Studies show that 60-80% of blogs do not survive for more than one month after they started. Another study found that two-thirds of existing blogs had essentially died. So it is with some pride that we celebrate the one-year birthday of Chimesfreedom. Thanks to my friend Harry for the package of Chimes chews as pictured above. We hope that similarly you have found Chimesfreedom to be “stimulating and all natural.”
When Chimesfreedom started, I did not know it would continue this long and do not know where we will end up. It is not easy to keep a website updating regularly when one has a full-time job, so I understand why most blogs do not last for more than a month. Yet, maybe we will make it to 2525, as described by Zager and Evans in their famous song.
Come to think of it, though, it does not sound like there will be much pop culture on which to comment in 2525. Regarding the video, yes, that Zager Guitars ad over the video is from Denny Zager of Zager and Evans. He now has a custom guitar shop. The other half of the Nebraska group was Rick Evans, who wrote the song, “In the Year 2525,” which was released in 1969 and became a huge hit. But the duo never had another one. Is there a more depressing song out there? And then there is Futurama’s version, “In the Year 252525.”
But for now, let us enjoy the rest of 2011 and wish you a happy and healthy 2012. If you are new to Chimesfreedom, check out some of the stories posted under “Featured Blog Posts” in the right-hand column. And visit again to see what the future holds. As always, your comments are appreciated.
Everyone has been trying to make sense of the recent events at Penn State. Many wonder how Coach Joe Paterno failed to do more when his assistant allegedly raped a small boy, and they wonder why the administration let a sex offender slide for so long. I have wondered about those questions too, but I also have been pondering the contrasting ways that people reacted to the story. Despite the overwhelming criticism of Paterno’s failure to do more, many Penn State students, alum, and fans continue to show support for Paterno.
Many criticize the Penn State fans who rioted when the university Board of Trustees fired Paterno late at night. Students gathered that night, and then they tore down light posts and flipped over a news van. Then, on Saturday, Penn State fans showed up for the game against Nebraska showing their support for the fired coach. Meanwhile, commentators questioned how some Penn State fans could rally around Paterno and be upset at his dismissal.
There is nothing unique about Penn State fans. Had the scandal occurred elsewhere, many of the football fans now condemning Paterno and Penn State would be rallying around their own beloved coach. What is it about sports that causes us to act that way? Why do we become so passionate that we become angry at other fans in different colors? Why might we continue to support players and coaches on our own team when they have done something illegal or immoral?
In Time Magazine, Sean Gregory wrote that the rioting was “senseless” and that the students felt personally wronged when the school fired Paterno. Further, “If there’s one image that speaks to America’s twisted relationship with college sports, it’s the Penn State pro-Paterno rallies.” I understand the sentiment and the criticism of college sports, but it is wrong to distance ourselves so much from the rioting college students. The motivations that led them to riot are motivations that move us every day.
A Penn State graduate tried to find some sense in the riots. Michael Weinrab wrote in a Grantland article that quoted a student who explained, “Being accepted to Penn State felt like a family, and Joe Paterno was the father.” That statement does not tell the whole story, but it starts to help us make sense of the Paterno supporters and to get a little nearer to understanding the supporters instead of just chalking it up to “senseless” college students.
Previous Chimesfreedom posts have discussed the work of cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker, who pondered similar questions about human behavior. In books like The Denial of Death, he explained that many of the things we do, like root for sports teams, is done to give meaning to our lives. When someone challenges the things that give meaning to our lives, it upsets us.
Becker’s book touches on several themes, but a principal theme may be summarized (in a somewhat oversimplified way): (1) human beings are intelligent; (2) because we are intelligent, we are faced with the knowledge that we are rotting pieces of animal flesh that will someday die; (3) this knowledge of our mortality is overwhelming, so we push the knowledge to our subconscious; (4) to help us deal with our knowledge of mortality, we subconsciously latch onto various cultural devices that help us suppress our fear of death — such as activities that make us feel immortal, like patriotism, shopping, or rooting for sports teams. Our subconscious quest for immortality may drive us to do things that benefit others, but it also may make us hostile to others who have belief systems different from us.
“Terror Management Theory” psychologists have done significant research regarding how these theories affect our real world interactions. And Ernest Becker’s books, in particular Denial of Death and Escape from Evil, explain the theories in more detail.
As an example of the connection between sports, death, and immortality, watch this speech from We Are Marshall (2006). The movie recounts the true story of a town and team rebuilding after members of the high school football team were killed in a plane crash. In this speech, Coach Jack Lengyel, played by Matthew McConaughey, extols his players to live up to their best by reminding them of their predecessors’ deaths. By reminding them of their own mortality, he tells them, “How you play today, from this moment on, is how you will be remembered.” (3:26) If that is not a clear enough connection between sports and immortality, he then adds, “This is your opportunity to rise from these ashes and grab glory.” In a line reminiscent of the Penn State comment about family, the team then chants, “We are Marshall,” asserting they are not mortal individuals but something bigger and permanent that survives even death.
Most people, like me, will find this speech moving. But it is these same emotions that drove the Penn State fans to riot. In Penn State, those students who rioted this week at the news of Paterno’s firing were not just upset about a coach being fired. Had those students enrolled in another school, they would not have been upset. But, like we all do, they had found meaning — and subconscious immortality — in something larger than themselves.
Their school — and in particular the Nittany Lions football team and the long-term coach — made them something more than college students worried about life and their futures. By being a Penn State fan, those students were attached to something large and permanent that made them feel immortal, like they could rise from the ashes. And then when the power of the coach and the team was revealed to be a fraud, it made them feel like they lost their own power and were closer to being a weak, powerless animal. They foolishly and subconsciously hoped to re-establish this lost power through their riots.
None of this explanation is to offer an excuse for the riots. But as in everything, it is always good when we try to understand why someone else acts as they do, because we all are human. This weekend when I watch my favorite football team I will try to remember that it is just a game, but I will probably forget.
Chimesfreedom recently added a new feature to our main page entitled, “Featured Blog Posts,” in the right-hand column of this page under the “Archives.” When you visit Chimesfreedom, that section will randomly select among some of our best posts, chosen because of reader interest or because we think they are among our more interesting blog posts. It is sort of a selection of greatest hits.
So, if you are new to this website, or even if you are a regular reader who may have missed some posts, periodically check to see what posts are featured and click on the links to read the ones that interest you. This new feature allows you to find older posts of interest in addition to the other ways of clicking the “Category” links at the right or the “Headlines” tab at the top.
Below are some more online time killers and games you may play for free on your computer, including a new online game that is already a famous iPhone game. Keep an eye on the clock so you do not waste you entire day!
(1) At this website, answer vocabulary questions to earn free rice for the World Food Programme. You are feeding hungry people while you play, so it is not really a time killer. What are you doing at work that is more important than feeding the hungry anyway? Plus, you might learn something.
(2) Finally, Angry Birds, the popular iPhone game, is now available online so you may look like you are working on your computer while you play. It just became available this week and only works with the Google Chrome browser for now, but both the game and the browser are free downloads available at the Google Chrome website. Read more about the launch of the online game at Salon.
We have been waiting to share this exciting news until the papers were finally signed. Chimesfreedom is going to be made into a major motion picture to be released in summer 2013. We cannot reveal too much about the story as the screenplay still needs to be developed further, but the movie will incorporate stories relating to several of our posts as well as the real life drama of blogging.
We are thrilled with the support and encouragement we have received so far, and the studio is currently negotiating with Aaron Sorkin for screenplay development. As you probably know, Sorkin wrote the screenplay for the recent The Social Network. The producers are still signing up the actors and director for the movie, so look for announcements soon with more details.
In the early days of this blog, we never imagined this day would arrive. To celebrate, give a listen to “April Come She Will” from Simon & Garfunkel’s famous 1981 Central Park Concert. [Update: For anyone reading this post after the day it was posted, the song gives an additional hint, but note the date that this information was posted.]
Who should be cast in the Chimesfreedom movie? Did you know that today’s holiday supposedly has its origins in confusion that resulted from the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar? Leave a comment.
, he explained that many of the things we do, like root for sports teams, is done to give meaning to our lives. When someone challenges the things that give meaning to our lives, it upsets us.
