Despite what the internet would have you believe, 2016 was not that bad of a year. Sure, the world lost a lot of positive role models in 2016, but a lot of magical events still took place. Whether they were nerd, rock, social or American icons, many of the celebrities who died were well-known for promoting acceptance, creativity, love and understanding. Though sad, it could be said that their deaths were necessary as a way to highlight these magical virtues in a year when many people felt hopeless. I argue that their deaths, and the resulting reflection on their legacies, had more of an impact than another book deal or reality TV show appearance by these celebrities. For that, we should be thankful for their parting reminders. With that in mind, 2016 was a good year.
The Gadsden flag has a simple message: “Don’t tread on me!” That coiled rattle snake has represented liberty and the United States many ways since the American Revolution. When taken at its basic meaning, the message is about standing up against outside forces (e.g., governments, kings, presidents and malicious people) imposing their will on an individual subject. That’s a great message. People should live the life they want to live, believe what they want to believe, and love who they want to love, without fear of repercussion or persecution. Granted, the stipulation to all of that has always been: do what you want, as long as you in turn are not infringing on anybody else’s rights.
Now at the end of 2016, the caveat to that simple “don’t tread on me” message seems to have gotten lost in translation, and therefore the Gadsden flag may be due for an update. It should not have to be said, but the ‘me’ in that message does not singularly apply to just one person, or one group of people. Newsflash, it applies to everybody! Some people have twisted the ‘me’ and made it a more defensive proclamation and at times cultivated a hostile environment for others. With this updated “Don’t Tread on Harambe” flag, the message is more encompassing.
“Don’t Tread on Others” means exactly that. Do NOT impugn the rights of others. Do NOT denigrate the opinions and beliefs of others just because they are different from you. Do NOT inflict or wish harm on others – emotional, physical, verbal… harm of any kind, just don’t do it! Instead of a snake in a defensive position ready to attack, let’s be more like the strong gorilla ready to protect those weaker than ourselves*. As a conservative, white, straight male, I will not tolerate any sort of religious persecution, racial discrimination or radical hate speech. None of that makes me unique or special, it makes me one of the many different types of Americans who feels this way.
*Controversial assessment of the Harambe situation, but I’m trying to be positive. Not to mention, why was he living in that caged environment anyway?** Animals’ rights should be respected as well.
**Controversial statement about zoos. I like zoos and think they are good for humanity’s education and conservationism. Just make sure it’s on the up and up so we’re not killing the creatures when a wandering kid slips into the cage.
One of the oldest tales in literature is the story of a beleaguered protagonist who rises from rags to riches. Centuries before Charles Perrault, a 17th-century French author, created the character that embodied the plot device, the Greeks and Chinese shared variations of the classic “Cinderella” story. In 1950, Disney solidified Cendrillon, Perrault’s fairy tale, as the definitive version when they adapted his story for Cinderella, their twelfth animated feature film. And 30 years after that, Marvel introduced Rogue, a character that transitioned from mutant outsider to superhero royalty and personified Disney’s persecuted princess.
Outside of fairy tales and comic books, storytellers applied Cinderella’s main theme– an underdog who persevered against the odds – to a variety of other relatable narratives, including romantic comedies, political dramas and sporting events. No matter the setting, the antagonists typically exerted power over the heroes and cruelly enforced their authority. The oppressors preyed upon the good-natured, insecure protagonists and inflicted emotional, sometimes physical, abuse. In Cinderella and Rogue’s case, they were both exploited by their evil stepmothers, an unfortunately common choice for fairy tale foes. Read more…
The United States of America turned 240 this Fourth of July and in that relatively short time as a nation, America has played a pivotal role in shaping the world. Depending on who you ask, its influence has been called either a bastion of hope or a plague upon this Earth. What’s undeniable, however, is that America’s Independence signaled a turning point in history. According to Wikipedia’s sortable list of Sovereign States by Date of Formation, there were roughly 50 countries (as we know them today) in existence before July 4, 1776; to name a few, Iran dates back to 3,200 BC, Japan, 450 AD and Russia, 860. Throughout those early 3,000 to 4,000 years of civilization, those 50 countries were in various states of rule, power and conflict in their respective parts of the world. All of this occurred well before the “New World” was “discovered.”
In the 240 years before America declared its independence from the United Kingdom, a nation with roots dating back to the sixth century, there was a total of about five newly established countries: the Netherlands in 1581, Bhutan in 1634 and Afghanistan, Saudi Arabi and Nepal in the 1700s. In the 240 years since America declared its independence, the number of countries in the world has nearly tripled. Many of these new nations followed America’s lead and brushed away the hand of one of those original 50 colonizing countries. America helped when it could and sometimes when it should not have. But the ideals of freedom and liberty, laid out by America’s Founding Fathers, were considered such fundamental rights, that wars were fought within and without to preserve these virtues throughout the past two centuries. America, similar to every other country in the world, has made missteps along its journey, and it still continues to do so. What should not be ignored is the pliability of America’s basic principles and the progress it has made, and continues to make, in such a comparatively short amount of time in a rapidly evolving world. Read more…
I have recently limited the amount of time I put into Hearthstone and that is in large part thanks to TinyCo’s money-grabber Avengers Academy, but also partly because I can not bother to keep up with Hearthstone’s new cards and rules brought about by their “Whispers of the Old Gods” expansion. But, for at least a few hands a day, Blizzard’s addictive card games remains a constant distraction from my daily chores and responsibilities. My reduced playing time makes losses like these all the more hearth-breaking (that is a typo, but I decided to leave it as a punny mistake). The outcome of the following game is unfortunate, but the roller coaster ride along the way is what makes it so hard to stop playing Hearthstone after you have finished a game.
One of my favorite deck styles to play in Hearthstone is a Deathrattle Hunter and WotOG provided me with Princess Huhuran, a new legendary beast to boost my Hunter deck. I have played a few games with her in my deck since crafting her and finally got the perfect chance to combo her with Sylvanas Windrunner, who steals an opponent’s minion when her Deathrattle triggers, and Baron Rivendare who doubles a friendly minion’s Deathrattle activation. Things were about to get good.
Before Star Wars: The Force Awakens came out in theaters at the end of 2015, I had questioned my interest in the Star Wars universe. I did not doubt my affection for George Lucas’ creation, just the depth of that enthusiasm. Yes, I loved and owned the Star Wars movies, watched and enjoyed The Clone Wars animated series, collected and played with a multitude of Star Wars toys, but I never truly felt like a real Star Wars fan. I never had a problem defending the movie prequels, I played a healthy dose of Star Wars video games, and I had often clothed myself in graphic tees supporting the Rebel Alliance. But still, I always felt like nothing more than an alien observer to this galaxy far, far away.
There could have been a few explanations for my inability to sense the real power of the Force. The main reason was that I had already invested more time and attention to my main fanship: the Marvel Universe. While I could name the majority of Marvel’s stable of heroes, I was less knowledgeable about the supporting alien races and droids of Star Wars. As a kid, I had never read any of the Star Wars comics and the few attempts I made to explore the novels of the now defunct Expanded Universe never lasted long. So growing up, I did not have much material to hold my attention between the movies. When Disney purchased Lucasfilm back in 2012, they made sure that would no longer be a problem. Read more…
A life in the woods is no picnic, but being raised in space would be just as hard. Bambi and Peter Quill grew up in drastically different worlds, but they managed to encounter a lot of the same themes and troubles. The most notable similarity between these two characters was the tragic death of their mothers. For many children, the story of Bambi introduced them to the idea of losing a close loved one, but despite the darker, overlying theme of abandonment and death, there remained moments of friendship and love. Naturally, Disney and Marvel Studios chose to focus on the more positive aspects of Felix Salten’s death-filled tale, Bambi, a Life in the Woods.
Everybody remembers Bambi for the tragic death of his mother, which left the fawn abandoned and crying in the snow halfway through the movie. Peter Quill faced the death of his mother as well, but he was quickly abducted into space during the opening of Guardians of the Galaxy. In both instances, their solitude did not last long. Following his mother’s death, Bambi spent more time with the Old Prince, a great stag who patrolled the woods, while Peter grew up with Yondu and his band of space mercenaries, The Ravagers. Meanwhile, the Bambi of Salten’s book had a harder go of it. The Old Prince, revealed to be Bambi’s father by the end of the story, appeared sporadically to scold Bambi for being a mewling child or falling for Man’s traps. But the Prince also taught Bambi how to survive on his own.
It may come as a surprise – given my current aversion to strangers, my reluctance to leave my apartment, and even my picky, eating habits – but as a kid, I wanted to grow up to be an adventurer. At the time, it seemed like a valid career path. The official Marvel biographies of the superheroes I idolized listed their occupations as “Adventurer,” so why couldn’t I live an adventurous life as well? True, I did not have a mutated x-gene, or the proportionate speed and strength of a spider, but I did own stacks and stacks of Disney Adventures, the magazine for kids! Surely, reading those books would prepare me for all sorts of adventures which involved race cars, lasers and aeroplanes.
The Walt Disney Company published Disney Adventures from October 16, 1990, up until October 16, 2007. Incidentally, October 16 is also my birthday, so I always felt that Disney Adventures was published specifically for me. In a perfect example of synergistic marketing, Disney used the magazine as a vehicle to promote their popular Disney Afternoon television line-up by including comics for some of my favorite animated shows such as DuckTales, Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck, and TaleSpin. I did not realize it at that time, but these comics would represent my first foray into the world of comic books. Read more…
I have a lot to celebrate when it comes to the year 2014. At the beginning of the year I struck out on my own and moved into a cozy, one bedroom apartment. Up to that point in my life I had never lived alone, and though I grew overly concerned about robbers and choking to death, I could not have been happier. My new pad sat in the heart of Tysons Corner, “America’s Next Great City” according to the signs that started popping up around the area, and it brought me closer to my work’s office building in McLean, Virginia. I ditched the daily Northern Virginian gridlock and began walking to work, saving time, money and my sanity.
After graduating college more than 10 years ago, I worked various jobs in the Tysons area before settling on my current career seven years ago. This apartment marked the first time I lived in the 22102 zip code. It did not take long after for me to dub myself the King of Tysons. I always favored the Tysons Corner Center mall, but now it seemed to exist solely for my entertainment. The AMC IMAX became my own personal theater room which I graciously shared with the visitors to my domain. The many restaurants around the area served as my various caterers, providing me with whatever dish I desired (thankfully, they finally opened a Chick-fil-A). The Silver Line metro, which began running late in the year, posed as my royal carriage and transported me around the Washington, DC Beltway. My reign over McLean, while not officially acknowledged by others, brought great change and prosperity to the area.
On the surface, Pinocchio and Tony Stark may not seem very similar, but it’s that same surface that serves as the basis – the connective tissue, if you will – for the next Disney-Marvel amalgamation. Both characters are known for their non-fleshy exteriors, but they long to be more than the wood and iron that encase their bodies. Pinocchio famously wants to be a real boy; Tony Stark wants to be a real hero. Ultimately, they are both puppets trying to cut the strings which hold them down: one in a more literal sense, the other typically involving government or corporate influence.
The first important thing to note is that Disney’s version of the puppet comes off as more of an innocent, gullible fool; a prime example of the studio toning down the more dark nature of the source material. In Carlo Collodi’s original tale, Pinocchio comes off as a more malicious marionette, willfully ignoring the wishes and lessons of his father and the Blue Fairy. Even though Tony Stark is a grown man when we first meet him, given his personality, it’s no stretch to think that young Tony had to learn the same valuable lessons growing up. Read more…
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