The DCEU Needs a Good Bad Guy

WW1984 was worth a watch.

As was Aquaman, Suicide Squad, Justice League, etc.  That seems to be the best I have to offer the DC movies since their universe started.  The movies aren't bad... but I do not have that drive to get back in line and buy another ticket because I HAVE to see it again!

It is not a DC problem.  Nolan didn't have it.  I have watched his Batman trilogy numerous times.

Maybe it is because the DCEU has the Yang but no Yin.  

When I look back on the Nolan movies, he pretty much nails the bad guy.  Neeson's Ras and Ledger's Joker were epic.  Even the weaker Bane redefined the character and his voice/cadence became iconic.

On the Yang side, the DCEU has been impeccable (minus Shazam). Affleck, Gadot, Cavill, and Momoa couldn't have been better casting choices.  Their heroes are solid.

But the villains?  So far they have been forgettable, awkward, or just silly.  

Where is the Loki or Vader of the DCEU?

A Brief Moment

Had an old feeling yesterday.  We stopped in Mesquite, NV on our way home from San Diego.  It was about 11p when we rolled in to the hotel.  I went straight in to register our room.  The clerk told me that because I am in their rewards program I could grab two snacks or get 500 points added to my rewards.  I said that I have two kids and they would probably appreciate the snacks.  

When the family caught up with me, I told Kak and Jake what the clerk had said.  It had been a long drive, it was late, they were tired... but all of a sudden Kathryn let out a whoop and the two of them went scrambling into the hotel shop to grab some candy.  For just a moment, my 19 and 22-year-old were 6 and 9 again - excited for treats.  😀  It brought back memories of being a daddy at a different stage.

I noticed in my email today that 500 pts had also been added to my account.  I think the clerk appreciated their enthusiasm and genuine thank-yous.

#$%& Your Feelings

One of the primary catchphrases among Trumpers is "$^#@ your feelings!"  This turns out to be amusing.  As is often the case with their leader, this is projection.  "Feelings" is exactly why they follow Trump.

The reason they are in a tizzy right now is not due to losing, it is because they don't get how the process works. Normal occurrences get translated into a conspiracy. Similarly, they often can't really articulate much about Trump's policy agenda, his foreign strategy, his economic plan.  Yet, they will consider him one of the best presidents we ever had.

If they don't understand politics or history, why would they consider him a great president?  What is their metric?

He hits them right in the feels.  Unlike previous conservative presidents, he will say what irks them.  This is why they wave flags, wear hats, and scream at Democrats in ways they never did for Bush or Reagan.

They have a white grievance button that Trump pushes with glee.  He sees that they want to dominate the religious landscape, so he strokes their ego.  He has a short fuse and worries that people don't respect him - they completely relate.

Down the line, he satisfies every feeling that has had no outlet over the decades.  So, like Trump, they project onto others the very motivations and actions they are steeped in.

Every drive they have for Trump is founded on feelings. 

Which is why they tell you to $^#@ yours.

Disturbing Answers

A pastor friend of mine posted on FB, "If you could ask God a question, what would it be?"

I was not surprised to find some of the answers disturbing.  

"My question would be... Why does God allow all these awful viruses and diseases??? But the answer would probably be... To bring us closer to him ❤️"

Imagine perceiving the divine in this way.  You see God as someone who hurts you... so you will need him more.  Stephen King wrote a whole book on that view called "Misery".  I want to tell this person that no one who is good would think that hurting you is helpful in building a relationship.

"Why are you so kind, patient and gracious towards me?"

Lots of believers are trained to think of themselves as worthless.  They are taught that it really demonstrates God's love that he can even tolerate someone as awful as you.  I know people who seem to think it builds God up by putting themselves down.  I want to tell this person that they are deserving of being treated kindly... and that should not be surprising.

"Is the time close?"

Folks like this struggle to value our beautiful world because they are always pining for the next.  I want to tell this person to be present with the people in their life and the world they are in.  Don't sabotage today's happiness.

I Rarely Walk Out of A Movie

I usually trust that still, small voice (and it was SO right this time).

Infidel was not on my radar to see.  It already had a few strikes against it but tonight the showing was at a real convenient time, so I decided to roll the dice.

The first strike was that my Dad had mentioned that he wanted to see it.  Don't get me wrong, I get my movie-loving genes from my Dad and we agree on movies way more often than we don't.  The problem was that I had never heard of it.  Me... they guy who follows all the movie sites on Facebook.  Where would he have heard of a movie that I hadn't?

Must be Right-Wing/Christian media.

Strike one.

The second strike was due to Jim Caviezel.  I enjoyed him in Person of Interest but a story Ethan Suplee shared on a podcast really soured me.  Ethan spent most of his early career as the heavy set, funny guy in movies like Remember the Titans and on My Name is Earl. 

Suplee and Caviezel were on a flight together traveling to a movie shoot.  Caviezel took the opportunity to tell Ethan about Jesus.  He explained that Ethan obviously needed Jesus ... because... and then he made reference to Ethan's obesity, which he contrasted with his own in shape self.  Ethan told his wife on the phone that night that no one had ever made him feel so poorly about himself.  It was due to that and a few other realities that motivated him to get in shape.  He never wanted to be spoken to that way again.  On the podcast, Suplee said he got in shape, not because of Caviezel and Jesus but in spite of them.

Still, I can generally separate someone being a jerk from their performance, so I got my bucket of popcorn and soda and headed into the theater.  I was the only one occupying a seat.

The opening credits came on as I was getting situated.  Across the screen flashed "D'Souza Productions".  I was alone in the theater so I half-shouted at the screen, "DINESH @#$%^&* D'Souza??!!"  I did a quick check on my phone.

"God-#$%%!^!!!" I yelled even louder. 

Dinesh D'Souza is one of the worst Christo-Nationalist political media hacks out there.  A genuinely awful human!  Alex Jones level.  He was sent to prison for campaign finance violations.  Trump pardoned him.

I felt like Cameron pounding on the steering wheel of his car, frustrated with his own indecision.  I was so irritated.

"God-D*****!!"

By the time the opening credits ceased, I had decided to stay... until I was finished with my popcorn. I was GOING to eat my bucket of popcorn.

The first 20 minutes vacillated between meh, tacky, and horrible.  They had used plenty of anti-Islamic tropes, set up the "Christian who lost their faith because of a tragedy" sub-plot and infused most moments with that general Christian movie awkwardness that comes from having ulterior motives in the storytelling.

It was getting grueling... but I was only halfway done with my popcorn.

At this point of the movie, Caviezel's character, who is a Christian speaker, goes to Cario to talk at some kind of inter-faith chat with a Muslim TV interviewer.  Caviezel explains that the Abrahamic faiths should not be fighting among each other but against the secularists, who are the true enemy.  The Muslim interviewer heartily agrees... but almost too much.  Caviezel's character, like most evangelicals, gets nervous about appearing too agreeable with another faith so he starts to instruct the Muslim audience about Jesus.  He isn't just a prophet, he is God. The crowd grows agitated.  The interviewer asks why it isn't ok for Muslims to just think of Jesus as a prophet.  Caviezel fires back with, 

"Jesus said, I am the way..."  yada, yada. My eyes were rolling so hard into the back of my head at this point, I completely missed the interviewer's retort. Whatever it was, it was a setup.  The music vamped like an altar call and the camera did a slow pan to Caviezel's face which spoke imploringly to the movie audience:

"For God so loved..."

"That's it, I am #$%#&^% out of here!" Me, my soda, and a half-eaten bucket of popcorn were down the aisle and out of the theater before he could finish that sentence.

It was just awful.

I feel dirty that this movie got my ticket on its ledger.  Perhaps I cannot give it an accurate review because I failed to stay to the end... but I think I will find a way to live with myself.

Donald "Biff" Trump

There was a story in the news today about someone sending Ricin to the White House.  It occurred to me that I would never think well of that action or the person who did it - and I hate Trump (something I have never felt toward any President).

It made me remember how Trump gloried in that journalist getting shot in the knee the other day.  It was a "beautiful thing" Trump chortled to the crowd at his rally and got a laugh.

Trump behaves this way because he is, at his foundation, a bully.  He really is Biff Tannan, looking for someone to pick on so he can get a laugh from his toadies.

Trump does not want to be President because he loves America.  He wants to be President so he can bully people.

That's it.

If you support him, do some soul searching.  There is a part of you that is ok with that, maybe even longs for it.



I never realized in the 80s when the Back to The Future movies came out that a third of America was rooting for Biff.

Brain Buzz

When I was a teen, I was part of a competitive Bible quiz league.  We had competitions locally and went to a few national tournaments around the country during the year.

Essentially, you would commit a book of the Bible to memory and be asked questions about it.  Not just any questions, the question had to come directly out of the scripture.  You would never hear a question like, "How many disciples did Jesus have?" because that did not come word for word out of the scripture. 

Instead, they would take a verse like John 11:17 "On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days." and pull a word or a phrase out and stick an interrogative in its place (they could add a helping verb if necessary).  So, a question might read: "Who had already been in the tomb for four days?" Answer?  Lazarus.  Three teams of three to four "quizzers" would compete over 20 such questions.

However, most competitors' level of memorization was so complete, they didn't wait for the full question to finish.  They would buzz in on just a few words of the question: "Who had al..." and hope from that bit of the question, they could figure out where the verse was in 21 chapters of John and answer inside the 30 seconds given from the initial buzz.  You could formulate a question and answer or quote the entire section to be called correct.  (There is a story to my question example that a few Detroit quizzers MAY remember).

Anyways, sometimes over a few days of competition, your brain kind of went to mush.  You spent so much time concentrating, that after it was all over, there was just a low buzz in your brain.  Unlike the usual scattered thoughts that crowd for space, after a quizzing tournament, there was a weird brain silence.

It has been decades since I have felt that phenomenon, but I recognized it today.  After a week of remote teaching, my brain was just on fire.  This week I spent so much time focusing.  Much of what I do in teaching nowadays is 2nd nature... but there was none of that this week.  Every detail had to have my attention.  I wasn't just thinking, I was concentrating.  Nothing was automatic, the whole week was on manual control.

I am really tired... but it was all strangely satisfying.  Not saying I want to do that all the time... but it was like seeing an old friend experiencing that brain buzz again today.

Baby Killer?

I have friends and relatives who come at the abortion debate the way Mia Love did against Representative Ben McAdams - throw around talk about "murdering babies" and the thinking is done.  This is one of the reasons why Trump can literally get away with anything.  For some, once a candidate has said "pro-life" nothing else matters.  

They wonder why "baby killer" does not affect me more.  It is simple.  I know they are wrong.

They are focused on the optics of being pro-life.  To them, a lot of it is about the piety they get from the phrase... and the fact that it costs them nothing.

Recently, the Supreme Court upheld keeping some women from getting their birth control through their insurance.  Conservatives cheered this move.  They don't feel they should have to pay for women's "immorality".

This WILL cause abortion rates to go up.  If conservatives are against abortion, why support policies that increase it?  They are against it for the optics and piety part and in this scenario, those do not get touched.

Abortion threads its way into many issues - sex education, housing, wages, insurance, equal pay, child care.  How we handle these things as a society directly influences whether abortion rates go up or down.  

Conservatives tend to be loudly opposed to abortion rights and yet consistently back positions on issues that will cause abortion rates to rise.

Liberals tend to be loudly in favor of abortion rights and yet consistently back positions on issues that will cause abortion rates to fall.

This topic always reminds me of a question Jesus posed - “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?”

This is why I went to the "other side" after being "Pro-life" for a lifetime. I still have the same wish to reduce abortion, I just find that supporting women is more effective.

That Is Simply Not Right

"If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God."

This is the Word of the Lord, thanks be to God. It is the command from Jehovah who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is unchanging. This is the Holy Bible Deuteronomy 13.

Belief is a funny thing. If you quoted this verse to a typical right-wing Christian but switched out God for Allah and told them it was from the Koran they would have a much different reaction than if they knew from the start it was from the Old Testament. There are examples of this exercise on YouTube.

As bad as I think most right-wing Christians can behave while using the bible to justify their words and actions, I have never met one who would accept this verse at face value and carry it out. If pressed, they would start a song and dance about context and wiggle their way around it. However, I doubt they would allow a Muslim to have such wiggle room about similar scriptures in their Koran.

This is an example of Cognitive Dissonance - the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change. Any attempt to resolve the inconsistency results in distress. It is easy for anyone to slip into and only relentless self-reflection and a willingness to have one's ideas critiqued can keep it at bay.

I say this of right-wing Christians because most of mainline Christianity is comfortable saying the Bible is inspired... but not inerrant. To a lot of Christians, much of the bible is the human take on God. This is why in the Old Testament a believer could beat his slave to the point of death, whereas in the New Testament believers are commanded to treat their slaves well. If we had gotten to a part 3, slavery would have probably been forbidden.

But, as I said, even right-wing Christians don't go around killing folks who "try to turn them away from the Lord". Their conscience, which has matured beyond such brutality, knows that is simply not right.

It gives me hope that those same folks can start applying that conscience to other areas of the Bible and realize, "That is simply not right".

Bernie AND Kasich for Biden

It was interesting seeing Bernie Sanders AND John Kasich speaking for Biden last night. I know that sent some folks on the edges into stress. For progressives, seeing Kasich confirmed their worst fears about Biden. For Republicans who don't wear a Maga hat, seeing Bernie makes them nervous.

As someone who works with the public daily, I take away a more hopeful view of Biden being book-ended by those two. As a teacher, I get students who are all over the academic map. Some start 2nd grade reading Harry Potter while others find Clifford the Big Red Dog to be challenging. They have different temperaments and learning styles. Beyond that, each of their parents has different ideas about academic priorities and engagement.

I can't be everything to everybody. However, every kid can know that I support them and will work at meeting their needs. Every parent can know that I am on their child's side in this effort. They can all be confident that I will move this class along the path from point A to point B.

I know Biden cannot completely satisfy Bernie or Kasich. However, he is showing that he will hear them, that he will work with them to meet the needs of Americans.

That is a 180-degree different message than the Trump team is putting out there. Looking at their convention's developing speaker list, it is clear they do not want all Americans with them. They have their narrow following and they are set with that. Their goal is to accentuate the gap between their base and the rest of America.

For me, this is an easy choice.

When You Pray, Go Into Your Closet...

A lot is being said about the loss of religion in America. I suspect there is not so much "loss" as folks are no longer faking it or going along just to appease the social fabric. In reality, there are probably the same amount of believers and "nones" as there were fifty years ago... people just have more freedom to say "no thank you" than they did in the past.

When you look at what the conservative Christian Right is bemoaning, it tends to reflect things like in the meme - an inability to pressure people to do as they do. If you track the behavior of fundamentalist religion around the world, considerable effort is put into establishing the religious practices of certain sects into law and to apply pressure culturally where legal means fail.

I really like Marvel movies, but if you don't that is ok. I won't try to change local laws to make you go see Marvel movies.

Last fall I went to see GHOST in concert. No one I know is into them, so I went by myself. It was great and none of my friends felt any pressure to go with me.

If you are a religious person who feels that religion is treated less friendly in America today, I would ask that you consider that maybe it is simply your attitude and perception that need adjustment.

They Want To Microchip Us!

I was reading a thread on Facebook by old church friends and it drifted into the whole vaccine, microchip, mark of the Beast rabbit hole. I definitely would not want to get into that sticky web but I did toss in my history. After all, at 18 I was living in Texas at a religious commune called Last Days Ministries -

"Man, I was raised on Chick Tracts. Every new medical gadget or piece of wireless technology was an indicator that the Beast was surely around the corner. Every shift in geopolitics brought out another round of books from LaHaye, VanImpe, Wilkerson, etc.. showing how it was all predicted in Revelation. THEY were going to put a chip in our hand or barcodes on our foreheads. The Rapture was imminent. Another year or two, three at the most, before it all ends. Any day now... any day...

I bought into it. But the 70s went by, the 80s went by, somewhere in the 90s - even as a believer - I realized all of this had an element of conspiracy thinking in it and that I wasn't going to be flying skyward in a trumpet blast. Barring any disease, I was going to live to a ripe old age and die. That was quite a difference from the 18-year-old me who ALMOST didn't go to college because Jesus was surely coming back within the next year... two at the most.

There is a great scene in National Treasure where Jon Voight's character explains the attraction, and the trap, of conspiracy theories - "There is always another clue." Looking back over the decades, I can see where my religious community was always chasing down or promoting that new "clue". When nothing ever came of it, there was never a pause, never a time of reflection, never a call to maybe get off this train. We had already moved on to the next clue.

So, although there is a touch of nostalgia to seeing talk of microchipping and the mark of the Beast, I have lost the ability to be moved by it. :)"

When did America become Fredo?

Fredo Corleone: I'm your older brother, Mike, and I was stepped over!

Michael Corleone: That's the way Pop wanted it.

Fredo Corleone: It ain't the way I wanted it! I can handle things! I'm smart! Not like everybody says...like dumb...I'm smart and I want respect!

If you haven't seen The Godfather, Fredo is the eldest son of the "Godfather". Fredo is not the sharpest guy but he is sharp enough to realize it - and this makes him resentful. He is caught in a cycle of making bad decisions, hating everyone for noticing, which drives him to double-down on even worse decisions.

While the rest of the world is pulling itself out of the Covid pit, America is enthusiastically digging further down. We walked into this fight emaciated by the choices of our past and we further the damage presently with bad leadership and collective idiocy.

But, like Fredo, we demand respect. I watch the anti-mask crowd shake their fists in anger, resenting the world for looking on them as stupid. Talking heads like Limbaugh and Carlson fuel the Fredos of America and give them cohesion. Unlike the Godfather, in America's story, Fredo is taking over.

The American Fredo is now on the world stage making bad decisions while everyone else looks on in horror. And, like Fredo, we double down, frustrated that we are not getting the respect we believe we deserve. In our anger and desperation, we shout, "I can handle things! I'm smart! Not like everybody says...like dumb...I'm smart and I want respect!"

Racist?

Think you might be harboring some unacknowledged racism? Here are some items that might point in that direction. No one thing, in and of itself, is a sure lock... but if you are stacking up on a number of these, ya might want to do a little reflection. I am sure I am missing a few, so please add.

1. The phrase "Black Lives Matter" sends you into a defensive response.

2. You ignore thousands of black people giving testimony about their experience with discrimination to find that one black person who says there is no such thing as racism.

3. You can't understand why people would think Trump is racist.

4. Since the murder of George Floyd, you have explained to about a dozen people that you aren't racist but...

5. Seeing a Confederate flag gives you a warm feeling of pride.

6. Out of the hundreds of thousands of people peacefully protesting, you are an expert at finding the ones who aren't.

7. Even though the meaning of White Privilege has been explained, you still refute the phrase with tales of how rough things have been for you as a white person and that you worked hard for what you have.

8. You gripe about protests being violent, but you also gripe when they are peaceful. In fact, it just gets under your skin when black people air a grievance.

Do Atheists Worship?

This is a common trope among some believers, often served in the form of "Atheists are religious too" or some other such delivery.

If challenged on this point, what usually follows is a watering down of the word "worship". As just happened in a discussion on the original thread, a person responded to me:

"...I view worship as whatever we deem worthy of our time, attention, adoration, money, and resources. Not all worship is bad, for believers “it” shouldn’t be worshipped more/higher than God. I do sincerely believe for example, modern sports obsession “for some” is a form of worship. From decals to literal idol statues, blankets, hours of focus, clothes, people will spend their time money and focus to a point of obsession... almost like we are hardwired that way..."

So they are now putting on par that what they think and feel about Jesus with what I think and feel about disc golf. Is that really the digression that believers like Keller want to make?

I don't think it is. I think their elevation of the word worship is much higher in usual circumstances... but for some reason, it bothers them that unbelievers don't "worship" anything. So, when this topic comes up, they broaden the definition of the word. Lots of believers I know partake in this linguistic sleight of hand. I think these believers need to do a little introspection into what drives them to such an approach.

National Day of Prayer

If your definition of prayer is as a reflective and contemplative practice... I have no quarrel. But if you mean it as some way of conjuring magic, or entreating or binding a supernatural force to perform a task for you... then I think you are wrong. Prayer doesn't change reality.

However, having been religious for decades myself, I recognize it does change how people behave. Praying often makes people think they have cover they do not have. Prayer can make people feel they do not need to take reasonable precautions. Instead, they trust that their favored status with a deity will provide what they need.

Beyond that, prayer often blames the victim. I heard a popular pastor state this morning that if a Christian catches the virus, it is their fault. If they had sufficient faith, sickness could not touch them. I cannot write him off as just a quack... I know many folks who give to his "ministry".

This is my personal testimony: I spent most of my life as a believer. I took my faith very seriously. I prayed.

I have been an Atheist for about the past 8 years. Haven't prayed in ages.

There has been no difference in the amount of fortune "that just couldn't be a coincidence". Just as much good and bad "luck" fall my way now as ever did.

Reality is as consistent as ever. The only thing that changed was how I approached it.

Playing the Odds

"Never tell me the odds." ~ Han Solo

Lots of our positions on issues are based on anecdotes.  This or that happened to myself or a friend... and therefore I feel such and so.

Someone demonstrated this on a Facebook post of mine recently.  What I and an article I posted said negatively regarding Evangelicals wasn't true because... he knows Evangelicals who aren't that way.  Of course, if most Evangelicals were like the ones he knows... we wouldn't have Trump.

I don't own a gun.  A gun enthusiast friend of mine told me, "If someone breaks into your house, you are gonna wish you had a gun!"

He's right.  In such a moment, I will wish I had a gun.

But that does change the reality of the odds... therefore, it does not change my decision regarding gun ownership.  The odds say that a gun in my home will hurt or kill an innocent person loooong before it ever protects me from a criminal.

If someone tells me, "I will give you a thousand dollars if you roll 1-4 on a die or I will give you a thousand for a 5-6 roll, but you can only choose one option" - I would choose the 1-4.  Yes, if I roll a six I will have a pang of regret.  But, given another opportunity, I would still choose the 1-4.  Someone telling me that when they rolled they got a 5 would not change my decision.

Humans often ignore hard math due to anecdotes.  This is a bug, not a feature.