Elaine+P’s+OpEd+Article


 * Why the American Dream Vacuums in Relation to Fish Disemboweling, New York Stage Hands, and Why We Should All Become Crazy Cat Ladies **



While the majority of us may not aspire to travel to Mars, the idea of being truly happy and content in the future sometimes seems as likely. Is this the American Dream? Work hard in high school to get into a good college to get a good job to pay off your college debt/support a family/eventually, hopefully retire and DIE. I sometimes wonder if it has always been like this, or if it's getting worse. Am I pessimistic or realistic? Do other people think the same? Does anyone feel okay with just... pursuing the things they actually want to do? Do people attempt to go into a field that interests them and not think about the lives of their negative 10 year old children? Or worst of all... live in the moment and not for the future? //Shudder.// I took the SAT in January and received a 2070. I'm neither embarrassed or proud of it; I realize that it's a fairly good score, but at the same time know I could've better. And no one should feel "inferior" (yes, someone has actually told me this) to me, because I suffered through attended months of SAT prep classes last summer. But like I said, I know I could've done better and my parents know this too. As a result, I now spend 6:30-8 on Thursday nights and 9:00-4:30 on Saturdays in, you guessed it, SAT prep classes. This was an agreement between my parents and I, but sometimes I have these moments of "Why the hell am I doing this?" Because, in case you don't know, they don't teach you anything in SAT prep classes besides how to prepare for the SAT. It's like spending hundreds of dollars on fish gutting classes, because you have one day that, when you display your fish gutting skills, //might// help you get into a college that //might// secure you a job. Except after that fish gutting exam, you forget everything about the specific cuts and fish organs. There's a girl in my SAT class who __consistently__ gets 2380s and 2390s, but is still taking the classes. I feel like yelling at her, "What are you doing man! Your fish-disemboweling skills are already at their prime!" This was a really weird analogy.

But moving on from fish entrails, these feelings of, "What am I doing here?" don't only happen at SAT classes. No, they are particularly prevalent during some classes at Foothill (not going to say which ones). I sit there and, instead of listening to lectures, fantasize how probable it would be to flip over my desk, yell "F*** THIS!", and take a cab to the LAX to catch a last minute flight to New York, where I'll try to make it out as a stage hand. After admitting these ever-growing feelings to my mom, we spent half an hour discussing the potential obstacles from muggers to what food I would have to buy on such a small budget. Cons? For one, my arm strength is questionable when it comes to flipping wood desks made for two people. From there, I would spend the majority of my money on a last minute cab ride/flight/hotel. And for the cherry on top, no one would hire me because my age and lack of work permit/education/experience. Pros? I would come back with a hell of a story. If I come back. So my mom ended our discussion with, "Please come and talk to me when you think about doing it. Or at least do it after you turn 18."

So what does this have to do with crazy cat ladies? I've been thinking about it. Everyone makes fun of the old shrew who stays home with her forty cats, but I've come to the conclusion that //she has the ideal life//. She's the symbol of hope, the role model of feminism. She chooses (we're going to use chooses) to fight against the cruelty of the American dream and capitalism, by going against the norms. She doesn't live to procreate and improve the genetic pool. She lives to stay at home all day, wrapped up in the warmth of a sea of cats and planning their birthdays. But most importantly, she spends day after day surrounded by the things she loves. 60+ years of stress or the warmth of a sea of cats? Yeah, I thought so.