mind of a mediocre comic

When I heard that Comedy Central was giving a Latino comic his own prime time show, I was excited to learn that there will be another raza comic trying to add a little more flavor to a banal medium. Sadly, the Mind of Mencia wastes the opportunity to highlight the absurdity of racism and american culture. At best, his comedy is shallow. But mostly his comedy is bigoted. He says he is "an equal opportunity offender". Just because you make fun of everyone doesn't make you funny. What makes his comedy offensive and not funny and Chappelle's comedy brilliant is that Chappelle brings the viewer along for the ride, Mencia isolates you. He riffs about Muslims being stupid for what it feels about half the show. Another segment was horrifying, he was joking about a real incident when LA cops tried to catch a runaway emu...he says "It's a bird. It can't fly! Why don't you tell the black people that there's a giant chicken on the loose, and two minutes later we'll have a bucket of big-ass wings?" Like aren't we over that shit like 30 yrs ago?
There is no insight in this show-it's cynical and angry. He's a right-winger's dream...a brown man making racist jokes. In fact, the only people he doesn't make fun with such vitriol are whites. Maybe I just don't get it, maybe I am like he says "sensitive" but when a latino calls himself a "beaner" with no social insight, the joke's on him.

wild about harry

I finally finished the latest installment of the Harry Potter series. This book is more emotionally mature and darker than the others. The characters are now in a post-9-11 er..voldemort environment, with the ministry sending out "how to protect yourself from voldemort" manuals, random attacks from dementors, there's heightened security, and general paranoia. He starts the school year with alot on his mind, his godfather dead, unsure about what to do about his future, and a prophecy to live up to. The books mature as Harry does, what interested him in the first few books are no longer at the forefront. He is just like any other kid but he lives in a world not of his choosing. Poor Harry...he faces puberty, romance, struggles with authority, standardized tests, death of loved ones and an evil overlord that is out to get him! The only thing I ask is that the last installment of the series doesn't have Voldemort saying something like "harry i am your father"...


picture of the day...
miami in november...