The Axis of Ego

SitCombat: 3/29/12

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Tom Garrett

30 Rock has won an unprecedented four consecutive weeks of SitCombat. The Office had been red-hot for the middle part of the season, but a recent swoon has seen 30 Rock and Archer benefit from the Office’s decent but unspectacular run of late.

Archer also wrapped up last week. That leaves only one opponent standing between the Office and a resurgence to the top. Unfortunately, it’s the same opponent that’s won those four straight battles. Even more unfortunate for the Office is the fact that the episode is a rerun for the second consecutive week, possibly costing the show a golden opportunity to return to glory.

Can the Office use a repeat to take back the throne it held for much of the winter? Will 30 Rock triumph a fifth straight week?

This was SitCombat for March 29, 2012:

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Posted in Commentary, Reviews, Television | Tagged 30 Rock, 5nowdog5, Commentary, Corporate Blimps Weekly, Hazel Wassername, LeJon Brames, Reviews, SitCombat, Summer Horse Grave, Television, The Office | 2 Comments

The Axis of Ego Podcast: WrestleMania 28 Preview

Posted on March 29, 2012 by The Axis of Ego

Tom resurrects Mike from the dead (off-air) and engages his reanimated friend in an hour-long conversation about this weekend’s WrestleMania 28 event. They run down the card and discuss how we got here, and, in cases in which it’s discernible, why we got here. The duo also talks themselves into believing that anything is possible in the WWE, including the reformation of the Nation of Domination (Huh?!?) or possibly Doom (The f***?!?). Take a listen as The Axis of Ego breaks its long podcast drought with an inappropriately earnest analysis of what should be an exciting wrestling pay-per-view!

Download: The Axis of Ego Podcast 03-29-12

Posted in Podcasts, Sports, Television | Tagged Beth Phoenix, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Doom, Dwayne Johnson, John Cena, John Laurinaitis, Maria Menounos, Podcasts, Sheamus, Sports, Television, The Nation of Domination, The Rock, Theodore Long, Wrestlemania 28, WWE | 2 Comments

The Need to be Needed

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Tom Garrett

Bill Maher made a compelling case for a National Day of No Outrage on last week’s Real Time. After glancing at ESPN.com over the weekend and realizing that three of the front page headlines were about apologies for various types of behavior, I thought it might be a good idea to present the video of Maher’s comments:

I agree generally with everything Maher says here, and my only quibble would be that I would prefer we exist in a permanent state of “no outrage.” There’s one point in particular that’s worth repeating: The idea that what fuels much of this outrage is a need for us to feel important by stopping “the bad people.”

This is an idea that I discussed last week when I said that “[b]eing able to dismiss your opposite number as inferior or trivial quite obviously enhances one’s own feelings of superiority or importance, as does attaching inflated significance to the success or failure of your political agenda.”

This is a commonplace “tell” for ideologues of all stripes. It’s necessary for many people to feel as though what they do (or believe) is not only personally fulfilling, but absolutely pivotal to our society. Put another way, they can’t accept the fact that something might only be subjectively important. They need it to be important to the world at large in order to enhance their own sense of self-worth. There’s a narrow-mindedness attached to this, to be sure, but there’s an element of narcissism or insecurity as well.

So, when someone equates a slight increase in the marginal tax rate of the very wealthy to “socialism,” or a modest anti-abortion measure to rape or war, or a voter ID requirement to the second coming of Jim Crow, or any American politician to Adolf Hitler, it’s best to take that information with an entire shaker of salt.

But also consider again why this is done. Take any of the above topics. Or, take, for example, recent postulations over the sad case of Trayvon Martin that assert that racism is as prevalent and significant as ever in the United States. Much of the causation for that mentality is the same one that Maher and I highlighted.

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Posted in Commentary, Politics, Television, Videos | Tagged Bill Maher, George Zimmerman, National Day of No Outrage, Navel-Gazing, Politics, Racism?, Real Time, Television, Trayvon Martin | 11 Comments

An Untimely Knight Rider Rant

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Tom Garrett

Can we talk about Knight Rider’s premise for a minute?

Anyone who reads this website on a consistent basis knows I have a high tolerance for suspension of disbelief. Talking car with advanced weaponry? No problem. I’m all in. Run with it.

But, even with a key point like that as part of the premise, the rest of the show has to make sense. With that in mind, let’s apply some inexplicably-timed scrutiny to the rest of the core tenets of the Knight Rider story.

Here’s the deal: An undercover police officer named Michael Long is trying to bust some bad guys. He may be a police lieutenant, but he’s actually spent half a year in the field. And, by “field,” I mean posing as part of a security detail for a chemical company in an attempt to prevent industrial espionage. At least I think that’s what’s going on. Something within hailing distance of that is definitely happening. We don’t need to get bogged down in details, nerds.

The important part is that this plan goes to hell within the first few minutes of the series, resulting in the following:

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Posted in Commentary, Television | Tagged 1980's, Commentary, David Hasselhoff, KITT, Knight Rider, Michael Knight, Rants, Television, The 80's | 7 Comments

SitCombat: 3/22/12

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Tom Garrett

30 Rock has triumphed three consecutive weeks and isn’t making things any easier on the competition this time around. The venerable NBC show has two all-new episodes tonight. Still, it’s far from a given that 30 Rock will make it four in a row, even with a double-barreled attempt at doing so. Archer is coming off of a very strong performance and presents its season finale this evening.

Meanwhile, the Office has been struggling of late. The folks from Scranton had put together a great midseason run, but an off week last time out casts some doubt on whether the Office will be able to put Archer or 30 Rock asunder. It definitely won’t this week, as the second new 30 Rock episode takes the place of the Office on the schedule. Perhaps its just as well to give that show a breather for a week. Hopefully the brief respite will allow the Office to return to the form it showed when it was winning this competition on a regular basis early in 2012.

With only two combatants, albeit with three shows, this was SitCombat for March 22, 2012:

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Posted in Commentary, Reviews, Television | Tagged 30 Rock, Archer, Caress of Krieger, Commentary, Mitt Romummy, Mitt Zombie, Normal Al, Reviews, Steel Hammerhands, Television, The Office, Weird Al Yankovic, Whorediot, William Baldwin | 5 Comments

A Simpler Time (to Pay Players to Hurt Other Players)

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Tom Garrett

Three thoughts came to mind when I heard the shocking news about the New Orleans Saints bounty fallout today:

1. All of the penalties seemed to be some degree of excessive. Sean Payton being suspended for a full year is a little much, but the Mickey Loomis half-season suspension is the most absurd. Payton and (especially) Gregg Williams don’t strike me as coaches who would be particularly receptive to a front-office person telling them how to run their team, even if he’s doing so on orders from the league via the franchise owner.

2. More surprising than the penalties was the lockstep march of the media in support of the harsh action by Roger Goodell and company. The sycophancy gold medal goes to Christine Brennan, who suggested that Goodell’s iron-fisted treatment of the Saints is not unlike the famous Kennesaw Mountain Landis decision to banish the Black Sox from baseball. Brennan even goes as far as to hint that Goodell will be remembered as a legendary(!) figure a century(!!!) from now if he remains committed to righteousness.

3. If Goodell had been the commissioner of the NFL in 1989, what would he have done about Buddy Ryan? Banned him for life? Ordered a public beheading? Banned him for life and then ordered a public beheading?

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Posted in Commentary, Sports, Videos | Tagged 1980's, 1989, Bounty Bowl, Buddy Ryan, Commentary, Gregg Williams, Jimmy Johnson, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, NFL, Roger Goodell, Sean Payton, Sports, The 80's, Tim Tebow, Videos | Leave a comment

Intellectual Honesty in the Age of Unreason

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Tom Garrett

I hate to interrupt a string of lighthearted cultural observations, sports references, and stories about awkward moments in the annals of entertainment history with something more serious—but here goes.

A fascinating journal article came to my attention a couple of weeks ago. The piece was remarkable in its content and unintentionally provided me with a helpful (if unnecessary) reminder about the current state of political discourse in the United States.

The paper, “After-birth Abortion: Why Should the Baby Live?” appeared in the Journal of Medical Ethics on February 23rd. The title is appropriately suggestive of the subject matter. The crux of the argument advanced by authors Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva is that, since abortion is accepted (or at least legal) in many circumstances wholly unconnected to the health of the baby or the mother, and since a newborn baby has not yet achieved true “personhood,” it therefore follows that after-birth abortion—or, more properly, the killing of an infant—should be permissible in all cases where an abortion would also be permitted.

My initial reaction to the article was that it was perhaps a hoax—a “Modest Proposal”-style strawman created by someone on the right in an attempt to portray the frightening logical conclusion at the end of a slippery slope. This is not the case.

The manner by which I discovered this article is quite relevant. The piece popped up on my Facebook newsfeed along with some commentary by the conservative-leaning person who posted it, noting that this was how those on the left conceptualized the rights of the unborn (or, in this case, the newly born).

Outrage from pro-life folks who caught wind of the article has been widespread and powerful. They attack the viewpoint presented by Giubilini and Minerva as offensive, insensitive, or even unconscionable. I prefer to use different terminology.

Refreshing. Consistent. Intellectually honest.

I suppose I should note here that I would be vehemently opposed to any measure that allowed for what I consider to be infanticide. Put mildly, I do not agree with the conclusions drawn by the authors of this paper as to the morality of terminating the lives of infants. I nonetheless applaud them for having the audacity to publish it and for accepting the unfortunate consequences of doing so.

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Posted in Commentary, Politics | Tagged Abortion, Alberto Giubilini, Best in the World, Civility, Commentary, Conservatism, Fox News, Francesca Minerva, Gawker, Hyperbole, Intellectual Honesty, Journal of Medical Ethics, Liberalism, MSNBC, Politics, Reasonableness, Rhetoric, Rush Limbaugh, Sandra Fluke, Ultrasound, Virginia, War on Women | 16 Comments

SitCombat: 3/15/12

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Tom Garrett

I’m skipping the first night of the NCAA tournament to write a review of three sitcoms, so I’m going to dispense with the preamble this week. It’s only fair. I’ll just point out that 30 Rock is riding a two-week winning streak coming into tonight.

This was SitCombat for March 15, 2012:

30 Rock (NBC) – “St. Patrick’s Day”

Tonight’s Episode: Liz deals with the reappearance of Dennis, Jack mulls his place in the business world, and everyone tries to manage Jenna and Tracy’s egos.

Good Stuff: “It’s the tail I had until I was sixteen” . . . Tracy is only allergic to allergy medication, but he loves it!” . . . William of Orange invented the orange according to Yahoo! answers . . . I like Liz’s anti-Irish attitude . . . Liz gave to the IRA in the 90’s because she thought she was contributing to a retirement account . . . “I tried to steal beer from a Duane Reade, and some black guy cold-cocked me.” “Oh, like a security guard?” “I don’t know, pal, I don’t see people that way” . . . Tracy prays to Michael Jackson’s ghost . . . “I’ll replace your lizard with a gay guy in a giant champagne bottle” “SIRI, KILL JENNA!” . . . Dennis’ new business is burning your old DVDs onto laserdisc . . . Criss was a volunteer EMT…at Burning Man . . . “Me and Criss? We’re bang brothers!” . . . Jack playing Colonizers of Malaar . . . Liz’s German curse . . . “What does that mean, ‘once agan?’ That is not a thing” . . . “Whoa! Buy me a drink, first!” . . . “He was born in fourth-century Ireland. He might as well have been born in a grave” . . . “Is 70 not a good i.q.?” . . . Tracy’s attempt to replace Andy Rooney.

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Posted in Commentary, Reviews, Television | Tagged 30 Rock, Archer, Colonizers of Malaar, Commentary, Reviews, SitCombat, Sitcoms, Television, The Office | Leave a comment

R.I.P., AOL IM

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Tom Garrett

Fifteen years ago: I had never heard of it.

Ten years ago: It was ubiquitous.

Now: It’s dead.

I can’t imagine how much different my 20’s (especially my early 20’s) would have been without Instant Messenger. I used AOL’s IM program for three or four years before I ever had a cell phone or sent my first text message.

IM got me through many a boring afternoon of studying (or, some say, class) and allowed me to communicate (or, some say, annoy) friends and adversaries alike throughout law school. And, even if I were never totally sure whether it was “Instant Messenger” or “Instant Messager,” I won’t soon forget what it added to my day-to-day existence from 2001 until 2006 or so.

It’s surreal to think that a technology that didn’t exist when I was in high school, was unknown to me when I was in college, and was indispensable when I was in grad school is now about to become extinct.

First the Encyclopedia Britannica and now this. Rough day for people old enough to remember the Reagan Administration.

Michael McDonald and Aretha Franklin were right.

Posted in Commentary, General Culture and News | Tagged AIM, AOL, AOLIM, Commentary, General Culture and News, Instant Messenger, Nost | 2 Comments

Cutting Through the Corporate Code

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Tom Garrett

The curious leadership style of the board of directors of World Wrestling Entertainment, Incorporated (NYSE/NASDAQ: WWE) has again perplexed the business community and financial experts around the globe.

The company is currently in the midst of something of a power struggle between two longtime holders of upper-management positions, Theodore Long and John Laurinaitis. The board has concluded that the continued employment of both men is an impossibility. Such a scenario in and of itself isn’t all that unusual within the corporate world, particularly in a situation in which the company has a sizable entertainment component.

The unusual part is the method by which the company’s board will resolve the dilemma of which of the two mutually-exclusive employees to release.

The board issued a statement* this morning that I found to be remarkable in many respects. The document speaks for itself, but I’ve provided some annotations below to add context to the underlying substance. The take-home point is that the manner in which the corporate arm of WWE makes critical personnel decisions is totally foreign to the normal conduct of American industry:

I think the smart money is on Laurinaitis. He’s a ranking WWE executive, whereas this Long person holds no executive position insofar as I can tell, although he does have some impressive credentials. I suppose we’ll find out at WrestleMania 28 which employee will be retained. Appropriately enough (considering this company’s laughable business practices), the event takes place on April 1st.

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