Is King Kong Racist?

Posted on by Colin McMahon

Whenever people ask me to name my top ten films, I can’t do it. How do you narrow down hundreds of exceptional motion pictures to a measly top ten? I’m sure if I thought long and hard enough about it, I could make it work – but I just don’t have that kind of time.

I am, however, always able to answer the question: “What’s you favorite movie?”

King Kong – the original 1933 stop-motion special effects film starring Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, and Bruce Cabot; directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. I don’t know  how young I was when I first saw it but I have watched it countless times since. It, more than any film, impacted my sense of creativity and my desire to tell stories.

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Beware of Second-hand Opinions

Posted on by Colin McMahon

I know this may sound strange coming from what is essentially an online editorial, but people like me should not replace your consumption of new media and new opinions – like ever. Much talk has been made of opinions, some of which I disagree with (namely I don’t hold to the ridiculous notion that opinions are all equal).  That said, there has been a rising industry that deals in opinions, editorials, and other subjective viewpoints, some of which pose as objective fact. 

To help promote stronger online literacy, I’m dedicating this blog post to helping spot second-hand opinion, and knowing when and how to deal with too much influence in your thought process. Remember, an independent brain is a terrible thing to waste. 

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Godzilla vs. J.K. Rowling

Posted on by Colin McMahon

Recently, you (like me) may have been surprised and saddened by how much once-beloved rags-to-riches Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has been attacking trans people through uninformed and often hateful rhetoric on the internet. Now I don’t know if it’s a case of she can’t communicate well online (not like Twitter is a platform of incredible social discourse) or if she’s just a bigot and frankly I don’t care. Her actions are emboldening hateful people and she’s causing damage to an already oppressed group of human beings – that’s what matters.

But to counter that, I was even more surprised (but delighted) by this:

This charming stop-motion short was tweeted by the official Godzilla Twitter page, along with the message along with the message “Happy Pride.” So, whereas J.K. Rowling surprises with bigotry, the LGBTQ community and its allies can count Godzilla as a friend.

Continue reading Godzilla vs. J.K. Rowling