More interview memeage

[sabotabby]

These ones are from feath

1) If you could change 1 thing (and ONLY 1 thing) in the world, what would it be? Why?


I'd replace capitalism with a less-dysfunctional economic system. I don't think that would solve all the world's problems, but it'd be a good start. Remove the profit motive, and you have far less incentive to hoard wealth, to waste energy on wars, or to tear the world to shreds in an attempt to sell every available resource.

2) If you could kill someone, anywhere in the world, and know you'll never get caught, who would you kill, and why?

As much as I'd like to see someone like Bush or Sharon die a nasty death, I can't justify killing only one important political figure. There's always a Cheney or Netenyahu waiting in the wings, after all. That's why all those stories where someone goes back in time to kill Hitler don't appeal to me; ultimately, it wouldn't have changed anything.

I'm left with the choice of killing an unimportant political figure (Pinochet stands out as a particularly monstrous individual) or to go with truly personal vengeance. I still have hopes that old war criminals will one day be brought to justice.

So that leaves personal vengeance. No one in my life has warranted that. A few people have done unforgivable things to some of my friends, but I don't know any of their names, making them hard to track down.

I suppose I could kill Ann Coulter for kicks, though.

3) If you magicly change into anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

Here's another cop-out answer -- much as I would love to be richer, smarter, and better looking, I think I would just abuse the privilege.

4) With all expenses paid; Who would you take to dinner, where would you take them (anywhere in the world). Tell us in detail what the date would include.

That's one of those questions to which the answer would probably change daily. I think today I'd like to be hanging out with Subcommandante Marcos, having Thai food (in Thailand, obviously). The date would regress from an intellectual discussion on post-capitalist economics and experimental poetry to revolutionary porn as we got increasingly drunk.

5) Where in the world would you love to go? Why? (If you've been there, where was it?)

In no particular order:
• Palestine, because I think I could be useful there, and even more useful here after I'd come back.
• Mexico (see answer to question 4...heh.)
• Venezuela, because I want to know if the Bolivarian revolution is all it's cracked up to be.
• Cuba, especially after frandroid's answers to this meme.
• Russia, because a) that's where part of my family originated, and b) because I'm going in a year and I can't wait!

Actually, these days I want to pretty much go anywhere and everywhere. I've only ever been to the First World -- Canada, the US, Italy, and Germany -- and I feel terribly sheltered as a result.

EDIT: Videos to make you squee:

Norwegian anti-Bush rap: So. Completely. Adorable. (Thanks, jk_fabiani)
The best ad Ikea ever made. (Thanks, _flyonthewall_)

Comments

[springheel-jack.livejournal.com]

is Subcommandante Marcos hot? I thought he wore a mask most of the time.

[sabotabby]

He has nice eyes.

[khalinche.livejournal.com]

The Bolivarian revolution is not all it's cracked up to be, according to people who do anth/poli sci work in Venezuela, but they say it's not really Chavez's fault. Venezuela's been a one-party state for so long that there are no skilled civil service people without an interest in maintaining the status quo. Basically his party infrastructure is having to invent itself as it goes along. Chavez is committed, but the base of skilled people willing to carry out his agenda doesn't exist, so a lot of reforms that need to happen haven't.

That's the impression I got from Julia Somebody of Bradford University's paper at a recent conference, anyway.

[sabotabby]

Sounds about right, unfortunately.

[frandroid.livejournal.com]

There was a huge exodus of skilled people (something like half a million) that left Cuba right after the Revolution, so the first ten years were quite painful, until they finally managed to train a whole new generation of skilled technicians that didn't (couldn't) run away...

[rohmie.livejournal.com]

Less adorable.

[sabotabby]

Nope, I've seen that. Don't really want to see it again.

[rohmie.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry. I immediately saw it as CGI, but I suppose there is a split second where it seems real.

[frandroid.livejournal.com]

Oh man, when I was looking for this ad all the links were down or something. So finally I get to see this famous thing.

AHEhAHEAHEhaHEaHEhaEhaHehaehaHEhA

I like when someone tugs at my strings like this.

[rohmie.livejournal.com]

Well, I was posting this as more of a "isn't this fucked up?" kind of thing. Did this ad ever get aired? I mean, apart from offending cat lovers, there are a number of people who are wary of anything automatic in cars (automatic seat belts, etc.). It seems to me that, however clever or cute the idea may seem, that someone in PR would realize that evil mechanical anthropomorphism isn't the best way to sell cars.

This ad is better because it's friendly, non-threatening anthropomorphism and we immediately know it's not real.

Speaking of famous footage and bad links, I still can't get the Bush video to load and I have heard about this thing forever.

[sabotabby]

Too bad. I think you'd like it. Maybe it's blocked in the US...?

[frandroid.livejournal.com]

The head-chopping ad did get broadcast in Britain, but then it got quickly chopped itself as complaints started flooding in like the Bangladesh monsoon season.

[rohmie.livejournal.com]

I still can't believe that someone at the company didn't realize they were sending a subliminal message - however fanciful - that their cars were unsafe. As my friend entitled his post, Downright Stephen King-esque.