When a Bunny Loves a Bunny

You should probably start by reading this link. Done? Ok, now that we are on the same page, wtf?

The Buster character, I found out from one of my friends who has a PBS watching child, is animated and then superimposed into a real life scene. It's kind of like Who Framed Roger Rabbit? but on a public broadcasting budget. In this kind of representation, there is a line drawn between the stylized character that we identify with (Buster) and the live action characters that we observe (whoever Buster visits). With this in mind, I don't think that the show's creators were trying to promote a particular lifestyle any more than they have promoted any other lifestyle they have encountered over the course of the show. Instead, they seem to be promoting the kind of middle-of-the-road friendly multiculturalism that dominates instruction in the American school system. (which is problematic in and of itself, but that is the subject of another post)

So, what is Margaret Spellings upset about? What is the problem she has with lesbians that she doesn't have with Muslims, polyglots, or skateboarders? Her primary objection seems to be that the episode fails to meet the goals of the "Ready-to-Learn" program because it doesn't reach "as many children and families as possible." This is justified by her assertion that "many parents would not want their young children exposed to the life-styles portrayed in this episode." (see the last link for more context) From my own admittedly biased standpoint, this seems like a shaky argument. My first inclination is to respond with a series of rhetorically exaggerated and mildly unfair attacks (What about American parents who are anti-Semitic? Should we avoid representations of Judaism so we can reach them too?) or to make tired, but valid, point about how partisan politics is interfering in places where it shouldn't.

Instead, I think I'll leave things a bit more open to invite some kind of discussion on the board. I think that Buster's heart was in the right place and that he was treated wrongly out of fear that the department of Ed. might get some angry letters and a snarky mention on a Fox News talk show. But, I'm willing to listen to other interpretations.

Madden Madness : Wildcard Edition

Back by popular demand!

That's one of the great things about going to a game; you wear a shirt, and then at the end of the fourth quarter you can take that shirt off...

-Madden, on San Diego fans rallying their naked bellies on Saturday evening

On a side note, was it only Chicago Bears fans that stared aghast as Brett Favre sacrificed a potential scrambling first down to blindly lob the football into the end zone? True, the resulting catch (taken back by the rule about throwing from behind the line of scrimmage) was ridiculously phenomenal. There's a right to be dazzled. But, in purely practical sense... Green Bay's inability to pick-up that first down was the point at which it became clear the Packers wouldn't be able to catch the Vikings; it was, simply put, a first down / touchdown they needed to get to stay alive in the playoffs. And yet, announcers gushed like it was an exhibition game. Is Favre losing his edge simply because he is buying into the myth that he can do anything?

The same star-lust announcers who didn't express that stunning practicality were, however, vocally appalled and disgusted by Randy Moss's pantomine of mooning the Green Bay crowd. In fact, I had missed the visual and was so shocked by the response that I figured Moss had flipped off the crowd. And so, I am truly puzzled by news of what Moss actually did. Fine, Moss should be fined to prevent anything worse from happening; but, is there really a need for football columnists to spend a thousand words in their respective newspapers and websites telling us how distasteful and inappropriate the action was? I have a hard time imagining Green Bay fans being deeply hurt by the jest or fathers covering their children's eyes at home. I also have a hard time imagining a world where mooning is still considered a truly vulgar and offensive act, much less a pantomine of a mooning. Apparently, such a place exists, though, which is truly a sign that we are nearing the end of times.

(Incidentally, Tony Dungy pointed out that Moss's "moon" may have been a reference to Green Bay fans mooning the visiting player's bus.)

Beware Laser Beams!

When I first heard about this, I was so baffled that I simply neglected it as false. But apparently, people were actually worried that terrorists were practicing aiming laser pointers at in-flight planes in an effort to either target rockets or (drum roll, please) blind pilots.

...

My conclusion is that there are too many CSI shows on television.

Please cancel all spin-offs and copies, and hopefully the American psyche can regain some sense.