How to Destroy Angels - The Space in Between [Null]

Holy Shit....

Here's another one from How to Destroy Angels.

Now, before you click the video and just "listen", you need to WATCH this video.

I admit, I haven't watched a video in a LONG LONG time because they just haven't been able to hold my attention on any level. Typically I love the music and could give two shits about the video. This one...this one is different. You all know (or you should at this point) that I study violence and this is an amazing example of how we detest violence but are so madly in love with it. I read through the initial comments of people and they are calling this video "artistic", "beautiful", "moving"...but not violent. It's fascinating... utterly fascinating to me. I can't help but think of Denis Duclos' work, Werewolf Complex: America's Fascination with Violence. I'm not saying Duclos is 100% right as he certainly carries a chip on his shoulder about Americans but his work did get me thinking about how love/hate relationship with violence. The relationship is extremely complicated but it can't be ignored when we look at violence particularly as it relates to media.

That being said - this video carries with it so many elements of violence through its after images yet isn't talked about as "violence". Is it the intrigue of the story? Is it because the after images, while brutal, are shot in such a way that it transcends into "art"? Can violence be art? Is it because we know damn well that Trent really isn't dead on the floor so we don't consider the violence but rather listen to the song for the message? The most active violence that we, as an audience witness, is the fire - and some would argue it's validity and ability to be violent is nullified because fire is just an unthinking instrument of destruction and therefore it can't be violent.

Wow... thanks Trent... my mind is totally ablaze with hypothesis and questions.

But for you good reader, watch the video. Great music. Amazing video. And if you have a chance, let me know why YOU enjoyed or didn't enjoy it. Artistic? Violent? Shock value? Who cares?

Responsibility in Journalism

MAN PLAYS WII, BITES MOTHER THEN GOES ON RAMPAGE

/Feign shock...feign horror....

Police: Wii Rage Triggers Bizarre Crime Spree

Really? That was the headline?

Or course it was, because it's way more shocking to knee jerk the incident and blame the Wii for sake of NOT having any other substantial news to report on this.

Straight from the article:

The police report didn't go into detail about what happened during the Wii game or what game he was playing.

Damn you video game industry! First we have Wii tennis elbow and now we have Wii rampage? As if it wasn't bad enough that countless Americans broke their TV with your thoughtless exclusion of a better warning to use the wrist strap on the controller, you're now causing "rage"? Shame on you Nintendo...shame on you...

Yeah...I think you see the ridiculousness of this story.

Normally when incidents like this happen it's been solely blamed on the game they were playing. Here though we're taking an interesting turn in our scapegoating on the video game industry: forget the game, let's blame the system itself. That's right...when we can no longer blame the game itself, let's directly attack the platform (trust me, I do believe that there are parties always just trying to attack the industry in any way possible but usually they take it out on the game).

The step in this direction is interesting. With California as an example feeling states/the government should be able to step in an control the games you're getting (with the end goal of controlling what can be made - don't try to convince me otherwise) and wanting more regulation of the industry, they must be thrilled to see something like this happen. Clearly we're going to start stepping in the direction that controlling violent games is enough.

I can see the conversations now:

"Well, we've gotten rid of those pesky "violent games".

"But senator, there's still crime in the world, kids are still doing bad things..."

"That's right, kids are still overweight and some of them are still doing poorly in school!"

"It must be the video games...we thought it was because of the violence, but it's got to be the entire industry!"

It's not a stretch to think this. If they can attack violent video games on bad research and no real evidence of of their effects on the "under 18 crowd" I wouldn't at all be surprised if they started to campaign about the negative effects of video games in general. You can see the stirrings already...

Back to what got me started on this rant... The article though is a flimsy piece of sensational bullshit. You have no evidence at all that the Wii triggered his rage... Did he forget to take his meds? Does he have a history of violence? The headline says "Wii"...focuses on it...not about the fact that the guy lost it and hurt people. Your focus is placed wrong. You need more facts before you throw crap out there for the world to read because sometimes the world isn't responsible enough to question the crap you wrote. He "reportedly" got mad while playing the Wii... "reportedly"...but you know that's what people are going to take away from this. Wii Rage.

Please think about this. There are some real serious issues here beyond the fact the guy was playing the Wii if he felt the need to bite his mother in the ankles and felt it was okay to hit random people with his car. I'm sorry, but mentally healthy people just don't do this no matter how badly they failed at playing the Wii.

Wii Rage. Wow. I might just have "Journalist Rage" though if I see more articles like this.

You can read the original article here:

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/23486636/detail.html#

How to Destroy Angels

I have to share... I know what you're thinking, "BUT ERICA, THIS ISN'T VIDEO GAME RELATED!11!!!".

Relax...it's okay, I'm a professional and you'll like this. I promise.

This is Trent Reznor's new band and his first work since Nine Inch Nails ended.

I can't wait to hear more. Looks like the first EP will be out this summer. Can't wait.

Oh, and if you're a fan of Supernatural, this song is perfect for that show...

Couple's Therapy with WoW

Let me start off saying that my husband and I are just fine...we just never get to spend anytime together. Our life is one big blur of activity; work, kid's activities (dance and Tae Kwon Do), Mike's Tae Kwon Do, and my PhD research. Even on the weekends I book end my days by getting up at 7:30am so I can leave the house by 8am to do 4 or so hours of PhD work and then end the day by hopping online around 5pm to do more PhD work until I pass out (11pm is usually my hitting point). So... in a week, that leaves 5 hours on Saturday and 5 hours on Sunday to reconnect with my husband. Those 5 hours are typically spent at the park with the kids or some other activity, grocery shopping and cleaning, so the realism of the situation is that my husband and I are left with no hours. I love my husband but the most hours in a day I get to spend with him is sleeping...and I mean sleeping (you can get your mind out of the gutter now!).

We needed *something* to reconnect...something we could do together to feel like a couple does but there just isn't enough hours in the day. After months of trying to figure out how to literally stop time (think: Out of this World, late 80s sitcom) we just gave that up and tried to figure some better options. My husband yells at me now that I need to spend "me" time and find an activity that I like to do that's relaxing... and my reply is always the same "I don't have time". Now, this conundrum is an entirely different issue but it's all part and partial about US spending time together. There's nothing I can give up and I'm not going to let the PhD suffer or drag out longer than it has to...so we finally broke down and had him reactivate his World of Warcraft account. It makes sense because outside work, this is where I spend the majority of my time.

Now, this may seem silly but it's not. Prior to us even dating we both played WoW pretty heavily; however we were divided by faction (he played Alliance and I played Horde). I fooled around on Alliance but wasn't giving up my precious Horde. Of course, I said that, but that all changed when we actually started dating. I gave up my raiding Undead priest to go play Alliance with him. Shame really, that they didn't have all the transfers and faction changes available now; would have saved me from leveling another priest. WoW, as strange as it sounds, connected us. We loved playing together and chatted incessantly about the game, game mechanics, and the cultural nuances that came along with the culture of MMOs (okay...okay...I admit, I MOSTLY did the talking on the last part but he kindly listened to me). I was always playing catch up though to him since I had to restart a character on Alliance side, leaving my guild and Horde family behind.

When the expansion Burning Crusade came out, we both started over together. Him a Draenei Shaman and me a Draenei Paladin. I still missed Horde side but the Draenei looked so damn cool I was okay with Alliance for once. We played these characters all the way through that expansion and into the next one.

We stopped playing WoW just shortly after the expansion Wrath of the Lich King came out for a variety of reasons. We went a year, year and a half, without touching the game. I still read the forums and kept up with what was going on knowing my PhD work was around the corner. Once I finally nailed down my PhD work I reactivated my account and started playing. Ironically, when I looked for a guild I found the most interesting offers and most interesting people were Horde side. Thank god for Blizzard not only allowing realm changes but I could now take my level 80 Draenei Pally and convert her to a level 80 Blood Elf Pally. After years and years, I was finally home to Horde (and that folks is yet another post for later).

I found myself engaged and excited with the game and in love with the guild that took me in for my research. I talked incessantly at my husband about the game, the guild and especially about the upcoming Cataclysm expansion. I could see him squirm... I could see him fight it... and when they came out with announcements on upcoming Hunter changes I could see him freak inside a little. The next step of course was a no brainer. We needed a way to connect again and he was chomping inside to get back on WoW.

Funny how things come full circle. I was settled back at home with the Horde and his level 60 Dwarf Hunter...was well...alliance. So, he made the faction change over (again...another post about attachments to "sides" and characters in this game). He just did this last night so we'll see how this all works out. Rolliad the Dwarf is now Rolliad the Orc (I "accidentally" named his character when the game first came out - a funny story for another time). I find myself excited to play with him again. Of course, there are "rules" of play as my primary function on being on WoW is for my PhD but it's good to have him there.

Now I just need to wait for him to "grow up" (reach level 80) so we can actually play together. I think it's ironic that I originally made the change over to Alliance for him and now he's made the change over from Alliance to Horde for me. I'm now his "angel" (his words) there to protect him as he levels just like he was my "guardian" when I leveled my priest. I think once he reaches level 80 and we get him some gear we're going to tear shit up.

The point here is that we finally found a way to connect again...sure, we're connecting via a mediated virtual playspace but it works for us. We literally play 10 feet from one another so we chat as we play and engage with one another. More than that we're doing something together, which is more than we've been able to do for the past 4 or 5 months.

His Orc and my Blood Elf make an odd couple and I told him last night, "Good thing we already have kids because, we could make some ugly children"... ;)