Does that make me a hypocrite?

A friend of mine sent me an article today about the television show, 24, which shows more graphic violence and torturing each season, and now seems to align itself with the Republican party. Though I've known most of this for years, it hasn't stopped me from watching, because Jack Bauer, in short, is awesome. So instead I watch each week, focusing my attentions on Jack's awesomeness, the thriller aspects of the show, and back on Jack. Does it make me a hypocrite to say that I've made entertainment more important than my values? Maybe, but this show is so damn addictive that even the friend who sent me the article said she's not going to quit watching--yet. To quote Cher Horowitz, "Until mankind is peaceful enough not to have violence on the news, there's no point in taking it out of shows that need it for entertainment value.”

Our discussion then turned to Grey's Anatomy and Isaiah Washington's recent bigoted comments towards one of his gay castmates. Though Grey's is her favorite show, my friend has threatened to stop watching unless/until he is fired. But this one seems more complicated to me. Yes, his comments were out of line, but he's a small part of a huge ensemble cast that is arguably the most diverse on tv. And even though he hasn't been fired from the show, news outlets around the country have condemned him for his comments, so they have not gone unnoticed. So is it hypocritical of me to continue watching the show, despite not respecting him? I say no. Along the same lines, I wouldn't forbid myself from watching an occasional Seinfeld rerun because of Michael Richard's recent racist comments. Again, he's part of an ensemble and doesn't represent the whole show, so this doesn't seem wrong to me.

I have, however, given up all things Mel Gibson--not that I ever really liked him or his movies. Somehow his errors seem worse to me. His repeated offenses, lack of apologies, general preachiness, and love of all things religious (which some would call fanaticism) put him on an entirely other level in my mind--and it's been enough to disgust me into boycotting his movies, changing the channel when he's on tv, and refusing to read news articles about him. But is it hypocritical for me to renounce Mel, while continuing to enjoy Grey's Anatomy and Seinfeld?

So where does this put us? Was Cher right after all? Should entertainment take precedence over values--at least until society's values change and entertainment follows suit? It probably shouldn't, but that's not going to stop me from enjoying an awesome hero and some sexy doctors. And if that makes me a hypocrite, well then so be it.

These kids today...

Excuse me while I get up on my soapbox and get all preachy and sound old, but yesterday, when I was working with the nine-year-old that I tutor each week (we'll call him Paul to protect his privacy), I found out he has a myspace page. He's nine! Never mind the fact that last weekend I happened upon an E! True Hollywood Story investigation that featured young kids on myspace being targeted by pedophiles, which was fresh in my mind when Paul told me about his website. Never mind the fact that the minimum age for a myspace account is 13, so his profile lies about his age, but if you look at his picture you can tell that he's clearly too young. And never mind the fact that I hate myspace (not the concept behind it, just the way the site is executed. I know, I'm in the minority, here.)

I'm all for the Internet and technology, but by not having those things as a kid, I feel like I had a much more innocent upbringing. I played outside and talked to people face-to-face. And I took to heart Officer Friendly's advice never to talk to strangers. Truth be told, Paul probably didn't have a chance of having the "innocent" childhood that I did. He lives in Harlem, shares a bedroom with his teenage sister and her newborn son, and is on a little league baseball team called The Gansters. So I guess it's my job to continue giving him that hour-and-a-half of one-on-one attention each week, help him with his homework, and listen to his stories.

Oh, and encourage him not to talk to strangers online.

New time wasting discovery!!

I was browsing my computer today and came across a program called Comic Life. Curious to see what it did, I opened it, and it turns out it's a make your own comic book program that links directly to your photos. I still have no idea why it was on my computer in the first place, but here's what I created in about two minutes: (click to enlarge it to see what everyone is saying)


The Animated Adventures of Baxter and Murphy can't be far behind.

I'm such a dork. :-p

Connecticut: Home to nice people, and crappy trains

This weekend I ventured into "the country" (aka Connecticut) to visit a friend. I took the train there and we had a lovely day visiting Yale (we saw Rory Gilmore's dorm!), shopping at IKEA (which I never need to go back to), and watching football (well, my friends watched while I asked stupid questions like, "When do they say 'Hut, Hut, Hike?'").

After the game, we checked the schedule for return trains home and headed to dinner. The meal finished earlier than expected, so we rushed to try and make the earlier train, only to pull up to the station as it was pulling away. We returned home to watch more football, (this time my brilliant query was, "So why doesn't the guy that kicks the ball run around on the field with the other guys? All he does is come out to kick?") and then drove back to the train station. I got there about 10 minutes before my train, and my friends assured me that they were dropping me off on the right side of the platform. I waited a few minutes, looking for some confirmation that I was indeed on the NYC-bound side, but neither my platform nor the one across the tracks said anything about which direction they were going. Then I saw my train coming--on the other side of the tracks.

I ran through the station, down the stairs, through a tunnel under the tracks, back up the stairs (where I tripped and cut my hand) through the other station, and out onto the platform, just in time to see the train pulling away. Frustrated, tired, and out of breath, I went to call my friends--only to discover that my cell phone was dead. To make things worse, I didn't have any change for a pay phone because I'd spent it all at a Yale parking meter. I did have some dollar bills though, so I started asking (well, begging, really) for someone to give me change for a dollar. I must have looked pretty pathetic because no one even wanted my dollar in return for their quarters, and one woman even offered to buy me a train ticket (which I didn't need).

I had to first call my mother so she could go into my email account and find my friend's cell phone number. Then I called my friend, who ended up coming to pick me up and driving me all the way back into the city. And now I have an extra one-way ticket, good for the next three months, meaning I'll probably attempt this adventure again one day soon, sheesh.

So there you have it. Beware of Connecticut! It has nice people, but an evil unmarked train system that tries to trap you there.