A Wason/The Dane Co-Op:

You know. Just in case you forgot.

Questionable Content

The other night I was introduced to a webcomic that is new to me - though obviously not new as it's on its 588th episode. The comic, Questionable Content, is actually pretty engaging with characters who are easy to like. That is not, however, why I am mentioning it. What was curious and surreal was the way I approached reading the series.

When I began, I started with whatever was the current episode (probably 585 or so) and worked backwards, just reading to the end of the page and clicking Previous. If when one proceeds through a tale the process is called "unfolding" the story, what this other method must is is something akin to folding the story. I began in the denoument, just after a major climax. I watched the aftermath. Then I watched the climax and then the build up to that climax. And then to the moments before the problem arose and then before there was any hint of a lurking problem.

It was envigourating.

I felt like I was enjoying the series in a way that none of its fans could ever enjoy it. I'm certain that this Memento-style methodolgy wouldn't work for many stories, but it's brilliant in this case. Hooray for fun, eh?

Reading Kalinara's thoughtful discussion of the feminist qualities of the old He-Man television series (and associated spin-offs), I was struck by one of the reasons that I'll never be able to take feminism seriously and will always prefer egalitarianism. She mentions at one point an amusing conversation between her and another feminist over whether Marlena, the Queen of Eternia, is a strong female role model, which is called into question because before marrying into Eternia's royalty, she was an ace pilot and astronaut. The question is raised: is this not a negative portrayal, a career woman sublimating her own identity into that of a man's?

So here is where feminism shoots itself in the foot and becomes largely unpalatable as a social goal. In seeking to escape the shackles of a male-dominated society, feminism only succeeds in freeing women in order to shackle them under another arbitrary system.

Think about this.

Marlena is obviously a driven and accomplished woman, as sufficient of self as any person can be. She's both skilled and a leader - how else could she function as both starpilot and high-level government functionary (and be considered good at both tasks)? By all accounts, someone who operates according to her own goals and desires. Yet because she chooses to become a queen, because she chooses to marry, her value as a female portrayal is called into question.

This is the problem with feminism. Not that it emasculates men, but that it enslaves women to an arbitrary ideal. Essentially, if any woman chooses or desires to have goals that in any way comport to establishment ideals (even if only coincidentally), her value to feminists is diminished or at least called into question. One could be the strongest, most sensible, most capable woman in the world, but if her personal goals do not match the arbitrary goals of pop-feminism, she is devalued.

No, I think the grand irony of feminism is that it is at least as damaging to the female sex as is the chauvanistic patriarchy against which it was a reaction. There is an answer, but it's neither found in patriarchy nor in feminism. Instead, I think it should be sought in good sense.

Today at lunch, The Great Double-Ewe had thoughts concerning Lent: "Geez! Why is it so freakin' long!"

I think she says so much in so little. The end.

With regard to the new furry-lobster story going around, I'm surprised that more people haven't made bones about the French group that discovered the wet, matted, li'l fella. I mean really, French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea? Shouldn't that set off all kinds of alarms, bells, whistles, laser defense systems in the heads of liberals, emergents, and greenies?

I'll give the French this: they aren't afraid to be upfront about their rape of the environment. And in today's globally-warmed climate, that is something special.

Because it might not be immediately apparent why I might scorn the popular approach to Lent, I thought I'd expand upon it ever so slightly. It all comes down to a distinction between common and holy.

There are holy things, uniquely Christian. Things that are ordained of God to work redemptively through the lives of men. Things like worship, prayer, baptism, and the Lord's Table.

Then there are common things. Things that are produced by man through God's ordination of common grace. Things that fall on the just and the unjust alike. Things like civilization, music, art, storytelling, pizza, and beaches.

Lent is an artifice, a fabrication of man. However well intentioned, to see Lent as something holy is to believe a fiction. Even Holy Week is a misnomer. As my friend JJS points out, there is a difference between an adjective and an adverb. And so, doing something holily does not make the thing holy.

There is, however, a proper way to view Lent. So long as someone perceives Lent as being in same degree holy as a visit to the beach or a vacation to Cambodia, they are perceiving correctly. Hey, if Lent is how you wanna spend your free time, by all means, enjoy its common grace offerings - just don't believe that it is observing Lent that will benefit your soul.

It has been pointed out to me that the activities of Lent have a tendency to draw people into a holy state of contemplation, prayer, and fasting. That may be the case, but I think just as likely (and perhaps more likely since so many consider the participation itself to be holy), Lent will lead people into legalism. Really, isn't that ever the way it goes when people rely on the flesh to stir their faith? It's such an easy trap to fall into, hoping that our disciplines, our works, our strivings will draw us closer to God. The thing is: we may draw nearer to God but it is not because of the discipline (whether it be Lent or something else), it is in spite of it.

In the end, Lent is a crutch of the flesh. And not even a very good one. If it was, we should do it all year 'round.

PS: for those interested in the two kingdom distinction and exploring more about redemptive grace vs. common grace, I highly recommend the rest of Jason's website, De Regnis Duobus (concerning the two kingdoms), for some thoughtful extrapolation of the theme. Oh, and it's best to start at the beginning because he builds his case.

DEADLY SINS SURVEY (via )
Strangely, I actually found a meme interesting enough to post one myself. It's not a habit or anything, so you can cease with the mockery now. Thanks. And away we go.

WRATH

1. Who did you last get angry with?
Really, that's hard to say. Real angry or fake angry? Fake angry would probably cover nearly any interacting I have on any blog on the Interthing. Real angry*, if it has to be a person, would probably either be someone from work (I'm not even sure which person - that's the nature of close contact with conflicting personalities) or someone who harmed the life of a friend. If it doesn't have to be a person, then I can say with certainty that it was the ribs I had at Chili's a month ago. They were so bad that they actually made me angry.

*NOTE: "Real angry" in this context should not be considered the same as "very angry." I think I have only been very angry a handful of times in my life.

2. What is your weapon of choice?
My disarming charm and wit. And rubber bands.

3. Would you hit a member of the opposite sex?
Not usually, but given circumstances that would require the immobilization of a female threat to my safety or another's, then yes, without hesitation.

4. How about of the same sex?
Same rules apply.

5. Who was the last person who got really angry at you?
That would be Rob G. After years of brow-beating, he finally exploded at me at a party and called me on the carpet in front of a great and mixed multitude. This was about four years ago. The incident that led to the explosion wasn't so big in itself but was more a bra that stroked the camel's back sort of thing.

6. Do you keep grudges, or can you let them go easily?
It is incredibly rare that I bear a grudge for more than three hours. I can only think of one grudge that lasted longer than a day-and-a-half. It might not even be so much a grudge anymore but just a general sense of dissatisfaction with a particular person and the kinds of life-choices they make.

SLOTH

1. What is one thing you're supposed to do daily that you haven’t?
Check the mail.

2. What is the latest you've ever woken up?
The longest I've ever slept when not actually and terrifyingly sick was eighteen hours. Ah, highschool.

3. Name a person you've been meaning to contact, but haven’t?
Basically, anyone who's written me in the last four years. But most specifically? Ellen, Andrew, Misty, Bill, and, uh, my family.

4. What is the last lame excuse you made?
I really don't believe in making excuses. If I fail in something, I tend to accept that I failed and not try to excuse my lapse. Strangely, some people consider this arrogance.

5. Have you ever watched an infomercial all the way through?
Heavens, no.

6. How many times did you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock today?
I don't use the Snooze, but I will intentionally reset the alarm time. Today, I reset it from 4:00 to 4:15 and then to 4:45.

GLUTTONY

1. What is your overpriced yuppie beverage of choice?
Stewart's Strawberry Cream Soda. Is that a yuppie drink?

2. Meat eater?
Primarily. Without question.

3. Are you comfortable with your drinking habits?
Hm, I probably drink too many carbonated beverages. Also, I'd prefer to drink more hot sake.

4. Do you like candy?
Not as much as I did when I was thirteen. I still like it but can only eat it in smaller increments.

5. Do you prefer sweets, salty foods, or spicy foods?
No preference, really. They all have their place in my heart. And, if things are going well, in my mouth.

LUST

1. How many people have you seen naked (not counting movie, family, strippers, locker rooms)?
Counting the beach and that one time in Europe, more than I can count. I'm not sure if I should feel bad about this. It happens, I guess is the best way to describe it. I'm not so self-conscious that anything like that could scar me.

2. How many people have seen YOU naked (not counting physicians/family/locker rooms/ or when you were an young child)?
Hm, a handfull I guess - Europe being a large player in this event.

3. Have you ever caught yourself staring at the chest/crotch of a person of your chosen sex during normal conversation?
Caught myself? No, I don't think so. I rarely catch myself doing anything.

4. What is your favorite body part on a person of your gender of choice?
It really depends on the person. Some girls have the most amazing hair. Others have these eyes that make you crazy. Others have legs, some have breasts, and still others have adorable noses. If you gave me a picture of a girl I could tell you what I liked about her, but otherwise, it's only loose academics.

6. Have you ever been propositioned by a prostitute?
I don't think he was a prostitute.

GREED

1. How many credit cards do you own?
Three. One is a check card, one is a business account, and the other is stored away for emergencies.

2. If you had $1 million, what would you do with it?
Secure my living, begin learning, use my life to create things of value and beauty, and invest in missionary endeavors.

3. Would you rather be rich, or famous?
Rich. Fame is a bother I can do without.

4. Would you accept a boring job if it meant you would make megabucks?
Yes, in the short-term. I could work for a couple few years and save the whole time in order to better the future.

5. How much money would it take until you were willing to kill someone?
What did they do and am I sanctioned by the government?

6. Have you stolen money from a relative/co-worker/friends?
I did a small amount of nickel-and-diming in my youth. I think I might owe my parents about four or five bucks.

PRIDE

1. What’s one thing that you have done that you're most proud of?
I don't tend to get real wowed by much that I've done, but I am pretty jazzed at how well-received my vidblogs were as a body of work.

2. What's one thing you have done that your parents are most proud of?
Probably just that fact that, by and large, I turned out to be a pretty good kid.

3. What thing would you like to accomplish later in your life?
Raise some pretty good kids, animate my own feature-length film out of my garage (or similar homey environment), write and draw a comic novel, write some lay-intellectual books, and teach a course on Comics as Literature.

4. Do you get annoyed by coming in second place?
Should it? Second place is pretty good in my book. Plus, I've never been terribly competitive. Competition is the crutch of the weak.

5. Have you ever entered a contest of skill, knowing you were of much higher skill than all the other competitors?
About 98.6% of every game of foosball I've played is a mirror of this situation. But I don't play to win. I play 'cuz its fun.

6. Have you ever cheated on something to get a higher score?
Only in school. Glances here or there probably did my grades more harm than good, but the pressure to succeed was excruciating. Heh, not really. I was never really that motivated, but if I were doing very very poorly indeed, I might sneak a glance to see if I could get at least one extra point as a boost for good behaviour.

ENVY

1. What item of your friends would you most want to have for your own?
I'm sure I know someone who owns a computer that isn't hopelessly outdated. If I do, I want that. I can't even install the graphics software I need for work on my current rig. (And needless to say, WoW is a real freezefest on my machine.)

2. Who would you want to go on "Trading Spaces"?
What's that?

3. If you could be anyone who has existed in the world, who would you be?
Michael Cossarwal.

4. Have you ever been cheated on?
I haven't really bothered to think about it. I s'pose its possible and maybe even likely in some cases. Still, it's really not my concern.

5. Have you ever wished you had a physical feature different from your own?
Yeah, a body that doesn't break down in ways undetectable to science would be a nice change.

6. What trait do you see in others that you wish you had for yourself?
The ability to work a tedious but high-paying job that involves no creativity - and be happy about it. Sometimes, I wish that I really had any ambition whatsoever, but then that feeling passes.

Answer: You are all doomed.

Question: What does the Magical Grid Of Bad Emo Hair® mean?

Just thought I'd let you all know that I won't be celebrating/observing/paying homage to Lent, Ramadan, or Danish History Month. But I will be making a point to show my support of National High-Five Day again this year - cuz really, who can't get behind something that's actually worthwhile.

I laughed out loud. While reading. In a Japanese rice bowl joint. Okay, so maybe it was more of a chortle, but it was definitely out loud. And more than just the once. Patrons quietly minding their own business while slogging through their Number Three Specials With Extra Tokyo Beef would be startled into wakefulness to see me - chopsticks in one hand, book in the other - as my grizzled maw broke forth with guffaws and irrepresible smiles.

Really, Anansi Boys may be the first thing I've read from Neil Gaiman that I liked. I never got into Sandman (though I'm told I should have persevered). I never finished American Gods (though I'm told I should have persevered). I never finished 1602 (despite guessing that I should have persevered).

Still, not only did I like it but I loved it. Enough that I gave my copy to someone else to read and purchased a second copy for another friend. And I'm certain they'll want to do similar things with the book.

Anansi Boys is at all times funny, adventurous, and charming. And several other over-used adjectives. In fact, Anansi Boys may be the prototype from which overused adjectives should have come - before they were overused. I'm not sure that Anansi Boys is great literature and I'm not sure that it isn't. What I am certain of beyond any shadow of doubtfulness is that Anansi Boys may be the most fun I have ever had reading a novel.

There may be others that I enjoyed more but my experience of this book was such that it pushed (if even momentarily) all other books from my mind. Someone on the back suggests that the book will make you love and be greatful for spiders. Critics and the things they say, huh? Well, I don't love spiders, but dang was this book good.

The end.

p.s. Anyone thinking of reading Blue like Jazz* or Against Christianity or something by Barth should definitely read this first. 'Cuz I mean what if you died after finishing the next book on your queue? It would be an all time tragedy to have wasted hours reading Donald Miller when there is something like Anansi Boys out there. Plus, it's just as spiritual.

NOTE: incidentally, "like" should be lowercased in titles as it functions as a prepostion.