Wednesday, December 22, 2004
New Song Titles
-Serf's Up
-Life As A Crack House (or alternatively Life As A Shitty Hayden Christiansen Movie)
-(Don't The Boy Scouts Know) Only God Can Make A Tree
-Y'all A Bunch of Lilypads
-Death to Flying Things
-Serf's Up
-Life As A Crack House (or alternatively Life As A Shitty Hayden Christiansen Movie)
-(Don't The Boy Scouts Know) Only God Can Make A Tree
-Y'all A Bunch of Lilypads
-Death to Flying Things
I'm a Person, Not a Plot Device
I really enjoy when various forms of media (film, television, literature) attempt to show the sobering and sensitive side of high school life. They present a group of characters who are initially quite enjoyable. The characters funny, lively, maybe even a little sweet, ie you can relate to them. You think to yourself "There's my friend 'Chickenhawk' from my high school, that one's the analogue to Jimmy the Bug, that one in the corner there, that's Tommy Toothless." You are engrossed in the story because the creators have put together an illusion where you feel like you have something personally invested in the characters.
That's when the illusion is shattered, momentarily. A character with a mental disability, usually downs syndrome, is introduced and that's when all hell breaks loose. The characters interact with the new character and something insidious happens. The characters you have come to know and love (or make love to in your head) act like jerks. They take advantage of the sweet nature of the downs syndrome character and makes jokes that everyone but that character understands. The audience is shocked.
"..."
"!!!"
"EGADS! How can they be so cruel?"
And then a moment passes and the audience realizes how cruel they have been in the past and instead of the illusion being dismantled, it's strengthened. The characters aren't perfect, they're flawed! That time you and your friends laughed at the serious parts of "A Few Good Men" just so Lynette, the mentally challenged girl in your high school debating club, would copy and laugh at the most inappropriate times; EVERYONE DOES THAT! We're human, we're multi-faceted, we're deep, we're jerks. You're alright, I'm alright.
As long as in the end, we know it's wrong that's all that counts!
Now go pat yourself on the back.
If I ever write a high school tele-drama, I'm going to have the Kids of Widney High guest star. The Kids of Widney High would square off against the kids from whatever school Stephanie Tanner attends in a rock-off or some such shit and Dantell would hand Stephanie her head on a motherfuckin' platter. 'Every girl's my girlfriend? More like every Tanner's my bitch!'
Now that would make the audience at home feel shame.
I really enjoy when various forms of media (film, television, literature) attempt to show the sobering and sensitive side of high school life. They present a group of characters who are initially quite enjoyable. The characters funny, lively, maybe even a little sweet, ie you can relate to them. You think to yourself "There's my friend 'Chickenhawk' from my high school, that one's the analogue to Jimmy the Bug, that one in the corner there, that's Tommy Toothless." You are engrossed in the story because the creators have put together an illusion where you feel like you have something personally invested in the characters.
That's when the illusion is shattered, momentarily. A character with a mental disability, usually downs syndrome, is introduced and that's when all hell breaks loose. The characters interact with the new character and something insidious happens. The characters you have come to know and love (or make love to in your head) act like jerks. They take advantage of the sweet nature of the downs syndrome character and makes jokes that everyone but that character understands. The audience is shocked.
"..."
"!!!"
"EGADS! How can they be so cruel?"
And then a moment passes and the audience realizes how cruel they have been in the past and instead of the illusion being dismantled, it's strengthened. The characters aren't perfect, they're flawed! That time you and your friends laughed at the serious parts of "A Few Good Men" just so Lynette, the mentally challenged girl in your high school debating club, would copy and laugh at the most inappropriate times; EVERYONE DOES THAT! We're human, we're multi-faceted, we're deep, we're jerks. You're alright, I'm alright.
As long as in the end, we know it's wrong that's all that counts!
Now go pat yourself on the back.
If I ever write a high school tele-drama, I'm going to have the Kids of Widney High guest star. The Kids of Widney High would square off against the kids from whatever school Stephanie Tanner attends in a rock-off or some such shit and Dantell would hand Stephanie her head on a motherfuckin' platter. 'Every girl's my girlfriend? More like every Tanner's my bitch!'
Now that would make the audience at home feel shame.
