Aaron Sorkin on Facebook

Aaron Sorkin really is on Facebook. There's a group where he answers fan questions and everything. But the reason he has a group on Facebook is because he's writing a movie about the creation of Facebook. What the fuck?

I'm conflicted. On the one hand, we have one of my favorite TV and movie writers. On the other hand, we have a pop-culture website that I despise. And perhaps -- as with things like "The Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy or the Harry Potter series -- on completely baseless terms. But still. Facebook? Really?

Still, if there's one person I trust with the task of writing a Facebook movie, it's Aaron Sorkin. Or Charlie Kaufman. Or Mitch Hurwitz. But that's about it.

Speaking of Aaron Sorkin, he wrote a cool piece for the New York Times. It's an imaginary dialogue between Barack Obama and President Bartlett from "The West Wing." Man, that guy can write.

Homosexuality

The headline says it all: In Hollywood, sexuality is less secret, still can be big deal. Two things.

1) At this point, why is sexuality even an issue? Why's it matter who's gay and who's not? Why must we quantify everyone in either a "gay" or "straight" category? And, once we do, what of it? Does that change anything at all? If it does, then what changes? If it doesn't, then why do we do it?

2) What's up with the idea that people can choose their sexuality? Some of the respondents spoke of the gay "lifestyle" and it's inherent "choice." Like there's some on/off switch. I remember the first girl I had a crush on: Meg Ryan (no, not the actress. There was actually a Meg Ryan in my 5th grade class). I didn't like her because I chose to, I liked her because I had an instinctual, biological reaction.

But I've done too much talking. On to the comments.

Dave: Personally I think it is immoral and unnatural. That being said, I don't care. If someone wants to be gay or thinks they were born that way, whatever. I only have 3 issues with it: 1. You do NOT need to be married. A union gives you all the rights anyone else has. Leave marriage alone. 2. Keep it out of my face. There is constant bombardment of the gay life. From the TV channel LOGO, to all the gay characters on TV shows and in movies. 3. Keep it away from my children. Public schools do not need to read books about gays or teach about gays.

Dude in Arizona: So you're gay? Do you think we all want to hear about it?!? Keep it to yourself - it's nothing to be proud of.

Buck Jones: Dude in Arizona, so you're a BIGOT? Do you think we all want to hear about it?!? Keep it to yourself -its nothing to be proud of.

JD: Rank perversion. Keep it hidden in the closet where it belongs.

SamBecks: Homosexuality is sick and wrong. TV has become so corrupt, I don't even watch it anymore. I'm sorry, but opposition to homosexuality is not bigotry anymore than opposition to adultery. It's just plain wrong!

JR: Homosexuality is sin and it is destroying our society. It's not a lifestyle choice that has no affect on others. God created men and women to be married in monogamous, heterosexual relationships. As an example, healthy psychological development in children depends, in part, on having two loving committed parents, a father and mother. More and more, this is becoming clear by contrasting children who are reared in Christian homes with a loving father and mother, and those who are reared in other types of homes. Generally, Christian homes produce children who are well adjusted and have the tools to be effective and successful in our society - far more so than children deprived of a loving, committed father and mother.

Dan: I do NOT hate homosexuals, nor do i have a "fear" or "phobia" of them. I DO hate the sin of homosexuality. God loves everyone regardless of the choices they make- however, homosexuality grieves the Holy Spirit. It is a perversion of His spectacular and amazing design. He makes this clear when He states in Lev. 18:22 "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination." And before I get flamed for the latter paragraph regarding what God states- I will make one final statement- it doesn't matter if you believe in God or not- there WILL come a day when you will stand before Christ and WILL answer to Him. This is a fact, surely as the sun will set today and rise tomorrow.

Absolutism

A commentary from CNN: Teresa Hairston has been publishing GospelToday (which, I'm assuming, is a predominant magazine in the Christian realm) for 19 years. For the most recent issue, Hairston decided to place five female pastors on the cover. Lifeway Christian Stores (again, I'm assuming a major chain of Christian stores) refused to sell the September 2008 issue. Since the Southern Baptist Convention owns Lifeway, and since Southern Baptists decree that only men can serve as pastors, the stores pulled the magazine because it stands opposed to their dogma.

The problem I have isn't with Lifeway's decision. As a private business, they have the right to choose what items they will and will not sell. However, my grudge is with the set-in-stone mentality the Southern Baptists have in regard to women. Perhaps that mentality was acceptable a few hundred years ago, but now, today, it's antiquated.

Mike: The believe in the New Testament it specifically states 1 Timothy 2:12 says: But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. It's not saying a woman can't go around and teach at different churches, it's saying a woman can't be a "shephard" or pastor of a church. It's not just about the culture, or saying that men are better than woman. It's about keeping things in order for harmony's sake.

Butch Dillon: These ladies all know their place and it's in the bedroom and in the boudoir. Ahhhhh-men.

Kyle: The scriptures state "...man was not created for the woman's sake, but woman for the man's sake." Contemporary American values are not Christian by a long shot. The scriptures also state, "...do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression." How about quoting the ultimate source documents for your artical?

Kyle hits upon the point that terrifies me most when it comes to religion: the absolutism of its followers.

STP: I agree with the bookstore 100%. The bible is to be read by all of us and applies to all of us. The Bible (God's word) says Pastors can be only men. Paul didn't say it, I didn't say it, GOD said it. If you "interpret" it to fit your own views, you don't believe God's word. The Bible may have been written long ago but it is the living word of God and applies today the same as it did when it was written.

Paul: If you believe the Bible to be the true Word of God, you will see there are many situations you will not like - this is one for many people. However, just because we don't like ***, it doesn't mean it is wrong. Our God is not wrong nor will He ever be.

Scott: I hope for more unity in the church, but I'm not willing to trade truth for false unity. Here's a suggestion - when you can't seem to accept something the Bible teaches, remember the problem isn't with the Bible but with you.

Sarah Palin and Elitism

Sam Harris has an interesting op-ed piece in Newsweek. It's a pretty good article, and not too long. (Pages three and four are both incredibly short.) I don't agree with all of his tactics, but he makes a few strong arguments. The response to his article has been so overwhelming that I haven't read through each post. But, after a while, I found one contributor -- HolyRoller -- to be so crazy, so irrational, so perverse that I'm going to showcase his comments here. Think of it as a Great Hits Collection of ignorance.

(A formatting note: HolyRoller really likes to use ellipses. So, although I edited his posts to get to the heart of his message, all the ellipses are his own, as are the many grammatical and spelling errors.)

@ 9/20 - 6:39PM: This election is all but over. The Obama Bin Biden ticket will be very fortunate to carry 15 states. A mohammed in the White House??? God forbid...and He has...

@ 9/20 - 7:40PM: [Palin] has an internal compass...she has integrity...she knows who to listen to....Hussein [Obama] has none of these. Hussein has no character...Hussein IS A character.

@ 9/20 - 7:54PM: Try to think of something Hussein stands for...besides infanticide and re-distribution of wealth.

@ 9/20 - 11:50PM: The left wing commies are...AFRAID...of Sarah. She is real. The vast majority of the women who hate her...are full of guilt and condemnation.

@ 9/20 - 11:55PM Jesus saves....Liberalism KILLS.

@ 9/21 - 1:05AM: The reason the left have so much stress, about Sarah is very simple. It is not her education. It is not her experience. It is...GUILT......you can not handle the fact...you have been involved in the MURDER of the most innocent and vulnerable among us. To MURDER the innocents is a huge burden to carry. Sarah, not only rejects that option...she has been willing to accept and LOVE a child....you feel should have disposed of...like yesterdays trash...Your GUILT is unbearable...she FRIGHTENS you.....

@ 9/21 - 1:58AM: [In response to another post responding to a previous HolyRoller post] got your burqa in a wad...did you....typical victimcrat. love to give it...can't take it...BTW....Hussein will confiscate your gun....can't have them, when his muslim horde arrives.

@ 9/21 - 10:19AM: Stop lying and making poor excuses for your hatred....It is because she is REAL and has unmasked the FemiNazi movement for the charade it really is....Just accept it....Sarah is a real woman and feminist....The FemiNazis are a bunch of irrelevant and irrational cowards.

David Foster Wallace

I was out of town this weekend. Spent Friday through Sunday at the beach. This morning, I'm catching up on all the news I missed.

Friday night, David Foster Wallace apparently hung himself. He was 46. This took me completely by surprise. Wallace isn't an author I read extensively. In fact, of his seven or eight books, I've only read two and a half. I find his non-fiction work to be spectacular, but his fiction hit-or-miss. Still, there's no denying his brilliance as a writer. His diction puts other writers to shame. His long-winded sentences and footnotes (sometimes trailing on for a whole page or two) are the antithesis of my own truncated and minimalistic writing, and yet I read them enthralled. He strings words together to form sentences that, when you read them, give your brain growing pains. His writing is not always easy to read, and the payoff isn't always worth it (though, that's probably part of the point he's trying to make), but, more often than not, it is.

Oh, and he's also incredibly, incredibly funny.

If you've never read anything by David Foster Wallace, please start with this commencement speech he gave at Kenyon University in 2005. If you enjoy that, then I would recommend his introduction to the 2007 Best American Essays.

Hypocrisy

Here's a great clip from last night's Daily Show. The whole episode was fantastic (one of the best in a while), but this middle segment was the highlight, for me.




And as a bonus, here's what Jon had to say about Palin during the Newt Gingrich interview:

Jon: One serious issue that I do want to address that is sort of close to my heart -- the issue of teen pregnancy. They have said this is Bristol's decision and we should honor that. I have a daughter. The reason why I think it's fair game is, Sarah Palin is on record as saying she would veto abortions for women, even in the event of being raped. So what she is in essence saying: respect my family's ability to make this decision, and elect me so that I can keep your family from having the same opportunity.

Bullying

There's an article on CNN.com today titled "How to help your child cope with a bully." Near the end of the piece there's one particular line that sparks the most debate: "Experts point out it is important for parents to keep emotions in check and to not encourage a child to hit back or retaliate." Split-infinitive aside, the question is, when you get bullied, what's the appropriate response?

First up, we have a few renegades.

CHANTAL: My daughter had an issue on school bus with 2 boys. They would call her names, she would come home crying ... So I took a baseball bat went to the 2 boys house and threaten them and their families. They never bothered Mary again.

Mike: First of all, make sure your kid isn't going to a school where students come in with knives or firearms (if he or she does, make sure they are properly armed as well). Second, enroll your child in a Martial Arts program when they are young. It helps if you spar with them sometimes so they get used to handling someone bigger and stronger.

David: Its really simple. Confirm visually for yourself and through your child who is doing the bullying. Then find that kid after school and hit him. Tell him that you will come find him every day at the same time and hit him again for the next month. It'll clear up his bullying right away.

Most of the responses aren't quite so extreme. Instead, people recount their own stories of standing up to bullies.

Scott: I was the victim of a bully in grade school. I tried all the approved techniques - teacher intervention, talking, trying to make friends, etc. What finally worked was beating him to a pulp when he jumped me from behind. I bloodied his nose, gave him a black eye, and split his lip. I got in a lot of trouble as this happened at school, but you know what? He never picked on me again. Problem solved.

Michael: I lived in bully Hell until my second year of high school when I just snapped one day and beat my tormentor to the floor with a chair. I got in a LOT of trouble on every level. But, no one ever tried to bully me again. I considered it then, and do now, a very equitable trade-off.

Jim P: Warn the bully. Then if they do no back down, drill em in the face.

Parent: You back down to a bully and it only gets worse. A bully who has hit you or hurt you in another way needs to be stopped immediately. If that means landing a punch square on the kid's nose, so be it. You fight fire with fire. Be passive and you let the little Hitler run amok.

I'm not here to advocate one side or other. But what I find interesting about these comments is this: bullying is a microcosm for the war on terror. When we bully other nations, other groups of people, what kind of reaction should we expect from them? When the people leaving these comments clearly understand the importance of retaliation, of standing up for oneself, why is it we're puzzled that the citizens of Iraq are not welcoming us as liberators?