greatness and our dim future

Q: What really bothers me about LeBron's decision is the effect it's going to have on the younger generation. Young kids everywhere are going to see this and think that it's better to take the easier road to success instead of taking the chance at being great. If you have a chance at transcendence but it seems just a little too hard or too much for you to handle, then don't go for it. Take the easy road. That's the lesson learned and the trend set for this generation. But then again, this is also the generation that airs out their beef on Facebook/Twitter. This is the generation that could never understand what JFK's quote "We do this not because it is easy, but because it is hard" really means. Hell, this is the generation that thinks the greatest rapper of all time is a Canadian who got famous because he was on a Nickelodeon show. So maybe LeBron's just a product of his time and he's just doing what he thinks is right. But what do I know? Call me old-fashioned, but then again I'm only 21.
-- Sopan, New Brunswick, N.J.

Woe to us! Our youth are going to think that achieving ridiculous wealth by playing a game with your friends is more fun than trying to destroy everyone else the way the "great" Jack Kennedy did! What grim portent!

Sorry, Sopan, I don't call you old-fashioned. I call you brainwashed.

hippies and small farmers have unfair advantage say men with guns

People organize to get the food they want. They leave giant corporations out of the process, so those corporations send men with guns to steal that food. This is called "leveling the playing field for producers" by the government. Ha!

fine, I'll talk about LeBron

Ok despite my constant complaining about the absurdity of professional sports, I still pay some attention to the NBA. And the reactions to this whole LeBron to Miami thing are so fucking stupid. Take this, from a recent Bill Simmons mailbag:

City: Cleveland

Name: Paul
I'm 25 years old. I'm about to re-enlist for another tour overseas with the Army. I have an idea of what matters and what doesn't.

But this still hurts. Nothing stings worse than when one of your own rips your heart out. Not like this ...

Maybe I should do what's best for me and get out of the Army. Unfortunately, loyalty is driving me to do one more tour.

LeBron knows nothing of that word.

Where do I even start? You have an idea what matters because you're part of a death machine that is occupying countries across the globe to serve the interests of American corporations? And despite your brilliant grip on "what matters," you think it matters what uniform a professional basketball player wears? Whether the professional sports team from your city throws a ball through a hoop more often than any other? And "loyalty"? Loyalty to what, your employer? Fuck that.

And then this whole "Jordan would have wanted to beat Wade, not join him" thing is amusing too. You want to know something about Jordan? He's a fucking asshole. His teammates hated him and were terrified of him. He wanted to destroy everyone, and he did. Uh... great? LeBron seems just to be a nice, though hideously self-absorbed, guy who wants to hang out with his friends in a fun city. And this is supposed to be a bad thing? Go play ball in Miami, LeBron! Who fucking cares what Jordan would have done.