The Underground — Issue #88
Everything you need to know about in this weekly series: How Marijuana can help treat cancer, why smiling is good for you, a hardcore Japanese anime, and a new apparel product from Xbox One.
At Social Underground we go beyond the mainstream stuff and see what’s underneath the surface. What should we get into, listen to, read, eat or watch? If there is something in our culture that needs attention that’s our job: Show you the underground things that you need to know about: Books, music, television, movies, comedians, art, and whatever else we can find to get you into something you never knew about. That’s The Underground.
1. Marijuana is a medicine, so let’s put the political nonsense to bed. When I was younger, people who smoked pot were looked down upon. Not so much me looking down upon them, but the media, older people and the government. After reading up more and comparing it to other drugs, I realized these people are complete idiots. Marijuana being a Schedule 1 like heroin is completely mind-blowing since heroin, as well as major prescription drugs are extremely harmful.
I have never heard of anyone overdoes on Marijuana. I’ve never heard of someone having liver problems or addiction problems with Marijuana. I never hear about a car accident causing death with marijuana being the sole cause of the accident. People who usually smoke a lot of weed at their house end up not wanting to leave the house because they’re stoned and don’t want to go anywhere. The worst thing marijuana does is make you tired and sort of lazy. The drowsy part is good, especially if you have trouble sleeping. Couple tokes of a certain strange and you’re sleeping pretty soon.
What is hard to argue with is the enormous benefits of medical marijuana. It’s especially good for pain and fighting cancer. Have you ever had a chance to see someone with cancer that has to go through chemotherapy and radiation treatments? That stuff not only kills cancer cells, but it also kills healthy cells. People on it looks like they are about to die any second. They have no appetite and start to lose the will to live. Marijuana gives that back to them, and it also does all of the stuff stated in the below infographic. So, seeing all these politicians and organizations make Marijuana look so bad really shows you how Reaper Madness and the fear of Mexican immigrants (who enjoyed) weed has caused such an unfounded scare.
Athletes are encouraged to take heavy dosages of vicodin and other painkillers to reduce pain after being hurt, but if a blood test reveals Marijuana? They’re suspended or fired. It makes no sense. Check out the stats below, and then spread the word.
2. Why smiling is also a health benefit. We’ve been through why Marijuana is good for you, but there’s something you do everyday that is also good for you: smiling. Sometimes we work and run around so much that we never have the chance to sit back and smile or appreciate things. Everyone loves to smile no matter how hardcore and emotionless of a vibe they’re trying to put out to try to act tough.
I recently started watching that “How To Basic” YouTube channel. I had no idea what it was about, and the images uses for the cover of the videos just looked like it was going to teach me how make ice cream or something. That’s not really something I was interested in. Then I saw something about hot to make KFC fried chicken. I was curious to see how they pull off the spices and what not. It was just a guy starting off normal, and then going batsh*t insane by making a complete mess. It made me laugh and smile throughout the video and smile the entire time after. I watched these for at least an hour, and then I felt good the rest of the day. Smiling rules.
The video below shows the actual health benefits to smile. So watch it and try to smile more. Even if you have to force it… like when you go to Thanksgiving.
3. Elfen Lied is one of the most extreme Japanese anime’s I have ever seen.
The other day, I was reading about the Netflix phenomenon that is Stranger Things, and there were multiple mentions about the similarities between that show and a show called Elfen Lied. They were both shows where kids were experiments on, escaped, and had special powers. I could get down with that. The first 10 minutes of the show included graphic nudity and such brutal violence that I knew I was hooked.
Premise: Elfen Lied takes place in Kamakura, Japan, and focuses on the “Diclonius”, a newly mutated species. Their appearance is similar to humans, but with several differences, namely horn-like protrusions on the forehead and the presence of telekinetic invisible arms called “Vectors”. One such Diclonius, Lucy, is the main character of the series: Initially held in a facility built for experimentation, located off the coast of Kamakura, she manages to escape and wreak havoc, but is injured in the process, an event which causes her to develop a secondary, childlike personality known as Nyu. Lucy is found by two locals, Kohta, who studies at the local university, and his cousin Yuka. They take her in, and become involved with the numerous, often brutal, attempts to recapture her by a Special Assault Team and a number of other Diclonius, who shift frequently from oblivious to murderous.
We’re talking A LOT of nudity and violence. A lot of the times, the nudity just had me thinking: Japan is weird with this stuff. But then, the story drives the rest of it into a very fantastic anime that is NOT SAFE FOR WORK. The nudity is one thing, but the way people are killed or maimed in this show is really extreme. Even the people watching Game of Thrones would step back and say it’s too much. That is why the show and the manga got a lot of controversy, but critics are different over there. When you have anime where school girls fight tentacle sex monsters, this show is tame compared to that since no one actually is shown having sex. The nudity is non-sexual which I’m okay with, but also left me wondering how old the characters are supposed to be. Japan tends to make all of their female characters look of age.
Check out the trailer for Elfen Lied.
4. Xbox One now has an Xbox Onesie made specifically for gaming.
If I know I’m going to be gaming for a few hours, I would usually like to wear something comfortable. Gaming, depending on the game, usually makes you jump up in anger or excitment, so wearing a suit and tie id generally not the most comfy thing to wear when doing that. Xbox One is new coming out with onesies you can wear while you’re gaming.
It’s an adult-sized pair of zip-up pajamas packed to the seams with purpose-built, Xbox-themed accoutrement. We’re talking oversized pockets for gamepads and remotes, an arm pouch for your phone and a giant hood that shouldn’t interfere with even the bulkiest of headphones. That’s in addition to “forearm grips to prevent slipping on those ‘edge of your seat’ moments” and the option to have your Gamertag embroidered on the getup.
Something tells me if your girlfriend showed up unannounced and caught you wearing this, you’re relationship is over… until you give her the one you bought for her. She’d be in love all over again. Girls life comfy chill wear. That’s a fact. Maybe she could be a gamer with you?! Maybe she already was a gamer and this is the best gift ever. You’re not the best boyfriend in the world.
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Jeff Sorensen is an author, writer and occasional comedian living in Detroit, Michigan. You can look for more of his work on The Huffington Post, UPROXX, BGR and by just looking up his name.
Contact: jeff@socialunderground.com