating husband, so it's all relative to your situation.  Point being, none of it will "stretch out" or loosen your vag (but bearing & birthing some man's big-headed baby likely will).

...another day, another reason I'm SO glad to be gay.  🏳‍🌈  Imagine granting someone access to the most intimate part of your body when they don't have the slightest clue how it works and only value it based on how it makes THEM feel.  Straight women, you're in my prayers.  Part 2 coming soon.  

[Kratom Review] - Jaya Kratom: West Borneo Red (30 grams)

I'm still a devoted Kratom user, y'all.  I apologize for the lack of updates and reviews on that front; I've just frankly been so underwhelmed with the kratom market since about mid-2017 I haven't bought anything new.  That's the last time I stocked up on a large supply from a previously primo Indo vendor, and it was bunk as could be.  Stateside stuff has been no better since the big popularity boom in 2016 following the DEA's announcement that the leaf would possibly be banned.  So yeah, after some of my fave vendors (VLNT, Canopy, Smiley Time) went to shit or quit taking reasonable payment methods, I got pretty butthurt.  Quality was the biggest issue by far, falling off dramatically after 2016-17.  

The rising demand drove new people into the Kratom farming business & forced them to start planting new Kratom trees and plucking the young leaves to keep up with demand.  Hence the shit-tier quality we see today.  (Most Indo farmers aren't Kratom users themselves, so it's not intentional in most cases.  The leaves on young plants look the same as old leaves on giant trees so there's no reason to suspect decreased quality).  Still, it sucks to spend big and get what might as well be Southeast Asian dirt.  I covered this in more detail here. 

Out of boredom and annoyance recently, I decided to search out some "old tree" Kratom vendors to see if such a thing even exists.  

Man scaling a Jaya Kratom tree 🍃

Enter Jaya Kratom, an Oregon-based company that claims to sell leaf harvested from old--sometimes REALLY old--trees.  I'm talking 50-75 years old.  I ordered the West Borneo Red leaf powder, which allegedly comes from 15+ year old trees and contains 1.98% total alkaloids.  The alkaloids tested for include:  mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine, paynantheine, speciogynine, mitraphylline, speciociliantine & isorhynchophylline.  The website claims that the West Borneo Red is harvested no more often than every four months from a "secret grove" of elderly wild trees in West Borneo, which sounds legit.  As long as it doesn't have any weird shit added to it I'll be stoked.  I do see some glowing reviews, though the most recent is from 3 years ago.  Still better than 2017!

Jaya doesn't have a lot of exciting or exotic strains, but they DO offer 3rd party test results and alkaloid content percentages for each strain, which I'd prefer over a bunch of sketchy strain names that serve as nothing more than a marketing ploy.  Quality > variety every time, though I do wish they had more than 1 red strain for sale as I have no use for the other colors.  Since I already blew my "fun" budget on THCa this month, I went for the smallest option--30g.  If it's any good I'll grab more.  My goal is to get something that comes remotely close to the "golden era" of 2015-2017 when vendors like Canopy, Motark, Tan Welton, Krabot, Okie Kratom, DG & Benni's Botanicals were all the rage.  Honestly, I've reduced my kratom use by more than half since then, yet nothing has hit me even half as hard as the kratom from back then.  Sometimes I question whether it affects me at all or is entirely placebo effect.  😔🍃

My pack, exactly as I received it

I ordered Jaya 30g West Borneo Red on a Saturday evening (the 5th) and received it on a Monday morning (the 14th).  So not super fast shipping.  Only paid $12, which is totally fair and reasonable since there was no added shipping cost.  Packaging was discreet and, while there were no freebies, the little informational cards were a nice touch (see pics above and below). 

The smell is delightful--that typical Play Doh-like scent that a good red strain has.  I stirred an unknown amount into water and sipped periodically throughout the day like I usually do, beginning to feel the effects almost immediately.  The taste is mild and inoffensive and the effects are on point for a red:  smooth, mellow and warm with lots of opioid-esque pain relief and mood lift.  I might even be feeling a touch of the spins.  (That's a GOOD thing, as the leaf I've had has been so weak I haven't felt that in at least a year... maybe more).  

My air conditioner is currently busted and it's still in the high 90s-100s here, so nothing feels TOO stellar right now, but I definitely notice a measurable change in my mood and thinking since taking just a few swigs of this brew.  It's good to know some companies out there are still focused on quality, even if the price is a bit higher.  While lab tests are easily faked, I still appreciate the effort and attention to detail.  It's more than a lot of vendors are doing these days.  

Another Jaya infocard

Would I order from Jaya Kratom again?  If I didn't need the order in a hurry, yes.  The slow shipping is a drawback.  But if you don't need it immediately, this is a solid supplier of high-quality "old" Kratom from aged trees instead of those useless houseplants other vendors be selling.  My only complaint aside from the shipping speed would be the lack of strain choices for red-vein lovers (IDK why, but whites and greens are far too speedy for me in a nasty adrenergic way so I mostly avoid anything but red).  But as stated, if I had to choose between a few quality strains and a plethora of sketchy strains with suspect names like "Light Yellow Elephant" and "Pink Pucuk Maeng Da," I'll DEFINITELY choose the former.  

Effects:  4.8 of 5 stars

Shipping:  4.2 of 5 stars

Price:  4.6 of 5 stars

Packaging:  4.8 of 5 stars

Overall:  4.7 of 5 stars

🌼🍄🏈🎪🥘

 

September 15th donations now accepted!  Drop them at one of the links below.  Completely anonymous and 100% appreciated.  Cashapp also available upon request.  See you again on the 1st of October!  


BITCOIN:
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BITCOIN CASH:
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Blame-Shifting: An American Pastime

It never fails:  any time a health or safety issue linked to corporate greed, political short-sightedness or scientific illiteracy occurs, some idiot in the comment section pipes up and puts the responsibility on the consumer instead of where it belongs.  Their comments always grossly oversimplify the issue, offering "solutions" that are either not feasible or plain nonsensical, only serving to prove THEIR scientific (and actual) illiteracy.  A couple of recent examples:

😐

The cyclospora and salmonella outbreaks, which are caused by factory farming and negligent, greedy, inhumane practices in which labor is outsourced to undocumented immigrants and farm workers in other countries like Mexico where bathrooms aren't available during work hours, leading to the frequent fecal-oral disease outbreaks in our food supply.  Rather than take meaningful legislative action, the retard public tells people to "grow your own vegetables".  Sure thing, Dandeighlion Soulstyce-Peacepipe, because everyone owns fertile farmland and has the skill/expertise and most importantly, TIME, to grow literally enough food to feed themselves and their entire family consistently.  🙄

Unless you have a huge South-facing window & endless time/patience (or thousands to spend on hydroponic setups) this just isn't feasible for city-and-apartment-dwellers whose outdoor soil is often contaminated by lead, PCBs and other toxic crap in inner cities. That's to say nothing of the fact that most people simply lack the time to invest in such a huge undertaking.  And it totally lets the offenders who are getting filthy rich selling these unsafe products off the hook.

Another disturbing example is LED lights, which have recently been shown to cause serious mitochondrial dysfunction and fuel chronic disease.  An excerpt:

"A growing body of experimental research suggests red and near-infrared light can influence mitochondrial activity.

In one human study, just 15 minutes of exposure to deep red light before a glucose test reduced the subsequent rise in blood sugar by roughly 28%.

Another experiment replaced some LED lighting in a windowless workplace with incandescent bulbs, which emit far more infrared.

After two weeks, workers exposed to the additional wavelengths showed significant improvements in color-contrast vision."

Scary, right? The thought that the light bulbs we were forced to switch to from CFLs (which we were forced to switch to when incandescent bulbs were phased out) could affect blood sugar and vision to that degree is horrifying, but that may be only the tip of the iceberg. These lights are everywhere, from our homes to our workplaces, schools, shopping centers and other shared public spaces. And what do brilliant cancer-curers in the comment section suggest? Go outside. I wish I was shitting you, but alas...

Go outside. That's it. That's the advice.

Uhhh, did you see the part about only 15 minutes of exposure causing measurable, dramatic changes in mitochondrial function?  Unless you plan on living outside 24/7, that's not going to do any good.  Besides, sunlight comes with  its own serious health risks in excess.  People work, go to school & are otherwise forced to be indoors all day with these toxic-ass lights, and the solution isn't "just never be inside then". 




So What IS the Solution?

Do you make this much at a cushy non-manual labor job?  Plus benefits?

How about we push for meaningful legislative action instead of just taking it up the tailpipe?  So sick of this passive, smug, victim-blaming attitude.  Every American is entitled to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, which surely includes not being poisoned to death in our own homes.  If our so-called "representatives" are going to represent big business instead of voters and consumers, they can lose their next election & go get a real job like everybody tf else.  It's the job of the FDA, EPA, USDA, OSHA, FAA & others to ensure the safety & effectiveness of products & services, not to help industry leaders cut corners and enrich themselves at the public's expense.  

Stop viewing voting as the be-all, end-all of political participation.   This means not treating election night like the end; rather, treat it like the beginning.  Whether "your guy" wins or loses, the person in office is now "your guy," and they must answer to you.  Politicians are public servants paid with taxpayer dollars.  They receive top-of-the-line socialized medicine and $100,000+ salaries plus other benefits.  They're not subjected to the same indignities (drug tests, cognitive testing) us plebs are.  It's literally their job to listen to our concerns and represent us with their votes and other actions.  So check for open comment periods online when a big bill or law is about to pass.  Write or call your state representative, sign or start a petition, attend a townhall meeting or do any combination of these things to exercise your full voice and power as an American citizen.  Lead by example and maybe you'll persuade others to follow in your footsteps.  Because all the preaching and yelling isn't working. 

Individual responsibility and self-sufficiency have their place, but they won't get you very far when you're walking on a tightrope with no safety net and a 60 mph wind caused by climate change.  When our core institutions fail over and over in ever more spectacular ways and the response from the weary Peanut Gallery is basically "meh," you know we're in deep doo-doo.  

Misdirected Anger Vol. 1 Million: The Pink Scandal

Pop stars, actors & athletes aren't paid to represent you.  That's a politicians' job (hence the term "representative").  It's fine to unfollow & stop supporting a celeb financially if they do something you disagree with, but don't mistake that for protest or political action.  Your anger and action should be directed at politicians--especially the ones you voted for who went back on their campaign promises.  Instead, most people make excuses for "their guy" when he fails to deliver or does the exact opposite of what he or she promised on the campaign trail!  I can't wrap my head around that mindset other than to say it must be the 2-party cult brainwashing, but that's another topic for another day.

Being shocked when a wealthy, out-of-touch celebrity sides with an oppressor just tells us how out of touch Americans are in general.  These parasocial relationships are so out of control it's ridiculous, having people thinking they actually know complete strangers who live in mansions and walk the red carpet for a living.  It borders on delusional and is highly toxic in most cases, with "stans" and "armies" bullying detractors online and stalkers hunting down the object of their obsession in real life.  We're not just talking about teen fangirls here but grown-ass adults with fully-formed brains, careers and life experience, permanently infantilizing themselves with bizarre delusional fandoms and LARPing and fanfics and other cringeworthy shit.   

Clinton's 2024 comments defending Israel's war on Gaza

The latest example of this misplaced anger is pop singer Pink, who stupidly spoke out against pop rapper Macklemore for saying "Free Palestine".  The internet is now tearing down her whole career, digging up incidents dating back to the year 2000 and dragging her for filth.  Where was this energy when your so-called "liberal" politicians up to and including presidents Obama, Clinton and Biden sent billions in weapons to Israel for the last 3 decades or bombed various Middle Eastern countries for no damned reason?

Biden famously said he was "not a Jew but a proud Zionist" while Obama, who won a Nobel Peace Prize immediately upon entering office and proceeded to spent his entire presidency drone-bombing Yemen, did nothing to break the tradition of unwarranted American support for the genocidal nation.  Kamala Harris was prepared to do the same.  (Ironically, they're accusing Pink of being a "culture vulture" early in her career when Macklemore is a whole white rapper with a blaccent in the current year of our lord, but that doesn't fit the narrative so whatever).  🐸☕

Macklemore circa 2014

I'm not saying I agree with Pink, Boy George, Debra Messing or any other idiot celebrity who opens their idiot mouth to voice support for the baddies.  What I am saying is dogpiling them online does absolutely nothing and looks foolish when you let the politicians in charge of the situation off the hook repeatedly.  A celebrity gets one vote just like you and me.  Their opinion is worth the same as any other layman on the street (i.e nothing), even if they have a much wider reach.  And even the ones who voice support for the underdogs may well have a slimy/selfish reason for doing so.  Everything the rich do is about stroking their own ego.  Their stated views don't make them all good or all bad, and it doesn't mean they represent or care about you.  They're all vapid and self-obsessed, and they don't care about anything outside of their tiny little bubbles, just like most of us. 

Politicians have actual power to make and change laws, cast votes in Washington, meet with world leaders & a whole lot more.  In fact it's their job to listen to their constituents and consider their viewpoints before doing these things.  People seem to have it backwards, believing that the people who dribble the basketball and sing into the Autotuned microphone have all the power while politicians exist to be coddled and admired.  Seeing celebs through a pixelated screen and reading the incoherent thoughts they spew out doesn't mean you know them either.  It's all an illusion.  There's a reason they say "Never meet your heroes" and it's because the majority are assholes in real life.  Put that energy into nurturing the real relationships you have with genuine people who care about you and treat you well, even if they aren't rich or powerful.  ESPECIALLY if they aren't rich or powerful.  As you get older you'll come to realize that those are often the most insufferable, cutthroat types of all.

Bone Thugs Drama: The Writing's on the Wall

 So, the latest Bone Thugs-n-Harmony drama is the same as every other Bone drama in the history of this very dramatic group in many ways:  a concert or tour is underway and certain members are not present.  Bizzy, because he's Bizzy and has to be difficult.  And one other member is also absent, it's [checks notes] LAYZIE?!  Hol' up.  Resident spokesman and peacemaker who has always been seen as the "face" of the group and held things together when times were tough?  THAT Layzie?  The one who has done side projects with both Bizzy (as Bone Brothers) and Krayzie (as, uhhh, Bone Brothers 4 Lyfe) as well as a 3-man Bone album with Bizzy and Flesh entitled The Art of War:  WWIII and co-founded the legendary Mo' Thugs with Krayzie Bone... THAT Layzie?  The guy who even played go-between at the disastrous Verzuz after Bizzy threw a water bottle at rival group Three 6 Mafia and they began calling him crazy and a sissy?  

T H A T   L A Y Z I E ?

Excuse my confusion but this is just a *tad* out of character.  Granted, this group has had its fair share of trauma and tragedy over the years:  Flesh-n-Bone served 8 years on a 12-year sentence due to violent crimes fueled by PCP abuse; Bizzy Bone went on a drug-and-alcohol fueled downward spiral in the early 2000s after losing his close friend and label-mate Capo Confucius to murder as well as nearly every other rapper on his label 7th Sign Records; Krayzie Bone had a serious health scare in 2023 when his sarcoidosis caused extensive bleeding in the lungs, leading to a 9-day hospitalization and medically-induced coma.  Layzie and Wish are the only members who HAVEN'T had any major news-making health or legal issues, which is why this is so puzzling.  




Hard Times

Even good guys go through bad times

But it's not entirely unbelievable if you've been paying attention.  In 2022, Layzie's mother "Mama P" who served as a mother figure for the entire group back in the day passed away, taking a major toll on Layzie and his brother Stanley Howse (Flesh-n-Bone).  Earlier today, Krayzie Bone released a video alleging that the reason Layzie isn't on tour has something to do with needing to go to rehab, which is troubling if true... but also understandable. 

In the past, he's alleged that the reason Mo' Thug Records dissolved years ago had to do with Layzie's excessive drinking and "partying".  (To be fair, Krayzie is a Jehovah's Witness who has renounced his own marijuana use, so he may not be the most reliable source on this).  But everyone including Kray has a history of getting wasted in their youth so I tend to believe him on this.  I could definitely see Layzie over-indulging to deal with the pain of losing his mom and all the responsibilities of being in the spotlight.  Holding a chaotic, often-childish (looking at you, Bizzy) group together can't be easy.  Having a felon for a brother takes its toll.  Just being alive in a post-2020 world is not easy for anybody.

And you can't win with the fans.  If you're one of the two, three or four members who shows up to concerts, people complain that it's not a good show because they "paid to see all 5 members".  If you don't show up, people complain and flood your inbox because you weren't there.  If you look at it from a purely rational perspective, nobody skips out when it's time to promote a solo album, side project or their own record label; there's only issues when it's a Bone Thugs-n-Harmony show, album or tour.  That really says it all.  Like Krayzie said, if you wanted to be there, nothing could stop you from being there. 

Layzie calling out Bizzy's BS in 2010

The writing is on the wall:  Bone Thugs as we knew them in the '90s and 2000s is no more.  They haven't been a cohesive group for a long time--maybe even longer than people realize.  We know Bizzy started deliberately skipping videos by the time of Art of War if he "didn't agree" with the choice of single, but go back and watch the video for "1st of tha Month":  was he also not physically present in that video with the other guys?  It appears he was spliced in later if you watch closely.  He has a whole damn verse to himself while the other guys share theirs with each other, riding in the car together and stuff.  Even if he was physically present with the other members, he clearly wasn't very democratic about the video itself.  🙄

This shit started EARLY.

So I say to fans:  It's over, pack it up, let it go.  Bone had a great run and gave us tons of music that we'll have forever.  I hope they get the rights to their masters soon and can retire rich and leave something to their (many) kids.  I hope Krayzie's health remains solid into old age and he gives us more solo music and ditto Bizzy's mental health/sobriety and solo career.  I hope Flesh stays out of legal trouble and Wish finally gives us at least one solo album, even if it's just an EP.  And I hope for his sake that Layzie gets the help he needs for his drinking and/or drug problems if he indeed has them.  His rage at the comment on his Instagram toward the person who brought up alcoholism was out of character for the same guy who screamed at Bizzy Bone in the 2010 documentary that "You got a fucked up problem!" (see video above).  

Bizzy has always denied that he did any drugs harder than weed and alcohol, but we know for a fact he did ecstasy, and that "demonic" (read: severely manic) radio interview from 2005 suggests he may have done even more than that.  Still, he acts like it's a point of pride that he "only" drank and smoked weed, as if it's shameful to have a problem with other substances.  The way the guys in this group talk about addiction is not only wrong but offensive.  Addiction doesn't make you weak or a "fiend".  It's not shameful or an insult.  It's a bad coping skill, period.  It has both genetic and trauma-based roots, and getting help for it just means putting yourself in the shop for a minute to learn some new coping skills.  Failure to do so will lead to deteriorating health and relationships and eventually, death. 

We saw this with Gangsta Boo, who appeared healthy and feisty onstage at the Verzuz event and was dead a few months later from an accidental fentanyl overdose (despite not being an opioid user).  And ODB, who is notably absent from the stage at the Bone/Wu-Tang tour.  And Coolio.  And Shock G.  And DMX, Mac Miller, Lil' Peep, DJ Screw, Pimp C and countless others.  It's all fun and games and partying until it's not.  

Legendary band; legendary tour.  $19.50 concert ticket.  

Perspective

One of BTnH's many achievements

The very fact that all 5 members of this group are still alive and healthy enough to perform is a blessing, and they should be grateful to still have a fanbase who loves them enough to pay these INSANE ticket price to see them.  (Seriously, y'all are getting RAPED by Ticketmaster and other middleman companies!  There was a time when you could pay $19 to see Nirvana at the height of their fame in '91. IDGAF if they brought 2Pac out of hiding in Cuba to perform (lol jokes), I ain't paying $800 or $1200 for ANY concert!) 

Instead, the Bone boys remain stuck in a childish cycle of bickering, flakiness and petty drama.  So I say again, the writing is on the wall, fans.  If you continue paying an entire month's rent to support this mess, that's on you.  Sometimes you have to love people from afar.  As our borderline IQ president George Bush Jr. once said:  "Fool me once, shame on... shame on me.  Fool me--you can't get fooled again."   

Just for fun, here's what I'd like to see each member put their creative energy into going forward:   

Krayzie - Solo work + collabs with other legends like DJ Paul, Big Boi, Fatlip & artists with a fast flow like Do or Die/Busta Rhymes, who sound great on tracks with Bone.  Urgent:  Undergo an autologous blood donation at local hospitals in case of another bleeding incident since he doesn't "believe" in receiving blood transfusions from others.  Since he has a chronic disease and has already experienced a near-death bleeding event, this should be a top priority as it could mean the difference between life and death.

Wish - That solo joint(!) + collabs with Krayzie and Mo' Thugs.  We don't care if it's an EP or if half the album is Bone or Mo Thug features, just do it!  

Flesh - Mo' Thug appearances & performing solo/Bone material at oddball events like Sturgis.  Doing community outreach in Cleveland & speaking events at high schools about his time in prison.  Staying out of legal hot water.  Finishing his education (he was always said to be the brainiest member). 

Layzie - Shift his energy from being the face of Bone to Mo' Thugs, doing full-time development/promotion of talented acts like Havik, Thin-C, Cat Cody & whoever else is a current member (it's damn near impossible to find this info online which is a problem).  There were a LOT of highly talented acts on that label and I feel like they dropped the ball big time with them.  Make performers feel confident that they'll be treated well in the Mo' Thug family and you won't have to do much in the way of looking for talent.  Do guest appearances on the occasional track if you feel like it, but focus on emulating Eazy at Ruthless and securing Bone's masters.  And if the rumors are true, get your ass in inpatient rehab because we want you here with us for the long run.  

Bizzy - Focus on solo work, JamTV and Bloodline Harmony, but make them more cohesive and focused with all members contributing equally or else they need to break up and let the ones with true interest in music do their solo thing.  And work on getting us that full Heaven'z Movie album like he promised.  Stop with the "solo album every September 12th"--just give us an album when it's truly inspired.  I liked the idea of working toward getting Bone the rights to their masters as that's a smart business move, but it'll likely require all members to be on the same page, and we KNOW that's like trying to nail jelly to a tree.  🥴

🖤