Tag: Interstellar

Steeler James Harrison Should Only Be Paid for Games He Wins

On By DFLovettIn NFL, Politics, Sports, Trophies, Woody ALlenLeave a comment

Over the last few days, social media has drawn my attention to a topic that gets people heated: participation trophies for children. A few people have come out swinging, furious about the idea that a child should get a plaque or ribbon or medal or trophy for anything other than winning.

Steeler James Harrison reignited this conversation by putting a photo of some trophies on Instagram, telling the world he was going to throw them away, and hashtagging #harrisonfamilyvalues. He wants them to EARN their trophies, as he says.

If anyone thinks these are cool, I'll bet you can find them by digging throw James Harrison's local landfill.
If anyone thinks these are cool, I’ll bet you can find them by digging through James Harrison’s local landfill.

Okay. I’ll agree with Drew Margary and quite a few others with, as Margary says:

Now, here is my SUPER CONTROVERSIAL take on participant trophies: They’re fine. They are pointless and stupid, but actively harmless. A trophy is the party favor you get for paying a couple hundred bucks to join a league. It’s a souvenir. A memento.

I’ll also note, as I did during my Interstellar recap, that I don’t have children. But I think that there is a solution here that I would like to see: James Harrison needs to take this a step farther and define success. He needs to define what it means to “EARN a real trophy.” What is to earn? What is a real trophy? What is winning? What is success? Continue reading “Steeler James Harrison Should Only Be Paid for Games He Wins” →

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My Only Complaints About Interstellar

On By DFLovettIn Christopher Nolan, Inception, Matthew McConaughey, Michael Caine, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight RisesLeave a comment

It’s been out for a while, but there are still two things that bug me about Interstellar.

And no, neither of them is the science of it.  I’m not expert in theories of time travel, interstellar travel, worm holes, quantum mechanics, etc.  I’m not even very interested in such things.  I know that some people explain the science of Interstellar isn’t good, but I don’t care.  My two concerns are more from a story and character perspective.

No, my complaints are not related to the over-use of Dylan Thomas.
No, my complaints are not related to the over-use of Dylan Thomas.

That’s Some Bizarre Parenting

I am not a parent, so I cannot say that I am 100% correct on this, but something did strike me very strange in Interstellar.  When McConaughey is trying to reassure his daughter about his trip into the stars, he says something along the lines of “by the time I return, we might be the same age.”  This is bizarre on so many levels.  First of all, is he really telling her “it’s okay, because I’m only going to be gone for a couple decades.”  And he’s also telling her, “don’t worry, this is going to mess up all the laws of space and time so intensely, that I’m no longer going to be older than you.” Continue reading “My Only Complaints About Interstellar” →