Don Hall 12/23/18 Don Hall 12/23/18

Second Chance

On my 33rd birthday, after hiding among the people and jobs, I realized that I wasn’t a mutant or a super hero. I wasn’t a part of a team. There was no one else on the entire planet with powers and life wasn’t a comic book. So I embraced my secret identity - Don Hall, average big-mouth white guy - and did my best to pretend I was normal. Just like everybody else.

Don Hall 12/19/18 Don Hall 12/19/18

Problematic Movies of the '80s | Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)

I find myself bemused and slightly embarrassed that in my years of most physically viable my choices were so directly motivated by my cock.

Don Hall 12/17/18 Don Hall 12/17/18

I Believe… [Channeling Gump]

…that, in the spirit of Forrest Gump, racist is what racist does rather than what racist says.

Don Hall 12/15/18 Don Hall 12/15/18

Getting Punched In the Genitals by a Christmas Song

Welcome to the Faceborg Nation, friends and neighbors. Try the coffee — it’s bitter and unforgiving and comes only in Black or White.

Don Hall 12/11/18 Don Hall 12/11/18

Changing Up the Routine: Acknowledging the Inevitable Tsunami

It takes 33 pounds of pressure and five minutes to strangle the life out of a grown human. It takes far less to strangle their aspirations of meaning and even less to simply boot-grind the breath out of their dreams for more than trading life for money for security.

Don Hall 12/10/18 Don Hall 12/10/18

I Believe.. [At Least He's Number One in Scandals]

…that this Mueller investigation has patiently and methodically put together nothing short of the most corrupt and systematic presidential scandal in history.

Don Hall 12/3/18 Don Hall 12/3/18

I Believe… ["Ruby's Tears": Band or Craft Beer?]

...that the naming of craft beers has now eclipsed the art of naming both bands and albums.

Don Hall 12/1/18 Don Hall 12/1/18

Problematic Movies of the '80s | Weird Science (1985)

In 1985, there was a horny, stupid ideal of the perfect woman and the movie Weird Science exemplified it. Given today’s sex robots and unlimited free porn, I’d say we haven’t gone too far away from the concept…

Don Hall 11/26/18 Don Hall 11/26/18

I Believe... [Warning: Strobe Lights and Personal Castigation Ahead]

...that, in the spirit of appropriate trigger warnings, can we have some that warn us that a comedy show will be more like a lecture on how awful white guys are?

Don Hall 11/25/18 Don Hall 11/25/18

Two Kinds of Pain: Useless and Useful or What I Learned from Frank Underwood

“There are two kinds of pain. The sort of pain that makes you strong, or useless pain. The sort of pain that's only suffering. I have no patience for useless things.” — Frank Underwood (House of Cards, Season 1)

Don Hall 11/22/18 Don Hall 11/22/18

From the Archives: Unpacking Branson: A Thanksgiving Improbability

For Thanksgiving in 2012, I was single and Mom decided that I should come out to my step-sister's place in Branson, Missouri for a good old-fashioned country Thanksgiving. The carrot was family. The stick was Missouri.

Don Hall 11/21/18 Don Hall 11/21/18

Problematic Movies of the ’80s | Porky’s (1981)

Honestly, in getting ready for this one, I procrastinated for a few days. I didn’t really want to watch Porky’s again. The poster image is of a dude peeping at a woman in a shower, for chrissakes! After Bachelor Party, I felt like watching another would feel like punishment but this is the trap I’ve set for myself, so on a Friday afternoon, I sat down and hit play.

Don Hall 11/19/18 Don Hall 11/19/18

I Believe… [Beware The Golden Rule If You're An Asshole]

…that in the spirit of the Golden Rule, if you have decided it’s appropriate to harass people on the street or in front of their homes to make a political point, you deserve exactly the same treatment when taking your kids out to Chuck E. Cheese.

Don Hall 11/18/18 Don Hall 11/18/18

Puppet, Pauper, Pirate, Poet, Pawn & King

We’re moving to Las Vegas!

Don Hall 11/15/18 Don Hall 11/15/18

The Tea Party Cage Match

I’d love nothing more than to have two Tea Parties in place because the fierceness of the fight would be electric but it all plays into the WWE Wrestling Reality TV government that favors the Trumps of DC rather than the calm, reflective and sober rationality of folks who can truly govern.

Don Hall 11/14/18 Don Hall 11/14/18

Being Reminded that You are Disposable isn’t Fun but it’s Necessary

George Bailey wasn’t special. He was, on most faces of it, a real loser. That’s why he decided to end it all — he was a failure from the lens of post-modern success. Clarence didn’t change his mind, he shifted his perspective away from himself to those who surrounded him.

Don Hall 11/12/18 Don Hall 11/12/18

I Believe… [We Need a Purple Wave in Two Years]

…that we had us a bona fide Blue Wave and took back the House like a Boss but the Other Guys increased their hold on the Senate and we now have some serious persuading to do to pull off 2020. Gonna need a Purple Wave to win that one.

Don Hall 11/10/18 Don Hall 11/10/18

Problematic Movies of the '80s | Bachelor Party (1984)

Is it possible that I was indelibly stupid as a teenager? It must be possible (indeed, probable) if I found anything remotely funny about this film. I mean, in rewatching it, I had to pause the movie five times just to get up and remind myself to keep watching.

Don Hall 11/9/18 Don Hall 11/9/18

The Reasons Behind the Shooter: At Some Point, It Doesn’t Matter WHY

“… if we understand the Why, we can do something to prevent it in the future. Yet, we often don’t. What we do instead is to allow our cave drawing comprehension of why to create excuses.”

Don Hall 11/6/18 Don Hall 11/6/18

Problematic Movies of the '80s | The Three Amigos (1986)

Going in for the first viewing since I was a teenager, I had my 2018 goggles steaming up. I recall a lot of racial stereotypes and it felt like I was going to be bombarded with unapologetic cultural appropriation — I mean, three white guys wearing sombreros is kind of a red flag, right?