Monthly Archives: July 2018

The James Gunn Affair is not Over

There are two major continuing elements to the internet fueled controversy surrounding Disney’s firing of James Gunn from not only the Guardians of the Galaxy films but also from participation in the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The first is the firing and presumable replacement for Gunn as writer/director of the massively successful franchise. Popular with fans, beloved by the cast, and having made the studio a metric ton of money Gunn’s dismissal has sparked a furious backlash and even though production is slated to start in early 2019, right around the corner and massive tent-pole production terms, no replacement has been named. Bob Iger, head of Disney, has been on vacation and made no public statement concerning the kerfuffle. It is possible, given spurious nature of the charges, the public outcry, including a petition to reinstate Gunn that has gathered more than 3000,000 signature, and the massive risk to one of the studio’s premier properties, that Iger may reverse the hasty decision and try to sail on as though nothing of note happened in the mad days of summer. We have no evidence either supporting or undercutting the possible course of action but I fervently hope it comes to pass.

Second is the continuing political ramification of the affair. Make no bones about it, this had nothing to do with good taste, offensive unfunny jokes, or alt-right trolls clutching their pearls and requiring smelling salts after suffering psychic damage from Gunn’s distasteful styling. This was a political hit job. As a prominent progressive with a large soapbox and sharp disagreement with Trump’s administration Gunn represented a danger and a target for the alt-Right. They mobilized, launched a cynical ploy, and succeeded in scaring a corporation into damaging its image and collection a pelt for their collection at the same time. Already a number of comedian have come under similar attacks, Michael Ian Black, Patton Oswald, and Sarah Silverman, have all seen the trolls digging up past comments and tweets in an attempt to replicate this outcome. What are the common elements among these individuals? They are comedians, people who often go for shock as a method of entertainment, and they are all outspoken liberals and heavily critical of the current administration. If a tactic succeeds it will be repeated. If Gunn’s firing stands then the Alt-Right will employ this attack again and again.

It is imperative that the ends here and that this ends now.

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A Slur That’s Truly Meaningless

“Political chaos is connected with the decay of language…” George Orwell

 

There are lots slurs hurled by both sides in the dirty trench warfare that is American politics. Most fall into various forms of an ad hominem, something that to me usually indicates a flailing debater who has exhausted their supply of facts and reason. There is one slur hurled from the right towards the left that moves beyond mere ad hominem and into the realm of meaningless noise – ‘Virtue Signaling.’

Its application would seem to indicate that the subject of the insult is engaging in empty symbolism, pronouncing through words, symbol, or meaningless action that they posses virtue on a given topic in an attempt to endear themselves to leaders of that topic or cause. The subtext of the insult seems to contain several parts;

1) That action or symbol is meaningless because the signaler is not actually doing anything.

2) The virtue is false, the position cannot be defended and the purpose of the signaling is to close ranks and protect the tribe.

3) That the signaler is a weak follower craving the affirmation of their tribe’s leader. It’s not a surprise that the people most likely to hurl this particular insult are also adherents to the discredited ‘Alpha and Beta Wolf’ hypothesis.

What is endlessly ironic is that the people uttering this slur are often signaling their own virtue.  Accusing opponents of ‘virtue signaling’ of course proclaims to one’s allies that one stands with conservative virtues, drawing a clear line of who is in the tribe, including the signaler.

Beyond the ironic the action is nearly always hypocritical. Only the virtues of the left can be subject to the insult of ‘virtue signaling.’ Renaming foodstuffs to thing like ‘Freedom Fries’, pinning miniature flags to your lapels, standing for anthems, or wearing politically aligned clothing such as NRA ball caps are all displays to the world the virtuous values of the conservative signaler. The actions themselves do nothing but exist only as a form of speech. (Don’t get me wrong speech is powerful. If it wasn’t people would expend so much energy telling you that you’re wrong when you express yourself.)

I find that this complaint of  ‘virtue signaling’ is very closely related to complaints about ‘politics’ in entertainment. I have rarely, if ever, heard anyone insist that a political philosophy that they agree with should be excised from some popular media they enjoy, it is that opposing viewpoint that they want excluded. Their own virtues they want to celebrate and it is only in the third person it becomes a fault that invites mocking.

Wear your virtues and values proudly.

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The James Gunn Mess

Disney should rehire James Gun.

The online campaign that led to his firing was an orchestrated hit-job with purely political motivations. Gunn was a vocal liberal who used his voice and his standing to shout his opposition to the current administration and its defenders. This made him beloved by some and hated by others but it was politics and when attacked Conservative darling Ben Shapiro that was pebble that started the landslide. The Daily Caller then went and dug up old bad-taste humor from nearly a decade ago, jokes, posts, and tweets, that Gunn had address and apologized for years ago. After The Caller resurfaced these ‘issues’ it was picked up by two alt-right personalities, one of whom helped spread the insane ‘pizza-gate’ conspiracy, and they drummed up the alt-right into attack mode, scaring Disney, ever fearful of anything that might stain their ‘wholesome’ image, into firing Gunn.

This was not morality. This was not ‘standards of good taste.’ This was payback for standing against the administration and having a soapbox that allowed such standing to be seen by far too many people.

The Gunn Affair is no way analogous with what happened with Rosanne Barr. There are critical differences between the two cases. Rosanne’s offensive statements were not dug up from nearly a decade in the past but were reflections of her current mindset about what she deemed acceptable and what was not. Roseanne, already in the hot glare of the spotlight, riding a wave of intense publicity centered around her attitude and politics engaged in her inexcusable behavior and then when called out on her obnoxious attack on particular people instead of apologizing she attempted to hide her culpability behind prescription drugs. The most important difference between the two isn’t centered about when it happened, or the sufficiency of their apologies but rather is ground in this very simple fact; bad taste jokes about rape and bestiality are not rape and bestiality but racist jokes areracist. Rosanne Barr suffered the immediate effects of shouting vile, racist, personal attacks in the public sphere This is not at all what happened with James Gunn and his bad taste, (and frankly unfunny) jokes uttered many years ago.

I have heard the argument that really this is all because the ‘SJWs’ started this sort of public personal destruction. I guess, though it is not clear, that the intention of such a comment is to say that the true people are fault and who should shoulder the blame for this is are the ‘SJWs’ for unleashing this tactic. (Side note; I think anyone who utters ‘SJW’ as a pejorative is no better than those who toss about ‘teabagger’ in a similar fashion. It’s nothing but a cheap ad hominem.)

First off if that is your position I would think very carefully before deploying that line of reasoning. Applied to other social/political issues, laying the responsibility at the toolmakers versus the tool users leads guilty parties you would not want to be found culpable.

Second, I remember the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the conservative feeding frenzy against the country music group The Dixie Chicks. Fanning public outrage over a celebrity’s political beliefs is nothing new and not a tactic that can be ascribed as the fault of a single side in American politics. When a street criminal killed Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben Peter was not responsible, the gun manufacturer was not responsible, the street criminal bears all the blame. The conservative alt-right is responsible for this campaign against James Gunn and Disney is responsible for their cowardly caving.

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A Rare Treat

For many years now most Sunday finds my Sweetie-wife and I at the World Famous San Diego Zoo. It’s a lovely way to get in a few miles of walking while seeing lovely animals from around the globe. If you follow my social media accounts you’ll often see photos snapped with my iPhone whenever I am lucky enough to capture an interesting moment.

In all the years and all the Sundays of these Zoo excursions we have never seen the mountain lion our side of its den.

This is not surprising as mountain lions are crepuscular, that is they hunt during twilight, the dim light of dawn and dusk are when they stalk their prey. Midmornings, when my Sweetie-Wife and I would arrive at the enclosure located near the back of the facility, the big can is found in its den, sleeping.

This Sunday was different.

We had crossed the recently completed canopy bridge that spans over the canyon where you can find the pandas, and emerged just outside of the Elephant Odyssey exhibit when she noticed that there was a crowd at the mountain lion enclosure. We walked over just as a zookeeper, standing in the enclosure itself, was completing a talk. Evidently we had arrived just as they were about to feed the feline. I scanned the enclosure and spotted the lion’s meal, a dead rabbit the usual meal offered carnivores at the zoon, placed on a tree limb. The keeper finished his and left the cage. A few moments later the mountain lion entered.

These two photos are the best ones I got and it was such a treat seeing that big cat stalking about his home.

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The 2018 WorldCon Kerfuffle

In the last few days the SF writer and fan communities discovered that apparently the WorldCon committee found a fresh pile of poo to step into. If you are not familiar with a science-fiction convention, and that is a different thing than a Star Trek or other Media focused convention, there are few standard and well loved elements to these gatherings; there are art shows where professional and fan artists display lovely pieces that often go up for auction, there are dances and parties, there are costume competitions and room after room of panel discussions.

These panel discussion ranges in topics form the nuts and bolts of the SF publishing and art businesses, to the latest films and television sensations. For me going to the panels is a central reason for attending conventions. The exposure to new ideas, breaking science, and writers that I have not been exposed to enrich my own writing, expand my knowledge, inspire new ideas, and introduce me to new favorite authors. Having a good mix of people on panels is a critical aspect to their success.

Before is get into the mess that appears to be this year’s Worldcon one more aspect that is important to understand, it is at the WorldCon where the Hugo awards, the best known and longest running award within in the SF and Fantasy community. Being nominated for a Hugo in any category is a big deal and a sign that an author or artist not only is talented but also has an active base of fans, as it is the WorldCon attendees that nominate the slate of potential winners. Winning a Hugo is a tremendous step up for a newly emerging artist or writer.

The 2018 WorldCon is held next month in San Jose and panel participants have been notified of their panel assignments. With WorldCon, a very important convention in the community, more people volunteer t appear on panels than can ever been accommodated. I myself submitted to appear, as I often do with smaller, local conventions. However I was not surprised when I was not invited to participate in any panels. I am still establishing myself but apparently a number of Hugo nominees have also been given the cold shoulder and were not invited to sit on any panels. The implication was that theses Hugo Nominees were not well known enough to get panel assignments.

This is madness.

A good panel should have a mix of opinions, styles, and experience. Not only are panels a great way for lesser known authors and artist to expand their audience, reaching new people, but fresh perspectives are critical to any growth of the medium. Authors and artists that are well established have much wisdom to share but also their views may be out of date and newer entrants into the field can give critical insights to the way things are working now.

A number of established authors have already publicly announced that they are willing to surrender their panel positions to make way for emerging people, a wonderful example of paying it forward.

This issue is not the only one to explode over the upcoming WorldCon and I hope that the committee is able to right this ship and host an inclusive, fun, and exciting convention next month.

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Why is Trump Deferential to Putin?

Even before last week’s terrifying and subservient joint press conference it’s been clear that Donald Trump not only admires Vladimir Putin, but also actively defers to the former KGB operative. On the world’s stage his displayed the true colors of his ‘America First’ philosophy, blame America first.

Without any reasonable question it is fact that the Russian government engaged in a wide-ranging, committed, and vigorous operation to influence the 2016 presidential campaign seeking to benefit Donald Trump and deny Hillary Clinton the office of President. Since taking office, with the American Intelligence community in rare unanimity concerning the Russian operation the Trump administration has taken no actions punishing the Russian for their attacks on our democracy, no measure to safeguard future elections, nor utter even a mild condemnation. Why?

Before I explore the theories as to why Trump takes no action and defers to Putin let me set aside, for the moment, the question of collusion. Those charges are being investigated and we should await the information produced before coming to a conclusion.

Theory 1: Putin has something on Trump.

This covers a lot of potential ground, everything from damaging salacious material to financial pressure due to the nature of the Trump Organization’s funding. The opaque natures of the Organization and Trump’s refusal to disclose his finances and tax records keep such suspicions alive.

Theory 2: Trump and Putin are simpatico.

It is possible that Trump and Putin share a worldview and as such come to similar conclusion about the world and what is happening.

Theory 3: Trump’s ego is too fragile.

The crux of this idea is that Trump is incapable of admitting any concept that weakens his electoral victory. His ego demands that his victory be a product of his ‘very stable genius’ and any condemnation or recognition of Russia interceding on his behalf undercuts this and challenges his fragile self-image.

Theory 4: Trump is naive.

This one speaks to the fact that Trump is in experienced as a politician and when confronted with news he dies not like, that the Russian decidedly interceded on his behalf, and a sooth experienced manipulator such as Putin telling him what he wants to hear, Trump is unable to separate what he wants from what is true.

There’s a lot of differences between those four theories, swinging from being in the pocket of a foreign power to simply being thick in the head but here is one thing I think is inescapable no matter which theory turns to to bets fit the facts:

ANY of these means he is incapable of being a proper president. No person cripple by any of these conditions can be trusted with the awesome powers of the US Presidency.

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Movie Review: The First Purge

A small digression; Back in the early 80’s a local theater used to have what was called ‘Dollar Night.’ Every Tuesday admission to all movies, all day, all showings, was just one dollar. Dollar Night was very popular and my friends and myself often took bold risks seeing all manner of movies because well, it was only a dollar. Granted there we endured a lot of bad movies, The Perils of Gwendolyn in the Land of the Yik-Yakcertainly comes to mind. However even with such cinema classics scarring us for life seeing the sheer number of movies that Dollar Night allowed was a pleasure. I am reminded of those days because earlier this month I enrolled in the AMC Theaters subscription program AMC’s A-List. For $19.95 per month subscribers can see up to 3 movies per week for no additional charge. Granted, even with inflation that does not reach the level of discounts that Dollar Night achieved but it does open up the doors for more films and more experimentation in which films I am willing to give a chance in the theater versus waiting for eventual home viewing by way of streaming, premium channels, or disc. It was utilizing that subscription and the strength of MovieBob’s review that lead to me going out last night for The First Purge.

The fourth film in the Purgefranchise (With a television series slated for airing this year) The First Purge is a prequel exploring the origins of the first story’s central premise; that for one evening a year all laws are suspended allowing the American people to cathartically expel their personal violence. (A concept Star Trekfans will remember from the TOSepisode Return of the Archons.) Utilizing footage from crises around the world The First Purge establishes the backstory of a grand economic collapse that lead the assent of a new American political party The New Founding Father of America. The NFFA sweeps in election gaining control at local, state, and federal levels. (Showing that the filmmakers of this franchise already understand the American political system better than more ‘serious’ storytellers.) Using the research of psychologist Dr. Updale (Marisa Tomei) they implement the first purge on a small-scale experimental basis, subjecting Staten Island to a twelve-hour period of lawlessness with hopes, if participation is great enough, of rolling it out nationally. Residents of the area are offered $5000 to remain on Staten Island for the experiment and even more to participate in cathartic violence. (A here the filmmakers display a typical Hollywood misunderstanding of the scientific process.) In addition to follow Dr. Updale and the NFFA party members implementing this experiment the film follows two principal groups of characters, the first centered on community activist and Purge opponent Nya as she attempts to keep her people safe and out of the purge, and the Dmitri, Nya’s ex-lover and leader of a local drug gang. Dmitri also does not believe in the purge but has far less concern for the community than the idealistic Nya. All the character, Updale, Nya, and Dmitri find their worldview and assumption challenged as the reality of the ‘experiment’ and it actual aims are discovered.

The First Purge is dystopian science-fiction prompted as an action/horror film and as with all dystopias it is inherently a political story. If you are a Trump supporter or Trump adjacent the political message is not for you. After all look at one of the movie’s official poster and you’ll see that they are not trying for subtlety. And while U can quibble with some of their statements I celebrate a story, a film, or any art having a point of view.

I mentioned MovieBob’s review, he gave The First Purge 3 out of 5 stars and I think perhaps he was a tad generous. There are glaring flaws in the film’s execution but nor are there any real moments that rise to interesting heights. I think The First Purge is a competent film and get in, tells it story, hits its marks and gets out. For a solid but not stellar performance I would give it 2.5 stars, right in the middle.

I started this review mentioning the long dead ‘Dollar Night.’ While I sat through the previews of coming attraction there were a few that I knew I would see now that the AMC A-List removed the ‘Am I $15 interested?’ hurdle for future films.

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Thoughts on Gone With the Wind

Over several nights via streaming I have re-watched the film Gone with the Wind.I ended up watching this movie because the other Olivia de Havilland The Adventures of Robin Hood was not available on streaming. I know I had seen Gone With the Wind before but it had been some time, decades, and I thought it useful to view the film and the story through my more experienced eye.

Directed by Victor Fleming with music by Max Steiner, and boasting one of the most colorful pallets ever, this movie stands as an achievement in cinema. Grand in scope and in scale and with a cast that is just terrific it is easy to see why this remained the most popular film for a very long time, but it’s impossible to ignore the propagandistic elements of the piece. The barbarity of slavery is utterly absent from the film. Every black character is actually a stereotype and evil of the plantation system is disregarded for a myth of noble benevolent slavers.

The story is about Scarlett O’Hara and follows her from her teenage years, starting right at the onset of the American Civil War, and though the ruin of her personal life as an adult. Scarlett loves Ashley but Ashley loves Melanie while rakish Brett Butler loves Scarlett. Through the war, reconstruction, and beyond we follow Scarlett as she schemes and uses people, always pining for Ashley who remains faithful to the clueless and naive Melanie. (Truly Melanie is tied right up there with Claudio from Much Ado About Nothing as the most gullible and naive character in western literature.) On this production I think Olivia de Havilland I think had the toughest job as an actor. She had to convince us that Melanie could be a real person and she did it. While Vivien Leigh deserve her accolades as an actor, I think Olivia did a far better job with much more challenging material.

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Not Knowing How

As I mentioned in this space several weeks ago my most recent entry into the Writer of the Future contest had scored a finalist. (At that time I though the finalist were six but it turned out there are eight from which the three winners are chosen.) My entry did not win.

Don’t worry about me; I’m good. Rejection is baked into the cake and its labeled right on the tin. Do not attempt traditional publication if you cannot take rejection for it will stalk you every step of the way and throughout any career. I’m proud and happy to have this odd little story score a spot on the finalist list and the contest may print it as a published finalist in next year’s anthology.

I am reminded of a story I once heard Charlton Heston recount on the Late Show with Johnny Carson. (Kids ask your parent or grandparents.) The great actor Laurence Olivier was in a stage production and the play had already been running for several weeks when one night his performance transcended into something beyond words. His fellow actors noticed the heights he suddenly has reached and were spellbound by the achievement. Afterward Maggie Smith, you kids know here from Harry Potter, came to his dressing room and asked if he knew just how good he had been that evening. Reportedly Olivier answered, “Yes, but I don’t know how.”

This is what separates art from science or engineering. You can learn rules, you can learn theories and in science those are unchanging, always producing the same results from the same inputs but art doesn’t work that way.

Under the current coordinating judge I have submitted a dozen stories to the contest, one made finalist, none have made semi-finalist, one scored an honorable mention, and the rest, ten out of twelve were passed over without comment or placement. Why did this story catch Dave’s attention?

I don’t know. A number of those stories that Dave did not care for have sold to other markets, several have gotten feedback and comments from other editors. This is not science and there are no hard and fast rules that assure consistent outcomes. Dave himself has a number of elements or rules that he thinks makes for good story telling and this story, the one he plucked for finalist, ignored or broke a number of the advisory guidelines.

When I have a new short story I will submit again but past performance is not guarantee of future results.

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The Double Lesson of ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf.’

I have written on this topic before but I think it bears a return engagement. Nearly everyone knows the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. A young boy is giving the vastly important duty of guarding a herd of sheep; twice it shouts false warning about a wolf and laughs at the panicked village when they respond to his alarm. When the wolf actually does appear no one answers his call and depending on the version you hear, the sheep, the boy, or both are eaten by the wolf. The moral of the story is do not lie for when you need to be believed you may not be. And that itself is a good moral, but the concept if false alarms and the deadened of people to those alarms run deeper than deliberate fabrications.

Consider if the boy had thought that there might be a wolf and he raised the alarm without taking stock of the situation and verifying that the flock was in danger. The result of the story remains unchanged.  Twice the village runs to the flock only to discover that there is no wolf and when the boy raises a legitimate alarm they are unlikely to respond quickly or with any conviction. The moral does not need to be about lying but about making sure you are right before you sound that alarm. There needs to be a fire before you pull the fire alarm lever.

This lesson applies to politics as well as other areas of life. One the conservative side of the aisle anything that increases regulation, no mater how rationally or required is met with calls of ‘Socialism!’ Obama was not a center-left politician but a man out to destroy the American way of life and who plotted to institute ‘hard socialism.’ So far we have not been treated to a firebrand eat the rich socialist who has the potential to gain real power but should it happen the right will learn that they have devalued their alarm call into meaningless noise.

Fascist has also become meaningless. The term has been bandied about so often as to be devoid of definition.  I can remember people on the left constructing careful arguments that Reagan was a fascist, as was George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush. It seemed that everyone to their right was automatically a fascist. Is it any surprise that now with a Republican politician who openly admires dictators, jokes about violating the constitution and remaining in power beyond two terms, applauds the slaughter of peaceful protesters, and sided with our geo-political foes over our own intelligence community that the charge of fascist still lacks punch?

The misuse and abuse of such charges, turning them into mere insults has robbed us of a vital tool of information and alarm. There is a wolf about but few are willing to listen and more than ever we must be vigilant.

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