Thursday, November 17, 2011

Debateable

Last night I had assisted with a project with my friend Rachel and her boyfriend Chris.  We discuss all the stereotypes that a minority goes through in a retail setting.  Being of Asian descent, I gave her my point of view, and assisted the best I could in this social experiment that she was running.  It was quite an interesting evening.  After getting through the first portion of the night with a wide arrange of discussions, and which race I discriminated against the most.  For those who are interested, I discriminate the Asian race the most.  Yeah yeah, I know I'm Asian, just the way the cookie crumbles here folks.  If you don't know now you know.

So the debating portion of the night came through near the end.  Rachel question was, can money buy you happiness.  This is where cold hearted Wei will always shine.  I believe money can buy you happiness.  Terrible, awful, believer of it.  However, my brain didn't wander from this thought, as a child growing up, nothing was handed to anyone in our family.  It is believed that you must grow up to be successful and wealthy.  Maybe it's a cultural thing, I think money is the root of all happiness.  Am I wrong to believe that?  And by the way, I know I had a similar conversation before.  It's different now, Rach said she wouldn't trade anything for money.  I like to say the question was later on re-worded to say, would you choose money over family.  The obvious answer is that I will always choose my family and friends over money.  Silly Rach.  However I see her point.  I was explaining that money would lead to the happiness we are all looking for.  Am I wrong to believe this?  It would right?  First you get the power, then you get the money, and then you get the women.  Well if life was like a "Scarface," movie then yes that's how that would work.  But life isn't like that at all.  Instead life is more ruthless, instead of making it, having a decent job, you can literally be a drug dealer and earn quadruple of what you make in a year working a decent job.  Sad right?  Think about it.  Obviously there is a moral obligation that one should even consider when trying to become a drug dealer.  You are selling your soul to the devil.  So don't do it people.  It's not smart, you'll die sooner or later, and basically all around bad idea.  However you got to wonder, who's worse the crooks on the street or the crooks in politics?  Yup, just how that works out.

So back to the debate, it's funny how a night like that can lead to a situation that we got ourselves into.  So is money the root of all evil?  People that say money isn't everything don't have any.  I saw Ben Affleck say that once in "Boiler Room."  I always thought it was smart of him to say.  If you think about it, it really is.  Actually one of the most intelligent things Affleck has ever said really.  Hahaha...just kidding Ben.  Honestly, it's true.  Sad but true.  Am I to believe that the man with the Porsche GT 4 is sad?  Fuck no.  He's living in wealth.  However can the love a good woman and children really change his entire outlook on life?  Possibly, most likely, but at the same time if it did, would he not have both?  Isn't it the American dream to work your ass off and strive to be a good person, make a difference, and be a family man?  Why yes it is Wei?  Does it make it any different for me that I am Chinese, trying to succeed in making this dream come true?  I hope not.  I hope I have every ability to do it just as well as the girl/guy next to me.  Now as I finish my Cafe Americano, I look up and smile to myself.  Yeah, that's the American dream.  Doing it bigger than any other.

Another Imogen video for the night, "Headlock."  Enjoy.

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