Welcome to the inaugural post of a new series: Why ____ Is Good. You’ve probably, at some point in your rich and varied life, considered a work of art and thought, “It’s not just my personal preference. This stuff is really good!” If so, you may appreciate these little investigations into how art can be […]
What is the nature of art’s relationship with commerce? Whoa – that’s a big question. Even if I don’t answer it fully in this post, I’d like to swim around in the issue for a bit. And where should we dive in, dear reader? Why not with a comment on the matter so spectacularly wrong […]
Before we leave behind Man of Steel forever in the annals of history’s timely entertainments, I would like to address a particular strain of criticism I encountered in regards to this film. Perhaps you encountered it, too: the notion that Man of Steel utilizes imagery reminiscent of the September 11th terrorist attacks. The idea goes […]
In a recent article on Overthinking It Dot Com, John Perich proposes a narrative similarity between Finnegans Wake and the Legend of Zelda series. It’s a good article, sporting insight about issues of identity implied by Nintendo’s revered series; you should read it. I’d like to unpack a notion suggested in that article: the Legend […]
As we finish this patriotic weekend and those last few souls who haven’t seen Man of Steel do their moviegoing duty, I would like to consider that tricky component of Superman’s identity: his Jewishness. But he’s not Jewish! Or so you cry, my easily flustered reader. No, Superman is not explicitly Jewish, in this most […]
Is my local bagel vendor racist? What if he is, and I buy a bagel, and the portion of that expense that goes towards his wage gets spent partially on racist stuff? One could make the argument that I’m supporting his racism, albeit indirectly. Bagel buyer beware. Consider the case of Doug TenNapel’s Kickstarter campaign. […]
Is Netflix anti-consumer? Think about it: they let you borrow movies or TV shows, but they never let you own them. Whether through streaming or the mail, they provide content while preventing customers from amassing collections. Of course, their reputation is that of the innovator; they liberated the movie-watching public from Blockbuster’s late fees and […]
How shall we describe that curious beast, the Millennial? What is it? What does it want? Within what span of years, exactly, was it born? These questions vex writers of the popular discourse who take an interest in generational trends. For those armchair sociologists, I present a new specimen of the breed: the protagonist of Frances […]
Peanut butter and jelly. Cookies and milk. Video games and art history. Truly, I enjoy all the world’s natural pairings. But perhaps the last one could use some explaining. To that end, I submit this thesis: the dynamics of art history can teach us a great deal about video games. An example? Legacy of Kain: […]
Now that the fun is out of the way, I wish to be direct. Microsoft designed the Xbox One to be a powerful, relevant machine, and while it probably fails to meet my demands for the New Console, it looks to be a neat doohicky that doesn’t deserve its mediocre reputation. The days since the […]
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