THE QUESTIONNARIE

PH1000 QUESTIONNAIRE

Age?
20
Sex?
Male
What is your degree subject (both if joint)?
Creative and Professional Writing and English
Does ‘Being Bad’ relate well to the other modules you are taking?
It does touch some themes and behaviors that we may encounter during our curses.
If so, how? And if not, why not?
Things like lying, smoking or infidelity feature greatly in literature from various movements and genres. Getting to know that bad behavior better will help us to better understand the characters.
Have you found ‘Being Bad’ too demanding, too easy, or at an appropriate level?
I think it was on an appropriate level. The module required constant work and often research on the topic we were discussing or writing about.
Do you think the list of topics covered on the module was appropriate?
Yes, it covered a lot of bad behavior. There are more examples of such behavior, but there is no way to determine whether they are better then the examples we discussed
Are there any topics not included in the module that you would like to see included?
Probably not, I’m satisfied with the list. Clichés like ‘drugs’ or ‘drinking’ seem too casual
Do you think that the format for classes has worked well?
Yes it did, a lot of lectures were really interesting and thrilling when it came to slides and movie extracts
What did you think of the module team?
Great professionals, some lectures were as gripping as the topics they approached.

Do you think it would have been better to have had more:
Small group discussions?
No, there is no point in that, as everyone is expresses his views on his/hers blog
Discussion and debate among the class as a whole?
No, the class is too big, the topics in most cases too controversial, a discussion would disrupt the whole lecture.
Information and talk from lecturers?
We received a lot of useful and interesting information during each lecture, perhaps the only thing that could really be improved is more handouts with interesting extracts from novels or essays. (Like the handout we got on self-abuse with a chapter from Portnoy’s Complaint)
The approach taken in the module is interdisciplinary (drawing on perspectives from English Literature, Film Studies, Creative Writing, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Media Studies and Politics): do you think this a useful way of approaching the topics covered in the module?
Yes, because the more genres we cover, the more examples we get from movies, music and literature the greater our understanding of the module.
Do you think that interdisciplinary modules are a good idea?
Yes, their great fun and you really learn a lot more.
Do you think you have benefited from the interdisciplinary approach taken in the module?
Yes I did, I had fun, I learned new things, I discovered interesting new authors and realized that I am a bad person
Would you like to see more modules that cover this kind of subject matter?
Yes, definitely yes.
Are planning to take the follow-up module PH2004 ‘It Shouldn’t Be Allowed’ at level 2?
Yes
Would you recommend ‘Being Bad’ to a friend?
Yes, definitely. In fact I already did
Do you think that the blogs (web logs) were a good idea?
Yes, they made us work systematically and gave us a chance to memorize the things from the lecturers better.
What did you think of the other assessments (e.g. would it be better to have one longer assessment rather than two shorter ones?)?
No, two shorter assessments are much better and much more harder to write. A short assessment requires more skill because your answer has to be well thought through, in order to stay in the word limit.
What have you learned from the module?
How are famous criminals perceived by the public, what makes them more heroes then villains. What some people do to their bodies for pure pervasive pleasure. Why things, which are done by, the masses, like smoking are still considered bad. And of course much, much, much more useful information
What parts of the module have you found most useful and why?
Bandits and Outlaws introduced me to some really interesting books, Body Modifications gave me knowledge on a subject I knew very little of.
What parts do you think were a waste of time and why?
I personally didn’t enjoy the Bad Cinema session, but maybe another movie could change the situation.
Are there any other comments you wish to make regarding ‘Being Bad’?
It was a really good module, because it was so BAD. The lectures were fun and we had a chance to discover some interesting new books and theories on bad behavior. In Level 2 I will be doing It Shouldn’t be Allowed to learn more.

Nasty Comedians

There are two types of comedians, clean and dirty. The first type appears on the stage quite rarely, as it is very hard to do good comedy without insults and controversy. Probably the best example would be Brian Regan, who never swears or makes nasty remarks during his stand up comedy.
The dirty comedians tend use stereotypes to make people laugh at themselves and others, sexual allusions and obscene gestures, lots of swearing and controversial topics to attract more attention. Bill Hicks loved to discuss the Gulf War or the JFK assassination to criticise the government. Chris Rock often refers to LA riots or slavery and uses lots of racial language. Every stand up given by a nasty comedian consists of three acts, entry, when the comedian warms up the public by a few remarks on recent events and a couple of his classic jokes. The second part is the most tense one, as it explores important social or political problems, with lost of cynical and bitter remarks about the past and lots of uncertainty about the future. The second part is used to show the comedians both intellectual and humour talents. Third part is the final act where relief is offered. Jokes become sexual and receive the most laughs.

Laugh your ass of here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyoZqppYMJ0

Comment on Lucas Zarebsky’s Post on Infidelity

http://luc-badlog.blogspot.com/2007/04/infidelity.html
I agree with Lucas, all the things he wrote at the end about infidelity are true, however the first part has some nuisances worth discussing. Betrayal is of course a wrong thing, but is it all that bad and evil? Like many other bad things it has been with us for millennia. From Judas, thru Penkovsky, Mr. de Sade and others. The only thing that strikes me about infidelity is its massive existence. If it were so evil and so wrong then would people actually be committing it everyday everywhere? Out of a hundred people at least eighty will always admit to be unfaithful. So is it really an evil thing, or just a slightly bad and immoral sin that humanity has grown accustomed to? I think the latter because infidelity is all around us and we have learned to ignore it.

Comment on Marimba Brenda’s Post on Praying in Public

http://breny-wwwbreny12b.blogspot.com/2007/04/praying-in-public.html

I have spent a lot of time looking for an interesting blog to respond to and I was really pleased to find such a topic. Most people wouldn’t even think of prayer in public places, although it can be considered weird, untactful and somehow offensive. So is prayer in public places a bad thing? Brenda states that it is not, and I find it hard to disagree, but then again what is prayer?
If it is a personal conversation with God, a silent prayer we commence in the privacy of our own head whilst being a public space then there is of course nothing wrong with it.
On the other hand if a person indulges in religious practice while not being in a private home or a house of worship then it might be quite shocking for a random passerby. The worst thing that can concern prayer in public places would be an inability to distinguish between a right and a wrong way to pray in such a place, as well as is the prayer really necessary at that very moment? Every city has dozens of religious spots where people can come and ‘chat’ with God, so is then public prayer a sign of extreme faith or just a really strange way of showing of? Hard to say really, probably both.

Comment on Kylie Brown’s Post on Nasty Comedians

http://sexysuperbitch.blogspot.com/2007/04/nasty-comedians.html

I agree with most of what Kylie wrote. I’m a giant fan of American stand up comedy and have every Bill Hicks’ monologue memorized. I consider him one of the greatest, but getting back to the point…
Lenny Bruce was nasty and rude, but at the end it was just his excuse for the lack of talent. This eventually led to his downfall as his abusive behavior tired the public and everyone forgot about him. Hicks on the other hand was simply funny, yet also controversial as he addressed such issues as JFK assassination, Jesus, drug legalization and government control. They were both bad in a way, both disappeared two quickly to taste real fame, but left their heritage which makes us laugh.
The only thing I cannot agree on is that we laugh at others downfall and feel uncomfortable when we are under the aim of a nasty comedian. They work with truth and base their jokes on stereotypes. David Chapelle or Chris Rock always address political and racial issues in their monologues, mentioning stereotypical characters and slang, but everyone he mentions laugh, admitting that reality is truly funny.

Bill Hicks in Nashville, my favorite- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moqet9YDq0Q

Gambling

Gambling is an enormously lucrative business. All forms of gambling, and there are many, attract millions of people. From fancy casinos, through suspicious underground bookies and innocent lottery tickets gambling feature greatly in our lives. Even insurance is in a way a form of gambling. It is addictive, it might be dangerous. It might also be a good way to relax and spend some money. Why do people consider it to be bad? Because every form of gambling has an element of mischief and lie to it. Every game is a carefully planned con, where people loose money because they get greedy and overconfident. Gambling is often associated with crime, and that is a perfect combination for a good movie. So it is hard to find a movie about casinos without gangsters or a con without murder and danger. But despite gambling’s poor reputation it is as popular as it has always been.

A little something on the history of every gamblers wet dream, LV- http://www.lvol.com/lvoleg/hist/lvhist.html

Comment on Mario Panayi's Post on Bandits and Outlaws

http://triplebbeingbadblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/bandits-and-outlaws.html
I cannot agree fully that bandits like Jesse James are glorified without reason. Yes, they are criminals and most of known outlaws have committed multiple murders, but they also represent the dark side of us all. Ned Kelly, Bonny and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd all affect our imagination because they had the courage to do the things we only fantasize about and also became famous, or rather infamous. As well as their usually tragic demise made them immortal icons of pop culture and folklore legends. We love criminals because they are always so cunning and steal from the system that all of us had problems with.

Comment on Blair Cumming's Post on Gambling

http://blair-beingbad.blogspot.com/2007/04/gambling.html
I agree with Blair that gambling is bad only when it becomes an addiction, the only thing people live for and an entity they spend all their earnings on. It is true that the glitter and glamour of gigantic casinos drove people crazy with greed, but if there were no gambling, wouldn’t those people find themselves another thing that would destroy them?
Apart from the dark side of gambling, it is also a very refine sport and an exquisite way to spend the time. Just like Blair wrote, gambling comes in dozens of sorts. The ‘Big Fish’ bet on racetracks and play poker, others chose the roulette or a simple one-armed bandit. And some just buy a ticket for the National Lottery. This is just fun, a way in which people can relax and unwind after a hard day at a well-paid job.
On the other hand I cannot agree with Blair that England does not need 24/7 casino giants, if a place was built in England similar to Atlantic City or Las Vegas it would be an absolute must-see for every tourist that comes here.

Premarital Intercourse

It is not a big deal today, probably no one obeys the old fashioned rules, but would not it be nice to take a stride down memory lane?
So a woman who lost her innocence before marriage was considered to be of ill virtue and usually lost all chances for successful marriage. Man were in a slightly better position, they might have been thought of as sinful and lustful, but even that was hard to call ‘bad reputation’. Things began to change when it became apparent that more and more gals began to treat their ‘virtue’ with less sentiment. So whenever reading a nineteenth century novel explore how important marriage and cleanliness were.


Find out more, if you're really interested- http://www.allaboutworldview.org/Premarital-Sex.htm

Suicide

Suicide for many centuries has been considered one of the baddest sins a person could commit. If you committed suicide your soul was forever damned, you were destined to spend eternity in deepest depths of hell, your body had no right to be buried on holly ground and your family was forever stained by your deed. The question is, has the situation changed all that much? Suicide is still considered an act, quite righteously, of terrible stupidity and wrongness. People who live day by day cannot understand a person that willingly terminates his own existence. Because no matter how bad we sometimes feel, we all have an undisputed will to live and survive. It has not been determined by philosophers and men of the church whether the act of suicide is really a sign of madness, possession, or giant transgression of mind and spirit. Some believe that only the strongest and bravest, those who have fully understood laws of our existence and mortality can commit suicide, thus becoming their own gods. Other will say that it is a crime, as we cannot decide when to die as this may be determined only by God and we must accept his plans. Despite all theories however, suicide is a really dreadful and bad thing.

The most amazing interview I ever read, remember that suicide can be also a game... http://discuss.fogcreek.com/techInterview/default.asp?cmd=show&ixPost=2852

Some might argue that my favourite game is not really a suicide, well it might not be, because I am still alive. However the thrill of sudden death really makes you feel alive. Here is an online simulation for those who want to experience how suicide might feel like (You gotta have imagination) -http://www.tobew.com/html/russian_roulette.htm

Drugs

Regularly media bring up the problem of drugs. They are dangerous and bad of course, but everyone sooner or later tries them. It is worth remembering that besides cocaine, heroin and crack there are also ‘soft’ drugs, like LSD, E, Marijuana and various pharmaceutical sedatives that can be legally obtained. ‘Hard’ drugs devastate lives and are a big problem in almost every country, rich and poor alike. However less ‘harmful’ drugs like dope or Prozac can be equally bad as they develop addiction through a feeling of comfort and serenity. They also interfere with our brain efficiency. Most people who try drugs out of curiosity manage to avoid addiction and various problems that it causes, but other plunge head down into drug addiction and quickly land in their graves. (An awful lot of celebrities has and still is using all kind of legal and illegal drugs. Examples are: JFK, Marilyn Monroe, Oscar Wilde, Ozzy Osbourne and good old Paris Hilton)

An interesting little essay by Aldous Huxley, enough said- http://www.psychedelic-library.org/loudun.htm

Drinking

Hardly a bad thing, because everyone enjoys a pint, but still…
Going out for a drink with some friends is still considered a very bad thing by some elderly people who think all ‘youngsters’ (presumably aged 19-30) should stay at home and pay attention. Alcohol can make people irresponsible and aggressive. Alcoholism destroyed many a family and relationship. Most car accidents are caused by drivers who had too much to drink. That is why a term ‘responsible drinking’ exists, and truly we can have a good time without endangering ourselves and others around us. To say alcohol is bad would be an exaggeration. Its over-consumption is dangerous, but then again over-consumption of pretty much everything else is dangerous as well. So let’s still be bad with a pint in our hand, but be good on our way home.

Hundreds of drinking games for decadent students and lecturers, enjoy... http://www.webtender.com/handbook/games/

Lying, Liars and more Lies

Lying is bad, but there are different levels and aspects of lying. We have small, everyday lies and big ones that change history. Besides Abe Lincoln everyone else must have at least once distorted the truth and made it more appropriate or safe for himself. The real question then is where runs the line between lies, which are appropriate, and those, which can harm. Is telling your mom that you’re only going out for an hour, when really you want to stay out all night is as bad as misinforming a CEO of a major corporation in order to plunge the whole company with thousands of employees in to bankruptcy? Can we really categorize lies and allow some while banning others? We probably can’t, because it has already been done. Not in any official way, but rather as a universal rule. Any lie that doesn’t put you behind bars or lead to the death of your family and half of the globe is ok. Is that ok? I don’t know and any other answer would be a lie.

Find out more about the World’s Biggest Liar Contest-http://www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/content/articles/2005/11/16/biggest_liar_2005_event_feature.shtml

Swearing

I remember a time when swearing was considered a bad thing, done by really bad children and really naughty grownups who had a bad life and received poor upbringing. This was so, however curse words tend to enter our life sooner or later, because they allow us to express our views, moods and opinions in a more sufficient manner. One bad word can replace a whole sentence, a whole description of our state of irritation and disbelief for the situation that has just happened. Swearing might just be life’s big simplifier, the ultimate words which just like in Orwell’s 1984 replaces others, creating a primitive universal language. So is swearing still considered a bad thing? Probably so, because parents tend to punish their children or at least correct them if they use a curse word. But the importance of communicating in a ‘clean’ way has definitely decreased in the last ten years. Adults no longer feel they should refrain from swearing to give a good example. Maybe they have just realized that children will sooner or later start using curse words? Yet if bad language became acceptable, then what will be approved of next? It is worth to reflect on minor matters from time to time, as they might be messengers of a greater crisis brewing.

The Short History of Swearing Here- http://www.laughingpoliceman.com/swear.htm

Euthanasia

Next to abortion this topic caused an equal amount of controversy and public dispute. Is it right to kill a person who is in great pain or due to severe brain damage is in a vegetative state? Euthanasia can be considered an act of mercy but also an act of murder. People were known to get prison sentences because of unplugging someone’s life support. There are known cases in Europe of people who became rich on performing euthanasia, they were sometimes called ‘legal assassins’ as they would perform illegal practices on people who agreed to them and awaited death as liberation. The matter has still not been solved but more and more people start to believe that to end someone’s pain is a humane thing, especially if the person asks for it and is in a sane state of mind.

http://www.euthanasia.com/ -The name speaks for itself, just a page about euthanasia, vacancies available.

Abortion

Perhaps no other topic mentioned in this weblog has caused as much public rumpus and controversy as abortion. All political and public fractions, every religion and person on the street will have his own view on this matter. Is it moral? Is it safe? Is it right? There are those who consider an act of abortion to be murder, explaining that even the tiniest fetus in the womb is already a human being. Others say that we become human only after we are born and introduced to the principals of civilized life. In some countries abortion is legal and considered a normal medical practice. In other places abortion has to be practiced illegally and at great risk for the doctor and the patient. Probably for the next hundred years it will be impossible to say is abortion a good or a bad thing. However we can say that it is needed in some case, when we are dealing with a victim of rape, an underage person who doesn’t want to have the baby, a person whose baby will be born deformed or terminally sick. In such cases abortion is most often the easiest and safest way out.

An issue of BBC news ethical review, this week Abortion- http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ethics/abortion/

Bad Cinema

Kids, there is probably a lot to say about this movie, but the main thing that comes up to my mind is ‘What a waste of valuable time!’ I could have been working that day, earning money and gaining experience. Instead I wasted almost two hours watching a few underage rejects drinking, screwing around and abusing drugs. Perhaps the movie was created to shock people and give parents a wake up call, so that they can see what’s going on in their little princess’s bedroom, but I still insist that the movie is just a piece of garbage. It shows nothing new, no major statement has been actually established. We just gaze upon the degeneration of our world. Are we supposed to be sorry for the girl that has HIV? She caught she, she was a moron, she did not use protection, she is dead. Good, more fresh air for proper people.What about the main characters last words as he’s lying asleep in bed? ‘Take the ….. away from me and I have nothing’. Am I supposed to understand him better? To nod my head and say, ‘ah yes, he lives by his own rules, good for him’. No, kids and the youth culture they represent are the cancer that is killing our society, they are the little parasites, which make taxes grow year after year. Girls sixteen years of age getting pregnant, children addicted to drugs and alcohol, all this can be seen everyday in the center of Wolverhampton, so I see no point in seeing the same on the big screen.

Have a look thru the worst movies ever made- http://www.thestinkers.com/100stinkers.html

Body Modifications

In our day and age it might seem strange to classify tattoos, piercing or an odd earring as something bad, one reason being that an awful lot of people these days do it. And it is hard to consider a thing that is done by the masses as bad, yet it doesn’t seem that way with BM.
First of all in Europe people with tattoos were in the past days believed to be either convicts, sailors or in the case of women prostitutes. Drawings on the skin were associated with people from the lower classes, people who have too much free time, too much booze in their veins and not enough brains between their ears. But today even people who are bright tend to get their tongue pierced, or have a blob tattooed on their lower back part. Still even in the degenerate modern world it will be hard to find a person with a PhD. and a tattoo or a piercing. Hardly can we imagine a Harvard professor or Prime Minister parading around with a metal thingy in his tongue or lip. So although BM became very popular in our culture a person who wants to go a long way in life should probably avoid it.
There is also another aspect of BM, an aspect that has been especially emphasized during our lecture, and one that I wasn’t really aware of. The tattoos designs we’re using now have mostly come from the east, designs we acquired while filling the blank spaces on the map of the world. Tribal tattoos often have a mystical or religious meaning, and for a person wearing such a symbol without really understanding what it means seems if not offensive then at least ignorant and quite frankly daft.
A separate case consists of BM that really goes to far. I’m talking about the masochistic societies that damage their bodies by burning their genitals, castration, amputation and all other gruesome sorts of things. Having a simple tattoo is already an act of desecrating your skin, but causing severe damage to your body just for the sake of it is plainly wrong. A bad, bad, bad thing to do.


All you need to know or SEE on the subject of BM is here, so come in and have a thrilling time-http://www.bmezine.com/

Religious Cults

Throughout my weblog quite a few bad things have been committed by people who felt depressed and insecure. Things such as infidelity or shoplifting. But while there are exceptions to those cases, all people who join a sect are lost and lack self-esteem. Religious Cults prey on people who through the weakness of their character are easily confused and influenced. Cults make such people feel good and safe, while brainwashing them and making them incapable of functioning in a normal society. People who have joined sects often give all their possessions away and feel that they no longer can live without the constant help of their cult ‘friends’. Religious cults differ, some like the Mormons or the Jehovah witnesses practice fake faith and corrupt whole families, other organizations, The Church of Scientology for instance attract only wealthy members who will be willing to pay big money for a very fancy brain washing.
There is nothing to be said in favor of Religious Cults, they unlike infidelity, lying or smoking cannot be excused in anyway and represent the worst thing you will find on this blog, (well apart from masturbation, gambling and drug abuse).


Sects and Cults of Christianity are presented on this website, http://www.religion-cults.com/Cults/Christian/C-CULTS.htm

Bandits and Outlaws

We seem attracted to the evil types much more then we are to the good guys. Antagonists are more interesting, because they had the courage to step over the line of acceptable social behavior. Famous bandits and outlaws left the place nature chose for them (usually at the very bottom of society) and elevated through acts of theft and murder. People like Jesse James, Ned Kelly or Bonny and Clyde have all turned into icons of pop culture or heroes of folk songs and tales. They were all bad people of course, violent murderers who made their own choices. Yet their crimes or to call it better their way of life is very tempting, despite its short life expectancy. We admire them, because we simple people who survive in the everyday world by abiding the rules strive for the dangerous freedom of being a criminal. Bandits and outlaws through their heists and kills received liberation from all constrains of social reality, thus becoming heroes in our eyes.

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/WE-Outlaws.html -Every badguy, outlaw, killer must be here, and they all come from the good old fashioned wilde west, eeeeha!

Infidelity

What drives people to be unfaithful? A sinful nature or just plain boredom? Despite that infidelity is all around us and that we all experience it in one-way or another, all cases are different. Every couple finds another explanation for betrayal. But two basic reasons would be boredom and unhappiness. People get bored of their partner in life, they feel constrained and lifeless. They might also lack the simple joy of having a spouse or a life partner, they start longing for something more and so they take their first step on the road to infidelity. But despite the cause we usually have the same effect. Either an end of the relationship or its continuation, which is even more unhappy because neither of the partners trusts each other.
Countless books have been written where main events revolve around the act of infidelity. The act of betrayal has been used to produce both comical and dramatical pieces of literature and film. Our views on whether it is excusable or not to commit infidelity may differ, but one thing is certain. Infidelity has been a part of our lives in the past and likely will be joining us in the future.

http://www.allaboutlifechallenges.org/marital-infidelity.htm - A link with some interesting facts on marital infidelity.

Mas****ation (Censored by The Government)

Masturbation is a really hard thing to write about, firstly because there are few people on this planet who feel comfortable about the subject, and secondly because it is impossible to say what we think of the act of self-abuse.
We know the opinion of the church and history. It is a sin, as we give in to primitive urges, waste the seed and are simply behaving bad. Nineteenth century as we know from the lecture, has had a rich collection of methods to deal with masturbation. Special gadgets and medical treatment. Back then people who often ‘relieved the pressure’ were considered mentally ill. Today they obviously aren’t but that doesn’t really make the subject any easier.
Masturbation has appeared in song lyrics and movies, books and fancy magazines, it has been declared a totally natural thing to do. And still we would rather avoid the topic, just as I would rather not write about it.
I wouldn’t like to make any significant points on the matter of masturbation, but it is appropriate to sum up the facts we received during our PH1000 session. Masturbation is present in our lives, it does affect us personally, through history and modern entertainment.It has been considered a hazard in the past and despite numerous attempts to turn it into a joke today, still remains a puzzle.What can we do with it? Nothing. What can it do with us? Probably nothing that it hadn’t done already. So we end without really starting, that it is best if the matter of masturbation remains safely hidden in the dark, so that we can all feel better.



Two interesting links, containing lots of information about how Christians perceive the act of masturbation and what is it actually considered to be. (masturbation I mean, not Christians)

http://www.jackinworld.com/library/articles/christian.html

http://web.lemoyne.edu/~szebenyi/Touchstone%20of%20Sex.htm

Morality 2 Quick Summary

Morality is a vast topic, covering every aspect of our everyday life. It is always a big issue on the news, in the papers and on the radio. We hear about the decreasing morality of our children, country and the world. Morality features largely in church life, because the more morale people become, the more religious they become. Basic rules of decent behaviour are introduced in the Decalogue.
But as we saw the extracts from various television shows, has it not become apparent that we are in fact not moral? I don’t mean us as individuals, but us as a society. Shoplifting, stalking, harassment, literal and social prostitution. These things happen everyday, everywhere. The problem of low morality comes with the times, however every generation experiences it to some extent. So are we really that corrupted, or are we just experiencing difficulties of the modern age?It is impossible to give one coherent answer, or even hazard a guess. The only thing we can do is become more moral and more aware of our dark urges and weaknesses. For if we become better, then through us society will become better as well.

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/morality-definition/- this is a link with a very brief definition of morality

Morality part 1 (Seminar Questions)

Breaking Out Is Hard To Do, Family Guy

1.Is shoplifting different to any other kind of theft?

It’s the most innocent of thefts, if such a term can be applied to stealing. Shoplifting is often associated with kleptomania and therefore just might be considered a disease. So while still being a criminal offence, shoplifting can also be mental state.

2.Why do people who can afford to buy things shoplift them instead?

It just might be an act of desperation, or a cry for help. People who shoplift are usually depressed or have that ‘dead inside’ feeling so they need to feel the adrenaline flow. A few weeks ago I heard a radio show about elderly people who shoplift because they feel lonely and unneeded. Shoplifting committed by people who can afford the things they steal is usually treated by group therapy.


Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Paramount 1961

1.Is it prostitution to take money from someone who is expecting sex, but then to not supply it?

It’s most likely not prostitution, but fraud. A fraud committed thanks to men’s ignorance and great lust. Certain woman use that as a tool and make quite a good profit out of it.

2.If it isn’t prostitution then is it more or less socially respectable?

From an ethical point of view it’s not respectable, but still socially accepted.

3.If it is prostitution then how much is a reasonable charge?

Depends on the foolishness of men.


Peepshow, 2005

1.When does a concerned interest in someone’s activities become stalking?

When it crosses the boarder of ethical and sane behavior. When it becomes an obsession, a passion that consumes all energy and attention

2.Are some kinds of observance allowable and appropriate? Which ones aren’t?
Some are, because we all do it. We observe people who are around us, both in private and professional life. We learn their habits and ways, because that is our nature. The ones that aren’t appropriate include spying on other people, trying to learn everything about another person no matter the cost and breaking the law in order to obtain information.

Smokin' Matters

Recently we have discussed the habit (addiction?) of smoking. We tried to understand why is smoking so contagiously attractive, is it really cool and how has the idea of having a fag been advertised through culture? Bill Hicks, probably the most fierce private advertiser of cigarettes and a brilliant comedian in his free time said that smoking makes him look cool and that he prefers to die ten years before his time just to appear cool every minute. Hicks also described nonsmokers as a bunch of evil obnoxious crybabies. To be honest quite righteously, because nonsmokers tend to exaggerate the hazards of nicotine. Cancer is the most known threat, and yes cigarettes do cause cancer, but then again everything else does as well. Cancer sticks are considered to be extremely addictive, this I find hard to agree to. All addictions are to do with the mind, not the body. If the mind and the will are strong there is no such thing as addiction. In reality there is only one bad thing with smoking, one horrible ghastly detail. And it’s not the graceful clouds of smoke cigarettes produce, it’s not their alluring aroma or rather dull design. It’s the price! The idea that we smokers pay dear money just to inhale some smoldering leaves is laughable. And we do it to seem cooler, calm our nerves or fit in better. Giving up smoking is a good thing because it saves a lot of money, and let me say again that that is the only logical reason to quit.
As post scriptum I’d like to recall the image of a smoker in the motion pictures. A lit cigarette has always been an attribute of cool guys and mysterious women, stressed out mobsters and witty bad cops. From Bogart to Brad Pitt cigarettes always played a leading role, usually along with the mouth that was holding them. And although smoking is becoming more and more unpopular it is important to remember the role tobacco played in our culture as well as not to try and turn into a scapegoat of all our problems and unexpected tumors.

http://www.ash.org.uk/html/factsheets/html/fact02.html Just lots and lots of numbers and scary words concerning people who smoke

Evil Entries Begin

First meeting of the PH1000 class was an exciting event. This module promises to be an interesting and extremely creative undertaking. For the next four months we will be exploring the dark sides of human nature, (maybe not the darkest of the dark but it still sounds cool).
We were asked to think about a field trip that would benefit the teachings on our module.
It's hard to think of a really 'bad trip', since we never had such happenings at school, however a trip to Featherstone prison might be a good example of bad behaviour for the upcoming bandits and outlaws session.
This blog will be devoted to my reflections on the things I'll learn at PH1000. Besides entries on scheduled topics like smoking and infidelity I also plan to post some views on the ideas of evil, morality and why do we love antagonists so much.

Stay tuned and don't change the channel as Evil Entries will bring you the juiciest bits of pure hellish delight.

http://home.att.net/~slugbutter/evil/ - A link with a quiz that will measure how evil are you