There's been a lot of media coverage dedicated to the Cambridge, Massachusetts incident between black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates and police officer James Crowley. I find this story particularly interesting because it serves as one of the first major events in race relations to occur during the Obama administration. The incident takes on a decidedly different tone with a black man in charge of the country and Obama's decision to personally address the situation is a unique change of pace itself.
Obama's initial statement saying Crowley "acted stupidly" was a bit disappointing. After spending nearly an hour discussing health care and the economy, one quick comment took the focus off the important issue at hand. However, the president's later actions have demonstrated a desire to correct the issue and settle down the controversial matter. By downplaying his comments and choosing to bring both parties together for a drink, Obama fulfills the role of mediator in a situation that really could have been resolved if cooler heads had prevailed.
While it's a shame that our country must still deal with the disease of racism, Obama's handling of this particular incident is a great step forward in opening up the topic of race relations to significant dialogue.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
The Episcopal Church: In The News Again
I've been an Episcopalian all my life and I must say I'm disappointed in the Episcopal Church for forcing the issue of gay and lesbian clergy at General Convention this year. I myself have no problem with gays and lesbians being elected as clergy, but I don't see why the church needed to take a definitive stance on the matter.
The Episcopal Church has distinguished itself from other Christian denominations through progressive thinking and an acceptance of open discussion on controversial topics. By taking a stance that clearly puts the community at odds with the larger Anglican Communion is no way to maintain that standard. In taking a specific stance, we move closer to the Catholic Church with an inflexible and clear-cut statement of beliefs. While the community adheres to a belief in God, Episcopalians find comfort in acknowledging they don't have all the answers. They see the experience of faith as a journey not a destination that requires specific directions. We agree or agree to disagree, but we keep talking and we allow both viewpoints to exist without issue.
While the move towards a liberal church did provide a more inviting atmosphere towards the LGBT community, it further isolated current parishioners who have expressed their displeasure over the inclusion of that group. If the decision was a move to bolster attendance, it merely attracts one group and repels another. The governing body of the church knew the problems the issue would raise, but proceeded regardless. Now, a number of dioceses are threatening to leave and the possibility of being cut off from the Anglican Communion remains.
On the other hand, I take issue with conservative members who complained about gay Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire's presence at General Convention and at previous major gatherings of church leaders. They fail to respect the generally inviting nature our church has attempted to maintain and label the man as a villain leading the liberal revolt. I've had the distinct honor of meeting the controversial figure a number of years ago and was able to speak with him openly about the subject. He acknowledges his position in the church and in various media have brought a lot of unwanted attention to the church. However, in the end, he is primarily focused with the needs of the diocese he serves. Like every other Bishop, he needs to explain to his parishioners why churches are closing and where the money will come from next. He is attempting to do the job he was elected to do without shaking the boat too much.
Gene Robinson is a gay man who is in a faithful committed relationship holding an office within the church. People may consider his homosexuality as a serious sin. I disagree, but if it is a sin, it is a minor one compared to the way people have treated this man. Robinson was ordained wearing a bullet-proof vest and surrounded by a security detail for protection from death threats. The church he was ordained in had metal detectors posted at the entrances for fear of an attempt on the man's life. What kind of a country do we live in when people have to live in fear for who they are or what they believe? I was under the impression that we lived in America, and I was under the impression people who believed in God also valued the protection of life and the promotion of peace.
I certainly don't know the answer to resolving all this, but I firmly believe the Episcopal Church should never have banned gay and lesbian clergy in the first place. I think the decision to lift the ban will do more harm than good in the end. If a diocese wants to elect gay clergy, so be it. If it doesn't, so be it. Each diocese should decide for themselves. Each member of church should decide for themselves. That's my sermon for today...
The Episcopal Church has distinguished itself from other Christian denominations through progressive thinking and an acceptance of open discussion on controversial topics. By taking a stance that clearly puts the community at odds with the larger Anglican Communion is no way to maintain that standard. In taking a specific stance, we move closer to the Catholic Church with an inflexible and clear-cut statement of beliefs. While the community adheres to a belief in God, Episcopalians find comfort in acknowledging they don't have all the answers. They see the experience of faith as a journey not a destination that requires specific directions. We agree or agree to disagree, but we keep talking and we allow both viewpoints to exist without issue.
While the move towards a liberal church did provide a more inviting atmosphere towards the LGBT community, it further isolated current parishioners who have expressed their displeasure over the inclusion of that group. If the decision was a move to bolster attendance, it merely attracts one group and repels another. The governing body of the church knew the problems the issue would raise, but proceeded regardless. Now, a number of dioceses are threatening to leave and the possibility of being cut off from the Anglican Communion remains.
On the other hand, I take issue with conservative members who complained about gay Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire's presence at General Convention and at previous major gatherings of church leaders. They fail to respect the generally inviting nature our church has attempted to maintain and label the man as a villain leading the liberal revolt. I've had the distinct honor of meeting the controversial figure a number of years ago and was able to speak with him openly about the subject. He acknowledges his position in the church and in various media have brought a lot of unwanted attention to the church. However, in the end, he is primarily focused with the needs of the diocese he serves. Like every other Bishop, he needs to explain to his parishioners why churches are closing and where the money will come from next. He is attempting to do the job he was elected to do without shaking the boat too much.
Gene Robinson is a gay man who is in a faithful committed relationship holding an office within the church. People may consider his homosexuality as a serious sin. I disagree, but if it is a sin, it is a minor one compared to the way people have treated this man. Robinson was ordained wearing a bullet-proof vest and surrounded by a security detail for protection from death threats. The church he was ordained in had metal detectors posted at the entrances for fear of an attempt on the man's life. What kind of a country do we live in when people have to live in fear for who they are or what they believe? I was under the impression that we lived in America, and I was under the impression people who believed in God also valued the protection of life and the promotion of peace.
I certainly don't know the answer to resolving all this, but I firmly believe the Episcopal Church should never have banned gay and lesbian clergy in the first place. I think the decision to lift the ban will do more harm than good in the end. If a diocese wants to elect gay clergy, so be it. If it doesn't, so be it. Each diocese should decide for themselves. Each member of church should decide for themselves. That's my sermon for today...
Friday, July 10, 2009
Summer Projects--Movies
I've always been a fan of lists. They keep things orderly and you earn a sense of accomplishment when you can cross things off. A little over a year ago, I began embarking on a journey to complete a big, time-consuming beast of a list. I decided to tackle the American Film Institute's 1998 list of the top 100 movies of all time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFI%27s_100_Years..._100_Movies#1998_List It began when a friend of mine told me she had seen more than 80 of the films. I realized I had only seen about 20 and felt compelled to do some catching up.
I've spent some late nights and lazy afternoons educating myself on these good movies. I started off buying the films on DVD, but that became a slow, expensive proposition. Thank God for Netflix. Working on the top 100 (while also watching some crazy ones that didn't make the cut), I've almost passed the big 5-0 halfway point. With plenty of down time during the late hours before I leave for work at midnight, I try and watch each Netflix movie as soon as I get it. Later today I'm expecting #84-Fargo.
As with most lists, there's always controversy surrounding the order and everyone has their own opinion. After looking at the list and seeing some movies I was previously unfamiliar with, I've developed some opinions of my own:
I've spent some late nights and lazy afternoons educating myself on these good movies. I started off buying the films on DVD, but that became a slow, expensive proposition. Thank God for Netflix. Working on the top 100 (while also watching some crazy ones that didn't make the cut), I've almost passed the big 5-0 halfway point. With plenty of down time during the late hours before I leave for work at midnight, I try and watch each Netflix movie as soon as I get it. Later today I'm expecting #84-Fargo.
As with most lists, there's always controversy surrounding the order and everyone has their own opinion. After looking at the list and seeing some movies I was previously unfamiliar with, I've developed some opinions of my own:
- Raging Bull has no business being 24th on the 1998 list and even less business being 4th on the 2007 list.
- Chinatown and Apocalypse Now all deserve higher spots.
- To Kill A Mockingbird deserves a higher spot. If AFI thought Atticus Finch was good enough to be the top hero of all time, the movie he was in should be higher than 34th/25th
- Probably one of the best updates from '97 to '08 was Vertigo, which jumped 52 spots from 61st to a much more appropriate 9th.
- As crazy as I may sound and despite the criticism I know I'm asking for, The Godfather wasn't that great a movie. Should it make the list? Sure. Should it be 3rd/2nd? No way.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Getting Young People Interested In News
I was at my Cleveland TV station internship one morning, attending a 2-hour meeting about studies of viewers in the area. TV stations are like high school girls---they are constantly concerned with their social status. Girls spend lots of money on clothes and accessories so they can hang out with all the cool people. The station spent lots of money to conduct a study that told them what people in the area want out of their local news:
- people care about weather more than any other item in a local newscast.
- people want to know a station is genuinely invested in their interests.
- people want more breaking news.
- the station's main viewers are older, and have little interest in the station's website or social networking connections.
The station was so concerned with the weather, its consumer awareness programming and creating a sense of urgency with more breaking news coverage. It has a presence on social networking sites, but it is viewed as a minor piece of the "product." I use this point to illustrate the news industry's distant relationship with younger information consumers. I know it's very hard to get people my age interested in the news. However, if there was ever a chance to get them interested, it's through the constantly expanding wave of hi-tech gadgets.
We're starting to see the early effects of twitter, facebook and youtube employed as sources of news. A number of my friends say they first heard about recent celebrity deaths on twitter before they heard it anywhere else. TV stations and some newspapers are posting on networking sites along with their regular websites. People are signing up for cell phone news updates on topics specifically tailored to their interests. While the excess of information can be overwhelming and annoying, I do see some benefits.
From a business perspective, a news outlet that seeks every available method of information delivery has a distinct advantage in the marketplace. The 24-hour news cycle's constant demand for content can be alleviated with a variety of ways to present that content. I think there are still methods that aren't being exploited.
I'm a big fan of video games. I grew up on Nintendo and grew into the Playstation brand. Playstation 3's online capabilities are nothing short of amazing. Living in an apartment with no TV channels, I spend a lot of time playing games online and watching DVDs. I also watch youtube clips right off of the PS3 web browser. By including a blu-ray player, Sony has repeatedly expressed its aims to make the system an all-in-one entertainment device. What if we take it one step further and make it a news info device.
If news outlets could establish programs for online video game systems, I think it would open up a whole new group of potential content consumers. News groups could create RSS-based news feed programs, package them like video games and offer bundles for specific types of news and expansions for additional news groups. The program would feature a constant stream of multimedia from around the world.
In terms of media philosophy, I've always been fascinated by Milton's marketplace of ideas theory. He asserts that through a diverse amount of sources, This theoretical marketplace is an essential concept to consider in a discussion on democracy and its relationship with free speech. If we apply this to the video game news program, we have some interesting possibilities to consider. The current Sony accessories like the EyeToy webcams and USB headset microphone could come in handy. People could use webcams and microphones to talk to each other about all the things they'd be seeing, hearing and reading. You could chat with just audio or see others in living color. The diversity of the sources could be magnified by the added input of the various consumers.
Such a program could facillitate more dicussion about current events among a group not known for having those kind of conversations. Perhaps as younger viewers mature, they will have more incentive to consume more traditional media. It might also encourage more technologically-friendly adults to get into gaming systems and their additional uses. This is a largely untapped market for the news business and it deserves serious attention and consideration.
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