I recently watched The Dark Knight, which is simply a fascinating movie. Also recently, Heath Ledger was posthumously awarded a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. I have no doubt that Ledger was a brilliant actor; the depth of roles he played with subtle skill attests to his talent and hard work.
However, if he were able to make an acceptance speech, I think he would have to thank the evil nature of the character of the Joker right after he thanked his folks and the director.
Blaise Pascal once wrote that "Evil is easy, and has infinite forms; good is almost unique." The Joker was, in a sense, easy - he embodied a particular type of evil, the evil of unchecked, merciless chaos. He was also a tempting evil - the greatest tragedy in the film is that the Joker is able to corrupt the "White Knight", Harvey Dent. Batman bends, but does not break, under similar temptation. But even though he carries out sophisticated plans in pursuit of his corrupting aims, Ledger's Joker seems constantly unhinged and capable of anything -- except for good.
Batman IS capable of good. In a sense, he is capable of no evil, although he breaks societal norms to do his good. And so, compared to the Joker, Batman seems pretty boring.
And Batman is actually a pretty complex hero, capable of doubt and able to empathize with the criminal mind. This separates him from a character who is more gooder in a way -- Superman. Superman is downright boring. We always know what he's going to do: The Right Thing, as defined by Truth, Justice, and the American Way. The evil minds have all of the originality in the Superman series. When more good guys are needed, they're just variations on the theme - Wonder Woman, Superboy, etc. They're as predictable as Superman.
Don't get me wrong, I like Superman, for that very reason. But it's easy to see why the acting award goes to the bad guy.
Post Script: An interesting research puzzle for someone would be to determine if there have been more "good" characters to win acting awards or "evil" characters, or if there has been a trend toward one or the other. Or, if during times of national crisis, one type gets the nod over the other, etc.
However, if he were able to make an acceptance speech, I think he would have to thank the evil nature of the character of the Joker right after he thanked his folks and the director.
Blaise Pascal once wrote that "Evil is easy, and has infinite forms; good is almost unique." The Joker was, in a sense, easy - he embodied a particular type of evil, the evil of unchecked, merciless chaos. He was also a tempting evil - the greatest tragedy in the film is that the Joker is able to corrupt the "White Knight", Harvey Dent. Batman bends, but does not break, under similar temptation. But even though he carries out sophisticated plans in pursuit of his corrupting aims, Ledger's Joker seems constantly unhinged and capable of anything -- except for good.
Batman IS capable of good. In a sense, he is capable of no evil, although he breaks societal norms to do his good. And so, compared to the Joker, Batman seems pretty boring.
And Batman is actually a pretty complex hero, capable of doubt and able to empathize with the criminal mind. This separates him from a character who is more gooder in a way -- Superman. Superman is downright boring. We always know what he's going to do: The Right Thing, as defined by Truth, Justice, and the American Way. The evil minds have all of the originality in the Superman series. When more good guys are needed, they're just variations on the theme - Wonder Woman, Superboy, etc. They're as predictable as Superman.
Don't get me wrong, I like Superman, for that very reason. But it's easy to see why the acting award goes to the bad guy.
Post Script: An interesting research puzzle for someone would be to determine if there have been more "good" characters to win acting awards or "evil" characters, or if there has been a trend toward one or the other. Or, if during times of national crisis, one type gets the nod over the other, etc.
January is the month for National Sanctity of Life Day, the month of Roe v Wade. It is a day to remember those killed by abortion, and to pledge ourselves to lives that affirm the rights and importance of other human beings, including the unborn.
News links.
Here is the text of President Bush's Proclamation of January 18 as the 2009 Sanctity of Life Day.
National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2009
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
All human life is a gift from our Creator that is sacred, unique, and worthy of protection. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, our country recognizes that each person, including every person waiting to be born, has a special place and purpose in this world. We also underscore our dedication to heeding this message of conscience by speaking up for the weak and voiceless among us.
The most basic duty of government is to protect the life of the innocent. My Administration has been committed to building a culture of life by vigorously promoting adoption and parental notification laws, opposing Federal funding for abortions overseas, encouraging teen abstinence, and funding crisis pregnancy programs. In 2002, I was honored to sign into law the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which extends legal protection to children who survive an abortion attempt. I signed legislation in 2003 to ban the cruel practice of partial-birth abortion, and that law represents our commitment to building a culture of life in America. Also, I was proud to sign the Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004, which allows authorities to charge a person who causes death or injury to a child in the womb with a separate offense in addition to any charges relating to the mother.
America is a caring Nation, and our values should guide us as we harness the gifts of science. In our zeal for new treatments and cures, we must never abandon our fundamental morals. We can achieve the great breakthroughs we all seek with reverence for the gift of life.
The sanctity of life is written in the hearts of all men and women. On this day and throughout the year, we aspire to build a society in which every child is welcome in life and protected in law. We also encourage more of our fellow Americans to join our just and noble cause. History tells us that with a cause rooted in our deepest principles and appealing to the best instincts of our citizens, we will prevail.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 18, 2009, as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. I call upon all Americans to recognize this day with appropriate ceremonies and to underscore our commitment to respecting and protecting the life and dignity of every human being.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
GEORGE W. BUSH
President Bush has been consistently pro-life in regard to abortion, including fetal tissue research.
Obama? I assume we will see the lifting of restrictions on federal money for abortions CNN story, , loss of protection for those health care providers opposed to abotion and lifting of federal funding restriction of fetal tissue research Bishops' Concern, less emphasis on abstinence, nomination of judges who will in no way threaten Roe v Wade, opposition to parental notification laws, and cessation of support for the Born Alive legislation.
Obama's record on abortion is appalling. He did not oppose killing infants who survived partial-birth abortions.
News links.
Here is the text of President Bush's Proclamation of January 18 as the 2009 Sanctity of Life Day.
National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2009
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
All human life is a gift from our Creator that is sacred, unique, and worthy of protection. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, our country recognizes that each person, including every person waiting to be born, has a special place and purpose in this world. We also underscore our dedication to heeding this message of conscience by speaking up for the weak and voiceless among us.
The most basic duty of government is to protect the life of the innocent. My Administration has been committed to building a culture of life by vigorously promoting adoption and parental notification laws, opposing Federal funding for abortions overseas, encouraging teen abstinence, and funding crisis pregnancy programs. In 2002, I was honored to sign into law the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which extends legal protection to children who survive an abortion attempt. I signed legislation in 2003 to ban the cruel practice of partial-birth abortion, and that law represents our commitment to building a culture of life in America. Also, I was proud to sign the Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004, which allows authorities to charge a person who causes death or injury to a child in the womb with a separate offense in addition to any charges relating to the mother.
America is a caring Nation, and our values should guide us as we harness the gifts of science. In our zeal for new treatments and cures, we must never abandon our fundamental morals. We can achieve the great breakthroughs we all seek with reverence for the gift of life.
The sanctity of life is written in the hearts of all men and women. On this day and throughout the year, we aspire to build a society in which every child is welcome in life and protected in law. We also encourage more of our fellow Americans to join our just and noble cause. History tells us that with a cause rooted in our deepest principles and appealing to the best instincts of our citizens, we will prevail.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 18, 2009, as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. I call upon all Americans to recognize this day with appropriate ceremonies and to underscore our commitment to respecting and protecting the life and dignity of every human being.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
GEORGE W. BUSH
President Bush has been consistently pro-life in regard to abortion, including fetal tissue research.
Obama? I assume we will see the lifting of restrictions on federal money for abortions CNN story, , loss of protection for those health care providers opposed to abotion and lifting of federal funding restriction of fetal tissue research Bishops' Concern, less emphasis on abstinence, nomination of judges who will in no way threaten Roe v Wade, opposition to parental notification laws, and cessation of support for the Born Alive legislation.
Obama's record on abortion is appalling. He did not oppose killing infants who survived partial-birth abortions.
18/01: Free Speech is Dying
Category: American Culture
Posted by: an okie gardener
Christopher Hitchens writes in Vanity Fair to tell the truth about free speech in the West: it is dying because those who should be its champions fear violent Islam.
Read the essay.
These are among the things that have happened, and have become depressingly taken for granted, since the fatwa of the ayatollah. We live now in a climate where every publisher and editor and politician has to weigh in advance the possibility of violent Muslim reprisal.
Most readers are aware that Ray Bradbury's 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451 concerns the burning of books. What you may not know, unless you have read it, is that Bradbury's future society began to burn books after it was granted that everyone has a right not to be offended.
Read the essay.
These are among the things that have happened, and have become depressingly taken for granted, since the fatwa of the ayatollah. We live now in a climate where every publisher and editor and politician has to weigh in advance the possibility of violent Muslim reprisal.
Most readers are aware that Ray Bradbury's 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451 concerns the burning of books. What you may not know, unless you have read it, is that Bradbury's future society began to burn books after it was granted that everyone has a right not to be offended.
Here’s a holiday tip I learned over the weekend: A fruitcake can be used like a Duraflame log in the fireplace. Jay Leno
Fruitcakes make ideal gifts because the Postal Service has been unable to find a way to damage them. Dave Barry
Tis the season for fruitcake jokes.
I finally figured out a use for holiday fruitcakes--paint them white to keep people from parking on your lawn.
I found the ideal fruitcake recipe. Forget all the other ingredients and just use rum.
I happen to like fruitcakes myself. My mother made two or three every year. We ate one and the others were given as gifts. They were good. My wife makes a "bread" that really is a small fruitcake in a loafpan--one of my favorite Christmas treats. I grant that some of the store-bought fruitcakes aren't great, though some are, like the famous Corsicana, Texas, fruitcakes.
I suspect that most of the people who make fun of these Christmas confections of fruits, nuts, and spices in a thick cake batter have never tried one. They just go with the stereotype.
I am not innocent of going with the humor flow myself. For years I made fun of Spam, the canned meat. It is like I assumed that any sentence with the word Spam in it was the set-up for a joke.
Last month, in the grocery store with my wife, on a whim I picked up a can. I tried it, and I liked it. Now I know that the word "Spam" is not automatically funny.
C.S. Lewis in The Screwtape Letters defined frivolity as the assumption that the joke has already been made. It is the only form of humor encouraged by demonic temptors, because it creates the frame of mind in which virtue can be derided. Frivolous people act as though truth-telling, honest behavior, chastity, loyalty, and such are somehow literally ridiculous.
The older I get, the less patience I have with frivolous people, or with frivolous comedy. I wish they would try virtue before they ridicule it.
Fruitcakes make ideal gifts because the Postal Service has been unable to find a way to damage them. Dave Barry
Tis the season for fruitcake jokes.
I finally figured out a use for holiday fruitcakes--paint them white to keep people from parking on your lawn.
I found the ideal fruitcake recipe. Forget all the other ingredients and just use rum.
I happen to like fruitcakes myself. My mother made two or three every year. We ate one and the others were given as gifts. They were good. My wife makes a "bread" that really is a small fruitcake in a loafpan--one of my favorite Christmas treats. I grant that some of the store-bought fruitcakes aren't great, though some are, like the famous Corsicana, Texas, fruitcakes.
I suspect that most of the people who make fun of these Christmas confections of fruits, nuts, and spices in a thick cake batter have never tried one. They just go with the stereotype.
I am not innocent of going with the humor flow myself. For years I made fun of Spam, the canned meat. It is like I assumed that any sentence with the word Spam in it was the set-up for a joke.
Last month, in the grocery store with my wife, on a whim I picked up a can. I tried it, and I liked it. Now I know that the word "Spam" is not automatically funny.
C.S. Lewis in The Screwtape Letters defined frivolity as the assumption that the joke has already been made. It is the only form of humor encouraged by demonic temptors, because it creates the frame of mind in which virtue can be derided. Frivolous people act as though truth-telling, honest behavior, chastity, loyalty, and such are somehow literally ridiculous.
The older I get, the less patience I have with frivolous people, or with frivolous comedy. I wish they would try virtue before they ridicule it.
22/12: Signs of Hope
The Party is Over, but, all things considered, of course, this development is for the best.
An Aside: the End of the Party should not be confused with the End of the World (which is still possible, but a different subject).
The End of the Party means releasing unreasonable expectations and assumptions about the nature and meaning of life. Earlier this week, Pope Benedict XVI pointed to the obvious silver lining contained within our long overdue reconciliation with reality:
The present economic crisis, causing so much suffering, can however help us to focus on the spiritual meaning of Christmas, and to welcome into our hearts the hope brought by God’s coming among us as man.
The Pontiff encouraged all of us to "rekindle our hope in God’s promises and, in humility and simplicity, welcome the light, joy and peace which the Saviour brings to us and to our world."
This is good advice.
Running the risk of mixing the sacred with the profane, allow me to point to another sign of hope in popular culture: the Country Music Top 40.
Last week the number one country song in the nation was "Chicken Fried" by the Zac Brown Band (you may view a live version here via YouTube).
It is a great song and a celebration of "simplicity and humility" and the "little things in life that mean the most."
This week, unfortunately for Zac and the boys, "Chicken Fried" dropped to number three. However, ascending to number one is another song about "slowing it down and looking around" and reconnecting with the more fundamental elements of human experience: "Roll With Me" by Montgomery Gentry (you may view the video here via CMT--if, ironically, you don't mind watching a commercial first).
Country folks will survive. If this is what is resonating in the heartland of America right now, we are going to be okay.
UPDATE: a hearty Texas welcome to Instapundit readers.
An Aside: the End of the Party should not be confused with the End of the World (which is still possible, but a different subject).
The End of the Party means releasing unreasonable expectations and assumptions about the nature and meaning of life. Earlier this week, Pope Benedict XVI pointed to the obvious silver lining contained within our long overdue reconciliation with reality:
The present economic crisis, causing so much suffering, can however help us to focus on the spiritual meaning of Christmas, and to welcome into our hearts the hope brought by God’s coming among us as man.
The Pontiff encouraged all of us to "rekindle our hope in God’s promises and, in humility and simplicity, welcome the light, joy and peace which the Saviour brings to us and to our world."
This is good advice.
Running the risk of mixing the sacred with the profane, allow me to point to another sign of hope in popular culture: the Country Music Top 40.
Last week the number one country song in the nation was "Chicken Fried" by the Zac Brown Band (you may view a live version here via YouTube).
It is a great song and a celebration of "simplicity and humility" and the "little things in life that mean the most."
This week, unfortunately for Zac and the boys, "Chicken Fried" dropped to number three. However, ascending to number one is another song about "slowing it down and looking around" and reconnecting with the more fundamental elements of human experience: "Roll With Me" by Montgomery Gentry (you may view the video here via CMT--if, ironically, you don't mind watching a commercial first).
Country folks will survive. If this is what is resonating in the heartland of America right now, we are going to be okay.
UPDATE: a hearty Texas welcome to Instapundit readers.
The recent trampling-to-death of a Wal-Mart employee on "Black Friday" has received a lot of press coverage. The coverage started by recounting the events and the resulting lawsuit, but quickly began moralizing and seeking cause.
ABC News blames the economy, in "Bad Economy, Dangerous Holiday Shopping."
The Moscow News Weekly blames human nature in general and Western consumerism in particular - "Black Friday."
Columnists and writers to the editor all across the country offer varying explanations, usually heavy in the use of the words "greed", "animalistic", and/or "heartless." Here, here, here, here, and here.
It's apparently very difficult to condemn the event without self-righteous generalizing.
Can we truthfully judge the core value of a culture by looking at where people get trampled? [We'll discard the events where people die escaping a fire, building collapse, shooter, etc. Avoiding sure death is a universal human value.] A quick search shows that hundreds die every year during the Hajj in Mecca. 93 died in 1989 at a soccer match in Britain. A combination of a rainstorm and a rock concert caused 54 people, mostly young girls, to be trampled to death in Belarus in 1999. Just this year, nearly 150 people were killed in a stampede in a Hindu Temple in India. A full list of modern "crowd-related deaths" can be found at http://www.crowddynamics.com/technical/ by clicking on the "Crowd Disasters" link at right. [This is an all-around interesting site - using scientific methods to analyze the dynamics of too many people in not enough space]
The wide diversity of event types and locations for trampling deaths seems to preclude any values-based analysis. In terms of physically damaging moral values, based on world-wide events, religious piety and attending soccer matches seem to be the worst. Yet we don't see round condemnation of the culture of soccer, or of religious pilgrimage.
It's easier to condemn a culture of consumerism. Don't get me wrong - I'm not a fan of consumerism myself. My wife and I bought our family's Christmas presents at a local craft fair, and I do most of my clothes shopping at a consignment shop. But I've benefited, too, from the consumer-based economy that's in part responsible for making our society the most prosperous in history. I'm also hurt, along with the rest of the country, by the current financial backlash to this type of culture/economy.
Condemning the greed of post-Thanksgiving shoppers necessitates drawing a line between ourselves and the tramplers. In reality, that greedy, heartless mob is composed of individuals who, I would venture to say, are not *really* that much different from the rest of us. "Ye who is without sin..."
ABC News blames the economy, in "Bad Economy, Dangerous Holiday Shopping."
The Moscow News Weekly blames human nature in general and Western consumerism in particular - "Black Friday."
Columnists and writers to the editor all across the country offer varying explanations, usually heavy in the use of the words "greed", "animalistic", and/or "heartless." Here, here, here, here, and here.
It's apparently very difficult to condemn the event without self-righteous generalizing.
Can we truthfully judge the core value of a culture by looking at where people get trampled? [We'll discard the events where people die escaping a fire, building collapse, shooter, etc. Avoiding sure death is a universal human value.] A quick search shows that hundreds die every year during the Hajj in Mecca. 93 died in 1989 at a soccer match in Britain. A combination of a rainstorm and a rock concert caused 54 people, mostly young girls, to be trampled to death in Belarus in 1999. Just this year, nearly 150 people were killed in a stampede in a Hindu Temple in India. A full list of modern "crowd-related deaths" can be found at http://www.crowddynamics.com/technical/ by clicking on the "Crowd Disasters" link at right. [This is an all-around interesting site - using scientific methods to analyze the dynamics of too many people in not enough space]
The wide diversity of event types and locations for trampling deaths seems to preclude any values-based analysis. In terms of physically damaging moral values, based on world-wide events, religious piety and attending soccer matches seem to be the worst. Yet we don't see round condemnation of the culture of soccer, or of religious pilgrimage.
It's easier to condemn a culture of consumerism. Don't get me wrong - I'm not a fan of consumerism myself. My wife and I bought our family's Christmas presents at a local craft fair, and I do most of my clothes shopping at a consignment shop. But I've benefited, too, from the consumer-based economy that's in part responsible for making our society the most prosperous in history. I'm also hurt, along with the rest of the country, by the current financial backlash to this type of culture/economy.
Condemning the greed of post-Thanksgiving shoppers necessitates drawing a line between ourselves and the tramplers. In reality, that greedy, heartless mob is composed of individuals who, I would venture to say, are not *really* that much different from the rest of us. "Ye who is without sin..."
01/12: Greatest Jazz Musicians
Category: American Culture
Posted by: an okie gardener
WAER is the Syracuse University radio station. They have been compiling lists of the top jazz musicians for each instrument, including human voice. These lists are great--thoughtful, knowledgeable, and I pretty much agree with them. Each entry, in most cases, has a paragraph biography with it.
Trumpet
Saxophone
Piano
Guitar
Male Vocalists
Female Vocalists
Trumpet
Saxophone
Piano
Guitar
Male Vocalists
Female Vocalists
Category: American Culture
Posted by: an okie gardener
Powerline links to two must-read posts by VDH on American culture.
03/11: Jazz Trombone
Category: American Culture
Posted by: an okie gardener
As regular readers of this blog know, I am a jazz fan. What I have not shared yet is that in my younger days I played trombone, including jazz. (At about the age of 15 I heard Stan Kenton at the Kansas City Jazz Festival pronounce it trum-bone and I've said it that way ever since.)
So who are the great jazz trombone players?
When I was in high school, the man to imitate was J.J. Johnson.
From 1991, he's still got it. Here from the same concert. From back in the day.
We also tried to copy licks from Kai Winding. With the 1949 Metronome All Stars. And Winding and Johnson together in 1982.
When I started playing jazz in high school, I tried to imitate Jimmy Cleveland. Here in an interview and solo from 1958. Only I had to cheat and double-tongue some of the riffs he could single-tongue.
And we would have imitated Bill Watrous if we had his upper register.
Trombonists never get the spotlight in the same way saxophonists and others do, but we know the value of the strange-looking horn with the slide. Artistry in Rhythmn, the Stan Kenton Orchestra, and Malaga.
So who are the great jazz trombone players?
When I was in high school, the man to imitate was J.J. Johnson.
From 1991, he's still got it. Here from the same concert. From back in the day.
We also tried to copy licks from Kai Winding. With the 1949 Metronome All Stars. And Winding and Johnson together in 1982.
When I started playing jazz in high school, I tried to imitate Jimmy Cleveland. Here in an interview and solo from 1958. Only I had to cheat and double-tongue some of the riffs he could single-tongue.
And we would have imitated Bill Watrous if we had his upper register.
Trombonists never get the spotlight in the same way saxophonists and others do, but we know the value of the strange-looking horn with the slide. Artistry in Rhythmn, the Stan Kenton Orchestra, and Malaga.
09/10: More Jazz
Category: American Culture
Posted by: an okie gardener
Instapundit links to an Amazon promotion listing "1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die."
Here is their choice of 133 jazz recordings.
Of course I have some quibbles: Light as a Feather to represent the work of Chick Correa? Give me a break.
A serious, serious omission: John Coltrane Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings. Even though this music was recorded 47 years ago, it still sounds like its coming at you from the future. I don't mean "futuristic" in the sense of gimmicks; I mean a body of work so complex and complete, so perfect, that it transcends simple chronology to achieve the timelessness of a true masterpiece. I have posted on this recording before.
Here is their choice of 133 jazz recordings.
Of course I have some quibbles: Light as a Feather to represent the work of Chick Correa? Give me a break.
A serious, serious omission: John Coltrane Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings. Even though this music was recorded 47 years ago, it still sounds like its coming at you from the future. I don't mean "futuristic" in the sense of gimmicks; I mean a body of work so complex and complete, so perfect, that it transcends simple chronology to achieve the timelessness of a true masterpiece. I have posted on this recording before.
