When Did Our Immigration Policy And Those Who Enforce It Lose Their Humanity? Part 2

Imagine the following scenario if you will: Pablo Villavicencio is 35. He is a loving and hardworking husband and father who earns his living delivering pizzas for a Queens pizza parlor. Earlier this week, Mr. Villavicencio was doing his job, delivering a meal to Fort Hamilton army base in Brooklyn. Instead of just making the delivery and moving onto his next stop, he was arrested and could be forced to return to his native Ecuador because he is not a legal immigrant.

If he is deported, there a possibility Mr. Villavicencio  that he may not see his wife and young daughters, all who are citizens, for quite a few years.

It’s obvious to me that in an attempt to protect America’s borders and her citizens, our government is going too far. I fail to see how putting this man in jail and potentially sending him back to Ecuador is making our country safe. If anything, it sends the message that the borders to America, the land made up of immigrants and their descendants, are closed. Especially to immigrants of color.

If nothing else, my heart aches for Mr. Villavicencio’s young daughters, who may have to grow up without their father.

Advertisement

RIP Anthony Bourdain

The black dog, as Winston Churchill put it, has struck again.

On Wednesday, the dog claimed the life of designer Kate Spade. This morning, the life the dog took was that of chef, author and television personality Anthony Bourdain. He was 61.

He was found in his hotel room in France where he was filming a future episode for his CNN series, Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown.

Depression and mental illness is not a joke. At best, the person suffering lives as best they can. At worst, they take their own life, causing their loved ones to ask questions that can never be answered.

My heart breaks for those who knew him on a personal level, especially his young daughter and his girlfriend, Asia Argento. Ms. Argento is one of the woman who accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault.

I know what it is like to live with the black dog.  It sits on my lap all day, every day. If your reading this post and you also have the black dog sitting on your lap, please get help. If not for your sake, but for the ones you love.

Thoughts On The 20th Anniversary Of Sex and the City

For most of human history, women’s voices have either been muted or silenced all together. Through generations of struggle, women have come very far in a very short time.

One of the markers of this change is Sex and the City. This week, the show is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Set in New York City, Sex and the City or SATC tells the story about the lives of four single women. Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), the program’s protagonist, is a writer who writes a column about sex and love based on her own life. She is best friends with Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), an type-A lawyer, Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), a publicist who has been around the block and Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), a traditionalist who works as an art dealer.

I very much appreciate the groundbreaking aspects of SATC. While the women had quite a few boyfriends, the men were secondary. The women and their friendship was primary. I also very much appreciate that the characters were sexually active and treated it as a natural part of adulthood instead of being ashamed of their actions. No subject was off the table with these women, they talked about issues that everyday women talk about with their friends.

However, I should point out that there are a few chinks in the armor when it comes to SATC.

• While Carrie’s apartment was beautiful, it was a fantasy. Most writers would not be able to afford that apartment in real life.
• The lack of people of color.
• The fact that all of the leading actresses were a little too skinny.
• The hookup culture that permeated the love lives of the characters. There are many women who would prefer wait to sleep with their dates or their significant others.
• The New York City that is presented in SATC has a very glossy feel to it. The New York City that I know is a little grittier and not as pretty.
• In the end, Carrie still lived out the traditional happy ending when she and Mr. Big (Chris Noth) finally made it official.

While SATC was not completely true to life, it was still a huge step forward when it came to how women were portrayed on television. For that reason alone, SATC will live on forever in the heart and minds of the fans and television viewers everywhere.

Flashback Friday-Fargo (1996)

The game of cat and mouse between the police and those committing a crime has been a standard narrative for years. The question is, how can a writer or writers make their narrative unique and different?

In the 1996 movie, Fargo,  Jerry Lundergaard (William H. Macy) has got himself into a financial pickle. He has embezzled money through his father-in-law’s car dealership. About to be caught by his father-in-law, Jerry cooks up a scheme to have  his wife kidnapped so her father will pay the ransom. The kidnapping does not go as planned. This catches the eye of Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), a pregnant sheriff who is determined to figure out who is responsible for the three murders in her jurisdiction.

What I like about this movie is that there is an almost sick sense of humor. Unlike other cops and criminals stories which are often just a little serious, this film has an undercurrent of humor that makes it stand out within the genre.

Do I recommend it? Yes.