Sex And The City Pretty Much Sucks The Fat One

The first review of the Sex And the City movie is out, and it's everything I expected from a movie, and less:

There may be a problem with a film when a narrator constantly tells you the meaning of what you have just seen, gift-wrapping each scene with a moral.

There may be a problem with characters who shop with such conviction while the audience looks up from the trough of a credit crunch.

There may be a problem with stretching Sex and the City into a two hour and twenty minute film - it can feel like a never ending dinner party.

It sounds like the type of movie where halfway through, I reach into my pocket, pull out my 12" buck knife and slice my own head off.

The guy that reviewed the movie admits that the women in the theatre were weeping and cheering and laughing and possibly masturbating to a picture of me, but that seems slightly unlikely.

Who shouldn't see this movie? Anyone with less than two x chromosomes.

Who should see this movie? Bitter, crusty malcontents that have low social skillz, a thin grasp on reality, and people who say shit like, "You go girl!"

Or, it could be really good

Scott Adams Fears for His Life, Settles on "Hay-soos"

This week, Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip "Dilbert," inserted into his strip the character of "Jesus." Surely no one would notice.

Let me admit that I've always found "Dilbert" to be as bland as a cold, baked potato. The drawing could be significantly improved and the humor is usually lacking. The character Dilbert somehow speaks while lacking a mouth and his tie looks like it's in a state of perpetual erection. Perhaps Viagara has expanded its clientèle.

The office where Dilbert works employs a talking dog. Talking animals in comic strips is not an original concept.

This week, Adams caught on to the old idea that if one wants instant publicity and fame, he could do no better than mock Christianity and Catholicism. (For an example of this, see the band Marilyn Manson.) Adams spends the week inserting a character named "Jesus" (but pronounced Hay-soos -- get it?) into his strips. (I guess it's routine for the founder of Christianity to help smooth things along in your local cubicle.)

Below is "Jesus" making himself useful:



Surprisingly, Adams received quite a response. At his website, Adams wrote:

My favorite rhetorical question, which I received an alarming number of times, was “Why don’t you mock Mohammed next? Huh? Why not?”

Well, aside from the blindingly obvious reason that I prefer life over death, I didn’t realize I was making fun of Christianity this week. It's a standard cartoon practice to take well-known historical or fictional stories and put other characters in those roles. I did the same thing with The Wizard of Oz, and no one thought I was insulting Dorothy.

[Emphasis inserted.]

Jesus. Dorothy. Same thing.

I am not so much bothered by Adams's use of Jesus in his strips so much as the double standard he employs. (And if you're resorting to drawing "Jesus" with a tie at the local office, then you're probably lacking in good judgment and running out of ideas very quickly.)

At a time when Adams wisely acknowledges the sensitivity of mocking the founders of religions, he safely selects the one which will generate the least amount of problems. Perhaps next week, Adams can begin drawing writing strips about Dilbert's courage. Certainly Dilbert must be more courageous than his creator.

~ Sisyphus, cross-posted at The Sisyphus Files.