So Close and Yet So Far

Sports franchises are often the face of the city, which is why it is so important that Indianapolis teams have quality character guys on their teams (memo to the Pacers). A lot of a city’s self-esteem is wrapped up in its sports franchises. We look good on Monday night television, but the Colts need to make it to the Super Bowl.

Do you know what you don’t come to my blog to read? Cogent sports analysis.

Yet here I am, thinking about the Colts and their chances of finally making it to the Promised Land. Do the Colts have a chance to win a Super Bowl this season? Nope, not unless they get some defense. You can make the playoffs with an over-powering offense, but it’s not consistently potent enough to overcome the defense deficiencies come play-off time. Defense wins championships. However, the Super Bowl is the only stage left, big enough, for them. Getting to the Super Bowl certainly matters to Peyton Manning. He needs the big game, not only that, but to play well in that game. Ghosts of Dan Marino will haunt him until he does.

A Super Bowl appearance should certainly matter to Indianapolis. Sports franchises are the public face of a city. It’s one reason why New Orleans is America’s second favorite team right now. We’re rooting for New Orleans vicariously through their team. Some folks make the argument that the teams take on the personalities of the cities, I don’t know if I would go that far. Whether we want them to be or not, they do tend to represent us. They are ambassadors of what we value and how we compete.

This speaks to the importance of having character guys on our teams. Yes, we want to win, but we don’t want to win at all costs. Haywood Hale Broun is noted for saying, “Sports do not build character. They reveal it.” While sports should be teaching lessons about stronger teamwork or greater self-discipline, instead we get a “me, me, me” attitude, a culture of accommodation, and win at all costs mentality - all driven by money. Rarely is there anything to be appreciated as a “role model” among the athletes.

We want attention for the right reasons as we try to escape the “what the hell were you doing out at 3 a.m at a strip club anyway?” shadow of the Pacers. The Pacers had a preseason publicity campaign because they knew they were facing a disenfranchised fan base (and worse, possible empty seats). Why? Because we want character guys as well as quality product. So we should appreciate good character guys when we have them, like Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison, when we see them. Especially when watching them is watching sports history unfold before us as they are among the best of all time.

I’m strictly a casual sports fan. I don’t live and die by a team (or else the Pacers and Colts would have caused me to slit my wrists years ago). We have a good team, an exciting team to watch. Will it be good enough to make it to the Super Bowl? Nope. Though I’d love to be wrong.


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Kwanzaa Day 6 - Kuumba

December 31st - the Nguzo Saba principle of the day is Kuumba (koo-oom-bah), which means Creativity.

To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it. Makes use of our creative energies to build and maintain a strong and vibrant community.

Today, the red candle is lit.

Creativity is where our family lives and breathes. It’s more than a cultural mindset; it’s a spiritual mindset for us. How we live, how we worship, how we relate to one another all revolves around the joys of art and imagination. As “eikons”, formed in the image of God, we can’t help but be creators in our own right. In fact, we are tasked with joining Him in being co-creators, in participating in His act of creating.

The boys were tasked with making a drawing representing what Kwanzaa means to them. My oldest worked on drawing a kinara while my youngest, well, I’m happy if he can pronounce “Kwanzaa”. And now we begin the preparations for our “Food-y New Year”. Just some family over for dinner with each hour bringing a new entree/dish for us to try.


Libation Statement:
For the Motherland, cradle of civilization.
For the ancestors and their indomitable spirit.
For the elders, from whom we can learn much.
For our youth, who represent the promise of tomorrow.
For our people, the original people.
For our struggle and in remembrance of those who have struggled on our behalf.
For Umoja, the principle of unity which should guide us in all that we do.
For the Creator, who provides all things great and small.

Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee*

*Swahili for “Let’s all pull together” - We use the track from the Sounds of Blackness’ The Evolution of Gospel.


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My Top Ten Blogs of 2006

Once again it’s that time when we think back over the previous year and come up with yet another self-indulgent list. It’s basically an excuse for me to list some of my favorite blogs, some of which you may have missed.

10. Theology of Horror Part II and Part III - This topic has continued to evolve after my initial forays in trying to explain how I’m a Christian horror writer and later as I started to think about a theology of horror in preparation for my panel discussion at the Hollywood Jesus Annual Gathering. I was asked to speak on the topic of “Horror as a Genre” to a primarily Christian audience. The panel was videotaped and will be available for download soon, in the meantime, I thought that I would post my notes on my blog.

9. Dear Nobody Writer. Writing the Other Redux. Writers Finish Things. - I was torn on my various ramblings about writing.

8. Black Horror Writers - So I thought why bother with more of my ramblings on the topic. Why not get some of my friends to talk about what they think? The joke has been that there are enough of us (black horror writers) now that we can actually do panels on the topic.

7. Dark Night of the Soul Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV - It is the feeling that God is not at work, that He has abandoned us, and all of our cries are going unanswered that causes us the greatest pain. Now, what do we do about it?

6. Friday Night Date Place - Let me summarize all you need to know about any dating book, seminar, or workshop that you get sucked into: THERE IS NO FORMULA! THERE IS NO PROVEN METHOD! IT’S AS MYSTERIOUS AND ADVENTUROUS (AND TREACHEROUS) AS THE REST OF LIFE! There you go. The doctor is in. (By the way, Miss Independent is a personal favorite.)

5. The Story of Blackness - If there are any themes that tend to resurface in my life and work they are the issues of faith and race. I wasn’t aware that I was doing a series until a friend of mine pointed out that I seemed to be leading to something in my posts. Here are the threads of the discussion including: Ontological Blackness Part I, Part II, and Part III, The Theology of Slavery Part I and Part II.

4. Racism in Publishing II - a follow up on the Millenia Black situation.

3. Brown People Scare Us - Oh no! Immigrants are everywhere! What shall we do?!?

2. Break Glass in Case of Emergency - just a friendly reminder to those I love and those who need to be reminded that they are loved.

1. Ghetto Ass Weddings - This is my lasting contribution to the InternetI could never blog again and I know that my blog could sustain its traffic on the backs of two blog entries. White Trash Weddings and this one are my lasting testaments to the Internet.


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Kwanzaa Day 5 - Nia

December 30th - the Nguzo Saba principle of the day is Nia (nee-yah), which means Purpose.

To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness. Encourages us to look within ourselves and to set personal goals that are beneficial to the community.

Today, the green candle is lit.

We discussed our purpose and what it means to be missional; how we incorporate Nia into the fabric of our faith. Another family drum circle broke out tonight. The boys wanted to drum dramatically as I read from their collection of stories, “Jackal’s Favorite Game.” Today we also opened another gift. This year’s Kwanzaa gift theme is books, with the boys receiving the book “If You Lived When There was Slavery in America.”

Libation Statement:
For the Motherland, cradle of civilization.
For the ancestors and their indomitable spirit.
For the elders, from whom we can learn much.
For our youth, who represent the promise of tomorrow.
For our people, the original people.
For our struggle and in remembrance of those who have struggled on our behalf.
For Umoja, the principle of unity which should guide us in all that we do.
For the Creator, who provides all things great and small.

Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee*

*Swahili for “Let’s all pull together” - We use the track from the Sounds of Blackness’ The Evolution of Gospel.


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Kwanzaa Day 4 - Ujamaa

December 29th - the Nguzo Saba principle of the day is Ujamaa (oo-jah-mah), which means Cooperative Economics.

To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together. Emphasizes our collective economic strength and encourages us to meet common needs through mutual support.

Today, the red candle is lit.

All of which we discussed over take out from Marble’s Café, a local Black-owned business. Hmm, my boys have developed a dance that they like to perform during our singing of Harambee. It is both disturbing and hypnotic.

Libation Statement:
For the Motherland, cradle of civilization.
For the ancestors and their indomitable spirit.
For the elders, from whom we can learn much.
For our youth, who represent the promise of tomorrow.
For our people, the original people.
For our struggle and in remembrance of those who have struggled on our behalf.
For Umoja, the principle of unity which should guide us in all that we do.
For the Creator, who provides all things great and small.

Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee*

*Swahili for “Let’s all pull together” - We use the track from the Sounds of Blackness’ The Evolution of Gospel.


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Friday Night Date Place - Break Ups Part III: Heart-Broken

I’m not the best person to take advice from on how to deal with break ups. I once interrupted a woman who was breaking up with me, who was doing her level best to spare my feelings, with “if you speed this up, I can still catch the new episode of Homicide: Life on the Streets.” (Although I did have a friend who ended things with the line “it’s not me, it’s you. Can I have your best friend’s phone number?”)*

I’m not even talking about the little-noted peril of cohabitation: the potentially negative financial consequences of breaking up. [When unmarried couples who have been living together part company, women are substantially worse off economically than men, according to a study in the Journal of Marriage and Family. Men's household income drops by 10%, while women lose 33%. The percentage of women living in poverty increases from 20% to 30%, while men's poverty level remains relatively unchanged at about 20%.]**

I’m talking about the part of the break up that leaves us under the covers, not wanting to leave the bed for a while. Waiting out the fever that has your brain working overtime as you re-run memories, cast aloft on a sea of special songs, moments, and conversations (actually, going over the mental transcript of every conversation you ever had). I’m talking about the heart ache of break ups.

Pain is real. Pain is also personal. The stuff that makes you wince might not phase me, so each person’s pain is, nonetheless, very real to them and not something to be dismissed. (Read memo to would be consolers: don’t minimize another’s pain). Breaking up, even from an unhealthy relationship, is heart-wrenching. You had come to depend on the relationship and having it suddenly crumble underneath you can make you suddenly unsure of your footing.

As we talked about last week, the general movements of the break up are learn from the situation, give yourself time to heal, and move on. Don’t insist on being just friends, at least not right away. This can be hard on one/both of you, if you’re serious about re-establishing a friendship (as opposed to “let’s be friends” = “let’s part amicably and never see each other again.”). You need time to get to a place where this can happen.

Don’t lie to yourself hoping for reconciliation. On the real, you may get back together. That’s understandable: the things that drew you to each other in the first place are still there (chemistry, looks, etc.) Time and distance have a way of making us forget that the things that drove you two apart are still there too. Know when to just walk away, and stay away, from a destructive situation.

Break ups should be as clean as possible as you accept it and come to terms with the rejection. That means:

-no stalking
-no blackmailing them into staying without you
-no keeping photos of them on your wall, lit by candles
-no becoming obsessed with winning them back
-no constant calling
-no going to their new Significant Other’s place
-no checking their blogs or tracking their movements online
-no haunting their usual hangouts

Keep your dignity. Humiliation and/or desperation is cute on no one.



*Okay, I need to hear your best break up stories.

**Get your stuff back/return their stuff. Take this with a grain of salt since 1) I’m a pack rat and I like to treasure things/memories, even bad ones; and 2) I fully believe I should get refunds for money spent on relationships that didn’t work out. Believe that.


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Kwanzaa Day 3 - Ujima

December 28th - the Nguzo Saba principle of the day is Ujima (oo-gee-mah), which means Collective Work and Responsibility.

To build and maintain our community together and make our brother’s and sister’s problems our problems and to solve them together. Reminds us of our obligation to the past, present, and future, and that we have a role to play in the community, society, and the world.

Today, the innermost green candle is lit.

After discussing ways we put this into practice, through church and helping our friends, we read from a collection of African-American children’s stories, a story entitled “Two Ways to Count to Ten.” We continued to read from their book on Kwanzaa (“The Story of Kwanzaa”).

Libation Statement:
For the Motherland, cradle of civilization.
For the ancestors and their indomitable spirit.
For the elders, from whom we can learn much.
For our youth, who represent the promise of tomorrow.
For our people, the original people.
For our struggle and in remembrance of those who have struggled on our behalf.
For Umoja, the principle of unity which should guide us in all that we do.
For the Creator, who provides all things great and small.

Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee*

*Swahili for “Let’s all pull together” - We use the track from the Sounds of Blackness’ The Evolution of Gospel.


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Kwanzaa Day 2 - Kujichagulia

December 27th - the Nguzo Saba principle of the day is Kujichagulia (koo-gee-cha-goo-lee-yah), which means Self-Determination.

To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves. Requires that we define our common interests and make decisions that are in the best interest of our family and community.

Today, the innermost red candle is lit.

After an impromptu completely rhythmless family drum circle (we were enjoying the gifts from last year’s music themed Kwanzaa and the boys were still wound up from yesterday’s drummers and dancers), we discussed today’s principle. The importance of education, of having a plan, and supporting one another.

We read from a collection of African-American children’s stories, a story entitled “The Gift and the Giver” and opened our gift, a children’s book on Kwanzaa (“The Story of Kwanzaa”).

Kwanzaa question of the day: What do some of the terms mean?
Answer: Kwanzaa means “first fruits of harvest” in Swahili. The Ngozu Saba are the Seven Principles developed by Dr. Maulana Karenga when he came up with Kwanzaa. The candles (the mishumaa saba) are the colors of Kwanzaa: black (for the people), red (for the blood shed during their struggle), and green (for the land and the future hope that comes from the struggle). The candleholder is called a kinara, which sits on a straw mat called a mkeka. Beside them rests ears of corn for each child in the household (the vibunzi or muhindi). A basket filled with fruits (the matunda or mazao) represents the gathering in of the crops/harvests. The gifts given during Kwanzaa, which should be hand made or culturally centered, are called the zawadi. The unity cup (the kikombe cha umoja), from which the libation (tambiko) is taken, also sits on the mkeka.

Libation Statement:
For the Motherland, cradle of civilization.
For the ancestors and their indomitable spirit.
For the elders, from whom we can learn much.
For our youth, who represent the promise of tomorrow.
For our people, the original people.
For our struggle and in remembrance of those who have struggled on our behalf.
For Umoja, the principle of unity which should guide us in all that we do.
For the Creator, who provides all things great and small.

Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee*

*Swahili for “Let’s all pull together” - We use the track from the Sounds of Blackness’ The Evolution of Gospel.


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Spam-A-Lot

I've had a huge increase in spam in the last month. So much so that it has caused my mailbox to sometimes register as full (to those who have had bounce back e-mails to me). I was forced to ask can spam be seasonal? I mean, it's December, I must REALLY want a larger penis now. And Russian women REALLY want to talk to me badly?

Speaking of spam, in case you missed it, last week’s Intake column is up. With a focus on The Dwelling Place. This week’s column relates to a play I recently went to see, “I have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by a Young Lady from Rwanda.”

Over on Blogging in Black, I have a new post up called “Be Professional”.

Also, I was interviewed by The Studio Upstairs podcast about the reviews I do for Hollywood Jesus. You can find the podcast here.



Oh, and the new Hollywood Jesus Reviews 2005-2006 is now available. My reviews of ATL, Final Destination 3, Glory Road, Slither, Superman Returns, Take the Lead, X-Men: The Last Stand made the cut. It’s a best of from the past year, that is, an additional resource.





*suddenly possessed by the spirit of someone unaware of how publishing works*

Wait. Quit pointing out that these reviews are available online free. Allow me to have my publishing career. Let me enjoy my sales. What do you mean stories available online are considered published? Quit providing links to them and e-pirating my reviews.

*sigh*


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Kwanzaa Day 1 - Umoja

December 26th - the Nguzo Saba principle of the day is Umoja (oo-mo-jah), which means Unity.

To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race. Stresses the importance of togetherness for the family and the community, which is reflected in the African saying, “I am We” or “I am because We are.”

Today, the black candle is lit.

In honor of Umoja, we met up with family at the Umoja Village Kwanzaa Festival, which will be the subject of an upcoming Intake column.

Kwanzaa question of the day: doesn’t celebrating Kwanzaa conflict with your Christian beliefs?

Answer: No. I’ve heard the argument before that Black Christians shouldn’t celebrate Kwanzaa for a variety of reasons. It isn’t a religious holiday and is as “pagan” a ritual as a birthday or an anniversary. Actually, much like those occasions, Kwanzaa is a time of remembrance, a cultural celebration.

One of the reasons I wanted to celebrate Kwanzaa as a family tradition was out of respect to both my multi-cultural heritage and that of my children. Few things answer questions as well as experience and this is a good reminder, reinforcing their story, appreciating this part of our heritage.

Libation Statement:
For the Motherland, cradle of civilization.
For the ancestors and their indomitable spirit.
For the elders, from whom we can learn much.
For our youth, who represent the promise of tomorrow.
For our people, the original people.
For our struggle and in remembrance of those who have struggled on our behalf.
For Umoja, the principle of unity which should guide us in all that we do.
For the Creator, who provides all things great and small.

Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee, Harambee.*


*(Swahili for “Let’s all pull together”)


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Indianapolis 2007 Wish List

What would my wish list be for Indianapolis for 2007?

1. Revitalize West and East sides. I realize that the areas around Eastgate and Lafayette Square no longer matter now that white folks have moved out of those areas. However, it has come to my attention that there are folks, who granted, may be non-white, who do have money and are willing to spend it. We live and work in these areas and like our neighborhoods as much as folks in Brownsburg, Avon, Fishers, or Greenwood.

2. Super Bowl. Sports franchises are often the face of the city, which is why it is so important that Indianapolis teams have quality character guys on their teams (memo to the Pacers). A lot of a city’s self-esteem is wrapped up in its sports franchises. We look good on Monday night television, but the Colts need to make it to the Super Bowl. While it’s too late to have the Super Bowl here in 2007, but 2007 would be a good year to announce when we will be hosting a Super Bowl.

3. Embrace our Internationality. Rather than fearing the influx of “brown people,” we should embrace them. All of my favorite cities, from London to New York, have strong international flavor and appeal. We seem to go out of our way to fight any hints of anyone non-Midwestern, as if we wish to cling to our provincialism.

4. Racial Reconciliation. Ha! I might as well wish for world peace while I’m at it. I tell you what, since I’m not interested in everyone holding hands and singing “kumbaya,” I’d settle for people learning to respect each others’ stories. I’d settle for the media not stirring up stories that aren’t there. I’d settle for improved police relations with the black community. I’d settle for an event-free year. Reconciliation is costly and often humbling. It involves risk. And it should be what we are about.

5. Address our Poverty. It’s easy to blame the poor. They are under-represented. There aren’t many political action committees, few professional lobbying, publicists in the media on their behalf. Because this is the land of opportunity, often times poverty is a choice, the natural consequence of a lifetime of poor decisions. However, that doesn’t address the systemic poverty, the children born into circumstances beyond their control. Thankfully there are organizations like Outreach, Inc.

6. Reduce our Murder Rates. On the surface, more police sounds like an easy answer; that’s because better trained, better funded, and more police officers are always good. However, police respond once crimes have been committed. Unless you have a cop on every corner, 24/7, they aren’t going to be much by way of deterrence. We can’t just shrug our shoulders and leave the solution strictly in the hands of the police - people we already ask a lot from in one breath and casually disrespect in the other. Myself included.

7. Fix our Schools. Schooling is underappreciated. Education should be there for those who want it, but if you’re determined to screw up your life because you know everything already, good luck to you. We can’t just throw money at the problem. We need a comprehensive re-thinking of how we do school and transmit knowledge.

8. Public Workers Appreciation Day. I’m just saying. I love my postal workers, my trash collectors, my school teachers, my police officers, fire department, and yes, even my BMV workers.

Just a few things I’m wishing for.


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The Broaddus Family Christmas

aka “Christmas at The Klumps”

“How many strays are you bringing this year?”

That was how my mom asked me how many people would be joining us for dinner. The answer was two, in addition to my clan. My best friend and a friend whose wedding I did the ceremony for earlier this year. Our family has never made much of a distinction between “friends” and “family”, so everyone who sits at our dinner table is considered family. That’s probably the closest thing to a tradition that we have.

Mind you, I’ve been out of the will ever since my “mom I can’t wait til you go senile so I can keep you in the attic and use you to scare my kids” routine. I’m am actually twice removed from the will, my mom explained that on her best days, my name is only penciled in. My best friend wasted no time pointing out that he has made a better son than me. [It was pointed out by my sister that it is probable that he will make it into the will just so my mom can mess with me one more time from beyond.]

My brother and I were born in London, England, my mother in Jamaica, and my father in America. So, to the background music of Ska versions of Gospel classics, we sat down to partake of a dinner that consisted of:

macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, BBQ wings, turkey, green bean casserole, curried goat, boiled bananas, rice and beans, collalou, rolls, stuffing, cranberry sauce, meatballs, cole slaw, potato salad, corn on the cob, and Jamaican patties, with apple pie and bread and butter putting for dessert.

Besides our usual antics, the merciless jokes, the throwing of food, the dancing, the capper line of the day came from my five year old when he pronounced that “Daddy talks too much when he drinks.” My brother kept mouthing “WTF” every time this little old lady, who was a friend of my mom’s, began one of her stories (mostly because all of her stories were lengthy and ended with someone getting sick or dying). Of course, my brother is the same sentimentalist that handed my mom a blank card and envelope and said “Write your name in it. Merry Christmas.”

None of us were born and raised in vacuums. We have people that formed us, whose voices spoke into our lives, shaping us. My family helped make me into the man I am today. However, four hours with them is more than any of us natural born Broadduses can ask of those who married into us. But, such quality family time helps inform them of the madness they married into. God, I love the bunch of nuts I call family. “Merry Christmas, Broadduses.”


P.S.

R.I.P. Brotha James

If you have any doubts about how much he meant to his people, know that the Broaddus family dinner was interrupted by calls from England and Jamaica not wishing us “Merry Christmas” but “Did you hear that James Brown died?”

I just got through with a YouTube mini-wake of sorts, reliving him performing Sex Machine, or I Feel Good, or Eye Sight. Though many folks might only remember him from his scene in The Blues Brothers.

R.I.P. brotha.


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Friday Night Date Place - Break Ups Part II: Still Mourning

I read yesterday that a break up is so painful it's like mourning a death, and when I analyzed my emotions, it rang very true. When breaking up you've lost a loved one, someone very close to you, and trying to move on is heart-breaking. You have good moments and bad, and when you think your done thinking about them, they enter your mind out of nowhere and the tears begin to fall. In a way, I believe breaking up can be more painful because there isn't any real closure. That person is still out their living their life, and you can't reach out and wrap your arms around them.

There is something to be said for healing times, times of transition and recovery, after a break up. Granted, the times needed to recover are going to differ depending on whether you were the breakee versus being the breakers, as well as the circumstances of the break up, but there still ought to be a cooling off time if only to allow your feelings to settle.

I know many folks who go with the “Scorched Earth” policy (I, of course, have never been guilty of this), wherein the person they were involved in is essentially dead to them. To facilitate this “death”, the circumstances of the break up are particularly ... sharp. Usually in a very loud and messy way - kind of like flouncing. They burn the bridges of any future type of relationship, including friendship. Sure, on the surface it may allow you to move on faster, but in reality, it is not dealing with the emotions of a situation. It’s a way of running away from them. Also, if we’re told to love each other as we love ourselves, we have to ask ourselves if destroying all bridges to further contact is what Christ had in mind.

We have a tendency to want to rush through grief. We don’t want to make others feel bad and, let’s face it, grief makes people feel uncomfortable. So that feeling of abandonment is increased as you fear friends avoiding you. It is also increased by the fact that you really have withdrawn from contact. You have a lot of emotions to sort through and deal with. To figure out if you want the chance to salvage a friendship for later. Wondering if you (or they) can ever be “just friends” ever again, and if it’s worth the natural phases of awkwardness and sensitive feelings. You have hurt and anger to have to sift through. Not to mention their absence has left a void, one that we feel needs to filled as soon as possible.

Because we’re afraid of being alone.

Don’t be afraid of time alone. Being alone is a perfectly natural response, a stage of grief as it were. A phase where you keep your head down, keep a low social profile, and lick your wounds. You don’t want to wallow there, thinking that bad things can’t keep finding you if you’re ducking life. Bad things may still happen, but you may also miss out on all sorts of interesting opportunities while you were busy hiding. A few things to do while in your self-imposed retreat:

Mourn. Let yourself really mourn, to fully experience the stages of grief. It is a heart-wrenching time and you are allowed to feel hurt or sad. Something you’d come to depend on died. I’m also a big fan of mourning rituals. We don’t appreciate ritual and tradition as a culture. Symbols have power and there is a power to ritual. So burn pictures, pack up the stuff they gave you, delete them from your top myspace friends. Do what you have to do.

Learn. This is a great opportunity for reflection. We have to avoid the trap of self-pity and self-defeatism (“I’m just one of those people meant to be alone” type talk). Re-examine and re-assess how you approach relationships. Take a look at your behavior and decision making that led to your choice of that prospective Significant Other - especially if you have a history of making bad choices. Then keep in mind that you may be doing everything right and, well, they were an ass. Or maybe they weren’t and things just weren’t meant to be. Also keep in mind, self-blame is not the same as learning

Go to God. Another role of the quiet time is one of prayer (for healing or thanksgiving, depending on the break up). Spend time with the Father of Compassion, the God of all comfort “who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (II Corinthians 1:4). Let your friends, church, community be His arms of comfort. In other words, know when it’s time to come out of your exile.

Move on. Drunken nights aren’t dealing with anything, they are attempts at masking pain. Considering the nunnery isn’t dealing with anything, it is running away. Watching re-runs of Friends while eating Cheetos is not moving on, it’s not even living. Get (or reclaim) a life. Re-connect with old friends (and shame on you for dropping them just because you got a S.O.)

Sometimes break ups are necessary, so we strive for as clean a break as possible. In so doing, we have to always be considering what are the best ways to love one another. Even when you don’t want.


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Astro City: The Dark Age

Written by: Kurt Busiek
Art by: Brent Anderson
Published by: DC/Wildstorm

Astro City is Kurt Busiek’s most impassioned work. After rising to prominence with the limited series, Marvels, he has enjoyed runs on The Avengers and Legion of Super Heroes. Obviously Astro City occupies a special place for him and is the most personal to him, one that allows him to explore the heart of what he loves about comics and super heroes. Not deconstructing them, not making them dark, relevant, or gritty in the name of reality, but making them feel real. Real heroes engaged in the ever real issues and implications of being a hero.

The Astro City universe parallels the Marvel Universe. Once a series of stand alone issues, it is now a series of arcs told through the eyes of heroes, villains, innocents (and not so innocents) caught up in their battles of good vs. evil. Still, he manages to capture the fun and hope of the comics that we grew up with, while still telling adult stories.

Which brings us to Astro City: The Dark Age.

Now, I was born in 1970, as such, I missed much of the tense times that the United States endured. The racial tensions, the Viet Nam war, the fall of the Nixon administration. I barely remember the trauma of disco. Kurt Busiek re-visits this time period as an opportunity to examine the darker undertones of the super-hero genre. In it’s way, Astro City: The Dark Age serves as a critique of the trend toward the joyless comics of the early 90s that have preoccupied the minds of writers and readers alike. This story is told through the eyes of two brothers, both shaped by the same circumstances and encounters of being caught up as collateral damage in the battles between super heroes and super villains, then walking divergent paths. One becomes a cop, the other a criminal.

“All he wanted was for the world to make sense. Me, I had simpler dreams.” –Royal Williams

The people have become distrusting of their heroes and governments. They’ve become angry at their circumstances. All of which comes to a head with the arrest of one of the country’s brightest lights, the Silver Agent (imagine Captain America in handcuffs, on trial for his life). Even Brent Anderson’s art seems more moody and shadowy.

“I could work hard, get me a nice apartment, go to church and pay my taxes on time. You figure that’d keep me safe?” –Royal

We look at the world around us and if humanity is basically good then our solutions aren’t working. Our progress and democracy, our education and technology, we’re still left with the problem of evil. We aren’t living up to our potential. Seeing all the darkness around us can turn us cynical as we sense a law of right and wrong that no one should be above, a justice we aren’t seeing lived out. We see bad things happening to good people with no explanation and it is easy to come to the conclusion why learn discipline, why put in the work to do/be good. We fancy ourselves to be strong, free, determiners of our own fate, so why not take justice into our own hands, have a measure of control?

The fear is something that has become a part of our lives. The fear of not being able to protect the ones we love, the fear of the feeling of not being in control. It’s like a part of our soul longs to have hope, trust, faith in something greater than ourselves. Our heroes, our institutions, some higher ideal. In addition to this, we want to feel safe and believe in things that make us feel safe. However, when all the things we want to believe in fail us–when our heroes fall, when our government lets us down or undermines our principles or flat out betrays us, or when the Church doesn’t live up to its mission–we enter a dark age. Losing faith leads to a dark night.

“There are some rough times coming. But don’t worry. It’s going to be okay.” –Silver Agent

Creation is under siege by hostile, evil forces seeking to thwart God’s plan for the cosmos and we long for a rescue from the chaos. The claim of Christianity, the “foolishness” of the Christian story, is that through the life of Christ, evil can be conquered. The story works towards a climax of a Messiah, a suffering servant, somehow leading to redemption. Jesus took on the burden of evil, took on its full force and exhausted it, with the resurrection was the sign of evil and Death being defeated. He let the forces of evil and darkness do their worst to him and breaking their power over Him and humanity, transforming not only our lives, but our way of life. We live in the “already/not yet” tension, with evil having already been defeated, though it hasn’t yet reached its fruition.

Astro City: The Dark Age is about the loss of idealism and innocence, yet about having hope during the dark times. That one hero, dying an unjust death that was meant to happen and sacrificing himself can bring people out of their dark age. It’s about clinging to faith no matter how uneasy the circumstances and reminds us that there are heroes to help see us through. It is densely layered with action and also continues to flesh out the universe and history of Astro City. This arc is set to be a 16 issue one and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.


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Apocalypto

“The Jaguar of Judah”

What troubled me most about Apocalypto was that it seemed like a movie of false promises: a grand historical epic, the journey of the hero, the exploration of the pageantry of a power in its decline, man’s inhumanity to man, the hope within exile, the terror of conquest. What we get is a National Geographic spectacle with some nods to a deeper theme. Hinting at the portrayal of the Mayan civilization in decline, Apocalypto could be the story of any great power in its decline, from Rome to America: a people in exile, a civilization in decline; a powerful warring, arrogant people, building testimonials to its greatness, fascinated by its ideas of beauty, focused on its entertainment, with both the religious and political leaders playing to their people. We see a country that is decadent, lazy, rich, and strong - yet rotting and dying from within. None of this imagery had eluded the movie’s director, Mel Gibson, who should know a thing or two about being in exile by now.

“What do you want?” –Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood)

Apocalypto begins in a pre-Columbian Mayan village, with a tribe out on a hunting expedition, led by Flint Sky (Morris Birdyellowhead) and his son, Jaguar Paw. Their village is invaded by Others who delight in tormenting them. The survivors are trotted back to the home of these others, where they are further degraded. Then Jaguar Paw escapes and has to elude his tormentors as he makes his way back to rescue his wife. The time period and the setting are pretty much a red herring. With such a grand historical backdrop, we have little grasp of the players and the story is reduced to little more than a “Rambo of the Forest,” with the hope that the audience will be satisfied with the story of a family man who wants to get home.

Still, there are several issues that the movie touches upon, since the story of a people being kidnaped by another group of people, suffering through the passage to their destination, only to be sold on auction blocks has a special resonance with me.

We could start with an examination of the process of colonization, the forced absorbing of one people’s story by another. Again, the clearest way I can relate this to people is by telling the biblical story of Daniel. Many people are familiar with the story of Daniel in the lion’s den, but the back-story is what I’m interested in. The story is set against the exile of Israel. The Israelites were taken to a foreign land, not all of them, but their best and brightest young men. In effect, the exile robbed Israel of its brain trust, its future. Those men were in turn re-enculturated: indoctrinated with new language, new customs, even new names, in Jaguar Paw’s case, he was renamed “Almost”.

Much of this stemming from fear.

“Fear is a sickness. It will crawl into the soul of anyone who engages it.” –Flint Sky

Fear stultifies the soul and manifests itself in a variety of many, many of which we see played out in our social landscape. We have a fear of “the other”. An aspect of colonialism is its conquest mentality that works by making other cultures less than human, debasing one while exalting the colonizer’s. Fear clouds our ability to see one another as Eikons, created in the image of God. Fear, this numbing of our souls, allows us to kill, torture, rape, and take one another into slavery. Slavery was not an institution new to America. The story of the human race is one of the strong oppressing the weak, cycles of violence that need to be broken.

“Behold him, reborn from mud and earth.” –prophetic little girl

If the story of the Bible is one of God slowly wooing humanity back to him, reaching us where we are dealing with us as we are, then that casts a new light on how we ought to view many of our Bible stories. Even in Apocalypto, there is a prophesy of a redeemer of sorts, signs and portents pointing to someone to bring an end to this old way of living.

God is the Great Emancipator, the freedom giver. Christ came as a Liberator; in Him there is neither slave nor free. The problem of evil is solved not in why does it exist, but in what God has done about it. God identifies with the poor and those in pain, liberating them from injustice. The promise of resurrection gives them hope and grounds to struggle for freedom. Christ’s mission was to free us from sin: individual sin and social sin. Suffering arising from the struggle for freedom is liberating, providing a vision of freedom. Our mission is to join with His and, as Jaguar Paw puts it, “seek a new beginning.”

Apocalypto’s tagline of “No one can outrun their destiny” promises much, but delivers little. Once again, history serves as Mel Gibson’s pallette allowing him to paint in his favorite colors, brutal violence inflicted on people, a tortured hero, thoroughly researched history and language, and a near-mythic hero. We see a continuation of Mel Gibson’s fascination with family men who become blood-soaked icons of righteousness by those who seek to oppress him and others. Braveheart. The Patriot. The Passion of the Christ. What we don’t get as clear a sense of is the “why?” As with The Passion of the Christ, none of the action is put into a context. What we have is a beautifully rendered action flick in the guise of an epic, and as such, disappoints.


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Ghost Rider

“Road to Damnation”
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Clayton Crain
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Garth Ennis has been on quite a roll. I’ve forgiven him for that waste of perfectly good trees known as Goddess, as he has enjoyed phenomenal runs on Hitman, Preacher, Hellblazer, and Punisher. Quietly, he has established himself among the top echelon of comic book writers, alongside Ellis and Morrison, especially for writing redeemable bastards. Which makes him a perfect match for giving voice to the character of Ghost Rider.

Making his first leap into the spotlight in 1972, at the height of our fascination with daredevils, Ghost Rider has remained a perennial fan favorite. Like Aquaman and Black Panther, he is a B-list character that has been resurrected several times as different writers have tried to nail down him character definitively. But they keep trying because the image of a leather jacket wearing biker whose skull and cycle are on fire is just plain cool.

This also means that the years have brought a tangle of continuity issues that any new writer has to either cut through or ignore. His story, at its core, revolves around motorcycle stunt driver Johnny Blaze who has made a deal with the devil, Mephisto in the Marvel Universe, in order to save the life of his friend who was dying of cancer. Selling his soul for a boon in a fixed game, Johnny Blaze becomes bound to Zarathos while his friend, cured of the cancer, ends up dying in another motorcycle stunt. Blaze and Zarathos eventually battle for control of the body.

In Ennis’ hands, gone is any mention of Zarathos or Mephisto, and Ghost Rider becomes almost a mythological figure, a boogeyman of the spiritual realms. All Johnny Blaze, doomed to damnation after making his pact with Satan.

The digital art by Clayton Crain is gorgeous to look at (again, artists drool at the prospect of drawing Ghost Rider) and proves a great match for Ennis’ story. It’s the Ennis portion of the story that gave me pause. Having read the best of his work, familiarity bred ... familiarity. Ennis doesn’t quite phone this story in, but he uses many of his rhythms, characters, and flourishes in this story. Hell and Earth somehow connected in Texas. The gamesmanship of spiritual forces, with the angels and demons not being all that different from one another. All that was missing was his love of soldiers and war stories, though it was hinted at with his fallen reverend character.

However, it’s obvious that Ennis keeps returning to spiritual themes for a reason, a showcase for his various issues with the Church, religion, and how God is depicted. Christianity, for him, is seen through the lens of the KKK and the corrupt rich church, complete with corrupt/fallen leader. Though some will surely say that this is a relevant image, my biggest beef is that it has become such a tired trope that writing this is lazy. And for a writer as talented as Ennis, such cliches are actually beneath him. It’s kind of like writing the evil businessman, which sadly, Ennis also does in this run.

However, his depiction of heaven and hell, angels and demons, are straight out of Medieval times, treating the imagery of the Bible to establish a grand mythology, much the same way the movie Constantine did. Yet this does touch on the nearly universal intuition of a cosmic conflict. That there are gods, angels, demons, principalities and powers engaged in a cosmic battle of good vs. evil, wreaking havoc on creation, bringing ills on humanity as collateral damage. This sense of a spiritual conflict has found its way into various mythologies and religious practices, yet our modern, Western mind has dismissed it as ignorant, primitive, or superstition. People believe what makes them feel safe, but this intrusion of the supernatural into the ordinary is what gives horror much of its thrust.

In a way, myth anticipates reality. Our world is largely shaped by this war between good and evil, both on an individual level (with our personal struggles), on a communal level (as humanity relates to one another), and on a spiritual level (the behind the scenes conflicts of the spiritual realm). Yet, according to the Christian story of the Bible, the devil and his kingdom of powers and demons is defeated by Christ’s death and resurrection. Jesus, the God-man as warrior, defeating these forces in unexpected, even counter-intuitive, ways. Through Christ, Death and evil are overthrown.

Ghost Rider, with his flaming skull and motorcycle, was a chain wielding hellspawn long before Todd McFarlane’s Spawn made it cool. This is a great jump on book for new readers as everything is as new to this “recalled to duty” Ghost Rider as it is to us. However, as a fan of Ennis, it felt like he just threw in all the things he was known for–from violence to his crass humor and his stock badass characters–without stretching for anything new. All this to whet our appetites, bring Ghost Rider to the forefront, in order to prepare the way for the feature length movie from Sony Pictures due out February 2007 and starring Nicholas Cage.


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Dear Santa

Everyday, my boys run out to the mailbox as I check for the day’s mail. They have an excitement, an expectation, though they never get any mail. I keep reminding them that none of their friends know how to write yet. However, they know that mommy or daddy will let them open the junk mail, which is more fun anyway, cause it usually involves envelopes full of coupons. So you can imagine their excitement when I start flipping through the letters and packages (because my wife can’t back away from Ebay) only to find a letter for each of my boys, their first ever. From Santa.

If you want a snapshot of Christmas time in the Broaddus household, despite our Santa discussion last year, the boys are excited about him. They balked at a black Santa display (“Santa’s white!”), but love our creche: a white Mary, a Black Joseph, and a Hispanic Jesus (see, “they” are taking all the good jobs!).

Anyway, I had to read their letters for them, to the delighted squeals of “how did he know?!?” Of course, my wife, keeper of the stamps and curious stationary, also told them that she has Santa’s cell number programmed into her phone. Here’s one letter:

Dear Reese,

Ho! Ho! Ho! It’s almost Christmas and I’ve been making my list and checking it twice to see which boys and girls have been naughty and nice. I’m very happy to see that you’re on my list of nice little boys.

I can’t believe you’re already so big that you’re in Kindergarten this year! Mrs. Brant told me that you’re doing so well in class. I hope you’re enjoying school and keep paying attention to your teacher.

The elves have been busy making lots of toys this year and they told me that you want a Soccer Goal for Christmas. I’ll do my best. My favorite part of Christmas is delivering toys to good children like you and I always try to bring something you’ll like. But remember that the best part of Christmas is being with the people who love you and sharing time with them. Toys are just an
extra special treat. The real meaning of Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ.

The reindeer are really looking forward to visiting Indianapolis again this year. Don’t forget to make sure you go to bed early since we can only visit houses where the children are asleep. Also try to obey your mom and dad better and quit fighting so much with Malcolm. Remember, I am watching.

Merry Christmas! Love,

Santa

I told the boys I obviously didn’t write it. “Ho! Ho! Ho!” would have been followed by a joke and the phrase “bad ass kids” would have been used a lot more. They’ve been carrying their letters around with them ever since. I bet once they start getting bills they’ll be a lot less excited to see the mailman.


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Rage Against Thor*

Yes, I know that I don’t believe in you, yet that won’t stop me from occasionally ranting about you. I can still blame you for everything that’s gone wrong in my life, for not being real to me like you are to other people. I can rage against my wanting to believe and my frustration at not being able to, and the futility (and facile nature) of faith. I have a problem with some of your followers, the institutions built up around you and some of the things done in your name. So despite my non-belief in you in the first place, I’m going to dedicate a good chunk of my thought life to you.

You have to realize some folks have to dedicate themselves to pointing out the faults of whatever it is we disagree with passionately. That’s what makes partisan politics such a special delight. Where would we be without the Rush Limbaughs, Ann Coulters, Michael Moores, and Al Frankens of the world?

Now some might say:

To love others means to characterize them; to caricaturize them (except when appropriate) is not to love our neighbor as ourselves. One of the first levels of critical thinking schools — and here I trade in being a teacher who has been asked to do far too much investigation of educational outcomes — is to learn to describe another person’s thoughts and beliefs (1) in their terms and (2) without evaluation. In other words, until a person can “characterize” properly, that person is not yet a critical thinker. If our attempts at characterizing end up in caricaturizing, we need to back off until our head cools.

I say, in grand retort, whatever.

It’s much easier to caricaturize a person, institution, or group rather than engage them. We all know that no person is much more than a collection of their faults, Thor, and someone has to keep reporting the weaknesses of the ideas people have built up about you and the litany of faults of the people who follow you. Otherwise, they might forget.

Thank Thor for people like us.


*Apologies to my friends who do worship Thor. This ain’t about you.


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Writers Finish Things

Some people just like the idea of being a writer.

They may go to conventions, they may hang out in writer’s groups, they may hang out on message boards that writers frequent, and they may even count several writers among their friends. To go that extra step, they may even have a writing project that they’ve been working on (for a long time that never seems to get done).

Put simply, some folks may simply indulge the trappings of being a writer. However, that doesn’t make them writers.

I’m reminded of how my high school English teacher defined writers: writers finish things.

Don’t get me wrong, we may have drawers full of unfinished projects (and projects that need to stay buried in those drawers); but if you’re serious about being a writer, you’ve finished some stories. You’re finishing that novel or screenplay. Even if no one sees it except the bottom of your trunk.

You don’t just have a blog talking about your writing, or rather, what you want to do. You don’t just regale your friends with tales of the ideas that you have.

Writers finish things.

Writers who want to be professional writers submit things.

Um, writers also occasionally blow their deadlines, but dammit, I’m gonna finish this essay I was supposed to have done by now before I bury it in my drawer.


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Lotto Woes

The potential privatization of the Hoosier Lottery could raise an immediate $1 billion for higher education and tens of millions more each year, but that may not be enough to win over skeptical lawmakers.

Kip Peterson, president of the Thorsborg Institute, a Georgia-based lottery consultant, said he thinks Indiana should be leery of outsourcing a division of government that generates hundreds of millions in revenue each year.

Philosophically, I’m a proponent of turning areas of government over to the private sector to run. When I think efficiency in running a program, oddly enough, big government doesn’t jump to the head of my list. Not that big, bureaucratic companies do either, but if we’re talking find a way to expand a pie and make the most profit from it, the private sector does come to mind.

Philosophically, I also opposed the lottery when it was first brought up. My thinking was that if you allow the lottery, they you say yes to all gambling. You couldn’t allow the lottery and then cry slippery slope later. The lottery is not in some special category separate from other forms of gambling. I don’t care if it’s just a dollar in a lottery game or

Philosophically, I am all about lower taxes and don’t kid yourselves, the lottery is basically a tax, voluntary though it may be, on the poor and the desperate. It’s not like the rich go “how can I best invest my money? I know, if I sink $10,000 into Lotto tickets, my money is sure to pay off.” Basic math tells you the odds of winning. It’s like praying to be struck by lightning.

Philosophically, I’m about to go buy me another lottery ticket. Half the time I don’t even check to see if I won: if I don’t check, then I get to cling to that special hope that I may actually be a millionaire. However, I only buy tickets when the lottery is large, that’s the only time it’s worth playing. A man has to think about his retirement plan. It’s either that or count on Social Security being there when I retire. Talk about long odds.


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Friday Night Date Place - Conversations 101

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Friday Night Date Place (and it’s still Friday night if I haven’t been to bed yet), to bring you an important relational message.

Fellas, fellas, fellas. I realize many of you are brooding Cro-Magnons, waiting for the potential within you to be recognized and a woman to come along and make you presentable for the rest of society. I get that, just as I applaud (and question) you ladies who jump on that diamond-in-the-rough/social misfit/fixer-upper grenade for the rest of us.

One of the things about being a brooding Cro-Magnon is that your selfishness can often be indulged. The world can be reduced to your wants and your needs and as a loner type ((sigh* that “bad boy” too many women are inexplicably drawn to, God bless them) you don’t have to do that whole “relate to humans other than yourself” thing.

Don’t take it personally, O gentle Cro-Magnon soul, you are basically in the same position as the rest of us. Relating to women can be tough. As a wise pastor once counseled me, and you may want to jot this down, “there’s something about having a vagina that must make a person crazy.”

With that in mind, let us examine a couple typical conversational scenarios and see the possible pitfalls that we might fall into.

Scenario #1:
Woman: “My day has me so stressed out ...”

Once you begin to hear about her day, do you:
A. Try to solve the problem?
B. Try to compare what she calls stress to what you went through today?
C. Try to listen to her as a sympathetic ear?

ANSWER: None of the above (what, you’ve never taken a quiz before?) This is what is known as the “white noise” portion of the relationship conversation. Women don’t want you to solve their problem, just listen. It’s how these aliens process their day. We men have precious little brain space and we can’t clog it up with the minutia of their day. So the key is to sound engaged while actually being in your happy place. Practice this conversational discipline: deep, slow inhale; deep, slow exhale, then say “uh huh”. The timing works out so that you sound like you’re paying attention and, as an added bonus, it keeps you from saying something stupid. Later, you can always claim to have “missed that part” if she asks you something about it - because you’re a dim-witted Cro-Mangon, she’ll understand. She’s happy that you’re just trying.

In this next scenario, you, O gentle Cro-Magnon soul, have mysteriously fallen into an argument. Go figure, since you’ve been studiously following my sage advice. Again, the key to conflict resolution is conversation. The sad reality is that at least one of the parties involved has to be the grown up. They have to suck it up and take the lead in getting to the heart of the problem, facilitating both parties positions being heard, and ensuring that compromise is reached or even a possible apology achieved.

Scenario #2:
Woman: “I’m sorry for my part of the conflict ...”

Fellas, do you:
A. Become your own lawyer and defend your original position?
B. Become a logic professor and break down the fallacies of her original point?
C. Become a petulant ass, hop on your high horse, and charge ahead with your rightness?
D. Become a student of the Maurice Broaddus School of Breathing Your Way Through a Conversation?

ANSWER: None of the above (aren’t you paying attention?). Remember this phrase if you decide to become your own lawyer: “Your Honor, my client is an idiot.” Fellas, apparently you’re new to relationships, and I’m simply trying to prepare you for the reality that is marriage. “I’m sorry” is your out cue. The fight is over if you let it. Admittedly this is a dream scenario, but if you get the apology, you take it an run. To be doubly safe, you apologize for something to. “For what?” you may ask. You’re a man - you’ve done SOMETHING wrong between the time you woke up and your next breath.

Now may also be a good time to explain to you the concept of a Pyrrhic victory. You can always win the argument. You can argue, badger, and charge your way to proving your point superior, but it may come at the price of bashing her self-esteem or doing irreparable harm to the relationship. Remember, what’s been said can’t be unsaid. And nine times out of ten, most arguments are about nothing in the first place. So you have to ask yourself “is being right worth it?”

A word of reassurance saves you from women playing the “tears card” for which there is no defense. O gentle Cro-Magnon soul, we know you love yourself and your w