I think I need a new heart

[vovat]

1. While trying to look up a particular Chick Tract, I came across this new one. At first glance, it looked to be pretty dull, but then I noticed this gem of a line: "Jesus? Isn't that a swear word?" This dude with the mop on his head also thinks that "blasphemy" is a medical term, and there's some pill advertised on TV that can cure any STD immediately. And I'm surprised that the doctor doesn't consider homosexuality to be another one of his sins, considering that he's lusting after a drag queen in the ninth panel (in a thought balloon within another thought balloon, no less), and we all know how much Chick hates the gays.

By the way, the tract I was looking for in the first place was this one, telling how Islam was secretly created by the Vatican. Chick claims that much of his anti-Catholic propaganda was based on secret information told to him by a former Jesuit priest (the Dr. Alberto Rivera mentioned at the top of the comic). I can't help but imagine this Rivera guy laughing his head off upon learning that old Jack actually bought these bizarre conspiracy theories.

2. I had been badly in need of a haircut, so I got one at Supercuts, by a woman who, for some reason, kind of reminded me of Kellie Pickler. I never have any idea how to tell people to cut my hair, so most of my haircuts end up looking kind of lousy. I probably should start bringing in pictures or something, although I've always been adverse to that idea for some reason. One significant aspect of this new haircut is that I no longer have sideburns. We'll see how that works out for me.

3. bethje and I watched two new movies last night. One was Capote, which, while well-made and well-acted, struck me as an outside look at Truman Capote, in that I didn't really think we got inside his head very often. Maybe that was intentional, but I found myself wanting to know why Capote identified so much with the murderers (or one of them, anyway). Perhaps the filmmakers set it up that way to make viewers want to read In Cold Blood, but I doubt I'll be doing that anytime soon. The other movie was On the Edge, another one starring Cillian Murphy, who seems to get a lot of leading roles. The film was one of several set in a mental institution, but the only one I know of in which the institution is in Ireland. It was pretty good, but I don't really have anything specific to say about it.

4. Finally, is Kimberly Guilfoyle Fox's answer to Erica Hill, or what? (This question is dedicated to 3x1minus1, without whom I would probably have no idea who Erica Hill is.)

Comments

[travspence.livejournal.com]

I cannot tell you how fast I would switch doctors if mine started sermonizing to me.

[vovat.livejournal.com]

People are always sermonizing in inappropriate situations in Chick Tracts. There's one where a teacher, in what's apparently a public school, preaches to a kid. Now THERE'S a sure way to get fired.

[obsessical.livejournal.com]

my favorite line from that chick tract is "how do i get a new heart? do i need surgery?" and the doctor goes 'NO YOU NEED JESUS!'

priceless.

[loz]

1. That was disturbing. Who is the audience for that kind of thing? It's creepy.

2. Post a picture! :D

3. Oh, that was written by Dan Futterman, who I used to like a lot (I'm sure I still would if I saw him anything.)

[vovat.livejournal.com]

1. The audience is, basically, any unsuspecting person that Chick's adherents can foist them off on. A bus driver once gave one of them to Beth. There are some tracts that are supposed to be geared for specific types of people, like kids, Muslims, or truckers and bikers (http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0086/0086_01.asp). People are also encouraged to give them out to trick-or-treaters, and there are a whole bunch of anti-Halloween tracts for this specific purpose. As much as Chick insists that the tracts work (http://www.chick.com/testimonies.asp?wpc=testimonies.asp&wpp=a), I'm inclined to think they usually don't. Not only do most people immediately throw things like that away, but the fact that they usually start right in with the more controversial and objectionable parts of Chick's own peculiar brand of Christianity means that even those who DO read them are more likely to laugh them off than to convert on the spot.

2. I don't have a camera I can use. I could probably get Beth to take one, but I usually look pretty stupid right after a haircut, so I'm not sure I'd want a picture of how I look now getting out on the Internet. {g}

[arfies.livejournal.com]

Because as we all know, hearts don't pump blood; they make you break the Ten Commandments. Favorite panel EVARRR:

[vovat.livejournal.com]

Because as we all know, hearts don't pump blood; they make you break the Ten Commandments.

Thoughts originate in the heart, don't they? That's what Aristotle said, and we all know how much the medieval church loved Aristotle. Despite the fact that, y'know, he was a pagan.

[rockinlibrarian.livejournal.com]

"Jesus? Isn't that a swear word?"
Great line. Seriously and more philosophically though, Madeleine L'Engle had in some of her nonfiction a thing about the power of words and how overuse takes away power and she pointed out that Isn't it interesting that the people who use God's (and Jesus's) name the most are the ones who don't believe in them? I can't help but imagine this Rivera guy laughing his head off upon learning that old Jack actually bought these bizarre conspiracy theories. I imagine it started by Chick asking him something like "Isn't the heirarchical system of CAtholicism dangerous and able to harbor great evil?" and the other guy thought he was obviously joking so made up something equally ridiculous off the top of his head, all the while having no idea he'd take it seriously. "Um, dude, I was kidding." "I understand you SAY you were kidding to deal with the power of what you said...."

[vovat.livejournal.com]

I think the general rule is that, when people curse, they use words that don't really have much meaning, or have nothing to do with their actual literal meaning.

[rockinlibrarian.livejournal.com]

I actually did a lesson on that with my homeroom when I taught middle school. Every so often in homeroom we were supposed to have "lessons" on, like, citizenship and whatnot, and one day we decided to make up new "swear" words to use instead of the ones that would get you in trouble. Rather humorous lesson in the end!