Meanwhile With Trevor
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9/11, Conspiracy Theories, and the End Times
September 11, 2023

I remember exactly what I was doing 22 years ago today.

It was a sunny morning and I was at the dining room table struggling through some high school math. In the back of my mind I was probably thinking about the college intro to communication class I’d be attending at that evening. Then the phone rang and the world changed forever. Now it’s difficult to imagine a world where we don’t have a constant stream of news and information coming at us from every direction. In 2001 when there was big news people called their friends on landline phones.

My how things have changed.

We turned on the TV before the second the tower fell. I switched between CBS and Fox, but we all knew how this was going to end. Badly. I was aware enough to suspect Bin Laden, so it was no shock that evening when the experts started saying the same thing. Eventually, I drew away from the screen and retreated to the couch and looked down at the coffee table. On a recent trip to the library I’d picked up an encyclopedia of Marvel comics, which was open to a double page spread of the Avengers saving New York from Aquaman’s army.

It seemed so ironic, so trite.

A couple weeks later we took our last vacation as a family. Everywhere we went there were American flags flying proudly in solidarity, and all the partisan nonsense took a break. We were Americans, and that was enough. What would likely tear us apart now brought the country together, not that long ago. Now if you tell the wrong person you like the flag, you’re a Trump-loving white nationalist (this actually happened to me). 

My how things have changed.

Stop and just think how much has changed. Superheroes have gone mainstream and perhaps thanks to that too many people expect real-life extraterrestrials to come save us. In the wake of 9/11 many conspiracy theories rose up, to the disgust of those who lived through it. Now if you aren’t something of a conspiracy theorist (and you should be) you’re in the minority. To put it simply, the world is a much weirder place. 

So now what?

The only way to survive and stay sane in this crazy new world is to accept we don’t know what we don’t know. A look at the Book of Revelation tells us that in the end the world will witness supernatural cosmic events, that could and probably will be interpreted as alien. This will happen. A close inspection of 9/11 reports presents more questions than answers, and we know our government often works in the shadows. Conspiracy theories exist to fill in the gaps between what we know and what we can’t. 

Sometimes those are a pretty big gaps.

But there’s nothing wrong with asking the questions and proposing answers. Eventually, some of these theories may be proven out. Eventually, the events of Revelation will come to pass. We must remember that all we have are two points, one clear and one murky, and there are too many variables to draw in straight lines between them. Ultimately, we only know one thing.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

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Yesterday two trailers were released for upcoming superhero projects. First, we had Marvel's Ironheart, which Disney has been sitting on for years at this point. Apparently it follows Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), a young black woman at MIT who is (was?) intended to take over for Tony Stark as Ironwhathaveyou. If you haven't seen the trailer yet, take a look.

I stopped paying too much attention to the MCU a long time ago, but apparently Riri was introduced in Wakanda Forever, and her fans have been clamoring for a standalone show ever since (/sarcasm). Watching the trailer, I can't help but notice how many times we're told she's smart and capable. Any suggestion that she can't do something is shot down immediately. We're supposed to believe that The System is against is her because she's poor, I guess, and doesn't have Tony Stark's advantages.

Remember Tony Stark? Sure, he was rich. But he was also a self-absorbed man-child who found himself in a cave in Afghanistan who had to engineer his own escape with scrap parts. Tony Stark, who had to learn about self-sacrifice and the consequences of his actions. Robert Downey Jr. make us like the guy, with his easy charm, even though we wanted to see him grow up. There was room for a character arc. No offence to Dominique, but she doesn't have the charm, and her character clearly has nowhere to go.

A few hours later, Warner Bros./DC released the trailer for James Gunn's Superman, the latest reboot of the iconic superhero. We've been waiting for a good Superman for a long time. Something to reunite the fans, the casually interested, and possibly the entire country. And to be honest, I don't think this is gonna do it. Take a look.

Before I go any further, I want to spin my theory on the interview scene, which is a little different from what I'm hearing from most anyone else. Notice how David Corenswet pitches his voice really high when he says, "Sure!" At this point in the movie, I don't think Lois (Rachel Brasnahan) knows that Clark is Superman, and thinks he's just playacting. But when Clark drops his voice, he's showing his cards a little bit. Then, when he completely loses his cool, he's just acting how Lois thinks Superman would respond. In context (the scene is reportedly ten minutes long!), it might be interesting. Out of context, in a trailer, it's a stupid decision.

Throughout the entire trailer we see Superman smacked around, knocked out, screaming out in self-defense, and made fun of for having a dog. There are some super-heroics, to be sure, but they're mitigated by the overwhelming amount of thrashing he takes. Unlike Riri, I guess he's got some room for growth. But it doesn't inspire me to see the movie. Some are defending this approach, suggesting that someone with such a clear cut understanding of right and wrong would be frustrated and confused by our complex, political climate. And I agree. But his moral compass and grace towards an unfair world should have been set before leaving Smallville and going out into the world.

So on the one hand, we've got a flawless female character. And on the other, we've got an immature Superman. Neither character is attractive, warts and all. Neither character is relatable or inspiring in the ways the filmmakers intended, as presented. Maybe the show and movie will be good. But someone else will have to let me know. Because right now, I'm not inspired to see either one.

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I say, both!

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Engaging with a story is sometimes like singing a song. Sometimes you want to sit back and listen to a master perform, but other times you want to join in. And if the tune is simple and familiar, you can learn new words that much more easily. If the melody is complex, with tempo and key changes, it demands attention. That’s when you just sit back and appreciate someone else’s artistry. 

More often than not, we’re drawn to the familiar. 

We go to the movies to be entertained more than we go to be challenged.

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We don’t. 

Mass appeal isn’t difficult. Our mainstream entertainment providers are making it difficult, probably in large part because they don’t know or understand what we want. And unless they do, people just like us will move to replace them. 

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Book Review - The Revenant and the Cult - Book Two: The Terror in the Wychwood

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For a fantasy writer, particularly one of faith, they are essential.

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Two words: Moonlight Hunters.

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