Today was a good day

I've just had the best Wednesday I can remember in a long time: a los campesinos! 6music session, an excellent opportunity to laugh at impotent Obama, more sneaking into UCL/LSE after skipping my History resit, drunken Skyping last night & then a 10-hour sleep, plus I booked some post-offer open days, planned my 18th and cut a fringe in.

The only downside was that History revision has made me realise that the history of mankind is actually just a cycle of destruction, with wars causing more wars. The Seven Years' War caused the American & French Revolutions in exactly the same way that WW1 caused WW2. We're hateful creatures. It wasn't too great a revelation though, always the misanthropist.

Anyway, for once I have little to say. Time for bed.

Hope anyone who's reading had a similarly pleasant Wednesday.

Monday morning

It occurs to me that if you study any subject for long enough, you lose track of it. Philosophy revision is a prime example; by the time I've finished writing out all the arguments and evaluating them (which AQA seems to frantically jerk off over for some reason), they all blur into one and I just retreat to my usual nihilistic scepticism. Maybe study is pointless.

Well, that idea brings me neatly to my most recent dilemma : to gap year or not to gap year? UCAS is distracting me from revision which is ridiculously absurd as I can't even meet my current offers if I don't do well in my exams, let alone meet any future ones. But yeah, I can't decide whether or not I want to be one of those bitter Oxbridge/LSE (if I do get rejected, which I will) rejects who refuses to give up and sacrifices a year of their life for prestige.

More interestingly, I see Cleggy has lost yet more Lib Dem votes by scrapping their old people/parents of young children vote-winners. Honestly, that party needs to sort itself out, all it has right now is Vince Cable's cool hairstyle/accent/supposed economics expertise. Apathy towards Labour & the Tories is, quite rightly, at an all-time high, yet it's refusing to offer an attractive alternative. This latest move just highlights their idiocy; they're never going to get into government so they should worry about practicality as little as possible, especially as most people vote instrumentally now, like consumers in a marketplace. Voters seem to be out for what they will gain if a particular party gets into power, but do not seem too bothered to check out the practicalities of such promises. The Lib Dems should capitalise on electoral laziness. As I said on a forum somewhere, the General Election 2010 is set to be a choice between centrist incompetence, centrist incompetence or centrist incompetence. How democratic.

Anyway, stop distracting me, exams start tomorrow. Argh. I've officially banned myself from all other internet distractions (Facebook chat, msn and Skype are evil), so I should get off here too.

I sincerely hope anyone reading has a better week than I'm going to.

One more thing

It seriously irritates me that people completely discount other people's opinions based on age. It's such a cop-out, the old "You're too young to understand." I mean, I don't sit here and tell them they're too fucking stupid to understand, do I? Why would it be completely unacceptable to dismiss someone based on intelligence or lack of academic research, whilst age discrimination is perfectly fine? I might be young, but I'm aware of that (thanks), so when I voice my opinion I make doubly sure that I've researched and considered my opinion thoroughly.

The area that this occurs the most is in politics. I honestly believe that if anyone actually thought things through logically, they'd be a free-marketeer, as the markets are necessarily just a more efficient form of direct democracy. Similarly, utilitarianism would die a quick death if people actually thought things through, because of Hume's Fork (ie. it's a fallacy to assume that just because things have always occurred in a certain way that they will continue to, voiding consequentialism). Thus anarcho-capitalism is actually a perfectly reasonable political position. Logic and economic theory won't change if I suddenly become ten years older, kthnx.

In fact, increased experience and/or age probably means that one is less likely to be correct, if anything. Accumulation of experience generally only means a greater appreciation of emotions and a gradual affection towards the status quo, after all. The young are therefore more likely to exercise pure reason, unblinkered by emotional fallacies.

Of course, I would say all of this, so this rant should probably be taken with a pinch of salt (mm, what does that expression mean anyway?). Especially since it's nearly 8am and I haven't slept in two days. Oh, the folly of youth!

Umm

I'm in one of those moods where you can't decide what to do, so just end up wasting hours and hours and hours. It's almost like self-destruction is our default setting.

Everything's incredibly dull at the moment: none of my friends are around til next week when uni terms start and every second I don't spend revising just makes me feel guilty. There's all the UCAS/money stress and annoyances of everyday life. It's too cold and icy to go running, for instance. & I've got the sniffles. I also got this reallly pretty dress in the sales the other day and, now I've tried it on again, I've just realised it's totally see-through. Oops.

On the other hand, I do love History revision. The French revolutionaries were such cunts, Louis 16th seemed like a nice bloke, there was no need for the execution; I'm with the Girondins. & there's good Portillo stuff and University Challenge on iplayer. & at least after the exams it'll be my birthday, jamie t!, japandroids & los camp! gigs and then a holiday. It will be such a relief to actually have my own ID too.

Oh oh oh and in other good news, I've just completed a hierarchy of political sexiness with my friend James. I think it's highly accurate: 1 is sexiest, 10 is least sexy.

1. Anarcho-capitalists

2. Anarcho-communists

3=Communists

3=Libertarians

4. Traditional conservatives

5. Socialists

6. Centre-right

7. Centre-left

8. Fascists/Nationalists/Authoritarian nutjobs generally

9. Centrists

10. Those who aren't interested at all

Yes, I think that's exactly right and, no, I don't find it at all strange that I'd rather go out with a commie than a Tory boy, thanks. And blates anarchists and libs must be the sexiest, it all makes perfect sense.

Anyway, I seriously need to do some work. G'night.