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.

American Identity Crisis

America has an identity crisis. And no, I don't mean that America is a woman trapped in a man's body. I mean, the conflict between what we claim are our most sacred religious values, and our actions.

Take war, for example. This is perhaps the biggest contradiction between many Americans' professed Christian beliefs, and their actions. America has the largest military budget on Earth. This seems in direct contradiction to Jesus, who said that if someone hits you on one cheek, you are supposed to offer him the other.

Another contradiction is that what we tend to think of as the biggest holiday for Christians, also a national holiday, Christmas, in it's modern incarnation, has almost nothing to do with the birth of Jesus. I mean, I don't remember any Bible quote saying, "And then there came a man in a red suit who will bring you gifts from JC Penney.

Look, I'm not saying that you're a bad Christian if you celebrate Christmas or support the troops, but don't do those things and then turn around and say that abortion and gay marriage are sins.

Disney Star Pisses Off Dubai

Recently, former Disney star and singer Selena Gomez, who is probably best known for her role as Alex Russo on the hit show "Wizards of Waverly Place" and her tumultuous on-again off-again relationship with teen pop star and perpetual douche bag Justin Bieber, took a trip to Dubai with some of her girlfriends. The Islamic country is known for some pretty strict rules. Some American and British couples have even been arrested and put in jail for up to ten years for kissing in public. So you can imagine the uproar when Gomez was seen not only laughing and dancing at one of the country's most sacred mosques, which is expressly forbidden, but she also posted a picture of her jokingly pushing her ankle through her burqa. I don't know if this was just her being goofy or stupid, or if it was a form of protest. I doubt it's number 3. But she gives me an idea: the next time you consider going to Dubai, just run through all the mosques naked, and that way all the shock will be over with in an instant.

Safety Insanity

If you live in America today, you will know one thing about us; we are obsessed with staying safe any way we can. From not letting our kids go outside to play out of fear they might be kidnapped by a pedophile, to having an entire government agency, the FDA, banning certain foods and products just because they might be dangerous. And the most blatant example of safety insanity in recent years is the US Patriot Act, which gave the government new and unprecedented powers. All under the guise of keeping us safe.

But, I often tend to wonder, would America even exist if the founders were as safety conscious as we are. I don't think anyone can deny what the founders were doing was certainly dangerous to their health. My point is, America was built on taking risks. And if we build a society that is obsessed with eliminating any possible danger or risk, by any means necessary, I think it's going to hurt us as a nation. I think that taking risks is a part of what being an American is all about.

It's Very Hard to Argue with a Traumatized People

     In recent years I've heard many on the American left begin to, in my opinion, relentlessly criticize the state of Israel and its supporters under the belief that the Palestinians are unfairly occupied. I find this odd, considering that Israel is the only country in the middle east where homosexuality is not illegal, and women are given far more rights than in any other middle eastern country. And furthermore, even though it is technically considered a Jewish state, most Israeli citizens and government officials consider themselves secular. 

      So, it is disturbing to me that many on the left seem to be blindly sympathetic to the cause of the Palestinians, when most likely in Palestine, women, gays and other minorities would be put to death. Lastly, the most annoying thing to me, is that they claim to be opposed to Israel aggressively building on the West Bank. I can't say I totally disagree with them on this, but I can also see why the Israelis would so aggressively protect what was legally given to them. If you've ever been the victim of a physical attack, or home invasion, you know how frightening that is. Now imagine that not just you, but your entire family have been going through this for hundreds of years, in the form of purges and genocides. You can't tell me, that wanted or not, you wouldn't at least buy a gun. In my opinion we are not dealing just with a crisis of land, but an emotionally scarred and, not surprisingly paranoid people. And this is what I don't think anti-Zionist activists understand. It'

Forgotten Voices Speak Out

     When Deborah Feldman published her memoir in 2012, "Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots, it caused quite a stir in the ultra orthodox Jewish community, resulting in her rejection from the community. Especially considering the physical and sexually abuse by her grandfather. She was even compared to Joseph Goebbels. The same could also be said for Lucinda Schmidt.
     When she published her memoir, "A Separate God," about her life as a young Amish girl, and the abuse she encountered from her husband, she soon found herself exiled from her community as well. Another book, "Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, recounts her struggles growing up as a fundamentalist Muslim in Africa, subjected to genital mutilation and other horrors.
     There's a pattern with these books. All three of these women come from communities which see them as second class citizens. Which, inevitably, will make them the loudest critics. And that's why these communities made the mistake: By viewing women as less than, they created a very strong counter point. It's easy to praise a community, when you're held in high esteem. Only time will tell if these exposees have any impact on the communities their written about, forcing them to look at their ancient cultures and ultimately force them to join the 21st century.