DBZ is a waste of your time and your life.
By Sam Spencer IV / General Tso

Disclaimer: If you are here on this Earth to work or learn, and entertainment or hobbies involving entertainment are one of your escapes, or something meant to be a social experience for you, no ill will is meant to you at all.

OK, first off, for those who hadn't figured it out, I'm General Tso.

Now on to business. I don't like DBZ anymore, period. No, not even the "sacred" Japanese version. I'll sum it all up in a thesis statement:

DBZ is a good show ... if that's all you're looking for. It has a dramatic storyline, good music, and sometimes tear-jerking emotion. But it's only a show. Don't let the webmasters tell you that it has any intellectual or moral value, because it doesn't. Those who are engrossing themselves in the show are wasting their lives, unless you are making a substantial amount of money off it. Entertainment should only be used for two things: the acquisition of knowledge and catharsis. Right now the empathizes that the American "system" (and the Japanese system, to some degree) has put on self-pleasurement (though the surgeon general that wanted to teach masturbation resigned ... but I digress) is leading to the degradation of ethical and moral values in America.

In simple words, for simple people : If you are watching TV just because it's there, fuck you.

Sorry I had to be so blunt, but it's true. If you still don't get it, or you want me to break down my thesis and back it up, a long tedious editorial follows. If you understand what I'm saying, and believe it, skip to the next

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DBZ is a good show ... if that's all you're looking for. It has a dramatic storyline, good music, and sometimes tear-jerking emotion. But it's only a show.

It is a good show, with many reasons to watch it. Gohan SSJ2, Gokou SSJ, DBGT #64, and Gokou's benevolence towards Vegeta after his attack on earth are all examples of powerful scenes. Even the American version draws fans because of the mythos that surrounds DBZ. But it IS only a show, and I think a lot of you take it too seriously. Who really cares about every little fanboy fact you can know? It's OK to have a hobby ... but don't take it too far. There are things much more important than an animated show (or a live-action show, for that matter).

Don't let the webmasters tell you that it has any intellectual or moral value, because it doesn't.

OK, in reality, who has REALLY learned anything, or have had their live changed, by DBZ? Sure, you can say it promotes "teamwork" and "valor" and any one of numerous Boy Scout adjectives, but don't more social activities (like team sports, school, kindergarten, and, um, boy scouting) promote exactly the same thing? DBZ is a "popcorn" show, just like "Armageddon" is a popcorn movie: it's fun to turn your mind off and just watch, preferbally with friends. Now, DBZ does have those heart-wrenching scenes (mentioned above) that can deeply affect you, but do they change your life? No. Are they few and far between? Yes.

Those who are engrossing themselves in the show are wasting their lives, unless you are making a substantial amount of money off it.

It's OK to be a fan of something, and it's OK to escape reality for a while. But I find that way too many people these days are trying to escape life and escape reality through TV ... it's always there, it doesn't hate you, and it's the one thing your fat ass can turn on (wait, you really think girls look at you with lust in their eyes)? I, for one, love that escape, and I do it for about an hour daily, more on weekends (Simpson daily, Friseur, X-Files, a DVD). But it's only good in moderation. My little brother does everything in front of TV, even homework. He is a very overweight (I'm many years older and we have the same waistline), emotionally disturbed, depressed, selfish, and an evil little bastard, concerned with only himself. There are webmasters I know that use DBZ to keep themselves away from people. Sure, you could say making a website gives you a lot of interaction with other people, but it just isolates you.

Entertainment should only be used for two things: the acquisition of knowledge and catharsis.

Catharsis is the purification of one's soul through art, or cleansing your soul (thus using your pent up emotions) to make art. Yep, I can sit in front of Lain, on DVD, all day and not break my TV limit. Why? Because stuff like that can change you. American Beauty is the greatest film of 1999, and I suggest all of you watch it. That movie can change your life. It's a great film, and gives you new ideas and new views. One great dialogue from it, which ties in with my next sentence:

(Lester and his wife, after having tough emotional times and being emotionally separated for a long time, are about to have a moment of passion on a couch, when ...)
Carolyn: Lester, you're going to spill beer on the couch.
Lester: What?
Carolyn: (Gets up, and away from Lester) That's a $4000 couch apolstered in Italian silk!
Lester: (angry, beating a cushion) These are just THINGS! What good is all this stuff!

"Right now the empathizes that the American "system" (and the Japanese system, to some degree) has put on self-pleasurement (though the surgeon general that wanted to teach masturbation resigned ... but I digress) is leading to the degradation of ethical and moral values in America. "

OK, here's the kicker. In America, we are all told "we have freedom, you can strive for your dreams, pursue happiness". Well, this is counter-productive. In England, you have the Eleven Plus, which separates the bright from the working class. In Germany you are separated into two groups at twelve: those who will learn vocations, and those who will go to Gymnasium and on to college. But in America, you can go through high school, fail, and put your ass on welfare.
Basically, we are made to think only of ourselves. Which makes us VERY hypocritical, since 80% of us are Christian and Jesus said to "work for the whole. Love one another." Well, instead, we have churches that bastardized the Savior's message, advocate violence in His name, support the death penalty, et al. We are selfish, and we only care about ourselves. Nirvana put it best:
"Here we are now, entertain us."
The average American is not working for the whole, doesn't care about others, and want's pleasure. What a sick way to live one's life.

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With all the stuff going on, and my change in view, I'm gonna quit most of my web operations. Don't fret, the DBZ OtaKon is still on, but since it's too late in the game to make a bankable site, I'm gonna be subtle. I'm at the point in my life where I can no longer live a child's life. I have the change the world; it's something I was meant to do. You may be meant to work, and as an escape, DBZ is OK. But take this list of entertainment that can help you with your catharsis, while at the same time give you some high-quailty entertainment:

DVD:
Chasing Amy
Dogma
American Beauty
Lain
Evangelion
Princess Mononoke
Clerks

Books:
Siddhartha
Crime and Punishment
A Brief History of Time
Hyperspace
Torah
Koran
Bible

Music:
Moby: Play
The Beatles: White Album, Revolver, Rubber Soul, Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road
DMB: Crash, Before These Crowded Streets

Fill your mind with good humor, take out the crap. Love one another.

"And, in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make."
-Paul McCartney