Back in the Saddle

I want to apologize to all my avid readers for taking such a long hiatus. My excuses aren't very good, nor are they worth telling. Instead I want to take this apology* and explain to you why this blog exists. Most people, I believe, stumble onto this page through Google image searches (the top one being 'rosario dawson tits' at the moment). And those of you I actually know who click the link on my social networking sites, probably scroll through and think I'm a bit zany. This attitude and the general lack of enthusiasm for his blog discouraged me from opening up the Blogger browser tab for a few weeks. As we all know, feeling unsupported, being the only one interested in your work, and thinking your actions have no value doesn't make one want to continue to explore one's interests anymore.

Well fuck that. I ain't no pretend Astronaut, and I surely ain't no Girl (which Buzz is in this scene). No, I find my interpretations of my culture fascinating and insightful, and the zany portions of them are just to make it more interesting. New American Mythology may have started as a false exaggeration, but it does exist. It's real. As real as Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism!

NPR recently reported that young Americans don't self-identify as part of a particular organized religion, and that doesn't include people who say they are of a religion, but aren't actually 'devout'. Most of the people interviewed cited social issues as their main reason for not taking part in religion. My question in this discussion is, Where, then, do they get their social cues of what is acceptable and what isn't acceptable? What do we believe in? What motivates us? Why do we continue in this matter?

Our culture clearly influences our morals and therefore our actions, otherwise the Senate would be singing Don't Stop the Party and not We are Never Getting Back Together when a controversial bill came onto the floor. Instead of getting angry and frustrated (or after getting angry and frustrated) with all the bizarre things in this world, I take a look at what could cause it. Not just why is the Senate not doing its job, but also why am I so angry (or not angry) with them? I'm just trying to make sense of this zany world. If the only way I can do that is through a zany blog with a zany lexicon then so be it. 

You see, I don't care about your well-being. This blog is for me and my well-being. I will be frustrated by people who don't give a damn about what their culture teaches them, which includes the 'I don't watch TV so pop culture isn't relevant to me' (my ass) people and the 'It's just Grey's Anatomy' (zealots) people. But hey, maybe one day I'll figure out why they do that. If you made it this far into the post I assume you have some mild interest in the topic, or in what I'm doing. Good for you. I'm glad to have you. Please have an opinion, and let me know. It means people are still alive out there.

I have drive. I have smarts. I have means. I have character. 

I'll be chasing down my own Tom Chaney with or without others' help. And you, Mr. Cogburn, in your oh-so-wizened ways may join me. As to your question, What are you? A Cowboy.

What about you?

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* This isn't actually an apology.

Comics are for Boys

How curious. The Motion Picture Association of America rated The Avengers (2012) as PG-13: Parents are strongly cautioned to give special guidance for attendance of children under 13 – Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. I'm not about to get up in arms about bringing impressionable minds to 'violent' or 'inappropriate' movies; I don't really care about that just yet. What strikes me is targeting (pun, yes) young boys as the ultimate consumer for these movies. Perhaps the random adolescent/young man picks up Hulk Hands or a Iron Man voice modulator, but the bulk of these products go to what looks like 5 - 12 year old white males. Don't you love reinforcing stereotypes? Well, the black kid is in the Ironman suit, but he's on screen for a total of three seconds, 10% of the commercial, most of which his face is blurred.

In addition to The Avengers (minus Hawkeye and Black Widow), Spider-Man, Batman, Transformers, Star Wars, and (the original) G.I. Joe themed products line Targets shelves. Maybe people perceive the PG-13 movies as appropriate for 5 year-olds because they originate from colorful comics, campy TV shows, or just plain nostalgia.

Actual Target Product
Where's the Hunger Games version!? Etsy.

However, if we take analogous movies, TV shows, or other products that were aimed at women, we might be a little apprehensive. Imagine a Twilight themed party where the 8 year old birthday girl wore Black Widow costume while her friends wore clothes from Mean Girls. I bet the Jones' would be whispering. Film 'inspired' girl-oriented toys do not come from the PG-13 rated media, but the PG and G: Disney Princesses and Hello Kitty. If they made a Monster High live-action movie, I bet it would be PG-13 though.

It wouldn't be that hard to market PG-13 movies to young girls. Instead of a generic 'princess' outfit, recreate it from Snow White and the Huntsman. How about a horse figurine with a War Horse logo on it? Maybe a Poo-Pie Playset inspired by The Help- I'd definitely buy that for my cousin! And don't we all want Hunger Games swag and costumes. While we're at it let's make some fake fangs and wolf-hair for the boy Twihards.

The Hunger Games (2012)
These are just the 'pretty' costumes!!

Point is, girls aren't feeble and it's weird that companies market to them as if they were. In reality, girls are more mature than boys and probably could handle the Amazing Spider-Man better than their counterparts. What girl wouldn't want a super-hero boyfriend who had a mode of transportation that avoided traffic? Mary Jane, Pepper Pots, and Jane Foster have their shit together and Black Widow and Katniss Everdeen are badass. Why not market mature movies to girls? They've got just as much if not more sway over Mom and Dad's money than their brothers.


So Target please will you actually put "A Superhero in Every Aisle" and not just the boy's aisles?