“'Cause I don't like tall people, they bother me!”

I went to see Dodgeball with Colin and Spencer last night. My expectations were low. I had heard hardly a favorable review from anyone who had seen it thus far. It's crude, it's perverted, it's not that funny, and it's the same old thing. But I like “the same old thing,” I think it's funny. Fortunately for both myself and the movie industry there is the dollar theater. Movies that once I may have downloaded (err thought about downloading), I now just say "I'll wait for the dollar theater." I see them and with the exception of The Tuxedo and Johnny English, I have yet to feel that .50 cents or a dollar was too much to pay. I went into Dodgeball expecting the reaction similar to those of my friends and associates.

“Shit! Get old, you can't even cuss someone and have it bother 'em. Everything you do is either worthless or sadly amusing.”

Well, I wasn't offended. In fact I laughed...a lot. As we walked out, we thought "People walked out of this? It's a Ben Stiller movie, not a Ben Affleck movie." Granted most stayed and watched, but a rather large number of people felt that they had been taken for a ride. Duped into watching Ben Stiller and his friends' latest batch of low-brow humor. I find it odd that people can be selective with there views on appropriateness. Particularly when they are worried about appearances. An example is a buddy of Colin's who actually had walked out on the movie. He had gone with a buddy and they had taken dates. The humor got questionable, so they took the moral high road and left (it was after all only a dollar). Do I think that he really was that offended…no. I think they felt that they should be bothered. The legitimacy of they're feeling offended or the lack there of, is not what I object to; what I object to is the pretense of piety. Not participating or enjoying something because of what others will think. Not making up their mind for themselves about the appropriateness of an activity or movie, but rather relying on the opinions and estimations of others. “I don't want them to think I'm a bad Mormon (Catholic, Hasidic Jew, Parent, Little League Coach, Star Trek fan, Al Queda suicide bomber, etc.)” Well, I guess the question you should ask your self is...are you? Are you a bad [insert classification here]? How exactly does the perceptions of others really effect who you are? Are you so insecure that you’re validity and successfulness in your pursuits in life are nullified by the opinions of others? If so, wow...it sucks to be you.

“You offend reason, sir.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I should like to offend it with you.”

Dumb and Dumber. Everyone loves that movie and most claim it to be one of their favorite comedies. I bring this up because I rarely hear anyone criticize it for its crude content (Actually my mom and dad walked out of Dumb and Dumber. They opted for the equally offensive Little Women instead). For example, the diarrhea / broken toilet scene, Lloyd's dream sequence, Seabass and the diner, the bus load of Bikini Girls, etc. (mmm Bikini girls). But it's a movie that everyone likes, so laughing when Lloyd loses his wallet trying to buy a pornographic newspaper called "Rhode Island Slut" is not bad because, hey, everyone else thinks its ok. We all know peer pressure is bad when it causes us to do 'bad' things, but is it really that much better when it’s the only reason we do 'good' or what's 'right'? Either way the root of the problem is agency. People not using their agency to make choices for themselves. Doing things "to be seen of men."

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

I'm not saying to go see whatever you want, and I'm not saying to avoid everything you're told. All I want is for people to do things for themselves and keep it to themselves. I want people to empower themselves and let other people do the same. When that next 'questionable' movie or CD comes out, don't see it because everyone else is or deplore it because everyone else is. We all have the special power of agency, the ability to make choices for ourselves. We should probably use it. And as Prince Adam exclaims before becoming He-man, "...I HAVE THE POWER!"

“We see a deadly sin on every street corner, in every home, and we tolerate it. We tolerate it because it's common, it's trivial. We tolerate it morning, noon, and night. Well, not anymore. I'm setting the example. And what I've done is going to be puzzled over, and studied, and followed... forever.”

..."My eyes are open."