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N' Sane.
2002-05-17-10:20 a.m.
You know, I'm not really one to comment on world events here. I have a pretty accurate worldview and consider myself someone who is almost a true generalist. One of the side-effects of such a view and attitude is that one is rarely loud or even vocal with an opinion on world events, because there is the realization that most important issues are far more complex than the average person thinks, along with the understanding that it is difficult to express oneself accurately yet succintly. Considering all the above however, I will say that the fact that Lance Bass from N'Sync is now likely to go into outer space is the single most disgusting, ridiculous, soul-crushing setback to human progress since the birth of Jerry Falwell or the rise of Hitler to power. I never commented on it before, because I thought that surely SOMEBODY would step forward and do something to stop such a ridiculous thing from happening. Some of the greatest, most gifted people in our nation work for years to become astronauts. They almost always have a Phd in a scientific field, and are inspirational to their friends and colleagues. They train physically and mentally for the challenges and risks they must face. And not only high test scores and an impressive resume are enough to land a trip to space, they must also train and meet certain physical standards, be emotionally healthy and good with dealing with people due to the close quarters/high stress environment, able to work well under pressure and distraction, etc.. Even after all this, many more qualify than can ever be needed, so personality tests are conducted to find people with all these qualities who are also eloquent speakers, poets, artists and writers, allowing for chronicles of the space travel experience from a more human and non-scientific standpoint. These men and women spend their lives grooming for this position, as researchers or scientists, or as engineers and pilots serving in the armed forces, with the hope of serving a cause, humanity, their country, furthering important research or even fulfilling a lifelong dream. And while they are compensated as astronauts, the pay is hardly what one would call incentive for the amount of work involved. Then, we have Lance Bass, a background member of a boy band, who just thinks it would be neat to go into space. Hell, he attended space camp as a little tyke, that makes him practically John-Fucking-Glenn! Yes, I know it's Russia, not the U.S. who's sending him up, but I have a hard time believing that there isn't something that could be done to stop it. Although the official cost for his trip hasn't been released, the last space tourist reportedly paid 20 million dollars. And while singing songs other people wrote for him and line dancing has been pretty profitable for Mr. Bass, he won't be able to cough up the entire fee for himself, so they are actively seeking corporate sponsors for the trip, and even plan to film as much as possible for a reality TV show. So we may very well have Clairol Herbal Essences and Coke sponsoring this guys trip to space. I know that the real religion and form of government in the world today isn't Christianity and Democracy, it's Capitalism. (Maybe not officially, but it is the dominant philosophy of life for those who are in power) But do we really want to whore out one of the last remaining relatively wholesome things we have left? Who knows, in a few months, we could see this doe-eyed little chap on the MTV, saying something like, "When I was busting moves and singing notes in outer space, I used Herbel Essences to keep my hair full of body, and under control in the harsh environment of zero gravity." Maybe "New Vanilla Coke, 'It's outta this world!', just ask Space Man and Pop Sensation: Lance Bass!" Somebody shoot me in the fucking head. Please. Or better yet...
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