Rugby: A Gentleman's way of Pure Chaos

     Alright, just tell me any sport you guys love to watch. If you are from the US of A, you must be saying either American Football, Basketball, or even Baseball. For the rest of the world in that matter, it's traditional 11-a-side football. If you are into motorsport, you must be a fond fan of Formula 1, MotoGP, or any racing series come to mind. If you are a combat sports connoisseur, it's mainly boxing or MMA, depending on which one of the two you most likely to enjoy. Having said that, I think there is one sport that dates to the early formation of the football code, from a school in a small village in England, where one kid supposedly picked up a ball, but instead of kicking it, he run with it on his hand. The sport in question, is known as Rugby.

             The history of Football can be traced to 1100s, with many forms of Medieval Football. But the sport once known as Rugby Football was supposedly invented with utter disregard of the rules at time by a Rugby School pupil named William Webb Ellis in 1823. In 1845, said rules then codified in Rugby School, after these rules was first codified in Cambridge two years before, taking the name "Rugby Football", creating a 23-year gap from the traditional code by the Football Association (now simply known as football, or soccer in North America) in 1863. This code specifically bans players from running with the ball in hand, and hacking (a kick to the shins) the player in possession of the ball. This specific rule was blasted by a member of the Blackheath Club, claiming that by expunging those two rules would destroy the courage aspect of the game. And as a result of that, the club bowed out from the FA, followed by some other clubs to then form the Rugby Football Union. 

 

            But the history of Rugby isn't without its fair share of turmoil. In 1879, the first amateur rules were formalized within the RFU by the representatives of Yorkshire and Lancashire. At the time, The Laws of Rugby Football restricts the players to be amateurs, with crusades against veiled professionalism in-between. This became the issue for working-class players, as they must forego payments to play rugby, or to miss matches to focus on their jobs. At the time, amateur rugby clubs are based mostly in the South of England, and the professionals are based on the North. In 1893, Yorkshire clubs complained that the RFU is over-represented by the Southern based clubs, and the fact that every RFU meeting was held in London didn't help the case for them at all. This, added to the argument that players need to be paid for playing the game, inspired the North to form their own union, then called the Northern Rugby Football Union, nowadays called Rugby Football League (RFL), and has since codified their own laws of the game. The amateurism of Rugby Union lasted until the end of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, when The International Rugby Football Board (now World Rugby) declared the sport "open to professionalism". Since then, both Rugby Union and Rugby League exists as the two most associated forms of rugby. 

 

            The first known international rugby match occurred in on 8^th of December 1870 because of a challenge issued in the sporting weekly Bell's Weekly, between England against Scotland. It was signed by five Scottish club captains inviting a team "selected from across England" to play a 20-a-side game under Rugby Rules. Scotland won the two 50-minute halves game after successfully converting a goal kick after grounding the ball inside the English goal area, permitting them to "try" to kick for goal. Today, 20 men squad in the pitch reduced to 15, and tries scored contributes to the total score of the game. 

 

            During its development, Rugby Football code also introduced in countries within the British Commonwealth, like Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. However, particularly in Canada, it faced a stiff competition from another code of the Canadian Football. Certain codes like Australian Rules, Gaelic Football and Gridiron Football (in USA and Canada) are derived from the Rugby Football Code. It then spun off to form their own rules, like number of players (18 in Australian Rules), ball handling (alternate kicking and dribbling in Gaelic Football) and set pieces and restarts (line of scrimmage in Gridiron Football). Even with the competition, both rugby codes continue to gain worldwide appeal, culminating to the first Rugby League World Cup held in France in 1954, and the first ever Rugby World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 1987. International Rugby Tournaments are also held on a yearly basis, like the Six Nations Tournament for the Northern Hemisphere and The Rugby Championship in the Southern Hemisphere. There are also special teams formed to tour the world, like the Maori All Blacks of New Zealand, whose eligibility is based on their Maori heritage, and The British and Irish Lions, comprised of players from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.

 

            Since the two codes are different despite their shared history, I'll be more into Rugby Union than Rugby League, since the former is the most exposed game of rugby, with the recent World Cup being the first staged in Asia (Japan), was held over 2 years ago. It's a bit complicated to understand the laws, but you would have the simple grasp of the game once you watched 3-4 games. A team can field 15 players with up to 8 replacements that can be used at any point of the game for tactical reasons or to be inserted temporarily for injury control. Those 15 are divided into 8 forwards and 7 backs, all based on their jersey numbers. The 8 forwards form a pack for the scrum, and further divided into 3 rows. The front rows are for two props (1 and 3) and a hooker (2). These three are the strongest players in the team, acted as the battering ram of the scrum, with the hooker who responsible to "hook" the ball (hence the name) once it's feed to the pack. the second row (often called locks) occupies the numbers 4 and 5. These two are typically the tallest players of the team, and responsible to "lock" the two props and the hooker. They are also the prime choices as line-out jumpers. The back row (or loose forward in New Zealand) consists of flankers and a number 8. While the number 8 is obvious in terms of shirt number, flankers are divided into "blindside" (no. 6) and "openside" (no. 7) flankers, with 6 occupying the position near the touchline, and the openside on the opposite line of the scrum. They have the balance of strength and speed, and often decides whether to insert themselves into a ruck or staying out (this will be relevant later). The Number 8 is positioned at the very back of the scrum, often acts as an extra power to push the pack. 

 

            The other 7 are called the backs, starting with the half backs. The half back was once a separate position, but later split to scrum half (wears no. 9) and fly half (no. 10). Scrum halves acted like what quarterbacks do in Gridiron Football, they are seen retrieving the ball from the ruck or maul, feed the scrum pack, and essentially being the brain of the team. Those who wear the number 9 are often responsible for the pace of the game. the other is the no. 10, often called the First Five-Eight in NZ or fly half for the rest of the world. No. 10s are usually the best kicker in the game, and often selected to kick a conversion or a penalty kick. They are also capable of linking the forwards and the backs by their excellent ball handling skills. The fly half then links to the centers, the outside (12) and inside (13) centers. Their main job is to provide space and making tackles, but also required to have an impeccable ball control. At the very back, there are two wings (11 and 14) and a full back (15). Wingers are known as either the speedster or the most imposing member of the team, often being relied for their try-scoring ability. Full backs stand few meters at the back of their teammates, often act as a last line of defense should opponents managed to break out of the tackle. The only difference in Rugby League is the absence of flankers, and the numbers are reversed (forwards are 8 to 13, while the backs are 1 to 7).

 

            The game itself is contested over two halves, each consists of 40 minutes, with an intermission of 15 minutes in between. The goal is to score as many points as possible through various scoring methods, with the team with the most points win the game. The first and the most important method of scoring is a try. Tries are scored when a player grounds the ball inside the opponent's in-goal area (between the try line and dead ball line) behind the goal posts. After the try has scored, a conversion kick is required to convert the try, with the placement of the ball must be inline of where the try was scored. a try itself is worth 5 points, while the resulting conversion, if succeeded, adds another 2 points, with a total of 7 points for a converted try. The referee could also award a team a penalty try if there is an infraction that prevent a certain try from being scored, without requiring a conversion. While we're on the subject about penalties, Points can also be scored via a penalty kick if there is a foul such as a foul play, offside, or scrum infringement. The other kick method is a drop goal, which is a method of kicking immediately after the ball has touched the ground. Both of this scoring methods award 3 points if successful. The ball must travel between the goal posts and above the crossbar to score those points from the kicks. In Rugby League, while the methods remain the same, the number of points is different. Tries and penalties worth one point less, drop goals worth two points less, but conversion kicks remain the same. 

 

            During the gameplay, a team must advance the ball through the opposition territory by the means of kicking and passing. For Rugby, passing the ball forward is deemed illegal, and must be done backwards or laterally. The opposition can tackle the player in possession of the ball (and only the player who has the ball), but all tackles must be done below the shoulder with the intent of impeding or stopping the player from advancing further. If the tackle is successful, the tackler must release the tackled player who in turn, must release the ball immediately. During this time, tackles can be contested in the form of ruck, either to keep the possession, or to took one. In Rugby League however, the tackles are not contested, as the tackled player must heel the ball back to their scrum half, and the defending team must retreat 10 meters. In Rugby Union, there is no set number of phases required to score a try, and teams can have as many phases of play as desired. In Rugby League, there is one rule known as a "six-tackle rule". What this rule is about is to limit a team's tackle attempts to 6 in order to advance the ball. When the fifth tackle is occurred, the referee will signal the players that the next tackle is the last. Once the last tackle is occurred, the team switched roles by a change-over. Another aspect in the game present in Rugby Union but not in League, is the line outs. Line outs are contested like a throw-in in traditional football. When the ball has gone into touch (out of bounds), the forwards of both teams line up in two straight lines like that of a tunnel, while the hooker throws the ball between the tunnel for players to contest possession. More likely this will result in a maul, which is an event when a man in possession of the ball was bounded by their teammates and the opponents. The players involved in a maul must stay on their own feet. If collapsed, it will be viewed as an infraction. In Rugby League, if the same situation occurred, a scrum was used to restart the play instead. In the event of a foul, the referee can award a penalty or a scrum if the play needs to be restarted, but also has the power to dismiss a player if the foul is severe by either a yellow card (temporary dismissal for 10 minutes, also known as the sin bin) or a red card, depending on the degree of severity. Those fouls range from knocking the ball forward, rough tackles (made above the shoulder), collapsing the scrum and dangerous charge.

 

            When it comes to Rugby Football, I started following Rugby Union during the pandemic lockdown, since it's the most popular one (at least in my opinion). It's not like I don't like Rugby League, but I find the game a bit too simple and too straightforward. Sure, you need some fast and free-flowing game occasionally, but sometimes I need some complexity to understand the game better, and not just watch it for pure entertainment. It's also about analyzing the game as it plays out, and not forgetting the sense of tension like when you watch a soccer game. One reason that made me hooked to Rugby Union is the "gentlemen's mentality." I believe there is a quote that says, "Cricket is a gentlemen's game played by gentlemen, Football is a gentlemen's game played by thugs, Rugby Union is a thug's game played by gentlemen, and Rugby League is a thug's game played by thugs." Of course, Rugby itself is basically quite a barbaric sport for those who have no idea, but what perceived as basically a sporting equivalent of no man's land, is in fact, a true spectacle of respect not just by the players to each other, but from the players to referees. I've never, during the time of this pandemic, have I watched a rugby player throwing temper tantrums in the pitch for some foul he might or might not committed. The players are taught that the referee is the sole arbiter of the law, the referee's words are law, and must be respected. And the best rugby teams that I ever heard of are mostly Rugby Union Teams, like the myth known as the All Blacks of New Zealand and their fierce rivals, the Springboks of South Africa. These two teams when they meet, is a guaranteed classic, as their 100-year rivalry provided us with some quality games of rugby ever played. Don't forget the Australian Wallabies, the Red Roses of England, The Argentinian Pumas, The Japanese Brave Blossoms, and Ireland, who are some of the nations with strong presence in Rugby Union. There are also teams that are form specifically for a touring series or an exhibition match, like The British and Irish Lions and the Barbarians RFC. In Rugby League, I must say that despite being originated in England, like its twin, it's Australia who is known as a big Rugby League nation, New Zealand, aside from the All Blacks, have the Kiwis as their League counterpart. 

 

            In conclusion, Rugby Football, before splitting as Rugby Union and Rugby League, once invented by a kid in Rugby School who apparently had a blatant disregard for the rules by running with the ball in his hand, and subsequently codified as one of many forms of football. It has spread to the world, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France, and Argentina, and continues to be played today. While Rugby Union is the most known form of rugby to the world, Rugby League also have strong presence in those countries. This piece is written almost two years from the start of the next Rugby World Cup, which will be held in France in 2023, and I am looking forward for it, much like when I watched the matches of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Until then, stay safe, wear the mask, get vaccinated, and always maintain two meters distance at all times.

Woke Culture and The Seven Deadly Sins: Is it Connected?

 (Warning: Strong languages and rants ahead)

 

            During these last couple of weeks, I've questioning my own personal opinions and stances to various political and social issues, and to be honest, I'm hanging on for dear life when it comes to this debacle. And then I realize that no matter which side are you on, whether you are a staunch conservative or a liberal one, or if you are in somewhere in the middle, there is always rotten apples in either side. In the conservative side of the spectrum, there's religious fanatism, racial superiority, and suppression of free speech. On the liberal side, there's anarchism, cancel culture, and overall paradox. 

 

            And then something popped out in my head. For the last couple of days, I've researched a lot about woke culture. The term "woke" itself refers to someone who is aware of racial prejudice and discrimination. That’s a good cause, but you know, there are always those guys who claimed to be "The most tolerable and understanding people ever walked the face of the Earth" but, are some of the biggest pieces of shit imaginable. They claimed to be "inclusive” but would go to a great length to harass everyone who even have the audacity to voice even the slightest different opinions than them. This alone honesty grinds my gears. Then I have this thing to think about: Can we link these behaviors with the philosophy of the Seven Deadly Sins? To be honest, I always been a sucker when it comes to ancient legends, and the Seven Deadly Sins is coincidentally one of them, aside for the Red String of Fate story. 

 

           For those of you who don't know what the legend speaks about, it basically speaks about classification of vices within the Christian teachings, and it consists of Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, Lust, Envy, and Pride. The opposite of this is the Seven Heavenly Virtues (Consists of Patience, Diligence, Charity, Temperance/Self Restraint, Chastity, Gratitude, and Humility). This is basically the biggest form of vice that someone might committed. For now, I want to break down each sin, and I would do to the best of my ability to link it to these woke culture behaviors. Before proceeding further, this is going to be the most rant filled, longest piece of article full of unfiltered words that might upset some fragile souls. So, from here on out, proceed with utter caution, reader's discretion is advised. 

 

             

 

            The first one on the limelight is the Sin of Pride. This is where the shitstorm starts. Pride is considered as the original and the most dangerous among all seven. It's basically a dangerously corrupt selfishness, and the desire to put one's own desires, urges, wants and whims before the welfare of other people. I guess the most noticeable traits of this sin can be found on the LGBTQ+ Community, the Feminist Movement and Body Positivity Movements, or in this case, Fat Acceptance Movement. With the LGBTQ+ people, at least nowadays, is the debate of what pronouns people must use to refer one another. This is prevalent among people who identify as non-binary. And this is where the sin of Pride is come into play, by constantly reminding everyone (even those who just want to be normal, civilized member of society) to refer them using their "preferred" pronouns. Fortunately, I don't have this shitshow of an app, but the social media TikTok, aside from Twitter seems to be the forefront of this behavior by those who refer themselves as "Social Justice Warriors". The Fat Acceptance Movement also works the same way, by being completely oblivious, and outright ignorant of the health risks and diseases that could befell them should they continue eating like rabid dogs while they themselves are weighing almost half a ton from their unhealthy lifestyle. For the feminists, it's the sense of how being a woman should be empowering, independent and rejecting the patriarchy. Now bear in mind, I wrote this fully aware that these sins are connected to each other, and you can't talk about one without mentioning the other. 

 

            The second is the sin of Wrath, characterized by the inability to control the emotions of rage, anger, and even hatred. There is a saying that goes "angry people are the slaves of themselves". And based on the events over the past two years, it’s apparently like someone being angry and offended on behalf of everyone else who isn't even showed a sign of being offended in the first place. I guess society in general nowadays are prone of some type of abuse, one harmless joke could set off a chain reaction of a disastrous proportions. In short, everything is racist and misogynistic, and I mean EVERYTHING. Even a harmless chair is misogynistic, because men have to sit down while spread their legs, radical feminists called this "manspreading". For one, I must call this bullshit, because I have to spread my legs while sitting because I don't want my dick and nuts to be suffocating! Like I said earlier, someone can be "triggered" if someone has a different opinion on one issue, like the one mentioned above, the pronoun debacle (poor Jordan Peterson). Furthermore, there is some sense of "injustice" when it comes to the pronoun debacle. You see, as someone who understands English grammar quite well, plural pronoun is rendered obsolete to be used on a singular subject (namely individuals). But these "gender non-conforming" snowflakes insist that "they/them" pronoun should be used also to refer an individual who happens to be (self) identified as a non-binary person (which is completely stupid if you ask me). But the perfect example of this is the outrage over Dave Chapelle's comedy special "The Closer". On that special, Chapelle (who is a total fucking legend) talking about variety of things, including that statement by J. K. Rowling (who is another fucking legend, Harry Potter rocks) about gender is a fact, and how that statement is considered transphobic. Dave himself agreed with Rowling's statement. Right before this shiststorm, he shared a story on his fellow comedian and close friend, who was happened to be a trans woman, bullied and harassed by her own community to the point of suicide all because of the way she stood up for Dave because of some alleged "inflammatory" remarks. The special itself sparked outrage because it was streamed on Netflix, and the left demanded the streaming service to take down the special for those "transphobic" remarks. Another example that I can think of, is fanatic vegan activists "preaching" animal abuse (more like being a dumber version of themselves) and people who consume animal products (meat, dairy, and eggs) are supporting animal abuse. They are consistently angry about the fact that us, humans are inherently at the top of the food chain, eating other animals (that are meant to be consumed anyways). They preach about eating meat meaning committing a genocide of biblical proportions, and how animals are forced to be slaves of humanity. I honestly have nothing to say other than these herbivore assholes are the biggest nuisance I've ever seen. If I would use your logic, you are equally guilty for stripping this green Earth of its lush plants. I know there are good vegans out there, and I commend you guys for it, but like I said before, STOP FORCING YOUR BULLSHIT TO OTHER PEOPLE! And your veggies are fueled by fertilizers made from (you guessed it) animal fecal matters. I suspect that these people ate too many vegetables, they starting to lose their own happiness, because they have to constantly filter any food that might contain animal product in it (or as they say "dead bodies on sale"). 

 

            And from that, we move on to the sin of Greed, defined as desire to pursue material possessions. Now, the George Floyd protests were mostly peaceful, but there are some instances of looting and breaking other properties just for the sake of "conveying your distress over racial prejudice". Within the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, there are some instances of things being stolen, and continuing from the sin above, a lot of dickheads screaming at a poor preacher who just want to teach these brain-dead asswipes some common sense, let me just say this, poor man indeed. He just wants to spread the message of God. 

 

            There are two similar sins like Greed, one of them is Gluttony. This is tightly linked with YouTube "Mukbang" contents, which is either people who dared to accept the challenge to eat excessive amount of food, or jackasses eating way too much for their own good (I'm looking at you, Nikocado Avocado, stop eating and get some help), but on this occasion (yet again), I must look at those folds and crevices of Fat Acceptance Movement. Remember how they feel that they are the most powerful beings in the world by totally ignoring all the health experts in the world for their absolute train wreck of a diet? They use this as an excuse to double down on their binge-eating and being a total dick about it, not really counting to others that might have been horrified by their actions. I mean, you can eat whatever the hell you want, but for fuck’s sake, try to move around occasionally! There is one "fat activist" (oxymoron alert) that really embodies this sin, and the person in question is Virgie Tovar. She has a book titled, You Have the Right to Remain Fat. Seriously, this woman even has her own term, called "Cake Related Fatphobic Incident", or CRFI (fuck me dead). This term refers to (allegedly) a moralizing impulse that prevents you from eating a delicious (and humongous) piece of cake. I mean what in the name of all that is holy is she talking about? That is not fatphobia, that is just fucking common sense! And all she does as a "fat activist" is to advocate that we just eat whatever we want, whenever we want, wherever we want, and as much as we want, racking up some kilos until our body size is the same as a 747 Jumbo Jet. Yeah, it's that bad. She herself is not even remotely ashamed about it. She even went as far (or as low) as condemning some innocent girl who just want a smaller cut of cake as "fatphobic". Grow the fuck up you lazy fat fuck! Therefore, the body positivity movement is not being taken seriously, it's because of these bulldozer-looking motherfuckers who just won't see the bigger picture, that the bigger you are, the sicker you can be! The Body Positivity Movement that I know is people who have conditions outside their own control, like life altering injuries, scars, biological conditions, and even loss of limb. I've lost too many loved ones due to weight-related issues, and I'm now trying to control my calorie intake by limiting my food choices and move around more often, or I might end up in an early grave. 

 

            Another one that is (sadly) also linked with these quasi-Godzilla is the sin of Envy. The first thing came into my mind is the so-called "Privileges of Patriarchy" or any type of that shit. And don't you say that this aspect is limited for those who have few extra kilos, this also can be applied to the Feminist Movement, or at least the most extreme faction of it. Probably one of the most talked about issue in this particular area is the Gender Pay Gap. The idea of this is men are paid more than women simply because of their biological gender, this is nothing more than envious and probably pathetic attempt to change the worldview. Because let's face it, it is not really existed, but it's simply because of different sector offers different pay rate. Men in general are more into physical work than women, and women in general are more into the care sector than men. Men could work as an engineer, electrician, mechanic, and other activities that involve physical work, and often offer bigger paychecks. Women on the other hand are more likely to become caregivers and caretakers (nurses), work in retail, and hospitality. Those jobs, albeit offer as much, but still figuratively less than the more physical work. For me personally, it's all about high risk, high reward when it comes to the Pay Gap. On the other hand, women can also get paid more than men depend on their positions of the office hierarchy. I've seen GMs, CEOs, and other high-ranking officers that happen to be women, and it's good for them. That means that the current work environment is inclusive enough. 

 

            The next two are not necessarily linked to the woke culture, but there are enough examples of this behavior today. The sin of Lust is often characterized as intense and unbridled sexual desire. On this note, I'll depart briefly from the woke culture into the darker aspects of life. When it comes to the embodiment of the sin of Lust, it's sexual assaults of any kind. Especially if it's done to minors. On the other hand, when it comes to today's behavior, it's something called "Sexual Revolution", basically calling for acceptance of sex outside of traditional heterosexual, monogamous relationships (primarily marriage). And with that, the normalization of contraception and the pill, public nudity, pornography, premarital sex, homosexuality, masturbation, alternative forms of sexuality, and the legalization of abortion all followed suit. In a nutshell, to accept sexual behavior beside the normal heterosexual practices, as well as "sex workers". Nowadays, this is not limited to some Instagram thots fishing for money from sexually frustrated young men who got nothing to do besides living in their parents' basement, playing Fortnite 24 hours a day, complain about their failure of dating but they themselves are too lazy to do it (this will be relevant later), and jacking off to the weirdest porn films imaginable. Hell, there is even a website for these girls to flash themselves, and that site is OnlyFans. The premise of this shitstorm is to charge some amount of money for users to watch some content (in this case, mostly nude content). Since the pandemic began, there is a considerable spike in online contents, whether the content in question is podcasts, music cover videos, or in this case, a circulation of NSFW contents. This can also translate as a hyper sexualization of mainstream content. Take Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's hit song WAP or Wet Ass Pussy for example. Mainstream media and modern feminists argue that this song is a symbol of female empowerment, but for me personally, this is nothing more than a blatant objectification of women and could send the wrong message to the younger audience. Imagine tuning in on a music show, and somehow two barely clothed women perform a song that is blatantly about sex, engaging in an act simulating a woman-on-woman intercourse, and the worst part of this whole thing, is younger kids are fully exposed to this shit. But there is something far worse than this. Not a long time ago I came across a video about "MAP", after brief research, I found out that it stands for "Minor Attracted People", or in a nutshell, people who are attracted to kids, or as I like to call them, pedophiles. These fuckers are pushing a narrative to normalize sick perverts being sexually attracted to kids. Seriously, this is going too far. 

 

            And the last one in this list is the sin of Sloth. The easiest way to explain this sin is one word: Careless. It's those type of guys who are basically irresponsible of themselves. Let's get back to the so-called "Fat Acceptance" Movement. They say that all bodies should be celebrated regardless of who they are. Now, most of the time it's done by women who are basically sloths and too lazy to better themselves and put some effort for their own wellbeing. Not only that, but they also fail to address the double standards that existed for a long time. You see, fat women are celebrated because they are "brave" and "non-conforming to the society's strict standards", but fat men are only seen as undesirable fat fucks. Nothing more, and nothing less. This double standard can also be linked with the sin of Lust above, by saying that men who hooks up with multiple girls are seen as a "jock", a "ladies' man", and a "Chad" (Incels invented this shit), while women who hooks up with multiple men are seen as a "cheap bimbo" or worse, a "slut". Probably the one that really associates the sin of Sloth is incels. You know, those type of misogynist and misandrist fucks who want to have sexual relationships but for some reason, rejection is the only one they ended up with. The game is they desired a 10, but they are too lazy to improve themselves, and thus, ended up as a 1 or a 0, or maybe a 5 if they are lucky enough. As the result of this, they develop something called "The Victim Mentality", in a nutshell, this mentality refers to a state where someone blames external factors that might contributing to their misfortune, but it’s self-inflicted to themselves. Oh, you are an "influencer" who didn't get enough likes on Instagram? Blame the patriarchy! Are you a fat person who recently fails a weight loss program? Blame thin privilege! You didn't succeed asking a girl out because you are a stinky, overweight man who showers probably once in his lifetime? blame "Chads" and "Stacys"! From laziness, comes envy when it comes to this victim mentality, or as I would personally call them, "whining asswipes." 

 

            I guess what I'm trying to say is The Seven Deadly Sins is one of those legends who describe the heaviest, most heinous behaviors a human being can commit. And from what I've seen for the last few months, some of these vices can easily fit into these woke behaviors. It is okay to be yourself, but again, let other people be themselves. Treat everyone with respect, and you will earn that same thing from everyone else. To be honest, this topic is limitless, but I can't proceed further without offending more fragile souls and delicate sensibilities, so I'll just leave it that way. As usual, stay safe, wear the mask, and get vaccinated (if you wish to do them, of course), wash yourself, and have a good and peaceful life.

SJWs and Woke People: Just a Bunch of Easily Offended Idiots

 (Warning: Strong Language and Rants Ahead)

 

            "Prepare your pitchforks and torches! He's offending us!" 

            "I'm just eating my brisket sandwich, dude."

            "Shut up you animal abuser!"

            "Dude, what the fuck?"

 

            Let's face it. Based on the (paraphrased) conversation, we've all deal with a fair share of those who claimed to be Social Justice Warriors (SJWs). You know those people that are so into social justice, they are willing to dumb down to the level of a baboon to force other people to an agreement with them. These guys are the reason why the true social justice activists (those who are perfectly SANE) are being driven off. 

 

            But why this term is now viewed in a negative connotation then? Well, the term social justice can be traced back to 1824. The term itself refers to justice on a societal level, it means that everyone should have equal rights and equal opportunity in life. That's basically it. The term social justice warriors however, at least according to Merriam-Webster, can be traced to as early as the 1940s. At that time, this is only harmless word. It's meant to be those who engaged at social activism. Nowadays, it’s a pejorative term aimed at people who engage with this thing in an overly fanatical fashion.  

 

            Let's dissect the social problems of today to understand just how deep is this shithole of the so-called "Political Correctness". By the way, this is by no means dismissing these issues, it's just that these things are so blown out of proportions that some people (including yours truly) are, to be quite frankly, tired and fed up to see it being shoved to everyone else who is not even involved in the first place. The first one is (no shocker) discrimination. It can be in any shape or form, but most of the time is either discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or based on race and cultural identity. Let's face it, not every country in this planet recognizes LGBTQ+ rights. Hell, in some countries, it's even criminalized. I get it, your sexuality and gender identity are yours and yours only, but you must be in serious case of special snowflake syndrome to blow up this issue so fucking hard, you must be offended whether there is someone who is only telling a harmless joke about those things and proceeded (in your delusional mind) to tear them a new one. I know it's a serious issue, but don't ruin someone's sense of humor just to please your fragile ass! You're not being a progressive, you're just an easily offended jackass. And stop crying crocodile tears and labelling anyone who is (genuinely) interested to learn new cultures as "cultural appropriation"! Goddammit people! You think that by doing this kind of stupid shit makes you the savior of the world? FUCK NO! Maybe they were just curious, maybe they are still learning, or maybe the people of certain ethnicity allowed them to use it. I am personally impressed by how the Japanese responded to foreigners wearing the kimono and yukata. They are not offended, instead, they are delighted. This is (according to them, probably) one way to introducing their culture to the rest of the world (besides anime, manga, and video games of course). The second issue in today's world is gender equality. The way this works is men and women on an equal position in every walk of life. The feminist movement is used to be ensuring that women can be equal to men, but now its main idea is to eliminate men from the Earth. Their "motto" is "all men are pigs" (no, seriously, this is real). These "FemiNazis" claimed that women should be superior, and all men are the plague that has been infecting this God's Green Earth. I mean what the fuck! Is it a cardinal sin for men like me just to exist here? Men are just try to live peacefully, just like all beings! Speaking of which, that brings me to the third point: Animal Abuse. Now, at this point, we all know what's the kicker here, animal testing. This is mainly done by cosmetic companies to test their whatever concoction they are making at that moment (I have no understanding in this matter, so don't fling your virtual pitchforks at me). It's cruel, it's harmful, and it should be illegal. What grinds my gears the most is to spin that rhetoric into forcing people to turn into veganism. I don't know what kind of weed or crack cocaine they're smoking, but this is insanity at the highest level. To force someone to turn vegan just because you are one, is an equivalent to being harassed! You say that everyone is entitled to their own lifestyle, but what you are doing is being a living, breathing irony. The fourth is the Body Positivity Movement. I know everyone carries different genes, which in turn give them different body types. And I know everyone should be celebrated, but the real dealbreaker is to use it as a platform for body shaming. It's either fat shaming or thin shaming, in this case however, it's more on the latter. Seriously, this movement has been turned upside down into glorifying morbid obesity! When you are so morbidly obese that you are basically one fucking tray of large pizza away from suffering a heart attack, and instead of listening to health experts and at least move around (I don't know, try walking?), you put up this façade of "fat acceptance" to justify your seriously unhealthy lifestyle! Seriously, you are being out of touch from reality. As far as I know, the body positivity movement works on situations beyond their control (amputees, skin conditions, etc.) not as a platform for few quasi-Godzilla weighing almost half a ton eating like rabid dogs during hunting season promoting their deadly lifestyle. I can guarantee you, the only thing you will get is diabetes topped with heart attack. And another thing I would like to add in terms of this is women who chose not to shave their body hair, and how men cannot have an opinion about it. I say fuck it. You do you, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but turning your own body into a walking bush? Are you pulling my legs here? I know it's natural, but it's as disgusting as a puddle of piss! Others wouldn’t care two shits about that, but for me, it's gross. It's not a political statement, it's basic human hygiene! I think this Australian comedian says it all about this type of bullshit.

 

            Well, there are a lot more examples that I can think of, but right now I'm just too pissed just to even think about it. All I can say is Social Justice Warriors used to be those brave men and women who just want equality for all, nowadays, it's those brain-dead assholes who like to shove their opinions into someone else who just wanted to have a peaceful life. It's not worth it. It's either vegan "activists" who disrupt everyone's day at a restaurant just to say, "fuck you, you animal abusers, go vegan" or some snowflake who claimed to be "gender non-conforming" and willing to ruin the basic English language grammar to satisfy their planetary-sized ego. Everyone deserves a peaceful life, but don't forsake others. And to end this, I have notice that these guys always identify themselves with many labels, so I guess I use your standard by saying: I am a straight, cisgender, metalhead, carnivore Indonesian man (I'm looking at you, Oli London. You're not Korean, you are a British citizen you cultural appropriating asshole!) and I don't give a fuck about your opinion, as long as you keep them to yourselves. Stay safe, get your vaccine shot, and for God's sake, two meters apart at all times.

Cash on Delivery Systems for e-Commerce: An Easy Entrance for Entitlement

    Well, let me open this piece by stating that since the pandemic, I've done a lot of online shopping. It's mainly for things that I have saved enough money on (Lego sets and football (soccer) jerseys). Perhaps for most of us who have done online shopping on various e-Commerce platforms or businesses that allow delivery orders must have been familiar with perhaps a plethora of payment methods aiming to ease a consumer's experience. There are a lot of options of cashless methods (bank transfers, electronic money, credit cards, etc.), and if you are in no hassle to go to a nearest ATM, there is always something called Cash on Delivery (COD) service. 

            The idea of this system is, plain and simple, is to wait until your ordered items are delivered, and then you pay the courier (or anyone who works with the specific company) with the exact amount of cash stated during the ordering procedure. On the positive side, this relieves the consumer from the obligation of owning a credit card, since the main premise is to provide the exact number of cash and pay the courier once the goods are delivered. This will also increase the impulsive purchases since the payment is not due at the time of the ordering. But on the flipside, if the goods delivered are not as advertised, those same stuff might be returned since the buyers aren't as committed as if the payment was made in advance, and it would charge the logistic partners more if said buyer decided to use this payment system. On paper, it should be easy and without nonsense. There are some kind souls who are willing to pay extra just as a token of appreciation for the courier for doing an excellent job. But this system is not without a fair share of cases of entitlement. You know, the usual thing.

 

            There are rules and boundaries that also come with this, enforced by various e-commerce platforms. Rules such as the courier has the authorization to not comply with the request of refund if the package is already opened by the customer (and paid for by the moment of its arrival), and the receiving party must be present at the time of the delivery, and failure to comply with the rule twice in the span of 60 days would result in a permanent ban of using the system ever again. If there is a complain, it should be directed to the seller, and can request a new item to be delivered, but another payment must be done using the same system.

 

            Before I proceed, I want to stress that all stories took place in my home country of Indonesia (since it's a lot easier that way). Like I said, there are cases of entitlement when it comes to abusing this COD system. from berating at the unfortunate soul who happened to be on task of delivering the goods to straight up abandoning them. The most recent case I came across is when a delivery courier in Tangerang Regency was threatened with handcuffs just because of the buffoon of a customer claimed that his ordered item is not the same as advertised (this can be problematic for the seller though). What annoys me the most is all the rage was channeled to the courier, instead of filing an official complaint to the seller or the e-commerce platform that the seller is using. It's either a misplaced emotion, or straight up ignorance, as this type of case usually involved entitled idiots who wouldn't even bother to study or at least pay attention on how the payment system works in the first place. There is another case, this time in South Tangerang, where a man, expecting his IDR 85.000 (around US$ 6) watch ended up arrested by the police for pointing a sword to the courier with the exact same reason above. Other times however, innocent bystanders are affected by some nutjobs ordering things online, and for some reason, addressing it to someone else. Like the story of blogger Agus Mulyadi, who in December 2020, got an anonymous package containing a wireless speaker, with the COD payment of IDR 100.000 (US$ 7). The problem being that he didn't order the speaker in the first place. This is another form of irresponsibility if there even is one. The fact that someone had the audacity to do this is beyond me. Seems like these people are willing to lower their IQ points for something like this. Entitlement is indeed everywhere, even in the online sphere.

 

            I personally only use the system once, and let me tell you, despite the benefits, I've instead became anxious while waiting for the package to arrive, especially when there is something else to do, I've just hoped for the courier to arrive quickly, hand me the goods as I pay him, and quickly onto something else I go. Nowadays, I usually pay it upfront and wait for my shipment. But somewhere else, let's say, Karen (yeah, it's easier that way), waited so long for her shipment of various cosmetic products, but ended up making a huge embarrassment out of herself, for refusing to pay, berating the courier, and straight up dumping those products (which she opened without paying) onto the poor dude. To be honest, if I were the customer, as much as I want to do that, it's not the courier's fault that the package turned out to be not the ordered goods that you thought it was. There is an old saying, "Don't kill the messenger", and I think it perfectly fits the situation. Moreover, I have to say that this system is prone to abuse by these entitled folks, those who thought that they are the most important people in the world, and everyone else are beneath them. These people have the audacity to use this payment method, and then berate them just because "This is not the thing that I ordered" and much more.

 

            To summarize this, the Cash on Delivery system offers little hassle to customers while doing online shopping or basically using services that utilize a delivery courier (food and beverages, logistics, etc.) by requiring the receiver to pay with cash once the package in question arrived. It has its own regulations that both parties must oblige, such as being present by the time the delivery was scheduled, and no refunds once the payment was done and the package was opened. Although there are some cases where few entitled idiots who should be thinking twice before doing stupid things, such as berating the courier or even threatening them (handcuffs and sword? you must be joking), this payment method, nevertheless, is still widely used as one of many payment methods for online shopping. And as always, stay safe, wear the mask, get your vaccine when it's your turn, and always wash yourself and stay two meters apart at times.

Incels: Out of Luck or Out of Touch?

 Warning: Strong languages and rants ahead

 

            It's been too long since I last write on this blog. Yes, the COVID-19 pandemic is still ravaging on, and somehow, we are now instructed (at least in Indonesia) to wear double mask to further protect ourselves from this disease. And since my last article, I've been stuck in a rut, unable to find any ideas to write about, until today. 

 

            I remember writing something related to romantic relationships like that one time I wrote about the Red String of Fate article or the Valentine's Day, but until recently, I have no idea that such community, the one that I'm about to dive into ever existed on the Internet, those who rejected romantic advancement because (in their mind) they are not worthy of any kind of affection. Yes, members of the Internet, I am talking about those who are call themselves "incels".

 

            At first, I have no idea on what is "incel" supposed to mean, but after some extensive research, it actually stands for "involuntary celibate". According to Meriam-Webster, an incel is a person (usually a man) who regards himself or herself as being involuntarily celibate and typically expresses extreme resentment and hostility towards those who are sexually active. It is a term of someone who identify themselves as unable to find a romantic or sexual partner despite desiring for one. These people also have some resentment or at the extreme, hatred and malice for people who are sexually active. For them, if he can't experience any sort of an affectionate relationship, then nobody should too. Imagine yourself wanting to have a conversation with a beautiful girl, and despite all of your efforts, she ended up not interested or for some reason, repulsed by your appearance. Others might interpret this as "maybe it's me who got this all wrong, or she might have been in a relationship", and backed out, but for these incels, rejection is a taboo, and the girl must accept his advancements, even if the girl wasn't interested in you. 

 

            The history of incel itself can be traced back to 1993, when a Canadian university named Alana created a website in order to discuss her sexual inactivity with others. The website was named "Alana's Involuntary Celibacy Project", designed to welcome men and women who have the same experience as her. She eventually left the website after discovering that she was bisexual, and now is at peace with herself. At first, these communities were created for men and women to vent on their rejection due to social awkwardness, marginalization, and mental illness, but over time, especially in the 2000s, The Incel community became extremist by adopting tactics from message board sites like reddit and 4chan, where extremist posts were encouraged as a form of visibility. Hell, as of now, incel is classified as a terrorist ideology, as it promotes violence to a specific group of people (which in this case, men or women who are in some kind of a romantic relationship). 

 

            It's fairly easy to spot an incel online. Stereotypically, think of it as a guy who gives no fuck about his hygiene or his appearance, only cares about himself and his hobbies only, socially awkward, and have no efforts whatsoever to improve on either his appearance or social skills. He constantly wanting to experience at least a romantic relationship, sex is only a bonus, but a jackpot nonetheless, but literally has no idea, or even any efforts to at least learn how to converse around women without making any moves they consider as a "turn off" so to speak. He also believes that men are superior in every way, hence the sexist views on women. He is also prone to self-loathe and self-hatred whenever their romantic advancements is denied, saying along the lines of "girls only dates bad motherfuckers who like to abuse them" or "all girls are the same, they only view you as a friend". But on the flipside, his understanding of a relationship is pretty narrow for these guys. The main reason of this is because of their belief that men are entitled to sex and sex only, and romantic relationships can be formed in an instant. Everything they do, every move they've done, if it's accepted well, they should expect to get laid at that moment, or at least to expect the girl to become his girlfriend. As a normal man, I find this disturbing and to be frank, totally fucked up to say the least. Relationships like this takes time, resources, and most importantly, trust. There is no guy or girl in their right mind that would instantly date you when they only know you for a short amount of time. And this is not limited to the male gender. "Femcels", or female incels is also common on this case. Think of the same stereotypical appearance of the same but switch the gender. They have everything in common, such as they would only date really beautiful men and women, but they themselves look like an absolute train wreck without any awareness of hygiene, feeling  entitled to a sexual relationship, and a TON of misogynistic and misandrist views. The only difference is femcels aren't prone to violent acts.

 

            There are some instances of violence committed by incels that I can think of, but two of the most notable are the 2014 Isla Vista Killings in Isla Vista, California, and the Toronto Van Attack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 2018. I'm sorry, although I am not condoning these things, but to kill innocent people over your inability to find a romantic partner? you have to be kidding me. The first one of the two was a murder-suicide carried out by Elliot Rodger, who killed 7 (including himself) and injuring 14 others, all because of him not be able to find a romantic partner. And not only that, but he was also diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder not otherwise specified and autism spectrum disorder. Before the attacks, he already showed some indication toward the incel behavior, like when he threw coffee at a couple out of jealousy. I have to say that I know murder is the most fucked up crime ever existed, but this is beyond fucked up, he even rejected any attempt to help himself! This is what I call "screwed up since day one". Another one was done by Alek Minassian, who apparently inspired by the fucker mentioned above's crime (he is literally praised as a hero by the incel community). And what he did is also insane. Among the 26 total victims, 10 was killed while the rest is injured as a result of a vehicular attack using a van driven by Minassian himself. He was found guilty on 10 accounts of first-degree murder and 16 accounts of attempted murder by the Ontario Court of Justice. 

 

            In a nutshell, an incel is actually someone who desires to be in a romantic relationship, but for some reason (mostly self-inflicted) is not able to do so, and as a result, they developed the behavior of self-loathe, self-hate, and also hatred and resentment towards sexually active people, and could extend to outright narcissism. These behaviors could manifest itself as a sense of entitlement to sex, and they must have it. they can't take rejections properly, and often resorted to misogynistic and misandrist comments. In the most extreme case, incels are 

capable of violence, all because of their own inability to socialize and in turn, develop a loving relationship. For those single guys and girls out there, remember what I have told you in the red string of fate article, that there is someone out there who loves you for who you are, you just have to find them. Don't be these guys. If your attempt for a relationship is unsuccessful, evaluate yourself. Maybe it's you, not the circumstances that you are thrown into. And to end this, stay safe, get vaccinated, wear the mask, and always two meters apart at all times.