I Believe… [Neo-Inquisitioners]
...that in an age where every word is a potential weapon and every hurt feeling a crime scene, the loudest moralists aren’t protecting the vulnerable—they’re auditioning for the Inquisition.
I Believe… [We’re Not Machines]
...that joy is found in the act of building something useless: kites in winter, elaborate cocktail garnishes for tap water, or a paper-mâché bust of your ex-boss. Useless things remind us we’re not machines.
I Believe… [The Ironic Right]
...that the irony that the Right is reveling in their reclaimed permission to say the word ‘retard’ and yet most of them are ‘tards is staggering.
I Believe… [Not My Tempo]
...that the fact that my staff sees JK Simmons’s performance in “Whiplash” as a ‘comically evil version of me’ says a lot about my approach to management.
I Believe… [New Mantra]
...that my next tattoo will be something along the lines of “Expect Nothing. Hope for Everything.”
I Believe… [Manufactured Happiness]
...that happiness isn’t found, it’s manufactured—like bootleg mixtapes in the back of a Pontiac in 1985, hissing but priceless.
I Believe… [Just Call It Gambling, Already]
...that a casino is the poor man’s Wall Street. Cryptocurrency is the libertarian’s casino.
I Believe… [Corporate Speak]
...that the phrase “Just loop me in” is corporate code for “I want to handcuff myself to your brain until one of us dies.”
I Believe… [AI is Coming]
...that AI won’t just replace jobs—it’ll replace purpose. And when people lose that, they don’t riot—they just quietly stop existing in any way that matters.
I Believe… [Learning About Sex]
...that most teenage boys learn about sex from porn and most teenage girls learn about it from trauma and somewhere in between is a guidance counselor with a pamphlet and a panic disorder.
I Believe… [The Algorithm Never Forgives]
...that the algorithm is our new God—omniscient, invisible, and deeply invested in selling me socks I already bought. It knows my shame, my lust, my 3am spiral into videos titled ‘Top Ten Failed Soviet Amusement Parks’. It knows I clicked. It remembers. It doesn’t forgive.
I Believe… [Timeshare in Hell]
...that capitalism is a casino rigged by drunk croupiers where the prize is a timeshare in Hell and the only way to win is to die with enough debt they can’t repossess your skeleton.
I Believe… [Patricide, Anyone?]
...that few things scar and clarify the soul more than witnessing the death of your parent. If anything screams “YOU, TOO, WILL DIE” it is that experience. How you die becomes a choice but only once you’ve chosen how you live.
I Believe… [God’s Yes, And…]
...that God exists, but only as a sarcastic improv comic trapped inside a lava lamp, muttering, “Yes, and?” every time we beg for clarity.
I Believe… [Illusion of Choice]
...that most people don’t actually want freedom—they want the illusion of choice between two algorithm-approved options and a coupon code for 15% off regret.
I Believe… [Keeping the Tip]
...that if being a prostitute is just ‘sex work’ then why is it awkward if your manager at the local Starbucks offers you a raise for a blow job? It’s just work, right? “I’ll have a Chai Latte and a rim job. I’ll keep the tip.”
I Believe… [Fairy Tale Finance Bros]
...that the perfect fairy tale that exemplifies the cryptocurrency movement is ‘Jack and Beanstalk.’ “Hey. Gimme that valuable animal you own and I’ll give you some magic beans.”
I Believe… [Hugging Ambiguity]
...that we are all trapeze artists swinging between “this is incredible” and “what fresh hell is this?” Maturity and wisdom is embracing ambiguity as your co-pilot instead of trying to stuff it in the trunk.
I Believe… [Inconvenient Kindness]
...that kindness is only virtuous when it’s inconvenient. Anyone can be nice when the cameras are on and the tip jar is full. Try being kind when it costs you something — your time, your pride, your precious moral high ground. That’s character. The rest is theater.I Believe…
I Believe… [Freedom is a Dirty Word]
...that freedom makes people nervous. It upends structure, pokes at authority, and refuses to follow the goddamn script. It’s the wrench in the gears, the chaos in the order, the idea that you might not need permission to exist exactly as you are.
You know what I hate most about this guy? He looks calm. Maybe his spirit animal is a duck. Maybe he’s working his chubby ass off under the surface. I admire the calm appearance. I am never calm. I am always one moment away from a hateful panic of fury. I do not belong among the dullards of basic, normal men. I am in constant need of a lobotomy or an alien abduction. I don’t belong here. Everything is terrible and the Matrix is fucked. Also, The Matrix is a stupid movie. Its sequels are even worse. I’m in the minority on this opinion, which proves my point.