“You need people like me so you can point your fucking fingers and say ‘That’s the bad guy.’ …So say goodnight to the bad guy! …last time you gonna see a bad guy like this…” Thus spoke Al Pacino’s ever defiant and self-assured Tony Montana in Scarface. Audiences have been captivated by Tony since heContinue reading “Designing the Bad Guy”
Author Archives: thinkingpopculture
Peter Parker: The Hero We Need
As I watched Spider-Man: No Way Home I was struck by the feeling that Peter Parker/Spider-Man, the Marvel Comics Icon introduced in 1962, is the perfect hero for our current troubled times. Wondering Why? Read on, true believer! (Well, read on if you’re comfortable with the knowledge that spoilers – lots and lots of spoilersContinue reading “Peter Parker: The Hero We Need”
Momentous Personal Victories: Honoring the Struggle for Mental Health
Last week I had the opportunity to present Out of the Basement to a group of high school students enrolled in a class called Human Concerns in Literature. Michael Tanner, the protagonist of Out of the Basement, struggles to maintain his mental health as the lingering trauma of childhood abuse threatens to drown him inContinue reading “Momentous Personal Victories: Honoring the Struggle for Mental Health”
More Than Magic: Wanda’s Journey through the Darkness
With the series finale of WandaVision, the MCU has completed their most ambitious foray into the realm of mental health and grief. The superhero storytelling juggernaut has, to the credit of various writers, producers, etc., stepped into those tumultuous waters before. Whether it was Tony Stark’s PTSD in Iron Man 3, Thor’s combined angry/depressed stateContinue reading “More Than Magic: Wanda’s Journey through the Darkness”
Violence/Nonviolence
In early December 2020, a valued colleague mentioned an abstract she read and the desire to find the article. The focal point of the article was the necessity for violence and the shortcomings of nonviolence. We discussed the concept for a short spell (and have returned to it since) and, in so doing, my interestContinue reading “Violence/Nonviolence”
Captain America and American Virtues
In my previous post, American Addictions, I presented my addiction model for viewing the history of the United States. At the end of that piece the question, “Could understanding and embracing these national virtues – the glory striding alongside the shame – be the keys to a more sober nation?” was posed. Now we willContinue reading “Captain America and American Virtues”
American Addictions
The addiction model of United States history is an approach to the story of America I have utilized in my classroom for a long time. I believe it creates a framework of pain and hope for discussing the ever developing nation. It also allows for an intricate web of interrelated issues that allows my studentsContinue reading “American Addictions”
Graduation Address for the Class of 2020
Hello P3ers and honored quests. It has been a strange year, with traditions great and small cast aside while anxiety and fears gripping the hearts of many. Joy and hope, however, endures. It always does. Always. I often end my school year with a graduation address delivered to my P3 class at NFA but, alas,Continue reading “Graduation Address for the Class of 2020”
Out of the Basement
Earlier this year I posted the news that I had a book due out this spring. Clearly things are strange right now it I am still so please to announce that the eBook of Out of the Basement is available for purchase. You can click here to be sent to Amazon to place an order. TheContinue reading “Out of the Basement”
Harriet Tubman and the Power of Movies
A couple weeks ago I, along with two colleagues, took a group of our high school students to see the movie Harriet. We were in the middle of our Road to the Civil War unit so the timing of the film’s release was perfect. I reminded the class before we went that, even thoughContinue reading “Harriet Tubman and the Power of Movies”
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