The Draw of Mysticism

It happens to all of us. The idea of mysticism draws us in with caressing tendrils of hope and promise. Astrological compatibility, tarot cards, horoscopes, psychics... All of it is so New Age and unfamiliar. And it usually rakes in lots of cash. Who can forget the late night commercials where self-proclaimed psychic Miss Cleo would hawk her psychic abilities convincing people to call her.

I consider myself to be an idealist and more than a little bit of a romantic. More often than not, you will see me sighing over a well-written love scene. And I have also been drawn into the Romanticism that makes mysticism so interesting.

After a conversation that occurred at work, I armed myself with the every trusty Internet and delved into the deep and often differently interpreted world of astrological signs and astrological compatibility. What signs to avoid and what signs to make a running leap into their awaiting arms. (Hey, if it happens in movies and books, it can happen in real life.)

But I believe that it is possible that we project ourselves onto our horoscopes. We look for a way to fit our lives into the little blurbs and look for ways to say, "Oh my gosh! That fits my life perfectly!"

A couple of years ago, I had a friend read me my cards. What was strange was that it fit my current personal situation to a T. But the question I have to ask myself is this: Was I projecting myself onto the cards, wanting what she was saying to relate to my in some way? I will honestly never know in that situation, which leads me to my questions for you.

Do you read horoscopes and believe in them?

Do you believe that we project our lives onto horoscopes?

Could the stars really hold the answers to all the questions that we have?

America's Obsession with Celebrities

The people who know me will tell you how much I dislike celebrity news. There's just something about it that is so inane that I don't even consider it to be news. Sometimes I can't even believe that it merits its own hour long shows. Most of America, however, disagrees with me.

Many Americans readily enjoy a daily intake of celebrity gossip and news. Several of my friends and co-workers are very taken with the idea of celebrities. After hearing the subject of my last blog, my boss told me I should write about celebrity gossip, which was ironic since the night before I had made the decision to discuss America's celebrity obsession.

And it is not as if celebrity gossip isn't profitable. How many tabloids do you see while waiting in a checkout line? How many people watch TMZ or Entertainment Tonight? The answer is a lot.

Or quintessential front man of celebrity gossip, Perez Hilton and his blog. Made famous by his altered pictures and commentary of the life of celebrities has made Hilton a celebrity in his own right and with that earned celebrity status, the drama and controversy that goes with it. In his quest for celebrity, Hilton himself has gotten tangled in the golden web of fame with several spiders, a.k.a. the media, Perez Haters and the celebs he's insulted, hungrily watching him, out for blood. And according to Wikipedia, Hilton's site is one of the top 500 sites visited by the internet and 2/3 of his traffic are Americans.

I can remember being so sickened that Anna Nicole Smith's death, while no less tragic than anyone else's death, warrented three weeks of news coverage. The same thing is true with Michael Jackson's death, which overshadowed the slow painful suffering of Farrah Fawcett because of the media circus and celebrity that surrounded and still surrounds it with Dr. Conrad Murray's trial going on and awaiting a verdict.

I commented to my mother(who enjoys watching court cases on TruTV) that it was sad that Michael Jackson basically threw away his life with drugs while Farrah Fawcett fought hard to stay alive. Not only that, but it took People Magazine a month after she died to even put her on their cover.

Even people who do not like celebrity gossip, such as myself, find themselves drawn in, especially when it is engrained into the fabric of every day life. Several days ago while my mother and I were watching more details of the Conrad Murray case, one of TruTV's live updates included another celebrity. Lindsay Lohan was back in court for yet another parole violation, where she was sentenced to 30 days in jail, as well as other various requirements.

And while barely understanding the American obsession with celebrity, Americans should be outraged at the treatment these celebs get. They should be railing at the injustice of it all. And not in the favor of the celebrities. They should be upset with the fact that these people get chances that they never will when it comes to the law. If someone like me were to violate my parole several times, I'm fairly certain that I would be spending more than 30 days in prison and a mere 200+ hours of community service.

It has become common-place for the public to accept this as the status quo. That, because of their celebrity, it's okay for people like Lindsay Lohan to cheat the system. That, since they make several millions of dollars and star in movies, or sing, or play sports, that we should pity them and they cannot handle the harsh realities of real life. Unfortunately for them, they would be us if they hadn't been discovered, living middle class lives, struggling and, if ever arrested, paying the same price that us middle class citizens do.

So here are my questions to you:

Why do you believe American's are obsessed with celebrities?

What do you think makes celebrities so God-like that they deserve breaks, especially in terms of punishment?

Do you think it's dangerous to cross that line from observer to celebrity, like Perez Hilton did?

Are you a fan of celebrity gossip? If so, why? If not, why?

Do you believe that celebrities should be given harsher penalties after being given a slight break if arrested or caught violating parole?

Explaining Genocide Through Avatar: The Last Airbender

Being a humanitarian, or at least trying my best to be, I always find it interesting when shows geared towards pure fantasy entertainment have heavy subjects hidden in their content. Sometimes, it's not even hidden. It is even more intriguing when it pertains to a children's show. One show in particular stands out in my mind because it happens to be a favorite of mine.

Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender is shaped around issues that are very relevant today, though not only widely discussed. Two major themes the show revolved around are war and its consequences and genocide. These are seemingly and traditionally taboo subjects for children. War is a little more common because most children, especially in the United States are not affected by genocide, but many of them have mothers, fathers, and other family members that are currently serving in the military at home and abroad.

But with subjects such as war and genocide, how do you make it simple enough for a child to understand without irrevocably scaring and startling them? How do you translate something so tragic into a socially acceptable media format, especially a show slated for 6-11 year old demographic? How do you explain to your child a complex situation when they come asking? It must be done with a very delicate hand and I believe that the writers of Avatar succeeded in appropriately addressing genocide for kids.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, genocide is defined as the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group.

One hundred years before Aang, the protagonist of the series, is found frozen in the South Pole after he runs away from his responsibilities as Avatar, the leader of the Fire Nation, Fire Lord Sozin, declares war on the other three nations. While trying to achieve his goal, Sozin systematically and successfully wipes out the Air Nomads. One hundred years after the Fire Lord destroys the entire Air Nomad culture, his grandson, current Fire Lord Ozai, plans on imprisoning and killing the Earth Kingdom by tryanny, intimidation, and a scorched earth policy, a military strategy used to destroy anything that may be useful to an 'enemy.'

The scorched earth policy was once common policy for many years (since outlawed by Article 54 of Protocol I of the 1977 Geneva Conventions) but was also used by someone who instigated real life genocide. Adolf Hitler had the Germans use this policy during World War II.

One of the most disturbing and poignant scenes for me in Avatar was when Aang sees the field of bones (of the people he loved) at the Southern Air Temple in the third episode of Season One. It is reminiscent of many different genocides throughout the years. Ones that are not remembered. How does a mother or father explain a field of bones to their child? How do they make them understand what has happened? While Avatar doesn't necessarily explain what genocide is, the writers and creators do not choose to gloss over the fact that one person ordered the death of hundreds and that a century later, another charismatic leader planned to do the same.
And this is important for several reasons. Everyone needs to remember. Remembering helps ensure that genocide is prevented.

Every child learns about the Holocaust. How six million lives were snuffed out for incredibly small reasons. But they do not learn about most of the others. Like the Armenian Genocide in 1914 that killed between one and one and a half million people, and was one of Hitler's justifications for the Holocaust. He was quoted saying, "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?" And you will never see the Armenian Genocide in a textbook because, despite extensive documentation, Turkey still denies that it occured.

There is the Cambodian Genocide in the 1970's with the Khmer Rouge, the Rwandan Genocide in 1994 where 800,000 people were killed in three months, the Bosnian Genocide. And the current genocide in Darfur, Sudan that began in 2003, killing and displacing thousands of people, affecting over five million people. Omar al-Bashir was quoted as saying the arrest warrent for his crimes against humanity was not even worth the paper it was written on.

In conclusion, after an impromptu and scattered history lesson, I applaud the creators of Avatar for their gumption. If only more shows tackled human rights issues, maybe it would begin to teach children how important humanitarian issues are. It could create a generation of people who are activists. These will be the people who begin to help heal the world and all its hurts.

So here are my questions to you:

Do you think it's appropriate for children's media such as Avatar to address and focus on tragic, real life events like genocide and should more shows highlight such diffucult subjects?

Is it an acceptable springboard for a parent-child discussion on humanitarian issues?

 Or is the subject matter too subtle for some age groups to pick up?

Should there be a warning/rating for parents so they are aware of the content their children are viewing, especially ones based on genocide and war?

Should the rating be recalibrated from a 6-11 year old demographic to a more mature child audience based on content of complex issues?

But is maturity always age based?

But herein lies a new question: Aren't some seven-year-olds be as mature or more mature than some ten-year-olds?