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America - on its way to becoming a nation of nimwits August 8, 2010
"But instead of exercising the appropriate mental muscles, we’re allowing ourselves to become a nation of nitwits, obsessed with the comings and goings of Lindsay Lohan and increasingly oblivious to crucially important societal issues that are all but screaming for attention. " But for one astute commentator from Colorado named Cathy, America is already there with its nimwitting: We're not becoming a nation of nitwits, she write, "We are a nation of nitwits. That ship has sailed." And as the rest of the world is an extension of America, particularly Canada, I think it's fair to say that the rich West is slowing turning into nations of nimwits. And while Canada may be no America in its nimwitting endavours, the commentators are sadly mistaken in thinking Canada to be an intellectual haven. Yes, there's more depth to our politics - we'd never (and I mean never) entertain Sarah Palin on any level - but to think of this country as being above Lindsay Lohan and Snookie is simply false. We absorb everything America pushes, so there is really no need for one Karen Garcia of New York to " pack it in and move to Canada." America sets the standards and we just follow - just like the rest of the world. That's why it's been kind of hard for me to wrap my head around this whole Chinese ascension thing. American pop culture owns us. The good, the bad and the trashy - we absorb it all. If you don't believe me, just check out MSN Canada, Yahoo Canada and even our beloved CBC, which is slowly turning into CNN, which by all accounts is entertainment news. So - there you have it: Canadian culture is deeply tied to American pop culture - a culture that is increasingly becoming barbaric. And while I've always been inclined to point fingers at the entertainment media moguls, maybe it really does boil down to our own interests. We just want to be entertained and excited all day long. And if profit is the name of the game, as it always is, then who can really blame the entertainment capitalists for giving people what they want. The fact that people actually want and enjoy trash is actually the real kicker here. Shows like Jersey Shore have triumphed because of a healthy following. Substance has slowly become a thing of the past. Trash is where it's at for the simple reason that it's entertaining. ~Addis Regular rants are posted on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays It's all about today August 5, 2010 As we spend all our free time updating our facebook profile pics, following Lindsay Lohan's demise and watching Seinfield reruns, a new kind of world order seems to be taking shape. A less American based order let's just say. And all you have to do is move away from mainstream news for just one day to get such a feel. Who knows if CNN & Co. are conspiring to keep us in the dark or are perhaps just obsessed with profit or maybe just reporting in the moment, but there's a major disconnect between what's being discussed in mainstream up-in-your-face media and less visible media. Yup. When we're tuning in to CNN, Canada's CBC or even the BBC, we're left feeling like always. America, America, America. But when you're on serious sites like Foreign Affairs Magazine, the Atlantic and even the Economist - it's all about China, China, China. I guess you can say academics are always one step ahead of journalists, so it could be just a matter of one obsessing over the current and the other over the future. Who knows for sure, but it's certainly food for thought. ~Addis Regular rants are posted on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays Gossiping - the sign of care August 1, 2010 Barbara Walters is on record for saying: "show me someone who never gossips, and I'll show you someone who isn't interested in people." And that should make us all in the clear for gossiping, right? We are fundamentally interested in each other and hence our propensity to talk about each other. Why else would we talk about each other? And let's face it - we all gossip. We talk about the good, of course, but it's the bad that we devour. As one Bertrand Arthur William Russel is famously quoted as saying: "no one gossips about other people's secret virtues." So it's the bad stuff then that turns us on - affairs, quarrels, break ups, employment dismissals, court appointments - you know, the interesting bad stuff people (including ourselves) seem to always want to keep to themselves. And the more they wanna keep to themselves, the more we have to know, the more we have to share. While some of us may share with one or two persons, others will share with the rest of the world. And the sophisticated gossipers amongst us, they even go the extra mile to create their own gossip. Where most of us are simply content with sharing embarrassing information about each other secretly, these folks are busy creating and disseminating embarrassing information about everyone they secretly want to be. They got envy issues, these folks, and are just the sort of gossipers the planet can do without. The rest of us are fine. We're interested in people. We care about people... ~Addis Regular rants are posted on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays Obama's Race Dilemma July 27, 2010 If politics is still the name of the game then Obama, as a black man, can't possibly get involved in race politics as two prominent New York Times journalists - Bob Herbert & Maureen Dowd - have strongly suggested in their columns from this past weekend. It'd be political suicide. And they should know it as seasoned political observers and commentators. They're probably just down right frustrated and angry with what went down with Shirley Sherrod - a black American woman who was forced to resign from her position as the Director of Rural Development in the state of Georgia over alleged racism. And it's a sad story really and telling of the great racial divide that continues to define the nation. And when you consider the fact that a video of Ms. Sherrod speaking at an NAACP event was manipulated to exacerbate the divide, it's even more sad and even scary. I mean, let us think about it - someone actually went out of their way to edit a video to make Sherrod look like a racist, to further polarize the nation. And once Fox (entertainment news) got their hands on the manipulated video, it was all over. Before she could even get her side of the story out, Sherrod was out of a job, "thrown to the wolves" as Bob Herbert's Saturday's Times headline reads. And for Herbert, it all comes back to the Obama administration who he accuses of running away "from race issues the way thoroughbreds bolt from the starting gate." And his colleague Maureen Dowd couldn't agree more. As she argues in her piece of similar slant, "At some level, he acts like the election was enough; he shouldn't have to deal with race further. But he does." Of course he does. But can he is the real question. As the country's first black president, I think his hands are firmly tied. As I was compelled to comment on the New York Times page: "As a black woman, I totally understand the Obama administration's position. I think a progressive white President (like Clinton) is better suited to advance black causes than a black President who has to fight charges of "he's only interested in helping his own." He simply can't win as a black president." And that, ladies and gentlemen, is all she cynically wrote... ~Addis Regular rants are posted on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays Brooklyn's Finest - Black Hollywood's Finest? July 22, 2010 I hope not. Brooklyn's Finest is another sad Hollywood production that inspires black kids to pursue drugs, guns and sex while reminding white viewers what the expectations are for blacks as a whole. And while there are all sorts of silly folks out there on this universe who believe Hollywood films to have negligible impact on their perceptions of groups, common sense tells you different. Your basic sociology education tells you different. What we see on films stay strong in our minds and helps us to sort and categorize groups. It's an elementary point to be making but one that seems to curiously elude most people - well, tell it affects their group anyway. Italians may have no issue with Brooklyn's Finest, but they certainly have made their concerns known over Jersey Shore - the trashy reality television show that depicts Italians in a very negative light. And remember the big uproar over Eminem when he first stepped on the scene? Hardcore rap didn't start with the white rapper - although he certainly gave it his own flavour - but it certainly got the attention of many white mothers when his music went mainstream. They rightly feared Eminem's negative influence on their impressionable young boys who were high on his music. My whole point - it's all good till it affects your group/community. Well, when you're not personally profiting from it anyway. Remember my rant about Sheila Johnson's late remorse on BET? Well, it seems the people behind Brooklyn's Finest have boarded that same late epiphany train. Brooklyn's Finest is written by one black man (Michael C. Martin) and directed by another (Antoine Fuqua). And two of the big acting names in the movie are black - Don Cheadle and Wesley Snipes. But it's not like I'm judging though - I'll delay my sensitivity and conscience any day for millions... ~Addis Regular rants are posted on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays What the Net Fundamentally Proves July 19, 2010 I suppose the net says a lot about human ingenuity and technological advancement. We're so past the net, yes, but its existence has to go down as one of the biggest (if not the biggest) miracles of our time. I mean, there's still a good deal part of the world - who for the record have yet to experience the telephone, never mind the net - that would be inclined to interpret the net as the direct work of God himself. Or the devil actually depending on the site they view first. I've seen clips of Chucky (from Child's Play) on youtube that would make seasoned surfers question the devil's presence on the net never mind first time surfers. But that's neither here or there. I'm just trying to say that our arrival at the net is nothing short of astounding and that anyone experiencing it for the first time will be compelled to explain it in non-human terms. But that's not the point that I'm trying to hit at here even if it's one that should have us reflecting in awe for eternity. It's rather the small mindedness of many of us on this planet that the net makes painfully clear. And I am, of course, talking about all the mindless chatter - toxic chatter to be sure - that consumes so many people online. If it's not about race, it's about religion. It's dumb. But more importantly, it's scary. It's 2010, yet some of the loony conversations that takes place on the net makes you think it's 1010. There's a lot of irrational hate in this world still. And it's good to know I suppose even if it stings. It reminds you that people's emotions are simply not to be trusted in bad times. And not just on this part of the world to be sure - the chatters that consume the African diaspora (and every other diaspora no doubt) is just as sad and scary. They've taken up residence in the comfortable West, they have no intentions of returning, they want their children to speak sophisticated English, bask in all the Western glory, yet still can't tear themselves away from toxic conversations concerning their country of origin online. And the irony, of course, is that they'd be the first ones to identify and condemn all the senseless hate that's directed at visible minorities online. They're not able to see their own smallness but are easily able to see the smallness of others. What an irony. But we'll never know who they are or the other small minded people as the times, good as they are, don't permit for outright hate. And, so, we can only curiously ask who might these mindless chatters be. And they could be anyone really. They could be people at Starbucks for all we know, people we ride the bus with daily and even people we work with. Who knows what really lies beneath, right? ~Addis Regular rants are posted on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays The New York State of Mind July 13, 2010 Definitely fast. It's a city that runs pedestrians off the road like no other. And not by honking either - hitting hard on the gas pedal is their preferred method of pedestrian terror. Furious for sure. In which other city would you find a pizza dough boy (grown ass man really) drop his dough to chase after an elegant young woman? He thought she had walked out without paying, so he made his best effort to snatch the pizza out of her hand. They tussled a bit. She held on to the pizza strong, so he ran back to the shop murmuring "beech" in his best English. And elegant I suppose - it's after all the home of the New York Times, Broadway and Sex & the City. But if I had to use one word, one word alone to describe the New York City state of mind, it'd have to be eclectic. The city boasts just about everything on this earth. From just looking at the rows and rows of skyscrapers that cover a good deal of Manhattan, you know that you're in a first world city. The mecca of capitalism actually. And from what you've heard, read and even seen on Sex & the City, you know there's lots of money in the city, lots of rich people, lots of Donald Trumps. But there's also a lot of isolated people, a lot of poor people, a lot of middle people - they hustle in Manhattan at day and retreat to one of the boroughs at night. And this group includes tons and tons of immigrants who hustle on the Manhattan streets, selling hot dogs, shewarmas, designer hand bags (knock offs), driving cabs etc. And it's the enormity of these types of semi-formal economic activities and even informal to some extent that leaves you at times feeling like you're in one so-called developing city or another. Addis Ababa certainly came to my mind as I roamed through Manhattan's concrete jungle in awe and caught a glimpse of Brooklyn at night. No where did it feel more like Addis Ababa than when I took a $2 cab ride in Brooklyn. Ten years ago, I remember it being a $1 cab ride. But prices have gone up everywhere else in the formal sector, so the prices have to be adjusted accordingly in the informal sector. And for someone who lives in a straight laced city like Toronto, the existence of $1 or $2 dollar cabs is surreal. But eclectic is the New York City state of mind as far as I can see, so New Yorkers from all sorts of social, economic and cultural backgrounds are used to moving about the city daily unfazed. The fact that one of the richest cities in the world feels like a developing world city only looks abnormal to outsiders like me. ~Addis Regular rants are posted on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays Happy Canada Day, Canada July 1, 2010 Every country has a national day and July 1st is Canada's day. And while the national day for many countries around the globe corresponds with a date that won them their independence from one imperialist country or another, Canada's day marks the anniversary of the union of the British North America provinces on July 1, 1867. It kinda sucks that it falls on a Thursday this year as holidays are all about the long weekend for most of us. And with capitalists forcing us to work tomorrow, it hardly feels like a holiday today. Just another lame Thursday. But I suppose that's just the perspective of a working wo/man. With the global economy still struggling to find its voice, many on the unemployment line would kill to drag their asses back to work. And then bitch about it, of course... Yes, it's a privilege to be working these days. And it's also a huge privilege to be in this country. And the more I go outside the country, the more I am convinced that Canada is the most beautiful country in the world, the more I realize just how fortunate I am to be here to complain about the weather, subway delays, grouchy bus drivers, the government - you name it. Yesterday, I was fuming over a hot fudge sunday purchase that left me feeling pretty jipped on the fudge. In a good deal of the world, people can only dream of having these sorts of complaints, so I know I got it good. ~Addis Regular rants are posted on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays G20 in Toronto - the perspective on the state June 29, 2010 I'm not too sure if any of us living in Toronto really got to hear what the leaders were chatting about inside as we were far too captivated by the unprecedented chaos that had taken over the city. In the comfort of our own homes, we witnessed two police cars burning to a crisp, stores and banks being smashed, protestors being shoved, beaten, dragged, cuffed, and arrested. It didn't look like Toronto - a distant European city rather. Perhaps what's going on in Athens, Greece today? But I suppose there's nothing intrinsically European about what took place in Toronto over the weekend. It's just what happens when the state is tested. And we see it in developing countries all the time. We just didn't expect it in Toronto no matter what. But that's food for thought now - when push comes to shove, Torontonians know for sure now that the state (rich or poor; democratic or communist) will always resort to whatever means to maintain the status quo. And today, that sits fine with most of us; those who went out to protest or vandalize got exactly what they deserved. "What the heck are they protesting about anyway?" is what one guy asked me. So rich and secure are we in Canada that we don't even have to know what the G20 protests are about. We just know that they're a big pain in the ass and never to be repeated in Toronto again. But back in early 2009, at the height of the financial melt down, the G20 protests in London were a big hit amongst normal folks. But as I had observed then in this piece, it was seasonal. The frustration with the state and its decisions for most of us privileged in the West are temporary - when our personal interests are at stake. Let's just hope that the good times continue to roll as when our economic interests are at stake, we will have no choice but to accept whatever force comes our way. Just so that we are clear - I don't support all the vandalizing that took place in Toronto over the weekend. I feel for the small businesses and agree with Mayor David Miller's position that "anarchists" is too much of a generous label for those responsible for such acts. But seeing the police in action certainly brought out the worst fears I have of authority and the state. With all the money spent on security, with all those officers swarming the city, was there really a need for the level of aggression that most of us witnessed through the television set? The image of one skinny girl being dragged on the street tells me no. ~Addis Regular rants are posted on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays Respecting the Late Tupac Shakur June 27, 2010 And not everybody does or will. The American Library of Congress may have just announced the inclusion of Tupac's 1995 Dear Mama to its 2009 National Recording Registry but that hardly makes any difference for those hell bent on misunderstanding the late rapper. In response to this short CBC post about the song's registry, one hidden soldier wrote: "Tupac's lyrics come from the bottom of my toilet; glad he is dead." I can never understand why anyone would ever wish that level of ill will towards another human being but I can see how Tupac can be viewed negatively by many. The man was beyond complicated. Just like Beyonce's brand husband Jay-Z, Tupac made his mark on American popular culture through rap. But unlike Jay-Z, who has managed to win the hearts of capitalists and street folks alike, Tupac didn't play his cards right. And I suppose on many levels, that's what made him truly beautiful. Not that I knew it then. Back in 1996 when everyone was mourning his death, I didn't quite understand the Tupac fervor. I liked two of his joints - How Do you Want it & All Eyez on Me, but only for their solid beats. Tupac's style of rapping never quite appealed to me, so I never paid him mind then. And the fact that he was always screaming in interviews, talking about thug life, and acting crazy only made me run in the opposite direction. Well, to East coast rap anyway. The Biggie Smalls/Lil' Kim/Puff Daddy triangle ruled the club scene, and in turn ruled me. But my clubbing days are done now or at least numbered, so I pay more attention to more than just the beats these days. Rap music is still for me fundamentally about beats but I kinda have more patience now to go through Tupac's lyrics. And, yeah, I don't love all of it; my eyes and ears are still too sensitive for some of his harsher tracks. Yes, Tupac came from the "gutter" - that's how he had always rationalized some of his controversial approach - but that still gave him no right to glorify violence and alcohol. He had way too many impressionable black kids and judgmental adults watching him. But that takes nothing away from his thoughtful tracks - Tupac was a true thinker, an intellectual. He was honest. He was passionate. He was real. He may have talked a lot about thugging but he was no thug at heart. He was actually an incredibly sensitive man who wrote and rapped from his heart. He was a great observer who documented well all the ironies and contradictions of his surrounding. Take Only God can Judge Me - it's filled with honest reflection about his friends, his ambivalence towards white people, his own vulnerability and sensitivity, and the unreasonable expectations of outsiders. It's such a brilliant song that demonstrates the true depth of Tupac. And, yes, he himself, was of course full of contradictions. On the one hand, he would let women know that he understood and felt their pain in a beautiful joint like Keep Ya Head Up. Yet on the other hand, he would casually refer to them as bitches and hoes on his other tracks. But in the end - Tupac remains the most thoughtful and reflective artist to have ever graced rap. Kudos to the Library of Congress for recognizing the depth of Dear Mama - the most beautiful homage any child (thugged out or not) can pay to his/her mother. And I'm sure most people - rap lovers or not - would agree as the song boasts over 33 million hits on youtube to date. ~Addis Regular rants are posted on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays Speaking of that Momentous Earthquake June 25, 2010 The below clip shows how one group of people - high profile people - handled it. Boy-oh-boy, how they must be dying of laughter now...
~Addis Toronto's Big Week - the G20 Hits Our Town June 24, 2010 Toronto is not the kind of city that gets too much action. Yesterday's 5.0 magnitude earthquake was certainly big news, giving us something to talk about for hours. It's 2010, so we all texted our relatives far and wide to share our 30 seconds of scare. A lot of us thought the world was ending, so we screamed our asses off. But thank goodness for Google, we were quickly able to clam our nerves down. It was an earthquake that left very little damage behind. But Torontonians are not completely at ease just yet though. The G20 Summit, scheduled to kick off this Saturday, has the city on the edge. If I didn't know any better, I would actually be inclined to think that the city is under siege. As Globe & Mail's Jeffrey Simpson observes rightly - "Central Toronto is already looking like a fortress, with concrete barriers and high fences." And everywhere you turn, there is an officer standing, patrolling. They're on foot; on bikes; on horses; in cars - you name it - they go the city on the lock down. Not too sure what officials are expecting, but the city is prepared for whatever. And unless they know something we don't, I think (like everyone else in Canada) our leaders at the top have gone a tad bit mad. Or perhaps just careless. I mean, over a billion dollars have been incurred in security costs. Yes, this figure includes costs for the G8 Summit - scheduled to take place in Huntsville tomorrow ahead of the G20 Summit in Toronto - but was it all necessary? I guess we will know for sure on Monday. Till then, maybe I'll just stay on the Prime Minister's side; no skin off my back Toronto is looking like a Police State... ~Addis Regular rants are posted on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays The Emotional Drains of Being a Sports Fan June 17, 2010 And no, I'm not referring to the World Cup games just yet. There's a sweet NBA final taking place between the flashy and complicated Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics tonight. And, of course, everyone and their mammas living outside of Los Angeles is rooting for a Lakers massacre tonight. And the Lakers have one man, one man alone to thank for this: Kobe Bryant. Some might be inclined to toss in coach Phil Jackson into the mix but the Lakers complication and flash solely lies with Bryant who calculates everything that he says and does - down to how he ties his shoelaces. Yeah, he unnerves me - unnerves me bad. And if you must know, I'm hoping that the Lakers go down in flames also. But I'm hardly invested in the game though - I just joined the bandwagon a few days ago. If the Lakers lose today, great; if not, oh well. And I'm happy to be at such a detached place as I've done my fair share of grieving in the past for teams and players that didn't know I exist. It's quite an emotional investment to be a fan. You're high one day cuz they've won and low the next cuz they've lost. For my very practical mother, who used to curiously watch me watch the Chicago Bulls games with great passion as a teenager, none of this sports fanaticism makes sense. In the days she saw me upset over a loss, she used to actually ask me if I was getting paid millions like the players were for my absurd support. Funny woman, I used to think. Later though, I would understand her point well when I would find myself as an adult going to sleep late and upset over basketball games that had no bearing on my life whatsoever. And while tonight's ending may have negligible impact on my mood tomorrow, I know the World Cup final will as I'm following the matches closely. So irritated was I with Nigeria's performance against Argentina that I had to actually turn off the television and go for a walk. For my mother, it's pure nonsense. But that's what happens when you invest in a team emotionally. ~Addis The Eighties - When Television Was Simple... June 13, 2010 Who knew the A-Team's whole premise to be stupid? Not me. It took this Slate piece, indeed, to break it down for me. And, umm, yeah, the show was certifiably wack. As an eight year old though, I saw it differently. I thought the show to be mad cool, indeed. The theme song, the helicopter, Mr. T., their cigar puffin' leader - how could have I see the show or the crew any other way? I still don't to be quite frank. I actually don't appreciate the negative slant of the Slate article. I mean, it's one thing to tear the remake to pieces - it looks stupid - but to touch the classic is just so wrong. And, of course, a lot of it has to do with the show's ties to my childhood. I'm actually smiling as I write this piece. But there's also the issue of context - a show like the A-Team made sense in the eighties and needs to be evaluated and ultimately judged against other shows from the period. It's true that television was a lot simpler then. But it was also a lot sweeter. Kids today have stupid reality shows; we had Knight Rider - arguably one of the coolest shows to have graced television. The introduction alone (see above) is enough to validate this claim. And we also had MacGyver - a man who knew more than two million scientists combined; and Miami Vice - a show that made black and white look cool at the same time. And on the comedy front - we had the Cosby Show, Who's the Boss, Family Ties and Growing Pains. Today, there's one trashy reality show after another. I'll take simplicity any day. Of course, once you've seen Frasier, That 70's Show, and the Simpsons, you can't fathom a return to the simple shows of the eighties, but it certainly is food for thought... ~Addis Regular rants are posted on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays World Cup Fever or Manufactured Hype? June 10, 2010 I'm thinking the latter, but who cares, right? It's soccer, not nationalism. Well, maybe the occasion does inspire a bit of nationalism as everyone will be rooting for their nation. Not country - nation. And it's all good, of course, until ignorance and arrogance start creeping in. Until fans start resenting, hating and even beating each other up in the name of their nationality. And lest you're inclined to think differently - nationalism inspires the worst in us. Think Rwanda, think Holocaust. But I suppose that's not what the beautiful game is all about - it's just a reality that cannot be avoided in this intensely nation conscious period of ours. What the beautiful game is about in principle is football pure and simple. For those who play it and for those who enjoy watching it. And that means by and large - Europeans, Latin Americans and Africans for whom the game of football is deeply woven into their existence. For those of us in North America - high on hockey, American football and basketball - all this football talk is still new to us, and hence all the FIFA World Cup selling that's been going on through our television sets. I don't think we've quite bought into the beautiful game hype just yet. It's a massive field with a lot of unnecessary running around, and few scores. Sometimes, they even wrap up games with no scores. So, yeah, it's a hard game to buy. I used to actually roll my eyes at the beautiful game reference till I learned recently of its link to the great Pele who entitled his autobiography My Life and the Beautiful Game. The reference still comes off as phony and forced, but I kind of respect it more now. And I respect all the World Cup hype to be sure. I love the international flavour of the event and I'm totally digging the selection of K'naan's Waving Flag song as the official anthem of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. And as for the team I'll be cheering on - I'm a fan of the underdog, so it has to start with an African country and end with Brazil. ~Addis
Regular rants are posted on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays I can't live without my computer June 8, 2010 Remember when L.L told the world I can't live without my radio? Well, that's exactly how I feel about my computer - I can't live without my computer! And my stereo and toilet, of course, but having limited access to the internet these past few days has made me think hard about a machine's place in my heart. Seriously. My computer wuz working through some serious demons these past few days, and I was really scratching my head at my level of attachment to a machine. And it's not like I'm on it 24/7 or anything - I promise - but I do clock on average a few hours of net surfing daily, so there was a definite void. And now that I have my computer back, I'm absolutely ecstatic to be back to my ranting... ~Addis Regular rants are posted on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays My Era of Preference May 18, 2010 Today, today and today. I'm merely responding to a question posed on the New York Times page from today: What Era Do You Wish You Had Lived In? The question is geared towards students - for students 13 and above, but I'm kind of intrigued by the question myself. I went to see Robin Hood the other day you see and found myself thinking along the same lines. The movie itself isn't the greatest. I wouldn't have even bothered with it if I hadn't seen the other Russell Crowe masterpiece - the Gladiator - for the first time last month. Robin Hood in comparison leaves you (or at least just me) disappointed. But I did walk out the theatre deeply reflective, so I am sure the movie is not all that bad. My rather high expectations just couldn't be met. For Globe & Mail's Ian Brown, Robin Hood is filled with all sorts of "historical inaccuracies, improbable romances and boilerplate bombast." And he still left the theatre loving "every minute of it." I left the theatre loving the period perspective the movie provides. And I guess the period in question would be anywhere from 14th to 16th century England, which Brown's articles indicates as the academically debated timeframe of Robin Hood's existence. Whatever the debate, it is not a period that speaks to me. Nope. And it's just not about the whole men in tights thing either. How about the fact that bathing was a luxury? There was no night life. There existed no stereo systems, no internet. Am I mad or is the current period (in the glorious West to be sure) not the best damn period, ever? Maybe not as the New York Times Holly Epstein Ojal Vo poses the most absurd question of them all: "Do you find life today “boring” compared to some past time periods? ~Addis When Keepin' it Real Goes Wrong - Lessons from the David Chappelle Show April 6, 2010 It's an olide but a goodie worth recycling... Never was a fan of the David Chapelle Show; wuz in fact delighted to hear news of its cancellation. By the time I had learned of the show, it had already run its course - over relying on the same stereotypes to deliver what seemed to me by all accounts lame and tired humour. The circumstances surrounding the cancellation of the show are sad, of course, as Chappelle is rumored to have had a nervous breakdown of sorts. It's an ironic one, too, for anyone who has seen that humorless episode where Chappelle courageously rips a serious letter from some mental health association that took a disliking to his portrayal of individuals addicted to crack. I'm not too sure if the association thought they were just gonna be ignored, as it would have been the case for other shows not doubt, but Chappelle would give them the spotlight they would have never imagined in a million years. He would read their concerns most eloquently to the audience, arrogantly rip their letter to pieces, and proceed with a fresh crack addict skit.
But in seeing the young man get all worked up, I decided to get "reasonable" on someone else's issue - when it's my own, it's just not so easy to see. And it's just not about the rough around the edges label that follows a meaningless exchange of this nature. "Bitch is the new black" as Tina Fey has famously declared in covering Hillary Clinton during her 2008 run for the presidency. It's where it goes and how it ends that matters. I am sure the kid to his anger straight home. Some even take it to jail as the skit shows us. But it ain' t worth it though; it's straight up stupid actually. I mean, just who the hell are we to feel "disrespected" and "entitled?" Why do we care so much if someone crosses us? Is a tone, a look, a brush off, a lie, a manipulation, worth the headache and psychotic label that typically accompanies sensitive reactions? But I guess we are what we are - a ridiculously sensitive creature configured to react and defend no matter what. Now, of course, a tiny few of us are by nature insensitive - having been blessed with a non-caring gene and all. I believe the world of psychology refers to this tiny group as psychopaths/sociopaths. But the rest of us - we are all configured with a sensitivity chip that varies in degree from one person to the next. That's to say we're all sensitive in one way or another - we just have different thresholds and different coping mechanisms. There are those for example who handle/mask their sensitivities with the utmost care - they are able to address and settle attacks (real or perceived) without risking their "sane" image. These people got game and are what true "diplomacy" is all about. Then we have the outright sensitives who put their emotions on display rain or shine. Caring about everything and anything, these people only know how to "keep it real." But as Machiavelli would remind these crazy folks, it just doesn't pay to keep it real. It's not a two way affair, after all, as people will always say what they need to say to defend themselves. The truth is always an option. And if and when realness is reciprocated - as the skit shows - there will always be somebody who will keep it realer... I don't know what the source of the conflict was exactly with the boy and the attendant, but in looking at the boy's veins, I became convinced that civility and diplomacy is where it's at, even if it kills us! It'll keep us eternally employed, out of jail, social and agreeable to the end. Keepin' it phony is where it's at, and rappers need to get with it as they are ruining generations and generations of children out there who can't possibly hope to survive in the real world by keeping it real! |
That's not me talking though. Rather the New York Times' esteemed columnist Bob Herbert, who had this to say in his Saturday
Chappelle though is not all air, even if his actions proved otherwise. He's actually incredibly intelligent - a gifted speaker who's got a great sense of the world, people and humour. His earlier stand ups are hilarious as are a number of his skits from the early episodes of the the David Chappelle Show itself - like this