The point that the illustrator of the cartoon was trying to make is how commercialized Christmas is. The illustrator is pointing out the holiday movies, how they've corrupted our view of Christmas. The sales everywhere show the idea of "buy, buy buy," which isn't what Christmas is supposed to be about.
A second point of this drawing is showing how a few people find joy on Christmas, such as folks like the Grinch, and the man with a severe overbite notices this, and apparently, admirers the Grinch's Christmas joy.
I agree with the point of this article - for once - because I wish that St. Nicholas (Santa) would stay where he is - six feet under - and stop taking away the true meaning of Christmas, which is Jesus. (My full story for this will be published in the North Star next week, so be sure to check it out. Or you could check out my Sheezyart, where I have another brief story of how I feel about Christmas.)
The author's point is well represented in the picture, where the clerk at the counter shows no expression of joy or excitement for the Grinch's joy. The man appears to want to leave all of the Holiday Madness, he's probably thinking, "would this oaf just give me the cash and leave?" This man's heart is three sizes to small. Perhaps, because he lives in the world of Santa, he does not even know the real meaning of Christmas, and has found no joy in the holiday. His look of disgust probably also comes from the fact that the movie has been playing all day and the buck toothed oaf is just getting excited over a movie that is thirty years old. The man's look may also come from what the narrator in The Grinch is saying, "doesn't come from a store," but if the meaning of Christmas doesn't come from a store, then this man will probably be out of a job.
Another visual element found in this cartoon is the buck toothed oaf himself. The man comes off as such, a buck toothed oaf, but it seems that the man is starting to get it. It? The meaning of Christmas. He obviously likes the idea of Christmas not coming from a store, because that means that he wouldn't have to purchase the gifts in his hand. He could just show off the T-shirt he wants to his kids.
Either way, the man is giving in to the pressures of the world, simply by wanting the shirt. He already appears to be a pretty well off when it comes to having the Christmas spirit, decked in a festive sweater. If the man wanted to make a statement about the meaning of Christmas, there are plenty other ways to go about it rather than giving the market his money for the shirt (that nobody will read because people are tired of sarcastic, witty shirts,), rather he could invite his friends and family to Church on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Wouldn't that be a better way of showing the real meaning of Christmas?
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Response to the Black KKK article
The author of this article chooses to blame the fact that black men are shooting each other on the streets on Hip-Hop and the culture surrounding it.
I disagree with this author on many topics. I don't know anything about this author, but by the way he is writing, I'm assuming that he doesn't live in the ghetto and fear being shot every time he walks out the door like the people he describes do. The movies "Freedom Writers" and "Take the Lead" (which are both true stories) contradict everything that this author has said. The black kids in super poor "ghetto" communities don't want an education because no one wants to give it to him. The movie "Freedom Writers" clearly shows the administrators feel that the kids attending these type of schools are lost causes and treat them as such. I don't blame the kids for not wanting to go to school.
If my teachers didn't want to teach me and didn't respect me, I would respect them or want to "learn" from them either.
One example of parallelism, "His immature, undisciplined behavior with his employer, his run ins with law enforcement, which included allegedly threatening a man with a loaded gun, and the fact a vehicle he owned was once sprayed with bullets are all pertinent details when you've been murdered."
The author supports his point with this statement. By comparing Taylor's previous crimes, the author makes it nearly unquestionable why Taylor was shot. The examples, threatening someone with a gun, being a jerk to his boss almost make it seem like Taylor deserved to die. This may not be how the author feels, but it comes off this way. The author believes that the Black KKK was involved in the murder, but that Taylor wasn't innocent. The above parallel shows both these by implying that the activities Taylor was engaged in are likely Black KKK activities. Neither party is Innocent, and the author makes that clear.
I disagree with this author on many topics. I don't know anything about this author, but by the way he is writing, I'm assuming that he doesn't live in the ghetto and fear being shot every time he walks out the door like the people he describes do. The movies "Freedom Writers" and "Take the Lead" (which are both true stories) contradict everything that this author has said. The black kids in super poor "ghetto" communities don't want an education because no one wants to give it to him. The movie "Freedom Writers" clearly shows the administrators feel that the kids attending these type of schools are lost causes and treat them as such. I don't blame the kids for not wanting to go to school.
If my teachers didn't want to teach me and didn't respect me, I would respect them or want to "learn" from them either.
One example of parallelism, "His immature, undisciplined behavior with his employer, his run ins with law enforcement, which included allegedly threatening a man with a loaded gun, and the fact a vehicle he owned was once sprayed with bullets are all pertinent details when you've been murdered."
The author supports his point with this statement. By comparing Taylor's previous crimes, the author makes it nearly unquestionable why Taylor was shot. The examples, threatening someone with a gun, being a jerk to his boss almost make it seem like Taylor deserved to die. This may not be how the author feels, but it comes off this way. The author believes that the Black KKK was involved in the murder, but that Taylor wasn't innocent. The above parallel shows both these by implying that the activities Taylor was engaged in are likely Black KKK activities. Neither party is Innocent, and the author makes that clear.
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