What a burden....

This past Monday night, I attended debate of sorts on campus over the topic "Does Christian Morality Pose Threat to Society?" The speakers were Dr. Kenneth Funk, a professor in industrial and manufacturing engineering here at OSU and J.P. Morray, an author and lawyer that lives in Corvallis.

Morray is a self-proclaimed unabashed atheist. Obviously his presentation supported the question that was the topic. He is also, I discovered , a marxist, an admirer of the Soviet system, as well a supporter of all the communist revolutionaries that the Soviets supported (the Sandinistas, for example). In addition, he worked for Fidel Castro at one time. The guy is in his mid to late 80s I'm guessing.

The debate was OK. The question alone puts the Christian side on the defensive and given the location (a college campus), and the audience, the onus was clearly on Dr. Funk to defend Christianity for its many alleged abuses. The debate wasn't really the most interesting thing; the advocation of marxism is just tired and I don't think anyone in the audience took it seriously. Morray even went so far as to claim that the world would get better if left to marxist ideals because man himself has an innate goodness and potential to solve all the worlds problems. Please.

No, the most interesting thing to me was a group of 7-10 people who sat near the front. Many of them were family and/or supporters of Dr. Morray, including his wife. I was found myself watching these people during the debate because of their very apparent visible contempt for Christianity, Christians, the political right, and the Republican party (they didn't differeniate between any of these). Repeatedly, while Dr. Funk spoke and answered questions, members of this group would vigorously shake their heads, role their eyes, sigh in exasperation, verbally mock and interrupt. Some of this was suttle, some was not. What occured to me aside from their lack of manners, was the absolute loathing these people carry around. When Dr. Funk mentioned President Bush as a possible example of Christian hypocrisy (along with Bill Clintion), you would have thought Osama Bin Laden or Adolf Hitler walked in the room fresh after killing children.

Now, I know a lot of people dislike Christianity. OK fine. But the people I watched support a system that has done nothing except abuse humanity. However, it also occured to me that these people, who were all over the age of 40, are a remnant of people who are on their way out. Most demongraphics I have seen show that today's generations are far more spiritual and open-minded about the possibility of God.

What burden to carry around such hatred. Is this because their belief system precludes the possibility of a better world? My feeling is that anything that places faith in human beings is bound to fail. I think they realize that deep down. I would be grumpy too if thought this world was as good as it gets.

What happened to Comic Books?

I started collecting comics in about the 8th or 9th grade. Recently I was reminded how far things have changed for the worse when I picked up the newest issue of Superman (#212) at the bookstore. Superman has always been one of my favorites and even though I don't collect anymore, I still look for stuff I may enjoy. In this recent run of Superman, one of my favorite artists, Jim Lee, was drawing the book so I thought I'd take a look. What begins with Superman taking Lois Lane in his arms and flying off, ends with Mrs. Lane wrapped only in our hero's cape which barely covers and in some places accentuates her nude form. In the following panel she says to him, "Incredible. Just as mind-numbingly incredible as the first time." Then she looks over her shoulder with a sexy smirk and tells him "You really are something of a man of steel aren't you?" To which our hero cleverly remarks, "Glad you noticed."

Are you kidding me?

Thank you DC comics. You finally ruined comics. You finally ruined the last GOOD superhero. You corrupted Superman by turning his comic into a thinly veiled harlequin romance. Look, I'm not naive. I realize comics have become more gritty, sexier, with a bent towards realism, but why do I need to know about Superman's sex life?  Is this why people read his comic?  To watch the Last Son of Krypton get busy with Lois Lane and engage in silly pillow talk?  Nevermind that it does not even make the slightest attempt to be ambigious should a younger reader pick it up.

Maybe I am naive.

In the late 70s and early 80s comics began to shift toward a more realistic product. This was done sporadically with certain characters in certain comics. Writers and artists who loved the characters as kids wanted to make their heroes accessbile to a modern audience and bring the stories up to date. I can remember one of the major shifts in the early nineties when many of the top artists left Marvel Comics and founded their own company, Image Comics. I remember at this time comics were starting to be more violent, outfits became tighter and skimpier, breasts got larger, but there were still some standards. The vast majority would still be appropriate for all age groups.

Since then, comics continue to be increasingly vulgar, violent, and sexualized. In a medium that was originally intended to tell fantastic/supernatural stories of good and evil to kids, the current product is completely inappropriate for kids.

And it goes beyond sex and violence. Writers and artists now seek to use comics as a vessel to relay their politics. Back in the 60s, Stan Lee created the X-men. The appeal of the X-men is that they were different, shunned and even hated by society. Many kids at one point or another could relate to X-men for this reason. Communicating values in story telling one thing. Politics is quite another.

In 2003, Marvel restarted the Captain America series. It began with a post 9/11 story called The New Deal. In it Captain America is faced with the new threat of global terrorism. OK fine. I'm okay with seeing Cap putting the hammer down on some Islamo-Fascists the same way he did the Nazis in WWII. The story is shameful. Captain America finds himself trying to explain America's role in causing the 9/11 attacks. So now, readers are at the mercy of writers who use one the most beloved comic book characters as a platform to spout their leftist, anti-american politics.

I know comics have been marketed toward adults for a long time, but my question is at what point did comics stop marketing to kids altogether?

Batman and Wolverine always had room to be grittier and darker. But not Superman and Captain America. They're the boy scouts! Their appeal lies in their determination to stay true to their values.

Marvel and DC comics should be ashamed of themselves. Not only have they disregarded a sense of deceny in content and marketing, but they have fundamentally changed the character of the heroes that made them beloved by the public.

Flock of Ducks!

Well, I hate put an end to everyone's fun, but its time to kill what has evolved into a sad, pathetic display by those with too much time on their hands. I thought for my second post, I would engage a topic that many of you are interested in -- the Oregon Ducks new recruiting class. Last Wednesday was signing day, where high school and junior college players ink their letters of intent to play for their university of choice. The Ducks landed a pretty solid class that fills immediate needs at linebacker and the offensive line. Most exciting however, is the signing of prep running back Jonathan Stewart from Bellvue, Wa. He is widely considered the top high school running back in the country. Just as a little perspective - two years ago, the top RB recruit was Reggie Bush (USC) and last year the top RB recruit was Adrian Peterson (Oklahoma). Both were Heisman Trophy finalists this season. Who knows?

I realize this blog may not interest anyone reading it. I admit, its a little selfish. I guess this is my swan song to college football, which I will not see for another 7 months. College basketball will last for a little longer, but soon there will be nothing but the NBA and major league baseball, both of which are completely unwatchable.

If you have any comment on the recruiting season or an opinion on the current state of professional and collegiate sports, I encourage you to share them.

Oh yeah... GO DUCKS!