Americanism & the Duties That Come Along

Hello, all!

Firstly, I would love to sincerely thank you for reading the most recent blogs on Daniel Day-Lewis & Peter Sellers - two performers, as mentioned there, who I fervently look up to in performance. It is certainly not limited to those two, however; the list of those who have influenced me in performance would resemble a realistic, Christopher Nolan-esque portrayal of Santa Claus' list of 2+ billion children asking for presents. LITERALLY. THERE HAVE BEEN 2 BILLION+ PERFORMERS WHO HAVE, IN FACT, INFLUENCED MY OWN PERFORMANCE STYLE. WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND IT, TIE IT USING WHICHEVER KNOT YOU PREFER TO TIE YOUR SHOES WITH, AND GO "Ah!...." LIKE YOU PROBABLY DO AFTER CONTENTEDLY TYING YOUR SHOES.

I'm sorry for taking that dark turn so drastically. ANYwho, back to my point.

The list of those who have influenced me to this point in my life would be too long and too cumbersome for a reader of a blog. Instead, I will dedicate future posts to each of these performers individually in an undecided time "down the line." (<-- By the way, why not "down the parabola"? Or "down the line segment"? Geometric paradoxes worthy of a Joseph Gordon-Levitt tutorial to Ellen Page in "Inception"!)

This post, however, was meant more for a check-in. I have certainly not forgotten about "BirdieNumNuMilkshake," and, in fact, it's quite the opposite: I've been racking my brain consistently for the past week in desperation trying to think of something topical to write about. And then, in an unexpectedly poignant turn, I became introspective and realized: I don't NEED to write about a given topic (I ALSO have read a frightening amount of blogs in the past week or so and realized that the overall purpose of having a blog is to really not have an agenda, or plan.)


Newtown, Connecticut Shootings & Our Duties as Citizens
It's been an oddly satisfying week this week; finals are finished, I'm preparing for an acting competition in the coming weeks, and to be home is a God-sent reprieve from the world and all of its sometimes stressful intricacies. But, there is one thing that I have decided I want to address, and that is the internationally reported and sensitively discussed shooting in Newtown, Connecticut inside of Sandy Hook Elementary School....

Simply, and somewhat superficially, it's heinous, and unspeakably horrifying. "The massacre of twenty children between the ages 5-10 is an idea and practice reserved for dictatorial countries, and those territories more tribal than our own" is an idea popularly believed and accepted in America. But, the horrifying truth is that democracy, while an internationally accepted norm for ruling, is unspeakably dangerous as far as the ownership and handling of not only handguns, but large assault rifles - like the one used primarily by the alleged shooter in Newtown. And, while I am absolutely not arguing against the Constitution or democracy as an institution reflecting the beliefs of our founding fathers. What it is I am arguing is that, while democracy is dangerous in the aforementioned regard, it is also the saving grace, because it affords us the ability to re-open discussions on sensitive topics such as "gun control" and the rights of the mentally disabled. As citizens who have, in recent history, taken pride in being firmly nationalistic, we as American citizens need to re-discover what it means to be nationalistic - by informing ourselves on national issues such as this, educating ourselves on the representatives both locally and nationally who find common ground with our own beliefs, and VOTING accordingly. Participation is an integral seam in the American fabric - the one that binds and holds together. I will not advocate for one side or the other on here, for it is not my place to do so.

But, what I will advocate for is for you who are reading to do your duty as socially-conscious citizens of the country - Educate, Vote, and BE HONEST with yourself. Assess and become introspective; find what it is at YOUR core YOU believe, and act upon those feelings.


Thank you for reading you all, and so ends the most serious post of "BirdieNumNuMilkshake"! I hope you're all having a wonderfully peaceful holiday break, and a very HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you all!

Twitter: Chris_0Reilly



--Chris--