Celebrity Accountability

Accountability is something that I feel has become almost nonexistent in today's world. We live in a world of second chances and mulligans, and while I feel that grace is one of the most important things in the world, I also believe in people facing consequences for their actions. Now I'm not perfect obviously, and I make my fair share of mistakes, and when I screw up I tend to be less of a believer in consequences. But when I can retrospectively look at situations, I think firm accountability is crucial to development and growth in a person. And the people who model their lives for us everyday mortal folks, celebrities, have practically none of it.

Celebrities, actors, athletes, musicians, these people are often said to have reached their status in life throh hard work and dedication, but honestly, I don't really see that. I understand that anyone has the opportunity to reach this high plateau of wealth and fame, my problem with it, is that I still don't think these people are worthy. Athletes are payed millions of dollars to play games, actors get payed millions to pretend, musicians simply play music, and while these are all skills that require much training and talent, I still have a hard time defending the enormous salaries and fame generated by these professions. However, this is the reality of the world we live in, but I still have a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth when it comes to celebrities. That being said, I feel like it is the job of a celebrity to recognize who it is that is paying their enormous salaries, and it is us. The consumer, the media, the everyday person is who funds the exorbitant lifestyle of all of these celebrities, and yet they pretend as though they should not be accountable to us. I can't tell you how many times I've heard the suggestion that celebrities should be forgiven for their stupid actions because they are deserving of a normal life, and make the same mistakes as the rest of the world. But I think this is ridiculous. The moment you choose to use a skill or talent of yours to achieve wealth and fame is the moment you lose the right to live a normal life. You must be held to a different standard, because you are placed on a pedestal above the rest of society, and you should not be simply a microchosm of society, but an example, set for all to see. I think Jor-El from the recent Superman reboot Man of Steel says it best when speaking to his son:

"You will give the people an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders."

THIS is the job of celebrities. To become a golden standard for all of us to reach, and to show us exactly what it means to live a life centered around the betterment of our race and our nation. As a Christian, I am biased to hope that people will show a Christ centered life to others, but I know this is too much to ask for, and so that is not what I expect. What I expect is a life of generosity and caring, and while these may be Christian values, it is impossible to deny that they lead to the betterment of society. And yet celebrities continue to use their money, power, and place in our society to make themselves better, give themselves pleasure, and enjoy their own lives more. Is it not enough that you have more money than 99% of the country, but also you insist on treating the people beneath you as though they are worthless? And yet still they want to act as though they shouldn't have any more responsibility than us. Another great superhero movie, Spider-Man, had the well-known quote by Uncle Ben:

"With great power comes great responsibility."

There is a reason our recent culture has been fascinated with these superheroes, and it is because that is exactly what we want. A hero that does not use their powers for their own personal gains, but instead for the benefit of those beneath them. And while radioactive spiders and Kryptonians may be a long way off, we have our own superheroes in the form of athletes, actors and musicians. And time and time again we are brought back to the fact that these people are not deserving of their roles as our heros. Since the middle of February, there have been over 30 arrests in the NFL. It has become a running joke that Disney teenage stars have all become drug addicts, alcoholics, or otherwise fallen from the previously high moral pedestal that the were erected on. Every week there is a new story of a well known and usually wealthy person who has done some horrible thing, and will face some consequences for their stupidity. But this is not enough! If they are deserving of greater glory for their good actions, they should also be deserving of greater punishment when they screw up. But time and time again we forgive these people and welcome them back into our good graces, even when we are so much less likely to do the same for a friend or acquaintance. 

I am as guilty as the next person for caring too much about the actions and lives of celebrities, but in today's world of instant news, we know every little aspect of these people's lives. And while this may seem unfair to these celebrities, I think it really just establishes a higher standard for their lives. As the culture changes, so should the individual. Instead, we write off the mistakes and stupidity of those who we look up to as a sign of the times, and instead of giving them the consequences they deserve, we forgive them for any wrongdoings, knowing that they will turn around and just do the same thing again. Until we are willing to condemn these celebrities for their actions, they will continue to set a horrible example for us, and everyone living in our society. I know using the word "condemn" does not sound particularly Christian, and I agree, it's just the best word I can use to convey my point. Celebrities need to be removed from the limelight when they are not acting as the ideals they should be. Instead of our news being about the misdeeds of these rich and famous people, it should be about the ways that these people help others, because there is plenty of that. Sadly, the wealthy folks in our nation who live lives of generosity tend to be the exception rather than the rule. Part of the change I am trying to make in my lifestyle is to focus more on these positives than on the negatives, and obviously spending the time to write this is very contrary to that sentiment. However, I think it is always important to look at both sides of everything to get a full picture.

This train of thought has been highly encouraged by the recent accusations against Johnny Manziel, and the extremity to which he is being defended. And I have actually already started writing about the issue of paying college athletes, so that should be coming soon! Although the stress and business of this next week of transition to my college life and moving to the dorm may slow it down just a bit.

God Bless,

- Joel Childers

My Week in Joplin

It feels good to finally have some time to sit down and write again, which sounds like a super nerdy thing to say but I guess I'm just super nerdy. My last week was pretty great though, I spent it in Joplin Missouri working on yard work and a building/demolition project. Needless to say we did quite a bit of hard work but the trip was extremely rewarding. We spent most of the week knocking down a 100 year old house all the way to the studs, and putting up internal supports and siding. All 30 of us never stopped working, and we accomplished a lot, and I feel like we all grew closer together at the same time. But I definitely think I realized a little bit about myself and the way I interact with others.

Now I consider myself a relatively friendly person, in the sense that I'm happy to talk to most people, although the issue is usually that most people don't necessarily want to talk to me. But what I'm really trying to say is that even though I am generally nice and polite, I have a particular kind of humor that isn't always nice and polite (Also it isn't always funny, but that's beside the point). My point is that this week I realized how caught up I can get in this humor that I can come across as rude and jerky to those around me, and I definitely need to work on this. Personally, there aren't many thing people could say to me to truly upset me. I can take just about any joking attack and roll with it, but usually Ill throw one right back, and that's what I need to work on. My group of friends has developed a sort of back-and-forth, and we all can be extremely rude, and even within that we sometimes upset each other. So I've always known that my humor can be a but rude, but this last week in Joplin I decided that what I need to do is work on my interactions with people, and try my hardest to ratchet back the sarcasm, and be the kinda guy that I really want to be.

This Sunday I visited a church in Galveston that my sister is attending and the message really struck me. The main point of the message was to not only know what it is to live Christ's life in your own, but to actually do it. We were asked to think about at least one specific place in our lives where we do not fully live out Christ's mission, and my mind came back to this place, and the way I treat others, especially those close to me. The pastor used the well known quote from Mahatma Gandhi - 

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

This resonates with me, and is something I need to work on tremendously. I feel as though I make an effort to do the things that might label me as a Christian, but that does not always mean I am doing the things Christ would do. I have already taken steps to make an intentional effort to change the way I interact with those around me, and hopefully I can successfully make this lifestyle change, as I have almost a fresh start, stepping out into college life.

The other thing I was reminded of last week, is my real passion for hard work. I'm an extremely lazy person, but when it comes to labor like I did this last week, I truly enjoy it. I've been on several mission trips in my high school years, and the ones I've enjoyed more than anything have been the work trips. I may not be the best at it, but The summer after my freshman year, we roofed a house in New Mexico and it was ridiculously hard, but absolutely amazing, and I loved ever second of the work. I do not know how I would respond to working like this all day every day, but in short doses I find it quite enjoyable. And because of this, I think I want to make efforts to continue doing this kind of labor to help others. ACU has a great Spring Break Campaign program, where student-led groups travel around the country and even the world, doing all sorts of mission work, and over the next four years I hope to get plugged in to this, in the form of good solid work.

So it took me quite a while to get this all written out, even though it isn't all that long. I was reminded of how hard it can be to make yourself do something like write, when there's so many other things going on. The biggest thing I kept thinking of over the last few weeks is how I don't do everything right, and I don't have all the answers. In fact I don't do many things right, and I hardly have any of the answers. The problem with putting things into writing is that there is so much room for different interpretation and little room for response, so I want to clearly state that I know I don't know much, and my opinions are often flawed, and I hope I don't seem too pompous or arrogant. All I can do is pray and think, and listen to The Lord, and hope to come to the wisest conclusions. And maybe one day I'll prove Gandhi wrong, and be more like Christ.

God Bless,

Joel Childers

MLBPA Update

So I've been crazy busy all week and haven't had the time to sit down and write anything, but now I've got a little bit of time before I leave for a week of work in Joplin Missouri. Hopefully I'll be able to write some thoughts on that trip next weekend, but now I just want to give a little update on the MLBPA's position on the BioGenesis scandal (see my last post).

The MLBA head Michael Wiener had this to say about PED issues with players

Via New York Daily News

“I can tell you, if we have a case where there really is overwhelming evidence, that a player committed a violation of the program, our fight is going to be that they make a deal,” Weiner said without referring to specific players. “We're not interested in having players with overwhelming evidence that they violated the (drug) program out there. Most of the players aren't interested in that. We'd like to have a clean program.”

I LOVE this. This is a great stance for the players association to have, or at least as great of one as they could have, given the current collective bargaining agreement and association policies. He's essentially saying that he's not gonna go to bat for cheaters. The association is equally representing the players who aren't cheating, along with the ones who are. The clean players want the juicers punished, and so should the MLBPA. Players like Alex Rodriguez, who almost certainly is guilty given the overwhelming evidence against him, will be encouraged to accept their punishment, instead of the MLBPA fighting against it for him. So basically I am thrilled with this news, and hope that Weiner backs up this statement with his actions, because what the game really needs is an eradication of PEDs. Also as a side note, thoughts and prayers go to Michael Weiner, as he is fighting a very difficult battle with cancer. I just hope that he can overcome this obstacle, as I believe he can do great things for the MLB and MLBPA. 

Hopefully I'll be able to write more extensively next weekend!

God bless,

Joel Childers

MLB=PED

For several decades now, Major League Baseball has been plagued with the issue of a performance enhancing drugs, or steroids, and I'm just about tired of it. I think it's time that the league made some changes to prevent the name of the MLB from being synonymous with PED.

The history of performance enhancing drugs is a long and complicated one. Ancient Scandinavian tales tell of Berserkers who were able to gain a special boost to strength and stamina for battle by drinking a special concoction of herbs. In World War II, both Allied and Axis powers used amphetamines to enable soldiers to fight longer and harder. And these same soldiers came home with the knowledge of these drugs, and their potential for benefitting performance in athletics. PEDs in sport can be traced back at least to the early 19th century, when they were used in distance and endurance races, so as to enable competitors to race for days on end with almost no rest. PEDs in baseball also date back to the early ages of the sport. Players such as Pud Galvin in the 1890s became known for their use of drugs and substances intended to enhance their athletic performance. And while the use of these substances is certainly not exclusive to baseball (see Lance Armstrong, Abel Xavier, Shawne Merriman), the association of the sport of baseball with these drugs is not due entirely to public opinion. The MLB has long been known for PED use and yet was one of the last major sports to add these substances to its banned substance list in 1991, and did not begin testing for PEDs until 2003, and did not begin issuing penalties for their use until several years later. So to say that baseball is changing in the prominence of PED use is likely incorrect, as they have clearly been around as long as the sport itself. But what has been changing, is the exposure of this use, the acceptance of this use by the public, and the image of the MLB because of it. 

Jose Canseco's 2005 book "Juiced" seemingly began the modern outcry about PED use, and with it, effected at least the next decade of the sport. Canseco's named several prominent baseball players who he believed to be using steroids along with himself, and also suggested that as many as 80% of MLB players use, or have used performance enhancing drugs. Directly following this book, several of the top MLB players of the day were investigated for PED use including record holder Mark McGwire. Not too long after this PED scandal follows the BALCO scandal, in which the BALCO nutrition center was accused of distributing PEDs to many MLB players. These players include (at the time) hall of fame shoe-in player Barry Bonds, the career and single season record holder for home runs. Since then many other players have been accused, have tested positive, or have admitted to the use of PEDs, including the BioGenesis Lab scandal currently underway in which over 20 MLB players are facing suspensions of 50 or even 100 games. Because of the pomposity of the MLB and the authority of the MLB players association, these players have often faced little to no consequences for their breaking of league rules, and cheating, often suffering suspensions as short as 10 days, otherwise known as a short vacation. Even now, as players are being investigated by Bud Selig the MLB commissioner, they are simply refusing to cooperate with investigators, again with little to now consequences. How can a league pretend to have authority over these players, while allowing them to disrespect the authorities and face no repercussions? It even escalated to the point that the United States Congress was forced to intervene and called several players to stand trial for their PED use, as well as perjury and lying to officials regarding this use. But players still do not see the problems here, and continue to be protected by the players association and the league.

Today's culture of social media, Internet access, and instant connect-ability is one that leads to exposure of all aspects of the lives of public figures. That means it is almost impossible for anyone in the eye of the media to do anything without it being known by someone, and shortly after that - everyone. This means that Major League players have to know that there is no way they could get away with these illicit actions, they simply don't care. The MLBs arrogance dates back to the joining of the National and American Leagues in 1903, and then the failure of the Federal League in 1915, due to the MLBs monopoly on baseball commerce. Major League Baseball continues to be the only real monopoly allowed in the United States, and this anti-true exemption has held up in many courts including the US Supreme Court. While this may not truly effect actual baseball and business operations, it contributes to this sentiment that baseball is an entity of its own, not subject to the rules of the rest of the country. The MLB players association (MLBPA) also does an excellent job of contributing to this attitude. Players facing suspensions for illegal steroid use can appeal these suspensions, and continue playing until their appeal is heard. This means players can continue playing anywhere from a few weeks to an entire season after they are exposed as PED users. And it was not until the United States Congress threatened legislation regarding steroid use that the MLBPA agreed to a 50 game suspension for steroid use (100 games for 2nd offenses). Now that baseball is no longer truly "America's pastime", and the NFL is king, something needs to change, or the MLB will fall by the wayside. 

Mark McGwire: Synonymous with PED use

Barry Bonds: Record holder and PED user

In recent NFL history, players such as Ben Roethlisburger have received extensive suspensions from league commissioner Roger Goodell  simply for being accused of illegal activity. In 2004, severa NBAl players were suspended anywhere from one game to an entire season for an in-game altercation, and when asked how the decision was made to issue these suspensions, NBA commissioner David Stern famously said "the vote was unanimous, one to zero." These authoritarian regimes by pro sports commissioners  should be the norm for professional sports. But the MLBPA, which is currently encouraging those involved in the BioGenesis PED scandal to not cooperate with investigators, has made a mockery of unions in professional sports, by preventing the league from taking care of its business. 

I firmly believe that individuals that are paid millions of dollars a year to play a game should be completely responsible to the organization that is paying their salary, if they refuse to follow this organizations rules. And yet it is still the case that these players do not care about consequences of their actions, because they are not severe enough. The MLB still refuses to issue widespread suspensions for players who test positive for PEDs, and seem to only do so when outside sources publicize names of players involved in this activity. The only way to truly eradicate PEDs in baseball is to increase more stringent testing policies, and for the league to be able to void the contracts of players found guilty of using these drugs. The only thing these players seem to respond to is money, and taking away their money (other than measly pocket-change fines) is the only way to entice action. This would incentivize both players and teams to eliminate PEDs, as the players don't want to lose this money, and the teams don't want to lose their players. 

There is a considerable voice in society saying that the MLB should ignore PED use altogether, and accept it as part of the game, and possibly even regulate it so as to help with the health issues associated with these substances. There is certainly something to be said for this, given the historical place of PEDs in the sport, and this would partially help baseball save face if players are continuing to defy the authorities. But I still feel as though the negatives outweigh the positives, and allowing PEDs would do more harm than good. For one, it is impossible to maintain authority if when your authority is challenged, you simply give in. But more important than that in my opinion is the health risk and the trickle down effect that the use of PEDs would undoubtedly have. Players would feel the pressure to dope in order to compete, and even players who are uncomfortable with it would give I'm to remain competitive in the league. And as professionals go, so go the amateurs. College and high school players would almost certainly begin heightened patterns of PED use, leading to health issues at younger ages, ad more long term damaging effects. In my opinion, the only way for baseball to regain its prominence in America is to eliminate doping, and crack down in illegal PED users.

Today Baltimore Orioles stud Chris Davis blasted his MLB leading 37th home run, more than any other player in history before the all-star break aside from Barry Bonds in his PED tainted 2001 season. And sadly, it is impossible to look at Chris Davis without somewhat thinking "is he juicing?" While I certainly like to believe this kid is purely natural, I can't help but have the slightest doubt in the back of my head. Davis is closely followed by Tigers player Miguel Cabrera who has 30 home runs, and is coming off a huge triple-crown season (highest batting average, most home runs, most RBIs). Cabrera is another seemingly clean player that is undoubtedly going to be scrutinized in light of the widespread use of PEDs. This is what taints baseball. It is impossible for me, or many fans, to watch a phenomenal player without having the possibility of steroids cross my mind. With even baseball greats such as Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Willie Mays using these substances, it seems as though the entire sport is made up of and built on the shoulders of people not afraid to cheat to get ahead. But baseball seems not to care, and continues to dance around the topic without making any real headway. Until the league decides to crack down on PED users and hit them in the pocketbook, there will still be players who know the indecisiveness of the MLB and the protection of the MLBPA are enough to facilitate their cheating.

God Bless,

Joel Childers

- The Naturalized Texanian

UPDATE: 

In the 12 hours or so since finalizing this post I've seen two very interesting things regarding this topic. The first was a commercial for a testosterone supplement, advertised by none other than Jose Canseco. It's quite funny and remarkable that Mr. Canseco would want to be associated with even more testosterone supplements, but just goes to show you how little these players care. The other is an article on ESPN.com about Chris Davis, and the possibility of him getting to 62 home runs, which would break Roger Maris's record of 61. Except the record is currently 73, set by Barry Bonds. Which one is the true home run king? Click here for the article.

Finding Beauty in LOST

So I had planned to write a post comparing the tv show LOST with what I believe to be the ,aim story of Christ, but after much writing I was still unable to come up with anything that I felt was worth posting. There are countless comparisons and contrasts, both hidden and obvious, and I looked up and realized I'd written several pages but still had not even touched on any of the main ideas I had originally thought of. So I decided to shelve that post at least until I've finished watching the series again, and have a fresh outlook on the entire show. What I have decided to spend some time thinking about, is exactly why this tv show was so successful, and developed such a huge following, and still gains new fans even today.

First I'd like to issue a Spoiler Alert, because if you haven't seem the show and plan on watching it, I will possibly ruin some bits of the show that are crucial to its enjoyment, although I'm not getting too detailed on plot summary. And also if you haven't ever seen the show LOST, stop whatever you're doing and go watch it right now, all 120 episodes are on Netflix and Hulu so you'd better get started. And trust me, once you start you won't be able to stop. And that in itself is the beauty of the show. I've seen all of the episodes several times, and yet I am still called back to the series every so often, and I become completely engrossed in it once I start. And I know that isn't the reaction of everyone, but I know several people who feel very similarly to me, and love the show just as much as I do. And I think that's because LOST gives us what we really want in a tv show or movie, and that's diversity, intimacy, and suspense.

The plot of LOST is pretty ridiculous. I mean its certainly interesting and exciting, but the entire idea of a magical island and everything that happens there is totally ridiculous. I think Hurley, one of the main characters in the show does an excellent job of depicting how crazy it is when he tries to explain it all to his mom in the first episode of season 5.

"Okay… See, we did crash. But it was on this crazy island. I mean, we waited for rescue, and there wasn’t a rescue. And there was a smoke monster. And then there were other people on the island — we called them the Others, and they started attacking us. And we found some hatches and there was a button you had to push every 108 minutes or — well, I was never really clear on that — But the Others didn’t have anything to do with the hatches, that was the Dharma Initiative. They were all dead — the Others killed them. And now they’re trying to kill us. And then we teamed up with the Others because some worse people were coming on a freighter. Desmond’s girlfriend’s father sent them to kill us. So we stole their helicopter and we flew it to their freighter, but it blew up. And we couldn’t go back to the island because it disappeared. So then we crashed into the ocean, and we floated there for a while, until a boat came and picked us up. And by then there were six of us. That part was true. But the rest of the people who were on the plane…they’re still on that island."

Now that plot synopsis is pretty spot on, and from reading that, I'm sure most people would say wow this show is stupid, why do so many people love it? But the beauty isn't in the plot, it's in the characters. The show opens on a scene, not of the island or the plane crash, or anything like it, but the eyes of one of the main characters, Jack. This image of the close up of characters eyes is one that stays with us throughout the series, and actually the exact scene of Jack's eye is the final image of the Finale episode. This is just a small example of the show's true focus, which is the people in it. One of the most amazing features of the show, which is executed excellently from the first episode through the 3rd season, is the Flashback. These Flashbacks change in each episode, and highlight a different character, or sometimes a pair of characters. In each episode we see the past and background of a different character, and this is crucial to our development of a personal relationship and intimacy with them. We know these characters and we know their stories, and it's impossible to not develop some sort of sympathy for them. Even Benjamin Linus, who is pretty easy to hate, becomes a sympathetic character when we see his childhood and the motivation for most of his actions. And characters such as Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, and John's stories make us love them even more. 

But even the characters we love have dark sides, and that makes us love them even more. Sayid was a torturer, Kate is a criminal, Sun and Jin have a troubled past, and even the beloved Hurley was once in a mental institution. I think this shows perfectly the truth about humans, that you can never see all the aspects of a person just by looking at them in the present, and I think that we like having that acknowledged. Nobody likes to be judged, and we all say pretty often "if she only knew", or "he just doesn't understand me", which are sometimes lame excuses for things, but are often fairly true. By seeing the deeper motivations behind all these characters we are able to feel as though we truly know them, and have a relationship with them. Seeing the ugly pasts of these characters help us to humanize them. If we didn't know Jack's past struggles, it would be hard to relate to him, because he plays such a heroic character. The diversity is what makes us believe in these characters, and care about them. 

The final component that makes LOST so beautiful is the suspense. This is somewhat of an aspect in any great story, but LOST does it excellently. Granted there are times where I wish they had delayed a reveal of something slightly longer so that the we could have more anticipation, but for the most part by the time we discover the answer to something, we've been asking the question for several episodes, if not seasons. I didn't watch all of the show while it was airing on TV, but the parts I did see live had me on the edge of my seat, dying of anticipation for the next episode. In the Pilot episode we are made aware of some strange creature or force in the jungle, and yet it is not until season 2, almost 30 episodes (20 hours) into the series that we actually get a real shot of what became known as the "Smoke Monster". When our Losties capture Benjamin Linus in season 2, there are several episodes in which we truly do not know if he is in fact one of the mysterious "Others" that live on the Island, or simply a survivor of a hot air balloon crash like he claims to be. It is this suspense that draws us back to LOST, episode after episode. I could write an pages outlining all the unanswered questions, and that in itself is amazing. The LOST writers knew that to explain everything that ever happened would take away from this suspense, and there is so much ambiguity surrounding the story that we watch it again and again, and still discover new connections that we'd never made before. 

And I think a huge part of the suspense is this idea of fate or destiny that flows through the entire series. The idea that there is a higher power or purpose controlling the lives of these people, and making things happen for a reason. And I think we love that because that's something we want. We want to believe that when something awful happens there's a real reason for it, and when things go wrong there's something else to blame for it. And so this aspect of LOST is able to tsp into our deep human desire for a higher power. We, along with the characters of LOST, like to believe that there is a reason for our lives, and our deaths.

All of these components and so many others make LOST, which occasionally struggles in the believability department, a beautiful work of art. We feel as though LOST is real, because the show works like real life. We see the stories of the characters and are able to develop what feels like personal relationship with them all. We aren't privy to loads of information the characters don't have, meaning we are often making the realizations and discoveries right along with them. LOST shows me what it is that people really want in a story, and how writers are able to suck in an audience, simply by making the audience feel as though they are part of the story. Now I need to go finish this episode I started watching this morning, I think John is about to blow up the submarine that would enable him and the other survivors to get off of the island... Intriguing right??

God bless,

Joel Childers

- The Naturalized Texanian

I really did want to feel like part of the story so some friends and I made this video, loosely as a parody if LOST, for a youth group retreat last summer.

Tumblr Posts

My two most recent posts from my tumblr account:

Dwight Howard to Houston?

I’ve never really liked Dwight Howard. I’ve always felt that Glen “Big Baby" Davis should donate his nickname to Dwight, just because it suits him better. I love the man as a celebrity, he’s a lot of fun and lighthearted, and usually shows a lot of love to his fans, but as a basketball player I’ve never been a fan. Part of that is undoubtedly due to the Magic/Cavs rivalry back when Dwight was in Orlando and LeBron was in Cleveland, but also I believe that Mr. Howard as the centerpiece of a team is nothing but crippling.

As we saw year after year in Orlando, Dwight was able to headline a playoff team that was never able to have any success at a championship level. The age of big men is over, and teams who’s best player cannot create his own shot, does not facilitate well, and cannot make free throws tend to struggle deep in the playoffs. With the NBA getting bigger, faster, stronger, and better from top to bottom, it is apparent that the leader of a team needs to be able to score by himself, as well as create scoring opportunities for others. Dwight Howard cannot do this. Dwight Howard is a 57% career Free-Throw shooter which is just an example of his overall lack of real basketball skills. His virtues are his size and strength, but aside from that Dwight has little to his name. Dwight cannot lead a basketball team. He took the Magic to the playoffs 5 years in a row, but was repeatedly defeated by a “Hack-a-Howard" strategy that sent him to the free throw line, where he was unable to convert. And this ladies and gentlemen, brings me to my overall point, that Dwight Howard will not lead to success for the Houston Rockets.

I am sure I was not the only one irritated with the attention Dwight Howard received regarding his free-agency decision. My particular dislike for the player played a roll, along with the indecisive, attention-whorish way he went about his business. But I was saddened even more by his decision to move to our glorious state, and play for a team that has a chance to move up the ranks of the NBA. With James Harden and Jeremy Lin on the team, the Rockets are a great developing team, and in the next few years they will be serious playoff contenders. The addition of Howard increases their yearly win total, but I worry that it will not pay off in the championship ring department. The only way it can work is if Harden decides he’s ready to validate his superstar status and truly lead the team. Late in the fourth quarter of a crucial playoff game, Dwight Howard cannot be relied upon, and must defer to other players, and if Harden or Lin can become clutch scorers, the Rockets will be alright. If not, this marriage will end the way Dwight’s other team commitments have ended, with controversy and dispute, and with a team left wondering why the put so much on the huge shoulders of a man who can’t carry it. I just hope for the sake of Texas basketball that Dwight can learn from his mistakes, settle down, and be the mid-level star he was born to be, and maybe in the next few year’s he’ll be sporting a nice new ring. As far as the Rocket’s go, I wish they had used their cap space more wisely. With the likely departure of Omer Asik, they’re putting all of their eggs in Dwight’s basket, which could be a very risky move. I would’ve liked to see them go after Andrew Bynum, Chris Kaman, or Paul Milsap. They could save some money and maybe sign some other mid-level contract, while filling in a hole for a good big man. In 2 years I think the Rockets will look back on this summer and either see the best decision they’ve ever made, or their worst mistake. It all depends on Dwight, and how he handles the pressure, and whether or not his team is able to pick up the slack that he will undoubtably leave.

And..

Being Intolerant in a World Obsessed With Tolerance

I’ve blogged off and on for awhile but have never been able to get into a steady rhythm of posting, but finally have decided to make a conscious effort to post regularly so that the Interweb can be blessed with my knowledge and insight. If I can interest a single person my goal will be complete, so I hope my thoughts and opinions on current events and culture can be somewhat intriguing to a select few. I hope to write on everything from sports to religion to book reviews, and basically anything that comes to my mind. I have never been a huge fan of keeping quiet, so it’s nice to be able to feel as though I’m sharing my thoughts, while simultaneously not having to worry about anybody ever seeing it, as this page will undoubtably never be read.

The idea of Intolerance is one that has stuck with me for a few years, and has in some ways come to define the person I hope to be. The most important piece of my life is my faith in Christ and my involvement in a Christian Community, and I feel as though this warrants a certain level of intolerance. I don’t mean angry protests against this, that, or the other, or even disagreement with any specific ideas or opinions, but simply a general feeling that nothing is ever going to be good enough, and that there are so many things wrong with the world we are in, that need to be fixed. And obviously there is no solution for all of the problems, but the best thing I can think of to do, is to choose to love. I think people today confuse the idea of showing love with the projecting of happiness, or tolerance, and I don’t want to do that. Because of my Christian values I feel that love is the most important part of the way I should live, but that doesn’t always mean I say everything everyone does is okay. To me, love means doing the “hard" thing for someone because you care about them. Whether that means telling a friend that they’re living a destructive lifestyle, telling a fellow Christian you disagree with their opinions, or simply opening the door for someone on the way into a store, loving someone means putting yourself on the line because you think it is in their best interest. Being a Christian means sacrificing yourself so that others may see the message of Jesus.

I tend to fall into the trap of forgetting that loving and caring for someone doesn’t always mean just telling them you’re there for them if they need anything, sometimes it means plunging your hand into the mess and helping them clean it up. I don’t want to be tolerant of everyone, because tolerance is the same as indifference. I want to be able to speak up about problems that I see, and not be silenced by a fear that I will be pegged as judgmental or pretentious. Now I hope my intolerance doesn’t lead to division and aggression, but rather leads to me finding ways to help others. The main message I would like to convey with my life is that I’m not tolerant, and I refuse to sit back and tolerate injustice, I refuse tolerate cancer, I refuse to tolerate the Yankees, I refuse to tolerate poverty, I refuse to tolerate school shootings, I refuse to tolerate crappy movies, I refuse to tolerate false Christ followers, and I refuse to tolerate Oklahoma. That doesn’t mean I have to create animosity, but simply that I have to be unwilling to sacrifice my values just because society says I shouldn’t speak out against anyone.

By starting this new blog I hope to primarily help myself to make a conscious effort to thoroughly think through my life in every facet, from politics to sports to religion to movies. I want to be able to put into words how every aspect of my life can relate to my life’s central theme, which is the theme of Christ’s message, which is that this life is not enough, this world is not right, and it is the duty of those that follow him to make our world more like his Kingdom.

 

The Quest of a Beginning Blogger

I have been on a very long and arduous journey of blogging for a while now, and I have yet to truly begin a solid blog. This journey which has led me from Weebly to Tumblr to Wordpress and now finally to Blogger has been mainly due to my indecisiveness, impulsiveness, and limited web page experience. I've got a gypsy soul to blame for all these blog changes, and I'd like to apologize to the one and a half people who ever looked at my old blogs and now will be confused. But now I hope to finally settle down with this excellent blogging platform, which really seems to contain everything I've been looking for, with the perfect balance of ease and features.

When I initially started blogging last summer it was on a small website that I cannot for the life of me remember, and then more recently I switched to the hosting site Weebly, which was very basic and simple, but suited my needs just fine. Those blogs were mainly for my own personal use (don't go looking for them, most of them have been deleted), as I improved in my writing and style. That site had very little in the way of features or accessibility, however, and I was unable to get a firm foothold on my writing there. Once I decided to truly start writing and publishing just a few weeks ago I began using tumblr, an easy and convenient site that is perfect for an avid social networker with little real blogging experience. But as I explored tumblr from both a writing and reading perspective, I came to the conclusion that it was too "Twittery" for my liking. Now I'm an avid Twitter user, with over 30 thousand Tweets since 2009, but I want to be able to differentiate my social networking from my writing, and I decided that shooting for a more writing oriented, true blog style would be more beneficial to me than the micro-blogging of tumblr. 

As I said, I'm a very experienced Tweeter, and anyone with knowledge of my Twitter feed knows that while I sometimes depict worthwhile opinions, most of my Tweets are pointless garble or song lyrics. I hope that by starting this new habit of blogging I can begin to work on my skills as a writer, while fully fleshing out my ideas and opinions. I hope to finalize this blog page by the end of the day, and also to copy my two latest tumblr posts over to Blogger so that I won't be completely starting for, scratch.

I also wanted to choose a new blog title that better reflects the entirety of the blog. Naturalized Texanian is a term that I proudly use to describe myself. Being born in Oxford while my dad was studying there, I cannot honestly call myself a natural born Texan, but since I've been in this beautiful land I've grown to love and accept the idea of being a Texan, and also a Texanian, which is a word I created to describe someone who doesn't simply live in Texas, but proudly proclaims their land's glory, and shows true dedication to exemplifying what Texas is about. Now it may sound pompous to assign these attributes to myself, but I believe that part of being a Texanian includes having a sense of personal and communal pride and self respect. So the title of this blog doesn't necessarily describe what I will be writing about (which is anything and everything) but actually describes me, and one of the qualities I proudly exhibit. 

So I hope that my fickle nature toward choosing a web page hosting service doesn't reflect on the future of my blogging, and I'm setting a goal for myself to average at least 2 posts a week and possibly more than that, so that I can establish my own writing routine and style. Although my thoughts and ideas are clearly mind-numbingly profound, I often have trouble accurately conveying them to others, and via this blog which is more than an offshoot of my social networking use, I will try to work on this in many different ways. As my dad told me just today, the only to reliable ways to improve writing are writing reading, and I'm now getting into a habit of doing both. Although it will be a difficult road to leave behind my mindset of reading and writing as work, that I developed throughout high school.

Well as my quest for the perfect blog hosting service comes to a close, I begin a new adventure, venturing even further into the world of formal blog writing.

God bless,

Joel Childers

- The Naturalized Texanian

I'll leave you with an image of my Texas Pride at my senior prom this past April. It's hard to tell but the vest and tie are both Texas Flags.