Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Sunday, December 20, 2015
The Hatred Badge of Honor
In this one I talk about people being proud of their hatred of something...then I start to diss the film Master of Disguise...yeah...
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Yes, Trump is Running for President
Despite rumors and wishful thinking, Donald Trump really is running for president.
Friday, December 11, 2015
Friday, December 4, 2015
Power of a Mad Man's Cheese Intro
It's been a little while since I've done a blog, but I wanted to let you guys know that I've now got a vlog. So, I'll be posting these here whenever I make a new one (which will hopefully be more often than the written blog stuff).
If you enjoy that video, feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Till Next Time, Space Monkeys!
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Memories of September 11th
Every year, around this time of the year, I consider making this very blog post. Then, every year, I always say, "Well, maybe next year." So if you're reading this, it means A) You're awesome and thanks for reading my blog and B) That I finally decided to make this post. So here it goes.
September 11th, 2001 started off like any normal day for me. It was a very dull Tuesday in my senior year of high school. I went English class thinking that it was going to be another long and boring day. Of course, I was wrong.
Around 10:15 or so, I went to my second bell which was being an assistant in the school's Library. I put my things down and sat at the front desk, but as I did so I looked over to the lounge and saw the two librarians talking to each other very nervously. I remember getting a bad feeling in my gut that I couldn't shake at that point. There weren't any classes or students in there to help at the time, so I figured I would go over and ask them what was wrong. They tell me that terrorists have hijacked several planes, crashing them into the Twin Towers along with the Pentagon and that the South tower had collapsed.
I was in shock, rocked to my very core. I don't remember if I said anything or just took my seat behind the desk. I was just on autopilot. Shortly there after, a class came in. The students were conversing with each other, laughing and just having a good time (well, as good of a time as one can in class, I suppose). They didn't know. They had no idea what kind of news they were going to be receiving later on. And that bothered me, deeply. I asked if I could go run some errands around the school for librarians so I could get out of there. They agreed, and I was off.
Wandering the halls, I could see other students and teachers learning of the tragedy. You could always tell who found out by the thousand-yard stare they'd give. One girl was on a payphone in the main hallway, bawling her eyes out while a teacher comforted her. It was gut-wrenching. After returning from the errands, the librarians told me that the other tower had collapsed. I don't remember how I reacted to that.
The second half of my day was spent at a technical school where I took radio class. Just before getting on the bus to go there, the principal announced what had happened. A silence fell over the entire school. The bus ride to radio class was somber and long, with students throwing out wild accusations as to what was going on. My mind went back to the previous school year.
You see, in radio class we were taught some of the basics of how radio worked and how to be a DJ. This also meant covering the news. We covered the bombing of the USS Cole, which our teacher taught us how to pronounce the name of the person behind it. She told us that he would probably end up being a household name at some point in the future. And I knew, the second that I was told about the attacks, that Osama Bin Laden had to have been behind it.
Radio class was a zoo that day. Our printer that was connected to the Associated Press (AP) was constantly going off with updates about the attacks, Bin Laden, and Al Qaeda. To top if off, the teacher wheeled in a television so we could watch CNN. From there, we watch the horrific events unfold over and over and over and over and over again. From different angles, too. Now radio class was the length of two normal classes, so we were watching that footage for awhile. The teacher didn't speak or try to give any lessons that day, it was just us, the television, and constantly watching thousands of people die.
I cringed (just as I still do) whenever I saw one of the planes hit or the towers collapse. I eventually asked if we could just turn the TV off since there was no more new information being given at the time and we had a direct link to the AP. The teacher, still staring at the television, said no. So we sat there, watching it unfold again and again.
Once the numbness set in and the initial shock (sort of) wore off, everything else is a little fuzzy about that day. I remember going over to my friend's house and my Mom and I watching President Bush's "We're gonna get 'em" speech that he clearly made from a bunker (seriously, I know it was dressed up like the Oval office, but you can't think that they'd have the President in the White House after a major attack like that) with my friend and his family. Oh, and I remember suggesting that they should just arm the pilots, but everyone thought that was crazy (who's laughing now?).
The only real strange thing that stuck out was the house shaking violently later that night. I rushed outside to see an extremely low flying aircraft overhead. I can't say I'm too surprised since there are military bases all around the area I live in, but with the nationwide flight restriction in effect, it did unnerve me.
I'm honestly not sure how to end this. I was going to talk about how things have changed since then, but I think that may get off point. It's funny, though, how vividly events like this one can stand out in your mind. That the rush of chemicals in your brain can forever etch those memories onto your psyche, forcing you to carry them with you for all time. But even if they're always there and always vivid, they aren't necessarily as potent as before. And I'm okay with that.
September 11th, 2001 started off like any normal day for me. It was a very dull Tuesday in my senior year of high school. I went English class thinking that it was going to be another long and boring day. Of course, I was wrong.
Around 10:15 or so, I went to my second bell which was being an assistant in the school's Library. I put my things down and sat at the front desk, but as I did so I looked over to the lounge and saw the two librarians talking to each other very nervously. I remember getting a bad feeling in my gut that I couldn't shake at that point. There weren't any classes or students in there to help at the time, so I figured I would go over and ask them what was wrong. They tell me that terrorists have hijacked several planes, crashing them into the Twin Towers along with the Pentagon and that the South tower had collapsed.
I was in shock, rocked to my very core. I don't remember if I said anything or just took my seat behind the desk. I was just on autopilot. Shortly there after, a class came in. The students were conversing with each other, laughing and just having a good time (well, as good of a time as one can in class, I suppose). They didn't know. They had no idea what kind of news they were going to be receiving later on. And that bothered me, deeply. I asked if I could go run some errands around the school for librarians so I could get out of there. They agreed, and I was off.
Wandering the halls, I could see other students and teachers learning of the tragedy. You could always tell who found out by the thousand-yard stare they'd give. One girl was on a payphone in the main hallway, bawling her eyes out while a teacher comforted her. It was gut-wrenching. After returning from the errands, the librarians told me that the other tower had collapsed. I don't remember how I reacted to that.
The second half of my day was spent at a technical school where I took radio class. Just before getting on the bus to go there, the principal announced what had happened. A silence fell over the entire school. The bus ride to radio class was somber and long, with students throwing out wild accusations as to what was going on. My mind went back to the previous school year.
You see, in radio class we were taught some of the basics of how radio worked and how to be a DJ. This also meant covering the news. We covered the bombing of the USS Cole, which our teacher taught us how to pronounce the name of the person behind it. She told us that he would probably end up being a household name at some point in the future. And I knew, the second that I was told about the attacks, that Osama Bin Laden had to have been behind it.
Radio class was a zoo that day. Our printer that was connected to the Associated Press (AP) was constantly going off with updates about the attacks, Bin Laden, and Al Qaeda. To top if off, the teacher wheeled in a television so we could watch CNN. From there, we watch the horrific events unfold over and over and over and over and over again. From different angles, too. Now radio class was the length of two normal classes, so we were watching that footage for awhile. The teacher didn't speak or try to give any lessons that day, it was just us, the television, and constantly watching thousands of people die.
I cringed (just as I still do) whenever I saw one of the planes hit or the towers collapse. I eventually asked if we could just turn the TV off since there was no more new information being given at the time and we had a direct link to the AP. The teacher, still staring at the television, said no. So we sat there, watching it unfold again and again.
Once the numbness set in and the initial shock (sort of) wore off, everything else is a little fuzzy about that day. I remember going over to my friend's house and my Mom and I watching President Bush's "We're gonna get 'em" speech that he clearly made from a bunker (seriously, I know it was dressed up like the Oval office, but you can't think that they'd have the President in the White House after a major attack like that) with my friend and his family. Oh, and I remember suggesting that they should just arm the pilots, but everyone thought that was crazy (who's laughing now?).
The only real strange thing that stuck out was the house shaking violently later that night. I rushed outside to see an extremely low flying aircraft overhead. I can't say I'm too surprised since there are military bases all around the area I live in, but with the nationwide flight restriction in effect, it did unnerve me.
I'm honestly not sure how to end this. I was going to talk about how things have changed since then, but I think that may get off point. It's funny, though, how vividly events like this one can stand out in your mind. That the rush of chemicals in your brain can forever etch those memories onto your psyche, forcing you to carry them with you for all time. But even if they're always there and always vivid, they aren't necessarily as potent as before. And I'm okay with that.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Slave Leia Figures and Sensationalism in the Media
I've seen a lot of posts about the "news" story from Fox's Philly affiliate, FOX 29, talking about people being offended by a Star Wars Slave Leia figure that's been on toy shelves since the fall of 2013. Now, most people direct their ire towards the folks who were offended. I say don't even bother with them. People can get offended at anything, it's nothing new. It's not some sort of strange new thing. People have screamed, "won't someone think of the children" since time immemorial, so let it go.
No, your outrage should be with FOX 29. The catalyst for the story is a cellphone video a father took at a Target showing his girls pointing out the figure (come to think of it, if it was a spontaneous discovery, it's sorta weird that he was just filming them running down the aisle and pointing it out. Could be for presentation effect, but I don't know). After interviewing him in a Target parking lot (kinda weird, but okay) the news team then starts confronting other parents about this toy, which as I stated previously, has been a peg warmer (that's a figure that just sits there on the shelf for an incredibly long time, by the way) for almost TWO YEARS! Seriously, there's no way these parents didn't see this figure before. I just don't buy it.
Now, before you start thinking that I've donned a tin foil hat, I'm saying that these people are paid off or just completely oblivious morons. The figure just wasn't important enough to register on their radar. However, when you stick a news crew in front of anyone and ask for their opinion, that's when people are pressured to say something. This figure was a nonissue until FOX 29 made it an issue.
This, right here, is the problem with journalism today: Sensationalism. Making a story where one doesn't even exist and blowing it up to a massive proportion. I'm not saying, "they're distracting us from the real issues". That's dumb. People can concentrate on multiple stories at once. Our Reptilian Overlords™ in the Illuminati™ have nothing to do with this*. It's not distracting us from any of the BIG issues, it's just wasting our time and helping a (most likely) rich owner of a local news station get richer with every click we make to their site.
FOX 29 WANTS you to be furious. At who? It doesn't really matter. You could be furious at Hasbro for making the figure, furious at Target and other stores for selling it, or furious at them for making the story. It's all a win-win scenario for them, cuz it's all about getting the clicks and the viewers.
Best advice I can give? Just ignore the story. If you pay attention to it (which I do realize is a double edged sword because how am I supposed to talk about it and not pay attention to it) then they'll realize that this is what brings people in. Which means they'll start trying to capture that same kind of attention again by doing follow ups to this "story" and other little blurbs along the same line. Don't let their, "Shit, there's absolutely no news going on today. Better make something up" brand of news become the default (for them and other stations across the nation). Otherwise, where else would we get our reliable news from, other than the Associated Press, Reddit, other various websites, etc.
*Side note, can we knock it off with the New World Order/Illuminati crap? No, those videos you're sharing aren't evidence of a shape-shifting reptilian creature, that's just digital artifacting. It's very common in low rez and/or poorly compressed video. Thank you.
No, your outrage should be with FOX 29. The catalyst for the story is a cellphone video a father took at a Target showing his girls pointing out the figure (come to think of it, if it was a spontaneous discovery, it's sorta weird that he was just filming them running down the aisle and pointing it out. Could be for presentation effect, but I don't know). After interviewing him in a Target parking lot (kinda weird, but okay) the news team then starts confronting other parents about this toy, which as I stated previously, has been a peg warmer (that's a figure that just sits there on the shelf for an incredibly long time, by the way) for almost TWO YEARS! Seriously, there's no way these parents didn't see this figure before. I just don't buy it.
Now, before you start thinking that I've donned a tin foil hat, I'm saying that these people are paid off or just completely oblivious morons. The figure just wasn't important enough to register on their radar. However, when you stick a news crew in front of anyone and ask for their opinion, that's when people are pressured to say something. This figure was a nonissue until FOX 29 made it an issue.
This, right here, is the problem with journalism today: Sensationalism. Making a story where one doesn't even exist and blowing it up to a massive proportion. I'm not saying, "they're distracting us from the real issues". That's dumb. People can concentrate on multiple stories at once. Our Reptilian Overlords™ in the Illuminati™ have nothing to do with this*. It's not distracting us from any of the BIG issues, it's just wasting our time and helping a (most likely) rich owner of a local news station get richer with every click we make to their site.
FOX 29 WANTS you to be furious. At who? It doesn't really matter. You could be furious at Hasbro for making the figure, furious at Target and other stores for selling it, or furious at them for making the story. It's all a win-win scenario for them, cuz it's all about getting the clicks and the viewers.
Best advice I can give? Just ignore the story. If you pay attention to it (which I do realize is a double edged sword because how am I supposed to talk about it and not pay attention to it) then they'll realize that this is what brings people in. Which means they'll start trying to capture that same kind of attention again by doing follow ups to this "story" and other little blurbs along the same line. Don't let their, "Shit, there's absolutely no news going on today. Better make something up" brand of news become the default (for them and other stations across the nation). Otherwise, where else would we get our reliable news from, other than the Associated Press, Reddit, other various websites, etc.
Till Next Time, Space Monkeys!
*Side note, can we knock it off with the New World Order/Illuminati crap? No, those videos you're sharing aren't evidence of a shape-shifting reptilian creature, that's just digital artifacting. It's very common in low rez and/or poorly compressed video. Thank you.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
A Message for the Hypersensitive and Insensitive
Okay, we get it. Everyone is extremely upset over one thing or another. I understand that you feel powerless to do anything so your only method is to vent on Facebook, but that doesn't help at all. You see, instead of trying to talk things out and learn to empathize with others, many folks take the, "This isn't the way things were done back in the day" approach to these problems, finding it easier to dehumanize the "other side" for having beliefs that conflict with their own. I'm going to give a special message to both "sides" in a language they're sure to understand.
For The Hypersensitive:
For The Insensitive:
While it might sound like I'm taking a harder stance on the insensitive folks, part of it is hyperbole to get them to listen and the other part is that their aggression usually ends up escalating the conflict for all parties involved. I do think both "sides" need to come to the table and talk things out. Hypersensitive people do, for some issues (not all), need to become more thick-skinned. Insensitive people need to tone it down for a lot of issues (again, not necessarily all). Talk it out. Learn from each other. You might come to realize, "Wow, they're human beings, just like me. Perhaps I was being a douche-nozzle after all."
For The Hypersensitive:
You find yourself offended by something? That's fine. Being offended isn't a voluntary reaction, you can't control it. Just don't expect that everyone will find the same things offensive or that you'll be able to change their minds. Change is not something simple that can be forced onto another, it has to be an epiphany for them (if that would even happen at all, since everyone is different). You always have to be careful and pick your battles, know when to make and a stand and when it's better just to back off.
For The Insensitive:
What the fuck is wrong with you? Yes, sometimes people can take things too far and get offended at trivial items, but that doesn't mean you need to bash them for it. And even if you are certain that they're over reacting, why the fuck would you continue to antagonize them? News flash you piece of shit, most everyone else has a moderate temperament, and your actions make you come off as a douche-nozzle rather than the Real American Hero™ image that you want so desperately to portray.
While it might sound like I'm taking a harder stance on the insensitive folks, part of it is hyperbole to get them to listen and the other part is that their aggression usually ends up escalating the conflict for all parties involved. I do think both "sides" need to come to the table and talk things out. Hypersensitive people do, for some issues (not all), need to become more thick-skinned. Insensitive people need to tone it down for a lot of issues (again, not necessarily all). Talk it out. Learn from each other. You might come to realize, "Wow, they're human beings, just like me. Perhaps I was being a douche-nozzle after all."
Till Next Time, Space Monkeys!
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Killing Future Nostalgia: The Finite Lives of Online Games
I've come to notice something about a lot of video games recently: the reliance of online servers. Now, this can be a nice feature. It can bring friends together, playing a game over vast distances. There is, however, a major drawback. These games are given finite lives.
I don't want to start off by saying, "Back in my day we didn't have online games, and we liked it." That's stupid. All that is is an attempt for the author to express how their generation is soooo much better than the current one. Every generation does this to the next, it's nothing new. In fact, I'm pretty sure it could be considered a form of narcissism, claiming that everything old is gold and everything new is shit. Again, that's stupid. No, what I'm talking about here isn't a broad generalization, but a specific complaint that could easily be fixed.
You see, there are a number of games that require the user to log onto a server in order to play (sometimes even if you're playing a single player game). On the outside, the reason for this is so you can have access to your friends list while playing. In reality, though, it's mostly about preventing piracy by constantly confirming you have an authentic copy of the game (even though most pirates can find a way around it, but that's neither here nor there). The problem that really arises is when a game company can no longer afford to run the servers. When that happens, poof, that game that you purchased can no longer be played. It doesn't matter how much you payed for it, it doesn't matter how many add on packs or downloadable content you bought, that's it. Finito. Done. Game over, man. Game over.
I can understand a company not wanting to put anymore time and effort into a game if they're ready to move on, but the fact that they don't seem to care about the gamers once their part is through in it, is a little troubling. It all seems to go back to this mentality that a lot companies (mainly tech) seemly have, where consumers don't actually own the products that they've bought. Just look it, customization of a product is frowned upon, with a number businesses trying to ensure a uniformity in there product line even after it's purchased. Same with games. A number of the publishers and developers treat video games like a long term rental service, and once their done, you're done.
What makes it worse is that there could still be ways for some of these games to live on after their official servers are gone. So publishers and developers, I've got a question for you: Why not give the game's source code to the community and allow them to set up their own servers? Hell, you could even sell discounted digital copies to run off of these fan servers. Sure, you probably wouldn't make that much of a profit, but it would still be something. Why allow these games to just die? Why not give them over to their fan community? You know retro gaming is a big thing right now, so don't you think it's entirely possible that folks may want to play your game ten years down the road?
Perhaps it's silly, but maybe more of an effort will be made to try and preserve some of these games rather than just pull the plug and be done with it.
I don't want to start off by saying, "Back in my day we didn't have online games, and we liked it." That's stupid. All that is is an attempt for the author to express how their generation is soooo much better than the current one. Every generation does this to the next, it's nothing new. In fact, I'm pretty sure it could be considered a form of narcissism, claiming that everything old is gold and everything new is shit. Again, that's stupid. No, what I'm talking about here isn't a broad generalization, but a specific complaint that could easily be fixed.
You see, there are a number of games that require the user to log onto a server in order to play (sometimes even if you're playing a single player game). On the outside, the reason for this is so you can have access to your friends list while playing. In reality, though, it's mostly about preventing piracy by constantly confirming you have an authentic copy of the game (even though most pirates can find a way around it, but that's neither here nor there). The problem that really arises is when a game company can no longer afford to run the servers. When that happens, poof, that game that you purchased can no longer be played. It doesn't matter how much you payed for it, it doesn't matter how many add on packs or downloadable content you bought, that's it. Finito. Done. Game over, man. Game over.
I can understand a company not wanting to put anymore time and effort into a game if they're ready to move on, but the fact that they don't seem to care about the gamers once their part is through in it, is a little troubling. It all seems to go back to this mentality that a lot companies (mainly tech) seemly have, where consumers don't actually own the products that they've bought. Just look it, customization of a product is frowned upon, with a number businesses trying to ensure a uniformity in there product line even after it's purchased. Same with games. A number of the publishers and developers treat video games like a long term rental service, and once their done, you're done.
What makes it worse is that there could still be ways for some of these games to live on after their official servers are gone. So publishers and developers, I've got a question for you: Why not give the game's source code to the community and allow them to set up their own servers? Hell, you could even sell discounted digital copies to run off of these fan servers. Sure, you probably wouldn't make that much of a profit, but it would still be something. Why allow these games to just die? Why not give them over to their fan community? You know retro gaming is a big thing right now, so don't you think it's entirely possible that folks may want to play your game ten years down the road?
Perhaps it's silly, but maybe more of an effort will be made to try and preserve some of these games rather than just pull the plug and be done with it.
Till Next Time, Space Monkeys!
Monday, May 11, 2015
They Came Back/Les Revenants Review
I've been wanting to write something on this blog again for some time, but I wasn't sure what. I then recently saw a film that got me thinking, "you know what, I'll do a review." So, with that in mind, here's a little something I put together.
Warning, this review does contain spoilers.
They Came Back/Les Revenants is an interesting French film from 2004 about zombies, but not in the typical fashion. The folks that rise from the grave in this picture aren't your stereotypical flesh eating ghouls. They are the people who they were before they died...sort of. You see, the zombies in this, usually referred to as "The Returned" (and before you ask, yes, the show is based on this movie) are seemly normal individuals who just so happened to have died within the past 10 years and are now wandering around again.
The film opens in a very old school zombie movie kind of way. We see a cemetery and a steady flow of people that are just shuffling out. The camera pulls back to show how massive the crowd is. A meeting is being held with the mayor and my other officials of the town. There we learn that an estimated 74 million people world wide have returned, with a few thousand in this town alone. The concern, of course, is trying to figure out what to do with them. A temporary shelter is created, housing individuals until their next of kin retrieves them. Some people, like the film's main character Rachel, can't bring themselves to accept that this is happening, all while her husband, Mathieu, doesn't seem to know that he's been dead for 2 years.
It quickly becomes apparent that something is up (well, aside from the obvious). The Returned are a bit slower than everyone else, acting like blunt force trauma victims. They stare out into nothing for long periods of time, seemly unable to concentrate on any complex task in front of them. There's nothing wrong with their speech and motor functions, in fact they can carry on normal conversations. Aside from zoning out, they're in excellent health and are able to resist most disease due to a lower body temperature. Oh, and they pretend to sleep so they can sneak out in the middle of the night to have secret meetings with each other. Other than that, they're completely normal.
While it sounds like the film builds toward some sort of sinister plot by The Returned, the bulk of the movie deals with many different characters coming to grips with the reality that their once departed loved ones are walking the Earth again. They almost have the reverse of the 5 stages of grief, inevitably becoming so happy that they just ignore the warning signs, holding on to the hope that this is really happening. Unfortunately, one doctor does finally figure out why they constantly zone out: The Returned are replying the events of the day they died in their head, stuck in a never ending loop. He says that they may never be who we want them to be again.
However, near the end of the film, it's revealed that those secret meetings they were having were about trying to access the tunnels that run under the city. Why? Who knows! This is undoubtedly the weakest part of this film. The Returned stage a series of synchronized bombings around the city so they can get to these tunnels (the bombings are purely for distraction as there are no casualties). The French government comes in with special coma-gas grenades to take out the unarmed and fleeing individuals. Of course "coma" for them must mean "dead" since the film ends with the soldiers taking the bodies of the re-departed and placing them on their graves, causing them to magically vanish.
Everything comes to a head in a climax where almost nothing happens. Sure Rachel has a tearful goodbye with Mathieu as he stares blankly at her while going into the tunnel, but that doesn't resolve on of the big issues here. This movie set up a major plot point with these secret meetings, and not once did we get a hint as to what was happening. I'm not asking for a story to be spoon fed to me, in fact I love those "ah-ha" moments when you figure something out that isn't explicitly stated, but you've gotta throw me a bone here. Were they trying to escape? Is there something special underground? Why were they able to work together on this plan when other tasks seemed just out of reach for them? A movie shouldn't necessarily wrap everything up in a nice bow, but this, I feel, was too big of a thing and had too much set up for them to not even drop a clue.
Don't judge the film too harshly, though. Overall, it's great. It'll suck you in and have you wondering what happens next. The down side is that it can be slow moving at times and there's that one major, unresolved plot thread. I still say, however, that it's worth giving it a shot.
Warning, this review does contain spoilers.
They Came Back/Les Revenants is an interesting French film from 2004 about zombies, but not in the typical fashion. The folks that rise from the grave in this picture aren't your stereotypical flesh eating ghouls. They are the people who they were before they died...sort of. You see, the zombies in this, usually referred to as "The Returned" (and before you ask, yes, the show is based on this movie) are seemly normal individuals who just so happened to have died within the past 10 years and are now wandering around again.
The film opens in a very old school zombie movie kind of way. We see a cemetery and a steady flow of people that are just shuffling out. The camera pulls back to show how massive the crowd is. A meeting is being held with the mayor and my other officials of the town. There we learn that an estimated 74 million people world wide have returned, with a few thousand in this town alone. The concern, of course, is trying to figure out what to do with them. A temporary shelter is created, housing individuals until their next of kin retrieves them. Some people, like the film's main character Rachel, can't bring themselves to accept that this is happening, all while her husband, Mathieu, doesn't seem to know that he's been dead for 2 years.
It quickly becomes apparent that something is up (well, aside from the obvious). The Returned are a bit slower than everyone else, acting like blunt force trauma victims. They stare out into nothing for long periods of time, seemly unable to concentrate on any complex task in front of them. There's nothing wrong with their speech and motor functions, in fact they can carry on normal conversations. Aside from zoning out, they're in excellent health and are able to resist most disease due to a lower body temperature. Oh, and they pretend to sleep so they can sneak out in the middle of the night to have secret meetings with each other. Other than that, they're completely normal.
While it sounds like the film builds toward some sort of sinister plot by The Returned, the bulk of the movie deals with many different characters coming to grips with the reality that their once departed loved ones are walking the Earth again. They almost have the reverse of the 5 stages of grief, inevitably becoming so happy that they just ignore the warning signs, holding on to the hope that this is really happening. Unfortunately, one doctor does finally figure out why they constantly zone out: The Returned are replying the events of the day they died in their head, stuck in a never ending loop. He says that they may never be who we want them to be again.
However, near the end of the film, it's revealed that those secret meetings they were having were about trying to access the tunnels that run under the city. Why? Who knows! This is undoubtedly the weakest part of this film. The Returned stage a series of synchronized bombings around the city so they can get to these tunnels (the bombings are purely for distraction as there are no casualties). The French government comes in with special coma-gas grenades to take out the unarmed and fleeing individuals. Of course "coma" for them must mean "dead" since the film ends with the soldiers taking the bodies of the re-departed and placing them on their graves, causing them to magically vanish.
Everything comes to a head in a climax where almost nothing happens. Sure Rachel has a tearful goodbye with Mathieu as he stares blankly at her while going into the tunnel, but that doesn't resolve on of the big issues here. This movie set up a major plot point with these secret meetings, and not once did we get a hint as to what was happening. I'm not asking for a story to be spoon fed to me, in fact I love those "ah-ha" moments when you figure something out that isn't explicitly stated, but you've gotta throw me a bone here. Were they trying to escape? Is there something special underground? Why were they able to work together on this plan when other tasks seemed just out of reach for them? A movie shouldn't necessarily wrap everything up in a nice bow, but this, I feel, was too big of a thing and had too much set up for them to not even drop a clue.
Don't judge the film too harshly, though. Overall, it's great. It'll suck you in and have you wondering what happens next. The down side is that it can be slow moving at times and there's that one major, unresolved plot thread. I still say, however, that it's worth giving it a shot.
Till Next Time, Space Monkeys!
Monday, January 12, 2015
Elitism In Nerd Culture
"You're not the right race to dress up as that character."
"That character's not your gender. You can't dress up as them!"
"You better lose some pounds before you do that costume."
"You're not a real fan. I bet you don't even know what issue the character you're Cosplaying as went back in time, married a dinosaur, and punched Hitler in the face. It was a very important issue. Comic books are serious business!"
I've noticed a big problem recently. A problem that has infiltrated the nerd community (or, perhaps, grew from a little seed that was already there). A serious problem that needs to be dealt with. That problem: Elitism. It's something that's been consuming the community from the inside out for quite sometime.
For years, being a nerd was considered to be a bad thing. Playing video games, reading comic books, watching anime, dressing up in funny costumes, it was all...weird. But then, one day, nerdom became a pop culture phenomenon. Now people call themselves a "nerd" with pride. How did this happen? Maybe it was through exciting stories being told through different media like television or movies. Perhaps it was the video game culture from the 80s growing up, instilling our nostalgic values on everything. Or maybe it was through shows on PBS like Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and Sesame Street that taught both parents and children that it's okay to be who you are, raising a generation that was actually okay with kids reading comic books. Who honestly knows (the Shadow, duh), the how or why isn't really important here. All we're looking at is the result: nerd culture is big and that bothers some nerds.
You might be thinking, "But why would having more geeks be a problem for other geeks?" Actually you're probably asking, "Why did substitute 'geek' for 'nerd' there?" Well, if I keep saying "nerd" for the whole damn article it'll get old quick, so I'm gonna go back and forth since the words are interchangeable (I would say "dork" as well, but it's still more of an insult than the other two).
Anyway, back to what I was saying. The reason for this hatred is that some folks like the feel of being a big fish in a small pond. It's all about feeling superior, perhaps due to low self-esteem and/or bullying. So, let's say they have a lot of knowledge of a particular show or comic book. They can act like a living wikipedia (both in amount of knowledge and accuracy), answering people's questions about said fictional universe. If you start to introduce others to your little club, however, the pond grows. Perhaps others come in with more knowledge than them. Suddenly, they don't feel as big as they did. Because of this, the influx of new fans causes them to lash out, becoming the bullies that bullied them, continuing the cycle (or something along those lines).
Even people in the comics industry, the ones who should be setting an example, are not immune to this sort of behavior. A few weeks back, a comic artist said he would not attend any convention that promoted Cosplayers. He said that they and other media guests, "bring nothing of value to the shows", alluding that they took attention away from the comic book guests, and calling Cosplay a form of narcissism (which is sad that he probably can't appreciate the juicy irony of a person complaining of both the narcissistic tendencies of others while also talking about how they themselves aren't getting enough attention. If irony could somehow become a food source, then this little nugget would be able to feed the whole world for at least a few days).
Now, don't get me wrong, not every nerd is an elitistprick jerk. The elitists are, I believe, a vocal minority. Example: say that you're in a crowd of geeks and one accuses the other of "not being a real fan". How do most of the people react? Most of them won't jump in to attack or defend the "fake fan". They're the silent majority, not wanting to incur the wrath of the obviously unstable individual. And while it's good that the majority aren't bat shit crazy delusional like the vocal ones, it also means that the elitists aren't getting hit with truth that they're nothing more than bullies, sapping the fun and joy out of the culture we love and trying to shape it into their own twisted vision. A vision with strict guidelines of how things should be done, of who should dress as what, and a litmus test to prove that you're a "real fan".
If we allow the elitism to continue, it will eat the community up, leaving it a shell of its former self. People will start to leave, tired of putting up with the hate. Others outside of the nerd culture will continue to have a negative image of us. And the egos of all the elitists will become so dense and massive that they'll merge together, creating a singularity that will wipe out the human race (okay, so that last part is total bullshit, but lists are better in groups of at least three, so I had to put something).
How should we combat it? Tell 'em to knock it off! If you see somebody bullying/harassing someone else at a con, either stop them or find an official who can. You see someone viciously going after another person in a forum or chat room, don't engage (as these trolls are usually looking for attention), just report them for harassment (since most sites do have an anti-bullying/harassment policy). If we keep up the pressure, then maybe we can tame the beast. Maybe we can create a new, more positive image for us geeks, allowing others to join us, because it's only through new blood that we can be sure that the little nerd subculture we've created will continue to flourish and not wither and die.
Sure, it might like a huge task, but if enough people band together, we could turn the silent majority into a vocal one. Cosplay is for everyone. Fandom is for everyone. That's the message we have the power to deliver. And you know what they say...
"That character's not your gender. You can't dress up as them!"
"You better lose some pounds before you do that costume."
"You're not a real fan. I bet you don't even know what issue the character you're Cosplaying as went back in time, married a dinosaur, and punched Hitler in the face. It was a very important issue. Comic books are serious business!"
I've noticed a big problem recently. A problem that has infiltrated the nerd community (or, perhaps, grew from a little seed that was already there). A serious problem that needs to be dealt with. That problem: Elitism. It's something that's been consuming the community from the inside out for quite sometime.
For years, being a nerd was considered to be a bad thing. Playing video games, reading comic books, watching anime, dressing up in funny costumes, it was all...weird. But then, one day, nerdom became a pop culture phenomenon. Now people call themselves a "nerd" with pride. How did this happen? Maybe it was through exciting stories being told through different media like television or movies. Perhaps it was the video game culture from the 80s growing up, instilling our nostalgic values on everything. Or maybe it was through shows on PBS like Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and Sesame Street that taught both parents and children that it's okay to be who you are, raising a generation that was actually okay with kids reading comic books. Who honestly knows (the Shadow, duh), the how or why isn't really important here. All we're looking at is the result: nerd culture is big and that bothers some nerds.
You might be thinking, "But why would having more geeks be a problem for other geeks?" Actually you're probably asking, "Why did substitute 'geek' for 'nerd' there?" Well, if I keep saying "nerd" for the whole damn article it'll get old quick, so I'm gonna go back and forth since the words are interchangeable (I would say "dork" as well, but it's still more of an insult than the other two).
Anyway, back to what I was saying. The reason for this hatred is that some folks like the feel of being a big fish in a small pond. It's all about feeling superior, perhaps due to low self-esteem and/or bullying. So, let's say they have a lot of knowledge of a particular show or comic book. They can act like a living wikipedia (both in amount of knowledge and accuracy), answering people's questions about said fictional universe. If you start to introduce others to your little club, however, the pond grows. Perhaps others come in with more knowledge than them. Suddenly, they don't feel as big as they did. Because of this, the influx of new fans causes them to lash out, becoming the bullies that bullied them, continuing the cycle (or something along those lines).
Even people in the comics industry, the ones who should be setting an example, are not immune to this sort of behavior. A few weeks back, a comic artist said he would not attend any convention that promoted Cosplayers. He said that they and other media guests, "bring nothing of value to the shows", alluding that they took attention away from the comic book guests, and calling Cosplay a form of narcissism (which is sad that he probably can't appreciate the juicy irony of a person complaining of both the narcissistic tendencies of others while also talking about how they themselves aren't getting enough attention. If irony could somehow become a food source, then this little nugget would be able to feed the whole world for at least a few days).
Now, don't get me wrong, not every nerd is an elitist
If we allow the elitism to continue, it will eat the community up, leaving it a shell of its former self. People will start to leave, tired of putting up with the hate. Others outside of the nerd culture will continue to have a negative image of us. And the egos of all the elitists will become so dense and massive that they'll merge together, creating a singularity that will wipe out the human race (okay, so that last part is total bullshit, but lists are better in groups of at least three, so I had to put something).
How should we combat it? Tell 'em to knock it off! If you see somebody bullying/harassing someone else at a con, either stop them or find an official who can. You see someone viciously going after another person in a forum or chat room, don't engage (as these trolls are usually looking for attention), just report them for harassment (since most sites do have an anti-bullying/harassment policy). If we keep up the pressure, then maybe we can tame the beast. Maybe we can create a new, more positive image for us geeks, allowing others to join us, because it's only through new blood that we can be sure that the little nerd subculture we've created will continue to flourish and not wither and die.
Sure, it might like a huge task, but if enough people band together, we could turn the silent majority into a vocal one. Cosplay is for everyone. Fandom is for everyone. That's the message we have the power to deliver. And you know what they say...
"With great power comes great responsibility."
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