Update: wow, 11,432 submissions as of this morning! I never would have expected half of that.
I have never seen that big a response to anything I’ve ever done! But I’ll take it and try to make it happen again in every space I can. Most site owners never get that kind of traction with their sites, even after years of work, so I guess I’m just lucky to live a charmed life. I think the popularity has something to do with the link between art, culture, and, frankly, vice – I don’t mean bad stuff like prostitution or extortion, but more the puritanical pushback we get whenever we mention certain words. Like gambling, or even (on the other side of the culture) hunting, or considering the economic climate we are now in cash advance online loans. Also any discussion regarding marijuana, medicinal, recreational…all of those conversations really garners attention. And why wouldn’t it? We are living in a transforming society. It’s the judgmental nature of our culture that brings to the fore the “distasteful” aspects forbidden by legacy mores and anachronistic beliefs in morality. I think I could go on and on about this without convincing anyone, but I think any investigation regarding the grey markets that thrive in America will lead you to this same conclusion: There’s something compelling about sex, alcohol, money, death and the ways those archetypes are viewed and projected in the media.
Take alcohol, drinking, and alcoholism. If you drink excessively you are demonized as an alcoholic. For years most doctors in the US would recommend a 12 step rehab program like AA that required total abstinence for the rest of the person’s life. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) still defines Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD: a “chronic relapsing brain disease”.) In other words, an alcoholic is doomed. Well not all is doom and gloom for the person who is starting on that downward spiral by drinking excessively and is out of control. Medical research has discovered a : prescription drug to cure alcoholism. It’s call baclofen, a muscle relaxer and an antispasmodic agent. If you do some research on the drug you will find it was initially developed to treat muscle spasms, stiffness, and other back conditions, however researchers have found that Baclofen’s action on the GABA receptors in the brain may help lessen cravings and withdrawal symptoms for alcohol. Doctors in Europe consider alcoholism not as a disease, but as a symptom of a larger psychological issue. They prescribe baclofen as the primary treatment for people who drink excessively, although in the US baclofen has not yet received approval by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as a safe and effective treatment for alcohol or drug use disorders. If this sounds interesting check out a new website called LifeBac. LifeBac helps people who want to cut back their drinking take control before the slide into alcoholism. They are not a rehab or treatment clinic, but a collection of modern, science-based tools to empower people who are starting the downward spiral so often associated with excessive drinking. Check them out.
Even entirely innocent activities can be spun to make them appear nefarious. For example, do you play tennis, or golf, or squash? Do you fish for marlin? Is it elitist to play a sport that may cost money and may be closed to those without? Have you bought kids golf clubs and sets by allkidsgolfclubs.com at your exclusive club to introduce your children to the game. Golf courses, all by themselves are controversial in some circles because they take up so much land and are usually closed to the public. And introducing your kids to golf, while completely understandable might cause some people to view the activity askance since not everyone can afford to do this.
Should you be demonized because your finances are stretched so thin you live pay check to pay check and when an unexpected emergency arises you need a cash advance payday loan? Does that make you irresponsible? I think not. Bad things happen to good people all the time. And I refuse to be influenced by the media definitions of beauty – but agree those defining standards are very hard to ignore, but do you really need to go on Dr. Simeons hCG diet, or undergo a gastric bypass alternative just to make yourself presentable? Be healthy, yes, but perfect? Not possible. So that’s where I’ve spent some time pondering and looking for bridges to build.
Anyway, enough of the updates. Without further ado about nothing, on to the meat and potatoes of the site…
Form? It’s up to you. Anything from classic couplets to rambling free verse is fine with us. Prose? No problem. Music? Well, give it a shot, but we’re not quite up to hosting media files just yet. Give us some time.
You see, we find nothing quite so inspiring as the fruit machine or one-armed bandit. Or even good old gift baskets delivered right to you door. Like the wood-cased radios that tuned in the events and the very culture of a century ago, the classic slots represent a mechanical age just coming to terms with the electronic future. A bridge, if you will, between the rough-and-tumble Wild West saloons and the Space Age glamor of the Rat Pack heyday of Las Vegas.
A voice from the past, a thoroughly corrupt and yet thoroughly innocent age.
Inspiration comes from many sources. Perhaps you have to be fascinated with the rich history and subculture of gambling to be inspired by online slots; perhaps the superficial gaudiness and oft-repeated connection to criminality and loose morals turns you away from the fascinating sights, sounds, and stories that the history of gambling has provided.
We understand; sometimes a widespread, mainstream cultural prejudice is a hard thing to shake, and you may certainly find more inspiration in rainbows and unicorns than jackpots and betting against the odds…