Is Disney the Death of Broadway?

     When I was younger I loved theater, and I still do. I spent most of my junior high and high school years involved in theater. But recently, I've noticed an annoying trend in which shows make it to the Great Wide Way and which don't. Many of the shows that do are G-rated ventures by the Disney company repackaging their successes like "The Lion King", "The Little Mermaid", and most recently "Aladdin". 

     There's nothing wrong with this inherently, but I also think we need to remember such shows as RENT and Showboat, which brought social issues like racism and discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS into public consciousness. But it's concerning to me that Broadway is trying so hard to go for a more family friendly environment, and the more adult shows are relegated to off-Broadway theaters. Will this affect Broadway's reputation as an instrument of social change? Or maybe I'm just being a theater snob. 

Flag Burning: Patriotism or Treason

When we think of burning the American flag, we mainly think of two things. One, left wing Vietnam protesters, and two Islamic extremists, burning the flag in protest of policies having to do with their countries. So, naturally, this tends to make many people, especially people with a military background uncomfortable. Here's why.
     Many Americans identify as Christian. Christianity teaches that all people are children of one God. But, America also has one of the largest military forces, and military budgets in the world. Many people who identify as Christian also go off to fight in these wars, so, how does a self identified Christian deal with the fact that he or she may have to kill a fellow "child of god"? Nationalism. Patriotism. Many of them may use the flag as a sort of blanket and shield so they don't have to think of the guilt they might have. So, when they see the flag being desecrated, they feel like their shield is being taken away, forcing them to deal with their emotional guilt. But, that being said, I think the flag is freedom of speech. You can't stop people from expressing freedoms that you claim to protect.