Poem Typography

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.

Hi friends, I saw this on First Things and it made me think of many of you and thought I would share.

Avatar

A 3-D CGI cinema experience, $300 billion dollar budget, and 3 hours of "revolutionary, Hollywood-blockbuster, visual eye-candy..." well, here are three reasons why I think Avatar was a bad movie. (And further, that it was deceptively bad, because it looked so good):

1. It is anti-human. (forget mere claims of anti-American, anti-military)
2. It offers no avenue or inspiration of hope, and instead offers a cynical, sparkly, appeal-to-the emotions message that we are doomed
3. It is artistically and creatively irresponsible

If anyone reading this has talked to me in the past two weeks, you have probably witnessed my bizarrely indignant, and deeply disturbed reaction to James Cameron's Avatar. I have read my fill of reviews out there of the movie, trying to synthesize what about it troubled me so much. If you haven't seen the movie, I encourage you to read some reviews (good and bad) to get a sense of the plot. (Spoiler alert)

Perhaps what I am angry about is a bigger issue of the movie industry in general, but stories have a profound impact on us as people. Those who write stories should be held accountable for the messages that they send and the commentary that they make about the human condition. Many have argued that Jake Sully is just choosing a different life-- one that is more suitable in his eyes than the way the humans in the movie are living--and that when he becomes his Na'vi avatar-self, it could be likened to someone embracing a new culture or race's lifestyle.

Even if that is true - the metaphor is a poor one and one that will be missed by most people. Reality and fantasy are too intertwined to actually send the message of embracing a "new lifestye." We will constantly be asking ourselves what is the best way to be humans--and this is a good thing--yet the movie is offering that the best way is a way completely other than our own.

I disagree. The movie is a projection of human life as we know it, and his disowns his human self. He completely renounces his humanity. I argue that this is fundamentally different than our struggle to discover the best way to live as humans and has a tragically hopeless and irresponsible undertone. I know that it is fantasy, but you cannot separate your human understanding of a fantasy world. This allegory about two cultures will have an impact on people viewing the movie, whether you want to admit it or not, and the human being in the story disowns his people, changing his essence. (and here I am not even going to go into the tree worshiping religious aspect that completely plays on people's spiritually emotional side...but I encourage someone else to take it up)

The movie is not merely an attempt to discover a better way to be human, it is offering the solution that this alien people have life figured out better than we do. This offers no hope for the current state we are in, because we are human and cannot renounce that. Again, maybe I am being too ideal, but our stories--even ones for entertainment--need to offer hope or commentary that leads us to something better and this movie does neither.

Artistically irresponsible? James Cameron has drawn upon some of the most creative minds and sources of human ingenuity to make a piece of widely acclaimed eye-candy, that cynically comments on the way we are treating the earth, (how much better off we would be if the creative ingenuity had been directed towards a productive innovation that serves society) and offers no solution for harmony or hope, so leaves the viewer 3-Dimensionally delighted and... uninspired.

Please friends, comment!

Merry Christmas!


To: Friend 


From: Bloch Party


Greetings from a snow-filled Virginian suburb (reminds me of Gran Torino)!

I have been talking with my friend Mr. Crawford in Phoenix about how important the Christmas traditions are.  To have a Christmas tree, to sing carols, to put your shoes out for St. Nick: these constitute a fuller and richer Christmas.  Without these traditions Christmas can go one of two ways.  The first (a double bad naughty) way is to not have these traditions and devotions at all: this is a privation of taste and culture, but more importantly they are outward signs which show the proper joy at the incredible and momentous occasion as the celebration of the birth of God.  Therefore, a lack of these traditions is a scrooged mess.  It's all backwards, it's the proper vision of these outward signs that insures a proper understanding of Christmas.  The other way (only a venial, single bad naughty) way is to distort these traditions and Hallmarkize them: make Christmas distant by reducing it to a materialistic secular celebration of (albeit good honest virtues) gift-giving, fellowship, family, relaxation, Jesus, baby-Jesus, and peace on earth Obama Prius Recycling Juno Soundtrack Latte Indie Macbook Dreadlock Christmas.


Last night I went to traditional Latin Midnight mass at St. John's in McLean Virginia. The profundity of the nativity was impressed upon me amidst the beauty of the full choir and orchestra singing magnificent polyphony and chant, amidst the incense billowing out and the old priest struggling to genuflect at the consecration, the incarnation--God becoming man and being among us and one of us.  
The hallmarkization of Christmas allows us to hide and cover up the fact that Jesus was God made flesh and born in a manger (a food trough--oh okay, let's put the king of the universe in a dog food bowl).  
Without the full effect of these traditions, another Christmas goes by, we loose the magic of Santa coming and there is nothing but either an absence of understanding or a covering up of the meaning of Christmas.  These traditions--having a Christmas tree, giving gifts, caroling, visiting the cresh, lighting the advent wreath--need to be reinvigorated, refreshed.  St. Francis did this when he created the world's first ever dramatic representation of the cresh or nativity scene.  He did it that the people might know that it was a hardship, a birth in a stable, laying in a food bin on the refuse of oriental hay, but it brought the fact of the incarnation to the people.


So how can we restore the traditions that are so important?  My friend, Mr. Crawford, and I believe that it is imperative that you have a Christmas tree at the very least.

• Buy a real tree, get a tree if you have a family (bachelors need to get trees too).
• Get an advent wreath and light the candles at dinner (bachelors need to eat dinner sitting down).
• Don't listen to "Christmas Music" until at least a week before Christmas, so that you can still have the energy to celebrate the traditional 12 days of Christmas.
• Take a chance on Christmas Eve to meditate on this one thought: God (the first mover, infinite Being, and your creator) became like that which he created.  He became man, took on our nature!  The incarnation is something that has rocked the world for 2000 years and caused history to turn.  Just ponder the significance of that for about, I don't know, 10-15 minutes.
• Sing traditional Christmas carols when you are with friends.
• Go to a concert, many churches patronize the arts in the Christmas season, and often put on performances from Handle's Messiah and other classically beautiful pieces.
• Eat, Drink, and be merry!  Leisure is the basis of culture, and the feast is possible through leisure.
• Visit the nativity scene at Church and pray in front of it, realizing that it was a hardship, not a hallmark warm-fuzzy to be born in a stable.

I love you all.  I want to be with you, but I am snowed in.  I do wish you the most festivity possible on this Christmas 2009.  With affection for you and general scorn for the behavior of Kanye West toward TSwift,

            Peter Bloch

ALERT: Josh Neu face not that original!!!

This picture was taken freshman year (January of 2006) in Phoenix before we'd truly discovered (definitely before Laura knew) the "Josh Neu face."
Laura's use of this specific facial expression is certainly a proud statement of how cool she is --this being our first experience with beer-for-breakfast.

(Location: Laura Junkers house)

I'd like to know if anyone else has proof to support my contention that the "Josh Neu Face" is not that original.

Hope I haven't dissappointed you, but I'm just sayin...