Infidelity and us

My favorite show, South Park, is back on prime time. It is crude, satirical, biting and bizarre to say the least, besides being freakin' hilarious. Now in its fourteenth season, it opened with "Sexual Healing", lampooning the media-led brouhaha over Tiger Woods' domestic troubles that were attributed to his infidelity. It openly mocks people's holier-than-thou disbelief that this happens and their high-minded condemnation of those who get caught. Well I agree with the show's stand- yes it does happen, and given a chance most people would indulge in it. Too bad no marketing research firm or anthropological institution collects, collates and broadly publishes this information, but I bet it's more prevalent than we would expect or would like to know. I am also inclined to think that men are more prone to it than women. No, I am not a misandrist, utlra-feminist, PMSing weirdo undergoing hormone therapy to counter the imbalances. It's just how it is.

Arguably, monogamy is the meme of the modern, civil society- not to say absolutely, because we seem to have made peace with serial multiplicity of partnerships but definitely balk at parallel arrangements. I wonder how and when it was decided that humans should mate for life. As for why, I have a whimsical theory =). (Please bear with me, especially if you have a better hang of the theory of evolution and/or the chronological landmarks of the establishment of civilization as we know it today, i.e. talk to the finger)

Let's go back to the glorious era of the Caveman. The civilization is in nascence and social norms are still bubbling in test tubes in the laboratory of human interactions. The pure survivalist animal instinct suggests the Wham, Bam, Thank you Ma'm routine (though I doubt the third bit, because our manners are still wild), spread your seed as far and wide as you can. The female of the species is somewhat restricted by the inconvenience of pregnancy and child raising, the male is at an advantage. But when faced with a favorable option to procreate, neither of the sexes would think twice. With time, along with our numbers and resilience, our species' cognitive abilities and emotional needs evolved. We figured out it was easier to raise the offspring in packs or groups or a couple at least. It also seemed more conducive for of the sake of collective sanity to have one, rather than many, to dump the emotional baggage on. And finally it was a lot less draining to find and remain with one, because the chase could be exhausting and less fruit-bearing than not. In the name of practicality, we chose to sacrifice our basic instincts. To oppose it, of course, would seem like a degradation of human intelligence.

United we hate

One of my buddy's and I have a super secret, ultra-exclusive, co-owned blog that we started to chronicle the stupidity of one our dear pals. Clearly, our indubitable fondness for this person is the source of all the blog's content and many a shared snickers. During a rare moment of uneasy conscience, we realized that this 'common interest' was in no insignificant way responsible for bringing my accomplice and me into a closer friendship. In a continuing moment of guilt and admission, we also remembered that we had had a comparable sink for our dislike and meanness even at the time when we first befriended each other. Not wanting to have to confront that hatred was one of the foundation stones of our friendship, in hasty and decided manner we moved on to other distractions (the idiot box, of course). But that realization has stayed on my head and I am certain that it has on hers (Why I think so, isn't relevant at the moment).

Hate is such a powerful emotion. It seems highly effective in getting people together to get things done- riots, terrorism, vandalism or general mob activities, all these seem to achieve their goal of destructions and chaos with high efficiency. It seems even more so when you notice that amount of effort that can go into trying to rally support for a good cause- climate control, wildlife protection, poverty eradication, education, etc., all to no avail. One recent piece of news on NY Times, http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/online-hate-sites-grow-with-social-networks/?hpw, mentioned online hate sites had grown by 20% over the last year. Hatred just evolves to keep up or keep ahead of the times. It's definitely an industry leader in terms of market capitalization (impact on people's lives and property through the expression of an emotion times the number of people that simultaneously feel and express that emotion).

Maybe I mustn't feel sorry for my species or be dismayed by the reflection of our true faces, beneath the facade of civility. Maybe chaos is the natural order of things, and Hobbes is right, "People are just crazy."

NM-1: Blues

On a quiet evening of a grey Monday, as rain poured down as if to wash off the blues of darker blue Sunday, and silence loomed heavy on the swoosh of the wind and rumble of the sky, I listlessly sank into my couch with a DVD in my laptop and some comfort food. After days and nights of hanging out with Mr. Dumb Ness and his not so lovely Mrs. Numb Ness, I hope to take leave of their company. I must keep my manners and politely excuse myself. I know they do not get along with anything even remotely stimulating. Maybe the idiot box would provide the guise. It worked.

I watched ‘Habana Blues’, a Spanish-Cuban pelicula that weaves through a period in the lives of two Cuban rock musicians looking for a breakthrough into music industry and breakaway from the harshness of their everyday lives. The movie touches upon several themes such as the tug of war between the essence of art and commercialization, patriotism and personal aspirations, and, as expected, capitalism and communism. But music, of course, is at the core of the movie. The exposure to traditional Cuban music flavouring the mainstream genres of rock and rap was like a bountiful feast to my creativity-starved mind. The Cuban culture is not only the fountainhead of the musician’s creations but also their distinguishing trait of their trade.

It got me thinking about how powerful a hold someone’s roots or sense of belongingness has on their actions and reactions and channelizing their expressions and creations. And how a lack of that sense or a feeling of general detachment can sterilize the very same.