AMERICAN NIGHTMARE.

IT'S HALLOWEEN.  SO LEMME START BY SAYIN, FUUUCK HALLOWEEN.  I'M NOT MUCH FOR HOLIDAYS ANYWAY, ESPECIALLY ONE THAT REQUIRES ONE TO DRESS UP AND WEAR MASKS AND MAKEUP AND WHAT NOT.  I ALSO, KNOW THAT THERE'S A STORIED HISTORY BEHIND THE HOLIDAY AS WELL.  WE PRETEND THAT THE HOLIDAY IS REALLY ABOUT THE KIDS, AND TO A CERTAIN EXTENT IT IS, BUT, WITH THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE HOLIDAY, IT HAS BEEN REDUCED.  REDUCED TO, CANDY, COSTUMES, AND A FILM GENRE THAT RELIES HEAVILY ON HYPE INSTEAD OF ACTUAL SCARY FILMS.  LOOK I HAVE KIDS, AND TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, I GIVE IT ENOUGH ATTENTION TO APPEASE MY SEEDS, BUT ASIDE FROM THAT, I'M GOOD.  WHY GLORIFY A HOLIDAY WHERE WE GET TO DRESS UP AND BE SOMEONE ELSE?  WHY CONTRIBUTE TO A HOLIDAY THAT ACCEPTS WEARING MASKS, AS SOMEONE ELSE?  WHEN THE MOST SIGNIFICANT TRUTH IS....WE DO THIS EVERY SINGLE DAY.

WHETHER HERO, VILLAIN, OR JESTER, WE ARE HIDING EVERY DAY, OUR TRUE SELVES.  NOW, SOME WILL THROW UP THEIR HANDS AND SAY, YO!, THAT'S A LITTLE EXCESSIVE, AND IT MAY VERY WELL BE.  HOWEVER, THE FACT STILL REMAINS, THAT WE PRETEND ALL THE TIME, SO CREATING ANOTHER DAY TO CELEBRATE IT, IS BOGUS.  AND NO, I'M NOT ON THIS RANT BECAUSE I'M SICK AND CAN'T JOIN THE FESTIVITIES.  I WOULD FEEL THIS WAY ANYWAY, BUT, I AM STRAYING FROM THE MAIN POINT OF ME WRITING THIS VIEWPOINT IN THE FIRST PLACE.  WE HEAR SO MUCH, ABOUT THE AMERICAN DREAM, AND WHAT IT IS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE.  IT MAY HAVE BEGUN, AS SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT, AT FIRST, BUT IS NOW SOMETHING TRIVIAL, PEOPLE SAY.  NOW, TO THE BROKEN AND SUFFERING, I'M SURE THE AMERICAN DREAM IS SOMETHING VERY CHERISHED.  THIS IS WHY, SO MANY PEOPLE COME TO THIS COUNTRY IN THE FIRST PLACE, TO BECOME SOMETHING.  TO MAKE A NAME FOR THEMSELVES, AND LIVE, NOT JUST SURVIVE, BUT, LIVE IN HAPPINESS.  HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT, WHAT IT IS ANYMORE.  TO THE AVERAGE PERSON IN THIS PARTICULAR COUNTRY, THE AMERICAN DREAM IS TO HIT IT BIG, MAKE MILLIONS, BE FAMOUS, AND RETIRE TO SOME ISLAND.

THIS IS WHAT EXISTS, IN TERMS OF THIS SO CALLED DREAM, WE SPEAK SO FONDLY OF.  WE ARE ESSENTIALLY TALKING ABOUT THE AMERICAN DREAM AT ANY COST.  THIS IS NOT WHAT THE DREAM, WAS INITIALLY FIRST BUILT UPON IN THE BEGINNING.  IN THE BEGINNING STAGES OF THIS NATION, MANY IMMIGRANTS, YES IMMIGRANTS, FROM ALL OVER THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD CAME HERE, TO BE FREE.  NOT ONLY TO BE FREE, BUT, TO BE ABLE TO WORK TOWARD A GOAL AND PROVIDE FOR THEIR FAMILIES AND IN TURN BUILD A LEGACY, TO BE RESPECTED IN THE FUTURE.  HOWEVER, OVER TIME, THAT IDEAL WAS LOST, AND WE ALL BECAME CRABS.  THIS IS THE MOST DISTURBING PART OF THE MOTIVATION TO OBTAIN THE AMERICAN DREAM.  IT'S NO LONGER ABOUT HARD WORK, AND SACRIFICE, BUT ABOUT THE EASIEST ROUTE TO THE TOP, MANIPULATION, AND TREACHERY.  NOW, THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN EVER PRESENT IN HUMAN NATURE, BUT, IT HAS BECOME EVEN MORE PREVALENT BECAUSE WE REWARD IT.  IT ADDS TO THE DRAMA, WHERE PEOPLE ARE OUT TO "GET THEIRS", AND FOR ENTERTAINMENT ARE WILLING TO CATAPULT OFF OF OTHER PEOPLE'S BACKS AND SACRIFICE THEM, BEFORE NUMBER ONE.

NOW, THAT, IS SCARY.

THAT EVERYONE IS A POTENTIAL SUCKER, AND EVERYONE IS A POTENTIAL PREDATOR, IS A SCARY THOUGHT.  WE ALREADY KNOW, THAT THE POWERS THAT BE, WHO HAVE ALREADY OBTAINED THE AMERICAN DREAM, SACRIFICE THE COMMON MAN AND LIVE OFF OF OUR HARD WORK, BUT, THE SCARY PART, IS THAT FOR THEIR ENTERTAINMENT THEY WATCH US DO IT TO EACH OTHER.  THAT IS THE NIGHTMARE.  THE AMERICAN NIGHTMARE.  THOSE OF YOU, WHO ARE CHASING THE SO-CALLED DREAM, SHOULD REALLY TAKE THE TIME TO EVALUATE WHAT IT IS, YOU ARE HOPING TO ACHIEVE.  ARE YOU TRYING TO BE LIKE MICHEAL JORDAN?  MAYBE JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER?  ONE DAY, YOU'LL BE POSED WITH THE QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT THE DREAM INVOLVES, CASUALTIES, AND EXPENDABLES.  THAT IS WHEN, THE MASK EITHER COMES OFF, OR STAYS ON.  HAPPY FUCKIN HALLOWEEN.