Genre Fiction as Literature

Like many men of my generation, I enjoy what is typically referred to as genre fiction, that is science fiction and fantasy as it is presented both in print and on film. In fact, I think that I am probably a bigger fan most, with an extensive array of quotes and pop culture references at my disposal, often so obscure that even other nerds don’t get them right away. However, almost since the advent of literary and film criticism, these genres have been dismissed as irrelevant by the critics.

Now, to be honest, there is good reason for this. In most science fiction and fantasy, there is a great deal of action, slender women in revealing clothing carrying huge swords and/or lasers and a cadre of adjectives that even Roger and his thesaurus find daunting but very little in the way of plot and character development. Even in classics such as the Martian Tales books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the story exists solely to serve the action and the whole comes off as though Burroughs was simply writing out his childhood fantasies. There is much better out there of course but the bulk of it really is junk fiction.

In recent years though, there has been a growing appreciation of the fact that there is also quality science fiction and fantasy out there. Literature has softened up a bit due in no small part to the crusading efforts of Stephen King who simply demands that quality be recognized no matter where it be found, and also the rise in popularity of things like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and comic books. Film in particular has come recognize quality genre fiction. Iron Man was well received, District 9 was graced with a Best Picture nomination and Return of the King is one of the most decorated films in history.

Why the sudden turn around? It is hard to say. Personally, I think it has a lot to do with amount of money such properties bring in. That said, it is also possible that there is a genuine recognition of what such stories have to offer. Which brings me to the issue at hand, does genre fiction have something unique to offer as opposed to what is generally referred to as literature? Or if it doesn’t offer anything unique, does it at least present what is offers in not just a unique, but valid way?

Perhaps the most obvious thing differentiating literature from genre fiction is the setting. Literature is generally set in the real world, typically, but not always contemporary with the time and place of the author. They also concern events that could plausibly happen. Even the world war scenarios of Tom Clancy’s novels could possibly occur given the right circumstances. There are of course exceptions such as the gods and goddesses actions in the work of Homer. Such works are included in the canon of respectable literature for the simple reason that they have stood the test of time.

The ways in which genre fiction differ here are obvious. Lightsabers, giants, far away worlds in habited by aliens who send out black monoliths and trigger impossible novas are clearly not part of our everyday experience. Even in more restrained science fiction such that of Jules Verne, one finds ideas and props that are typically slightly beyond the current time and place. They are also very often essential to the story, sometimes absolutely so as in the case of H.G. Well’s Time Machine or the Martians of his War of the Worlds.

This brings us to another difference, the nature of the central conflict, or rather, the way the conflict is portrayed. In literature, the action is very often (though not always) character driven, filled with lots of dialogue or introspective narrative. And the conflict often involves a relationship, whether it be natural tension between personalities or the subtle class/social status conflict of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. The English Patient is driven by a love triangle, as is the movie The Piano; whatever the case, the issue at hand usually revolves around a relationship.

Social issues are also a central feature such as in the book and movie How Green Was My Valley about how the Industrial Revolution gradually tore apart a family in a small mining town in Wales.

There is of course plenty of plot-driven literature out there as well such as Homer, John Grisham, Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton (for the record, I am not putting any of these other guys in the same league as Homer, just making a point).

With science fiction and fantasy, the action and conflict are generally plot driven. There is a sword to be found, and alien invasion/meteor/virus/dragon to be stopped. Relationships are often important, the greatest example being the friendship of Frodo and Sam in the Lord of the Rings. Others abound such as the father and son relationship in Star Wars and friendship of Jim, Bones and Spock in Star Trek. However, these relationships are not necessarily what the story is about, or the mover of the action, regardless of how essential they may be to resolution of the action.

Superficially then, genre fiction is often about an invasion, the restoration of a kingdom, or some other outlandish set up. But such settings usually mask what the story is truly about. The aforementioned District 9, superficially is about one man’s transformation into a member of an alien race that he used to oppressing. What it is really about is racism, apartheid and how it takes walking in another man’s shoes (or skin) before one understands him. The novel War of the Worlds is at least in part about the scarcity of resources, while the movie is also about man’s tendency to descend into irrational fear on one hand and the power of faith on the other. Remember, at the end, everyone is praying in Church when the germs get the aliens. The stories of Philip K. Dick generally explore the nature of free will and just what it is that makes us human, such as in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (better known as Blade Runner). A lesser known work is the Pre-Persons which takes place in a world in which children can be aborted up to twelve years of age, the age at which (it has been decided) a person is able to handle basic algebra. The main character, an adult male, challenges this foolish notion by saying that he can’t remember how to do algebra and therefore must not be fully human either.

In the realm of fantasy, there is none greater than Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings. In this work, we find issues of destiny, sacrifice, the power of grace over physical might, the value of friendship, etc. Even more impressive is the fact that is was done unconsciously. All these were simply elements of the story he was trying to tell.

The point of all of this is to illustrate that not only do the highly imaginative settings and props of genre fiction not impede the exploration of serious ideas, they often aid it by throwing the ideas into sharper relief. In fact, it could be argued that in some ways genre fictions is better than mainstream literature at doing this. The settings allow for thought experiments that take many ideas of today out their logical, or at least logically possible conclusions (just think of how Huxley and Heinlein used trends in entertainment and manufacturing in Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451) which in turn provide excellent opportunities for exploring the human condition in ways that rarely seen in any other medium except formal philosophy. Mainstream literature is capable of this as well but it’s focus on present-day realism and the subjective experiences of the characters makes it much more difficult. Again, there are exceptions, such as the aforementioned Jane Austen and those works of fantasy and science fiction that have been around long enough to be accepted by the critics (Frankenstein, the works of Verne and Wells).

In terms of sheer literary achievement, a good genre fiction story also has much to boast about, considering that they can take characters in utterly fantastic situations and make them engaging believable. That takes a fair amount of talent as well as a thorough understanding of human nature. More conventional mainstream literature has a different, though no less difficult challenge; take characters living ordinary lives and make them interesting enough that you want to take a few hours out of your life to read about theirs. This ability is what made authors like Mark Twain, Shakespeare, and Austen famous. Both tasks are daunting and worthy of admiration, even if one prefers on brand over the other.

So, does genre fiction offer something substantial that mainstream literature does not? That is debatable. What I do hope to have show though is that genre fiction can do as good a job as mainstream literature at examining the highs and lows of human nature and even of exploring various issues of import. Happy readying.

Currently, in Afghanistan

I just found out about the story of a Christian jailed in Afghanistan who is awaiting execution for the crime of converting from Islam.  The story can be found over at www.ncregister.com.  Here's a copy of the letter that I sent to the appropriate politicians:

I have recently read an article about the plight of a prisoner in Afghanistan.  His crime is apparently being a Christian convert from Islam in a land where punishment for such conversion is death.  He somehow got a letter out that partially describes his incarceration and abuse by inmates and guards alike.  The following is an excerpt from the letter.  The full letter can be found at the Barnabas Fund (http://www.barnabasfund.org/Said-Musas-handwritten-letter.html).  His English is rudimentary but it is possible to understand what he is saying. 

“My name is Said Musa 45 years old. I have been working since 15 years as a Physiotherapist in I-C-R-C [International Committee of the Red Cross] orthopaedic centre in Kabul, Afghanistan. About four and a half months before by security force of Afghanistan I [was] captured, due to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world.

...Since that time I am in jail. The authority and prisoners in jail did many bad behaviour with me about my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. For example, they did sexual things with me, beat me by wood, by hands, by legs, put some things on my head, mocked me ‘He’s Jesus Christ’, spat on me, nobody let me for sleep night and day. Every person spat on me and beat me. Also the prosecutor wrote something wrong against me. He told from himself something wrong against me on my file.

Supposedly, our embassy has expressed concern and called for his release.  This needs more than concern.  After all, if this kind of government is going to be the result of our war on terrorism, what exactly are we or anyone else gaining from this war?  If we are going to let them set up such draconian laws, fine.  But we should get out now and let them fend for themselves instead of finding ourselves propping up yet another dictatorial regime in the name of national security.  Better still, we should enforce a minimum standard of human rights so that such things simply do not happen in countries that we support. 

They should just rename Detroit...

...and call it Gotham.  Just set it up with a bat-signal and call it a day.  Maybe you could even get some money from the WB for advertising.  Seriously though, I was just reading an article in the local paper about how bad the situation is and it is just staggering.  I've been there a couple of times in recent years and have found the city very depressing.  Here are some facts from the article:

Water (yes, water), garbage and ambulances are no t available in all parts of the city. 

A third of it (an area the size of Boston) is basically deserted.

The mayor's security vehicle was left on blocks.

To his credit, mayor Bing is trying hard to turn it around but he really needs our prayers.

The Big Time!

My brother just emailed me the following link:  http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/reviews/view.cfm?recnum=4460 in which Catholic Culture reviews his website.  And very favorably I might add. This makes me happy for two reason's; it's my brother's creation and I also contribute on occasion.  Anyway, get yourself over to catfoundations.com and start reading.

Local Racism and local reactions

So, early last week, so moron on the campus of local Hope College posts a flier for a mock fraternity with a message akin to the KKK's brand of hate.  Naturally, the school board reacts, disciplining the student responsible and issuing some statement disavowing the whole thing.   You can check that out here.
What that little report fails to tell you is that students were not only responding to the flier but also the college's response.  The local paper, Holland Sentinel reported that students were at least responding to the wording of the college's statement, which signaled out the African-American students as gracing the campus.  Now, the students are not of course protesting the idea that African-Americans are a valuable part of the student body.  Rather, they are upset at the notion that they are more valuable.  Essentially, they're saying "They are no different than us!  We are all people and valuable!"  Basically, they echo a statement that Morgan Freeman recently made on 60 minutes, which was basically, "If want to get rid of racism, stop talking about race all the time."  Seems simple enough to me.
I'll grant that this seems a little overly sensitive on the part of the student body, but it still represents a way of looking at racial issues that I would like to see a lot more of. 

Knights of Columbus and Respect for Life

Well, recently I joined the local Knights of Columbus Respect Life committee.  How does one join?  By showing up of course!  Anyway, I'll be working on rounding up some education materials and trying my hand at organizing an event or two along the way so any prayers or suggestions would be welcome. 

Quick updates

First, I have the first draft of that sci-fi post done.  It's pretty rough though and will need a second draft.
Second, the Inception review will definitely have to wait until I have a chance to watch it again.  Fortunately, I recently bought it. 
Third, my basement is nearly done.  One set of closet doors to hang, a regular door to build and hang, paint the halls and a few other odds and ends.
Fourth, helping with number three is the big snow storm.  I was told to stay home from work yesterday and I also took the next two days off.  Lots of time to work.

Story of a real man

Follow the link below and ask yourself, are you as awesome as this guy?

http://www.logiccool.com/blog/591281-lone-nepali-soldier-defends-potential-rape-victim-against-40-men/

The Expendables

Okay, by now everyone knows what a mess that movie was.  And let's face it, no one really expected Oscar bait, just a fun bunch of nostalgic action-packed goodness.  But it failed on that score as well.  Stallone was simply trying to do too much with too many names in one movie. 
So, what were some of the specific problems?  One - There was little to know background for any of the characters.  Why are thy together?  Why should I care about them at all?  Each character got a little moment of "development" at some point during the movie (Coutre's little thing about his ear and therapist, Ludgren's drug problem, Statham's girlfriend, etc.) but it was always little more than a sound bite.  Two - Too much setup before things really got going.  Three - Too much quick editing during the big finale.  I understand why, there were a lot of big names that needed screen time but it was still somewhat distracting.  Four - Jet Li was done wrong.  He was portrayed largely as a whiny little wimp.  Five - CG blood.  Enough said. 
Now, with all of those problems, I still generally enjoyed the movie.  Part of the reason is that I didn't see it until it was out on Netflix so I was well prepared for its various problems.  Another part is that did enjoy what action there was as well as the humor.  Finally, I also saw and appreciated some of what Stallone was trying to get at with his movie.  What's that?  Stallone, trying to say something?  With this movie?  In a word, yes.
See, if you've watched carefully over the last few years since he has returned to the Catholic Church, he has been trying to say something with his movies.  Rocky Balboa pretty much wore its message(s) on its sleeve and Rambo 4 from what I understand (since I haven't seen it) seems to be at least in part about Rambo finding some sort of peace and redemption.  While beating the snot out of a bunch of thugs. 
With this one, Stallone seems to be largely getting at the importance of relationships.  This is represented by the friendship between the various members of the Expendables as well as between Christmas and his girlfriend.  There were also intimations as to the damage done to a person's psyche by living a self-centered life of violence.  The first hint of this was Gunnar's drug problem and Ross' comment "The life got to him.  It'll get to us all eventually." The real lynch-pin for all of this was Micky Rourke's character of Tool, specifically his speech about turning his back on someone who was about to commit suicide and how that has haunted him ever since.  The moral, if all you see is the pain, the despair, "the blood and the mud" your heart will harden and it will die.  The only cure is to give yourself to some cause outside of yourself, Ross's case the woman they met on the island. 
So, there was some good stuff going on in the Expendables, just not enough.  Hopefully, Stallone fixes a lot of these problems with the second one.  Yes, it's already in the works with likely even more action stars of days gone by.

Marching Again

No, I didn’t go to the March for Life in D.C. I did that a couple of years ago and it was a great experience and hope to go again someday. Fact is though that it is expensive and is at least two days away from the wife and kids. So, what I did instead was participate in a little local March here in Holland, MI. Things got started at 7pm sharp (I assume it was sharp because I got there couple of minutes late and had to walk rather briskly to catch up) at a park downtown and went around the block. After the mini-march we filed into a Christian Reformed church across the street from the park for a brief period of song and prayer. There was also a brief testimonial from a woman who works as a pregnancy counselor for Bethany Christian Services, which is mostly known for its adoption work. She told us how when she was 21 she found herself with an unplanned pregnancy and came face-to-face with the difficulty of living out her pro-life convictions. With the support of her family though, she had the baby and gave him up for adoption…to her sister and her husband. Her son in now seventeen and doing very well indeed.

This story gets right to the heart of the pro-life movement. It is not about condemning those who have abortions (the culture that supports its legality yes, the women having them, no) but rather about reaching out and offering support to people in the support and affirmation of the sacredness of human life.

Sadly, on the way home, I was listening to NPR which found its own little way to commemorate the anniversary. They decided to do an interview with a nice, young, seemingly intelligent and thoughtful woman who had chosen to never have children. She had gone so far as to have ligation done to make sure that it simply never happens. Now, a whopping seven months later, she claims to have no regrets. Perhaps she doesn’t and perhaps she never will. But she will also never know what she is missing. And like all the big things in life, no one can really tell her either. You simply have to take the leap of faith and plunge in head first before you can truly realize the joys (and yes, frustrations) of parenthood. I encourage you to pray for this woman and her other “child-free” friends that they may be willing to see children not as a burden and an obstacle but rather as a blessing and joy. After all, at the end of the day, the vacations, TVs, cars and anonymous sex comes to an end. They all leave eventually and leave one feeling empty. But the smile of a child is forever. No, don’t rationalize it, live it.

This year’s anniversary of Roe vs. Wade is come and gone but next year will be here before we know it. Take some time to reflect on what you can do to support unborn children and their often desperate mothers with no where to turn. Donate time and/or money to a pregnancy center, pray, write your legislators, hold fundraisers and next year, find an event around the anniversary of Roe and go, and try to bring a friends or two while you’re at it.

Krav Maga

For those unfamiliar with those two words, Krav Maga is a martial art developed by the Israeli special forces.  Virtually everyone over there knows at least a little since almost everyone serves in the military.  Granted, not everyone knows the special forces version but even the watered down version is pretty hard-core. 
Anyway, a little more than a year ago, I met an ex-Marine who teaches the art (oddly enough, two days after my brother and I were talking about it) and promptly signed up.  And it has been a ton of fun.  And pain.  Lots of pain.  Moving on.
Finally, after a year I finally got to spar.  First with sticks and then hand-to-hand.  I had done both at place where I used to live but that was nearly a decade ago.  I had remembered it being fun but I had forgotten just how much fun it is.  Fortunately, a lot of previous training came back to me and I think I did quite well.  Hopefully, this will become a regular thing and more people in the class will get gear so they can get in on the action.

Updates

Natural Law update.

The natural law series will be on a bit o a hiatus as we read through what has been done so far and decide if there are holes that need to be filled and if so how to do it. We’ll also be moving forward with the series as well, so don’t worry about just getting hit with a bunch of revisions.

Coming soon

I’m finally going to be starting work on an essay on science fiction that I mentioned a while back. Mostly, how it is a legitimate form of literature and how it can be of great service in exploring human nature. I also may be posting reviews of some movies such as Inception (probably need to watch it again first), The Expendables and maybe even Terminator Salvation.

Nature of this blog

So, I was discussing things with my brother the other day and he asked what sort of goals I had for my blog. Quite simply, I don’t have any big plans, simply to have fun with it. That said, if it becomes something more, great.  Well, that isn't exactly true.  I do hope that by looking at a number of different things and providing a certain perspective, I can make some small contribution to the preservation of Christian civilization.  Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say its restoration.

That is also a big part of why this blog covers a number of different things, I don’t really want it to be just one thing.  Culture involves many different factors after all.  So, I’ll do a lot of movie and book reviews (because that’s the most fun for me) but there will also be the occasional political commentary, pro-life updates and whatever else strikes my fancy. Now, that doesn’t mean I plan on just blogging from the seat of my pants. I intend to write quality stuff and hopefully improve over time (another reason for the blog by the way) such that it would be worthy of being picked up by advertisers or something. Again, advertising isn’t the goal, improving my writing is. (Which reminds me, I need to start proof reading posts before I put them on the site.) As another aside, that doesn’t mean that my reviews will suddenly become more conventional. I intend to continue spending time not only hitting standard points such as acting, effects, plot, etc but to also tease out the various themes explored in the given movie or book.  If anything, I want to do more of that.

Of course, I am also open to suggestions so if anyone likes or doesn’t like something specific, let me know.

Good news, bad news

Good news - Some friends of mine down in Atlanta report that they managed to convince two women on their way to an abortion to keep their babies.  A couple of other women turned away as well, although we don't know if they changed their minds for sure.  Still, good news that shows a difference can be made just by being out in front of these "clinics."  So, if you can, get out there.  If not, pray.  Actually, pray if you can get out there too. 
Bad news - About fifty babies still died at that abortuary on the same day.  Still lots of work to be done.  Which reminds me, if you are in the Holland, MI area come to Centennial Park Monday the 24th at 7 pm.  The local Right to Life group is holding a little mini-March that night for the unborn.  Be there!  And wherever you are, find other local event to attend.  Or go to the big March in D.C.  I went a couple of years ago and it is definitely an experience. 

John Carter of Mars

For some time now, I’ve been promising a review of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Martian Tales Trilogy. At last, here it is. Of course, I read them several months ago now, so my memory is a touch fuzzy. The good news for you is that this should be a relatively short post.

First, a note on presentation. I bought the Barnes and Noble edition which is great in terms of price ($9.99 for the three book collection) but horrible in terms of quality presentation. First, the cover is a rather bland picture of Mars, which is quite the contrast with vivid fantasy art that normally goes with these books. The book is also riddled with typos. Apparently Barnes and Noble couldn’t be bothered to run it through the spell checker. It is also a flimsy glued binding which will start to fall apart after just a few readings. But again, it was only ten bucks for three books.

It also has a forward that reads like it was written by a bachelors in humanities at Berkley. There were numerous times during the book that I found myself wondering if that person had read the same book I was reading. For example, he was talking about Carter’s attitude to the Martians as being like that of a British officer to the people in the various colonies. To make his point, he quotes Carter saying something like “I am a better master by being a kind master.” Presumably this quote would have come from the third book, Warlord of Mars when Carter is basically made king of the whole planet. But no, it doesn’t refer to the Martians at all, not the sentient ones anyway. It actually comes from the first book and refers to a beast of burden used by the green Martians much as we use horses.

Moving on to the story, it quickly becomes clear that the author the forward got one thing right, it is an action-adventure story, with the closest modern counterpart being probably Indiana Jones. That is, character, plot, and setting all exist largely to facilitate the action. Not that all these other story elements are completely neglected, they simply aren’t the point. The point is that John Carter is an unstoppable warrior who leaps first and looks second, and fortunately usually finds himself on the side of right.

Things begin with an introduction to our hero, who knows well that he is “not like other men,” for a number of reasons. These include the fact that his nephew cannot remember Carter ever looking any different, even though he first met his uncle as a small child and is now a full-grown man. In fact, Carter himself really doesn’t remember ever being any different, seemingly perpetually to be aged in his mid-thirties and in peak physical condition.

The adventure begins in Arizona where John Carter is prospecting for gold. Naturally, not all is peaceful and he winds up taking refuge from a band of natives in a cave where is seemingly overcome by some gas from within. This triggers a kind of out of body experience in which he is transported to Mars. It is a “kind” of out of body experience because we quickly realize that he has a fully functioning body on Mars, in addition to the one left in the cave on earth. This isn’t explained, and frankly doesn’t need to be. As I said, such things really aren’t the point.

Once there, he quickly is captured by a tribe of green Martians. These are four-armed green giants who live a brutal existence among the deserts and ancient ruins of Mars. While a prisoner, he actually becomes a chieftain of the tribe, basically by killing everyone who pisses him off (don’t worry, they deserve it) and so earns the respect of this warlike people, especially of Tars Tarkas, apparently just about the only green Martian with something like a conscience. He also makes the acquaintance of Deja Thoris, who is a red Martian and looks human, in fact, like a very beautiful human. She is also the princess of Mars and thus a great prize of the green Martians. Carter though, eventually helps her to escape. Through a number of other adventures, he gets her back to her home city of Helium, marries her and forms an alliance with all the green Martians after Tars Tarkas becomes their big chief. First book ends with Carter rushing to restart the air production facility that continually replenishes Mars’ thin atmosphere. But not before passing out and waking back up in the cave in Arizona.

The second book involves John Carter’s return to Mars ten years later. Rather than a quick reunion with Deja Thoris and their child (who had not quite hatched – yes hatched – at the end of the first book) he is plunged into the deep south of Mars. This is where their religion thought Heaven was. However, we quickly find out that this Heaven is more like Hell, populated with great white apes and strange plant-men who rend nearly everyone who gets down the river. If they make it past them, they are taken prisoner by a race of white Martians who essentially are the priests of the land. They, however are not the top of the food chain though as they are themselves enslaved by a race of black Martians, whose leader is the goddess of Mars. Naturally, over the course of the book, Carter exposes the whole brutal deception, leading right to the third book in which he leads the red and green Martians in the defeat of the a coalition of surviving and discontented black and white Martians who are joined by some discontented red Martians and the long-last race of yellow Martians who hide in a secret city at Mars’ north pole.

As I said, though, they real star of the books is Carter’s physical prowess and loyalty to Deja Thoris and Tars Tarkas, all of which are demonstrated through a never ending series of sword and fist fights. All in all, the action is written well, and Tars Tarkas is as good of a character as John Carter. Deja Thoris though is a largely forgettable damsel in distress, bringing little to the story except motivation for Carter. Which now that I think about it is a very good thing. After all, no motivation equals no story. So while her visible role is small, the whole series of books couldn’t exist if not for her. Something to ponder.

My personal recommendation is that if you want a fun read to just let the brain relax a bit, pick up a John Carter book and enjoy the ride. However, I wouldn’t recommend reading multiple stories in a row since they constant battles and demonstrations of Carter’s invincibility do start to get a tad repetitive after a while.

Natural Law - Decalogue Part 2

Finally, the next natural law essay.


Natural Law – The Commandments Part 2

The last time, we took a relatively in-depth look at the first three, or theistic
commandments and just how they can be understood from a natural law perspective, or
rather three different natural law perspectives. Today, we continue with a brief survey of
the next seven or social commandments. Since they all have a fairly obvious relevance
to the well-being of society our procedure will be somewhat different here. Instead of
looking at them from the material/subjective, philosophical and theistic perspectives as
before, we will mostly confine ourselves to a relational perspective, looking at the basic
meaning of each commandment and what sort of situations each relates too. So, let’s get
started.

The Fourth Commandment – Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother

This commandment is certainly not a favorite today but it is absolutely essential. First,
it is necessary because it is through the action of our mothers and fathers that we exist at
all and their subsequent care and sacrifice get us through our most vulnerable years and
teach us how to be responsible adults ourselves. And responsible adults are responsible
citizens who are a benefit to their society rather than a burden on it. Even if there were
no commandment, a very basic material sense of justice would require that some sort of
recompense be offered.
Through this sense of honor and respect towards those who have come before us, we also
learn to respect and honor employers, elected officials and the laws they make. Without
this basic respect, the rule of law would itself be called into question.
It should be noted that respect, honor and obedience only go so far. If any authority is
attempting to abuse its power to contravene higher law, then it is not to be obeyed. For
example if you were required to kill your ailing grandmother for the good of the state.

The Fifth Commandment – Thou Shalt not Kill

Most people do not question the validity of this commandment. After all, it is difficult to
disagree with a commandment that prohibits the taking of human life for anything other
than purposes of defense. Still, let’s clarify that a little bit. First of all, the intent is not to
prohibit killing in every instance, but rather to prohibit the taking of innocent human life.
Meaning that killing to defend yourself, another person or your country is permissible if
there is no other alternative.
Included as innocent human life are also the unborn (the most innocent of all) and
euthanasia. Both of these actions are prohibited simply on the basis that human life is
unique and a gift not to be squandered or taken from anyone else.

The Sixth Commandment – Thou Shalt not Commit Adultery

It is obvious how adultery can affect a marriage, but how does it affect society? Simply
because of the fact that is affects the marriage. When one spouse cheats, the trust
of the other spouse and that of any children involved is greatly damaged. This can
color all future relationships to the extent of doubting the validity of marriage and of

wanting to avoid children so they may not suffer similar pain. This obviously affects the
development and even the existence of future generations and so of society.

The Seventh Commandment – Thou Shalt not Steal

This is another easy one. Theft, of money, property, goods, ideas, etc deprives a person
of what is rightfully theirs, undermining basic motivation for work as well as fostering a
culture of fear and suspicion that can contribute to a sense of isolation from other people,
thus fragmenting society.

The Eight Commandment – Thou Shalt not Bear False Witness

Again, most people would certainly agree that lying should be avoided, certainly in the
case of falsely accusing people of action that they have not committed. But beyond such
obvious injustice, lying in general (to our spouse, to our employer, priest, friends, etc)
is yet another action that can understand the basic fabric of society. This is because our
laws and even daily interactions assume that most people have a basic concept of truth,
that it is important. We simply could not function if we always assumed that everyone
was out to swindle us, from the stock broker to the mechanic changing our oil. We trust
them to do their job. That is we trust them to not bear false witness as the nature and
quality of their work. Without this basic level of trust we all would soon be nervous
wrecks constantly looking over our shoulders for the next person trying to put one over
on us.

The Ninth Commandment – Thou Shalt not Covet thy Neighbor’s Wife

Alright, the other commandments all involve certain actions, even honoring our mothers
and fathers, while beginning in the mind certainly must result in some sort of concrete
action. So, it’s easy to see how these have an effect on the stability of society and thus
reflect the natural law. But how does coveting play into this? After all doesn’t it simply
happen in the mind? The answer of course is no. True, initially certain thoughts may
enter the mind and then leave; a situation that simply reflects the human condition. Even
the greatest saints suffered temptations. However, once those thoughts are entertained,
they can fester and eventually may come out in various little ways. One may begin
treating one’s one wife poorly, or seeking to undermine your neighbor’s marriage in
subtle ways. All of this violates the natural trust that one’s spouse and one’s neighbor
has a right to. And it goes without saying that if things continue in this direction then
violation of this commandment can result in the violation of the commandment against
adultery.

The Tenth Commandment – Thou Shalt not Covet they Neighbor’s Goods

This one of course works just like the ninth commandment. “ like my neighbor’s table
saw,” a thought which is harmless enough. However, this thought can eventually morph
into envy and now I find myself angry that he has one and I don’t. If unchecked, such
an attitude can damage one’s relationships not only with one’s neighbor but one’s

family as one becomes obsessed. Naturally, this situation could lead to violation of the
commandment against theft, or even against killing in certain circumstances.

We’ve completed our brief survey of the seven social commandments and how they
relate to the stability of society. The implicit assumption is that the stability of society is
bound up with the natural law and is itself desirable from the perspective of the natural
law. But is it? And if so, what sort of society? Is the natural law as reflected in the
commandments the only guarantor of a stable society? We will begin to explore these
questions in the next essay as we look at the place of the natural law in the public square.

I know, I know

I'm supposed to have already posted a new natural law essay.  Unfortunately, things were really busy at work and at home last week.  It is well underway though and with some luck will be up on Wednesday night.  I've also continued work on my basement, which is really close now.  Everyone is moved to their new rooms and I'm mostly just finishing some odd trim and building a small handful of doors.  Perhaps two to three weeks and I can start really organizing my brand new library room.

Coming Soon

I'm going to start on a new natural law post and the long promised review of the John Carter of Mars books.  I'm not really sure how much it will resemble a real review but we'll see what happens.  Expect one of them this week.  I've also watched a couple of movies and read some books that may be post worthy.

Under the Red Hood

This is easily the most mature of the three movies we’re reviewing as it deals heavily with the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin, Batman’s feelings of guilt, and the difference between revenge and justice.

As before, the animation is very good, this time slightly influenced by the old series but for the most part is something all its own.  The voice actors are largely unfamiliar to the world of animated Batman movies but everyone does a good job, especially Jensen Ackles, who plays the Red Hood.  There are also small parts by Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing, and Jason Isaacs as Ra’s al Ghul.  John Di Maggio plays the Joker particularly well, showing influence of both Mark Hamill’s definitive animated portrayal and Heath Ledgers equally definitive live action rendition of the character.

Fair warning, it is pretty much impossible to talk about this without spoiling anything so I won’t bother trying.  Of course the movie doesn’t really try to hide anything either.  This isn’t about the mystery, it’s about the character conflict.

The movie gets going with the famous beating to near death of Jason Todd by the Joker and the subsequent explosion that finishes him off, an event that haunts Batman for the rest of his life.  We then jump to Gotham where we meet the Red Hood, an outsider who comes in and rapidly starts to take control of the criminal underworld in Gotham, igniting a war with Black Mask and attracting the attention of Batman, which of course is part of the plan.  You see, the Red Hood is none other than Jason Todd, back from the dead courtesy of Ra’s al Ghul and his handy-dandy Lazarus Pit.  Incidentally, this is just about the only thing that really bothers me about this story; it continues the long established comic book trend of brining people back from the dead.  Until recently, DC didn’t do it very often, but they have definitely jumped on that bandwagon with Marvel by now. 

I digress.  Jason’s primary purpose through the whole movie was simply to stage a showdown with Batman and the Joker.  You see, he isn’t blaming Batman for his death or anything like that, he’s too smart.  But what he does want to know is why, “Why on God’s earth is he (pointing at the Joker) still alive!”  Why wasn’t his death the final straw, the one that finally made the Batman break his one rule and rid the world of “this piece of death worshiping filth?”  A fair question, one that comic nerds have been debating for decades.  Why not kill the Joker?  After all, it seems no prison can really hold him and all he does when he gets out is to kill as many people as he can.  Batman’s answer is simply that it would take him to a place that he wouldn’t come back from.  Once he kills the Joker, why not Two-Face?  The Riddler?  The next random mugger?  I admit, it isn’t really satisfying on a visceral level but the right answer rarely is.  Not that there couldn’t be better answers but a long dissertation on the value of the rule of law and the inherent dignity of even the worst bastards probably would not have fit.  In any case, Todd is also less than satisfied and tries to force Batman to kill either him or the Joker, which of course doesn’t work.  The Joker goes back to Arkham in the end and it looks as though Todd is dead, but we all no better don’t we?

Near the beginning of the movie there is also a great fight scene, featuring Batman and Nightwing vs. Amazo, a super-powered android.  This version possesses a number of the Justice League’s powers, leading to the original Dynamic Duo having to be pretty creative in their tactics.  My personal favorite is when Batman puts some plastic explosives over his eyes, which Amazo obligingly detonates with his heat vision.  That scene alone is worth the entire runtime. 

Anyway, like I said, this is not for the kiddies.  It is awesome and for older teen Bat-fans it is a very worth while viewing experience. 

Batman/Superman - Apocalypse

As you can already see, this one is not only a Batman story.  Nor is it an original tale but is based on the Supergirl storyline of the Superman/Batman comic and functions as a sequel of sorts to Enemies of the State animated feature  (also based on a story from the same comic) of a couple of years ago.  This brings up of  the cooler aspects of this particular series of animated features, the animation.  If you were to watch the movies back to back you would be surprised at how different the animation styles are.  However, if you were to compare the animation to the art in the comics, you would see that they basically chose to adapt the art styles of Ed McGuiness and Michael Turner to an animated format.  Whether this really makes any real difference to the story, I don’t know, but it is kind of a neat thing for nerds like myself. 

As for voice talent, this movie brings back many animated series favorites, Kevin Conroy again, Tim Daly as Superman, even Wonder Woman is done by the same actress who portrayed her in the Justice League series.  Suffice to say that the voice acting is competent to excellent. 

Now for the story.  I won’t belabor differences between the movie and the comic, suffice to say that there are several but all the differences seem to have been based on time considerations more than anything. 

Things kick off with the arrival in Gotham a very powerful young lady who seems to be the long lost cousin of Superman, Kara.  Batman of course is highly suspicious, assuming that she might be part of some elaborate trap.  He’s wrong, at least for a while because many people naturally take notice of her and her talent, including Darkseid who is basically the ultimate physical evil in the DC universe.  To make a long story short, he kidnaps Kara and brainwashes her (doesn’t say how), turning her against Superman when he, Batman, Wonder Woman and Big Barda come to rescue her.  This leads to a confrontation, not just of muscle vs. muscle but of philosophy, how do we know what is right and good?  What is the role of the parent or guardian in guiding the development of those in his care?  I won’t pretend that there is an in depth discussion of these issues in between punches, but it is there.

Another issue worth considering is how Batman keeps Darkseid out of the fight, allowing them all to escape.  Again, keeping the long story short, he rigs the whole planet to go boom unless Darkseid lets them leave and promises to leave Kara alone.  Now, is it morally permissible to threaten to blow up a planet of slaves to rescue one girl?  And not just threaten, but to actually do it?  After all, Darkseid relents because he knows Batman will actually do it.  Altruistic or not, he is also a ruthless bastard.  Now, many of the slaves are no doubt unwilling and wanting to escape, making them innocent victims.  However, many (perhaps a majority) worship Darkseid as a god.  This was seen in an episode of the Superman animated series where Supes kicked the crap out of him, only to see him carried away by his slaves, not to be drawn and quartered but to be nursed back to health.  It is also a military target.  Darkseid, being a comic book villain wants to take over the entire universe.  Actually, he wants to destroy all life.  Really.  For you Marvel fans out there, he is like an amped up version of Thanos.  Darkseid would use Kara, who is arguably more powerful that Superman to further his ends.  In this case, I would say that this is a Death Star scenario; there are innocent prisoners but the entire purpose of everything and everyone else on the planetoid in questions is to spread fear and terror making the action justified, if not still tragic.  \

Conclusion, well animated, acted, and written.  Not suitable for the little ones but perhaps mature pre-teens and above.