Circumstances are making me write this down. Otherwise, I simply wouldn't bother --- the battle over Prop 8 is over. The opposing side won.
But I resent one argument that keeps popping up: that those who voted yes on Prop 8 somehow "struggled" with their vote.
Please.
Being gay is not easy. This is a fact of life that seems to be lost on a lot of people. And so, in effect, the underlying message from the argument that a Prop 8 backer somehow "struggled" with their vote is that being gay, ultimately, is a choice.
Dude, I admit it: I make a lot of dumb choices. Like how, on Wednesday, I went to McDonalds with my co-workers even though I knew my stomach was hurting and McDonalds food was the last thing I should be eating. Or the time my former roommate went to Vegas and, for whatever reason, didn't tell her mom, who confronted me about it on the phone and demanded of me, "Are you lying?" I still struggle with that phone call --- should I have made an excuse for my roommate, whom I was close to at the time? Or was it not my responsibility? (I eventually muttered an, "uh... uh... I don't know", which didn't satisfy the mother at all, but at least it was enough to end the awkward call.) One of the worst choices I ever made, both as a gay man and as a person in general, was being so conflicted about my feelings that I ruined what could have been a spectacular friendship. The downfall of that friendship will reach its tenth anniversary very soon --- see? It still haunts me to this day. My heart gets broken just like anyone. If I could have just somehow taken away that "gay part" of me, if it were a limb that I could have hacked off to save our friendship, I would have done just that. The problem with backing Prop 8 is that you have challenged a notion so utterly natural and classic: it not homosexuality, nor is it even "traditional" family values. What you have challenged are the universal notions reflected in "Sleepless In Seattle" and "When Harry Met Sally", "Sabrina" and "An Affair To Remember" --- romance, one true love, and possibly normalcy.
But this gay thing is no choice, no choice at all. And if I ever, if I EVER, asked a straight person to deny their own feelings, I would get shot down by abstract yet passionate arguments about religion or biological destiny. I WOULD LOSE EACH AND EVERY TIME. And yet here I am, still stuck being quite homosexual as plainly as night and day.
I do, however, understand the fear in allowing gay marriage to pass. Recently, I watched a BBC documentary about genetic sexual attraction and I thought to myself, "OMG, how can this be?" I also thought to myself, "This is what straight people and Prop 8 people are afraid of." I'm afraid of it, too. I'm afraid that some child molester will hijack our defense and say that they can't help it, so the law has to be on their side. And so, where Prop 8 is concerned, I too am a yes voter: yes, I'm also afraid of what the floodgates might bring.
But as the argument regarding terrorist Muslims and fundamentalist Christians and rural polygamist Mormons goes, so it also goes for the gay community: in spite of the headline-grabbing minority, most of us are normal, fair-minded people, so much that we are completely and utterly boring. Why, for example, did I want to defeat Prop 8? Is it because I'm 26 years old and I'm drawn to sexy social causes of the moment? Sure, all right. Probably. Or maybe because, in addition to being a gay man, I'm also a gay Catholic man whose family emigrated from the Philippines by way of United States military service? The American Dream has always been in my blood: as a child, I would overhear my parents talking about their grand plans to buy our first home (they eventually ended up buying two, long before the housing crisis), and during those conversations, I dreamed about owning my own home as well. In those dreams, my ultimate American Dream was really quite gay: to besure, there was my little suburban house, the white picket fence and manicured lawn, a golden retriever, two kids... and of course, my husband.
The dream has become slightly modified as I march toward adulthood (it's a grudging march, full of the same struggles as any other person in his twenties, but that's another story). For example, I now debate the wisdom of having more than just one child, and I'm faced with the dilemma of having a biological child versus adopting, especially after having closely examined my family bloodline. As for that golden retriever, I now like a variety of other dogs, and it strikes me that the kind of dog I choose will determine the kind of lifestyle our family ought to have. If I chose a terrier, for example, we could live in the countryside in one of those houses with a porch and white siding. And if that's the case, I could totally see myself as a homemaker, an occupation that I never seriously considered until my late twenties. Or maybe I could get a bichon frise, a mellow dog that would do well in the city, an environment in which I thrive best...
And the list goes on.
To have my dreams and destiny challenged is wrong. We all have our struggles, and as diverse waves of people push and then crash into one another, this great nation is also a sea of undying unrest. There will always be someone, somewhere, fighting for some sort of right. But all I want is to have dinner ready for my husband and my kid, wherever they might be. Oh, and I have to feed the dog. Lately, I've been drawn to food moniker: the dog might be Edamame or Mango Chutney. Or maybe Dona, because deep underneath this admittedly overweight and unattractive body, and further beneath that image and underneath this internal belief that I'm as elegant and sophisticated as Michelle Obama and Jackie O, I actually am a loud and proud old queen.
11.02.08 "Where was Joe on November 4, 2008?"
Some things never change. I'm back to having weight issues --- i.e., gaining weight, and feeling fat. I'm still single and, oh yes, I get money from my parents. But then here's this election, and I cannot seem to escape the magnitude that it weighs on my mind. By Wednesday morning, Barack Obama will be our new president. That's pretty much guaranteed at this point. But by Wednesday morning, will gay marriage be legal in California? Will San Francisco adopt a stunning public takeover of PG&E?
Those last two issues are less certain, and the public takeover of PG&E has an even slimmer certainty. And while I wish that the No On Proposition 8 campaign had started earlier and with better planning, I can't help but think over and over about how important it is that it gets defeated. I want my rights! And I want my president, in addition! So, more than just hype, more than just another election, this is a watershed moment in both the national history and my own. This is a momentous event in which I have invested so much emotion and time. This is more than just watercooler talk --- I've come to believe that my life, my existence, and my dignity are at stake. I voted for John Kerry in 2004 out of loyalty to my party, but this... this is all so different. It's wild. It's amazing.
I'm amazed that, as the first decade of the 21st century comes to a close, there are still people who begin their sentences with words like, "I have gay friends, but..." Why is this happening? Why is ignorance so powerful?
We still have work to do. Even after Barack becomes president, and whatever happens with Prop 8, we've got to keep fighting. This Tuesday, we have our chance to get our way. Afterward, life doesn't merely go on. Life evolves.
10.16.08 "How to Vote"
"This election is about tomorrow -- our nation's destiny in the 21st century..."
Donna Brazile
My California Endorsements:
I am generally in agreement with the Guardian's proposition endorsements, so click here to see them. I want to lean toward Yes on Propositions 7 and 10, but I'm concerned that they are only attractive and empty promises or, worse yet, facades of attractive and empty promises. I want to save the planet, but for now, I'll start on a smaller but no less relevant scale: with my own city, and voting yes on San Francisco's Proposition H.
A word on Proposition 8: I realize that not everyone is ready for gay marriage. I understand that it is a big social and cultural leap. Obviously, I say no to Proposition 8. But should Proposition 8 pass (as of this writing, the race is close), I have a few proposals of my own.
I propose that we move to adopt China's one-child policy. Heterosexual couples are reproducing at animalistic rates. Humanity, particularly American society, is a puppy mill with opposable thumbs. You straight people just like to keep on ticking, don't you?
The penalty for violating the policy would be adoption. For this, I am proposing Affirmative Adoption: minority families in which the spouses make a combined total of $60,000 a year would receive first priority.
Speaking of economic requirements, in addition to the one-child policy, I propose that you should only even have a child if you are over the age of 21 or make more than $30,000 a year, whichever comes first. If you decide to have a child without meeting these requirements, your penalties are minimal: regularly scheduled Caregiver supervision, plus you agree to accept financing to fund the completion of a degree at a community college or university chosen from a pre-determined list and within no more than 5 years. Basically, if you don't have an education, and you're not making bling, don't bother having children.
Hmm, it sounds like I'm picking on straight people. That doesn't feel too good, does it?
My point is that the "family unit" or cultural "values" are in no more danger under acceptance of gay marriage than under marriage exclusion. In fact, the very people who oppose gay marriage are often the ones ruining the basic structure and semblance of family. Worse yet is the ultimate truth: that some people are just more superior at raising families than others.
My San Francisco Endorsements:
Proposition A: YES
Because our city's main hospital needs some serious retrofitting.
PROPOSITION B: YES
Because we need more middle class people.
PROPOSITION C: NO
Because it's only good in theory. Needs to be re-worked.
PROPOSITION D: YES
Because the City By the Bay ought to have a decent waterfront.
PROPOSITION E: YES
Because we need to standardize this policy along with the rest of the state's.
PROPOSITION F: NO
Because voters, candidates, and the people who work for voters and candidates have enough pressure.
PROPOSITION G: YES
Because the City and County of San Francisco ought to have a happy workforce.
PROPOSITION H: YES
Because the planet is dying and we have to act decisively and drastically.
PROPOSITION I: NO
Because we won't need this when Proposition H passes.
PROPOSITION J: YES
Because we ought to preserve the city's past.
PROPOSITION K: NO
Because as progressive as I want to be, there are just too many variables.
PROPOSITION L: YES
Because I have some faith in the law.
PROPOSITION M: YES
Because good tenants are being kicked out for no good reason, and consequently, one economic class of people is overcoming another.
PROPOSITION N: YES
Because the city is owed money.
PROPOSITION O: YES
Because this is a useful tax.
PROPOSITION P: YES
Because I'm kind of jaded by Willie Brown's T-line. Let's try the Board's approach.
PROPOSITION Q: YES
For the same reason as Proposition N.
PROPOSITION R: NO
Because it's a cute idea, but disrespectful to the people who work there. And, believe it or not, this is kind of an important job. (I regret signing the petition to put this on the ballot.)
PROPOSITION S: NO POSITION
PROPOSITION T: YES
Because it would work in tandem with the Community Justice Center in Proposition L.
PROPOSITION U: NO
Because it seems kind of funky to have a policy that tells our elected officials how to vote. These people are elected based on our values, and once in office, they should have the freedom to interpret and steer the will of their constituency.
PROPOSITION V: YES
Because our kids need the option of choosing whether or not this kind of after-school program is right for them. Because kids can learn a lot of discipline and respect from this kind of program.
DISTRICT 1 RACE:
In my District, Sue Lee, Eric Mar, and Alicia Wang are the major candidates running for Supervisor. Using Ranked Choice Voting, I've decided on:
Eric Mar
Sue Lee
No vote
= = =
I've come to lately realize that I may be one of these latter-day San Franciscans who don't Walk the Talk. There are a lot of big ideas out there, but when it comes time to implement them, I choke and I retreat to ways I'm already familiar and comfortable with. I have often referred to this as being "moderate". But we are living in troubled times: poor health care, poor economy, and a dying planet. There has never been a better time to embrace the progressiveness that I've kept at bay. Barack Obama will lead our country, and I want my home city to be part of that new America.
09.24.08 "Stunning revelation"
No, this isn't about John McCain temporarily stepping off the campaign trail. I don't care about that disgraceful reinvention of himself.
Today, at long last, I have completed my Golden Girls DVD collection.
...well?
Go ahead. :-P
Make fun, but it has taken me nearly a year to amass all 7 seasons. It was simply financially impossible for me to buy them all at once. A few hours ago, when I placed the season 3 DVD set --- I bought them out of order --- in its rightful place on my DVD shelf, I suddenly got all sentimental. A lifespan has passed betwixt the acquisition of those DVD sets.
I got my first three seasons when I started my first Full Time job, also the first "grown up" job I've ever had. I felt so sophisticated. The money was good, my co-workers were good, and life was, after everything was said and done, pretty OK. And then "pretty OK" changed, and life was different again.
I remember getting the next two sets on impulse. I was jobless, so I was feeling sorry for myself, and I happened to see them at Borders. I didn't get the most reasonable price for them, but they made me happy.
I actually don't remember if there's a story to the next set.
In terms of investment, I guess you can say I made a pretty reasonable investment in the collecting the whole show. Just ask my friends who hear me make Golden Girls references and quote Golden Girls lines at random and against their will. ("Joseph!" Diana pointedly says to me one day. "Must. Everything. In life. Revolve around the Golden Girls?")
But today, as I finally completed my collection with the last set, I was sentimental and retrospective about the whole endeavor. There's major stuff happening in my life right now, head-crushing "what do I do with my life?" kind of stuff. Typical for my demographic, but still head-crushing. The fact that I had occasion to buy the last set is meaningful. (Someday, I'll talk about that occasion...)
I know, it's kind of stupid. There's a lot happening in the world right now, and here I am going on about the Golden Girls. But I look at those 7 sets, see a slice of my life, and I think, "Whoah." And then I think, "Haha, I rock!"
08.27.08 "Nerdy, but..."
Each time I read about the election, or any other sorts of goings-on in our fair country, I can't help but think of Battlestar Galactica. That show has so effectively --- and entertainingly --- captured the zeitgeist of our current era that there are times when I literally have chills thinking of how something I've read in the news or something that has happened in real life mirrors something already written in a BSG episode.
This immigration raid is a prime example. The prolific teleplay writer Jane Espenson wrote an outstanding episode that encapsulated the class struggles of the BSG world; specifically, what made me think about that episode was the part of the immigration raid where one of the busted immigrants remarked that some of the other factory workers were applauding as the immigrants were being arrested. The premise of BSG is that humanity has been devastated and reduced to 40,000 survivors, yet there is no Trekkian sense of a common good or a noble cause. In the Jane Espenson episode, the people who operate the inner workings of what remains of the fleet are still being shafted --- still being denied basic human rights such as fair wages, benefits, and a chance for advancement. Similarly, here we are in a post-9/11 world, yet we've utterly failed as a people to reach, or even to comprehend, any basic sense of nobility. At least BSG has scriptwriters. For those of us who are more familiar with the show's premise, those 40,000 survivors are on the verge of finding Earth. Maybe someday we'll find Earth, too.
08.26.08 "Nevermind me, my lovelies"
So, I'm employed again. Yes!
But now it's time for you to make another donation --- and this time, it's for a cause that's actually good. This really nifty girl I know is running in a race that's quite nifty, if I do say so myself.
Thank you to those who donated last month. I was surprised at some of you who donated! Didn't I tell you to keep yourselves anonymous...? Haha. :)
The good news is that I have two job interviews lined up, at long last. For those of you who have ever been through the agony of job hunting, two job interviews is a bit of a coup after you've spent nearly every day job hunting --- which has pretty much defined nearly all of my non-out-of-town days this summer.
However, I have not been accepted into a position just yet, so please keep those donations coming at least through mid-month. I will also be posting an important writing update soon!
PS: The newly-reinvented Josh Peck: HOTNESS.
PPS: RIP BERNIE MAC.
PPPS: John Edwards --- what the fuck, man? I idolized you.
04.29.08 "The conversation begins"
I was poking around on YouTube and I came across Obama's January 2007 announcement that he'll be forming an exploratory committee. An exploratory committee! He hadn't even yet decided to run. It's helpful to watch a video clip like this and to reflect on all the time that has elapsed since then. When we remind ourselves of how we started, then we can begin again. And keep going.
04.28.08 "All the things that go through my mind"
Dear Middle America,
The other day I was sitting in a waiting room, and lying around was a New Yorker from last year. Reading this article helped give me some much-needed perpsective on Obama's Pennsylvania results. Although I prefer to say that he didn't lose Pennsylvania, but instead that Clinton won (semantics, at least in this case, is everything), the numbers basically say that Obama did, in fact, lose. And that has been bumming me out --- that is, until I read the aforementioned article. I thought it was interesting that Obama is now kind of back to where he was last Thanksgiving, which is strangely both recent and far away.
I'll always remember the day that Obama lost in Pennsylvania, because that's the same day that I was rejected for a job that I'd been pining after with gusto. I thought about how Obama is some man, some figure, who is completely disconnected from my life in every relevant way. He has nothing to do with me. He is a stranger. Although he has the capacity to be "my" president, the use of the word "my" is relatively meaningless. If he does become president, he'll certainly make choices that will affect my life, but in the end he's not "my" anything. Yet I find myself drawn to him in a surprisingly personal way.
One of the arguments against Obama's candidacy is that he's too inexperienced. The Democratic contest is being called a marathon of "personality politics", and my main argument for supporting Obama is just as subjective as personality politics but is nevertheless true. We all should support Obama if only because he's something different. Since the 1990s, our leadership has been Bush-Clinton-Clinton-Bush-Bush. And that's not counting the Bush vice presidency. Hello?
I've been known to write a good letter. My letters have incited either fury or admiration. Once, I was called a "good man" because of things I said in one letter in particular. Four years have passed since I wrote that letter. The person who called me a "good man" is no longer in my life because of reasons that, well, proved I'm not so much of a "good man". When I write a letter, I try to say everything I want to say, but I also try to understand what will be empathic for the recipient. It's my way of reaching out for an agreement. I don't think Obama's candidacy is a letter, though. It's a promise. Let's look back at everything he's said during his campaign. Let's examine how he's said those things. Let's look at his record and separate everything into Pro and Con columns. Can he keep his promise? Ultimately, the reason he has my vote is because he has the uncanny ability to both craft a good letter and make a promise. He is a good man and he will be a good president.
Obama's voice is totally and absolutely the freshest voice that has descended on Washington and the American people in a long time. But is he ready? Will he need on-the-job training? The answers to those questions will be endlessly debated in other arenas in which logic is the main imperative. But here, within my space, I think we should all get behind him if only because this man has truly put himself out there on behalf of what he believes in. Whether or not he's adequately experienced seems immaterial compared to the heart he injects and infuses into every promise he makes.
Injects and infuses: his every word penetrates with the sharpness of a syringe. That's where he differs from other candidates, because I believe he isn't just saying things that he think should be said, or that the people might want to hear. He is the bravest, most honest candidate to come in a long time, and he says what needs to be said even if it might be unpleasant for his candidacy and toward other people. Also, he has never struck me as particularly incendiary. When he speaks, his aim isn't to divide. He's merely stating what might be right and what might be wrong, and how the two might be mended. He is a progressive, and I use that word with absolutely no caution at all, knowing that it's been co-opted by fundamenalist thinking. Progression is not an agenda; it is a genuine desire to grow, to take those brave steps forward. But no one likes to leave their comfort zones, and taking forward steps can be scary. There are people out there who have seized on that nervousness. Not Barack.
Words versus actions --- can he deliver? Given the choice between experience and enthusiasm, many employers are apt to make their choice based on hard facts obtained from the résumé and reference checks. Certainly, Barack's references check out. As the employer, the American people might prefer that he spent more time on the senate floor, or perhaps combat zones. In terms of the American presidency, waiting might be dangerous. What difference does a few years make? And if he hasn't yet learned the hard lessons --- so what? Barack doesn't seem like the type who'll be stumped by a foreign language or caught in the headlights of The Pet Goat. He has the heart of the people and he is the heart. It always seems more convenient to forget the heart and remember the adrenaline: the finger that will push The Button, the hand that will answer The Call. I believe that Barack can lead us with his heart, but at the same time, he is already wise enough to know what to do with The Button. The evidence might not be as concrete as some want it to be, but he's shown that he is thirsty for the chance to prove himself in a job that he clearly loves. So many others have lied and manipulated to get that job. And what is Barack's crime --- heart? Just give him a shot. In terms of the American presidency, the alternative will be worse, and it already has been.
Very truly yours,
Joe
04.24.08 "Reshuffle and regroup"
Sometimes these things just don't work out. On the same day that Obama lost Pennsylvania, I was rejected by Barnes & Noble. Finding meaning in that seemingly unrelated coincidence makes me feel better, somehow. I haven't even heard a peep from Borders. That's OK. My formal education beckons.
04.14.08 "Welcome Barnes & Noble "
Today I was contacted by Barnes & Noble because of an application I put in several weeks ago. To those from B&N who are accessing this website, welcome and thank you for visiting. Please click here to access my bookseller candidacy site. Although the site was authored with Borders Group in mind, please rest assured that both the knowledge and energy that I have for bookselling are universal!
Oh, and for everyone else, don't forget to do your taxes! Haha... I did mind last month. Yep, I suddenly realized that if I didn't get them overwith before mid-March passed, then I never would. Whew! Also, yay being a starving student! I ended up qualifying for all these tax credits that I never knew existed...
Please note: The candidacy site is enhanced with images and sound. Broadband connection recommended.
04.06.08 "The family in me"
Thanks for visiting! You're probably reading this entry because I have presented myself as a candidate for employment with the Borders Group, and in particular, the new concept store opening in Alameda. To view my candidacy site, please click here. Once again, I am grateful for your visit and consideration!
02.23.08 "WonderCon 2008"
Wasn't planning on going this year, but I had to when I heard that Mulder, Scully, and company were gonna be there. Gillian Anderson is more beautiful than she always is.
I would go hetero for her.
ELSEWHERE AT WONDERCON: "Uh, I like him on Pimp My Ride..." ---reaction from a fellow X-Files fan when I told her that Xzibit had been cast in the movie
"Brian Austin Greene is gonna be here tomorrow! ...hello?" ---woman on her cell phone
"You're too young to be a Golden Girl." ---reaction from a woman after she read the pen name I'd chosen for my ID badge
"Can I have your name... Dorothy? Oh." ---cute barista at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
"I'm liking how you rock that Obama hoodie." ---the same X-Files fan who was flabbergasted about Xzibit
"It's not looking good for her." "I know. We'll be fine with whoever we get, though." ---two chicks on the bus after they saw my hoodie
02.12.08 "Inquiring minds"
I'm now on Goodreads. Add me through "Linus Castillo"!
02.11.08 "Self-Made"
The writers strike, for all intents and purposes, is over. Now the cleanup begins. How appropriate that a cinematically apocalyptic scenario should come to mind: it's like survivors returning to the cities after they've been reduced to smithereens by alien invaders. Where do we go from here? At least in movies, all you need is a rousing speech for people to start picking up the pieces again. The trouble with the entertainment industry, capitalism, and the human condition altogether is that they are all used to doing things their way. We are stubborn creatures. We did, after all, coin the expression, "Why fix it if it ain't broke?" Even if the thing is broken, no one fixes it if it works for just most people. We're incapable of being purely altruistic. It's why telepathy is such a big storytelling device in science fiction.
Everyone's now saying that the face of TV and movies will be forever changed. Since practically everyone has a TV, that's where the big changes will be the most evident. Most TV shows won't be back until next season, and even then, thay might not have the same writers. Will the TV season format still be the same? Ever since I was a kid, people have been kicking around the idea of getting rid of sweeps, but they seem to have stuck around. Is this recent strike enough to kick Hollywood's ass on a few things?
Mmm... ass. But I digress.
AFL took a long-ass break. My last true-blue AFL blog entry is dated August 2006. The first entry? March 2000. Hard to believe.
It's also hard to believe that AFL meant anything to anyone else but me, and for a while, it sort of did. Back when the word "blog" didn't make the global pulse go boom-boom-boom, I started AFL on a whim --- some high shcool friends had opened a free Diaryland account. I didn't even give my "blog" a name until at least a few months later. (I'll have to go back and scour the old entries to see when, exactly, that happened. Going back through my old entries is a bit of a daunting process because, as anyone who's done this sort of thing knows, you're not just re-reading old musings. Short of literal time travel, you're practically reliving.)
After that initial "whim", I got sucked into the online community of other diarists, and I stayed that way for --- whew --- quite a while. I say "whew" because, in writing that, my mind breezed through random years of blogging. 2001, 2003, 2005... each a cornerstone of some important personal development, some (melo)dramatic lesson or coming-of-age moment. My life up to now feels like it's been one big coming-of-age. I don't know if I'll ever resurrect that treasure trove of personal shit for public consumption, but I've decided that I'm not ready to let go of AFL. Not now, maybe not for a while.
I'm not sure where all that blogging got me --- probably nowhere, at least in terms of my career. All that blogging at least documented my personal growth and, for the most part, it seemed to entertain quite a few strangers every so often. I wonder if those strangers ever think about what they read here, and the person behind what they read. How presumptuous of me to think someone is out there thinking, "Gee, I wonder whatever happened to AFL!" (And long-windedly amending the thought with, "Not AFL as in the labor people, but that website by that one guy...") Anyway, until I can come up with more appealing content, this rudimentary design is what you'll see. I'll eventually come up with something, though I'm taking suggestions... hehe.
01.30.08 "The Rescue"
Whew. Managed to snatch the domain from backseller hell. Is that really possible now? If you let your registration lapse long enough, someone can snatch it up just "like that"?
frogslife.net will now be sticking around for a zillion years. Or until 2017, which is a zillion years when you're 25.
Dear Middle America,
The writers strike, for all intents and purposes, is over. Now the cleanup begins. How appropriate that a cinematically apocalyptic scenario should come to mind: it's like survivors returning to the cities after they've been reduced to smithereens by alien invaders. Where do we go from here? At least in movies, all you need is a rousing speech for people to start picking up the pieces again. The trouble with the entertainment industry, capitalism, and the human condition altogether is that they are all used to doing things their way. We are stubborn creatures. We did, after all, coin the expression, "Why fix it if it ain't broke?" Even if the thing is broken, no one fixes it if it works for just most people. We're incapable of being purely altruistic. It's why telepathy is such a big storytelling device in science fiction.
