Whenever a friend finds out I attend church pretty regularly, I tend to get one of two looks. It’s either a, “I didn’t think anyone our age went to church every Sunday” look, or a, “that’s something I feel like I should be doing, I should get on that” sort of look.
I have to admit, I don’t get the looks very often because I’m not a very good Christian in the evangelical sense of the word. My faith is not something I talk about with others unless it’s brought up, and even if it is I don’t make judgments about others involvement, or lack thereof and don't say much about mine. It’s my opinion that religion is a very personal choice that should come from ones own feelings and convictions, not something rooted in pressure, guilt or any other motivation other than personal desire.
Yes, the irony of a blog about religion after those first three paragraphs is not lost on me. However, I write about it only to make a point. If only I could stop digressing, I’d get to that point.
It's important to make the distinction between religion and faith before I go any further. I used the term religion in the title only to quote REM, but religion to me refers to affiliation with a particular church, while faith can be had without a church.
I don’t have very many friends who practice religion in a traditional sense, or are religiously affiliated. However, most of them have faith, and I would be willing to guess at least 75% will return to regular church attendance once the kid explosion hits my circle of friends. I have a feeling it’s going to be a lot like when all of my friends were suddenly getting married, only with offspring this time.
An ABC News article from May of last year found that both Generation X and Y are claiming no religious affiliations a unprecedented levels. The number of “younger Americans” that do not claim an affiliation is between 30 and 40 percent, compared to between five and 10 percent for all Americans.
It’s not hard to confirm that, just go to any local church on any given Sunday. You’ll see pews filled with scores of quadra, quinqua, sexta, septua and octogenarians. What you wont see is an abundance of youth. Sure, you’ll see some, but they are always way outnumbered. I went to Ash Wednesday service last night and I had one young lady in front, one behind me, and three to my right, and that was it.
It’s also not hard to figure out why. We youngsters are products of instantaneous information, constant innovation and change, and millions of attention diversions. As I type this, I’m checking my Twitter account and my e-mail. So, the thought of sitting through a tradition-steeped church service that moves at a snails pace and hasn’t changed in many, many years is a bit contrasting to the way we live.
The truth is, I don’t care whether people go to church, it has no affect on how I view them. It would be hard for me to see eye to eye with an atheist or someone who worships on the opposite end of the spectrum. As I stated at the beginning, though, I’m not one to care about others' choices in this matter. It is, however, interesting to see this phenomenon taking place, and I’m curious as to whether our generation will end up attending church at the same rate as those before us. Perhaps only the big guy knows, err.. that is if you believe in that sort of thing.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Babies, Betty White, Doritos and Beer – The Stuff Commercials Are Made Of
Despite being a resident of Indianapolis, and an adopted Colt’s fan, I’ll admit I was pretty equally excited to see the commercials as I was the game. Call me a terrible sports fan, a “typical” American, or whatever else comes to mind, but the Super Bowl is the showcase of some of the best work of some of the best creative types in the business. Typically, they don’t let me down.
This year had its ups and downs, but some highlights included Snicker’s use of Betty White, the Doritos Dog, the “milkaholic” baby, Lebron and Kobe, and the High Life spot.
For the male demographic, the advertisers know they can never go wrong with a little physical humor, and seeing Betty White get tackled elicited some good laughs from the crowd in the room I was in. The Lebron and Kobe spot was actually just OK until Larry Legend came in at the end – that put a smile on my face. The Doritios commercial with the dog was the only Doritos spot to make me laugh, but it also made me wonder how many stupid American’s put their dogs’ shock collars on to see how it felt immediately following it (I know somebody did that). The High Life ad was one of the most creative, in my humble opinion, and I liked that they foreshadowed it before the Super Bowl. But, that one that made me laugh the most was the babies.
Somebody at my future mother-in-law’s place of work said you had to be an idiot to think those are funny. I think that person is an idiot for saying that. A large portion of comedy is pretty dumb stuff, but if it makes you laugh then it’s successful. I don’t know any other criteria for good comedy other than laughs. What got me is when the baby popped in at the end.
I won’t get into the ads that didn’t make me laugh, there were many, but the few that did make me laugh were pretty good. The rest of the Budweiser and Doritos commercials left me pretty straight faced, but I won’t call them dumb because I’m sure they made some people laugh, and I won’t make the same mistake as the aforementioned person.
Overall, I thought it was a pretty good showing. I wish ads the rest of the year were half as good as they are during the Super Bowl. Luckily for me, the invention of DVR has made it possible to skip ads the rest of the year. If I had to vote for my favorite inventions of the past decade, DVR would definitely make my top five.
This year had its ups and downs, but some highlights included Snicker’s use of Betty White, the Doritos Dog, the “milkaholic” baby, Lebron and Kobe, and the High Life spot.
For the male demographic, the advertisers know they can never go wrong with a little physical humor, and seeing Betty White get tackled elicited some good laughs from the crowd in the room I was in. The Lebron and Kobe spot was actually just OK until Larry Legend came in at the end – that put a smile on my face. The Doritios commercial with the dog was the only Doritos spot to make me laugh, but it also made me wonder how many stupid American’s put their dogs’ shock collars on to see how it felt immediately following it (I know somebody did that). The High Life ad was one of the most creative, in my humble opinion, and I liked that they foreshadowed it before the Super Bowl. But, that one that made me laugh the most was the babies.
Somebody at my future mother-in-law’s place of work said you had to be an idiot to think those are funny. I think that person is an idiot for saying that. A large portion of comedy is pretty dumb stuff, but if it makes you laugh then it’s successful. I don’t know any other criteria for good comedy other than laughs. What got me is when the baby popped in at the end.
I won’t get into the ads that didn’t make me laugh, there were many, but the few that did make me laugh were pretty good. The rest of the Budweiser and Doritos commercials left me pretty straight faced, but I won’t call them dumb because I’m sure they made some people laugh, and I won’t make the same mistake as the aforementioned person.
Overall, I thought it was a pretty good showing. I wish ads the rest of the year were half as good as they are during the Super Bowl. Luckily for me, the invention of DVR has made it possible to skip ads the rest of the year. If I had to vote for my favorite inventions of the past decade, DVR would definitely make my top five.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The Curious, and Sometimes Unfortunate, Results of Video Technology
Have you ever seen an image on TV that made you cringe, jump, recoil, gag, or grimace?
I certainly have! The first incident that comes to mind is from a Packers/Vikings game last year. On a kickoff return, Charles Gordon of the Vikings suffered a horrific ankle injury that left his foot pointed 90 degrees in the wrong direction as he lay motionless on the field. Typically, this would not be replayed due to the severity of the injury. But, the producers didn’t see the injury so they ran the replay to see whether he had fumbled before his knee was down for all of America to see. The unintentional replay made it possible for me to see something that left me with goose bumps.
Ten years ago, this would have been a shudder-worthy replay. Today, it was far worse thanks to high-definition TV. I’m sure any sports fan can recount an incident where they saw an injury in high definition and yelled out in pain for the player.
Between the high-def cameras, the increase in the number of cameras, and the amazing quality of new slow motion cameras, video technology has changed the way we watch sports. For example, the NFL has those amazing cameras that run remotely along wires above its fields. If you’ve been to any major sporting event lately, or event watched one on TV, the number of cameras present, and the variety of angles they can show you, is pretty unreal.
In our homes, on the right TV, blades of grass or individual floorboards are easily detectable. The parquet floor of TD Arena never looked so nice as on a 1080p, 120hz LCD TV. And, the giant screen at the Cowboy’s new digs look just as clear in my home as it does for the fans pondering its gigantic glory. It makes watching sports at home a joy, because we are now seeing the game pretty close to as if we’re literally there.
Sometimes, though, especially lately, this has been a curse too. As I mentioned, there are the injuries. Another thing I’ve noticed lately is with the high-powered zoom and high quality, we are seeing more and more players, coaches, and even fans mouthing obscenities. I saw two on Sunday alone during the NFL games. I’m sure there are parents not too happy about their kids seeing sports figures and coaches mouthing these words and phrases.
In addition, this new video age has given us a much better look into the darker side of sports. Take, for example, Legarrette Blount’s KO of a Boise State player. Ten, even five, years ago we would have never seen that footage as clear as we did this year. Without the close up, high definition view of the punch, the public reaction would have been much less. If I told you a college football player punched an opponent, you would probably dismiss it soon after. But, seeing the actual punch crystal clear is a whole different ballgame. Or, how about the now-infamous Brandon Spikes eye gouge? Again, that footage would not have been possible not too long ago.
Video technology has a definite bright side, but a bit of a dark side too. But, if you ask me whether I want the high-def, 40” living room TV on Sunday afternoon, or the 19”, tube TV in the office, I’ll fight you for the remote.
I certainly have! The first incident that comes to mind is from a Packers/Vikings game last year. On a kickoff return, Charles Gordon of the Vikings suffered a horrific ankle injury that left his foot pointed 90 degrees in the wrong direction as he lay motionless on the field. Typically, this would not be replayed due to the severity of the injury. But, the producers didn’t see the injury so they ran the replay to see whether he had fumbled before his knee was down for all of America to see. The unintentional replay made it possible for me to see something that left me with goose bumps.
Ten years ago, this would have been a shudder-worthy replay. Today, it was far worse thanks to high-definition TV. I’m sure any sports fan can recount an incident where they saw an injury in high definition and yelled out in pain for the player.
Between the high-def cameras, the increase in the number of cameras, and the amazing quality of new slow motion cameras, video technology has changed the way we watch sports. For example, the NFL has those amazing cameras that run remotely along wires above its fields. If you’ve been to any major sporting event lately, or event watched one on TV, the number of cameras present, and the variety of angles they can show you, is pretty unreal.
In our homes, on the right TV, blades of grass or individual floorboards are easily detectable. The parquet floor of TD Arena never looked so nice as on a 1080p, 120hz LCD TV. And, the giant screen at the Cowboy’s new digs look just as clear in my home as it does for the fans pondering its gigantic glory. It makes watching sports at home a joy, because we are now seeing the game pretty close to as if we’re literally there.
Sometimes, though, especially lately, this has been a curse too. As I mentioned, there are the injuries. Another thing I’ve noticed lately is with the high-powered zoom and high quality, we are seeing more and more players, coaches, and even fans mouthing obscenities. I saw two on Sunday alone during the NFL games. I’m sure there are parents not too happy about their kids seeing sports figures and coaches mouthing these words and phrases.
In addition, this new video age has given us a much better look into the darker side of sports. Take, for example, Legarrette Blount’s KO of a Boise State player. Ten, even five, years ago we would have never seen that footage as clear as we did this year. Without the close up, high definition view of the punch, the public reaction would have been much less. If I told you a college football player punched an opponent, you would probably dismiss it soon after. But, seeing the actual punch crystal clear is a whole different ballgame. Or, how about the now-infamous Brandon Spikes eye gouge? Again, that footage would not have been possible not too long ago.
Video technology has a definite bright side, but a bit of a dark side too. But, if you ask me whether I want the high-def, 40” living room TV on Sunday afternoon, or the 19”, tube TV in the office, I’ll fight you for the remote.
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