Stephen Johnson
"Louie James"
Portland, OR, United States

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Happiness In Individuality

Most people in this world do everything they can to be different. They go to
extremes to create their own individuality.

On Septbember 29th, 1984 I was born.
I was born with individuality forced on me.
Born to be confined in what people know as a wheelchair.

I have never been happy with my forced individuality, until recently.

On July 19th, 2007, I decided to create my own individuality.

I gave myself dreadlocks.

Dreadlocks have not only given me my own creative identity, but combined
with the individuality forced on me at birth its made me one of the most
unique people I know.

A cripple with dreadlocks.

Dreadlocks have given me a new view on the way I look at my chair. I have
created my own statistic, im one in a million.

I see now that if it wasnt for me being crippled that I wouldnt be as unique as
I would if I could walk and have dreadlocks.

Before dreadlocks I wasnt a sad, depressed person, so dont think that. I have
always been a happy person, but just not satisfied with certain
things in my life.

I know some of you will probably think I lost my mind saying "I love my hair",
but their mine. I created them. My dreads are apart of me and to know that I
have created a uniqueness that not only makes me different in a way I like,
but is able to take something that I havent found happiness in and come
together to make me even more unique than what I first realized and that
makes me happy.

I hope that all of you have or one day will find happiness in individuality.

Dreadlock cripple, I wouldnt have it any other way.


Medicating America

Has anyone ever listened to the commercials these days?
Like REALLY listened.

Now I don’t watch that much television, but when I do I love to listen closely
to the new medication side effects that they have out these days.

I heard this commercial come on and it starts off just like any other drug
commercial.

......A white kitten with blue eyes sleeping near a window next to a single
daisy that has blossomed inside a small pot that has blue and white flowers
painted on it. The sunshine peaks through the window and gently wakes the
sleeping kitten.
Then a beautiful voice softly begins to speak.

Its a woman’s voice and even though you cant see the woman you can just
imagine how beautiful she is because a voice as perfect as the one speaking
sounds like its coming from a magical fairy goddess.

Now so far into the commercial you've already decided in your head that your
getting a white kitten that has blue eyes, naming it fluffy and your going put
a flower in your own window.

The voice asks: "Would you like to sleep like a kitten?"

Who would not want to sleep like that kitten, really!
In fact, if I could sleep like that kitten I probably would never do anything
else except sleep like that kitten.

This magical commercial go's on, but the part that I want to get too is when
the commercial tries to brush off the fact that one of this particular
medications side effects are......

.....Tuberculosis!!!!!!

Well that doesn’t seem very pleasant.
I want to sleep like a KITTEN! I don’t want to die!

Last, but not least you have to love the "Above the influence".
These are the most un-informed & closed minded propaganda commercials
out there.

One example of an "Above the influence" commercial.

A kid gets out of bed wearing so many t-shirts it makes him looks like his
favorite munchy is marsh mellows.

First off, its HILARIOUS seeing a kid wearing a ABAGAZILLION
t-shirts, each with a little phrase you read as he slowly takes them off 1 by 1
by 1.
.......1st t-shirt reads: "I love this joint.". He takes it off.
......2nd t-shirt reads: "Where’s the fun at?". Buddy if I woke up in the
morning wearing a thousand t-shirts I wouldn’t be happy either.
......next t-shirt: "What’s the point?". That’s what I asked after I saw the
commercial.
......next t-shirt: "I don’t need this". I said the exact same thing as I started to
lose interest.
......next t-shirt: "Stop". I wish they would stop allowing the selling of
medications that could potentially cause life threatening illness‘s.

The commercial continued on, but all I could think while watching was how
about they stop trying to make people afraid of something that is harmless
and how about this.........

.......how about they stop selling medications that can cause TUBERCULOSIS!

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Comments

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aprilax in NC on May 13, 2010

thank you Mr.Johnson. well said!!

brian on November 20, 2009

fun fact:
the above the influence commercials are funded by alcohol, tobacco, and pharmaceutical drug companies

Patti on October 22, 2009

I thought I was the only one who listens to the disclaimers tacked onto the end of drug commercials. Ever listen to the ones for those medications for erectile dysfunction? Seems all those warnings you get as a kid about sex making you go blind may not have been a scare tactic after all. I would love to see a commercial in which someone says "I have just discovered the most successful diet ever! And, I've lowered my cholesterol and my blood pressure. And, I did it by simply be more conscious and careful about what I stuff into my face." And, don't even get me started on depression meds, which coincidentally are also being prescribed now for fibromyalgia so that one can't help but wonder if the drug actually alleviates the fibromyalgia symptoms or if it just makes you feel so good you don't notice them anymore?

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