Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Superheroes


Superheroes make up for a hefty chunk of America’s entertainment industry. Since the creation of Superman in 1938, superheroes have become a nostalgic piece of Americana that have not only filled magazine racks, but have become a central aspect of today’s movies, theme parks, Halloween costumes, lunch boxes, video games, card collections, and much more.

Superheroes have caught on for many reasons, and I am not about to believe I can summarize all the psychological reasons why we are so enthralled with them. Perhaps superheroes are the product of our desire to be a somebody, to be significant, to be great. Perhaps superheroes, as Nietzsche alluded, speak to our thirst for power, dominance, and control over others. Perhaps they are an escape out of the mundane humdrum of what being human has become in which we crave being more than just “normal,” more than just “ordinary.” Or perhaps even they reflect the idealism and the hope in us of another world, another kingdom, another kind of people – a people who are good and triumph over evil and serve altruistically for the protection of the common man. Perhaps they are the continuation of the divine drama, of the mythopoetic story that is set in each of our hearts in which we long for the coming of the One who will have extraordinary powers and make all things right.

Unfortunately, however, those we assign superhero status in the “real” world don’t usually measure up to the idealistic nature of our comic book heroes (although it should be noted that the portrayal of superheroes of late have taken on a much more flawed and weak picture than that of their modernistic counterparts). Super-stars and common-heroes alike are individuals who struggle, fail, and are marred eikons of God. From the baseball players on steroids, NBA stars turned thugs (most of whom have been known to play in Indianapolis or Detroit at some point or another), rock stars and pop idols constantly in and out of drug rehab, televangelists brought down by some scandal, Hollywood actors/actresses whose messed up lives fill the tabloids, and policemen accused of racism and abuse of power, all of our heroes fail to meet up to our expectations.

Of course, this wouldn’t be so bad if we didn’t make our expectations so high, if we weren’t so idealistic, if we wouldn’t forget they’re human just as much as the rest of us, or if we didn’t become so consumed with their lives. Perhaps, then we are (at least partially) to blame for the scandals, the drug use, the alcohol addiction, the horrifically messed up lives, and abuses of power in our “heroes.” Perhaps, if we stopped buying the $100+ professional sports tickets, the players wouldn’t be paid so high that they think they can get away with any and everything. Perhaps, if we stopped being so consumed with every headline about Britney Spears’ hair or Anna Nicole Smith’s sex life or Keith Urban’s personal struggles, they wouldn’t feel so much pressure and wouldn’t be so compelled to go to such extremes. And perhaps if we were not so consumed by these immensely flawed people in such desperate need of a hero themselves, we would become more aware of the superheroes we rub shoulders with every day, hear more about the many “ordinary” people doing extraordinary deeds, and see a world full nameless heroes worthy of emulating.

Perhaps the stardom we seek, the fame we grant, and the superhero status we so quickly ascribe is the very kryptonite that is destroying the one’s we love to worship (and love to hate when we look better than them too).

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Winning Isn't Everything... But it Sure Feels Good

I must admit, I come from a long line of losers. My high school football team is having a good year when it goes 4-10 (yeah, that's four wins). I was raised to be a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan ("there's always next year..."). And my college rooting allegiances go to the Purdue Boilermakers, which haven't been known to have the most stellar of sports teams, especially lately (I mean, come on, getting into the "Champs Sports Bowl" isn't the most distinguished of things... especially when you lose).

So it's always nice when occasionally "your" team actually wins the "big one." This was exactly what happened two weeks ago when the Indianapolis Colts finally won the Super Bowl... which wasn't as exhilarating as I thought it would be when all was said and done... Crazy, I know. The team I root for won the greatest sports event in the world (which certainly can be debated) and I'm already over it ten days later.

But the sports high I'm still on right now is the fact that my Purdue Boilermakers actually did win a "big one" tonight, winning in one of the biggest rivalries in college basketball as they defeated 19th ranked Indiana University 81-68. Go Boilers!! Maybe they'll even make it to the NCAA tournament this year.

I'm sure at this moment I'm supposed to spiritualize this whole blog about winning and sports which is so temporal and miniscule in the grand scheme of things... But I'm too tired at the moment. I'll rant about those things on another day.

B

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

An Apt Day to Start a Blog

I've finally made entrance into the blog world. Not that anyone was really watching and waiting for me to make the leap (although my ego would like to think so), but I really have been putting it off thinking that it would simply add to my ever-increasing list of things to do that I have no time for.

And yet (again, my ego talking), I feel like I have so much to say, so much to get off my shoulders or out of my head, and (hopefully) that someone out there would be interested in reading and contemplating. So, without further introduction, here I am.

The reason for this "apt day" is the twelve inches of snow in which my house currently finds itself nestled. The drifts are running at about two feet - which means just about everything is closed on this Hallmark Holiday in which we supposedly celebrate St. Valentine. Either way, the combination of the two makes for a justifiable reason to stay at home with my wife - and start a blog.



Anyways, here's a glimpse of the aftermath right from my front door...take note of the size of this drift.












And here's a glimpse of the driveway halfway "plowed" so Amber could get out and go to work. Note the thick layer of ice which my cheap plastic snow shovel was unable to penetrate. In fact the snow/ice is so thick that I just walk right on top of it (kinda like Legolas in the "Lord of the Rings").
This was no doubt the most snow Indiana has received in a long while. Kind of feels like Christmas... only two months too late...
Well, that should do it for my very first blog. Nothing earth-shattering...
Brock