Category Archives: Opinion

Analysis, Essays, Nerding, Non-fiction, Opinion

Ghostbusters and subtext

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     Is Ghostbusters really about “nothing”? In other words, does it lack subtext which ultimately makes it about more than three academic outcast busting ghost? I think there is an answer and it’s quite simple, it’s also why the original film seems to resonate more with Millennial men than older generations.

     The movie introduces us to three men, all of whom work at the same University investing a ghost sighting at the NYC library. Each one has a different personality and all three work well for the story being told. Peter is the outgoing, sarcastic, skeptical one. Egon is the straight-laced, somber scientist with a bias towards the paranormal. Ray is the giant man-child, with a clear bias in the supernatural, evidence by his bursting into Peter’s office, like a kid at Christmas over a ghost sighting.

     There is where the beginning of the subtext start to take hold, which is subtle, yet there and I think misunderstood as being less of a character flaw than something like, believing in ghost for instance.

     Ray is the man who is afraid to grow and face the real world. It may not seem it, but it’s ever present throughout the movie, instead of in your face. It is called subtext after and subtext isn’t an IPA.

     The next exchange we see regarding Ray’s fear of adulthood is a conversation with Peter over being kicked out of the university. “You never worked in the private sector before, I have, they expect results.” Cements his fear of going back into the “adult” world, that he was a part of and didn’t really fare too well. Following the heels of this scene we get the exchange “I grew up in that home, you didn’t even bargain with the guy!” once again the language leads us to believe that he is fearful of growing up.

     I notice that most millennial men who enjoy this movie are often much like Ray. They have toy collections, they’re very much the embodiment of the Peter Pan complex.

     Back to the movie, we’re developing the theme of Ray’s childhood fear, authority is the antagonist, more so than Gozer. This is a very child mentality were a US vs Them against authority comes into play. Walter Peck might be dick less, but he has a job to do and is an adult voice of reason. The mayor is a voice of reason, the university is the voice of reason.

     Peter is clearly not a man-child, just kind of lazy. He does all the active work in the Ghostbusters movie, a sign of lack of maturity is passivity. Ray and Egon have no interpersonal skills and it shows, since Peter is the “father” figure of the group and a horrible one at that. Egon might be just an awkward introvert, but Ray just cannot be bothered. He couldn’t even contain himself from sliding down the pole at the showing of their future headquarters.

     Even Ray’s cigarette smoking is, subliminally, showing us he is a child as by the second movie he choose more “mature” forms of tobacco and while tobacco use of any kind is really a horrible choice, given the time period a pipe and a cigar had different connotations than cigarette smoking.

     A huge part of everyone’s story, but Ray’s is a woman in their life. Peter has Dana, Egon has the sexually aggressive Janie Melitz, but Ray has a wet dream, normally associated with adolescence, about a ghost.This is typical male fear of intimacy.

     Once we get to the ending, where the Ghostbusters fight Gozer, we are seeing the conclusion of Ray’s whole character arc. He chooses the form of the Statepufft Marshmallow Man as the destructor, now it is his litteral childhood he is facing down. “It just popped in there.” and “I tried to think of the most harmless thing. Something I loved from my childhood, something that could never, ever possibly destroy us: Mr. Stay-Puft”

     The destruction of Stay-Puft is the conclusion of Ray’s character arc. All for come back to a hero’s welcome, but with Ray seeming more contemplative and somber after it all, as the credits roll.

     This was Ray’s rebirth, where this whole adulting thing is not as bad as Ray had feared and he takes it into the second movie with him.

     This ultimately makes the whole movie about Ray, growing up and conquering your fears in order to become something ultimately much greater.

Essays, Non-fiction, Opinion, retro, Writing

Nothing Left to Lose: Poverty is Freedom (2013)

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     You see that fecal matter on the sidewalk? Take a nice big whiff because that, my friends, is the smell of freedom. We are free to live our lives on our own accord. To succeed or fail based on our own merits. The very essence of what this great country of ours was founded upon.

     I have been homeless and you wouldn’t believe how much better life was. Every morning I was awoken by the beautiful sounds of nature and radiant warmth of the sun. Sleeping on the cool ground and looking up at the universe each night before falling asleep. No responsibility at all. That is how nature intended us to live and live I did.

     Being surrounded by the beauty of nature really allows you to reflect on humanities so called “Progress”.
Are we really making strides in our own evolution? It seems to me that we are really stifling our true nature and defiling the human spirit.
Civilization is for the weak. Human beings where not meant to waste their lives shackled to a cubicle, at a nine to five job for a paltry sum. To survive in the wilderness is for the strong. When was the last time you caught a fish with your bare hands?

     While the rest of us just continue on with our mediocre existence, the homeless seek adventure. They are some of the most interesting types of people you will ever meet. Where else could you go at two in the afternoon and listen to an old war veteran regale you with tales of war?

     To say we have a homeless problem is fallacious. No, we have a Homemore problem. That is, the more homes you have the less connected you are with your roots.
James Cameron, speaking through his character of Jack from the movie Titanic said:

…I got everything I need right here with me. I got air in my lungs, a few blank sheets of paper. I mean, I love waking up in the morning not knowing what’s gonna happen or who I’m gonna meet. Where I’m gonna wind up. Just the other night I was sleeping under a bridge and now here I am on the grandest ship in the world having champagne with you fine people. I figure lifes a gift and I don’t intend on wasting it. You don’t know what hand you’re gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it comes at you. To make each day count.


     You can live your life in a veritable prison or you could enjoy absolute freedom. The choice is up to you.
So why not quit your job, burn down your abode and come join up with the rest of the tramps as we journey off in search of ourselves.
So, as Jack said: Here is to making each day count.

Non-fiction, Opinion, Review, Wrestling, Writing

WWE Network (Review 2014)

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WWE Network is a Netflix based video streaming service that is all about pro wrestling. If you were like me when you were younger, you might remember found memories of watching World Wrestling Entertainment with your father and Grandfather.

-Click to continue>

Books, Non-fiction, Opinion, Reviews, Writing

JoyLand Book Review (2014)

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     Devin “Jonesy” Jones is a twenty-one year old college student with writing aspirations. In the summer of 1973, he finds himself spending his summer working for an amusement park known as Joyland, hoping to get over his former girlfriend. But Joyland is anything but jovial. It has a dark past filled with murder, mystery and most of all, a ghost.

     I found Joyland to be relatively enjoyable read. It’s not an amazing read but enjoyable. King managed to craft a sympathetic character who is funny, likeable and mildly interesting.

     The problem is, Joyland is less of a thriller/detective story and more of a coming of age tale. The seedy history of Joyland was really more of a B-plot that occasionally reared its head to remind you that you’re reading a Stephen King book and not some light fluff remincient of a Nicholas Sparks book.

     The crux of the story really hinges on life lessons learned during a summer away from college when Devin just happens to fail backwards into solving an old mystery.

     So if you bought Joyland hopping for a gritty noir story, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Unlike 11/22/63, King’s previous outing before Joyland, this book just doesn’t satisfy.

     It lacks the King hallmark that have brought millions of readers into the fold for years. While being different is ultimately a good thing, it didn’t seem to work here.

     One of the many things that define a Stephen King novel is his ability to craft characters with backstory’s so rich, you’d think you would have known them their entire lives. Not so here. We get glimpses into Devin’s past and present throughout the book but never enough to think he truly know the character. He might be likeable but the real mystery is Devin himself.

     Another hallmark was King’s ability to bring you into the past. You would think that you were in the time period he writes about as opposed to just being privy to someone’s story. You could almost be walking right alongside his characters as his story was happening and not just passively listening to someone else’s story.

     I do appreciate the references to various novels, music and writers. The cover of the book perfect, capturing those dime store novels of the past and the fact it was only released in paperback makes me appreciate it all the more.

     Although it’s a short read, I think you’ll find yourself left unsatied by this King effort if you go into it with the wrong mind set. Be forwarned that the book is less a mystery and more a character story. It has its moments and I’m sure you’ll take something away from this as you will any King book. Only time will tell if it will stay with you, though.

Three out of five stars.

Essays, Link Dump, Non-fiction, Opinion, retro

Retro Appetizer! (2008-2010)

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Here is a bunch of short blog post, in their original format, under their original pen names and everything I did in that era, which were not articles, but with more to come.

John Edwards Cheats

“Cats and dog’s living together, mass hysteria”-Bill Maury “Ghostbusters”

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/08/edwards.affair/index.html

You mean, under that very expensive hair cut, John Edwards is *GASP!* HUMAN! Oh my God! What is the world coming to when a human being makes a mistake and does something that goes along with their carnal nature? *shock, horror*

Who would have thought that a human being was anything short of infallible? Clearly not those who are reading this story on Edwards.

There is no way he could possibly, ever run a country now because he cheated on his wife.

Oh, woe is he who would vote for a man on his credentials on running a country and not on his sex life. Edwards should never run for president ever in the near future, because this is simply too much to bare. it warps my entire worlds view.

Anyone willing to discount a person from being president based on his personal life, especially after they elected a Jesus freak, ex coke head to office, needs to be shot.

Man Has Kid
Just because you changed your sex to become a man, does not make your pregnancy a “miracle”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23942218/

A woman who had a sex change 10 years ago to become is now “pregnant”.

News flash! Getting a sex change, but keeping the female reproductive system you where born with, cause you were a woman to begin with, doesn’t count.

Sadly, idiots like to feed into a person like this who is just looking for attention and publicity. In a different article she was even quoted, I believe, as saying that she liked the fact this would generate controversy and mess with taboo’s.

I don’t think we should even consider this news worthy to begin with.

Show me a Man who was actually born a man, and who can get pregnant and I will show you a true miracle. Til then, file this under “Retarded attention whores”

Change?
America needs to stop deluding itself that is has made Change. Fact is, America has not made change and probably will not make real change for a long, long time. Sure people will say But we elected a black man to the highest office in our nation Yet we are so quickly ready to forget that Obama is half white. What does that speak of about our country? That we will elect someone, but only if he is half white? What if Obama was totally black, would our nation still have elected him, or would we have snubbed him based on race? What if Obama was totally white? Would he still have clinched his parties nomination?

How can we pride ourselves on making Change when in the same night, a state, who voted overwhelmingly to elect a man who is half black to our nations highest office, also voted against gay marriage in the same night?

America: We want change, but not THAT much change.

CUNT OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Well, who could possibly be the biggest cunt of 2009 before it is even over?

Daniel Petric, 17 of Ohio. This piece of shit killed his mother and his father, while they were in bed, then tried to make it look like a murder suicide and pin it on his father, all because they took his Halo game away from him. Oh, cry me a river fuck face.

They gave the little shit 23 years to life with parole. They say it isn’t fully his fault, because he was young and the video game influenced him.

FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU!!!

This video game made him do it shit is fucking lame as hell. That is just as bad as saying the Devil made you do it. You have no one to blame but yourself, fuck face! Stop scapegoating shit and own up and take fucking responsibility.

They should of gave you LIFE, if not killed you. You are so fucking Ohio didn’t give you the death penalty, if they even have it.

I hope you enjoy taking black dick for 23 years, because you are going to be filled out like an application.

I also hope every night before you go to bed, you see your mothers face and you are haunted for the rest of your fucking life.

“At the trial, Mark Petric testified that his son came into the room and asked his parents: “Would you guys close your eyes? I have a surprise for you.”
The father testified that he expected a pleasant surprise. Then his head went numb from a gunshot.”-THOMAS J. SHEERAN Yahoo News

Article on the douche bag

EDIT: We have a two way tie for biggest cunt of 2009;Tyler Weinman, ladies and gentleman, the “alleged” Florida cat killer. fuck you, too, you stupid cunt!

Calling a spade a spade

What the hell is up with the term “Sex offender”? It is so broad and vague. Is a sex offender someone who offends the opposite sex?

Why can’t we just toss political correctness to the side and call a spade a spade?

Lets call a child molester what he is, a fucking child molester. No special names for what they are. Same goes for pedophiles, rapist, dog fuckers and other people that end up on the “offender” list.

Don’t vague it up in an attempt to hide what these people did and give them some semblance of a normal life.

Do we call Serial Killers “Multiple life removers”? No, we don’t. Why cut corners here?

The term sex offender is also a form of scare tactics on suburban life. When you distribute fliers about how a “sex offender” lives next door to you, you are inciting fear in everyone nearby, because they jump to the conclusion that a “sex offender” is automatically a child molester.

Why should Holly house wife have to live in fear,–which passes onto her kids, because kids can feel their parents fear–when you can just straight shoot with us?

I’m not going to worry if Joe Dog Rapist is living 20 feet from a school zone. I do care when Ron Pedophile/Child rapist is, though.

Sure we can just look the person up on the list and see how he offended…but if we can find that out anyways, why not just tell us?

In fact, I think that all “sex offenders” should legally be forced to change there last name to reflect there crimes so there is no mistake about who they are and what they did.

Lets see Ron Pedophile hide from his crimes now.

Letter to the Editor

What happened to a time when people who committed the crimes where responsible for what they did? It appears those times are gone, as the local 7-11 is trying to stop things before they even happen, in an attempt to thwart some crimes.

See, if you are a certain age or below you get carded for cigarettes, and I am all for being carded; keeping minors from buying cigarettes/alcohol is a good thing, but potentially stopping me from making a purchase because I have someone with me who may or may not be a minor is just plain idiocy.

I am an individual, and what I do has nothing to do with anyone but me. You cannot assume I am going to commit a crime before I am even out the door, and if I do commit a crime once I am outside, then the responsibility goes to me and me alone.

It is not 7-11’s job to make judgment calls about what might happen.

If we’re going to start trying to predict crimes, why don’t they stop selling alcohol to anyone to drives to 7-11 with a car? After all, each person who buys alcohol and then gets into their car could be a drunk driver with the ability to harm others, could they not? Might as well go the full nine yards with this one, right?

Does 7-11 also extend this policy of double carding to parents who purchase tobacco or booze in the presence of their children? After all, children are most likely to get tobacco or alcohol from their parents than any other source around. Ask someone who started smoking or drinking at a young age and I bet you are most are apt to find that they were getting it from a parent’s stash as opposed to getting some stranger to buy them alcohol or tobacco. (To answer my own question posed above, 7-11 does not double card parents who are with their children. My mother was able to purchase alcohol and we were told only one of us need be carded and it didn’t matter which.)

The irony to this story is that while 7-11 is hassling young people in a vain attempt at stopping crime, they are also one of the biggest perpetrators of another crime, the use of Marijuana. They guise their sale of “Blunt wraps” under the cover of tobacco use only, but unlike the water pipe that has tobacco use roots in the Middle East and traditional Zig-Zag rolling papers which are used for roll your own cigarettes, blunt wraps are clearly meant for rolling weed in. Some come with names that are associated with Marijuana or carry pictures of popular hip-hop stars that are known to have smoked the illegal substance.

What pillars of the community, uh?

-William

Sex for Dummies?
Right, so what is the dumbest “for Dummies” book one could think of? If you said “Nuclear bomb buliding for dummies” well, you’re prob right. What is the second dumbest? “Sex for dummies” (Yes, this book is real) Honestly, how stupid does one have to be to read this book? What the fuck would it even look like anyways?

Chapter one:
Remove your clothes (Socks optional)

Chapter two:
Wrong hole dummy, aim higher

Chapter three:
The Promised land

Chapter four:
PULL OUT! PULL OUT!

Chapter five:
Oops! Where to find the morning after pill

Chapter six:
She wasn’t laughing at you…ok, maybe she was.

Chapter seven:
Don’t panic, that’s why we have penicillin.

Chapter eight:
Condoms. (Maybe we should have put this chapter in front of the book)

Chapter nine:
She told me she was eighteen. (and a 101 other excuses)

Chapter 10
Other things you could have bought besides this book.

Essays, Non-fiction, Opinion, retro, Writing

FUCK NERD CULTURE (2009)

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Starwars sucks. There, I said it. I just commited the highest blasphemy in geek history. My cpu will be sent trojans (unforuntly not condoms, cause a Starwars fan has never known a womans touch) Dorks will camp outside my house for months just to get a chance to hit me with there plastic TOY sabers. The anti-christ will come forth to cause destruction and cats and dogs will be living together. Mass hysteria!

Now, with that said, I will not overlook the contributions that Starwars has given to the cinema. Without Lucas and ILM making Starwars, who knows where movie special fx would have went. Would we have a lot of our beloved movies we have today, had Starwars not come first? Prob. not. We also have it to partily thank for Kevin Smiths career. Kevin Smith is awesome, but I digress.

I highly doubt there is a Starwars fan among you that can say they, at one point or another, have not been fed up with the “holy trilogy”. Even bored by it. How many times has Lucas messed with the oringal flims? How about how bad Episodes 1 and 2 sucked? the only reason people liked 3 was to see the return of Vader. Hardly Worth suffering through Jar Jar binks for.

Starwars has become too mainstrem for its own good. Everyone is a Starwars fan now. Part of being a geek is liking the obscure. Things others don’t find cool, we do.

This goes double for you fantasy loving geeks out there. Lord of the Rings SUCKS! Those are the most blatlenty homo-erotic movies ever concived. While the books might be good, the movies are boring and GAY! Just because you’re the grandfather of all fantasy, doesn’t mean everything about you is awesome.

While I am at it, Horror needs a kick in the nuts. Its all the same. Saw movies SUCK! Hostel movies SUCK! PG-13 horror SUCKS! J-horror SUCKS! Remakes SUCK! Zombie movies and fans, SUCK! I ain’t even talking about Rob here, I am talking about movies about zombies. Zombies are the worst monsters ever, stop holding them up on a pedestal, RETARDS!

Following this suit, Freddy, Jason, Micheal, Chucky and Pinhead, need to stay DEAD! Freddy is a joke. Jason is boring. Micheal gets raped by shitty musicans who think they can direct, and the Hellrasier movies, while they all suck to begin with, don’t even involve Pinhead anymore.

Horror just plain sucks now. It’s fun while your a kid, but it soon loses it luster after you realize how they’re all the same movie, repacked to be sucked up by the idiot public.

RPG’s are DUMB! D&D sucks. So don’t you if you have discussions about how your broad soward gets +7 damage if cast at night and other retarded things. The only decent RPG is prob Vampire the Requiem and other White Wolf games.

If you’re one of those losers that plays any RPG all day, and I don’t care if it’s D&D or World of Warcraft (Which sucks just as much) or any RPG, you need to take a stright edge razor and end your life now. Losers.

While I am at it, here is a list of other “Geek” things, that are overrated now.

1.Monty Python and the holy grail. Funny movie, but quoted ad nasuem. Find a new movie to quote.

2. The Evil Dead. The first movie is boring as fuck. The second one alright and Army of Darkness, watchable. The ONLY thing these movies had going for it was the direction of Sam Rami and the acting of Bruce Campbell.

3. Not sure what should go here, I attacked most everything, except Star Trek, and trust me trekkiees, you’re NEXT!

This is the end of this little diatribe…for now. I will update it from time to time with things I may have left out in my attacks. Geeks and fanboys are safe, for now