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Reality Sandwiches Zine - based in NJ - Issue #1
Reality Sandwiches
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Issue Two Volume One
IN THIS ISSUE
Coping with the Inevitable -- Johann von Intellectual
"Self Contained Cosmos"
Go Away, Chuck -- The Holy Fig
Untitled -- Darth
Press F1 for Help -- Johann von Intellectual
"Crown" -- Jack Sensitive
"Delirious Bliss" -- Ox E. Moron
"Happy Birthday, Mr.Christ" -- Darth
Coping with the Inevitable
------------------------------------
by Johann von Intellectual
Albert Camus said, "Society will always exist, and we, as individuals
have to escape it or come to terms with it, to avoid being crushed by it."
Certainly, society is many things: a concept, an idea, a structure, but more
than anything else, society is a machine. Machines are designed to run with
clock- like efficiency (for this reason they are made). Society, too,
strives to become an entity devoid of a feeling or moral reason. And like
any good machine, society cannot function if something is not perfectly in
place. Things that do not add to the productivity of the whole are simply
sorted out and removed. This removal takes the form of being alienated and
excluded.
Before an understanding of its effects can be attempted, one must
have a knowledge of what society can represent. Society can be defined as
being a civilization, or a group of people living together, presumably under
civilized conditions. Aside from that, there society should also be accepted
as being an entity all its own, in a sense, as a living creature that cannot
fully be classified, and thus, cannot fully be controlled. As such, it finds
itself lacking of any concept of morality, centering, rather, on obligation.
With obligation comes the inevitable responsibility, which gives rise to the
machine like quality of society. It is believed that man created machines to
serve him. These machines are created, and if need be, can be destroyed by
man. What sets society apart from ordinary machines is that man has no
control over the ebb and flow of society, as man can never fully understand
it. And like a machine, society doesn't think or reason, it just does. It
doesn't stop to ask itself "why?", or "how?", it just functions. The
coldness society puts forward is a reason why so many people feel separated
from it.
Society is a shackle which seeks to restrain the individual from any
behavior that would not benefit the machine. If a disturbance is found, the
whole will shun and alienate them from the group. This disturbance can be in
the form of a physical difference, or as a mental dissimilarity with what is
collectively regarded as being "The norm". Consider, for example, a school.
Schools follow the same basic curriculum statewide, and are primary conveyors
of society's opinions. Consider a given school. In this school, suppose
there are a group of students who dress differently, talk differently, or act
differently from what is considered to be the archetypal student. These
students will be singled out, and removed from the microcosmic society that
is the school. In turn, those students will find other students who don't
meet their concept of the archetypal student, and in turn, alienate them.
Like a well- kept machine, society simply functions.
Religion has been in existence ever since mankind acknowledged there
existence as what is, in essence, a finite being. Religion sought to explain
the unexplainable, and gave the weak-minded a nice little excuse for doing
what they do. Consider politics. The United States has never had a
president who did not have a religious affiliation. Why is it that a field
as pure as religion is introduced into one that is reputed as being so
corrupt? Religion is an excuse for doing evil. By going to church for two
hours, one feels validated in committing actions that go against the precepts
of the religion they strive so hard to gain the acceptance of. The reason
for this is society's urgings towards decadence and excessiveness. As a
machine, society corrupts people by offering wealth and riches and material-
istic pleasures. For these brief happinesses, most people will do whatever
it takes. Religion simply becomes a form of atonement. As Hindu
philosophies teach, "Performing a good action done for the wrong reason is
worse than not performing it at all". It is simply a matter of time before
organized and institutionalized religion takes over all mankind's thoughts,
further diminishing the line between reality and formality.
Society on a whole is an evil, malevolent, rat-race with no morals or
sincerity. The only thing that keeps the infinitely limited human from
killing each other is the strength of the individual. The one, the
individual is the only acceptable aspect of society, accounting for all the
good in the world. If we are to believe Nietzsche in thinking that mankind
will destroy himself before rising out of finitude, then it can be concluded
that mankind is doomed. One can question this by saying that nothing is
predetermined, and that you are what you become by acting. This is true, but
how can one measure "What they are", since there are no steadfast absolutes
to use as benchmarks, save those imposed on the individual by society.
The individual is society's only hope for change and rebirth. The
drive to succeed and be successful is inherent in human nature. The very
nature of society dictates that individuals are needed to make the machine
operate. Society lures the finite individuals into it by promising wealth
and lucre, further fueling the individual's lust for materialistic pleasures
and power. That individual, then, is lost to the unending web of deceit,
greed, selfishness and malevolence that society is wont to project. Said
individual then in effect becomes a tool to society, and for this reason,
society will never cease to exist until either mankind rises above his
finitude, or until mankind becomes extinct. The irony in this scenario is
that mankind is governed by society's laws, this includes society's
definition of success.
A machine cannot function without proper conditions. Society needs
people to exploit in order to function. If a certain ideal is accepted one
day, that will be what society, the machine, forces on the individual. Those
who do not conform are antisocial, and are alienated from the society which
without them would not function. And until a definitive standard can be
achieved, mankind will exhaust himself in trying to cope with the machine.
------------------------
"Self Contained Cosmos"
-----------------------
Am I the victim of my own masochistic self-quarantine?
I spent three comatosed months with figures of speach, an ideal-cum-human,
some long-distance deliberors and a stereotype.
Have I missed the Ressurection? Has another Joe with God in his hands stood
up to lead the moral hate parade?
I have sat alone, with delusions of universal worth.
Riding Cosmic waves of verse and revelation.
I testified, a witness to my own agnostic miracles, sitting in the Court of
his honor, Judas Christ.
I spent time in prison, in a dingy cell with the Patron Saint of False Idols,
only to be sprung by Carlo Marx, a rosy figmant of my hibernation.
I found starry-eyed salvation with the queen of the cynics, we'll walk
backward into the sunset...
Came up for smog in the hollow sunlight of early Autumn.
Looked outside at the feigning plague, disguised as a Victorian Home, two
kids and faith in God.
Nowhere to go but back.....
---------------------------
Go Away Chuck
-----------------------
by The Holy Fig
America had no problem getting rid of the Edsel, the teletype and the
Seattle Pilots, why then can't this seemingly inherent logic be applied to
literature? The question is really this: Why are there various standards for
literary knowledge. Is it a prerequisite to be versed in Shakespeare and
Twain and Dickens? Maybe, and maybe not. Consider that archaic texts such
as Homer's The Odyssey are standard high school reading, supplanted by a
chorus of Dickens, Hemmingway, Steinbeck and Frost. Who created these
staples of modern literature courses? Better yet, when did he create them?
There's a simple reason as to why you, your children and your grandchildren
will all have to wade through A Tale of Two Cities, The Sun Also Rises and
their cousins. The reason for all this nonsense isn't found in a faraway
land in a cryptic manuscript written by a paraplegic monk eleven hundred
years ago (though look for it on your summer reading list). Actually, the
fact of the matter is that people, any given person, doesn't want to stand
out in a crowd in a negative manner. So, if the norm is blue, most people
won't wear red. That is to say if a hundred years ago the Heinrich von
Literature, prince of Bohemia, proclaimed Charles Dickens was the second
coming, few would argue.
Ernie and Chuck are understandable to some degree, but why is Homer
still around? Granted, the Odyssey is an important work, but it's not
entertaining, symbolic or as recently documented, factual. The Odyssey is a
story. Stories have no symbolism. Thus, the Odyssey (a story) has no
symbolism. (The crowd hushes and stands in awe at the Holy Fig's syllogism).
Why is it then that all English instructors everywhere enjoy spitting out
little micro filaments of theme and irony and nonexistent symbolism from
their literary PEZ dispenser in all cardinal directions? Simply put, they
don't want to admit the simplistic nature of the book. Consider the fact
that Homer was a bard, a storyteller, if you will. His audiences were mostly
the common people of Greece. Is it worth his while to incorporate symbolism
into a story when nearly no one in his audiences will pick up on it.
Furthermore, it goes without saying that ninety-nine percent of said audience
didn't want to hear about symbolism and theme and irony. They wanted to pass
the time, and so they did. Nowadays however, if a book lacks symbolism (Bite
thy tongue, ye heathen bastard), then it's evil and unnecessary. Nobody is
going to dispute the necessity of a 1000 year old tale, unfortunately. As it
stands, literature is a frighteningly hypocritic endeavor.
Moving right along. Not to say that all English instructors are
braying jackasses. I digress that most of the gens in society are so damn
afraid of being different that they'll merrily waltz through whatever bogus-
intellectual drivel is thrown in front of them. Jackels I tell you, Jackels.
-----------------
Untitled (although if it were, it would have a colon in it)
-----------------------------------------------------------
by Darth
Being as how I am one who likes keeping up with the nuances and
variations in pop culture, I feel a little commentary on the media's latest
favorite buzzword is necessary. My biggest complaint is all this garbage
about being alternative. Alternative to what?! The mainstream (that which
is not alternative) is alternative, because everything alternative is in the
mainstream. Let me rephrase: When you make 10 million dollars per concert,
wear designer, pre-ripped jeans and flannel shirts from Italy to be
alternative (i.e fall into place with a fad), then you can't be alternative.
If you wear designer ripped jeans, etc. because you want to, then that's your
business. To rephrase again. That which is alternative is not as popular
in the world as the mainstream. The mainstream is that which is popular
amongst the largest group of people. If "alternative" or being "alternative"
is what everybody is, then it's the mainstream. Alternative then becomes
something that is mainstream. Ironic, yes.
-----------------------
Press F1 for Help
-----------------
by Johann von Intellectual
We (meant as the collective human race) exist in a societal frame of
mind that shuns individualism. Instead, the powers that be attempt to sway
everyone towards a happy medium of conformity. Like cattle, really. Move or
be trampled. Simply stated, man, humans, etc. do NOT need a community to
survive. While it's nice to think there is such a thing as BROTHERHOOD for
the sake of BROTHERHOOD, such views are also idealistic in excess. The
idea(l) of a community is particularly intriguing. Granted, a community
will give a person a false, diluted sense of acceptance, IF that person is
willing to forsake his individuality and become a number. Community is a
term that is so misused in so many instances. Yahweh High and the football
team mean nothing. Simply because Yahweh high and the football team aren't
real, they're creations. That's the unfortunate truth - NONE OF IT'S REAL!!!
The same community that PREACHES brotherhood will be the first to EXCLUDE the
individual from their activities. They'll hate you without knowing you, and
you'll hate back twice as hard...IS THIS BROTHERHOOD?
I can't justify the hypocrisy of community. Everything is acceptable
except when it's by someone different. A jaded (mis)interpretation of
COMMUNITY can be achieved empirically. For one, the concept\idea\thought of
being an active, accepted member of any given community does not appeal. As
Allen Ginsberg once wrote, "What is acceptance, not more than a word". The
state of being or not being accepted is no measure of a person.
---------------------
"Crown"
-------
by Jack Sensitive
skin transparent white,
cough syrup blood, wedding dress let out a bit,
glows like the Neon American Dream against sheet-like white,
float on the way to boyfriend's backseat or Klan Meeting...
little matter which...
looking back right right through you,
sucking on womanly status sticks,
shoes off...
plenty of freedom awaits you in GAP-SPONSORED JUDGEMENT DAY,
you read about it in Newsweek...
you continue on the road to mail-order success...
vertebrate-free makeout with Johny Masculine...
crew cut, football jersey grope-fiend...
spits right through you and leaves you for the next scourging
"Delirious Bliss"
-----------------
by Ox E. Moron
I'm a cliche, why not?
most everyone is.
I just don't fight it.
Why bother so hard to attain an image,
that's not really there,
and doesn't want you,
anyway?
Just because,
is just because.
It doesn't matter really.
I guess I'm just a
sterotype.
For what a typical
stereotype is.
You don't know me.
You can't hate me.
Really.
Does that matter,
or does it?
In a perfect world.
Is not.
--------------------
"Happy Birthday, Mr. Christ"
----------------------------
by Darth
Poster reads,
Kierkegaardian angel to present the prize,
To the whitest man alive.
Here's your present, Lord Jesus Christ.
You get to try again.
--------------------
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Editors Note: Next issue will be out by Mid-Feb.
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Even if you hated every word you read, let us know.
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