What Happens When the Promise of a New Day Gets Broken?

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By Jason Menard

Today marked the first day of school for many of our children. Little faces were aglow at the thought of re-acquainting with old friends and meeting new ones. Older faces were awash with a mix of anticipation and anxiety wondering where they’ll fit in the social pecking order.

All in all, it’s a day of promise – one where we hope for the future. Most importantly, it’s a day of fun and the anticipation of more days of fun ahead. While we want our kids to savour each and every moment of their days, it’s hard not to feel a little jealous about the freedom that their lives carry.

For them, the promise of a new day is always positive, but the true test of life comes when, as we get older, that promise gets broken.

The question is often asked as to why gossip rags and tabloid TV are so popular? Why do soap operas capture the imagination of so many? Why do we get lost in the search of fantasy? The answer is that we’re obsessed with an idealized version of life, the kind of which we’re not likely to obtain. And that promise of an unlimited future we enjoyed as a child, slowly ebbs away under the eroding forces of everyday life.

Driving past any schoolyard, we are regaled with the sounds of joy: raucous laughter and squeals of delight. We experience so much as youth and enjoy so much more, one has to wonder where does that sense of joy go as we get older?

Bogged down by financial constraints, time commitments, and interpersonal challenges, we spend too much time focusing on the can’t-dos and the negatives, instead of appreciating the positives. Every joy comes with a cost, which tempers our ability to fully feel everything that life has to offer. As a child, we enjoy the experience, as an adult we take measured joy out of the activity, balancing it with the financial cost and its impact on our budget.

That’s why we love the tabloids and that’s why we’re obsessed with stars. They’re not living beyond our wildest dreams – they’re living our wildest dreams! They’re living life free from the constraints that shackle us down and prevent us from exploring and expressing joy to its fullest. They have the financial wherewithal and time to enjoy the best that life has to offer without worrying about family budgets and mortgages.

The old adage states that money doesn’t buy happiness. And that’s true, but money does buy you the opportunity to maximize your return on life’s investment. Having the financial wherewithal to allow the mundane aspects of day-to-day life to recede into the distance doesn’t mean you’re going to be happy. But it does provide a freedom that we average folk just can’t enjoy – and that’s why we so hungrily gobble up the tabloid garbage.

And that’s also why we take such pleasure in discussing their failures. We don’t build them up to break them down – instead, we break them down because we can’t be built up ourselves to that level. If we can’t enjoy that idealized lifestyle, then we don’t want others to do so either.

It certainly isn’t an attractive aspect of humanity. In fact, it’s downright ugly. And it’s also a taste for schadenfreude that we acquire. After all, our kids are living life blissfully ignorant of the challenges that they’re going to face. They’re living in the here and now, not budgeting and forecasting for the future. That’s our job as parents and our jobs as adults.

Sometimes life throws you curveballs. Sometimes you get hit by that pitch. But as painful as it may be, getting hit by that pitch offers you an opportunity to get on base and, eventually, come around to score. Of course, some of us will be tagged out at second, some of us will come tantalizing close to home plate, only to be met by the catcher. And others of us will circle the bases and add another run to the board. Life’s not offering us promises, it’s offering us potential – and how we use that potential is up to us.

It’s forgetting that potential that prevents us from being happy. Sometimes we forget and lose our way, weighed down by the challenges that we’re facing. Instead of meeting the day with hopeful anticipation, we face it with grim resolve, stoically ‘getting through’ the day, instead of relishing every moment.

Our kids have it right. They don’t live Utopian lives: they face peer pressure and rejection on the school yard; they carry the weight of their parents’ struggles with them; and they are facing a future as full of uncertainty as promise. Yet still they’re able to laugh long and loud – they’re not wasting the freedom and joy that life has to offer. The key is to do the same as an adult. It’s not about forgetting about your challenges, it’s about maximizing the good in your day and dealing with the bad, but not letting the latter taint your appreciation of the former. It’s simple to say, but not so easy to do, but it’s something many of us have to get better at doing.

In the end, living in spite of life is no way to live. And when we look back on life do we want to say we endured it or enjoyed it?

2006© Menard Communications – Jason Menard All Rights Reserved

Sister Act Wears Thin

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By Jason Menard

“I’d rather have your sister.”

That’s it. Those five words (well, maybe five-and-a-half or six, depending on your view of contractions) were all it took to spark a sporting phenomenon that has spilled into popular culture!

You know what I’m talking about. I mean, if I say, ‘Hey, that guy was just Zidaned,’ you’ll get the reference.

Yes, Marco Materazzi finally came clean with the comment that set off France’s greatest player, tarnished a legacy, and probably contributed to the death of France’s World Cup aspirations. In a brief exchange, France’s Zinedine Zidane, frustrated with Materazzi’s apparent holding of his shirt said, “If you want, I’ll give you the jersey later.” To which Materazzi replied, “I’d rather have your sister.”

Boom. Head butt, red card, dashed hopes, and weeks of hand-wringing ensued. All for a playground-esque crack not worthy of a reaction, not to mention retaliation. One could only imagine what would have happened if Materazzi had broken out the “your mother wears army boots” crack – the bloodshed would have been intolerable.

Honestly, weren’t we all just hoping for a little more? Something meaty that would have justified the comments. Through an interpretation of Zidane’s reaction, I had expected that Materazzi had said something racist, profoundly repulsive, or some combination of the sorts, including the exhortation to perform some sort of physically impossible and self-mutilating feat.

But no. An affront to the honour of Zidane’s sister that could have been penned by a six-year-old child was enough to cause the to-that-time feel-good story of the World Cup to snap.

Now let’s be fair. Maybe that was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. Of course, given the nature of the insult, it has to be looked at as the curly, crazy straw that broke the camel’s back, but nonetheless. Maybe that was just one too many comments during a long and storied career. Maybe Materazzi just caught Zidane at the wrong time of day. Maybe Zinedine ate a bad burrito the night before and it just wasn’t sitting right.

But a head butt? For that comment? If Zidane’s legacy wasn’t tarnished before, it should be now. After all, let’s realize that not only did Zidane’s overreaction to such a mindlessly stupid comment cost him his participation in the greatest game on the sports’ greatest stage, but it can be argued that he may have scored a penalty kick that would have brought the World Cup trophy to Paris. It’s all hypothetical, as his continued presence may have meant nothing in the end and the Italian team would have won regardless, but we’ll never know – and the effects of his absence, both psychologically and physically, had to have an impact on the French squad.

Let me state that I’m not a proponent of colouring a player’s entire career based upon on negative event. People have a right to make mistakes, just as they have a right to redemption. But dashing a nation’s cherished football hopes because of a stupid comment about one’s sister? If anything, Materazzi should have been embarrassed that he couldn’t have come up with something better, instead of Zidane taking such great offense.

But here we are. And now an event that should never have happened is back in the news. People will debate whether Zidane was overreacting or protecting the honour of his sister. They will discuss the sportsmanship of trash talk and where its place is in the game. And no one will mention that similar acts of provocation will take place each and every day on schoolyards around the world. Only most kids will come up with a witty retort, not try to drive their skull through their protagonists’ chest.

The people I feel sorry for most now are the principals of our nation’s schools. I mean, how are they to keep order on the playground when a player of Zidane’s status can react in such a manner for such a minor provocation? In fact does this mean that getting “Zidaned” will become the next issue in the fight against bullying?

And just remember if you see Zidane in the street sometime, make sure you keep your kids away from him. After all, one little playground slip and he may snap.

2006© Menard Communications – Jason Menard All Rights Reserved

Take Off the Kid Gloves with Young Offenders

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By Jason Menard

Why do we continue to handle young offenders with kid gloves? It’s high time for the gloves to come off so that we can get a firm grip on the crime situation.

Recently many Londoners were appalled by the fact that two of three young offenders recently detained by police following a car chase had, in fact, been in contact with police over 430 times.

That’s right. 430 times total for two 16-year-olds. That’s 215 times each, on average. Now, assuming that these kids began their life of crime at 10, this means that they’ve been contacted by police an average of over 35 times a year. That’s almost three times a month!!

I’m no math expert, but I know that adds up to one heck of a failure for society. That’s not rebellion. That’s not reckless behaviour. That’s a concerted effort to one bad-ass stain on our society. You have to realize that this represents only 430 times that they’ve been contacted by the police. How many times have they gotten away from police scrutiny for their actions? Not even the most bumbling crook gets caught every time.

The third child, at only 13, also has an extensive history with the police. Presumably the younger hooligan is just beginning a life of crime – and the 13-year-old has certainly picked the right two thugs from whom to learn the ropes.

A London-based psychologist, with a marked gift for understatement, weighed in on the situation stating that “it sounds like these young people will have a high probability of continuing into the adult criminal justice system.” What he omitted to add were the words, “next week.” I think it’s safe to say that the second these kids are back on the street, they’ll be looking for ways to get into trouble.

So why let them back on the street in the first place?

Listen, I’m as liberal as the next guy and I know life can be tough. I also understand that people make mistakes and should be forgiven – once, twice, maybe three times. But 430 times? Sorry my patience has been tried, exhausted, and trampled upon. There’s a point where you’re no longer opposing the law, you’re now simply balling it up, spitting on it, and throwing it back into law-abiding citizens’ faces.

And it can be stopped. But fear has to enter the equation.

Simply put, kids aren’t afraid of consequences any more. We’ve become so hypersensitized to the plight of the marginalized that we fail to realize that we’re, in part, enabling their behaviour. After all, breaking the law is a choice – and it’s one that’s made all the more easy by the fact that consequences have no bite. Listen, you give a rat that goes down the wrong path a mild shock, it may try again. You buzz it so bad that it vibrates to its bones and it learns to fear going down that direction. We need to teach these human rats to fear going down the path of crime – the risk must outweigh the reward.

Incarceration is the best deterrent. Country club atmospheres, house arrests, or gentle slaps on the wrist don’t do anything but embolden future actions. Throw a kid behind bars, joining rapists, murderers, and drug runners, and you may scare a few straight. Keep ‘em safe from the general population, but instill a little fear for the future.

But locking them up and throwing away the key isn’t the only answer. You need to care for these offenders after the offence – and try to deter them before the offense. Mandatory counselling and follow-up visits should be a part of any youth’s sentence. Try to get at the root of the problem and then supervise them so they have less opportunity to reoffend. And make sure that kids have something to do instead of getting in trouble.

We don’t have to coddle our kids and make sure that their lives are filled with stimulation and cater to their every whim. Kids need to learn how to be bored without being destructive. However, finding ways to get kids to stop hanging out on the streets and getting involved in something productive is beneficial in so many ways. Whether it’s basketball leagues, community centres, or other projects, find out from the kids themselves what they’re looking for. Instead of them breaking the law for a thrill, help them find something else to fill the void.

There is room for compassion, there is room for leniency when dealing with young offenders. That should be the difference between children and adults – the sole difference. Otherwise, similar crimes should face appropriate consequences. Our kids are committing big boy and big girl offenses, they should face big boy and big girl consequences.

After all, if they know they’re going to be treated with kid gloves, what’s to make them fear taking their best shots?

2006© Menard Communications – Jason Menard All Rights Reserved

DVD Double-Dipping Plays on Fans’ Folly

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By Jason Menard

The next time you have a party, you may want to cross those Hollywood movie moguls off of your invite list – they’re proving to be notorious double-dippers.

Earlier this week Francis Ford Coppola released Apocalypse Now: The Complete Dossier, calling it the definitive presentation of his legendary film. Well, definitive until the next opportunity to dip into fans’ pockets presents itself.

Looking over at my DVD collection I find my copy of Apocalypse Now: Redux, which in itself was – at the time – the definitive rendering of the film. You know, the movie the way the director intended it to be, before all those nasty Imperialistic Forces like society, studios, and financiers got in the way of Coppola’s vision.

So, in the end, the more committed fans of the film could find three versions of one film staring back at them from their shelves. That’s three times one person has shelled out for the same movie.

At least Coppola’s first and second releases were markedly different in presentation. And this third one combines both presentations, so for those still slowly replacing their old VHS tapes (or, shudder, BETA), this isn’t a bad release to start off with. But increasingly film studios are re-releasing films, with minor tweaks or extra additions, just because they can – and a gullible public will continue to buy their films.

No genre is immune from this cash grab. Good films and schlock alike will exist in multiple versions. Didn’t buy the 1996 release of Swingers? Fret not because you can still get the 2003 Collector’s Series edition. Liked Clerks? Well, you can pick up the original release of the film on DVD, but the true fan knows they’ve also got to have Clerk X – the 10 th anniversary edition. Hell, George Lucas has developed a cottage industry in releasing and re-releasing versions of the original Star Wars trilogy? And if the gazillion versions out there weren’t enough, there’s another one on the way, just in time for Christmas!

Remember The Lord of the Rings trilogy? Remember how fans breathless with anticipation could purchase an impressive DVD reproduction of the film – all the while knowing that a more robust version would be released the following November! And that doesn’t even count the special boxed versions with your collectable Gollum figurine.

Even Jennifer Garner’s star turn in 13 Going on 30, released on DVD in 2004 received a make-over with the release of the Fun ‘n’ Flirty edition less than two years later!!!! I mean, c’mon. It was a cute film and all, but was anyone’s life seriously lacking from the omission of the “pick the right 80’s outfit” or Rick Springfield’s Jessie’s Girl video?

While the movie studios will altruistically claim that they’re simply giving the fans what they want, and providing them with a greater film experience, the truth of the matter is that these re-releases and re-re-releases simply show the level of contempt that studios have for their viewing audience. They know that people, for whatever reason, get emotionally involved in these films, and by offering more film-centric experiences they’re able to tug at the fans’ heartstrings hard enough to make that wallet fly open.

The great fear was that our DVDs, like VHS and film reels before them, would become obsolete via the advent of the next great technology. The truth is that our DVDs will be made obsolete by the advent of the next great version of the film.

Film is not the only medium that is guilty of turning to its loyal fan base for a cash grab. Some video game producers do this annually! One of the most popular video game franchises, the Madden football series, enjoys the financial windfall of annual revisions. And while in the past some revisions have only been minor tweaks to game play, that hasn’t prevented the game developer from charging full price for essentially the same game, only with a new cover and another year added to the title.

Of course, video games have also used the power of re-releases for good. Greatest Hits designations involve a reissuing of popular games, at a much lower price, thereby increasing the penetration to a less-affluent segment of the game-buying public. Unfortunately, there is no correlating drop-off in price for films entering their second edition.

It’s only the most avid film buff that will even benefit from many of the additions that re-released versions include. I own a substantial number of DVDs and I can count on one hand those on which I’ve actually explored the special features. I’ve yet to watch a film with the director’s or the actor’s commentary overlapping. In fact, I quite enjoy the film just as it is, thank you very much.

And perhaps that attitude will be my salvation. As I look at my collection, I can say that there are no duplicates of films. Although there may be those bearing the Special Edition, Collectors Edition, or even the Awesome! Totally Awesome Edition (in the case of Fast Times at Ridgemont High), they were chosen because I liked the film and that’s the version I found – not for any desire to expand my experience through DVD-ROM games or exclusive interviews with the costume designer.

Films in themselves are an experience. We fans get attached to our favourite authors, directors, and production, but that doesn’t mean we have to be slaves to their every whim. And if movie companies really want to respect their fans and give them what they want, why not get it right the first time? Cram everything you have in the first release – don’t dole it out piecemeal, reserving the juicier bits for subsequent releases.

Of course, that would show that the movie studios respect their fans more than the mighty dollar – and as much as I love a good comedy, I’m not prepared to suspend my disbelief that much.

2006© Menard Communications – Jason Menard All Rights Reserved

Fighting For Survival

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By Jason Menard

One of the biggest problems with the sweet science is that too many people believe the fix is in with most matches. But perhaps a fix for what’s ailing boxing is already before us – and it’s the key that will give the sport a fighting chance to survive.

My wife and I aren’t reality show junkies, per se, but we do enjoy a little fix now and again. One of our favourites is the boxing competition/drama The Contender. Combining boxing basics with a concerted efforts to humanize the competitors and present the contests in dramatic fashions, this show has reaffirmed my faith in the sport – and, more importantly, it’s turned my wife into a potential fan.

And there’s the key – if the presentation of a show can make my wife care about the sport, then there’s hope that the sport can reassume its prominence in the North American sporting landscape.

When I expressed my interest in watching the first season last year, my wife looked at me with a mixture of horror and disgust. To me, boxing is the ultimate individual competition – boxer against boxer, with nothing but their skills and their fists determining their destiny. There is no ball, no bat or stick to help reach one’s goal – there’s just your ability to give and take a punch that stands between you and victory.

Conversely, my wife thought the sport was stupid. Just a couple of morons whaling away on each other until one drops.

That is, that’s what she thought until she sat and watched The Contender with me. It was then, when presented with the stories of real human struggle and when she learned more about the boxers that she developed a vested interest. She cared. And, I must admit, so did I. For the most part, I was a casual boxing fan, following my favourites, watching the occasional fight on TV, but in no way was I invested. I could watch a match and not care who won, as long as the fight was good.

But, this reality-based series changed that, making me care about people. Portraying them as heroes or villains, humble or cocky. We watched to the end of the season, cheering our favourites on. And this year, when I accidentally stumbled across the premiere episode of season two on the dial, we both expressed our excitement.

And that’s when it twigged – this is what’s wrong with boxing. And this is how easy it is to fix it.

At no cost to the boxing industry – although any offers of the commissioner’s position will be accepted – here is my solution. Let people get to know the fighters. That’s it, that’s all. Once people care, they’ll follow the sport and become invested in it. Remember, arguably the most famous person in the world – Muhammad Ali – was a boxer.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. Boxing is relegated to late nights on pay-per-view screens with fights scattered across the calendar. There are so many federations and belts that the championship scene looks like a spilled bowl of alphabet soup. And tales of corruption and excess tarnish the sport’s already precarious reputation.

First thing: put boxing back on free TV. The PPV idea was and is terrible – it’s a short-term gain that neglects the long-term potential. Instead of focusing on improving mediocre buy rates, boxing needs to think bigger, get the sport back on the networks with free marquee fights, and bring eyeballs back to the screen. With ratings come advertising, and that means more money for everyone.

Secondly, boxing must be shown on a regular basis. Every week, one night should be set aside for fights. And boxers must fight more regularly. How is one supposed to get excited about the sport when their favourite boxer only steps into the ring once every 18 months? Those looking to climb the ranks could fight monthly (health permitting, of course), while more established boxers could fight every second month – at the latest. More frequency means more interest and less chance for another sport to swoop in and snatch up those fans.

Thirdly, there are more than heavyweights out there. The aforementioned The Contenderfeatures welterweights, yet is fairly popular. Some of the most entertaining bouts, in terms of speed and dexterity are in the lower weight classes like feather and flyweight. Heavyweight is the marquee division, but there is incredible entertainment value in the lower ranks – maximize its exposure and watch overall interest in the sport grow. After all, a kid who knows he’ll never be 230 pounds may not be able to relate – but when he sees a 120-pounder with a belt around his waist, suddenly he has a hero to look up to.

Fourthly, one title, one federation, one champion. Having three, four, five, 20 belts simply dilutes the overall meaning of champion. One undisputed champion in each weight class gives fans someone to root for – or against. And it makes a pecking order clear. When someone’s ranked fifth on one list, first on another, and doesn’t even appear on a third, then you have a credibility issue – not to mention how confusing it is for the casual fan.

Finally, tell the stories. All this repeated exposure only works if you allow the viewers to get to know the competitors. If reality TV has shown us anything it’s that we’ll watch pretty much anything, as long as we feel an affinity for the contestants.

Give fans favourites, let them watch them regularly – for free, of course – and streamline the operation. That’s the only way boxing will have a fighting chance to survive.

2006© Menard Communications – Jason Menard All Rights Reserved