Readers of this blog may know that I have a fond feeling for the Eastern European county of Ukraine. Our family has many good memories of our trips to Ukraine and the hospitality we received.
I had to smile a bit when I heard that a Ukrainian polka band had covered Katy Perry's "Hot 'n Cold." I don't know what is more strange--guys singing the girl's part or a polka band doing rock and roll. However, it is pretty funny. Here it is.
Since I don't want to leave anyone with the wrong impression, Ukrainians can rock out even without a polka band. I don't know who this is, but it is pretty cool.
Finally, no discussion of Ukraine in popular culture would be complete without paying homage to the Seinfeld episode in which Kramer insulted Ukraine and paid the consequences.
Don't mess with Ukraine!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
ttyl is . . . not a bad book
Last December I wrote about the controversy which ensued when the superintendent of the Round Rock School District pulled popular novel ttyl from the shelves of middle school libraries and relocated it to the high schools. The parents cried out that the book was vulgar and pornographic. The author cried out that her book was being censored. At the time, I argued that not making a book available in a library did not amount to censorship and also argued in favor of the free speech rights of the parents to complain about the book. However, I reserved judgment on the merits of the book itself because I had not read it. Now I have read it and I don't think it's a bad book at all; it just covers some mature subjects.
Here is the high level view. No way is the book pornographic. One definition of pornography that I found on dictionary.com is: "creative activity (writing or pictures or films etc.) of no literary or artistic value other than to stimulate sexual desire." That is pretty close to the Supreme Court definition of obscenity, so I will go with that. Under this definition, ttyl is not pornographic at all because it is not intended to stimulate sexual desire and has significant literary and artistic value. While the primary conflicts in the book involve sexually charged situations, they are used as a plot device to show the dangers of seeking validation from outside sources and to show the importance of friends watching out for each other. Or to put it another way, the book is a great big flashing sign saying WATCH OUT!!!!
Confused? Let me start with some background. ttyl is the story of three 15 year old girls starting 10th grade. It is told entirely through instant messages between the girls in which they talk about their hopes and fears and the activities in their lives. While the girls have been best friends since seventh grade, they each have a trait which causes them to seek approval outside of their group and frequently puts the girls at odds with each other.
Spoiler Alert: The summary below reveals some key plot twists.
Angela is the boy-crazy one. She seeks validation from boys and fantasizes about having a sexual relationship with a boy she has just met who she is convinced is THE ONE, much to her friends' concern. When another girl poaches her boyfriend, she becomes the psycho ex-girlfriend, stalking the boy so that they can "just talk."
Maddie is constantly down on herself and craves approval from the mean queen bee cheerleader. When she ditches her friends on Halloween to go to a college party with her new "friend," she ends up drunk and dancing for the college boys; a hangover and incriminating pictures ensue.
Zoe is the studious good girl with ultra-strict parents. She craves the approval of her teacher, who just happens to be a 24 year old single man. When her teacher invites her to Christian fellowship events and to church,her parents approve. However, the teacher, whether innocently or not, develops an inappropriate interest in his pupil. Zoe and her speedo-clad teacher end up in a hot tub together, where she must be rescued by her friends (in one of the more comic scenes of the book).
In the end, the girls are there for each other and the most serious consequences are averted. Along the way, the girls' friendship is tested. At any given moment, one of the girls is caught in the middle of an argument between the other two.
From a moral standpoint, the book is a good cautionary tale. The story's focus necessarily results in mature subjects being discussed. The presentation of the story is mature as well. The girls talk frankly among themselves, often using exaggeration to make a point, and they cuss a lot. I could have done without as much salty language (where is the episode of Spongbob that talks about sentence enhancers when you need it?). However, as a sometime soccer coach for high school girls, I remember very well the struggle to keep the conversation G-rated. If that is how they talk around adults, I can imagine how they talk in private.
I don't think that the fact that the girls in the book talk about body parts, desires and dangerous situations makes the book pornographic. My younger daughter attends middle school religious ed classes which include discussion of sexual predators and how to protect yourself. There is a sort of parallel to the subject matter of ttyl, except that the book's lessons are intuitive rather than direct.
I can see where some Christians would be offended by this book. One of the main subplots is about a teacher who talks a good game about faith and spiritual things, but uses church as a means to try to get closer to a young girl. The religion as seduction theme could be very discomforting. However, I don't think that the book is anti-Christian. In order for the teacher to get close to Zoe, he has to be an authority figure who her parents will trust. While the author could have chosen someone other than a Christian to play this role, the choice is a legitimate one. If I am being too subtle here, the point is that just because a Christian character falls for and tries to seduce an underage girl does not mean that the author is claiming that all Christians are hypocritical perverts.
The IM format and language (full of shorthand notations) takes a bit of getting used to. I had trouble getting into the book at first, especially when the author was introducing the characters and the plot had not really started to unfold. I asked my daughters about this. My 16 year old daughter rolled her eyes and told me that the book should have written in text messages, since no one IM's anymore. My 14 year old daughter (who loves Shakespeare) thought it read like a play.
I would not have a problem with either one of my daughters reading the book. I can see where it would be a bit too mature for sixth graders. However, I have a hard time drawing the line between too mature and too late. Girls grow up pretty fast between sixth and eighth grade. I don't have a problem with the fact that ttyl is in my daughter's middle school library. Perhaps it would be appropriate to restrict the book from sixth graders, but keeping out of the library altogether seems a bit much (although I totally support the right of someone who disagrees with me to express their opinion).
Here is the high level view. No way is the book pornographic. One definition of pornography that I found on dictionary.com is: "creative activity (writing or pictures or films etc.) of no literary or artistic value other than to stimulate sexual desire." That is pretty close to the Supreme Court definition of obscenity, so I will go with that. Under this definition, ttyl is not pornographic at all because it is not intended to stimulate sexual desire and has significant literary and artistic value. While the primary conflicts in the book involve sexually charged situations, they are used as a plot device to show the dangers of seeking validation from outside sources and to show the importance of friends watching out for each other. Or to put it another way, the book is a great big flashing sign saying WATCH OUT!!!!
Confused? Let me start with some background. ttyl is the story of three 15 year old girls starting 10th grade. It is told entirely through instant messages between the girls in which they talk about their hopes and fears and the activities in their lives. While the girls have been best friends since seventh grade, they each have a trait which causes them to seek approval outside of their group and frequently puts the girls at odds with each other.
Spoiler Alert: The summary below reveals some key plot twists.
Angela is the boy-crazy one. She seeks validation from boys and fantasizes about having a sexual relationship with a boy she has just met who she is convinced is THE ONE, much to her friends' concern. When another girl poaches her boyfriend, she becomes the psycho ex-girlfriend, stalking the boy so that they can "just talk."
Maddie is constantly down on herself and craves approval from the mean queen bee cheerleader. When she ditches her friends on Halloween to go to a college party with her new "friend," she ends up drunk and dancing for the college boys; a hangover and incriminating pictures ensue.
Zoe is the studious good girl with ultra-strict parents. She craves the approval of her teacher, who just happens to be a 24 year old single man. When her teacher invites her to Christian fellowship events and to church,her parents approve. However, the teacher, whether innocently or not, develops an inappropriate interest in his pupil. Zoe and her speedo-clad teacher end up in a hot tub together, where she must be rescued by her friends (in one of the more comic scenes of the book).
In the end, the girls are there for each other and the most serious consequences are averted. Along the way, the girls' friendship is tested. At any given moment, one of the girls is caught in the middle of an argument between the other two.
From a moral standpoint, the book is a good cautionary tale. The story's focus necessarily results in mature subjects being discussed. The presentation of the story is mature as well. The girls talk frankly among themselves, often using exaggeration to make a point, and they cuss a lot. I could have done without as much salty language (where is the episode of Spongbob that talks about sentence enhancers when you need it?). However, as a sometime soccer coach for high school girls, I remember very well the struggle to keep the conversation G-rated. If that is how they talk around adults, I can imagine how they talk in private.
I don't think that the fact that the girls in the book talk about body parts, desires and dangerous situations makes the book pornographic. My younger daughter attends middle school religious ed classes which include discussion of sexual predators and how to protect yourself. There is a sort of parallel to the subject matter of ttyl, except that the book's lessons are intuitive rather than direct.
I can see where some Christians would be offended by this book. One of the main subplots is about a teacher who talks a good game about faith and spiritual things, but uses church as a means to try to get closer to a young girl. The religion as seduction theme could be very discomforting. However, I don't think that the book is anti-Christian. In order for the teacher to get close to Zoe, he has to be an authority figure who her parents will trust. While the author could have chosen someone other than a Christian to play this role, the choice is a legitimate one. If I am being too subtle here, the point is that just because a Christian character falls for and tries to seduce an underage girl does not mean that the author is claiming that all Christians are hypocritical perverts.
The IM format and language (full of shorthand notations) takes a bit of getting used to. I had trouble getting into the book at first, especially when the author was introducing the characters and the plot had not really started to unfold. I asked my daughters about this. My 16 year old daughter rolled her eyes and told me that the book should have written in text messages, since no one IM's anymore. My 14 year old daughter (who loves Shakespeare) thought it read like a play.
I would not have a problem with either one of my daughters reading the book. I can see where it would be a bit too mature for sixth graders. However, I have a hard time drawing the line between too mature and too late. Girls grow up pretty fast between sixth and eighth grade. I don't have a problem with the fact that ttyl is in my daughter's middle school library. Perhaps it would be appropriate to restrict the book from sixth graders, but keeping out of the library altogether seems a bit much (although I totally support the right of someone who disagrees with me to express their opinion).
Sunday, April 12, 2009
A Holy Week Journey: One Family, Eight Days, Four Religions
Holy Week is the most serious observance of the Christian year. Whereas Christmas consists of a little bit of church in the middle of a secular bacchanalia, Holy Week can be a serious religious journey for those who choose to participate. Holy Week also coincides with the Jewish Passover, so that the season is doubly profound. Religious holidays at our house are more complicated now that we belong to different denominations. While the Lutheran and Catholic churches are similar in many respects, the logistics of observing both can be a bit daunting.
Holy Week consists of the eight days from Palm Sunday through Easter. This year, parts of our family participated in observances from four different religions and denominations.
Palm Sunday
The week started on Palm Sunday. I attended the Lutheran church by myself, while Val and Stephanie went to their Catholic church. Palm Sunday is a preview of Holy Week. It begins with the procession of palms into the church and features the reading of the passion Gospel which leads up to the crucifixion. The music captures this contrast with "All Glory, Laud and Honor" leading in and "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord" ending.
Passover
On Wednesday night, Stephanie and I attended a passover seder at the home of one of the lawyers in my firm. The seder was almost a firm event, with five families of lawyers and employees attending along with two families of clients. Like many Jewish observances, this was held in the home and featured a hearty meal. The home setting made it more comfortable for the Christians like Stephanie and me. It was a combination of religious ceremony and socializing. The contrasts were interesting. There was a lot of singing, including both the traditional Hebrew from the Haggadah, and sillier songs in English, such as the Eight Days of Passover. There were the traditional religious symbols of passover, such as the bitter herb, the four cups of wine and the matzoh. However, there was almost an irreverent attitude toward rote recitation of the traditional "Maxwell House Haggadah." At one point, after several glasses of wine, while listening to Howard chant in Hebrew, I had a feeling of being in another place and time. For a Christian, the shared symbolism of passover and the last supper was very meaningful. Stephanie and I also had a lot of fun.
Holy Thursday
Thursday night began the Triduum. I did not know this before, but the Thursday, Friday and Saturday before Easter are not part of Lent in the Catholic Church. They are a separate three day season inbetween Lent and Easter. The three days consist of Holy Thursday commemorating the Last Supper, Good Friday marking the crucifixion and the Easter Vigil.
I took Stephanie to the Holy Thursday and Good Friday services at St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church. Val works nights so that she was not able to go with us. Stephanie is still at an age where she takes church seriously, so that it was a good time for father-daughter bonding. Holy Thursday ended with a candlelight procession taking the communion representing Jesus out of the sanctuary into the day chapel. All of the congregation filed out holding candles and lined up along with walkway. It tooks a long time for everyone to process out and for the group containing the priest and the cross to wind its way along. The long trail of hundreds of candles lining the way for the procession of the cross was very profound.
While Stephanie and I were at the Catholic Church and Val was batching paperwork at the IRS, Kristen attended a Jehovah's Witness meeting with friends. The two boys who are at the center of one of Kristen's circles of friends are Jehovah's Witnesses. Because one of Kristen's best friends is dating one of them, she was invited and Kristen went along for support. This particular meeting is called the Memorial and it is the Jehovah's Witness version of the last supper. It was serious enough that Kristen and Raven both bought dresses so that they would be properly attired. They are at the age where peer pressure is a lot more effective than parental demands. Kristen said that the meeting was "interesting" but offered few details. I had to go online to learn that the Memorial is the one time of the year when Jehovah's Witnesses celebrate communion and that only a very few (about 9,000 out of 17 million) actually take communion. In some meetings, the bread and wine are passed around without anyone being able to partake.
Good Friday
On Friday night, Stephanie and I went to the Good Friday service at St. Catherine's. All I really remember is that they chanted the entire Passion gospel and that it seemed to go on for an hour.
Easter Vigil
Saturday was the third night of the Triduum. Valeska could finally join us. This is a major service in the Catholic church because it is when they receive new members. Valeska was confirmed at this service two years ago. The service was rich in symbolism. It began outside with the lighting of the Paschal candle from a fire. The priest and the congregation processed into the church and candles were lit from the Paschal candle. The sight of the darkened church being lit up from the candles represented the light of Christ entering the world and was a powerful image. The service was so long that they had an intermission after the first hour and a half. There was a lot of repetition in the service, so that it was almost hypnotic. There is one hymn called the Liturgy of the Saints which is basically a chant asking various saints to pray for us. Also, there was a refrain which was sung after each candidate was baptised or confirmed. After 25 times, it was still meaningful because it was being sung for each person individually. The service ended with an Easter hymn. It was one of the few hymns that involved straight congregational singing as opposed to a leader singing the verses and the congregation singing the refrain. People started filing out and talking once the priest recessed which seemed odd, since the hymn had two verses left to go.
Easter Sunday
On Sunday morning, I returned to St. Martin's Lutheran where my Holy Week journey had begun. Val, Kristen, Val's mom and I went together. We were late because Kristen took forever getting ready, so we had to sit in the overflow seating in the narthex. The Lutheran service was heavy on music. There was a brass ensemble which caused the church to ring out with song. There were many joyful hymns to sing and everyone sang, even in the overflow area.
Final Thoughts
After going back and forth between different faiths, I have a few thoughts. The Catholic tradition appeals to all of the senses. Two of the three nights of the Triduum featured candlelight and two featured incense as well. The service was a combination of sight, sound and smell. The Catholic service was long on repetition. Sometimes this took on a hypnotic, almost mystical state and other times it was just boring. The Catholic music relied heavily on the choir to lead without a lot of outright congregational singing. Also, the Catholics have an almost anarchic sense of following the printed order of service, changing the order or skipping elements at will (although they never omitted anything essential). Finally, the Catholic church has an almost exotic immigrant quality to it. The two priests at St. Catherine's are Irish and Indian and speak with very distinct accents. The faithful represent every shade of America with stolid Germans sitting next to rambunctious Hispanic families, African Americans and Asian Americans, young and old.
The Lutheran service is very orderly. It follows the order of service precisely. While the Lutheran service closely follows that of the Catholic, the main difference to me is the music. The Lutheran music seems more democratic, with choir, instruments and congregration all serving as co-creators of the mighty sound. It is said that Martin Luther wrote hymns from German beer-drinking songs and the Lutheran hymns (even when they are the exact same songs as the Catholic hymns) have a full-throated, amost lusty feel to them. The central role of congregational singing was made clear when the organ trailed off and stopped playing on the third verse of a hymn, leaving the congregation to pick it up a capella.
Holy Week consists of the eight days from Palm Sunday through Easter. This year, parts of our family participated in observances from four different religions and denominations.
Palm Sunday
The week started on Palm Sunday. I attended the Lutheran church by myself, while Val and Stephanie went to their Catholic church. Palm Sunday is a preview of Holy Week. It begins with the procession of palms into the church and features the reading of the passion Gospel which leads up to the crucifixion. The music captures this contrast with "All Glory, Laud and Honor" leading in and "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord" ending.
Passover
On Wednesday night, Stephanie and I attended a passover seder at the home of one of the lawyers in my firm. The seder was almost a firm event, with five families of lawyers and employees attending along with two families of clients. Like many Jewish observances, this was held in the home and featured a hearty meal. The home setting made it more comfortable for the Christians like Stephanie and me. It was a combination of religious ceremony and socializing. The contrasts were interesting. There was a lot of singing, including both the traditional Hebrew from the Haggadah, and sillier songs in English, such as the Eight Days of Passover. There were the traditional religious symbols of passover, such as the bitter herb, the four cups of wine and the matzoh. However, there was almost an irreverent attitude toward rote recitation of the traditional "Maxwell House Haggadah." At one point, after several glasses of wine, while listening to Howard chant in Hebrew, I had a feeling of being in another place and time. For a Christian, the shared symbolism of passover and the last supper was very meaningful. Stephanie and I also had a lot of fun.
Holy Thursday
Thursday night began the Triduum. I did not know this before, but the Thursday, Friday and Saturday before Easter are not part of Lent in the Catholic Church. They are a separate three day season inbetween Lent and Easter. The three days consist of Holy Thursday commemorating the Last Supper, Good Friday marking the crucifixion and the Easter Vigil.
I took Stephanie to the Holy Thursday and Good Friday services at St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church. Val works nights so that she was not able to go with us. Stephanie is still at an age where she takes church seriously, so that it was a good time for father-daughter bonding. Holy Thursday ended with a candlelight procession taking the communion representing Jesus out of the sanctuary into the day chapel. All of the congregation filed out holding candles and lined up along with walkway. It tooks a long time for everyone to process out and for the group containing the priest and the cross to wind its way along. The long trail of hundreds of candles lining the way for the procession of the cross was very profound.
While Stephanie and I were at the Catholic Church and Val was batching paperwork at the IRS, Kristen attended a Jehovah's Witness meeting with friends. The two boys who are at the center of one of Kristen's circles of friends are Jehovah's Witnesses. Because one of Kristen's best friends is dating one of them, she was invited and Kristen went along for support. This particular meeting is called the Memorial and it is the Jehovah's Witness version of the last supper. It was serious enough that Kristen and Raven both bought dresses so that they would be properly attired. They are at the age where peer pressure is a lot more effective than parental demands. Kristen said that the meeting was "interesting" but offered few details. I had to go online to learn that the Memorial is the one time of the year when Jehovah's Witnesses celebrate communion and that only a very few (about 9,000 out of 17 million) actually take communion. In some meetings, the bread and wine are passed around without anyone being able to partake.
Good Friday
On Friday night, Stephanie and I went to the Good Friday service at St. Catherine's. All I really remember is that they chanted the entire Passion gospel and that it seemed to go on for an hour.
Easter Vigil
Saturday was the third night of the Triduum. Valeska could finally join us. This is a major service in the Catholic church because it is when they receive new members. Valeska was confirmed at this service two years ago. The service was rich in symbolism. It began outside with the lighting of the Paschal candle from a fire. The priest and the congregation processed into the church and candles were lit from the Paschal candle. The sight of the darkened church being lit up from the candles represented the light of Christ entering the world and was a powerful image. The service was so long that they had an intermission after the first hour and a half. There was a lot of repetition in the service, so that it was almost hypnotic. There is one hymn called the Liturgy of the Saints which is basically a chant asking various saints to pray for us. Also, there was a refrain which was sung after each candidate was baptised or confirmed. After 25 times, it was still meaningful because it was being sung for each person individually. The service ended with an Easter hymn. It was one of the few hymns that involved straight congregational singing as opposed to a leader singing the verses and the congregation singing the refrain. People started filing out and talking once the priest recessed which seemed odd, since the hymn had two verses left to go.
Easter Sunday
On Sunday morning, I returned to St. Martin's Lutheran where my Holy Week journey had begun. Val, Kristen, Val's mom and I went together. We were late because Kristen took forever getting ready, so we had to sit in the overflow seating in the narthex. The Lutheran service was heavy on music. There was a brass ensemble which caused the church to ring out with song. There were many joyful hymns to sing and everyone sang, even in the overflow area.
Final Thoughts
After going back and forth between different faiths, I have a few thoughts. The Catholic tradition appeals to all of the senses. Two of the three nights of the Triduum featured candlelight and two featured incense as well. The service was a combination of sight, sound and smell. The Catholic service was long on repetition. Sometimes this took on a hypnotic, almost mystical state and other times it was just boring. The Catholic music relied heavily on the choir to lead without a lot of outright congregational singing. Also, the Catholics have an almost anarchic sense of following the printed order of service, changing the order or skipping elements at will (although they never omitted anything essential). Finally, the Catholic church has an almost exotic immigrant quality to it. The two priests at St. Catherine's are Irish and Indian and speak with very distinct accents. The faithful represent every shade of America with stolid Germans sitting next to rambunctious Hispanic families, African Americans and Asian Americans, young and old.
The Lutheran service is very orderly. It follows the order of service precisely. While the Lutheran service closely follows that of the Catholic, the main difference to me is the music. The Lutheran music seems more democratic, with choir, instruments and congregration all serving as co-creators of the mighty sound. It is said that Martin Luther wrote hymns from German beer-drinking songs and the Lutheran hymns (even when they are the exact same songs as the Catholic hymns) have a full-throated, amost lusty feel to them. The central role of congregational singing was made clear when the organ trailed off and stopped playing on the third verse of a hymn, leaving the congregation to pick it up a capella.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Saving Taylor Swift
One of the perils of radio stations playing the same song over and over again is that you might actually pay attention to the lyrics. Taylor Swift's "Love Story" has been all over the airwaves lately. The 19 year old country singer has scored a major cross-over hit with her song about a modern day Romeo & Juliet. The song is a sugary confection sung by a woman with a passionate voice. However, the Juliet in this song sits around passively waiting for the men in her life to take charge.
In the song, her daddy tells Romeo to stay away and she reacts by crying and begging him not to go. In each chorus, Juliet cries out "Romeo save me." Finally, in the end Romeo says: "marry me Juliet/You'll never have to be alone/I love you and that's all I really know/I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress/It's a love story, baby just say yes."
The strong characters here are the dad who gives commands about who can see his daughter and Romeo who summons up the courage to talk to him so that he can protect Juliet from having to be alone. Meanwhile, Juliet sits around crying and waiting to be saved.
It's probably a bit silly to pick on a romantic song with a happy ending. However, as the father of two daughters, I would hate for them to get the message that their role in life is to passively wait around to be saved. There is a great scene in Shrek the Third where the princesses are captured by the villains. When asked what they are going to do about it, they sigh and wait to be rescued. Not willing to take captivity sitting down, the queen head-butts her way through a stone wall and leads the princesses out to kick bad guy butt. Watching Snow White and Cinderella fight back is not only entertaining, but it sends a good message about strong women. I hope that my daughters learn that there is more to life than waiting to be rescued by a guy.
In the song, her daddy tells Romeo to stay away and she reacts by crying and begging him not to go. In each chorus, Juliet cries out "Romeo save me." Finally, in the end Romeo says: "marry me Juliet/You'll never have to be alone/I love you and that's all I really know/I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress/It's a love story, baby just say yes."
The strong characters here are the dad who gives commands about who can see his daughter and Romeo who summons up the courage to talk to him so that he can protect Juliet from having to be alone. Meanwhile, Juliet sits around crying and waiting to be saved.
It's probably a bit silly to pick on a romantic song with a happy ending. However, as the father of two daughters, I would hate for them to get the message that their role in life is to passively wait around to be saved. There is a great scene in Shrek the Third where the princesses are captured by the villains. When asked what they are going to do about it, they sigh and wait to be rescued. Not willing to take captivity sitting down, the queen head-butts her way through a stone wall and leads the princesses out to kick bad guy butt. Watching Snow White and Cinderella fight back is not only entertaining, but it sends a good message about strong women. I hope that my daughters learn that there is more to life than waiting to be rescued by a guy.
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