A pregnant woman in Colorado Springs was struck by a car as she ran from a bear.
Ashley Swendsen told Meredith Vieira on the Today show that she thought the bear was really cute, and pretended it was a dog until it gave chase. She began to run, screaming for help. The path she had been walking on ran out, and she ran into the road. A driver slowed down, but hit Swendsen, and then drove off without seeing if she was hurt.
Swendsen managed to make it back home, where she and her fiance called the police. The bear made regular visits to her neighbor's yard. Swendsen identified the bear to the police and the animal was put down. Her neighbors are now angry at her for the "unnecessary" death of the bear.
Talk about a bad day. Chased by a bear, hit by a car, and then blamed by your neighbors when the bear is dead- all while pregnant. But she has a good sense of humor. She says her child will have the middle name "Little Bear" when he's born.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Citizen B's Favorite News: Justice Is Served
Today a jury of eight men and four women convicted Allen Andrade with first degree murder and bias crime for the murder of 18-year-old transgender woman Angie Zapata.
A friend of mine had said that Zapata should have been open about her status as transgender, possibly preventing such a tragedy. During the trial it was revealed that the dating site where Zapata and Andrade met catered to the gay, bisexual, and transgender community, so this was no eHarmony or Match.com arrangement. In those 36 hours, Andrade also attended a court appearance for Zapata's traffic ticket. She was summoned by her birth name "Justin" with Andrade present in court. It was also revealed by the prosecution that in the course of their 700 text messages that Andrade must have known that Zapata was born a male.
I think that the hate crime charge here is important because it dismissed the defense's argument that Andrade acted out of rage. Andrade's homophobic phone conversations and awareness of Zapata's status implies that his action was premeditated; he acted based on his hatred toward transgenders.
Justice has been served.
A friend of mine had said that Zapata should have been open about her status as transgender, possibly preventing such a tragedy. During the trial it was revealed that the dating site where Zapata and Andrade met catered to the gay, bisexual, and transgender community, so this was no eHarmony or Match.com arrangement. In those 36 hours, Andrade also attended a court appearance for Zapata's traffic ticket. She was summoned by her birth name "Justin" with Andrade present in court. It was also revealed by the prosecution that in the course of their 700 text messages that Andrade must have known that Zapata was born a male.
I think that the hate crime charge here is important because it dismissed the defense's argument that Andrade acted out of rage. Andrade's homophobic phone conversations and awareness of Zapata's status implies that his action was premeditated; he acted based on his hatred toward transgenders.
Justice has been served.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Citizen B's Sad News: The Murder of Angela Zapata
I didn't feel it was appropriate to put the label "favorite news" on this article, because this story is so tragic and gruesome.
July 17, 2008 a transgender woman named Angela Zapata was found murdered in Greeley, CO. Coroners revealed she had been bludgeoned to death, causing multiple skull fractures.
The investigation indicated that she had been killed by a man named Allen Andrade, whom the 18-year-old Angela had met over the internet. The two met on a dating website, and exchanged some 700 text messages before Andrade spent 36 hours in Zapata's apartment with her. In Andrade's confession he says that he told his girlfriend that he killed Zapata when he found out she had been born a man. He says he just "snapped" upon realizing he had oral sex with another man.
A judge recently threw out a portion of Andrade's confession where he stated that he feared members of his gang would kill him if he was involved in any homosexual sex. However, Andrade is not only facing a murder charge, but a hate crime charge as well after telling his girlfriend "all gay things need to die." He defended his actions further telling his girlfriend "It's not like I went up to a school teacher and shot her in the head . . . or I killed a straight, law-abiding citizen."
After the murder, Andrade ransacked the apartment and gave Zapata's purses to his girlfriend as gifts.
Zapata's family says Angela never hid her transgender status, casting doubt on Andrade's sudden murderous rage. In testimony today, Andrade's girlfriend Angie Tyree stated that Andrade was driving Zapata's car after the murder, and that he had expressed suicidal thoughts.
This is the second transgender murder to make headlines in my lifetime. You might remember when Brandon Teena, a female-to-male transgender was murdered in rural Nebraska. He was first assaulted and then raped by his killers John Lotter and Tom Nissen. His killers were both convicted felons who said she got what she deserved for living as a man. The police had not held the boys after the rape was reported; some believe that if they had Brandon would be alive today.
The murder of Angela Zapata is just as gruesome. I will keep following the trial. While it may appear from reading the article that Andrade will obviously be found guilty on both counts, the legal system is slippery. I hope that since justice was found for Brandon Teena's murder (John Lotter received the death penalty and Tom Nissen a life-prison sentence), justice can be found for Angela as well.
What confused me, apart from Andrade's open bigotry and indifference to his crime, is that during Angie Tyree's testimony she said she still loved Andrade. Could you still love someone after he admitted committing such a gruesome murder to you? And still love him upon learning that the reason for the murder was he was having sexual relations with someone else? Learning that the purses belonged to the victim, how could she have kept them?
Moreover, how do you defend a criminal like this, someone who doesn't believe his victim was a human being? Over the last several months there has been controversy as to the rights of gays and lesbians, specifically the right to marry. Moreover, I have heard many here in Colorado say that "hate crimes" should not be considered an added offense to assault, rape, or murder. I strongly disagree. Harming another person because of a prejudice is equivalent to a premeditated assault. Such a strong prejudice indicates to me that you have planned already what you would do to someone of a certain race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion. In this case, Ardarde has no other motive for murder other than his hatred. I hope that the jury sees the statement "all gay things need to die" as a mass death threat to the entire LGBT community, and punishes him accordingly.
July 17, 2008 a transgender woman named Angela Zapata was found murdered in Greeley, CO. Coroners revealed she had been bludgeoned to death, causing multiple skull fractures.
The investigation indicated that she had been killed by a man named Allen Andrade, whom the 18-year-old Angela had met over the internet. The two met on a dating website, and exchanged some 700 text messages before Andrade spent 36 hours in Zapata's apartment with her. In Andrade's confession he says that he told his girlfriend that he killed Zapata when he found out she had been born a man. He says he just "snapped" upon realizing he had oral sex with another man.
A judge recently threw out a portion of Andrade's confession where he stated that he feared members of his gang would kill him if he was involved in any homosexual sex. However, Andrade is not only facing a murder charge, but a hate crime charge as well after telling his girlfriend "all gay things need to die." He defended his actions further telling his girlfriend "It's not like I went up to a school teacher and shot her in the head . . . or I killed a straight, law-abiding citizen."
After the murder, Andrade ransacked the apartment and gave Zapata's purses to his girlfriend as gifts.
Zapata's family says Angela never hid her transgender status, casting doubt on Andrade's sudden murderous rage. In testimony today, Andrade's girlfriend Angie Tyree stated that Andrade was driving Zapata's car after the murder, and that he had expressed suicidal thoughts.
This is the second transgender murder to make headlines in my lifetime. You might remember when Brandon Teena, a female-to-male transgender was murdered in rural Nebraska. He was first assaulted and then raped by his killers John Lotter and Tom Nissen. His killers were both convicted felons who said she got what she deserved for living as a man. The police had not held the boys after the rape was reported; some believe that if they had Brandon would be alive today.
The murder of Angela Zapata is just as gruesome. I will keep following the trial. While it may appear from reading the article that Andrade will obviously be found guilty on both counts, the legal system is slippery. I hope that since justice was found for Brandon Teena's murder (John Lotter received the death penalty and Tom Nissen a life-prison sentence), justice can be found for Angela as well.
What confused me, apart from Andrade's open bigotry and indifference to his crime, is that during Angie Tyree's testimony she said she still loved Andrade. Could you still love someone after he admitted committing such a gruesome murder to you? And still love him upon learning that the reason for the murder was he was having sexual relations with someone else? Learning that the purses belonged to the victim, how could she have kept them?
Moreover, how do you defend a criminal like this, someone who doesn't believe his victim was a human being? Over the last several months there has been controversy as to the rights of gays and lesbians, specifically the right to marry. Moreover, I have heard many here in Colorado say that "hate crimes" should not be considered an added offense to assault, rape, or murder. I strongly disagree. Harming another person because of a prejudice is equivalent to a premeditated assault. Such a strong prejudice indicates to me that you have planned already what you would do to someone of a certain race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion. In this case, Ardarde has no other motive for murder other than his hatred. I hope that the jury sees the statement "all gay things need to die" as a mass death threat to the entire LGBT community, and punishes him accordingly.
Friday, April 17, 2009
On The Media: The Susan Boyle Effect
If you didn't see Susan Boyle's performance on Britain's Got Talent, you might wonder why everyone in America is talking about it. It made every cable 24-hr network in the United States- but why? Why would an American audience care about a performance on a British talent show, especially when there are more pressing issues in the world.
This what is called a soft news story, or a human interest story. If you ever saw the movie Anchorman, it's exactly the story that Veronica is assigned early on in the film. The purpose of these stories, especially on days where the majority of the broadcast is violent and depressing, is to catch people's interest and be a fun, easy story to tell.
Whenever anyone pitches an idea for a story on broadcast or print news, his or her editor will ask, "Well, why should we care?" That is the question that tests the strength of the story, and even the soft must sustain it. I'll explain why this one did.
First of all, Britain's Got Talent is the parent of American Idol, both judged by the callous Simon Cowell. This is the first part of the "why we care"- Americans love to see the arrogant rebuked. Cowell is arrogant, cruel even, to those who have put blood, sweat, and tears into performing for him. For pop stars he seems this barrier necessary to cross to reach fame. American audiences cheered when Jennifer Hudson received an Oscar nod after Cowell had told her she just wasn't good enough to be a star.
The second part of "why we care" is Susan herself. She's not an American 18-year-old beauty, the kind that wins on American Idol. She's a 47-year-old woman, called "plain-looking" by one of the hosts on Britain's Got Talent. She says in her introduction on the show that she's not ever been married, or even kissed. She's not someone pegged to win.
But she has dreams. She wants to be like Elaine Paige, and furthermore (Americans love this part) she's got sass. She has a confidence. When Simon asks her how old she is she rolls her hips and says, "I'm 47- and that's just one side of me!" even as he rolls his eyes. She embodies that American spirit, reaching for that seemingly unachievable dream despite her odds.
We all love an underdog. It's a part of American culture dating back to winning our independence from Britain. So when she delivered "I Dreamed a Dream" Simon's jaw dropped and news was made. Even the teen-pop winners of American Idol never won him over so easily, and Americans fell quickly in love with the woman who toppled that staunch British critic.
There have been rumors that Susan was a plant on the show, someone who the producers knew could sing well and had her play the part of the dumpy woman. I don't think that's true. I think the producers recognized in her audition that this woman had the potential to connect with an audience in Britain and abroad. That's part of broadcasting- seeing the story in front of you.
Her sensation may not last past the week, but she got our attention for one day.
This what is called a soft news story, or a human interest story. If you ever saw the movie Anchorman, it's exactly the story that Veronica is assigned early on in the film. The purpose of these stories, especially on days where the majority of the broadcast is violent and depressing, is to catch people's interest and be a fun, easy story to tell.
Whenever anyone pitches an idea for a story on broadcast or print news, his or her editor will ask, "Well, why should we care?" That is the question that tests the strength of the story, and even the soft must sustain it. I'll explain why this one did.
First of all, Britain's Got Talent is the parent of American Idol, both judged by the callous Simon Cowell. This is the first part of the "why we care"- Americans love to see the arrogant rebuked. Cowell is arrogant, cruel even, to those who have put blood, sweat, and tears into performing for him. For pop stars he seems this barrier necessary to cross to reach fame. American audiences cheered when Jennifer Hudson received an Oscar nod after Cowell had told her she just wasn't good enough to be a star.
The second part of "why we care" is Susan herself. She's not an American 18-year-old beauty, the kind that wins on American Idol. She's a 47-year-old woman, called "plain-looking" by one of the hosts on Britain's Got Talent. She says in her introduction on the show that she's not ever been married, or even kissed. She's not someone pegged to win.
But she has dreams. She wants to be like Elaine Paige, and furthermore (Americans love this part) she's got sass. She has a confidence. When Simon asks her how old she is she rolls her hips and says, "I'm 47- and that's just one side of me!" even as he rolls his eyes. She embodies that American spirit, reaching for that seemingly unachievable dream despite her odds.
We all love an underdog. It's a part of American culture dating back to winning our independence from Britain. So when she delivered "I Dreamed a Dream" Simon's jaw dropped and news was made. Even the teen-pop winners of American Idol never won him over so easily, and Americans fell quickly in love with the woman who toppled that staunch British critic.
There have been rumors that Susan was a plant on the show, someone who the producers knew could sing well and had her play the part of the dumpy woman. I don't think that's true. I think the producers recognized in her audition that this woman had the potential to connect with an audience in Britain and abroad. That's part of broadcasting- seeing the story in front of you.
Her sensation may not last past the week, but she got our attention for one day.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Avast, ye landlubbers! Ron Paul is boardin' yer ship!
Pirates off the coast of Somalia are far from the mischievous Pirates of the Caribbean. While Captain Jack Sparrow and his mates were the heroes of the Disney high-seas adventure films, the real pirates now pose a serious threat to the USA as they capture ships and hold hostages for ransom.
Right now it is up to the US Navy ships and other international vessels to fight the pirates.
This real life drama got Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), who you might remember from his campaign for president last year, to dig up a long-forgotten American law. His solution to the pirate problem: hire our own privateers.
The United States' constitution allows for a marque and reprisal law, where the government can hire private citizens to seize and destroy pirates, pirate ships, and pirate loot in exchange for a bounty.
This solution is an alternative to using Navy ships as a first-response to pirate ships, which cost the Navy millions in the last rescue of a US cargo ship.
In these times, I can think of a lot of people who would gladly hunt for pirates to the tune of $1 million. But are we then any different from these pirates?
Right now it is up to the US Navy ships and other international vessels to fight the pirates.
This real life drama got Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), who you might remember from his campaign for president last year, to dig up a long-forgotten American law. His solution to the pirate problem: hire our own privateers.
The United States' constitution allows for a marque and reprisal law, where the government can hire private citizens to seize and destroy pirates, pirate ships, and pirate loot in exchange for a bounty.
This solution is an alternative to using Navy ships as a first-response to pirate ships, which cost the Navy millions in the last rescue of a US cargo ship.
In these times, I can think of a lot of people who would gladly hunt for pirates to the tune of $1 million. But are we then any different from these pirates?
Monday, April 13, 2009
Citizen B's Favorite News: Evolution Helps Those Who Help Themselves
At the Berlin Zoo, home to Knut the famous polar bear cub, not all the animals are as cuddly as they look.
On Sunday, a woman in Berlin, Germany hopped the barrier into the polar bear enclosure.
As a result, the bear did what came naturally- it bit the woman repeatedly. (Well, she did jump in during feeding time.) Police pulled her out and gave her a ticket for trespassing. No one knows why she jumped in the enclosure, but she was injured several times by the bear before she was rescued.
We'll keep checking on her condition, but we may have another Darwin Award winner.
On Sunday, a woman in Berlin, Germany hopped the barrier into the polar bear enclosure.
As a result, the bear did what came naturally- it bit the woman repeatedly. (Well, she did jump in during feeding time.) Police pulled her out and gave her a ticket for trespassing. No one knows why she jumped in the enclosure, but she was injured several times by the bear before she was rescued.
We'll keep checking on her condition, but we may have another Darwin Award winner.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Citizen B's Favorite News: There Is No Place Like Nebraska
I'm originally from Nebraska. My family have been Nebraskans for a hundred years. It's what people on the coast call a "fly over" state. If people know anything about my home it's that Warren Buffet lives there, and that the university's football team is the Cornhuskers. That is usually where the knowledge and conversation about my home state end.
Midwesterners feel like they need to play catch up with the bigger coastal states. We take great pride in our accomplishments, though those accomplishments may not snag the national spotlight. If you ask anyone from Nebraska what Nebraska is known for, they will tell you every famous person who lived or was born there: Gerald Ford, Fred Astaire, Warren Buffet, Charles Starkweather, Willa Cather, Mari Sandoz, Alexander Payne, Nick Nolte, Henry Fonda, William Jennings Bryan, General Pershing, Marlon Brando, Senator Chuck Hagel, Father Flanagan, founder of Boys Town and the Hall brothers, creators of Hallmark cards. They'll tell you Nebraska has the largest underground water supply in the continent, the Ogallala aquifer. They will also tell you Nebraska is where Kool-Aid, the 911 emergency number, the yellow school bus, and the strobe light were invented. They will brag that on September 11 the President flew to a bunker at Offut Air Force Base because it was the safest place in the country. They still laugh when they say Wahoo, NE was on the Letterman show. They boast that their football team had the first black captain in collegiate football. They have all seen "Election," "About Schmidt," and "To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmayer" a hundred times. They are proud of their unicameral legislature, and of their recent split electoral vote in the 2008 election.
Now Nebraska has another bragging point. Mainstreet.com, a financial news site, listed Nebraska as the happiest state economically. The website cites Nebraska's low unemployment rate, low foreclosure rate and low mortgage debt as the reasons for the state's cheerful economic outlook. The country's development of ethanol has kept Cornhusker farmers in much better shape financially than before. So now the state has another reason to sing "There Is No Place Like Nebraska."
(That's actually not the state song. No one knows the words to "Beautiful Nebraska" so no one sings it.)
Midwesterners feel like they need to play catch up with the bigger coastal states. We take great pride in our accomplishments, though those accomplishments may not snag the national spotlight. If you ask anyone from Nebraska what Nebraska is known for, they will tell you every famous person who lived or was born there: Gerald Ford, Fred Astaire, Warren Buffet, Charles Starkweather, Willa Cather, Mari Sandoz, Alexander Payne, Nick Nolte, Henry Fonda, William Jennings Bryan, General Pershing, Marlon Brando, Senator Chuck Hagel, Father Flanagan, founder of Boys Town and the Hall brothers, creators of Hallmark cards. They'll tell you Nebraska has the largest underground water supply in the continent, the Ogallala aquifer. They will also tell you Nebraska is where Kool-Aid, the 911 emergency number, the yellow school bus, and the strobe light were invented. They will brag that on September 11 the President flew to a bunker at Offut Air Force Base because it was the safest place in the country. They still laugh when they say Wahoo, NE was on the Letterman show. They boast that their football team had the first black captain in collegiate football. They have all seen "Election," "About Schmidt," and "To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmayer" a hundred times. They are proud of their unicameral legislature, and of their recent split electoral vote in the 2008 election.
Now Nebraska has another bragging point. Mainstreet.com, a financial news site, listed Nebraska as the happiest state economically. The website cites Nebraska's low unemployment rate, low foreclosure rate and low mortgage debt as the reasons for the state's cheerful economic outlook. The country's development of ethanol has kept Cornhusker farmers in much better shape financially than before. So now the state has another reason to sing "There Is No Place Like Nebraska."
(That's actually not the state song. No one knows the words to "Beautiful Nebraska" so no one sings it.)
Monday, April 6, 2009
On The Media: The Dead Solider Photography Ban
In 1989, President George H.W. Bush set a policy banning photography and videography of fallen soldiers returning home at Dover Air Force Base. This ban did not restrict the Pentagon from taking photographs, but even that practice ended 4 years ago at the height of the Iraq war.The policy has been lifted, and yesterday the news media was on hand to record the homecoming of Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers, killed in Afghanistan.
The photo at the left is from The Daily Beast blog on the issue of the war photography. I highly recommend the post, as it looks at the ban from inception to reversal.
In a country whose constitution so strongly upholds the freedom of the press, I honestly cannot conceive how the ban was permitted in the first place. If the photos of caskets embarrassed the office of the President or the Department of Defense, then they certainly should be more embarrassed by photos of soldiers and civilians injured, bleeding. Why would the government want to hide its honorable and ceremonial treatment of its dead soldiers?
In times of war, the media is even more crucial. The public wants and needs to know what has happened to their brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, and loved ones. If we are not forbidden from covering the suicides of veterans or the publishing photos of the Iraqi and Afghani children orphaned by the war, then we should certainly have never been forbidden from covering the sad but respectful return of our dead.
Democracy cannot succeed without the freedom of the press.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Citizen B's Favorite News: Iowa Overturns Gay Marriage Ban
It's a good day to be in Iowa for the LGBT community.
Today the Iowa State Supreme Court ruled that a 1998 law banning gay marriage was unconstitutional.
Iowa is the first Midwestern state to allow gay marriage. It follows behind Massachusetts and Connecticut as the only states to allow gay marriage. Unlike Massachusetts however, Iowa does not have a state residency requirement for marriage licenses.
The risk now, however, is a repeat of what happened California. The ruling cannot be overturned any time soon, but it could be in the next election.
Congratulations, Iowa! Now to convince your surrounding states to do the same.
Today the Iowa State Supreme Court ruled that a 1998 law banning gay marriage was unconstitutional.
Iowa is the first Midwestern state to allow gay marriage. It follows behind Massachusetts and Connecticut as the only states to allow gay marriage. Unlike Massachusetts however, Iowa does not have a state residency requirement for marriage licenses.
The risk now, however, is a repeat of what happened California. The ruling cannot be overturned any time soon, but it could be in the next election.
Congratulations, Iowa! Now to convince your surrounding states to do the same.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Bedazzled: The Devil You Know
Which is better- the devil you know or the devil you don't? I watched the original film Bedazzled last night (the one with Dudley Moore and Peter Cook, not the Brendan Frazier remake). The charming 1960s comedy left me a lot to think about.
An adaption of Faustus, the story is about Stanley, a short order cook who is in love with his coworker Margaret, but has never told her. He has no family, a terrible job, and no matter how much he prays God will let Margaret notice him his prayers are unanswered. He goes home to hang himself and is interrupted by the Devil (who calls himself George Spiggot.) George offers him 7 wishes in exchange for Stanley's soul. All Stanley has to do is make a wish; George snaps his fingers and says "Julie Andrews!" and it is done.
Stanley's goal in each wish is always the same- winning Margaret's love. He wishes for intelligence, for wealth, for allure and every time the Devil finds a loophole, leaving him more miserable than before, and without Margaret. Stanley wishes for intelligence, and George makes sure Margaret is not sexually attracted to him. When he wishes for allure, George makes him a pop star but his 15 minutes of fame dry up quickly.
Stanley gets frustrated, saying this game is cruel. George never gives him what he really wants. George says he's given Stanley so much more than God ever has- he gives him what he asks for. It's not his fault if Stanley is not specific. He says God won't grant such wishes because that would interfere with freedom of choice.
Stanley asks why he didn't get a choice in who his parents were, where he was born, what kind of job he got, and how he looked? How was any of that his choice?
The whole film made me think of Jaxx's recent post. She wanted to be a woman in an Austen novel. I pragmatically pointed out the problems with that plan. I played George Spiggot; she played Stanley.
I cannot think of anyone who is truly satisfied with his or her life, especially now. Everyone wishes for more money, for love, for better looks, for a different job, for success. Part of the problem with Stanley's wishes in Bedazzled and indeed our own wishes is we never specify. We just want to be happy, but often the things we think will make us happy do not. Money, fortune, fame- in every Faust story there is a price to pay for having these things.
Stanley tries one last time to outdo George. He specifies that he wants he and Margaret to be in love with each other and only each other, forever, totally faithful. He wants them to be somewhere away from the material world, somewhere simple, quiet, peaceful, with everything they need to live.
George grants his wish and turns them both into nuns. He says "You should have specified the sex part."
So what is the lesson? Is it that money and beauty will never make us happy? Or simply that the things we fantasize will never be as good as they were in our imaginations? That our lives are really not as bad as we think they are?
What have you wished for that was granted, but not in the way you wanted?
An adaption of Faustus, the story is about Stanley, a short order cook who is in love with his coworker Margaret, but has never told her. He has no family, a terrible job, and no matter how much he prays God will let Margaret notice him his prayers are unanswered. He goes home to hang himself and is interrupted by the Devil (who calls himself George Spiggot.) George offers him 7 wishes in exchange for Stanley's soul. All Stanley has to do is make a wish; George snaps his fingers and says "Julie Andrews!" and it is done.
Stanley's goal in each wish is always the same- winning Margaret's love. He wishes for intelligence, for wealth, for allure and every time the Devil finds a loophole, leaving him more miserable than before, and without Margaret. Stanley wishes for intelligence, and George makes sure Margaret is not sexually attracted to him. When he wishes for allure, George makes him a pop star but his 15 minutes of fame dry up quickly.
Stanley gets frustrated, saying this game is cruel. George never gives him what he really wants. George says he's given Stanley so much more than God ever has- he gives him what he asks for. It's not his fault if Stanley is not specific. He says God won't grant such wishes because that would interfere with freedom of choice.
Stanley asks why he didn't get a choice in who his parents were, where he was born, what kind of job he got, and how he looked? How was any of that his choice?
The whole film made me think of Jaxx's recent post. She wanted to be a woman in an Austen novel. I pragmatically pointed out the problems with that plan. I played George Spiggot; she played Stanley.
I cannot think of anyone who is truly satisfied with his or her life, especially now. Everyone wishes for more money, for love, for better looks, for a different job, for success. Part of the problem with Stanley's wishes in Bedazzled and indeed our own wishes is we never specify. We just want to be happy, but often the things we think will make us happy do not. Money, fortune, fame- in every Faust story there is a price to pay for having these things.
Stanley tries one last time to outdo George. He specifies that he wants he and Margaret to be in love with each other and only each other, forever, totally faithful. He wants them to be somewhere away from the material world, somewhere simple, quiet, peaceful, with everything they need to live.
George grants his wish and turns them both into nuns. He says "You should have specified the sex part."
So what is the lesson? Is it that money and beauty will never make us happy? Or simply that the things we fantasize will never be as good as they were in our imaginations? That our lives are really not as bad as we think they are?
What have you wished for that was granted, but not in the way you wanted?
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