John | 1938SUPERMAN

I am have come to the realization that I could never be a movie critic. This is largely due to the fact that I know not for what these critics search, but most of them seem to agree upon it. I went into The Raven with no expectations. I had seen the trailer and thought it looked like an interesting alternative history film. A little more mature, perhaps, than the forthcoming Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which I happily hope to see this summer. The Raven received poor reviews. A 22% rating among the actual critics on Rotten Tomatos and only a 55% from it’s patrons. This is, however, not enough to dissuade me. If a movie looks interesting so me, I see it.

I must say, I greatly enjoyed The Raven. It was suspenseful. It was entertaining. It was a unique play on the mysterious end of Edgar Allan Poe. Maybe I enjoyed it because I was a Poe-lover going in. Maybe it is because I am a student of history. I do not understand how someone could dislike this film so intensely, unless they were looking for a mindless action movie with lots of explosions. I enjoy the crude fun of these movies like many others, however this does not mean that the entire industry needs to be dumbed down for mass consumption.

The greatest tragedy of Edgar Allan Poe was that of his own life. His existence was wrought with pain, sadness and loss for virtually it’s entirety. This fact is only overtaken by the perplexing mystery of his death. It is within this factually vacant space that we find this work of intriguing yet impossible fiction. It tells the tragic story of a man devoted to love, yet damned like no other. I thoroughly enjoyed it and fail to see what those so critical of it feel it is lacking. Sometimes the movie doesn’t come to you. Sometimes you have to go to it.

Hey, did you hear?! Jon Stewart is a racist! Well at least according to Donald Trump. On a recent episode of the Daily Show Jon Stewart teased GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain about the recent news of the sexual harassment accusations leveled against him during his time in the restaurant industry and his defenses to them. Basically what Stewart does best.

To that, Trump responded with this on his YouTube channel.

First off, thanks for speaking up for the black community, Donald. I’m sure they appreciate it. Although I’m a little confused as to where you think Jon Stewart’s comedy bit delved into a racist rant. I have seen rants. I have delivered a couple myself. This was not a rant. It was a comedy bit. Stewart wasn’t even upset. By all accounts, he was his normal, jovial self while having some comedic fun with Cain. But the Lindberg joke? That was what you thought was racist? I don’t see it. And why exactly didn’t you show the first part of that clip, Mr. Trump? Is it because it would blow your whole faux outrage thing when people saw what Stewart was actually doing? The only jokes that even eluded to race were those he did in response to Cain’s comment about liking black walnut ice cream, which were very tame and themselves had little to do with race. It still amazes how many people try to address Jon Stewart as though he is a news correspondent or a pundit. By his own admission, Stewart is a comedian doing a satire of the news and the ridiculousness within it, as he always has.

I believe that Donald Trump does not understand what racism is, as he clearly exhibits here. Mostly because he has proven to be somewhat racist himself. Which makes the idea of him being a watchdog for racism even more absurd. Let us not forget that Trump was the birther who, after Obama released his long form birth certificate to end the birther nonsense, started floating this garbage about how we need to see his grades from college. Anything to discredit the black guy’s right to be president. From which other presidents or presidential candidates in history have we demanded prove citizenship or asserted that they were foreign and thereby ineligible to hold the office. None of them. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence, right Donald?

Jon Stewart can make jokes like that because he is not a racist. He has proven that repeatedly. Trump cannot make that claim. So he equates his issues with race with the jokes of a notable left-leaning comedian to try to claim that since he and stewart are both white that there is some kind of deficit of justice in public opinion here. The difference is that Stewart was not part of a racist movement to disavow the first black president by ridiculously asserting doubt of his citizenship as though it were a valid position. Hey, birthers! You know, in 2008 there was a candidate running who was not born in this country. His name was John McCain. Where were you there? Oh, I see. because his parents were citizens, he’s still an American. How about the fact that Obama’s mother was a natural born U.S. citizen? Does that somehow not count? Why is that? I can’t think of anything. Strange. What would be something that many conservatives would consider to be a major difference between these two men? I wonder.