Selfishism

Lately I've been talking a lot with people about politics and the economy and, in general, things I don't really know much about. These kinds of conversations are, for me, fact-finding missions, and also missions to see if my friends/acquaintances are trustworthy or full of shit. Here is how the conversation usually goes:

Me: [Make an OUTLANDISH claim just to stir up shit] "I think we should ____ because ____. What do you think?"

Friend/Acquaintance: "Well, that's all well and good for _____ but that's not actually a thing. Blah blah blah, well-founded argument [or not]."

Me: Yeah, I don't really have an opinion because I don't know enough about the subject about which I just started a conversation with you.

And then I go on to make another outrageous claim and the cycle starts over.

To the untrained eye I might seem like a total fucking idiot. I am, however, not. To the trained eye, I am someone who only does research on things that have a direct impact on her life, such as what she'll have to pay more for with HST, or what the steps are to renew her passport, or what a human fetus looks like at 9 weeks (no, I'm not pregnant, just pro-choice), the meaning of "telos", or, more mundanely, how to make matzoh ball soup. (Yes, if you look in my Google search history you'll find all those things.)

HST is an example of my selective researching that I can tease out a bit more to illustrate the point of Selfishism. For instance, I don't mind paying 7% more for snack foods, because I generally don't buy them. Unlike GP, I don't really go for the salty snacks and instead I choose to make my nutritional blunders with homemade cookies and cakes and pies (oh my!). Staples like butter, sugar, eggs and flour are not taxable, conveniently. However, I definitely do dislike paying more for recreation. That shit is already pretty expensive. I also dislike how little the government told everyone about HST. If I were in charge everyone would've been sent out a flyer. I don't care how much it woulda cost; it's one small piece of paper for everyone and you only need to send it once. Seriously, if a girl with a degree in Linguistics and English can think it up, it's not rocket science, just common sense.

My friend Charles posted something on Facebook about the failings of a capitalist economy and now I'm in a semi-debate with some old redneck who thinks the way our economy works is the best thing since sliced bread. I disagreed and told him why. He retorted by completely missing my point and saying "I don't rely on any government hand out and I pray daily I never will." He also said, in a nutshell, that I should be happy that I benefit so greatly from Capitalism. Clearly he has lived a sheltered (selfish?) life. I said to him that although I have been born into a position of privilege, the majority of people on earth have not, and Capitalism does not favour a fair living situation for all humans (or animals, or the protection of the planet). Now, call me idealist, or a dreamer, but I'm not the only one (couldn't resist).

Ok, so maybe I'm not completely selfish. Or maybe the things I'm selfish about are basic things that everyone wants and needs, so everyone should be more selfish. Or maybe I don't know what the hell I'm talking about and this post has rambled aimlessly. Am I selflessly selfish? Shellfish? I'm getting tongue-tied here. Time for me to get a non-taxable snack.

08/19 EDIT: Kelly Black suggested I include this video in this blog post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOP2V_np2c0 and I agree with him. I also think he and Nicola Temmel should meet and possibly date because they'd have a lot to talk about. Oh dear, I think I just made any potential meeting they might have very awkward. Sorry, guys.