Slang Editorial :: Never Underestimate The Value Of A Holla'

Friday, October 16, 2009
Sweet And Total Bullshit

I'm REALLY not a fan of these lottery ads.

To be fair, this is typically true for me of things advertising gambling, but there is something about this ad that combines
vulnerable childlike cuteness and inane absurdism (as opposed to other more creative/inspired forms of absurdism) in a way simultaneously angers and creeps me out. And then, in light of the fact that these tactics are simply a way for the government (of all groups!) to schill
regular humans out of their hard-earned dollars, you could my blood is actually boiling.

I am not sure why I hate gambling as much as I do; I know my disgust for it is clearly the root of my frustration here.

My hatred of gambling seems especially curious given my tendency toward (occasionally dangerous) risk-taking. However, I was raised by a mathematician, so on a purely calculating level i know I've never been ok with gambling because of the obviousness with which I am likely to lose. There are plenty of empty hedonistic causes like beer and nice hot meals that make better use of dollars I might not plan on saving, rather than just literally putting them in someone else's hand.

But really, If i had to guess, I think what I absolutely cannot get behind in gambling is the fact in nearly all situations there is one party preying off the weakness or poor thinking of another for (usually) monetary gain. This kind of vulturing seems to go against my
basic idea of what the human spirit should be: either helping one another, or going it alone, but never going forward by means of pushing others backwards.

By this thinking, the lottery is as a result is one of the worst kind of gambling, as the odds of winning are so terrible as to be almost nonexistent. Sure $1 or $2 isn't all that much on a one-time basis, but so many people buy tickets everyday, and some even two tickets or more. The fact that the government not only sanctions this shit but
actually is responsible for it just cuts me apart.

Labels: quicksnaps, thoughts

posted by Nihilist Loves Hate, Hates Everything at 10/16/2009 07:37:00 PM 2 comments

2 Comments:

KJ said...: ::sigh:: I keep getting roped into chipping in a dollar at the office to play the mega millions, and it grinds my soul every time (though I suppose the odds are infinitesimally better since you thereby get 15-20 tickets for your one dollar). I do it not because I'm in any way optimistic of winning, but because the thought that if I don't enter and then they DO win and the detestable office thief gets some of the money and I don't, I think I'll blow my brains out; and also because, if I don't enter, the lovely office manager feels sorry for me and puts in a dollar on my behalf, and he can't afford that either.

bah!; 10/17/2009 01:17:00 PM
Nihilist Loves Hate, Hates Everything said...: God this is exactly what I'm saying: 15 more tickets means literally nothing. 100 more tickets would mean nothing. The odds are so heavily stacked against you and your coworker that they are lying on top of y'all and laughing at you. I am a man who tries to make a habit of never saying never, but really, your office will never win and the $1/week you spend is $52 worth of knitting needles and yarn you could be buying each year. Put that dollar each week in a jar and buy yourself a peach cobbler every month. Imaginary "yak-balls" even. Anything. And fuck all the assholes for pressuring you to do something stupid, and fuck especially the Guiltmonger/ Enabler putting a dollar in for you.; 10/17/2009 02:58:00 PM