My rant about mass shootings

 My rant about mass shootings 

Intro: OK I didn’t want to talk about this because A I don’t have much to say about this topic. Plus, I covered bits and pieces of this in my other posts. B people in power don’t seem to take this seriously. The reason why I’m talking about this is because of the suggestion that was made to fix this issue.

In case you don’t watch the news or live in the wilderness there has been two mass shooting this month. One happened at a supermarket in Buffalo New York and the other happened at an elementary school in Texas. The reason why I mentioned that people in power are not taking this seriously is that they love to blame video games for this. Do I really have to make fun of them for doing that? You know what you shouldn’t have any authority if you think video games are the blame for everything. Not only that they are making it hard for citizens to carry firearms with gun control and background checks. The second amendment is the right to bear arms without the Government infringing on that right. I don't see the point in background checks, I mean anyone can lose their minds and most gun owners are not crazy. You can’t have it both ways you can’t say that we can’t rely on law enforcement and then take issue with the citizens arming themselves. How the police handled the elementary school shooting reinforces that.  

Since we’re on the subject I think it’s messed up that the eighteen-year-old can’t buy a gun. I mean they're old enough to join the Army and live on their own, but they can't buy a gun what gives? This should be a package deal either they are old enough for all three things or none of them at all. I hope congress won’t raise the age for all three things because that could create another problem. Being old enough for something is one thing mature enough that’s something else. Adults have moments where they act like fools. Why do I need to be mentally evaluated to have a God-given right? Why won’t people talk about bullying? I mean that’s one of the characteristics of a school shooter. If you think it’s acceptable for kids to be subjected to humiliation and bodily harm, then you shouldn’t make a big deal about this or kids being molested by their teachers. What are the fundamental differences between these three things?   

Really, I’m surprised that we still have this problem, I mean this has been going on for 15 years and I thought we profile the shooters. Last I checked they are the type of people who keep to themselves, immature, socially awkward and neglected by their parents. This is one of the reasons why it’s hard for me to take these shootings seriously because I’m the type of person that keeps to himself and people are still starting trouble with me. The other reason is that this is the down side of advocating for people owning guns unfortunately. I mean you can't say you want the right to firearm and then complain when this happens. That makes you indirectly responsible for mass shootings. The same thing goes with alcohol, if you like to go to bar or night clubs you don't get to complain about DUI. 

I don’t mind profiling shooters as long as you don’t single people out for having those traits because that could make things worse. Instead of doing that we should be helping them work past or through that stigma. I would like to know why we have this problem because there was a time when we can have a rifle outside of the school and we use to teach our youth how to use guns depending on where they lived. Now we are number one for most school shootings how did this happen? 

Now there are people talking about hardening the schools and having the teachers carry a gun. I’m not crazy about this idea. I know I asked why we don’t protect kids the way we protect money however I don’t think the ends justify the means. Also, we might be manipulated into going in this direction. I say that because there is more going on with the Buffalo shooting than the news is telling us. Look up Aaron Salter and you’ll see what I mean. Another thing this suggestion makes us look like hypocrites. I mean people are thin skin now because they don’t want to step out of their comfort zone because it makes them feel safe. So, staying in a bubble is harmful to your development but it’s OK to put them in a bubble to keep kids safe. (To be fair we put criminals and mentally ill people in a bubble so maybe that wasn’t the best argument.) How is doing this going to put the kid’s minds at ease? If you saw the interviews with the surviving children, they are afraid of guns how is putting them in a place full of them going to make them move past their ordeal?

Public Schools are already a prison you don’t think turning them onto one is going to make things worse? What about teens? We all know how testy they are what if they get in a fight with one of the teachers and the teacher shoots and kill the student in self-defense would you be OK with that? Guns are not the only thing you can use to kill people how will you guard against pencils and scissors? Look I’m not saying we shouldn’t lower the risks of this happening however parents need to do a better job at coming to terms with the fact that their kids will be exposed to the ugly side of life. Also, watching your kids grow up is a luxury we wouldn’t have the sex trafficking ring and kids dying of leukemia if that wasn’t the care. Plus, we don't want to risk alienating each other by projecting our fears onto each other. Another thing what about people who work at fast-food you don't think they need protection? That’s all I have to say about this subject for now. 

P.S. If you can stomach what a shotgun can do to the human body then you shouldn't want one. 

My thoughts on the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

My thoughts on the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy 

Intro: OK I will try to keep this short and sweet because I know I'm beating a dead horse. Plus, I wanted to wait for everyone to air out their grievances with this trilogy before I do. 

This year marks the tenth anniversary of Disney owning the rights to Star Wars. They made five movies they are one trilogy and two spin-offs. Sadly, fans are not happy with what this company has done with this franchise. They despise these movies so much that they want them retcon. You don't think that's a slap in the face to the kids who grew up with this trilogy and the people who worked on it? The fans find this trilogy so bad that it's not good enough to make parody videos out of these movies. (Heck, the merchandise is not selling.) This trilogy makes me want to give a backhanded compliment to the prequels. They were bad in a creative way. 

Plus, there are things around the prequels that I enjoy. 

That's saying a lot considering that this trilogy has some of the same problems as the Prequels which is bad writing and not explaining things. To be fair, we have novels to make up for the prequel's shortcomings. The sequel trilogy is bad in a lazy way. I'll elaborate on that later. The fact that people despise both trilogies tells me two things. Either Star Wars has lost its novelty, or fans are too afraid to admit that the original trilogy was also bad. I'm surprised that Disney didn't use George Lucas's outline of the sequel trilogy, considering that they had no plans for this trilogy.  

Speaking of Mr. Lucas, I was rolling on the floor laughing when the fans said they wanted him to come back and do this trilogy. Let me get this straight, you access this man of raping your childhood, made a documentary vilifying him, gave him so much crap over the prequels, the special editions, and you even said that you don't want him anywhere near this franchise that he created. Now you're going to give him a backhanded compliment by saying that the prequels are good. I'm sorry, but you can't burn a bridge and expect someone to save you. 

I have mixed feelings about Mr. Lucas. On one hand, I do feel bad for him because of how fans are giving him a hard time. In a Vanity Fair interview, he said he feels like he's being restricted from making movies a certain way because of the fan's backlash. Look, Mr. Lucas, being creative is not a problem; however, if you go against what was established, then it's an issue. On the other hand, he's not taking responsibility for why fans feel this way about him. He didn't acknowledge that the fans made some valid points, pointing out the mistakes he made with this franchise. Also, I'm tired of him hiding behind this franchise was made for kids excuse, because A that's no excuse for you to be lazy. B You can't make a movie for kids without the kids who grew up with Star Wars in mind. 

The fans can blame JJ Abrams, Rian Johnson and Kathleen Kennedy all they want for how these movies turned out but that doesn't change the fact that they play a role in this as well. I say that because they are acting like women as far as sending mixed messages. After the prequels, you said you want the movies to be more like the original. Disney did that with The Force Awakens and you complain that it's too similar to the original. Despite The Last Jedi being almost similar to the Empire Strikes Back, it was too different from Star Wars and that got fans upset. The Rise of Skywalker tried to do damage control, but the damage is done. Do you see what I mean? This makes me mad because the fans got a studio to listen to them and they ruined it for other fanbases. I'm not just saying that because the fans kept flip-flopping it's because of how they lashed out at everyone who worked on these movies. 

Even Mark Hamill is disgusted by our behavior. Fans should be ashamed of themselves because acting like this shows that this franchise had no impact on them. I mean this franchise tells us that fear and anger are bad things,

 

yet you let those emotions get the best of you to the point where you take it out on people who don't deserve it. 

Seriously don't you feel bad that you chase the actor or actress off of social media and them wanting to commit suicide because of you? It's a shame that Transformers is the most civilized fans we have. Granted! I do talk about wanting to hurt someone when I get mad or disappointed however it's directed at the writers, directors and producers. Plus, I'm sarcastic about it. I'm not a sadistic person, my threats don't go beyond wishing people had cancer or die the most harmful and painful death. 

My editor: The devil is a liar! (He's reading my journey.) When I see Zack Synder, I'm going to chop off his fingers, burn off half his face, crack his ribs with a sledgehammer, run over his legs and rip out his... 

Me: Hey! Are you trying to get me canceled?  

Look I'm not saying that you don't have the right to dislike these films however, you shouldn't go on about it in a way that makes you look toxic and entitled. As far as this trilogy goes, it didn't anger me as much as everyone else. Considering that Disney discontinued the Star Wars EU, Lucas Arts is disbanded and this trilogy has a female lead I saw this coming, I didn't think it was going to be this bad. As far as the spin-off movies goes I didn't watch them because I didn't care about them. Also, is it me or does Rouge One remind you of Halo Reach? 

With that said I enjoyed the first film out of all of them which isn't saying much. The Last Jedi had potential but it's wasted. Rise of Skywalker is the worst of the worst. The people who worked on the first movie should have taken notes from Jurassic World because that movie did a better job at doing something different with a familiar story. As far as The Last Jedi goes I understand making divisive movies is Rian Johnson's MO but that shouldn't come at the expense of an already-established franchise. Subverting our expectations is pointless if it hurts the story. If you want a good example of how to do that watch Million Dollar Baby. For the most part, this trilogy is the same as the original trilogy because the characters are different from the original trilogy the story won't have the same impact on them. 

One of the problems I have with this trilogy is the First Order. I mean we don't know where they came from or how much manpower they have. This is the same issue I have with Snoke, I mean he's just as old or maybe older than the empire so where has he been all of this time? Speaking of Snoke if you're OK with how he was killed off then you should have no problem with Emperor Palpatine being in the third movie. As far as Emperor Palpatine goes, I can't believe that Disney is going to adapt the worst part of the Star Wars EU to bring this character back. Cloning opens up so many cans of worms that I don't want to get into. Also, bringing this character back undermines the original trilogy and the sequel trilogy. Regardless of how you feel about Snoke, you can't deny that the creators wrote themselves in a corner with how he was killed off.  

I know thirty years have passed but this is a franchise with world-building you can't just throw in a new threat with no rhyme or reason. Whatever victory the rebels have over them means nothing because they come back bigger and better. It's hard for me as a viewer to take the first order seriously because of how it's run. I mean everyone is screaming at each other, this is something you expect in a domestic dispute, not in a military organization. I feel bad for Gen. Hucks (the General of the first order) because both Snoke and Kylo undermine and humiliate him in front of his subordinates. Doing that is the quickest way to start a coup that's what happened on the rebel's side but I'm getting ahead of myself. Doing that doesn't boost the General's morale to lead the first order and it doesn't boost the subordinate's morale to follow his orders. I wasn't surprised that Gen. Hunk's sold out the first order because I would have done the same thing.  

Having Rey as the main character was a mistake because of how protective society is of women we don't get to see female characters struggle, rough up, or get their comeuppance in the media. This is why she's portrayed as a Mary Sue for most of the trilogy. Portraying female characters like this has caused more harm than good because we have women who have no respect for men. I'm glad that we have men vs women sports because they need to be reminded that they are the weaker sex. 

My editor: Whoa! Saying that will get you canceled. 

Me: You can shoot the messenger all you want but the facts are the fact. 

Rey started off as interesting as far as being a scavenger learning how to fend for herself and she's waiting for someone. That goes down the toilet when she meets Fin and that's a shame because this trilogy had a chance to give her things, she could work on but the writers didn't do that. For example, the creators could have made her selfish and not trust anyone due to her being abandoned by her parents because that makes sense. She doesn't want to believe that her parents the people who suppose to love her abandoned her. The writers did that with The Last Jedi but it lacks the emotional weight that it could have had. Speaking of Ray's parents I didn't mind them being nobodies because it helps reinforce that the force is mystical and not biological. Which was a problem I had with the Prequels. Plus, this is a lot better than what we got in Rise of Skywalker. What bugs me about them is the movie makes a big deal about them. 

To be fair her being Palpatine's granddaughter; would have worked if she knew from day one.  I mean the reason why she stays on Jakku is that she knows no one will want anything to do with her if they found out who she's related to. Doing this will help her dynamic with Fin and parallel with Luke. Fin is trying to run away for the first order and Rey is trying to hide from the world. Luke wants to know about his father Rey doesn't. After she reluctantly joins Fin, she gains allies and friends. When she reveals that she's Palpatine's granddaughter it doesn't change how they see her because that shouldn't define who you are. Doing that would be Star Wars way of telling a nature vs nurture story. It's hard to go in that direction with Rey because this is the same plot from the first Ratchet and Clank game.  

As far as Rey having a romance with Kylo it would have been interesting to see Star Wars doing their own version of Romeo and Juliet. (Plus make up for Anakin and Padme's romance.) However, I don't see how the writers can pull that off without both parties losing credibility with their respected groups. Also, why would Rey want to be with someone she can map the floor with? Am I the only one insulted to see her train in the last film? We already know you're OP so what's the point of this? 

Kylo Ren is wasted in this trilogy. I say that because we don't know much about him. I like what was done with him in The Last Jedi but the writers ruined it. This character starts off as an emotionally unstable man who's trying to live up to Darth Vader. This characterization ruins this character. I mean the viewers can't take him seriously if he's throwing temper tantrums. Also, it's hard to appreciate how dangerous he is in Luke's eyes when we don't see him cause much death and destruction. In The Last Jedi, he's done with his Vader worship and tries to be more calm and collected. That gets thrown out the window in the third act because he reverts to what he was and to make this worse he's taking orders from Emperor Palpatine in the next movie. After sensing that his mother died he switches sides and this amounts to nothing. If Rey and Kylo had a better relationship it could have mattered.  

Luke Skywalker where do I begin? Look I don't mean that a character falls from grace or having a change of heart however those things have to make sense with the character. Also, that didn't happen here because this is not Luke Skywalker. Luke wouldn't turn his back on the Galaxy and his family especially if he played a role in why the Galaxy is in trouble in the first place. Even if the reason why Luke doesn't want to train Jedi anymore is because he reached the same conclusion as Bendu that doesn't change the fact that everyone else is vulnerable to the dark side. Really, I'm surprised Yoda didn't want the Jedi to end I mean it would make sense why he would feel this way considering everything that happened in the prequels. So, Luke saw visions of Kylo causing death and destruction but not the role he played in it. Does Leia know Luke was thinking about killing her son? What bugs about this character is his interaction with Kylo in the last act. I mean he didn't say I'm sorry or I failed you he treats him like he's beyond saving. What gives? 

Luke: What? Did you expect me to take out my laser sword and take on the entire first order? 

No! I expect you to do something useful. Plus, doing that would be as ridiculous as giving Yoda a lightsaber. I didn't mind him using the force projection to save the rebels, but I wish he didn't do it from a long distance. His death scene wasn't good because it was isolated, I mean the people who know him weren't by his side at the end. That's what bothers me about Han and Leia's death scenes.  

I don't have much to say about Poe Dameron all we know about him is that he's an ace pilot. I
wish he was with Fin and Rey in the first movie. I mean wasn't the point of having three new leads if we barely see them together? We learn that he wasn't always an upstanding guy in the last movie but that amounts to nothing. In the second film, the writers tried to give him an arc of knowing when to lead and when to follow. The problem with that arc is that it wasn't done well. Leia demotes Poe for going against her order then later on she lets him back in the field. After Leia is in the hospital Gen. Holdo takes her place and all we get is them bickering over her plan until Leia gets back. After their back and forth, she gives him a backhanded complaint saying she likes him What the fudge!?! 

This wouldn't have been pointless and a waste of time if Holdo told Poe about her plan. Her excuse for not telling him is that he's a hothead. What is she talking about he wasn't like that with you and how is keeping him in the dark going to put him in a better mood? If your response to this is he should respect the chain of command first of all, where was your respect for the chain of command when Mr. Trump was in office? Second, There's more to being in charge than giving orders you have to put your subordinate's minds at ease with things go wrong. If you don't do that and you're calm about things going wrong you get a coup which ends up happening here. 

I wish I could say that Fin is the best character in this trilogy but the writers ruined him in the
last two films. Even the actor who plays this character wasn't happy with what was done to this character. I would be outraged too because it seems like the marketing pulled a bait-and-switch on us with this character. Fin starts off as a stormtrooper who somehow breaks free from his condition. After that, he helps Poe escape the first order so that he can get as far away from them as he can. After meeting Rey and forming a bond with her he develops to courage to stand up to the first order. In The Last Jedi, the writers hit the reset button with this character. (I still can't get over how fast he was able to recover from getting hit in the spine with a Lightsaber.) The subplot of him and Rose is insulting because it serves as a PSA on how bad war is. Considering what's going on between Russia and Ukraine that part of the movie didn't age well. He's face-off with Capt. Phasma was a joke. In the rise of Skywalker, all he does is shout Rey! and try to tell her that he loves her. How this trilogy handled this character makes me sick because he could have worked as the main character. 

The other problems I have with this trilogy are the MCU style of humor, the force and the themes in The Last Jedi. How the force works in this movie makes me question if there are any limits to the force? If you can use the force to communicate and touch people from a long distance, then why can't they teleport? Don't get me started on force healing! I don't like it because it eliminates any tension in a dire situation. Really, having this ability undermines episode 3. Do I really have to comment on Leia's Mary Poppen moment? Why didn't Leia use The Force to move the rocks? The themes in The Last Jedi is learning from your mistakes and letting the past die. The issue I have with the first theme is that it doesn't work if characters don't admit to their screw-ups. That's what bugs me about Yoda being in this movie because he could have acknowledged that the Jedi failed because of him not following the well of the force and gotten soft since the Sith haven't been around in a long time. How does this theme apply to Rey? I mean she hasn't made any mistakes so why have a theme that doesn't affect the main character? As far as letting the past die, I find it insulting considering the writers are using the past to tell their story. This theme could have worked if it was used properly in the story. 

Overall, Disney has dropped the ball with this trilogy. It's sad that this franchise can't have any success outside of the original trilogy era for the most part. 

It would be a miracle if we get any more movies out of this franchise not just because Disney is going down the toilet it's because the fans are starting to make this a franchise that no one wants to touch.