Graphic Novels: The Arrival by Shaun Tan

I am thrilled to see more and more graphic novels taking new directions visually. I have to admit I've never been that into the classic "comic book" style, probably because my own drawing style is much more textured than those are and so I don't relate that well. But there are lots of neat graphic novels out there. This one, "The Arrival," has no words at all. It's a great surrealistic story of the immigrant experience. Shaun Tan creates a world that is impossible to interpret - you can't read the signs, everything looks weird and unfamiliar - and in doing so really drives home what it's like to be an immigrant in a new land. This is a popular theme in this medium - "American Born Chinese" covers some of the same ground. I'll elaborate on that one soon.

The World's Second-Shortest Post on the First Amendment

Okay, let's review - the First Amendment concerns the behavior of the government. Congress shall make no law. It is not about what your neighbor or the comics store down the street do. It says the government may not play the role of telling people what they can and cannot say.

That said, lots of crazy stuff is gonna get published. And it's up to you to decide what to do with that.

The great comics scare of the 1950's happened because of 2 things:
1. The government got into a McCarthy-like tizzy and tried to tell people what they could and could not publish
2. The public themselves were extremely lax about what was being put on the shelves in reach of children for 10 cents a pop.

Neither of these things was the right answer. In a society that values the free flow of ideas, it's up to you to moderate. If you are a parent, it is up to you to help your kids make sense of all this stuff - and turn it off when appropriate. If you are a consumer, it's up to you to pay attention to what you are consuming.

Media literacy is more important than ever. The First Amendment is a cornerstone of our society. People are going to publish crazy garbage and fabulous works of genius. These statements are all true, and we have to deal with it.