Totally Bueno

   How far would you go for a free pizza?  Would you punch your best friend in the face?  Would you stare directly at the sun?  How about this?  Would you speak Spanish???  That's the promotion that one Houston-area pizza chain recently ran, and you would not believe the backlash they got.  Or maybe you would, I don't know.

   Let's just sit back and think about this for two seconds. You walk into a pizza place.  You say some phrase in spanish ("pizza por favor" maybe?).  And boom, you get a free pizza.  Do we really want to create a backlash over something this silly?  I guarantee if a pizza joint ran the same promotion, but where you had to speak Italian, no one would be upset.
   No, what this really stems from is the inherent anger at immigration... particularly Hispanic immigration.  And that is what's ridiculous.  I'm a white guy, and while I've written in here plenty about reverse racism and how I think we have now become the race that is expected to roll over and let the other races shit on us, I do think this is in bad taste for ANY race, but particularly whites.
   The truth is, I think a lot of whites are very concerned about no longer being the majority.  Everywhere you look, more and more signs, billboards, commercials, TV shows, etc etc etc are appearing in Spanish.  Especially down here in Texas, Hispanics have become the majority race.  And while I will sit here and joke about how Mexico is slowly reclaiming the territory they lost back in the Alamo days, it does pose an interesting and sort of frightening scenario.
   I don't know Spanish.  I suck at foreign languages, period.  And what I'm seeing here is a world coming that I will be less effective in.  Every night I look at the ratings, and the Spanish stations are crushing the English stations.  Advertiser priorities are changing.  Hell, city priorities are changing.  And while this does concern me a little bit, it certainly doesn't make me mad at THEM for doing it.  This is my shortcoming, and it's something I need to deal with.
   But this anger over something as stupid as a pizza promotion is just silly.  If THAT is going to be the basis for our arguments against immigration, then that is some pretty shaky ground to stand on.  Nothing screams "racist" like getting mad about something that has no impact and no importance on anything in anyone's lives.  I for one would gladly speak a Spanish phrase, or jump off a roof, or kayak through some rapids, if it means at the end I get a free pizza.  It's time we all lighten up a little bit and choose our battles.

We Are In Control

   I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so.  Way back when... when this whole "Socialist Healthcare" idea was being tossed around by our brilliant president and congresspeople, I warned all of you that what they were proposing might sound good now, but it was only the tip of the iceberg.  And we are now witnessing that iceberg begin to take shape, and it's a shape that I think we should all agree is most definitely not a good one.
   Just recently, New York City started to ban large sodas from restaurants and other places.  This means you can only order soda in small amounts.  Yes, it's nice and healthy, but there's one big problem that affects all of us: it violates our freedoms.
   Why shouldn't we be allowed to buy big sodas?  Obesity is a huge (ha!) problem in this country, no one can argue that... but it is simply not the government's place to tell us what we can and cannot eat or drink.  If I want to be a fatass and not take care of myself, then that is my right.  It's a terrible idea, and one that will cost me in the future, but I am an individual and I have a right to live my life the way I see fit.  I have a right to raise my children the way I see fit.  I have a right to do whatever I please, so long as it doesn't break the law (and even then I can do it, I just get thrown in jail for it).
   But that's not the case anymore.  Now government can step in and tell me what is and is not allowed.  Smoking?  Drinking?  Eating?  What's next?  The government is now calling the shots on what is allowed and what is not allowed.  We do need this, to some extent.  Programs like the FDA are certainly important and help save lives every single day.  But when you can tell me what I'm allowed to order for lunch, you've gone way, way too far.  And yet we allowed this.  We encouraged it.  We voted for it and we embraced it when it was first presented.  "Nothing will change!"  They said.  Well don't you feel like a chump now?  If you don't, you will... because I guarantee you this is only the beginning of these kinds of rules.
   See the problem now is that we HAVE to have rules like this for the system to work.  Used to be, Mr. Fatass would drink a shitload of soda, get fat, have health problems, and die.  But HE was the one responsible for all of this.  HE paid his OWN medical expenses, and HE paid his OWN funeral expenses.  That's not the case anymore though, is it?  Now WE are going to pay for his medical expenses.  Well I certainly am not going to pay for this dude to kill himself, especially while I'm trying to live a healthy life.  That's not right, and it's not fair.  So what's the answer?  Restrict his diet, of course!  Sure it violates his rights a little, but I have a right to not have to pay for his bad choices, right?  Now EVERYBODY'S rights are being violated!  The joys of Social Healthcare!
   Like I said, I guarantee you it's not going to stop here.  Nope, sodas are just the beginning.  What happens when you start restricting our alcohol consumption?  Or what about when you make a rule that says we can only eat meat three days a week?  Or that there will be candy rations?  You can say I'm overreacting, but I will be right here telling you "I told you so" when suddenly you're having to down protein shakes on your lunch break instead of that delicious hamburger you've been looking forward to all day.
   Will it make us healthier?  Probably.  Will it make us happy?  Probably not.  And does it violate our rights?  Absolutely.  Social Healthcare sounds great on paper, but it is not what this country was founded on, and it's not going to help us move forward.  Maybe instead of socialism, this administration should promote social responsibility.

The Help

    From Netflix: In 1960s Jackson, Miss., aspiring writer Eugenia Phelan crosses taboo racial lines by conversing with Aibileen Clark about her life as a housekeeper, and their ensuing friendship upsets the fragile dynamic between the haves and the have-nots. When other long-silent black servants begin opening up to Eugenia, the disapproving conservative Southern town soon gets swept up in the turbulence of changing times.
   My Take:  I'm going to be honest here... I originally was not very interested in this movie.  The subject matter was something I didn't really want to dwell on, and the whole idea of a bunch of women banding together is nice, but not really my cup of tea when it comes to movies.  Then I discovered that the soundtrack was composed by Thomas Newman, who is definitely one of my favorite composers.  Add to that a little nudge of persuasion from a beautiful woman named Ceci, and I found myself actually kind of excited to sit down and see it.
   I was not disappointed.  The acting in this movie was simply brilliant.  The hatred, the abuse, the pain, it was all too real and absolutely believable.  It created such a strong illusion that things I would normally take issue with were completely acceptable.  I consider this another "Shawshank" type movie... one that is incredible important and powerful, but one that I certainly don't need to watch a hundred times.  It's also another one brilliantly composed by the great Thomas Newman.
   You will not leave this movie feeling good.  You may feel vindicated, knowing that justice was served and that we as a country are in at least a marginally better place now.  But while this is a movie that I think we all should see, I can't tell you to run out and pick it up this instant, because it is not very easy to watch.  It's tough to look at, but it's important to look at, because it is all too real.  And living in Texas (or anywhere in the south, really), chances are if you were white, your grandparents and great grandparents did treat people this way.  I'm not saying you should go hate your grandparents... I mean that's how it was back in that time.  But I do think this movie will open your eyes, and maybe show you just how wrong and backwards we were as a country back then.
   Overall, this is a powerful, interesting, engrossing movie.  And just like "Shawshank," it's one that I think we all need to see... even if you only see it once.



   I spent all of last weekend working endlessly on my very first "48 Hour Film" project, and I'll close this week by saying a big "thank you" to everyone who was involved.  Danny, Johnny, Christina, AJ, Colin, Meena, Michelle, Sam, Patty, Michael, Chris, Taylor, Uncle Mike, Aunt Carol, and anyone else who I may have left out.  You all were amazing.  You contributed, you let us into your homes, you went without sleep, and you helped us make a great movie that I am incredibly proud of.  The screenings of these movies are coming up (at the Studio Movie Grille) in Houston.  Keep an eye on my Facebook page for screening times and information.  Once the screenings are completed, I will look into posting the video on YouTube (though I'm not sure yet what the rules are for that).  This was a fantastic experience, and it's one I look forward to having again in the future.  Lata Playas...