Pissy Pamper

Sketched upon the rugged ridges of the plaster art piece, a young boy pisses a golden cascade onto traditional norms to which he has become disillusioned. It’s as if after a century in wait, the Modernist movement commences a personal resurgence all within the boy’s aurous mentality. 

A graduation cap is soaked from the onslaught of urine, marring the happy farewell into the boundless world of opportunity. A large multitude of individuals believe college is a necessity, acquire massive student loans to complete the curriculum, and then work mundane, draining jobs where they don’t apply any of their university learnings to pay off the loans. Albeit many have and will continue to reap high-paying jobs from university learning, there are others who have missed the completion of a bachelor’s degree and have acquired high-paying jobs or built businesses that have transformed into some of the nation’s largest corporations. Sadly, the majority of college students, blind on the grandiose reputation of their alma mater, focus on paltry numbers that they believe determine the rest of their lives. There’s a difference between testing well and doing well. High-value skills can be learned on the job or by one’s lonesome, as long as he or she cares enough to make an effort. For example, if someone is dreaming of becoming a software engineer, he would be better off grinding out LeetCode problems or joining a software development bootcamp for 6 months. Ultimately, the boy does not reject college, but rather the facade that college is a necessity for success.

Uncle Sam, the personification of the US government, also fails to remain dry from the golden stream. Taxes are essential towards the maintenance and operations of a society, and citizens, as members of that society, agree within the social contract to pay those taxes. But as grown adults, we should be able to choose where our individual tax dollars go. Those who condemn wars abroad shouldn’t have to assist with the use of military technology that may end up leaving children amongst the casualties–that’s Lockheed Martin and Raytheon’s job. These people should instead be allowed to allocate their taxes to a calmer cause, such as national parks or the maintenance of public roads. And, those who don’t care about the allocations of their personal taxes can have the government distribute it for them. The only agency citizens possess over the destinations of their taxes is to vote for public officials who claim to share their beliefs. However, sometimes these promises are not kept. The boy yearns for the institution of a process that grants citizens the power to distribute their taxes, should they desire to exercise that right.

Merging in a shimmering dance, the amber piss flows down the gold wedding band, a symbol of marriage in a time where loyalty is hard to come by. When it seems that most people are endlessly seeking out the better option, the idea of coexistence with multiple partners becomes more alluring. One would be able to love whomever he or she wants and possess the option to depart if need be without the stress and unfairness of divorce and its legal complications. This route provides more agency to the hypothetical man. Overall, marriage seems to be an outdated concept; humans are capable of showing love without needing legal documentation. The boy has resolved to live a sexually unrestrictive life juggling multiple partners so that he may jointly share his love and save himself from heartbreak.

Following his observations on the outside world, the boy scoffs at the conventional institutions of college, taxation, and marriage, for they are not what they may seem. There are noble and pure reasons for each, but one would be remiss to ignore the ramifications and loss of agency behind the mirage.