Wake Up With The King...I THINK NOT!

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You've just woken from a glorious slumber. The soothing sound of chirping birds greets your ears. You're of course a tiny bit aggitated, because more sleep is a much more appealing option than the usual school or work, but this is the same predicament you face everyday. You know what must be done. So you get up, brush your teeth, eat breakfast, etc. Nothing out of the ordinary…

Now imagine this...once again you awake from a sanctuary of dreams and rest. The birds are still singing. Only something is wrong. You feel something, a presence...beside you in your cozy bed. Only you slept alone last night. There was no partying the night before, no regretful evenings...no reason for there to be anything or anyone there. So you turn over and...

A man in burgandy robes and an oversized mask of a smiling, bearded, male face wearing a crown is staring at you.

I don't know about anyone else, I can only describe how I believe my own reaction to such a situation would play out. Now this is how I'd HOPE to react...assuming that I wouldn't pass out at first glance at creature before me. First I'd scream, loud and screetchy as always. Then in a mad rush I'd hurl myself from my bed, with my luck hittting my head against the nightstand and giving myself a concussion. If by some miracle I missed the bedside table, or any object that may be a potential hazard that is, I'd run. Perhaps I'd grab something heavy for defensive purposes. Though, at that point I think my main goal would be to simply get away.

I hope I never have to find out how I actually would respond to such a greeting, but I know for a fact I sure wouldn't accept a sandwich offered by the intruder. We wouldn't hang out with each other there on my bed. I wouldn't laugh with him and allow him to touch my knee.

I find Burger King's “Wake Up With The King” adds highly disturbing. If I recall correctly my reaction towards first viewing this commercial was, “Ewwwww…” He is in no way an endearing mascot. He isn’t adorable and sassy like the “Yo Quiero Taco Bell” dog. He doesn’t charm me as the Geico Gecco does. He is just plain creepy. The imprint The King’s advertisments leaves does not make me crave BK’s newest breakfast sandwich, but rather leaves me unnerved at the awkward and bizarre scene he creates. On many occasions he breaks into homes, intrudes onto the property of everyday folks and has the nerve, or maybe even decency, to offer them a sandwich. Whether he does what he does with pure intentions or not, the situations he creates are beyond sketchy.

The Burger King in no way makes me want to try a breakfast sandwich, no matter how abundant or delicious the egg, bacon and cheese may be. If anything, the Burger King further encourages me to be certain I lock my doors and windows each night...and maybe even sleep with a knife under my mattress.

Pot or Not?

As of late, it seems that the movements to legalize Marijuana have gained some steam. Now this, in my opinion, is a horrifying idea. Maybe I'm not cool. Maybe I'm not hip. But if doing a drug that is a potential threat to the well being of myself or others is what it takes to be “cool,” than I want no part of the adjective. Now I understand that there are “pros” that go along with the legalization of the drug. Some argue that in moderation, weed is not worse than tobacco or alcohol. I don’t understand how this statement can even be considered a pro. In legalizing weed, the drug becomes nothing more than another substance for people to blame their bad decisions on. And while this may in fact be true, in many cases, weed is not used in restraint. Just like tobacco and alcohol, people often breach their limits; whether it is in a time of stress or in the midst of a good time, self control often goes astray.

I am disappointed to pronounce that my family background is checkered with substance abuse. So perhaps I am a bit biased to the proposal…or maybe I just have firsthand experience as to why legalizing any drug, even the one considered to be the most “harmless” would do more bad than good. My father’s brother, my very own uncle, is a person I am far from proud of. As a young adult, he smoked pot. But as he got older, as he got bolder, he became more and more interested in further extreme highs…which meant the use of heavier, more dangerous drugs. To this day, almost thirty years since he began to stroll along the road of substance abuse and heart ache, his infatuation with drugs is stronger than ever. Only now, in the place of Mary Jane, sits heroin and crack on the pedestal that is his addiction. I haven’t seen him in over a decade. The pain he has caused my family is a hurt that I can never forgive. And it all started with a single joint.

Marijuana is a gateway drug. Nothing or no one can convince me otherwise.

Whatever happened to getting high off of life? Times are far from easy these days…but sometimes we need to do, or not do, things for the greater good. A temporary high isn’t going to erase anybody’s problems. Cloud Nine may be a pleasant escape for the brief moment you sit upon it, but the moment you fall though, the moment a reality of substance abuse sets in, you realize that Cloud Nine isn’t your home. It’s not where you can live…and I believe most people will feel its true and lethal effects long after the high is gone.

So…what do you think?