I'm not a big superhero or comic book fan, but growing I was always fascinated by the caped crusader. Many hours of my childhood were spent watching the 1960s Batman TV series. As I have aged, I maintained my appreciation of the campy classics, while enjoying the new darker version of the dark knight.
Batman's awesomeness stems from his lack of super powers. He is not impervious to bullets or pain. He cannot shoot webs from his hand, or sprout metal claws from his hands. He is not super strong or super fast. He is just a brilliant a guy who uses his wit and resourcefulness to defeat human enemies that do not have any super powers either. It is this realism that makes him great. He is just a rich man who wanted to end crime in a dangerous community.
While all of the above characteristics have remained true throughout the legend of Batman, his portrayal has changed from the dark comics, to the humorous 60s classic, to the dark Tim Burton 90s, to the heroic, high grossing current version. All of these versions have been incredibly popular and it raises the question, why has the image of Batman needed to change in order to maintain his popularity.
We begin by looking at the culture when the 60s Batman was introduced to audiences. The year is 1965. The United States is involved in a war it probably should have avoided. The hippie movement conquered the country. Women and African Americans battled vigorously for more rights. Batman became one of the top 10 shows in the country. The show featured an enjoyable half hour of entertainment for the entire family and dead pan comedic delivery from Adam West, as Batman.
I theorize that this comedic campy version was created for two reasons. The first reason to design a show like this is to appeal to more viewers. By bridging the generational gap, this show attracted more viewers. It also faced much less competition in the market since there were far fewer stations than today.The other reason this version appealed to 60s audiences was that provided a comedic and entertaining distraction from the problems in daily life.
The Tim Burton Batman is the darkest portrayal of the Dark Knight. He is shut away from the world, angry, and alone. Demons and past traumas haunted the Batman of the 90s making him a tortured soul, fighting criminals for vengeance in the name of his parents. This Batman ended the Caped Crusader's 20 year absence from mainstream media. The 1989 movie made $250 million in America and revived Batman's presence as the most popular super hero in the country. However, each subsequent sequel was less appreciated. This darkest Knight succeeded mainly due to great cast, but comparatively less enjoyable plots than other screen adaptations.
Now to the current Batman. This Batman was troubled youth who changed his life and is now ready to face his parents death and save a city in turmoil. The Dark Knight's popularity was unprecedented especially in the sequel with the same name. In this one Batman enjoys his billionaire lifestyle by day and beats up the bad guys by night. He is clearly the hero like West in the 60s and a seemingly cool guy who is forced to battle the most diabolical version of the Joker.
It is important to examine some of the similarities in the world occurring now and in the 60s. Once again we are in war that we probably should have avoided. The country is an economic struggle that causes the need for distraction. The question arises: Is society ready for a campy Batman. The money the Dark Knight made says no. However, societies problems and this loyal fan say yes.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
New Experiences
When a friend invited me to see rap battle last Friday night, I agreed but had no idea what to expect. What I witnessed was battle of quick wits that entertained a large audience of over 50 on Stankowski field.
The hosts of the event were a group known as No Coast raps 5 guys with interesting named (pardon me for forgetting) and even more interesting looks. They have a blog on Google and even though I watched someone film the entire event, it has not been posted on this blog. In fact they have posted nothing since April. However, they endorse their competitors and allow fans to download a mix tape containing raps from many of the rappers who battled Friday night.
The contestants themselves were surprising in appearance to. They were mostly white college kids who seemed to idolize Eminem. They had the sideways tilted baseball cap, saggy pants, and ear rings. The organizers structured the event effectively. Two rappers entered a circle of enthusiasts. A coin toss decided which one would throw out the first insult. The duo of rappers took turns insulting each other in rhyme and rythym. Each contestant getting 5 minutes to exploit the others short comings. There were three rounds and the No Coast heads judged the competition by democratic vote.
There is no denying the talent of the people in this competition.It takes a particular skill set to excel in the unique venture of battle rapping, including a quick wit, creativity, public speaking skills, humor, and the ability to command a crowd. The ability to remove the censor that tells us not to say that about people is also crucial in rap battle along with the security in the self to brush off the insults flying rapidly.
This illustrates the importance of being open to new experiences. This is something I have tried to live my life by. I love trying new foods like yak steak, and ostrich burgers, as well as new events like skydiving. Making life an adventure is the best way to live.
I went into this rap battle excited to experience a new performance culture, but I left with a new appreciation for the skills and entertainment value of the new competition and art form that is battle rapping.
The hosts of the event were a group known as No Coast raps 5 guys with interesting named (pardon me for forgetting) and even more interesting looks. They have a blog on Google and even though I watched someone film the entire event, it has not been posted on this blog. In fact they have posted nothing since April. However, they endorse their competitors and allow fans to download a mix tape containing raps from many of the rappers who battled Friday night.
The contestants themselves were surprising in appearance to. They were mostly white college kids who seemed to idolize Eminem. They had the sideways tilted baseball cap, saggy pants, and ear rings. The organizers structured the event effectively. Two rappers entered a circle of enthusiasts. A coin toss decided which one would throw out the first insult. The duo of rappers took turns insulting each other in rhyme and rythym. Each contestant getting 5 minutes to exploit the others short comings. There were three rounds and the No Coast heads judged the competition by democratic vote.
There is no denying the talent of the people in this competition.It takes a particular skill set to excel in the unique venture of battle rapping, including a quick wit, creativity, public speaking skills, humor, and the ability to command a crowd. The ability to remove the censor that tells us not to say that about people is also crucial in rap battle along with the security in the self to brush off the insults flying rapidly.
This illustrates the importance of being open to new experiences. This is something I have tried to live my life by. I love trying new foods like yak steak, and ostrich burgers, as well as new events like skydiving. Making life an adventure is the best way to live.
I went into this rap battle excited to experience a new performance culture, but I left with a new appreciation for the skills and entertainment value of the new competition and art form that is battle rapping.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Why Bud Selig Has been terrible for Major League Baseball
Bud Selig became commissioner of Major League Baseball and since he has been in office the grand history of America's past time has tainted by corruption and greed.
In Selig's defense the game has made more money in his time as commissioner and more fans attend games, however, the means by which Selig accomplished these feats are dubious in nature. He is also popular among the owners of the league. Selig also added the wild card playoff round, which in my opinion makes the postseason and regular season more exciting. According to wikipedia, "Jerome Holtzman, Major League Baseball's official historian from 1999 until his passing in 2008, believed that Selig was the best commissioner in baseball history."
However, I disagree with Holztman. One reason Holtzman believes this is that his paychecks as the official historian were signed by Selig. I would say that my boss was the best ever in his position too, if that person was still signing my paychecks.
The first problem that arose during Selig's ongoing tenure as commissioner was the strike of 1994 that prevented the playing of the fall classic. This was the first time in 90 years that the world series was not played. While it may have been unavoidable Selig was unable to prevent the strike and was unable to end it in a time that allowed for post season play.
This era in baseball history will always be known as the steroid era. The best home run hitters in the past 20 years have all been linked to steroids. Many (including myself) believe Selig endorsed this steroid use, until players began being caught using these banned substances.
In an effort to remove steroids from baseball Selig sent George Mitchell to investigate the use of steroids. Mitchell gave his now famous Mitchell report on December 13th, 2007. It named numerous players including sure fire hall of famer Roger Clemens. However, the thing that is commonly overlooked with the Mitchell Report is that Mitchell is a part owner of the Boston Red Sox and has a stake in the team's success. Suspiciously no current Red Sox players were named in the report.
Selig also allowed the all star game to end in a tie one year. allowing the game to end in a tie was a giant middle finger to the fans that had watched the entire spectacle. Now because of that he attached meaning to a meaningless exhibition game by ruling that the league that wins the all star game has home field advantage for the world series. Now teams that have no chance to reach the world series have at least one player in a game to decide home field advantage. This system is flawed.
Selig has lost a world series, allowed an inconclusive all-star game and presided over the corrupt steroid era in baseball. Not only did he preside over this corruption, nut he made himself even richer off of it, making $14.5 million a year in his position. Like Congressman Cliff Stearns I am calling for Bud Selig to step down as commissioner before the reputation of the game is tarnished any further.
In Selig's defense the game has made more money in his time as commissioner and more fans attend games, however, the means by which Selig accomplished these feats are dubious in nature. He is also popular among the owners of the league. Selig also added the wild card playoff round, which in my opinion makes the postseason and regular season more exciting. According to wikipedia, "Jerome Holtzman, Major League Baseball's official historian from 1999 until his passing in 2008, believed that Selig was the best commissioner in baseball history."
However, I disagree with Holztman. One reason Holtzman believes this is that his paychecks as the official historian were signed by Selig. I would say that my boss was the best ever in his position too, if that person was still signing my paychecks.
The first problem that arose during Selig's ongoing tenure as commissioner was the strike of 1994 that prevented the playing of the fall classic. This was the first time in 90 years that the world series was not played. While it may have been unavoidable Selig was unable to prevent the strike and was unable to end it in a time that allowed for post season play.
This era in baseball history will always be known as the steroid era. The best home run hitters in the past 20 years have all been linked to steroids. Many (including myself) believe Selig endorsed this steroid use, until players began being caught using these banned substances.
In an effort to remove steroids from baseball Selig sent George Mitchell to investigate the use of steroids. Mitchell gave his now famous Mitchell report on December 13th, 2007. It named numerous players including sure fire hall of famer Roger Clemens. However, the thing that is commonly overlooked with the Mitchell Report is that Mitchell is a part owner of the Boston Red Sox and has a stake in the team's success. Suspiciously no current Red Sox players were named in the report.
Selig also allowed the all star game to end in a tie one year. allowing the game to end in a tie was a giant middle finger to the fans that had watched the entire spectacle. Now because of that he attached meaning to a meaningless exhibition game by ruling that the league that wins the all star game has home field advantage for the world series. Now teams that have no chance to reach the world series have at least one player in a game to decide home field advantage. This system is flawed.
Selig has lost a world series, allowed an inconclusive all-star game and presided over the corrupt steroid era in baseball. Not only did he preside over this corruption, nut he made himself even richer off of it, making $14.5 million a year in his position. Like Congressman Cliff Stearns I am calling for Bud Selig to step down as commissioner before the reputation of the game is tarnished any further.
The year of the Blown call
Once again the attention of the sports world has been drawn to the officiating of the games as opposed to the games themselves. The games of week 1 of the NFL season thrilled many fans, but the officiating and a seemingly faulty rule overshadowed the excellent contests on the gridiron. Pittsburgh and Atlanta were locked in a defensive struggle until Rashard Mendenhall scampered for a game winning touchdown. 10 of the 16 games this past weekend were decided by a touchdown or less, but one of these games took attention away from all the others.
I'm talking of course about the controversial decision that decided the Lions, Bears game when Calvin Johnson seemingly caught a touchdown, but it was ruled incomplete because Johnson did not finish the catch. The problem is that Johnson landed and had complete control of the ball when he hit the ground. While it appears to be the right call according to the rules, it proves that the rules need to change because the call decided the game and now hurts the Lions chances of having a good season.
This is far from the first overwhelming botch by an official this year in sports. everybody remembers the failed call that robbed the Tigers Armando Galarraga of a perfect game on a play where the runner was clearly out by a full step.The worst part of this is that bud Selig refused to overturn the call days later. (My complaints about Bud Selig will have to be saved for another blog because they are too numerous to fit in this one.)
These two major botches raise the question of how the leagues need to alter rules and institute instant replay. I Believe the NFL needs to alter the rules to ensure that catches like the one Calvin Johnson made Sunday are ruled catches. However, instant replay in baseball is something that cannot happen for the sake of the game.If instant replay is introduced on calling outs, then it will only be a matter of time before we use it on balls and strikes. This would drag out the game and make every decision under scrutiny. The game of baseball needs the human element of the umpire. However, when an umpire clearly makes the wrong decision it, the league needs to overturn it especially when giving Galarraga a perfect game would not have altered the outcome of the game. the Tigers would have still shut out the White Sox. It does not matter to the White Sox if their hit total was one or zero.
NFL rules commission change that rule. Major League Baseball needs to keep the human element but get rid of its commissioner in the worst way.
I'm talking of course about the controversial decision that decided the Lions, Bears game when Calvin Johnson seemingly caught a touchdown, but it was ruled incomplete because Johnson did not finish the catch. The problem is that Johnson landed and had complete control of the ball when he hit the ground. While it appears to be the right call according to the rules, it proves that the rules need to change because the call decided the game and now hurts the Lions chances of having a good season.
This is far from the first overwhelming botch by an official this year in sports. everybody remembers the failed call that robbed the Tigers Armando Galarraga of a perfect game on a play where the runner was clearly out by a full step.The worst part of this is that bud Selig refused to overturn the call days later. (My complaints about Bud Selig will have to be saved for another blog because they are too numerous to fit in this one.)
These two major botches raise the question of how the leagues need to alter rules and institute instant replay. I Believe the NFL needs to alter the rules to ensure that catches like the one Calvin Johnson made Sunday are ruled catches. However, instant replay in baseball is something that cannot happen for the sake of the game.If instant replay is introduced on calling outs, then it will only be a matter of time before we use it on balls and strikes. This would drag out the game and make every decision under scrutiny. The game of baseball needs the human element of the umpire. However, when an umpire clearly makes the wrong decision it, the league needs to overturn it especially when giving Galarraga a perfect game would not have altered the outcome of the game. the Tigers would have still shut out the White Sox. It does not matter to the White Sox if their hit total was one or zero.
NFL rules commission change that rule. Major League Baseball needs to keep the human element but get rid of its commissioner in the worst way.
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