RIP John McCain

To give one’s life to serve one’s country is the most selfless thing any man or woman can do.

Today, America lost Senator John McCain. As both a politician and a member of the Armed Services, he gave his life to ensure that America lives up to her ideals.

Born 1936, he followed his father and grandfather into the US Navy. Shot down while serving in the Vietnam War, he was a prisoner of war from 1967-1973. After finishing his service in the military, he became a politician. Many Americans of a certain generation remember him for running on the Republican ticket against Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential election. Known as a maverick, he was not the type of politician to just go along with the rest of his party.  He was a politician who did what was right for the country, instead of what was right for the party.

While I did not share some of Senator McCain’s political beliefs, I respected him for standing up for what was right instead of meekly following in the footsteps of his fellow Republicans.

My heart goes out to those who knew him and loved him. May his memory be a blessing and may we remember, as Americans, what he did for this country.

Wherever you are Senator, RIP.

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Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture Book Review

Rape culture is an ugly, pervasive part of the human culture.

The new book, Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture, edited by Roxane Gay, is an anthology of stories about rape and sexual assault. While there is a diversity of contributors (including actress Gabrielle Union and writer Amy Jo Burns), the message is clear. Instead of being heard and those accused of sexual assault given their days in court, the contributors were shamed, discredited and bullied in response of being raped and sexually assaulted.

This book is nothing short of amazing and a must read for every adult. It brings the truth about rape and sexual assault into the light in a way that is unflinching, hard-hitting and in your face. It forces all of us to look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we will continue to allow such horrific acts to happen or if we will finally, as a culture, do something about it.

I absolutely recommend it.

 

Crazy Rich Asians Movie Review

One of the most common tropes of the romantic comedy genre is the objection to one half of the lead couple by their well-meaning family and/or friends. The question is, is this common narrative used wisely or is it an easy way out by the writer or writers?

In the new movie Crazy Rich Asians (based upon the book of the same name by Kevin Kwan), Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) is a Chinese American college professor living and working in New York City. She has been dating Nick Young (Henry Golding) for a year when he invites her to join him at a family wedding in Singapore. Nick hasn’t exactly been forthcoming  with Rachel about who his family is in the social hierarchy of Singaporean society. When they get to Singapore, Nick’s mother, Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh) isn’t exactly pleased with her son’s choice of a partner.

But Rachel is not without allies. Her college roommate, Peik Lin Goh (Awkwafina) is from Singapore and has been begging Rachel to come visit for while. Rachel also becomes close friends with Nick’s cousin, Astrid Young Teo (Gemma Chan), whose life is not as perfect as it seems. Will Rachel and Nick live out their happily ever after or will his family get in the way?

While Crazy Rich Asians falls squarely within the romantic comedy genre (with the standard character tropes and narrative), it is not the same old, dry predictable romantic comedy. Aside from a cast of Asian and Asian-American actors (which is a long time coming), the movie is funny, charming, romantic and heaves much needed life into a genre that for many died a long time ago.

I absolutely recommend it.

Crazy Rich Asians is presently in theaters.