The Drama of Deviance

Or that's how I refer to it anyway. These days, there seems to be a lot of cable drama shows out there about people who live outside of the norm, people who do repugnant- and sometimes very illegal- things. For example, there’s Dexter, a show about a serial killer named Dexter Morgan (hence the name of the show) who commits murder, but only in certain circumstances. He's a serial killer operating under a code of honor. Thus far, Dexter Morgan has not deviated from the code taught to him by his adoptive father, Harry Morgan, who had a distinguished career as a cop. The code? Only kill "bad" people, something that makes Dexter a kind of vigilante serial killer. For example, in an episode from season one, Dexter kills a husband and wife engaged in human trafficking.

Dexter is not without his share of psychological baggage. At age three, his mother was brutally murdered before his eyes. Harry was the cop who found Dexter and ended up adopting and raising Dexter as his son. One would expect an incident like this to have a lingering effect on the young boy, of course, and young Dexter grows up feeling very little empathy for others; he is socially stunted, unable to understand even the basics of human interaction or the nuances that color and shape relationships.

And he has unexplainable urges to kill. First animals and later people. Harry becomes aware of his son's urges and decides to teach Dexter how to blend in, subdue the powerful urges and avoid detection and suspicion. Sounds like a recipe for a horribly offense tv show, right? It certainly doesn't play out that way. I will say, though, that Dexter is not for the faint of heart.

I have other favorites. The Sopranos, now defunct, was a series about the trials and tribulations of a New Jersey crime boss. It had the distinction of being HBO’s most successful drama for several years running. Big Love, a show that will likely get monster ratings once it returns to the airwaves given recent events in Texas, is about a polygamist and his three wives. Weeds is a show about a suburban housewife who decides to become a drug dealer to make ends meet after her husband dies of a heart attack.

Why do I watch these shows? They're compelling dramas, told so well that I'm easily drawn into the plights of the main characters and their families. Plus, the main characters are likeable people. They're smart, funny, and human, each struggling with many of the same issues I face every day.

It’s certainly not my goal to come across as preachy, particularly since that would be more than a little suspect and hypocritical since I love to watch all of the shows I've mentioned. Yet I find myself wondering what trajectory television dramas like these will follow over the next few years. They tend to blur the lines between what's right and what's wrong, leaving everything an interesting shade of relativistic gray. You might never expect to find yourself cheering for a criminal, but these shows cause you to do so and feel good in the process. Is it conceivable- based on the success of these shows- that we might see dramas like these on the air soon?

· A Skinhead who kills gang members from minority groups whose crimes affect or victimize not only caucasians, but people from all races and ethnicities

· A level three sexual offender who is somehow able to moonlight as a substitute teacher because she needs money to pay for her mother’s chemotherapy and other medical expenses

· A bank robber who robs banks because he has a compulsive gambling addiction that originated around the time his wife left him for his best friend.

Doesn’t sound all that realistic, right? I sure hope not. Then again, when the reality TV show ‘Survivor’ first debuted in America, virtually no one knew that reality shows would quickly become a staple of the weekly show schedule. It just takes one monstrously successful "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", "Survivor", or "American Idol" to transform the landscape for the rest of the television and entertainment industry for untold years to come. And make the executives and the networks they work for a ton of money.

Maybe I’m making too much of this trend thing; maybe it’s not really a trend at all. Truth is, we have always elevated, mythologized, and romanticized the reprehensible actions of the few. Witness such films as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Godfather, Bonnie & Clyde, Set it Off, Pulp Fiction, to name just a few. We like these movies. Hey, I like these movies.

And so the real question is not whether the so-called "drama of deviance" will continue. Cable and television networks will always follow the masses and the advertising dollars attached to having large numbers of viewers; if we stop coming, they’ll stop building.

The real question is whether we’ll keep coming.

Nancy Drew and the Nature of Obsession

I learned about obsession from Nancy Drew.

You see, for a period of time in the very early 80s, I had an unhealthy obsession with Nancy. Well, with her mystery books anyway. It started with the book covers. For weeks, I’d noticed the collection on the shelves of my junior high school library in Fort Benning, Georgia (I’m an Army brat) and I'd be curious. They were bright, colorful, and stylish in a retro kind of way. And they seemed to be mocking me; all those books, all those covers, all those cryptic titles. But, as a boy, I couldn’t let anyone catch me reading a girl's book; I'd never live it down.

First obsession lesson: An obsession- a real one- will cause you to do things you wouldn't otherwise dream of doing in a million years.

The books continued to taunt me until the day I decided to put my young male ego aside and feed my curiosity. I would see what the deal was with this Nancy Drew person by reading one of the books. And you know what? It wasn’t bad. I read another one. It wasn’t bad, either. And then I read another and another and another.

Second obsession lesson: Once begun, an obsession is difficult to stop. It's like trying to get a dog to stop peeing midstream.

I became consumed with the need to read every Nancy Drew book I could get my hands on until there were no more books left. But, still being a guy, I couldn't reveal my obsession to others, especially other guys.

Third obsession lesson: It takes subterfuge to hide your obsessions from others.

As a result, I started a ritual: I'd check out a book from the library when no one was paying attention, hide it in my book bag until I got home and then read it. Devour it, actually, oftentimes reading an entire book in less than a day. The next day, I'd repeat the ritual. Although I had a couple of close calls, my plan was quite successful. None of my friends ever found out that I was reading Nancy Drew mystery stories, which saved me from having what would have been an extremely awkward conversation. After the Nancy Drew books were gone, I moved on to the Hardy Boys and read all their books, too.

This has become the model for every obsession I've ever had, whether with music, books or television. It generally goes like this: I "discover" an artist, author or tv show. If they're an established with a body of work, I'll watch every single episode, listen to every single song, and read every single book until there's nothing left. And then I'm done.

You’d think I would have outgrown that obsession by now, right? Wrong: just last night, I watched 6 episodes of Dexter- Season 1. I had to know whether my favorite serial killer would triumph (albeit temporarily) over his circumstances.

By the way...I tried to watch the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries when the series was on tv (yes, I’m that old), but the show sucked. And so, as a young boy, I learned another important lesson: the book is always better than the movie. You only need to see one movie based on a Stephen King book (and just about any movie will do) to know that this is a cardinal law, as sure as the Law of Gravity.

Fourth obsession lesson: An obsession can be a bad thing.

If a movie is coming out that's based on a book, I’ve often felt the need to read the book first, so I'll know what to expect. It's kind of a control thing, I guess. There are scores of movies I'll probably never see because I haven't gotten around to reading the book.

Knowing what the book says, however, can get in the way of what could be a very enjoyable movie experience. A recent example: I Am Legend. Since I have a fairly lengthy commute, I frequently find myself listening to audiobooks to pass the time. If you haven't had an audiobook experience yet, you're definitely missing out; there's nothing like a good book read by a great narrator when you’re on a long drive. Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend made for a fascinating listen: an engaging plot, inescapable suspense and a main character that wasn’t some mythological mix of common man and superhero. The book was authentic, thought-provoking and brilliant. But there were a lot of inconsistenies between the and the movie. I don't like inconsistencies. They bother me because I feel that I have to explain their existence in a way that makes sense to me. Inconsistencies keep me awake at night and I don’t like that, either.

Many of my favorite movies began as novels- some I’ve read, others I plan never to read. Here’s a sampling of books I’ll never read because I like the movies so much:

Gone with the Wind
The Godfather
Contact
Jaws
Forrest Gump
Jurassic Park
Somewhere in Time

Fifth obsession lesson: No matter how much we want to, obsessions cannot be rationalized.

Why do I refuse to read these books, when it's a foregone conclusion that the book will be better than the movie? Because the book will be better than the movie. And because there will be inconsistencies. I can just barely reconcile the inconsistencies between my religious and intellectual convictions. I don’t want to have to deal with inconsistencies between the books and movies I love as well.

Or maybe I'm just chicken.

And if that's the case, I can accept that. In the meantime, though, I'm off to watch my new favorite show, Weeds, on Netflix. I started watching it this morning and am nearly done with the first season. Or at least I will be before the day ends.

Damn you, Nancy Drew.

An Underdog Resurfaces

I love rooting for the underdog. Unfortunately, they usually end up getting the stuffing kicked out of them by the bigger, stronger, richer, more politically-connected guys (and gals), but not all the time and not every time. Sometimes, David defeats Goliath and turns Darwin’s Survival of the Fittest on its head. Case in point: the New York Giants.

Jesse Ventura would like to think he's an underdog, too. Jesse “The Body” Ventura, the Minnesota man who "shocked the world" by winning a Governor's election that made the rest of the country pause a beat and go, "Wait, wait, wait…wasn't he a wrestler or something?"

Yes, he was. As a kid growing up in Fort Benning, Georgia, I have fond memories of watching "The Body", Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Ric Flair, Andre the Giant, and all the other personalities "wrassle" every Saturday morning. It was a Southern rite of passage for me.

Although it wins me absolutely no cool points with my wife, I like "The Body". Yes, he's probably as nutty as Tom Cruise free-styling on Oprah’s sofa cushions, but I still like the guy. (Incidentally, he has a new book out.) Say what you want, the man loves to speak his mind. He's like a wind-up doll: give him a topic, ask him a question, and watch him go. Probably comes from those days as a wrestler, when some announcer would shove a microphone in "The Body’s" face and let him riff about himself and the beat down he was gonna give his next opponent.

(Side note: It occurs to me that wrestlers and rappers might have a few things in common. I have to think about that for a bit.)

I knew almost immediately that Ventura would win the 1998 Minnesota Gubernatorial race. Why? The other candidates, Norm Coleman (Republican) and Hubert Humphrey III (DFL, or Democrat, for those of you unfamiliar with the eccentricities of our state), were public officials with solid records of service. Humphrey was a son of the late Vice-President, current Attorney General, and had overseen a $6.1 billion settlement of a lawsuit against the tobacco industry. Coleman was mayor of the city of Saint Paul, the twin of Minneapolis. They were generally the type of stock you’d expect to see competing for the governorship of any state. But I felt that they were about as condescending to Ventura as politicians can be when they think the other guy doesn't stand a snowball's chance in...well. You get the picture- think Hillary Clinton a month and some change before the Iowa caucuses.

I believe it was arrogance that blinded them to the threat Ventura posed and opened the door to the astonishing win. His Reform Party message and unique method of delivery was unlike anything we'd ever seen before and he was able to connect with the young and disenfranchised in ways the other candidates couldn’t (or wouldn't).

A large part of Ventura’s campaign charm was his frankness. Call it the Simon Cowell approach to politicking. In this era of pollsters and strategists and spin doctors, hardly anything is said from the heart anymore, so I find it refreshing to hear a politician who does, even when I don't agree with those views and especially when I think they are nutty views. I can respect a politician who comes right out and says what s/he thinks. Makes it that much easier for me come election time.

Does it matter that the former Governor once referred to the Minnesota media as "jackals"? Or that he insinuates that 9/11 may have been part of a conspiracy to justify war? Or that he believes we are a nation of "lemmings"?

Not at all. He may not be the man I’d want to see take that proverbial "3 a.m. call" and I highly doubt I’d vote him into any future political office, but in politics, you can never say never. Could anyone have predicted that we’d have a U.S. President who was a former movie star, two Bush presidents, and a former First Lady running for president- all within the last 30 years? I certainly couldn’t have.

God bless Governor Jesse. Oh, that's right. Ventura thinks religion is a crutch for the weak-minded. Well, somebody bless the man.

The Demise of the Art of Distraction

Video may have killed the radio star, but it was the computer that ended my moonlighting gig as a Jedi Knight.

One of the most potent weapons in my parenting arsenal these past three years has been the ability to distract. I suppose it's something all parents learn: to constructively channel your child's attention toward something- anything- else at the drop of a dime. In the Star Wars movies, it's known as the Jedi Mind Trick. I call it the Art of Distraction and I've had many opportunities to hone my ability with Phoebe, my 3-year old daughter. It is a handy skill to have in a variety of places: at home, dinner parties, grocery stores and malls, or a long trip in the car.

At least it used to, anyway.

Lately, my skills have been slipping. Phoebe's become single-mindedly stubborn. Plus, her ability to recall what’s been said and promised to her has improved. A lot. These cognitive developments are requiring me to exercise greater degrees of intrepedity and creativity than ever before. Sometimes I’m successful, but I’m ultimately losing the war. It was always only a matter of time, I know, but I thought I had more of it at my disposal.

And now, there’s the computer. Our computer. We saw it coming, of course and in a way, even encouraged it. Her first computer was a gift. While I was in Texas for my grandmother’s funeral last December, my father gave me a small children's laptop computer, one of those jobs you can find in just about any store- relatively inexpensive and loaded with a ton of educational games.

“As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to get it for my little Phoebe,” Dad said, a proud smile on his face. “I know she’ll like it.” It was a very sweet thing for him to do and he was quite right; Phoebe loved it.

A few months later, Phoebe’s godmother gave us a handful of educational computer CDs. You know how the addiction experts say that marijuana is a gateway drug? I believe educational CDs are the gateway to creating preschool computer addicts.

After playing with a CD one day, Phoebe decided she wanted to branch out, so I took her to the PBS site for kids. She’d wanted to go to the Disney site, but I wasn’t down with that. Besides, I like PBS’ afternoon programming; it’s kid-friendly and generally age-appropriate. Initially, we played the games together, but when she became confident enough to play them on her own, and I was confident that I could trust the content, she didn’t need us as often. Occasionally, I allow her to go to the Disney site and we’ll play a few games together, but I don’t much care for that one. For starters, they’re always asking for name and address information in order to sign me up for different levels of login access and club or membership groups. I don’t like that. Besides, I’d much rather see Phoebe develop her problem-solving, spatial and physical coordination, and general computer skills in ways that don’t involve choosing the accessories that best match Barbie’s outfit.

Plus…I really can’t stand Hannah Montana.

But now we’ve created a monster. If we didn’t set limits, Phoebe would sit in front of the monitor 8 hours a day, playing the same games over and over again. Not good. At all.

Now, as a former Jedi, I find myself in a position where I must develop new strategies to keep her off the computer, creatively challenged, and manageable in public. Where’s Obi-Wan or Yoda when you need them?

Clear Skies with a Chance of Rain

Although the weather is simply beautiful outside (sunny, cloudless, 50 degree day in Minnesota), things are otherwise pretty drab. The country's still on the brink of a recession, unemployment’s up, housing sales and values are down, gas and oil prices are at record highs, and over 4,000 brave men and women have died in the Iraq war, a fact that only 28% of the American population can correctly recall.

Oh, and it’s the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.

What would MLK Jr. say about the United States if he were still alive? Would he be pleased to see that Barack Obama, a man born of a white woman from Kansas and a Kenyan man, stands a very real chance of becoming the first African-American candidate nominated to be the Democratic candidate for the Presidency of the United States? Would he say without reservation that our nation had made significant strides towards realizing his 40-year old dream?

I look at my beautiful and vibrant 3-year-old daughter who herself is the product of two races and cultures and I wonder. I wonder how she will answer when she is inevitably asked one day what it was like to be raised by parents of different races? Her answer, and the experiences that will shape it, keep me awake at night. I so want to pass on a better world to her, to be able to say, “Here it is, honey. Your mom and I worked really hard and did the best we could and I think you’ll find it’s in much better condition than it was when you first entered it.” But I wonder whether I’ll be able to say that to her. I honestly don’t know.

A recent survey determined that 81 percent of Americans believe our country is headed in the wrong direction. I don’t wonder about that finding at all. Something’s gonna have to change soon…for all our sakes.