Monthly Archives: March 2011

Religion is a difficult topic to discuss.  It has always been a dividing point in societies.  Religion has been at the basis of many wars and disputes.  In our current Millennial society religion is often viewed as forgotten, but it is still at the center of many of our everyday actions.  Religion is closely associated with morality and ethics and in today’s society where many of our decisions are permanently documented our decisions are more public than ever.  For this reason it would appear that religions sentiments should be heavily ingrained in society even if religious practice is not.

In the screening of The Secret Life of the American Teenager there is an extreme depiction of how religious beliefs can impact ones life.  The concept of sex penetrates all aspects of the show.  The shows main character is faced with the dilemma of what to do as a pregnant teen.  Her two friends quarrel over the course of action that should be taken and whether or not abortion is a legitimate option.  This contention with abortion is one that resonates with a lot of religious groups.  The most blatant display of religion in the show is when Grace, a very religious girl, comes to school with a promise ring.  Her boyfriend is shocked by this new accessory and realizes that he is unable to live within the confines of a religious abstinence driven life.  He cheats on his girlfriend and then seeks forgiveness, quoting that God forgives for sins.  He claims that he is a Christian and a Man but that he doesn’t know how to be both.  In the olden days when religion was ingrained in culture in some societies it would’ve been impossible to be perceived as a true man if you weren’t Christian.  For this troubled teenager the two definitions of Man and Christian could not appear any more different.  Our social definitions are not always in line with factual definitions, in this show dominated by sex the extreme differences between socially accepted norms and religiously accepted norms are on display.

The show Supernatural provided a very different examination of religious sentiments.  Supernatural is a show not based on reality but instead on a fictitious life where demons have come to try to take over.  In this show the main character has arisen from the dead and returned from hell.  The show builds on many commonly accepted traits such as TV and radio static symbolizing trouble.  The cliché references turned me off of the show.  I also found it incredible that the main characters so quickly accept the concept of demons, but when Castellano confronts Dean and claims to be an angel of the lord Dean asserts that there is no such thing.  It says something that we are so quick to accept demons and bad and yet we hold such reserves against the possibility of a good angel existing.

As described in the “Religion Among the Millennials” article although religion as an organization may be dying, the sentiments still resonate strongly in society.  Religion is a complicated front that many people feel uncomfortable discussing and yet the beliefs it embodies have not been forgotten.  I personally do not strongly associate with an organized religion and yet God and the moral values religion embraces drive my life.  I feel that this is the thought of many Millennials.  This viewpoint gives our generation the benefits of ethical guidance without the dangers of religious corruption.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=6243247

Barry Bonds became a household name as he racked up 73 long balls during the historic 2001 baseball season.  He set the record for both most homeruns hit in a single season and in a career.  Bonds owns one of the most impressive offensive resume’s the game has ever seen.  Still, his achievements have been looked at critically as he played during the “steroid era.”  During this time it is known fact that many of the game’s big stars were taking performance-enhancing drugs.  It is widely believed that Barry Bonds was at the forefront of this trend.  He ballooned in size in a short period of time and his offensive statistics seemed to defy convention as they improved with age.  While most people peak around 30, Bonds had the best offensive season in the history of the game at age 36.  The public constantly looked down upon this success.  Bonds was viewed was a horrible human who cheated the game.  Baseball is America’s pastime and the concept of players cheating appalled many Americans.  After the publicizing of the Mitchell Report many players were forced to come forward and admit to their actions.  For the most part the crimes went unpunished; a slight hit to their image was the only consequence the guilty players ensued.  Bonds vehemently denied any and all allegations that he knowingly took performance-enhancing drugs.  For this, he has been under public scrutiny for the past ten years.

As the game has evolved and Bonds has retired, his achievements and actions have slipped into distant memories.  Recent events have brought them back to the front page as Bonds trial for perjury is set to take place in the upcoming weeks.  It is widely believed that Bonds lied about knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs while under oath.  I believe that Bonds did lie.  It seems very unlikely that someone was able to put up the numbers he did that late in his career.  Coupling this with the knowledge of the prevalence of the drugs in the game leads me to the sole conclusion that Bonds is guilty.  After reaching this conclusion it is important to take a step back and decide what the punishment should be for his crime.  There are many out there that are disgusted that impurities like performance-enhancing drugs could taint the game, but I do not fall into this party.  I believe that although drugs should not be condoned, there was an era when they were an accepted part of the game and should be deemed as such.  When Bonds was accused of taking drugs they were not against the rules.  Bonds is not on trial for doping, he is on trial for perjury.  I believe that he should be punished for this and should realize his mistake.  If he had taken the road of many other professionals such as Andy Pettitte who apologized for their mistakes the public would’ve forgave him and forgotten.  Bonds was so insistent on keeping his public image clean that he ended up tainting it further.  I feel for the ball player who was just trying to play the game, but I have no sympathy for the liar who refused to be honest with his fans.  Steroids were part of the game of baseball and there will always be an era stained by steroids.  I hope that the era is not lingered upon, but also not forgotten.  After the conviction of baseball’s Homerun King hopefully we can put this era behind us and keep it solely as a memory and a warning of the corruption that is able to penetrate even a pastime as pure as baseball.

Harry Potter makes connections that associate technology and magic in ways that should raise concern to our generation.  Millennials are growing up in an age when technology has the ability to take over our lives.  Harry is not happy when he is at home for the summer, out of contact from his friends and from magic much in the same way that we become agitated when isolated from the technology we have begun to rely on.  Technology in our society can pose great threats as well as advantages in a similar fashion to the way Magic is seen in Harry Potter.

In Harry Potter good magic can simplify life and solve problems, conversely many of these problems originated due to dark magic.  It is the responsibility of the individual to decide how he is going to use magic in a similar way, as it is the job of the individual in our society to decide how to use technology.  In Harry Potter, Harry has an internal struggle trying to differentiate himself from Voldemort.  This internal struggle between good and evil is one that individuals in today’s society contemplate everyday.  The amount of decisions and the severity and lasting effects of these decisions are magnified by our technological advances in the same way that Harry’s decisions are more drastic due to magic than a muggle’s decisions may be.

The most interesting parallel I drew between modern society and Harry Potter’s magical life was the comparison between Facebook and Occlumency.  In the Movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry is introduced to Occlumency which is a way for Lord Voldemort to look inside Harry’s mind and either use memories against him or implant new ones.  It is Professor Snape’s job to teach Harry how to close his mind and block out this connection.  This is very similar to Facebook in modern society.  Facebook is a fun tool the same way memories are.  Harry cherishes his memories in the same way that we cherish our pictures and connections with friends; still both memories in Harry’s mind and our memories online can pose problems.  Voldemort is said to have tortured people with their memories until they wished nothing short of death.  He effectively used their memories to destroy their lives.  In today’s society an ever-pressing concern for many young adults entering the workforce is how we will be portrayed by our virtual identity.  One incriminating picture on Facebook is eternal, and if privacy settings are not secure enough we are vulnerable to employers viewing us in a negative light.  This concept of privacy is displayed in Harry Potter and is becoming more pertinent in our technologically advanced lives.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6210012

No one thought it was possible.  Months after the rumors of a potential lockout began the day has finally come.  On Friday March 11, 2011 the NFLPA and the owners failed to reach an agreement on the new CBA.  The first work stoppage for the league since 1987 was underway.  I still personally believe an agreement will be reached before the season starts, no games will be missed and yet the effects of this lockout will forever be felt.  Pay cuts across the league are already being handed down.  The Commissioner, Roger Goodell, took an extreme pay cut; his previous salary of $10 Million a year including bonuses has been reduced to $1.  This to me is more of a publicity stunt than anything of substance.  Goodell has enough money that this pay cut will not affect his way of life.  The bigger concern is the league and team officials that are being forced to take cuts.  These employees did nothing wrong and had no say in the success of the CBA talks and yet they as bystanders are being affected by the selfishness of both sides.  This is a travesty but they are supposed to be reimbursed if no games are missed.  I hope this is the case.

I am excited to see what comes of the antitrust lawsuit filed by 10 players against the owners in a Minnesota federal court.  My feelings have not changed on the issues.  I am a fan of the game and of the sport.  I wish it was easy enough for these men to just play the game but unfortunately there is a business side that will always get in the way.  People react to incentives and money; hopefully both sides will reach an agreement before the season gets underway.  Currently the effects of this lockout are so widespread we cannot even begin to fully comprehend their vast implications.

Another interesting story line to follow is what the players do with their time off.  It is troubling to think about the trouble young adults with lots of money, no steady income, and unlimited time can get up to.  I hope that the two sides settle their differences quickly.  Otherwise the consequences could be severe.

The show Roswell, although dated conveys some powerful messages regarding invisibility, individuality, and alienation.  It is incredible that a popular show ten years ago can appear so outdated.  It was less the technological advances of the past ten years, the lack of cell phones, the dated cars, the absence of computers and it was more the script.  The script was a much slower pace than I was accustomed to and the lines were corny.  This show reaffirmed the thought that millennial’s are constantly evolving.  It is incredible that life can change so drastically in one decade.  Still, if we put all of these differences aside we are able to dissect some important millennial themes.

Millennial’s are not a generation known for taking a back seat and listening to authority.  We are a generation that defies normality’s and strives for better.  This characteristic is evident through the actions of Max, Liz and their friends.  They are not willing to stand back and allow the sheriff to run his investigation; rather they are going to fight for what they believe in and protect their super natural secret.

It is incredible to me that fans of the show found comfort in each other after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It is interesting to see how online forums can blend relationships and create interactions that delve far deeper than the original framework of the medium.  I think this is a dangerous relationship; the fact that people were speaking about the 9/11 attacks in a TV show forum is troubling.  Still, this was a catastrophic even and similarly to the spaceship crash in Roswell, 9/11 was an even that defined our generation.  This incident shows the blend between online friends in a forum and true links.  These people were going through a traumatic incident and found comfort in each other.  Their mutual admiration for Roswell created a bond that reached far beyond the screen.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=6177574

Rick Reilly, A notorious satirist sports writer puts a very biased spin on a troubling issue.  Still, his article is entertaining and raises interesting points.  Reilly bashes the owners who enjoy luxuries lifestyles for wanting a bigger cut of the pie.  This viewpoint is un-American.  We are a country built on capitalism and progress.  We should not tell people that once they have enough money to live a good life they should stop working or do all of their work pro bono.  This mentality would hamper development.  I am not saying that we should not have some sort of equality and redistribution but I have no problem with the owners wanting to prosper.  There should be more transparency in their records, but if what they claim is true then they have a legitimate case for a greater piece of revenue sharing.

Reilly comments that many of the owners inherited their teams and thus should be thankful for what they have been given, this mindset is insane.  Inheritance is a byproduct of our society and not looked down upon in any other facet of the economy.  It is true that many of the owners enjoy an extravagant lifestyle but that is inevitable in a capitalistic society.

Still, Reilly raises many good points.  A lockout would, according to the NFLPA, cost each NFL city $160 million and 3,000 jobs. That’s 93,000 jobs nationwide. This is a true catastrophe that we should be working to avoid.  It is not the owners who should be blamed exclusively for this travesty; both sides need to work together to avoid this from happening.  It is a key point that is often over looked.  This is a dispute between the players and the owners but the effects reach far beyond the two sides.  Many people not only rely on the NFL for entertainment but for their jobs and income as well.  These are the true victims of the debacle, not the owners and not the players.  Reilly does a great job at spinning a story to make the owners look like the bad guys, but at the end of the day the two sides need to cooperate for the common good.

All of that anticipation, March 4, 2011, D-day, Armageddon, the day when America’s favorite sport was going to be destroyed and now we have to wait.  Yesterday as emotions ran high the owner’s and players association for the NFL agreed to extend the expiration of the CBA for 24 hours.  The main goal today is to get another extension of 7-10 days.  I wonder why it has taken these two sides this long to begin discussions.  The two sides refused to speak for the past few months even when they knew this day was quickly approaching.  Now America needs to continue to wait to see what is going to happen.  The one-day extension is a positive sign, it means that both sides understand the severity of the situation and both sides want to reach an agreement.  I believe that we will see the week extension granted today, but still nothing will be accomplished.  Both sides have so much to lose by not cooperating and yet they continue to be hardheaded.  As a fan of the game it is so frustrating to watch.  I still hold to my initial prediction that a resolution will be reached before next season.

The other problem with this fiasco is public perception.  The players, who I believe have been semi unreasonable throughout this procedure, proposed the 7-10 day extension.  The owners must accept the proposal in order to assure they don’t look like the bad guys.  In a business that makes its money by fan appeal both sides need to stay angelic in the public’s eyes.  Today is a big day for American football’s future.  Next week is going to be even bigger.  Let’s just hope that these two sides can settle their differences and play football, hopefully in time for me to get a summer internship.

Harry Potter is a staple of the Millennial generation. Not because of his magical powers and how they can be associated with technology, although this is a comparison that can be drawn, but rather because he engulfed our lives through a multitude of medias. J. K. Rowling originally wrote Harry Potter in the mid 1990’s and our generation immediately took to it. Movies were made at the turn of the century and video games, blogs, chat forums and every other imaginable type of media source quickly followed. Harry Potter is more than a fad; it is a forum that has engulfed every facet of our lives.
Harry Potter has branched out, it is not only a movie that our youth can watch, or a book that they can read, but the series has sparked the interest of many. As explained by Ernest L Bond and Nancy L. Michelson, Harry Potter contributed greatly to “fan fiction” as an online experience. Fan fiction has expanded so rapidly now that there are countless addendums written by fans across the globe that explain additional fictional accounts of Harry and his supporting characters lives. An article by Henry Jenkins describes one archive, Fictionalley, which contains over 30,000 stories. It is great that a book like this can capture kids minds, not only to read but also to expand, use their imagination and continue to write as they develop their ideas. The Internet has allowed these amateur writers to come into contact with each other and create literary works together. The Internet has offered a medium for these kids to write about what they enjoy discussing. It allows learning and writing to be fun and occur outside of the confines of the school atmosphere.
It is incredible that a story like that of Harry Potter can become so well known. It would be hard to find a household that doesn’t recognize the name Harry Potter or his famous scar. Why is it that this story of a boy who just didn’t quite fit in resonates so well with our generation? It is possible that we view Harry a bit like ourselves. He is expected to understand magic the same way that we are expected to be exceptional with technology, but there are aspects that he doesn’t initially grasp. Sirius explained that he could not send Harry’s owl Hedwig, but rather had to use another because Hedwig may be intercepted. This made me think of emails and texts and how no means of our communication are truly secure anymore. For this reason people are constantly trying to find new ways to communicate as demonstrated by Sirius speaking though the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common room.
Harry Potter fans are not wizards. They do not read the book because they are encountering the same problems in the wizarding world, and yet it is a story that has engulfed and become a staple of our generation. Millennials have found a way to connect to the story, and have found a way through the use of the books, the Internet, TV, and video games to take on the characters and make them their own. It is incredible how one story can utilize so many facets of media.