Hello People of the World;
Here we are in month two of twenty-thirteen and we already have meteors flying at us. Man. I hope the sudden snows have not caught you flat-footed because we all know, it never snows in winter and the earth constantly surprises us with its turning.
Well, I have been way too busy of late, which is my only excuse for getting this month’s edition out so late. My media mentor job has me tracking all across our fair city. Having no car is a downer but I do like exploring the neighborhoods I find myself in. But wait, I told you about all that already didn’t I? Yeah, you faker, you need to start paying more attention to Wisdom of the Sages.
Anyways, let’s get started shall we?
1:[ First Item of the Month: More Truthfulness
My Useless Self: On Ego and being Uninformed
I am an uniformed person. I can admit that. Without fear
or hesitation. I do not seek the complete picture as I should. Who does? I
never look at the other side of an issue and wonder if they have it correct.
No. I just blunder in with my own point of view and call myself informed
because I sought out only the information that backs my point of view. Sure, I
can say I researched the other side but only to get enough information to say
they are wrong.
No one, no one, ever looks at the opposition and wonders, could they be right? Wonders, do their plans have good points that are helpful?
No, we never do. I am an uninformed person.
Our egos are things of malicious beauty. They really are. They prevent us from really helping one another, allowing us to feel entitled when we have not earned it or to feel persecuted when we have no right to be. It shields our ignorance. It belittles those who counter our way of thinking. It allows us to make claims of authority and expertise when we have none. It gives us the moral high ground in areas where there should be none. Our egos. Such things of malicious beauty.
But, before you write me and state that you do research the opposing view and that you truly are a person that is informed, is it not your ego that is causing you to reply, to react to this statement?
Coming Soon: More Truthfulness
+ NAMELESS: The Authentic and Magical Ledger Art of EW3 & A Treatise on American Indian Art (VERY SOON)
“All you care about is money. This city deserves a better class
of artist. And I’m going to give it to them.”
This statement really needs to be finished up. It began as an artist statement to comment on my ledger art series but I thought I’d throw in all I feel about the idea of “Native Art”. The following excerpt is from a section The Authorship of Expertise & The New Reservation System:
“We have become trend-spotters, our “art” a genre of cliché. Natives find a trend, a niche and we follow it, forever – ledger art, pop art, comic book art, we find those trends and we use it as if it were something original because we added beads and feathers to it, because we pasted Sitting Bull’s head on it. Then, we have the gall to sell it, selling our sacred leader’s visage, worse yet, his decapitated head for the white man’s money, like we invented his being, his cause, his relevancy, his spirit, as if we had created, or worse yet, as if we carry on his legacy like it was our right to sell those things. No, we are selling that spirit like it was just another trinket on the market.
“In a way, I am so happy that Crazy Horse never had his picture taken. I believe that his spirit needs to be manifest in our actions only. The Lakota consider T’sunka Witko sacred, holy. So, I am very happy his image was never captured. Because do you know how may “Native American Artists” would be using that photo right now, selling that image of him as some “new” voice or revolution, putting him on the postcards for their shows? All we would be doing is commoditizing our victimhood and calling it empowerment.”
+ The
(Because Seven is a sacred number)
COMPLETED:
I am constantly surprised that no one ever sees that
Native Americans do the exact same things – like reverting to Stereotypes when
we want to be “Taken Seriously”
+ ONE: A Spoken Word:
I am having such a tough time with this one. I want it to
say all I want to say. But some points feel better as Mikey Redshade comics and
other points don’t seem to fit. I will keep at it and I am still trying to find
some open mics to read it at. Any suggestions?
+ Shouting in Circles: A Spoken Word:
Just an adaptation of a short piece I wrote in the community
writing group some time back. It seems apropos of late….
NEXT MONTH: On Being Poor.
2:[ In the series A Song of Fire and Ice by George RR Martin I have come to the notion that in reading about the deep colds of the North and when I am walking in this winter’s cold, I find myself thinking two things, 1) reading about the happenings in the north of and on The Wall, I get a sense of the cold waiting for trains and busses, and 2) that I think that it would be very cool to be able to wear a heavy woolen cloak against the cold. I wish it were cool for men to wear capes outside of superhero movies….
3:[ More MOVIE TIME ADVENTURES:
+ SO, many people have been at me
to see this documentary called “Searching for Sugarman” about the search for a
long thought dead singer-songwriter called Rodriguez from back in the
Seventies. He was a performer who never caught on in the States but in
Apartheid Era South Africa he became a bigger sensation than the Beatles, Dylan
or Elvis due to his music and lyrics. He became a bigger counter-culture icon
than Marley in the struggle to overturn apartheid. But he never caught on in
the States.
There were rumors of his stage death that grew to legendary proportions in South Africa that the filmmaker and a record store owner, who cannot keep Rodriguez’ albums in stock, decide to find out the truth. And what happens is pretty incredible. There are questions raised about his contracts and the fact that the royalties of the South Africa sales never made it past his US label. But the real heart of the story is when the record storeowner is talking to one of the producers of Rodriguez’ two albums and the producer drops the bomb: “He’s still alive.”
I would recommend this documentary by all counts. Check it out. It is a touching and surprising. Don’t get mad at me about spoiling it for you. The fact that they find him was all over the press materials and synopsis of the film. Hell, they even put a modern picture of him on the movie poster, so sit down. Yeah, all of this leads me to the phrase “Changed my Life”. I have been hearing this for such a long time that I think that it’s bullshit. No one thing will change your life. Seriously. Some event or happening may make you re-think your life’s goals or situations, but never change it. A friend of mine years ago stated this to me when I mentioned that Wim Wender’s “Wings of Desire” was one of my favorite all-time films and that that film “changed his life.”
My first thought was, “So, he was a woman before he saw it and came out of the theater a man?” That would be the only way I think a film could change anyone’s life. So, when people were telling me about “Searching for Sugarman”, more than one told me that it would “change my life.”
Sorry folks. I’m still a dude.
+ Still have not seen any new movies in the theater yet this year, which is funny, because I did the same thing last year. But I have rented some stuff on Redbox and watched quite a few things on Hulu, especially when they offer free Criterion movies: Such as Ozu's Tokyo Story, Late Spring & Good Morning, Kobayashi's Samurai Rebellion, Hari-Kari and a little drama called Sincere Heart which had me tearing up like a sap. I finally saw Berman's The Seveth Seal, stuff like Things to Come and another post-war Japanese drama called The Girl I Loved, which was very sweet.
Here is a short list and short reviews of things I rented from RedBox:
DREDD: was really pretty good. A hidden gem of a film that
lives up to what it is supposed to be. Very few films do that. It was
everything that “The Raid: Redemption” should have been, which was good.
ALL SUPERHEROES MUST DIE: This was a cheapie made independently and it shows. But the heart is there and it’s a neat story. Four superheroes wake up to find themselves having been drugged and their powers gone. They must stop James Remar trying to be the Joker from blowing up a small town without their strengths. There was a subtle twist when it appears that one of the heroes did not lose their power and there is a silly, jealously over a girl side plot that seemed expected for this type of film but I enjoyed it over all. Any Native can make a movie like this. That would be cool.
ROBOT and FRANK: It quite possible my favorite movie I have seen this year. I know, it came out last year, but I count it because I saw it this year. Set in the near future, it is about a retired cat burglar with memory problems whose son gets him a robot to help with chores and such. Instead he begins to teach the robot how to burgle. It is a sweet touching film about living with old memories in a time that is forgetting you. For once, it was a movie with a twist that comes at the start of the third act, the chase scene and completely changes how the story went and how everyone treated the protagonist. It was great. One of my favorites this year. Frank Langella, man, Frank Langella….
+ I hope I will be seeing Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet at the Music Box in a couple of days though. That would be a great way to start my 2013 in films. I have never seen Branagh’s Hamlet on the big screen. So, in preparation for my own version what better way then to see the “other” full-length, full-text movie version projected in glorious 70mm as part of the Music Box’ 70MM Celebration?
+ SPOILERS: IF you haven’t seen “The Dark Knight Rises” skip to the next item or grow up and quit living your life through the expectation that movies are somehow so important that even comic book movies should not be spoiled.
There have been many fanboys discussion about the ending of “The Dark Knight Rises”. To those who have not seen and don’t care to be spoiled, Batman “dies” and leaves his legacy to the silly kid from “3rd Rock from the Sun.” Now, many fanboys have been crying about it since. Their biggest complaint are that Batman would have never given up being Batman and most certainly would never give it up to such an obvious wimp who is named “Robin” in a cute little nod to the audience and most certainly not give it up for a woman.
This has led many to speculate that “Robin” (called John Blake throughout the movie) will not become Batman but the character “Nightwing” who, in the comics, is a grown-up Robin the Boy Wonder. Others think that he will be Batman, putting on the cape and cowl again to fight crime as Bruce Wayne did, as evidenced by the restored Bat-signal at the end. However, many think he would be a terrible Batman because in the story he began and ended his story arc as a lowly beat cop, incapable of fighting criminals as Bruce Wayne did. See? Bruce Wayne was trained as a ninja before he became Batman so Robin, a beat cop just doesn’t have the training to be Batman. Others are mad that Bruce Wayne would give up being Batman in the first place. Bruce Wayne lives on, in case you wondered and makes a life with Selina Kyle, which was the hope of Alfred, his butler.
In any case, fanboys have been having this go-round all over the Internets that Bruce should come back and be Batman again and that Robin has no formal training to be Batman. Therefore, the movie sucks. Well, here’s my two-cents on this issues. It comes in three parts:
1. It’s a frickin’ movie!
2. The whole point of the movie was about closure for the
Bruce Wayne character not about the continuance of the Batman. And,
3. It was set up throughout the movie that whatever the
Batman is after Bruce Wayne’s departure, it would not be the same Batman Bruce
Wayne was. Throughout the story Alfred admonishes Bruce for putting on the suit
again when all the police really need are Bruce’s resources. But Bruce could
never trust the cops to use his resources properly. You can see it when Batman returns
to Gotham, he begins to mentor John Blake, the Robin character. At the end, after
Robin John Blake quits the force he is given the Batcave and its resources.
Bruce turned to a former policeman to use his resources, someone who knows the
limits of both what turns tools into a weapon and knows what the city police
force lacks in tech and intelligence. So no, this new iteration of Batman will
not be a clone of the Bruce Wayne Batman.
John Blake instead will become Oracle, in such a clever and subtle nod to that Batman Comics character.
For those with a life, Oracle is Barbara Gordon, who was Batgirl in the comics until being shot by the Joker and crippled. Instead of giving up on crime fighting, she assumed the identity of Oracle, a computer-tech savvy informant for the Batman. She feeds him info culled from her computer and helps out with all manner of hacking and programming to help the Batman in his mission.
So, there’s my story theory: John Blake becomes Batman as Oracle.
Or, this could all be geeky fanboy theorizing…. It is just a comic book movie after all, right?
4:[ I am in the grocery store nearly every day. I buy my meal by the day and when I can afford it, I go to the store. I always see a huge number of people in the store every time I am there. Most are buying food for the week or some the month or some like me, for the day. But what never seems to stop is the amount of plastic bags that get used. Every time, more plastic bags go out the door. Now, I am not a big environmentalist. GASP! I know, me being Indian and all. But I do know we have an impact on our environment and that plastic bags are a large portion of waste.
We used to have paper bags, but then we were sold on the idea that plastic bags saves trees. Which I am sure it does, but that comes with the trade-off of more plastic bags in the world, more non-biodegradable waste in our garbage, on garbage scows being dumped into the oceans. Which is what every major country does, by the way. Yeah, if you ever wondered what huge cities do with their garbage, they are packed up, put on boats and dumped in the ocean. The news doesn’t tell you that. But, the gigantic island of floating garbage in the Atlantic says otherwise.
Anyways, getting back to my point. There used to be a choice of paper or plastic bags at the store. Still is, but not so much. So, how about this: The Option of Bring Your Own Bags? Every store can take a day out of the week where they offer NO types of bags and instead encourage folks to re-use their stored up plastic bags (Because everybody has those!) or buy those nifty, padded reusable bags at the counter. They could even offer coupons for free items if they wanted. I think that would go a long ways to cutting down the plastic bags out there in the world. But, what do I know? No one listens to me….
5:[ Ah yes, settle in Dear Readers for more of:
Adventures at the Coffee Shop!
+ There is not much going on in the
coffee shops now days. I rarely stop into one since I quit coffee. It does save
money to not buy a $2.50 cup of coffee every other day and the cost alone keeps
me on my coffee fast. I even started brewing my own green tea. I should switch
to regular tea but in truth, I miss the tasted of sugared and creamed coffee. I
really do. I don’t miss the caffeine headaches though. I have considered
switching to decaffeinated coffee but it is always such a fricking pain in the
ass to get one at the coffee shop!
+ Logan Square used to be my haunt for a while. Then, all the artistes and suburban hipster orphans began to move in there. Rents and cool coffee shops went up when before there were ethic restaurants and shops and so I got married and moved out. I tried to find a Starbucks today when I found myself in Logan Square. Then, I remembered, it’s Logan Square, it’s too hip to have a Starbucks….
6:[ You know, I don’t understand all the hate for Mac users. No one has ever explained that to me. Why the hate for someone’s personal preferences? I have a Macbook myself, given to me from my old job and it is currently nearing five years old and it still operates as expected. I never had to change out graphics cards or batteries or anything else. Software updates are easy. I had a desktop PC and with every update it got slower and slower. Finally, it up and died on me. The Mac, while slower as well, has never let me down. I am typing on it as I write this. Again, there are some who prefer PCs and know how to keep them up and running for years. But I never understood why suddenly Mac users are hated.
Sure, they can be an obnoxious bunch. I mean, how easy it is to own a Mac? (Cost not withstanding.) You don’t really have to fuss with upkeep or components, so that could give your ego a boost and make you look smart for always having a running Mac. So, yeah, Mac users can get a little stupid in their pride of their machines. It ties back to ego. Still others complain that there is this Mac culture that is always presenting itself, the way Macs have the Apple logo so everyone can see. But the Mac user didn’t put those logos on their laptops. That’s simple marketing dude.
Don’t give me that noise like you’re so above it all, that you don’t care as long as the stuff you use works yet you still have to dig at the Mac users for the simple way they position their laptops in the coffee shop. Come on. See? Mac users aren’t the only petty ones around here. Besides, if your hardware has any labeling on it, you simply bought into the branding too but Mac users make an easy target, because they make themselves an easy target.
So, jut ease off and let people use what they want to use. Don’t rag on them over a personal choice. Which is all it is. Our country is always ragging on people for their personal choices which are nobody’s g*ddamn business. I love the hypocrisy of some of these folks I know are always saying “We all need to come together, work together, forget how we are divided as a community, nation, city, et al. and not be divisive but work together to – Mac users? Fuck ‘em!”
7:[ And now Wisdom of the Sages presents:
“An Ever-growing List of Things That MUST Stop!”
+ I live in a boxy studio apartment
and laundry days are a real chore that I have to schedule into my calendar. You
see, the folks in my apartment building can be real asses when it comes to the
three machines in the basement. On top of that, we have to buy tokens to use
them and the dryers. So, I need to save up money or await paydays sometimes
before I can do my laundry. So, I was finally able to schedule a time to do it.
I have to get into the laundry room early, right after people head off to work
so I can get a machine. I am not one of those people that throw all my laundry
into all the machines at once because I want the other machines to be open in
case others need to come in and do there laundry. I always thought that was one
of the unwritten rules to shared laundry rooms.
But, no. Rude neighbors who simply dumped my wet clothes out of the washer and used it. Never mind that I was there first and had another load to wash. Then afterwards, they called Dibs on the dryers dropping their wet clothes on them so I could not use any of them ruining my Laundry Day. Rude neighbors. That has to stop….
+ People just standing in the f*cking way. Come on! Move! Being an ass-hat in the way doesn’t prove anything….
+ You know what really needs to stop? Fanboys complaining that the new Star Wars Episodes and Stand Alone movies are just another way for Disney to milk the franchise for billions of more dollars. Yet, it will be their money that they will spend on seeing those movies. How about just not f*cking see the movies and shutting up? Man, that sense of Fanboy Entitlement really needs to stop. It was what ruined Star Wars to begin with. Yeah, I said it. Fanboys ruined Star Wars. Not Lucas. Us! Yeah, take some responsibility….
8:[ So, I’ve been taking this online course on Courseca, “Think Again: How to Reason and Argue” and I must admit, it is well above my head with a lot of logic problems and a lot of “truth tables” and reasoning exercises. I immediately fell well behind. As the twelfth and final week began, I was only starting week three. But in the few days I have caught up to the seventh week. The course consists of between two to 12 videos a week, with the expectation that student put in five hours a week on video viewing. Every video comes with exercises and at the end of certain parts there are quizzes. I am tanking on the quizzes as I can hardly wrap my head around the whole logic equation thing. But I am determined to finish the course even though I can drop it at anytime. The bonus is that courses on Courseca are free. I signed up for a five-week course on Aboriginal Thinking led by an Ojibwa instructor. I don’t know. We’ll see if I can finish up this course….
9:[ From the “This Just In” Department: Brit actor Richard Briar passed away. No one reading this knows whom he was. Well, maybe some of you. He was featured in many of Kenneth Branagh’s films and did a stint long ago on British TV in a series called “The Good Life”. Which I never seen but he is praised for. I first saw him as Bardolph in Branagh’s debut film “Henry V”. It took me a while to recognize him in other roles because he was so drastically different in that film. Little did I realize that I had first encountered Briars’ voice in “Watership Down” probably one of my favorite animated films, as Fiver. My favorite role of his, amongst many, was as Henry Wakefield in Branagh’s undiscovered gem “In the Bleak Midwinter”, called “A Midwinter’s Tale” in the US. He will be missed….
10:[ Last Item of the Month: You know, with the whole Lance Armstrong doping scandal, why are we all acting surprised? I mean, was it because we all bought into it. We all loved the guy. We all came to his defense when the first rumors sprang up. Shit, we even bought all those stupid, rubber, yellow HEARTSTRONG bracelets. Which is why we react with such maniacal fervor about tearing the guy down now. Look, I could forgive the whole doping thing, even the whole cover-up of doping, I can forgive him even for dating Sheryl Crow (All women just have to meet me, that’s all…), I can possibly forgive him for all of it.
But what I cannot, WILL NOT forgive him for is his tainting the movie “Dodgeball”! You do not attaint one of my Char’s Favorite All-time Movies and expect to be forgiven, sir! You shall have none I SWEAR!!
That will do it for this month. Sorry for the lateness of this month’s edition, between the jobs, the film festival, the copyediting of my upcoming short stories collection and the online course I have had barely anytime to add to Wisdom of the Sages in any solid fashion. I only wrote this up in the last day or two.
Yeah, I’ve been doing a lot of professional writing these last few weeks, some grants, some board reports and some communications with venues. Oh yeah, I’m loving The New Yahoo Mail’s loading time since now they have to have ads on every frickin’ page that my DSL has a lot to push through. So the NEW Yahoo Mail is supposed to load faster because of new wifi bandwidth and bigger data streams, but Yahoo, in their infinite wisdom for advertising, stuffs the mail pages with every sort of Flash-produced ad in every corner that my ancient DLS has a tough time moving things along and as I stated earlier, this Macbook is old. Oh well. (I stick with DSL at home because wifi is easily hacked with Pringles can antennae.)
So, I’ll try to get next month’s edition in on time. Feel
free to comment, counter, correct or contradict anything I post here. I know
none of you will take me up on it, but I really do not mind if you do take
issue with something I’ve writ. It comes back to shedding my ego and allowing
my faulty logic to be uncovered. So, have at it folks, you are welcomed….
Until Next Time, “I try to show the schemers how pathetic
their attempts to control everything really are.”
2013 Ernest M. Whiteman III
