Why Journalism Is Shit and Art is King... in no real detail

After graduating, I've given some serious thought as to whether I want to be a journalist or not. Being a journalist, at its core, means using other people's words to tell your own story. We gather quotes and video footage of other people saying or doing things and then assemble them into a nice package to be easily digested by an audience that is groomed to believe it's the only way information can be transferred. But in the digital age and with a new audience of readers who grew up with the internet, raw information is becoming king. 

People of my age group are just as likely to get information direct from the source via Twitter or Facebook as they are to hear about it secondhand from a news outlet. The writer is slowly disappearing from the picture, and for me; a non-natural journalist, that's just fine. Because of this, I've decided to focus more of my attention on the interpretation of information, rather than its dissemination. By this I mean that I want to pursue my passion, music, as much as possible. 

Art is the interpretation of information into something that is as much editorial as it is informational. But it also has a personal-emotional context, making it the ultimate, most powerful communicative conveyor. - Me

Unfortunately, like the journalism industry, the music industry has taken a very big hit from the free distribution of its product online. But unlike the journalism industry, music is not restricted by its own stylistic medium. Music is a blank canvas on which anything can be placed. There are no rules, and this appeals to me very much. If the journalism and music industry’s are to overcome this financial hurdle, they must embrace the mentality of my generation as consumers; product will be free or cheap (Spotify), but will also be plentiful (indie bands/Bandcamp). There's been an insurgence of new bands and bloggers since the means of production became digitized and consumer-available in the early 2000s. In some way this is a good thing for artists like myself who strive to be different and original, but it also dilutes the medium. Plenty has been said about this, but as a guitarist, It's even worse. 

If you look at the "music" section of a news stand at your local Barnes & Noble, you might notice that about half of it is populated by these magazine that have the word "Guitar" as one half of their title; Guitar One, Guitar World, Guitar Player, Vintage Guitar, etc. Ever since MTV started the craze of "guitar player as god" during the 80s hair metal movement, more and more young musicians or people who fancy themselves musicians have been picking up the instrument. This is exactly why there is now a shortage of bassists, drummers, singers, and multi-instrumentalists. According to the mainstream media, guitar is all that matter. As a result, there's thousands of young guys with PRS guitars and Mesa-Boogie amps and five years of guitar lessons who think they are the next Steve Vai. Well it takes more than precise playing and cookie-cutter tone to write music that matters. Be in a cover band, I don't care, but quit diluting the internet with your filth that masks the real artists who are working their asses off trying to get a little recognition. Moreover, stop being of the mindset that you have to be in the spotlight all the time. That the guitar is the most important piece of a band, that lead guitar is all you are capable of playing and furthermore, that you are good at it. Because you are not. Maybe you were supposed to be a kick ass drummer or bassist, but the world will never know, because your mind was corrupted at an early age by the culturally-perceived-hierarchy of musicianship (just blew your mind, right?). 

So in the end, it's not the PRS-touting Mesa-Boogie playing guitarists fault that they suck. It's us, as a society for putting people on pedestals and feeling like we must diefy them (looking at you Slash). And if you wanna get really deep with it, it's just another form of the god complex that I love talking about; people need to feel that there is something supernatural, superhuman beyond ordinary existence that they can aspire to. Because Slash will live on forever through his music, right, but I'll die a nobody because I don't play a PRS or a Mesa Boogie and I only took a year of guitar lessons and a million people don't know about my sound? It's eternal-life man, and it's a fvcking joke.  

Musings on my life so far

When I was around eight years old, my father took me out shooting for the first time. Pistols at the break of dawn in some deserted field-turn-shooting range with flimsy cardboard targets and empty bullet casings scattered all about the ground. This memory has little to do with how my life has unfolded so far, but it is just one of many times when my father impacted my life in a meaningful way, just by showing that he cared.

I am a 22 year old soon to be graduate of the Grady College of Journalism. Over the past two years I've written, learned and been made to question. But after a year-long internship with a small music blog from Atlanta, I decided I didn't want to be a journalist. Still I struggle with this epiphany. Regardless, I decided I would finish my degree and after graduation dedicate my time to pursuing my real passion: music.

When I was fourteen I started being serious about the instrument of the guitar. I practiced everyday until it became almost as natural as breathing. I could always pick up the guitar and let the day melt away. But being a musician wasn't enough, so I decided to emulate a full band using computer software and began singing in the school choir to improve my voice. Over time I became good enough to write and record songs that were almost as good as what my contemporaries were doing professionally (at the age of 18, nonetheless). But music was never an option for me when I came to UGA. At least, not on the surface.

My dad told me that I needed to have a “fallback,” in case the music thing didn't work out, so I figured the next best thing would be music journalism. Through my various internships and local connections, I was able t meet some of my idols and learned a lot about other genres of music. But it was always disheartening to know that at the end of the day I would be thousands of dollars in debt for a degree that I didn't really want.

So I've persevered in my field of passion and my field of academia. I've written five albums in three years, earned a certificate in Music Business from the Terry College of Business, gathered 5,000 twitter followers using targeted marketing strategies, filmed music videos and performed live a number of times. The critics may not always like me (and they usually don't), but I like my music more than anyone else's. I listen to my latest album everyday in my car stereo, on my iPhone (which I am super lucky to have. You know how many people in other countries don't even have phones?) and on my home stereo. On top of that I subscribe to Spotify so I can listen to new music from other artists everyday. I am constantly discovering and analyzing new music. Making it a part of my life, a part of my music, sometimes, and a part of who I am. I've dealt with my endless mind-games and those nasty emotional past-traumas that everybody has – another thing I've learned from meeting people in college – through my art. What could be more important than that?

I've decided that my five year plan will lead me to New York. Brooklyn, to be exact. Something else my father doesn't exactly “approve” of. Or at least, he thinks it is impractical. Sure, it costs twice as much to live there, but I've been in Georgia my whole life. I want to get out and see if it's really like everyone says it is, or if it's exactly the same as it is here. I want to see things for myself. I'm tired of being told how the world is. Through coming to college I've been able to formulate my own ideas about the world, people, culture and our society. My opinions don't fit into some cookie cutter mold because I don't want to fit into a mold. I want to be unique and an individual. I find that thought very enriching.

I notice I haven't really said anything good about my Dad since that first paragraph. Well, he's payed my bills and that says a lot, I think. I've spent his money on books, tuition, food, rent, bills. But I've also spent it on comics, movies, dates, eating out, electronics, clothes, games and musical devices. In spite of this, he hasn't cut me off. He hasn't said “You're no longer my son and I'm no longer taking care of you.” In spite of our differences, he's been understanding, and having witnessed families being torn apart by egos and narrow-mindedness, that's a real good thing.

I've still got a lot of the same problems that I had when I first came to UGA, but being here has forced me to find new ways to deal with those problems that are constructive, rather than destructive. I'm naturally a “the glass is half-empty”-kind of person, but I'm trying to be a “the grass is green wherever you stand”-kind of person – which I just made up, but hopefully that makes sense.

I just lost my train of thought, where was I? Oh yes, to fund my lifestyle and my passion for creating music, I plan to stay in Athens until my lease expires next August. I will hopefully be working at a restaurant, waiting tables, which I have experience in, until I find a better job working in Atlanta or New York. But honestly, so long as I am making better and better music, I don't really care what my day job is. If it pays the bills, then it's good enough.

I'd really like to get married someday too, but that's a whole 'nother story and I'll spare you. But I will say that it involves geeks, metal heads, computers, poetry, comic art, fire spinning, yo-yo contests, flamethrowers, action movies and lightsabers, so you do the math.  

Albums Review: The Darkness - Hot Cakes

Now those are some Hot Cakes!

When listening to a verse-chorus type band, I listen for two things: a big, catchy chorus, or a big, stanky riff. Preferably both. The Darkness is one of those bands that either delivers or it doesn't. In 2012, their first album, 2003's Permission to Land, remains their best. It's multitudinous songs with singable verses, choruses, and bone shattering riffs were merely icing on its sonic cake. It was also a well written album with flow, purpose, and lasting impact.

Their second LP, 2005's One Way Ticket To Hell... And Back, lost the immediacy of its predecessor and only featured one or two memorable tracks (the title composition and the fantastically bizarre “Hazel Eyes”). After this the band went on extended hiatus as flamboyant frontman Justin Hawkins went to rehab and brother Dan started the band Stone Gods, neither of which resulted in anything significant other than Justin's sobriety. So now in 2012 the band is fully reunited and unleashed the beautifully artworked Hot Cakes on August 2012.

Before I get going on this rampage, let's just take a moment to appreciate the gravitudinal artwork by Diego Gravinese that graces the outer sleeve of this album. It features three buxom women wearing skimpy, metallic gold swimsuits (of the one and two-piece variety) lying sensually across three mounds of gigantic pancakes. My description alone should've given you an idea of what The Darkness are all about, but in case you are very bad at picking up on innuendo, most of their songs are about love and love-making. That's nothing new for The Drakness, but like their last album, Hot Cake's songs lack that vigor and youth which was so evident on their debut.

We start off with the lackluster “Every Inch Of you” in which Justin recounts his typical poor-kid turned rock star story. This is immediately followed by seven songs that equally bored me. I'm not going to go into them individually, but they all basically follow the same format of subdued verses followed by loud choruses that try to be strong, but come off as weak. Most of the songs start with a solo, right or left panned guitar riff that sounds like it was ripped straight from AC/DC's early catalog and pasted without modification into a new song. Like I said before, what I listen for in bands like The Darkness is unique, powerful riffs and meaty, sasquatchan choruses, and they simply do not deliver on this album until closer “Street Spirit (Fade out),” which is in fact a Radiohead cover, so I don't even know if I can count it. Maybe I would be less annoyed if the structures of these songs were less repetitive and dragged out, but they all conform well within the confines of verse-chorus monotony.

There are some highlights amongst the disappointing drear, mainly in the vocal production which has an anthemic quality very much akin to what Queen was doing in the 70s and 80s. They might've ripped this technique from yet another classic hard rock band, but at least in this case, it works for the better of the album. So why does it piss me off so much that this album sounds like it does, all flabby and lazed-out? Because I've heard The Darkness at their best, when their hard rock tunes blow out your speakers and their softer, yet whimsical, slower tunes keep you enraptured with a story. The falsetto, the power chords, the pounding Phil Rudd-style drums and percussive bass can and have swooned in equal harmony before, yet for some reason, between 2003 and 2005 the Darkness lost their ability to write memorable albums. There have been successful single songs like “Hazel Eyes” and “Street Spirit,” but never a full on, titanic triumph like Permission To Land was. In the end, like fellow throwback rockers Airbourne, The Darkness are not as good as who they are imitating. At least on their first record they had a sense of humor about it.

Note to new bands: don't set the bar so high on your first album that you have no where to go but down. Could The Darkness have outdone themselves after Permission To Land? Yes. There were still lackluster songs on that album and it definitely didn't exhaust the creative pool's resources for catchy hooks, even with it's plethora of them.

Recommended tracks:
"Concrete"
"Street Spirit (Fade Out)"
"Everybody Have A Good Time"

Daikaiju Kick My Ass... Once Again

Epic 

There is very little these days which inspires me to write a concert review. Most concerts I attend leave me feeling a combination of disappointment, envy, and frustration. But there is, however, one band that leaves me feeling none of those things; and that band is Daikaju.

For the uninformed, Daikaiju is a Japanese-inspired surf rock band from Huntsville, Alabama. The group tours non-stop all around the country and even makes trips to Europe. Some might call what they do a gimmick, but I just call it pure rock'n'roll fantasticness.

When the band plays, they not only play to the audience, but they play with the audience. Often times the guitarists jump from the stage, run about wildly, and hand off their instruments to wide eyed concert goers and joust them into playing. The whole affair plays out like a maniacal-psycho-carnival-opera. I was amazed the first time I saw it, and was unsure if they could ever top that first performance which ended with them gathering the audience onto the stage, making us the performers, and the band sitting before us as if we were meant to entertain them.

When the two guitarists ran into me during their off stage escapades I could feel the fresh sweat dripping through their uniforms, and smell the weeks of of dried perspiration as they flew past me. In fact, as I recall, their has seldom been a time when my Facebook's event invite box was not filled with a slew of upcoming Daikaiju live dates. They simply are always on the road.

But this performance was somehow different from the others had seen. It brought for me a new perspective after having met lead guitarist “secret-man,” as he likes to be called on the Daikaiju website. Slightly small in stature, skinny, and bearing grey tattoos on his uber-tanned skin, the wild affroed frontman of the group is, in person, nothing but a joy to interact with. After seeing him perform live, there is little left to be said in a traditional conversation, and as I am already generally opposed to the notion of small talk (I much prefer big-talk, harahar), was perfectly happy to simply shake his hand, exchange a smile and give a few words of encouragement. Yet, it was upon this latest viewing of the band that I realized the depth of this band's commitment. To me, the psychotic live act is no longer new, or fresh, or whatever synonym you want to call it. It's simply Daikaiju. It's simply the best rock'n'roll five bucks can buy in an indie-hipster town such as Athens.

The life these men have chosen is an honorable life of rocking. As lame and corny as that may sound, perhaps there are real life dilemmas that come with it. Things that we average joe's take for granted, such as showering daily and having lasting relationships with loved ones, must be put on hold as the deluge of a tour takes precedence. I sometimes wonder if I, myself a musician, could handle such a life, and with so much abandon as Daikaiju exhibit? I don't know the answer to that question, since I've honestly never had the opportunity to test it. But perhaps in the meanwhile I'll let Daikaiju hold the torch for the rest of us bedroom rockers searching for a way out of the dismal mundanity of watching Netflix, cooking Bertolli, and training for half-marathons every day. At least while they are in town, I can feel a sense of hope, and a sense that all is right in this always revolving world. At least from my perspective, Daikaiju is timeless, living the dream, and will always be there to show me a good time on a Wednesday night in downtown Athens.

See you guys next year. Rock on. \m/

On Why Downloads Are No Longer Free At Artistsofwar.net

Recently I’ve come to a hard realization: money is the driving force behind the movement and progression of our world. It is the physical manifestation and representation of accumulated power. It is the building block beneath the socio-economic hierarchy that forms the differences of our various cultures. Even in relation to religion, money is king.

All that said, as an individual citizen and artist living in a capitalist state, I’ve got to succumb and face facts: what I’m creating is essentially a product designed to be shared, but for a price. That price not only represents my ability to house, feed, and support myself, but also a deeper philosophical value that is placed upon my work. It is important to my own sense of self respect that I value my music according to a system that 99% of other people can understand.

Furthermore, I am not selling digital rights to my songs, but merely digital copies. The market, or rather Apple Inc., has deemed copies of songs to be valued at $1 each. So, in order to associate myself in the same vein of “value” as other artists, I have to list all my songs for $1, lest they be considered “less valuable,” in an economic sense. That’s something that wasn’t so important to me six months ago when I was planning the free release of Peace. While morally it felt good to release my music for free, and not to reiterate, but I’ve simply had to learn that we as individuals must use the skills we have to make a living, even if we have idealistic principles that clash with that.

My primary skill to this point has been music production, so I need to capitalize on that as much as possible. I would love to someday release all my music for free in digital format, thereby lending to my idealist world view that everything can be equal and all people and products can coexist in harmony (See "I'm A Metalhead-Hipster," pg. 496). But until I have millions stashed away to provide for my present and future needs and desires, that just can’t happen.

Thanks to all those who have supported me up until now and I hope that you will continue to do so

- Brad (AKA The Dragon)

Album Review: MAKE - Trephine

Rarely do I find good reason to write a review that is positive. I find that good reviews lack tension and are generally boring to read. But I felt it necessary to thank the North Carolina band MAKE for their album Trephine. It is a record that simply sings to me on multiple levels and hits the listener right in the gut, at just the right moments. Its swaying dynamic flourishes are not boring or unnecessarily repeated like on your typical Isis or Neurosis record, but rather are used as tension relievers between the titanic riffing (I don't use the word “Titanic” lightly. I am fully aware of how cliché it must sound). There is this sense of triumphant beguile that comes from the repetition and slight variation of Trephine's multitudinous and layered riff sequences. On top of that these dudes know how to scream in a way that is atmospheric, yet complimentary to the body of the songs. Although you could call this an instrumental record, I couldn't see it having the same effect without the raunchy, growled vocals these dudes put forth. There's a sort of undeniable groove that permeates everything they do and forces you to listen as if your life depended on it. Sadly, the record looses a bit of it's momentum near the end, possibly due to its slightly long running time, but it is nonetheless one of the most spiritual and powerful metal records of the past five years. Whilst bands like High On Fire and Mastodon impress with their sheer technical and imaginative prowess, their music's edge wears off over time and their music becomes mundane. The atmospherics of this record make it such a hefty beast to take in, that the riffs are blanketed and hidden in such a way that you have to listen to it multiple times before you can get the full picture, and even then there seems to be more sonic intricacies left undiscovered. It's an album that relies on the listeners imagination to fill in the blanks. The technical skill and writing prowess of MAKE is impressive, but on Trephine it's what they don't play that shows how great of a band they are.  

Album Review: Behold! The Monolith - Defender / Redeemist

Now that is some freaking album artwork.

Behold! The Monolith's second record, Defender / Redeemist, is a step up from their debut in many ways. Primarily the arrangements and performances are tighter and more visceral. However, despite overwhelming potential for killer live performances, the band does not show originality or ingenuity when it comes to studio recordings. The guitars are mixed way too loud, making the other instruments seem less important, and the vocals are so low in the mix that they are relegated an atmospheric element rather than a melodic driver. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but in the case of this album the songs really needed a soaring vocalist to make the indulgent guitar lines sound a little less egotistical.

However, I don't want to be too critical of this guitar player, because he has some serious chops. Out of all the modern stoner-metal guitar players, he is probably the most sophisticated technically. But from his impressive skill comes a fundamental flaw: he lacks spirit. The stoner and doom genres were founded upon rawness, and it's the lack of this fundamental element that makes him sound less like Tony Iommi and more like Randy Rhodes trying to impersonate Tony Iommi. In short, it just doesn't sound natural.

Assuming that he is the primary creative and writing force behind this group as is likely considering the overbearing placement of guitars in the mix, he needs to focus less on cramming as many ideas as possible into songs and more on making one or two good ideas fit together seamlessly. The transitions between riffs on Reedemist are not only abrupt, but also predictable. Abruptness works in thrash, death, and black metal, but Monolith's band aesthetic and tonal nature indicate that they don't want to be Anthrax, Dying Fetus, or Venom. They want to be the new Sleep, yet they end up sounding like YOB trying too hard to be Mastodon.

Of course the typical comeback argument is always, “Nah man we just want to be ourselves.” Let mm just say that that is not only the typical artist's response, but especially the typical stoner artist's response. When I listen to a lot of today's “stoner” metal I often think that the people producing it are simply so stoned when they are writing that the recycled rip-offs they produce actually appear to them to be completely original ideas indicative of their envisioned idea of their band. They are effectively really loud DJ's creating playlists of their favorite artist’s music, changing a few things around, and calling it their own work. Sadly record labels releasing this stuff don't seem to care too much either since a large portion of their market wont hear it as ripped-off, or if they do will also be too stoned to care, they will consider it totally “new” and desirable. The genre with its dystopian, tormented, and wounded humanist themes deserves better, yet band's like this continue to spit it out with the balls already lobbed off.

Some groups can meld genres blatantly, and it works, like Mastodon, whilst others need to pick one or two grooves and explore them organically, allowing the riffs, rhythms and melodies to ride out and compliment each other as needed. What's abrasive about this record is not abrasive in an intentional way. No, here tension exists sheerly from the warring forces of the band's collective mind as it struggles to discover who it is whilst clinging to prefabricated ideas of who it should be. Lie a moody teenager yearning to fit in, yet instead of fighting the powers that be, giving in to them and interpreting what it thinks is “cool” into something that is the complete opposite.  

Album Review: High On Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis

De Vermis Mysteriis is a perfect fusion of traditional High On Fire chug and Sleep's undeniable grooving. Des Kensel's drums are clearer than ever, but never overbearing like on Snakes for The Divine. Meanwhile, Matt Pike's vocals sit just below the almighty guitar riffs and Jeff Matz' bass swings melodically, adding perfect balance of depth and movement to the songs.

This album is by and far better than Snakes For The Divine. While the guitar tone might not be as present, the overall mix of the record makes up for it. The songwriting here is rawer, more potent, propulsive, and less self-indulgent.

However, some songs on De Vermis do feel like rip-off's from High On Fire's back catalog. Most notably opener “Serums of Liau” gets its primary vocal melody and 4/4 power chord swagger from “Brother In The Wind,” a track off the band's 2005 LP Blessed Black Wings. Also, the next track, “Bloody Knuckles” primary riff is a scathing copy of Blessed Black Wings' title-track. However, these songs strip away the excess meandering of their predecessors and replace it with pure aggression that makes them a more compelling listen.

But enough of that. This album kicks ass and here are a few songs that show why. The Sleep-inspired “Madness of An Architect” features a riff-progression as inspired as “Bastard Samurai,” but Kurt Balou's mix allots even more listenability. And closer “Warhorn” might deceive with its somewhat standard noun+medieval title, but in reality it is a plodding dirge featuring some of High On Fire's most well executed dynamic flourishes. The song paints images of a corrupt general's maddened quest across a post-apocalyptic landscape raping and pillaging the remnants of a lost civilization. Sad, heavy, and brilliant, it is a fitting closer to this great album, although I wish they would have repeated the outro riff a few more times. Also notable is instrumental “Samsara” which recalls later Ozzy-era Sabbath with its atmospheric vibes and sees High On Fire finally getting the instrumental format right. “Romolus & Remus” is another highlight which features a chugging riff akin to “Fire, Flood & Plague,” but with more to offer in its structure and originality.

Start to finish, De Vermis Mysteriis is High On Fire's best album since Surrounded By Thieves. All instruments, riffs, and aspects of production come together in a master-display of cohesive heaviness. But compared to the burgeoning sludge metal landscape it is released into, is it better than Black Cobra's recently released “Invernal”? Maybe, but better than “Snakes For The Divine” and 95% of what's been released since by comparable bands (including the ever disappointing prog-lords Mastodon)? Oh hells yes. Some songs on De Vermis are utterly simple, while others are indefinably complex, but the album as a whole proves that although High On Fire may not necessarily be traversing new ground, they are continuing to refine their style, and while occasionally recycling old riffs, remain entertaining in a burgeoned field of mediocre performers.  

The Record Industry Is Communist (And It's A Bad Thing)

The record industry is a system which rewards mediocrity. For every Kesha that is signed, there are ten or more Black Cobra's who are forced to wallow in destitute. Why are the Kesha's signed and not the Black Cobra's? Because of their perceived marketability. The record industry is no longer in the business of pressing records, they are in the business of marketing and promotions. Their sole goal is to get as many people as possible interested in their artists and buying merchandise. Meanwhile, they forget that the artists whom they sign need to have something significant to offer. In an ideal record industry the music would be by the people, of the people, and for the people.

The board of discretioners who dictate whether or not sign a band are very much akin to the community board of representatives which passed legislation in the former USSR and in present day China. A more democratic, and yes, socialistic system could be achieved through embracing the internet as the ultimate decider of artistic and commercial success. Let the consumer decide who should get radio airplay, promotion, who should tour, and who should be paid to release albums. Let every band begin the same way; as an idea in the ultimate marketplace of ideas: the internet. Let the idea be deemed a reality as the people determine it to be desirable in the grand scheme of musical evolution.

For this to succeed, the internet must be rid of pointless advertisement and transfigured into a pure stream of information and ideas. Although promotional resources are a valuable commodity, the owners of those resources should not discount the fact that the products which they are promoting are the primary focus and source of income. To allow marketing professionals who are likely to choose artists to sign based on their perceived marketability, or the ease with while they can be promoted to a mass audience, is to discount the merit of true art. This further slows musical innovation, artistic progress and human cultural evolution.

Originally published in Heavy Giant, vol. 1.

Beyond The Veil of Dogma

The sand was dry, the air salty, and I was head under water, blacked out. When I woke up I had washed ashore several feet from where my parents were sitting. I remembered only blackness. I ran to my parents, but couldn’t explain what had just happened. The truth was that at seven-years-old I didn’t know what to think of it. Was it a near death experience? Perhaps, but I didn’t see any golden gates, only the black of unconsciousness.

In our society many legends, conspiracy theories, and supernatural stories pervade. Ghosts, UFOs, and sasquatch are three prominent examples. While some evidence to prove their existence does exist, much of it is unaccepted by mainstream science, leaving individuals to decide what to believe in based on their own judgments. But really, is the concept of God any different than these other supernatural theories?

In his paper “The Cognitive Psychology of Belief in The Supernatural,” Dr. Jesse M. Bering proposes the idea that god is a manifestation of people’s desires to attach meaning to the chaotic events of their lives. “Not many people would classify their beliefs in God or heaven as ‘supernatural,’” he says, “even though that's precisely what they are.” Faced with a traumatic experience, a person could turn to faith to find an answer: “Could a belief in God have evolved to help people tear off bits of meaning from an otherwise meaningless existence?” In so doing, they might gain a sense of control and belonging – feelings sought after by most human peoples.

Man’s quest for knowledge has driven him to the conclusion that there must be a God. However, because an internal drive (desire) is the cause for this conclusion, it must be discredited as a possible reality since it is essentially an external manifestation of a non-external factor.

But emotional factors also play a role in belief. Lisa Lansing, president of the UGAtheists, can attest to this: “My mom committed suicide a year ago and I had those thoughts of ‘Oh I hope I get to see her again,’ but my beliefs were already established by then and I had to accept that I would never see her again and instead just be happy for the time we had together.” Although this sense of grief could lead one to believe in God to seek comfort, it is a belief based in emotion, or a temporary response to present circumstances. “You see a lot of patterns in religions,” she says.

Cal Clements, owner and yoga instructor at Rubber Soul Yoga, is a self-proclaimed “Imaginative Atheist.” He concurs with Lisa’s proclamation that religions are systemic: “There’s all these religions in the world, but they’re all basically saying the same thing; we’re right and you’re wrong.” The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines dogma as “A point of view put forth as authoritative without adequate grounds.” Dogmatism is the antithesis of free-thought and when dogmatic views clash, wars can be the result. “When one side says the other is wrong it threatens their personal immortality,” says Cal, “It’s the cause for most of the worlds wars.”

On rare occasions, a devout atheist can revert to their former religious beliefs. Rich Suplita, a UGA Psychology lecturer, is one such Christian turned Atheist turned back to Christian. On the subject of dogmatism, Rich says “I don’t believe it [Christianity] to be dogmatic, but rather, exclusive.” Like many Christians, Rich relies on the Bible for much of his personal evidence to support his claims that Christianity is the correct religion. “Revelations is written as apocrypha – literature in symbolic terms. But the gospels report to be historic literature,” he says. Despite his devout belief in the bible, Rich remains a free-thinker and says that “I believe that it is possible for all religions to be invalid, but as a Christian I don’t follow that.”

Another Atheist Journalist, William Hamby of the Atlanta Examiner, interviewed Rich and attributed his flip-flopping between beliefs to the long term effects of childhood indoctrination. “Where I see psychological mechanisms compelling him towards familiarity, nostalgia, and comfort, he sees the invisible hand of God pointing out the most compelling reasons to return to faith,” he says.

If no God exists, then after death we simply return to nothingness, like any other animal. But is nothingness truly worse, or different from the concept of an afterlife? “They’re not fearing death itself,” says Lisa, “they are fearing the experience of death.” Because who really knows what awaits us after death? Nothingness or singularity in heaven are equally plausible and mysterious outcomes. Both are also completely beyond comprehension within the human experience since by definition they exist outside of life itself, further justifying the lack of significant evidence to prove either as actual realities.

But perhaps believing in an idea is better than believing in a scientifically supported reality. Josh Wooton, a minister at the LifeChruch of Athens, an avant-garde Christian church that is based on the Baptist denomination, says “Does it take less faith to believe in evolution than God? If we all came from the primordial soup, then where did the soup come from?” He theorizes that there are only a handful of scholars who can understand the creation of the universe through evolution and that it is just as plausible for a divine creator to have been involved. “It takes some kind of faith to believe in evolution,” he says. “The greatest scientists in the world can’t explain where the first piece of matter came from without God.”

University of Georgia theology professor William L. Power says that belief in something should not be based solely on observable evidence. “There’s emotional and moral factors that must be taken into consideration when determining what one is to believe,” he says. “There are several levels to faith: First is to just believe it. Second is to believe on someone else’s authority. Third is to believe because of a personal experience.” To expound on Power’s third level; some people claim to have witnessed supernatural forces. To them, these things are real, but to another person their claims must be justified through credibility. Dr. Power, then suffering from a cold, gave an example: “I’m going to see my doctor tomorrow to get this cold checked out. I trust that, because he has gone to medical school, he is going to give me an accurate assessment. But I would have to go to medical school myself to truly believe what he is saying.” Similarly, Christians trust (have faith) that what the bible is telling them is true based on evidences such as it’s widespread acceptance that lend to its observed credibility.

The communal aspect of church is a large draw for many religious peoples. People yearn for belonging and thus believe in things regardless of their absolute knowledge of them as truths since the belief alone provides them with a sense of belonging and collective comfort. Some atheists would argue that to them it is better to suffer the fear of the unknown in mass than on one’s own. But atheists are not immune to the natural human desire for community; the UGAtheists meet once weekly on campus to discuss philosophical matters regarding life after death and the greater meaning of life, albeit without a god. – Is this truly any different than attending church every Sunday?

In an ideal world all believers would weigh the three evidences equally, but many do not, choosing instead to seal themselves within the confines of dogmatism. Perhaps this is due to laziness, ignorance, fear, or a combination. Regardless, millions of people have died to protect their dogmatic beliefs since the idea of another religion being correct threatens their personal salvation. Furthermore, they fear the idea of death, or nothingness - but those ideas are no more or less tangible than ghosts, UFO’s, sasquatch, or heaven. To humanize these ideas using man-made literature such as the bible and quoran is essentially a fallacy since the idea of god is intended to be beyond human understanding. And yet it is human nature to quest after knowledge and understanding of the unexplainable. “Religion is man’s attempt to understand God,” Josh says. People should never stop trying to understand the natural world or theorizing about the world that awaits them, but it should be done through a veil of personal skepticism, not from behind the blinding mask of dogmatism.

I stood at the

surface

of a frozen pond

and wondered what was inside.

But then I realized

it didn’t matter,

because what’s there

was in my mind.

Best Anime

1. Neon Genesis Evangelion
2. FLCL
3. Ghost In The Shell
4. Akira
5. Claymore
6. Cowboy Bebop
7. Vandread
8. Gurren Lagann

I was going to make this a top ten list, but then my mind drifted and I realized there were only 8 good anime in my mind. These are those eight. Admittedly, I have not completed watching Vandread yet, but up to episode eight I'd have to see it's pretty dang amazing considering how crappy it could have been. I might expand on this and give deeper explanations if my mind cares to catch up with my fingers.

Presently I am supposed to be studying for some Law of Mass Communication test tomorrow (or doing homework assignments related to that class), but I don't really feel motivated in the slightest. Each court case presented by the text book essentially results in split courts unable to make up their mind what constitutes libel or breach of freedom of expression. Everything is up to debate, that's what it amounts to. How am I supposed to give a definitive answer on a homework assignment or a test when there is no right or wrong answer? Moreover, how am I, a measly undergrad Journalism student, supposed to formulate an opinion when so-called experts, supreme court justices, can't agree upon one. It's as if they're all high on capital hill just saying "well yeah I think that's libel." 

"But wait," another justice responds, "blah blah blah blah blah the court system, blah blah blah, original jurisdiction, blah blah blah blah blah, actual malice was not proven, blah blah blah." Make up your minds people so I can make up mine! I just wanna get out of this class, not be the next supreme court justice sitting around philosophizing about whether or not something is protected speech. 

End rant