Sunday blogging: DKR and Aurora

So, I'm hoping to do posts on Sunday, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I hope that I keep them small, it'll be easier! ;)  So I hope that Thursdays to be reviewing comics, while Sunday and Tuesdays on more general topics. So I'm going to start with something very topical....

Aurora:

Let me say this: My thoughts and prayers are with all the people who were killed or hurt, at the theatre, and those related to all those hurt, killed or traumatized at the shootings in Aurora.  It is a tragedy.  But as someone who is a voting, concerned human being and citizen, I think the responsibility is on us to try to learn from such tragedy and to try to get some good from something so evil.  I think the obvious issue that will be on the news and talked about by pundits everywhere is guns.  If you asked me 10 years ago, you would get a different answer that you would today about this issue.  For the record, I am ok with the 2nd amendment.  It's not my favorite amendment, but it's there.  However, I think that we as a society and as a country need to come together, all of us, and work out a better solution to the issue.  I think civil liberties, including the 2nd amendment, are very important but so is the concern for the common good and common safety.  And just like we need to have an informed and educated national conversation about how to deal with the complex and complicated issues of national security when it comes to issues of terrorism and foreign threats, we need to have an equally educated and informed conversation about domestic threats and guns is one of those issues when it comes to domestic threats. Do people have the right to own guns?  Yes.  Do people have the right to be concerned about issues of security and common safety?  Yes.  So, instead of craziness and decisiveness on the right and the left, and ramping up the language and partisan bullshit, we need to have the calmer voice of reason from all walks of life, and from both parties and mentalities sit down together and figure out how to compromise and reconcile the concern of both for the good of all.  And while, I admittedly lean left on much and more, I feel that when it comes to guns, we need to be extra cautious. (For those of you who are reading this and are on the right, I feel the same about issues of abortion, so there you go).  I'm more than willing to have systems that provide food and housing and bus passes to people and then crack down on those who abuse those systems, than have the same mentality for the gun control system.  You want to have a shotgun and handgun and rifle?  Fine.  But I think the armor piercing bullets, the grenade launcher is a little much and not needed.  I think have more guns than you have appendages is a little much.  The telos of guns is to kill.  Some might argue protection or for hunting, but it's to kill, really, maybe in the service of protection or to hunt.  So when we are dealing with something whose purpose is such, we need to be extra careful when it comes to background checks and waiting periods, and what kind of weapons and munitions that we sell.  I had a buddy growing up whose father had guns, and educated his children on how to respect and to use guns.  I told him him I wish we had more gun owners who were like that.  I think to exploit this tragedy for ham fisted legislation is not what is needed, nor is to use this moment to ignore the real issues that guns present.  I hope we can rise and be better citizens and human beings about such an important issue.

The second issue that will not get much play in the media but is important, is overwhelming fact that whenever there is a violent act on the level on what happened in Aurora, it's done by a male.  School shootings, lone gun-men, bombers, ect. are almost exclusively done by males.  And of course the overwhelming majority of domestic violence is done males.  I think we also need to have educated and informed conversation about if and why violence is connected with masculinity and if vehicles like the media, such as movies and television only help to encourage and enforce that mentality.  It's a real and important issue that smarter people than me need to be discussing on the national level in front of a national audience.


Finally, and least importantly, the Dark Knight Rises review.  Now I've only seen it once, and while it has some issues (namely transitions) it was really, really good.  It tied a lot back to the Batman Begins, but came the same scope of the Dark Knight.  I think all three movies will truly change the comic book movie genre, and I think the Amazing Spider-Man is the first result of that kind of the movie making.  I wouldn't be surprised if you start to find the Marvel movies, especially the next round of sequels, Iron Man, Thor and Captain America will follow this trilogy to tackle real world issues and focus on story more than one the 'coolness' of bringing a certain character to the 'silver screen'.  I'll probably post more on it after a second or third viewing, but those are my first thoughts after seeing it the first time.