My Alternate Reality

Facebook or people on facebook, more likely, are in the midst of a campaign to change your facebook profile picture to a cartoon character from your childhood in order to raise awareness about child abuse. 

I am not a fan of awareness campaigns in general.  Mostly they are a waste of donated money.  I think they are mostly cop outs for people who feel guilty about them, but don’t really want to do anything about it.  I mean, look at the infamous pink ribbon campaign.  I am officially aware of breast cancer.  I don’t know if I am any more aware of it than before I ever saw a pink ribbon, but how can I not be aware of it.  I know the pink ribbon branded stuff donates money to breast cancer research, but a lot of that money gets thrown back into promoting the pink ribbon. 

A friend suggested donating to a child abuse prevention organization instead of changing your profile picture.  While donating money to stop breast cancer makes sense because medical breakthroughs cost money, donating money to stop child abuse is like donating money to stop drug use; it will mostly be PSAs.  I can see an abusive mom with an extension chord in her hands, arm drawn back to strike, when a PSA comes on with a sad looking child saying “stop the abuse.”  I then see this mom hitting the cowering child harder to prove that they can’t tell her what to do. 

Abusive parents, like other people that do morally deplorable things, generally don’t see themselves as bad or doing wrong.  They actually think they are doing the right thing or that the child deserves it.  It doesn’t make sense to me, but my mind isn’t warped.  Child abuse is cyclic, but is also more common in homes where there is drug and alcohol abuse.  So, where do you spend money to prevent this?

The only solution I have is to promote self awareness.  Don’t beat your own kids, and watch out for other kids you know.  I hated being grilled about my daughter’s broken thumb in the emergency room (she had wrecked her bike), but understood why they were doing it. Pay attention to the kids next door and don’t be afraid to ask questions.  There is verbal abuse that is just as harmful and you can hear that.  Neglect is also a form of abuse, so turn off farmville, log off of facebook and pay attention to your kid(s). 

Parenting styles may vary and people that are little more harsh on their children than you are may not constitute child abuse.  Be careful and have your facts straight before you call social services on someone.  I know someone falsely accused and his life was hell for a couple of years (they made him rearrange his furniture even). 

In closing, don’t beat your child, don’t verbally beat your child, and don’t neglect YOUR child.  Pay attention if you see something fishy, but don’t go out on a witch hunt for anyone that spanks their kids.  I think if you can stop spousal abuse, you will stop/find most cases of child abuse as well. I do donate $5 to Not-Me every time I do a martial arts meetup in order to help people that have been abused and teach them to prevent further abuse.  Donate all you want, but know what your money is actually paying for.  

The girls on the train are always hitting on me. 

Today, when the train stopped suddenly, one fell into me. 

Sometimes a girl will sit beside me or stand in front of me. 

One girl sat across from me and pretended to read her book.  Can’t fool me. 

Another one was pretending to sleep.  Uh huh. 

One silly girl never looked at me.  Yeah, the lady dost protest too much. 

Hello ladies, can’t you see this ring? I am taken. 

I have come to the point in my life where I no longer want to see my favorite comic books or movies made into major Hollywood pictures.  I have been burnt too many times.  I think the problem is two fold. 

First, screenwriters are often given the daunting task of turning a 300 page plus novel into a 2 hour movie.  I am sorry, but there is no way that you can do that.  Maybe you should ask the original writer for a novella treatment on their work, instead of thinking you can rewrite it better.  You can’t, that is why the novel sold millions of copies and you are writing screenplays and no one has ever heard of you.  Maybe if they approached the project with a little humility or reverence.  I think for some adaptations they don’t even read said book but just ask someone who did what it was about and who the characters were.  I am serious. 

Secondly, directors feel the need to make everything bigger and brighter.  This causes movies to go over the top.  Big name actors are attached and their contracts say that certain things can’t or have to happen to their characters.  They also want to leave the ending open so that they can have a sequel, should the original adaptation become successful.  What you end up with is a larger than life depiction of everyday scenes that have been changed so that Tom Cruise doesn’t die and gets the girl, and then changed again so that there is a possibility of a sequel.  Oh crap we cast Johnny Depp as a secondary character and his contract requires this amount of screen time, so lets rewrite these scenes and put him in. 

These are two of the reasons why movies from film generally suck.  The occasional exception approaches the film from a place of great respect and humbleness, not to mention excitement.  Please, someone in Hollywood read this before another beloved book or character is forever marred by a crappy adaptation.