Torture is fun, fiction is real

This shit is real fucked up: Bush's cronies talk more about Jack Bauer than the constitution or, you know, law? Reality? Hrmm? Whozawhazzat? Right about seven years ago we should have had someone in the administration whisper: realism is real! Well, more real than this ideological nonsense the administration seems obsessed with, where they see a neat fiction ("torture works!" "we can fix people!") and think they can make it a reality. And then a whole bunch of real people get tortured and a whole lot more die as a result. Spoiled children with power.

The Batman

Along with many of my fellow Americans I saw The Dark Knight last night. And - it was pretty damn good. In fact, better than I'd expected considering a few nay-sayers. Things went boom real pretty, the acting was mostly well done (okay, scenes were a bit jumpy, I could have used a more convincing Two-Face, but that's mostly nit-picking).

For those really watching though, The Dark Night raised (and sometimes answered) a lot of interesting questions about justice and security, and related it pretty well to our modern day terrorism fears (thankfully Bin laden isn't The Joker). A few observations:

The imperfect (causing casualties, property damage, beating up prisoners...) Dark Knight ends up helping the city far more than Harvey Dent, the proclaimed White Knight...who finds the world too imperfect and loses it. Compromise and gray zones are always required in our world.

Batman uses a Machiavellian method: hacking into everyone's cell phones, to find the Joker (FISA, anyone?). However, Batman's real view is Aristotelian: extreme means only for extreme situations; he surrenders his powers immediately after the crisis ends. No "War on Crime" extends these powers indefinitely.

The Noble Lie: Batman and the Commissioner make sure the populace of Gotham doesn't know Dent turned sour. Batman tries to save Dent by not telling him their babe preferred him; Alfred thinks it wise not to tell Batman that he's wrong about this. An interesting question, often: "What is the value of truth?"

The exploding boat scene: A lawyer didn't blow up a boat of prisoners because...it seems like social pressure to me, mostly. A prisoner didn't blow up rich people because...nobility, mayhap? And some jackass didn't get one of those buttons...because of luck? And the Commissioner suggests that a vote on the rich ship on whether to blow up the other ship might have gone affirmative if Dent's true character were revealed. Things holding society together: fear, character, luck, lies.

The Joker: Well...acting was stellar here. There's a lot to say, probably, but I'd just say: he imagines a world of corrupt and hypocritical men, but isn't this just his construct? The boat scene seems meant to (sort of...) illustrate this. Or he's just crazy.

Woo...long post: but hey, the movie was thought-provoking. Also a grade: 18/20.

Yo

In the debate over The New Yorker's Obama cover, I'd have to say I'm coming down on the side of finding it hilarious. But of course, campaigns love taking umbrage, so...but journalists doing it, too? Take a joke, fellas. We can trust Americans to know a joke when they see one...I think...

On another note, Wisconsin has a lot of lakes and trees. I'd show my loyal readership but I forgot my camera, so just trust me on this one.

Indie done right

I can tell my loyal and devoted reader base is crying out for more excellent music! - so here are some music reviews of quality music. Where do I get off telling y'all what's good? Betcha I listen more closely and more often to music than you do. What - music's just supposed to sound cool and be pretty in the background? Oh, well then...feel free to go back to listening to Viva la Vida.

Vampire Weekend - Privileged white college kids (like yours truly) smart enough to get some Africanesque beats going and to keep their songs sharp and short. Only so much to be said about this sort of life we live, but they say it pretty well. 18/20

Tokyo Police Club, Elephant Shell - Only one song barely over three minutes, all points made quickly and then they get out - and not afraid to use the word tessellate. Sure they're Canadian, but its something to listen to if the 35 minute Vampire Weekend is too long for your busy life. "Give us your vote, if you know what's good for you" - and unlike the usual Republicans who make this claim, they're pretty good, so - 18/20

The Magnetic Fields, Distortion - Best album I've heard yet this year (okay, so it came out in January). Sure, Stephen Merritt's voice is deep and morose, but this album which has, as 69 Love Songs did, hilarious social commentary in "California girls," music imitating music (in this case the distortion filled charm of say, early My Bloody Valentine or The Jesus and Mary Chain) that's often better than the original stuff, and an excellent drinking song. "I've gotta get, too drunk to dream, because dreaming only makes me blue" - well, at least he's honest and cheerful about it. Did I mention there's a song about a zombie? 19/20

Transcience, Idle Talk and Fireworks

Today's unpretentious musings will concern the existential meaning of Independence Day (happy 232nd, America!) fireworks. Fireworks are, first of all, shiny and flashy and go Boom! Which is to say, they're captivating and memorable and make an impression in the mind. What do the 4th of July fireworks that we go to see every year at the same time, often in the same place, do for us; is there some reason for their existence other than a fun little ritual (related thought: are there rituals that at least weren't at one point intended to serve a function?)

It would seem that there is. That we go to see the same flashy event every year impresses a sort of permanence on our consciousness. An event that might seem objectively a bit silly ends up leaving the thought: we've always done this, our parents did this, their parents did this...etc, etc. It is by these repeated little events that a coherence is created in our lives; most of us do not pay any attention to how this world we've fallen into has risen up around us and seems as if its always been here.

We know, however, that there will not always be fireworks exploding above county parks in the warm July night. There will not always be irresponsible parents, who lounge with Mike's Hard Lemonades in hand, allowing their children to run too near bottle rockets in nicely paved streets. All of these things will pass - a certain friend of mine might argues that, as the sleepy security of Western society is built on people whom we have forced to live in perpetual chaos, that it ought to pass - and fireworks form a part of the web which tries to keep us from remembering our coming deaths, and the death of our society.

This is all probably necessary. I think we can draw one conclusion for action here: pay attention! - we Western citizens have fallen into something special. Americans especially - our homeland has actually been pretty secure for 150 years now. That's remarkable - a remarkable gift - and it should be appreciated while it lasts.