Category: A Spiritual Look At All Forms Of Entertainment…

I was once one of Michael Jordan’s biggest fans when he played for NBA’s Chicago Bulls and won them six championships. After winning his sixth, Jordan went into retirement for a second time, the first having been motivated mostly due to the stress from his father’s tragic killing. When Jordan came out of retirement for a 3^rdtime and played for the Washington Wizards for two seasons, he told the press it was out of his love of the game that brought him back, but I silently wondered if his decision to return yet again, especially at almost 40 years old, was one more based out of an addiction.

I’ve often pondered if many professional athletes like Jordan push themselves well beyond their prime playing days because of the dopamine high that comes from the love of winning and being on top. Honestly, that drive is no different than what an alcoholic, drug addict, gambling addict, sex addict, or any type of addict goes through. Because once that high gets achieved, it’s game on for them to keep getting that high, at any cost. Is that really any different with a professional athlete who pursues the glory and high of winning and constantly fights the aging process along the way as to when to retire? And if it indeed was an addiction-based drive that led Jordan to come back that third time, at least it didn’t leave him after those two final seasons with any life-altering injuries. Sadly, it did leave him though with two losing seasons, and only an occasional reminder of the razzle and dazzle he once was.

Now, I see the same thing happening with Tom Brady. Ironically, I’ve often referred to him as the Michael Jordan of the NFL. The guy has won seven titles, six with the New England Patriots, and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While he’s never gone into any official retirement, he’s 43 years old, playing in an extremely physical and often dangerous sport. Now, he’s planning on coming back yet again at the ripe “old” age of 44 to play another season. What more does he have to prove when he’s already surpassed just about every record and will forever be considered one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. I’d say there is nothing to prove other than him doing exactly what Jordan did, saying the love of the game keeps him coming back. But is that “love of the game” really just code for the high that comes from playing the game?

I’ve played a number of sports before and there indeed is a nice high that comes from winning, especially when you come out on top at the end of a season. What risk though is Brady putting himself in coming back yet again? The guy has three kids and a beautiful wife who I’m sure love spending time with him. Beyond the limited time he probably has with them when he’s in season, he puts himself at risk for permanent life-changing injuries each time he steps on that field, especially each year he gets older. I think Brady would seriously regret playing another season after seven titles if he permanently gets injured and God forbid, one that paralyzes him or gives him that concussive disease (CTE) that many NFL players have gotten.

I don’t see this as any different than any other addiction. Addicts in general get a high from something and chase after it over and over and over again, putting themselves at risk more and more each time they engage in it. And the older they get, the more at risk they are continuing to do it. But oh, that high drives their mind and egos so great, just like I’m sure six championship titles for Jordan did and seven for Brady. I’m convinced it’s why Jordan came back, because retirement didn’t provide that high, which is most likely why Brady keeps playing as well.

In my book, this is why I wish Tom Brady would retire now, while his body is still relatively healthy enough, rather than potentially having a complete losing season next year or even far worse, sustaining some life-altering injury. But that’s the price addicts risk chasing some high. Personally, I wish I had “retired” from all my former addictions when I was still “on top of them”. But I didn’t, because an addict has no control over their addiction. And maybe indeed in the end, that’s why I often wonder if athletes like Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and many others are addicts as well, constantly seeking the high of winning and being number one, all while risking so much to lose each time they come back for one more season…

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

After posting a review of the Netflix remake of “The Boys In The Band” about a week or so ago, I received a number of heart-felt and very interesting comments from a number of readers. While I understand that the original film this remake was based upon was one of the earlier strongholds in the LGBTQ movement, it still made me cringe given how many of the same stereotypes that heterosexuals often place on the LGBTQ culture depicted in this film, continue to be depicted more than not in the entertainment industry today.

Case in point, I recently watched a second LGBTQ film shortly after watching “The Boys In The Band”. It was on Netflix and titled “The Prom”. It was about two lesbian girls attempting to go to their high school prom together and encountering massive resistance from the powers that be on the school board. While the depiction of this lesbian couple itself wasn’t laced with any strong stereotypes, the depiction of the prominent gay male character in the film, Barry Glickman, played by James Corden, sadly did and ultimately ruined the movie for me. Beyond the fact that Corden is a married heterosexual man in real life, his performance was so over-the-top flamboyant, that it honestly made me feel disgusted at the ongoing Hollywood portrayal of so many gay men.

Look, there are countless gay men in our world who you would never know are gay, who don’t act feminine, who don’t sashay when they walk, who don’t use overly strong hand gestures when they talk, who aren’t into drag, who aren’t into showtunes or Broadway, who like things like sports and cars, and do many other things as well that are the exact opposite of what the entertainment industry often portrays of them. Honestly, I rarely see any mainstream movies and television shows that depict average type of joes just like me.

If there’s one thing that truly upsets me the most that comes from all this constant stereotypical portrayal of the LGBTQ culture in the entertainment industry is whenever someone says to me, “I never would have guessed you are gay!” A close second to that would be when someone says to me, “Have you ever dressed up as a woman?” or “Do you like drag?”

Just because I was born being attracted to the same sex doesn’t mean I have to talk with a feminine lisp and like either dressing up in women’s clothing or watching other men do that at some type of bar! Sadly, those types of judgments ALWAYS seem to come from heterosexual men and women who have never had any gay friends and only know of what a gay person might be like by what they see portrayed in films and on television.

Thankfully, I have a number of friends today who really appreciate the fact that I am an average type of joe, who doesn’t come off as appearing gay, and doesn’t fit those typical LGBTQ stereotypes. While I know there are plenty of people out there who do fit those typical LGBTQ stereotypes regularly depicted in film and television, if only the entertainment industry might begin to focus more on average type of joes like me, maybe the world would stop thinking all gay men for example are like Nathan Lane’s or Robin William’s characters from The Birdcage.

And lastly, I need to also mention that while the entertainment industry tends to show many LGBTQ individuals as promiscuous and not caring whatsoever about having a relationship with God, there are plenty out there who do like to settle down, remain monogamous, and focus their life on their spirituality and having a closer relationship with God. While many, many years ago I did explore my sexuality a little too promiscuously and avoided God at the same time, today I am with a partner I’ve been monogamous with for almost nine years now and spend every day seeking a closer connection to God.

Why the entertainment industry must always place gay men in roles that are consistently floating them from one sexual act to another and never doing any sort of praying and spiritual work, I don’t know. For as much as the series “Queer As Folk” for example was groundbreaking in its own way for the LGBTQ movement, it also focused a little too much on promiscuity and led many to believe that there is nothing spiritually healthy that can ever exist amongst gay men. It’s precisely why I feel it took so long to get gay marriage approved for these constant stereotypical portrayals of gay individuals.

Nevertheless, I tend to avoid watching LGBTQ-centered films and tv shows these days mostly because far too many of them frequently depict these typical stereotypes that pigeon hole people like me into them when I am so far from being like them. Hopefully one day, there might be films and shows that regularly depict average type of joes just like me falling in love with another man, all while doing things like hanging out at NASCAR races for the thrill of loud car engines and high speeds, or watching football games, not because of men in tights, but for the thrill of the sport itself…

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

A few weeks ago, Warner Brothers movie studio made a huge announcement for the film industry. Their entire slate for 2021 is going to be initially released to their HBO Max streaming channel rather than exclusively in theaters. While many big named film directors, theater chains, and other studios are furious over this decision, I actually applaud Warner Brothers for the big move, which is probably quite ironic to hear given the countless hours I’ve spent in theaters throughout my life.

So, why am I welcoming this decision in the film industry that looks to be moving people away from watching films in theaters and instead keeping them more at home in front of their much smaller screens? The first thought you might have is that it’s probably related to health worries, i.e. contracting Covid-19. Oddly enough, that’s not my reason for fully supporting Warner Brothers decision.

Truth be told, it’s grown very expensive to go to a movie these days, especially when the price of two tickets is well over $20 now in most theaters on most evenings. Add in any concessions you might purchase and you’re now in the $40 price range for an evening out at the cinema. Then consider the constant talking, texting, and lack of sound and picture quality that often happens in theaters I go to, and finally factor this tendency to have to go to the bathroom at least once during a 2 ½ hour film in recent years, and suddenly the notion of seeing brand new blockbuster films at home becomes a far more satisfying thought.

You see at home, I can pause a film as many times as I need. I can also eat my own food. I don’t have to wear a mask or have anyone sitting next to me or in front of me if I don’t want to. I don’t have to worry about someone shouting at the screen or talking to their friends nearby when I’m trying to pay attention. I can also adjust the volume to fit my needs, which generally is very loud! And I can even rewind a film if I miss something. The fact is, it’s just more cost effective and suitable to my own personal needs now to watch a movie at home and that really is saying something for someone who has spent so much of his life in a theater.

If you can believe it, in 2019 alone, I probably spent close to $5000 in theater going once you factor in the cost of all those tickets I bought (close to 200 films), concessions I consumed, and gas I purchased to get there. Yet, after adding up all my streaming costs for the same year, it was a mere fraction of that.

Nevertheless, I think COVID has changed the way people see things now anyway, including doing public things like going out to the movies. Honestly, I’m not sure if the world will ever return to having those sold out theaters where people get so packed in they seem to be sitting on top of each other, like I felt during Avengers Endgame for example.

Regardless, the world is changing, people’s tastes are shifting, with rising costs and reducing quality, along with new fears of pandemics and compromised health systems, I feel that going to the movie theater might just very well be on the way out, especially when such avid movie-goers like me are looking more forward to seeing blockbusters at home than in cinemas.

So, while many in the film industry might be upset with Warner Brothers over their decision to release their 2021 slate to their streaming channel, HBO Max, I’m not upset at all and instead, am looking forward to finally being able to see some new blockbusters on my comfy couch, eating higher quality food, with great sound and picture quality tweaked for my level of enjoyment, all while not having to fret anymore over the constant texting, talking, and general disruptions that seem to happen more so than not nowadays in theaters. And while I’m not fully saying goodbye to theaters, I simply look forward to having a new movie-watching experience that will in the end, save me a lot of money and frustration.

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson