I didn’t think Comicon could get any better, but then I didn’t count on Joss Whedon. Joss is, in some sense, the reigning god of this subculture – the person whose presence validates the entire tone that comic culture sets. As I listened to him speak today about his work, brilliantly and articulately – with that same respect for the audience that all practitioners in this genre share – I found myself thinking about the nature of this comic culture.
And I realize that what is unique about it is the sense that creators in comic culture are not merely creating art – they are also explicitly creating community. When you watch all seven seasons of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (Whedon’s masterpiece) you realize that it’s not merely a work of fiction, but rather a work that explicitly aims to help a community define itself.
And what is so interesting about this community is that it is explicitly a community of outsider culture – people who redefine “cool” in terms not of being the big bad, but rather by their ability to maintain an unwaveringly clear point of view about the nature of power and its ability to corrupt. A generation that looks not toward traditional American macho heroes like Rambo (the later one) or John Wayne, but rather to somebody like Barack Obama, who holds out the promise that he – and we – can look at a problem with a cool head and an ability to reason through problems.
And it occurred to me that the rise of more thoughtful and reflective popular literature, as written by Joss Whedon and Aaron Sorkine, has prefigured the current ascendency of a consensus of reason, as opposed to a consensus of “shock and awe”.
And that’s a good thing.
Obama Cool Headed? Such as the “we must take action NOW! Whether we read the 1,000 page “stimulus” plan, or not!”
Obama warned of a “catastrophe” without rapid government intervention… Rapid Government Intervention? Does this scare you as much as it scares me? I can just hope that “those of [them] who manage the public’s knowledge” (a B.O. statement somewhat contrary to claims of transparency) will make the correct decisions for those of us purposely left in the dark.
This is not cool-headedness. This is fear mongering to meet political ends without thoughtful consideration.
We are pumping more fake money into the economy then ever before, in the history of the world. Normally, this would be a recipe for hyperinflation. The big differences are the problems in the banking system, with interest rates near all time lows (in the Carter years, interest rates approached 18%, almost in lockstep with inflation).
So, now that we’ve seen a huge recession in stock prices, let’s look at the huge recession in overall savings accounts fueled by rapid inflation, and low interest rates (savings accounts are a net loss at the moment…)
So, shouldn’t we have a “little” time to consider such drastic measures before putting them into law?
I still have my fingers crossed with the Manchurian Candidate, but, he has failed us so far…
Sorry, I rambled a bit there… I am just of the opinion that the biggest decision that B.O. has made in office so far, has been a knee jerk reaction without careful consideration… the exact opposite of cool-headedness.
This is wonderful! Thank you Troy!!!!
Everyone I know has been trying to get into the Republican obstructionist mind as it madly spins its defeat in trying to stop any administration-led attempts at an economic recovery. Perhaps it wanted to point to a failed presidency in order to gain some seats in the midterm election – even if that would mean a complete crash of the economy.
When your business needs a cash infusion you take out loans in a timely fashion and you make your payroll. You don’t wait until you’ve already gone bust, because then you’ve lost any hope of giving a return on investment.
I am glad that our president’s noble attempt to reach across the aisle stopped short of letting the minority party hold the economy hostage. And I am really glad we have a Republican mouthpiece on this blog. Most of our readers in Europe – who don’t view pooling their own tax money for their own use as a form of evil – have been confused by Republican pronouncements on the order of “Roosevelt’s New Deal was a failure!” Maybe you can help them understand the workings of the right-wing mind.
I see you’ve decided after all to refer to our nation’s Commander in Chief with a term for “Body Odor”. It’s a good thing you left the military! 🙂
Did you really see this as an attempt to “reach across the aisle”? The vote was almost exactly along party lines, with the exception of the three republicans that ended up being the swing votes.
I am still in the military, btw… Kind of shocking when I showed up for duty last week to see a picture of our new fearless leader on the wall… 🙂 Just a quick note about that… my military peers, overwhelmingly, are concerned with their new commander in chief… Kind of funny when you think about how everyone seems to think that the military is upset about our current situation and needs to be rescued from their plight… I will tell you that the members of my squadron are more upset if they get left behind rather than if they get deployed. They want to be part of the solution that they know is of paramount importance to maintaining our interests and security.
Independant of whether you agree with Obama, or not, the current stimulus bill is a BIG deal. I think we can all agree on that… So, my question was simple… With such a BIG deal that may have a profound effect on our economy, for generations to come, don’t you think a little time for review would have been prudent? Seriously?
Are you suggesting that a week, or even a couple of days, would have been too long to “make payroll” or risk busting?
Also, make no mistake. We are not simply talking about deploying our tax money… This is money that doesn’t yet exist. This is borrowing, huge borrowing, that will be the burdon of generations to come.
These are bailouts that could easily end up in nationalization of our banking system (think Ruble). I am not taking an “us versus them” position on this. I was opposed to the Bush bailout as well. It’s the wrong direction.
Yes, the economy is reeling. It’s not Obama’s fault and it’s not Bush’s fault. There have been influences going back to the Clinton days that have been exacerbated by attempts at government interference and will continue to be exacerbated by government interference.
We are at the brink of a decades long financial catostrophe, and the best thing we can come up with is an unread, untried, blue sky spending bill?
For the record… I do consider myself a conservative, but, have been alienated by the Republican party. So, I don’t know if “Republican Mouthpiece” is the best nomer. Perhaps “Caustic Preservationist Mouthpiece”? 🙂
BTW, Sorry about the B.O. Not meant as disrespect, it’s just so darn funny… makes me giggle as I type… I’d use it independant of my feelings behind the man, the myth, or the legend…