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Ryan Dawson Has an Epiphany!

I used to have respect (sort of) for Ryan Dawson, the young man who runs “Anti-Neo Con.” But I have lost it all recently. I had a very unfriendly conversation with Ryan yesterday (he said he was drinking, so I considered that) and, now today, I have unfriended him on Facebook (big deal, right?) The guy thinks he is some sort of genius that comes up with new ideas (that are 150 years old) and he seems to believe that it is some sort of revelation that he has to present to the choir!

Oh, the foolhardiness of youth!

I got a bit upset at Ryan due to a video that he placed on his Facebook page that appeared at the public (anyone can see) Facebook wall. It had, as an explanation, “Not Funny” and below that was “Breaking taboo to express a point.” That’s all it said. No other explanation… Being Ryan, I expected an anti-war video…

The video was extremely poorly made. Frankly speaking, quality and conceptually wise, it was first year high school film class level work, if that. The visual and sound editing was terrible and the music wasn’t synched at all. It included Rap music with scenes of people dancing, with scenes of the handicapped. The lyrics were (over the dancing) “This is what you want…” Then (over the scenes of handicapped people falling down) “This is what you get.” These scene kept repeating. There was even a scene with a sort of belly dancer (what was that about?)… After over 15 seconds of watching the video, disgusted, I turned it off.

If you want to see this amateurish production, be forewarned, it is very poorly made (technically and conceptually)… But at least here there is a better explanation, than was on the public Facbook wall, yet still, not enough, click here. You’ll have to watch it for over one-minute and about ten-seconds, before you are let in on the point: http://www.myspace.com/rys2sense/videos/so-wrong/109037253

Like I said, I watched this 1’40″video for over the first 15 seconds then got disgusted and turned it off. The repeated falling down of the handicapped (same shots) got tiring very quickly.

Ryan, hasn’t anyone ever told you that a joke doesn’t need to be told more than once?

Here, now, is the conversation with Ryan Dawson and why I have unfriended him. Now, remember, this video appeared on the publicly viewed Facebook wall. I didn’t see it on Ryan’s wall. I have copied all the correspondence. Now, you, dear reader, tell me if you think he is out of line or am I?

Gee, Ryan. Well done. I ask you a question. “If so, how does that relate to handicapped people? Please explain.” and you write back “I think your brain is handicapped” and “Seriously, F*ck you!”

Wise words from an expert and a professional trying to spread the gospel. Well done, Ryan. I’ll make sure we hire you as a speaker at our next event! Sheesh!

A very good friend and activist friend of mine said to me, “You know, you’ve really got to wonder about these sorts of “peace-activists” or “anti-war activists” who are so full of vitriol and say fighting words like “F-you!” yet they claim to profess peace. It doesn’t make sense.”

It goes on… Ryan starts foaming at the mouth more and more. What an excellent spokesman for the anti-war movement, eh? My, the art of debate is alive and well today!

Get it? Ryan thinks it’s the duty of the viewer to watch his message all the way to the end (without the courtesy of his explanation at the beginning) and if the viewer does not, it’s the viewer’s fault? Hardly, Ryan. It is the filmmakers and the presenters responsibility that they do the proper ground work to prepare the viewer and, after doing at least that, to make the video powerful enough to stand on its own and motivate the viewer want to watch to the end. That’s just plain common sense!

If you knew what you were doing, which you obviously don’t, when it comes to making these videos, you might have written text at the very start of the video that said, “What makes you the angriest? This… Or?” Or something along those lines.

Like I said, this video is extremely poorly made and conceived; the work of a rank amateur.

We’ll ignore his nonsense remarks about “African-Americans for Obama” as not being racist… Like I said, “How about white people for Romney?” Nah…. No one would raise an eyebrow over that, would they, Ryan?

He also starts of with “Don’t start with that American collectivist bullsh*t, either!” Duh, Ryan, your entire concept concerning this post of how “Americans will get upset over criticism about the handicapped people, but not about war” is founded totally and completely on the concept of what you call, “American collectivist bullsh*t!” Or are you so used to selective morality that you can write, “Picking on the disabled, hurting animals, racism sexism etc (all dispicable)will get a rise out of Americans”(sic) and not see the gross hypocrisy in your own words (or are you even thinking at all?)

Uh, Ryan, it’s spelled “despicable”… Get a dictionary, will ya? And, duh, you just figured this out?

Now, Ryan goes on to rationalize his words and the corner he keeps painting himself into. Let’s keep in mind that what Ryan said about American collectivism:

Rationalization by Ryan. Continued profanity. My, what a fine and intelligent young man. Excellent debating skills too!… More like my pompous, self-centered little 14-year-old niece… Like I said, it is the filmmakers or the presenters duty to create something that people will watch to the end to get the message. If the viewers turn it off halfway through (I turned off before 1/4 way through) then the presenter or filmmaker failed… Or, Ryan, our arm-chair philosopher with this brilliant new discovery, do you consider yourself the expert on marketing, video production and mass media too?

Again, though, Ryan continues with the vitriol for no apparent reason until he writes, “You can’t judge sh*t. I am sitting here drinking a chu-hi and playing Marvel Alliance…” (Chu-hi is a cheap Korean liquor)… Like I said, I figured Ryan was drinking (he often looks hung-over in his vlogs – I know I am a TV professional for 30 years… All of pros can recognize these things immediately)… But then he confirmed it… It tried to be civil again, but Ryan just couldn’t control himself…. He starts off, again, by using invective when none was ever called for…

For some bizarre reason, Ryan Dawson thinks he is some sort of wise all-seeing witch-doctor who must be the only one who has realized that while the average American gets angry at racism, sexism, or “discrimination,” they will say nothing about the wars and killing brown-skinned people all over the world in an American Empire since 1861…

He also thinks, for some weird reason, that people wouldn’t get upset at seeing dead Iraqi children within the first 15 seconds either! My god, Ryan, are you surrounded by nothing but neanderthals? Oops, there I go with his “American collectivism” retort.

The video ends with:

Because worst than any of this is the very real acts of murdering children in for profit wars based on deception. Picking on the disabled, hurting animals, racism sexism etc (all dispicable)will get a rise out of Americans. But torturing people to death and murder by drone and robbing trillions is all ok because MURDER still isn’t taboo yet. (sic)

Wow! Ryan! Have you just figured this out? Incredible deduction! Was this like some kind of revelation for you? If so, what cave have you been living in for the last 170 years?

Ryan thinks this is some sort of epiphany, I guess. Finally after being repeatedly insulted and called profane names by Ryan, I lost my temper and wrote this:

It’s true. If anyone were right 55% of the time they’d be trading stocks and be rich.

I mean every word of it too. Ryan, there’s smart and there’s stupid. You certainly cannot be doing it the smart way… If you are too stubborn to listen to the advice or constructive criticism of someone who has made a good life in the mass media for over 30 years then you are just, as Malcolm X would say,…. “a chump!”

Sorry, Ryan, I know 14 year old kids who act more adult than you do…

“Brevity is the soul of wit.” This says in 1 second what Ryan takes 2 minutes to say. Sorry, Ryan Get a life. Some of us do have a life to live… We don’t have time to sit around and play video games and drink cheap booze.

NOTE: Yeah, I know that by writing this, I am actually giving this guy promotion. (I am a professional about that too, you know)… But, being the nice guy I am, I’m hoping that, if Ryan is smart, he’ll learn a lesson… That is if he’s smart… So far returns aren’t so promising… Especially since he doesn’t know the first basic rule about drinking: Once you start drinking, DON’T touch the computer!

NOTE TWO: If I come off as feeling dis-respected, I do. I mean, I may be old-fashioned, but I don’t think that anyone, who asks a straight question, deserves to be insulted by someone who is supposedly, “a public figure.” But Ryan brags that he “Can be on Russia Today anytime he likes and on the radio” so, it seems quite clear that he is, as they say, “full of himself.” There’s nothing wrong with pride, but there’s no reason to be insulting people.