Author: Matthew Groff

  • A Billionaire Has to Go to Jail

    I think I have written before on how I disagree with the common belief that when Ford pardoned Nixon, it was in the best interest of the country as a whole. That somehow, Nixon going on trial was a bridge too far for the American people to handle. The resignation and pardon where the period of that era in history, and we all decided to move on, and be Americans again, with never having to speak of Watergate again. I have heard this thought all through my schooling, and still it gets brought up whenever Watergate is mentioned. I agree that the pardon allowed people to move on, but there were unforeseen consequences.

    What I hold to is that Ford’s pardon of Nixon set a precedent for all Presidents; that they are above the law, and Presidents will protect their own. Clinton could have release information on Reagan over Iran/Contra but didn’t. W Bush could have released information on Clinton but didn’t. Obama could have released info on W but didn’t. And if one group is above the law, why not another group?

    This is now bleeding into the world of business, and as Bernie would say, the billionaire class. No one who orchestrated the Crash of 2008 went to jail. Obama and Holder can continue to tell me that banks paid a price for their misdeeds, but those CEO’s are still running those banks, and are creating a new bubble. Hell, even though journalists have been writing about Jeffery Epstein for some time, only now are people coming around to the realization that a billionaire is getting away with a crime that he should have been sentenced to life in prison for.

    The cure to this problem is simple; a billionaire has to go to jail. A President who breaks the law has to be put on trial. The rule of law has to be upheld.

    Kind’a simple.

  • Roots of My Humor

    As I was writing in my journal this morning, I asked myself the question; when did I find a certain thing funny? When did I start looking at funny things as an art, and not a reaction to a situation that involuntarily made me laugh?

    The first thought that came to mind was Monty Python’s Philosophers’ Football Match sketch.

    I remember first seeing it when I was about 10 or so, on PBS. One of my older brothers was watching Monty Python on a Saturday night, and I happened to still be up and watched it with him. Just about all of it went over my head, and I couldn’t figure out why my brother found this funny at all. Then the Philosophers’ sketch came on. What I remember finding humorous about it was that ancient Greeks were playing football against Germans. The silly nonsense of it struck me as funny.

    Jump ahead a few years to high school, and I take a Humanities class, which was basically an intro to world philosophy. We learn about the ancient Greeks, the early Christians theologians, Renaissance thinkers, the Age of Enlightenment, all the way to modern existentialists. Arty/farty me just ate that stuff up. I was, in my mind, a brilliant high school artist, and all this philosophy stuff was exactly what someone like me needed to become… an artist?

    About this same time, the Comedy Channel debuts, and they happen to show Monty Python. As all nerdy boys will attest, you have to watch Monty Python; it a rite of passage. So, as I watched, the Philosophers’ sketch came on, which I remembered watching with my brother… And then I really watch it.

    It was a lightbulb moment for me.

    Funny could be really smart, and you should never talk down to your audience.

    It seems silly now, but for 17-year-old me, it was like learning that, yes, you can do this; you can be smart and funny at the same time, they are not mutually exclusive.

    As I write this, it also taught me another valuable lesson, they funniest people are usually the smartest as well.

  • MST3K: The Gauntlet (Season 12) – Fan Review

    I had been looking forward to the release of the 12th season, and even spent some time re-watching some of my favorite old MST3K episodes to gear up. Starting yesterday, I powered through this new season over two days, and the first thing that struck me as odd was how it was only six episodes. The last time they did so few movies was in Season 7, which happened to be the last on Comedy Central. Not that I’m reading too much into it, but it does feel like Netflix is trying the show out, still. Also, the six shows have a running theme of Jonah and the Bots having to “marathon through” the six movies. I can’t tell if MST3K was making a joke about binge watching the show, or if it was an order from Netflix that they need to find a way to make their show more binge-able.

    For this, the 12th Season, and the 30th anniversary of the show, I have to say that this batch of films were some of the better-quality B-movies out there. The oldest movie was from 1979, the newest from 2013, and all of them were in color. There was part of me that did miss that there was nothing in B&W, or from the late 50’s. In order, the movies were; Mac and Me, Atlantic Rim, Lords of the Deep, The Day Time Ended, Killer Fish, and Ator The Fighting Eagle.

    The humor of the show was still spot on; sarcastic pop culture references make these riffing wheels turn. What I noticed this time around is that the riffing was at a much faster pace. Compared to when the show debuted 30 years ago, there were dead air gaps between riffs, and as the years have gone by, the jokes have come faster and faster. (The re-watching of old episodes made that point to me.) Over all, the season feels as if there was a bit of fine tuning done in post just to make sure the pace stayed aggressive.

    With that having been said, I think we are looking at a show that is continuing to evolve in its presentation. Joel Hodgson is holding onto the core of the show (making fun of terrable movies,) while allowing the periphery of the show (cast, props, pace, ect…) to stay malleable to the changes in our culture. (I mean, the show now ends with “Keep Circulating the URL.”) Those of us started with the show, we traded VHS tapes, and then in the off years the new fans circulated YouTube links and uploaded clips. Now, that we are living in the streaming age, the new fans will take the show and make it their own. I just hope there are more episodes in the next season.

  • After Thanksgiving

    I have never really understood the excitement of Black Friday. I understand that there are people out there who love to hunt for a bargain, and who treat shopping like a sport. Fine, that’s your bag, and go to town with it.

    Since the advent of online shopping, which I guess was the late 90’s, it now feels like we have this almost week-long celebration of consumerism that is covers Black Friday to Cyber Monday… 4 Amazing Days of Shopping!!! There have been stories in the news for over a week of how much money will be spent, and how to find the best deals. I would not be surprised that in 50 years we will have a new holiday that comes out of Thanksgiving and is all about shopping. The government shuts down, and there will be no taxes, and it will be like the Purge, but for capitalism.

    A friend of mine from college, Lori Fox who is an artist and jewelry designer, put the following picture up on her Instagram page…

    43745951_344111183053538_859571266539975191_n

    Her statement that accompanied the image is as follows:

    “Think before you buy- it’s not a “good deal” if you don’t need it. Thanks @adbusters.magazine and @makesmthng for helping raise awareness about our often mindless consumption that leads to so much environmental waste and pollution. Be aware this holiday season 👀Have you started any new holiday traditions in your family that don’t involve buying loads of new stuff?”

  • The Thanksgiving Blog

    It is Thanksgiving-Eve, and we have started the preparations in our little California home. I started cutting up vegetables and getting the dips and sauces ready. Tonight, my wife will start making the pumpkin pie.

    In the morning, whenever we decide to get up, but it should still be early. We do have a kid after all. So, when we get up early, we’ll watch the Macy’s parade with the kid and then after that, we start making everything for the meal. It takes however long it takes us. Sometimes we eat at 1pm, sometimes we eat at 8pm.

    Our other tradition is that we stay in our pajamas all day. We go out shopping earlier in the week and everyone gets a new set. Holiday theme is preferred, but not mandatory.

    The goal for the day is that we all take it easy, stay relaxed, and enjoy being with each other.

    All of that is good and well, and fun and silly, and the way we celebrate the holiday.

    But what has really hit home with me recently is that I do have so much to be thankful for. With all of the changes that have come into my life this year, some planned others not so much, I now see with clarity the importance of friends, and family; the people we choose to share our lives with. That these relationships are what truly brings meaning and value to life. I am thankful for them.

    And with that…

    May it be a wonderful day for you, and Happy Thanksgiving to All!