Reflections upon Frozen II

It's hard to believe, with the movie in question being in the theater for almost two months now, but we finally saw Frozen II. A few random thoughts:

• It was surprising to me at first that Kristen Bell was listed first in the credits rather than Idina Menzel. But the more I think about it, the more sense it makes. This really is Anna's story more than it is Elsa's. Elsa is the catalyst, but this is really about how Anna makes it through the valley of her deepest sorrow and demonstrates the will to triumph nonetheless. Anna evenhad the best song (see below). People talked about how empowering, especially to young girls, Frozen was back in the day. This movie takes that message up to eleven.
• It's hard to think of this movie as a sequel to Frozen. The tone is just so different. This ain't no typical Disney princess movie. It feels more...I don't know, more grown up, maybe. Higher stakes, both for Anna and Elsa and for everyone around them. More emotionally jarring. More intense in its action and emotional impact. Much darker in its implications. Even with Olaf's occasional funny bits, this isn't a comedy. It's a full-on drama.
• The fact that "Into the Unknown" won the Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for best original song proves to me that the people who make these decisions aren't paying attention. "The Next Right Thing" and "Show Yourself" are both much more worthy candidates. As one internet commenter said about "The Next Right Thing", "I know everyone is freaking out about Elsa but this song here, this song is going to save lives." Heck, for my money, even "Lost In the Woods" is a better song. Which is not to disparage "Into the Unknown"; it's a solid musical offering. There are just two or three songs that are even better.
• Speaking of "Lost In the Woods", the Weezer pop cover during the end credits was good. But if I'd been in charge, I would've gone for broke and tried to get Peter Cetera to sing it. Or failing him, the current lead singer of Chicago (Neil Donell). That would've been awesome.
• And speaking of "The Next Right Thing", this song has a beautiful and powerful message. We all hit rock bottom sometimes. We all wonder sometimes how we can go on when all seems lost. This song is a powerful affirmation that there is life and hope and light and meaning. Whatever has been lost, there is always the freedom to choose. To make one decision. To do that next right thing, small and inconsequential though it may seem. We can't do everything. Sometimes, we feel like we can't do anything. But we can always do something--the next right thing.
• This doesn't happen to me very often, but as soon as the idea of the Fifth Spirit came up, I knew how it was going to work out. I couldn't really figure out the mechanism, but I saw the outcome. That's pretty impressive for me.
• My nonverbal ten-year-old daughter LOVED this movie. She bounced and giggled and laughed through the entire thing. My precocious six-year-old son didn't like it as much. In fact, Mom had to take him out for a few minutes at one point because he was scared. That's understandable; as mentioned above, the movie was pretty intense in places. But he liked the ending, because he knew that Elsa was going to a party with her family.

All in all, I enjoyed this movie quite a lot. It's definitely not the same as the original...and that's not a bad thing.

To Facebook, or Not to Facebook?

I've been on a self-imposed exile from Facebook for a couple of weeks. I'd had a frustrating experience with a student and posted a brief (and nonspecific) comment about it. Someone I know read it, took offense, and apparently decided to educate me on the matter. 

The individual in question apparently said that I was a very opinionated person who was always posting things without thinking. They condescended to explain to me how little I understood about the issue in question--because having been an educator for over a decade and having two kids of my own in public schools doesn't give me any insight into the issue, I guess. They apparently expressed frustration over how little compassion I had for students in difficult situations.

I keep saying 'apparently' because I never actually read the comment in question. The aforementioned individual apparently decided to react their comment (after several other people besides me had seen it) and decided just to block me instead.

Which is fine. Do what you gotta do. Heaven knows you're not the first.

So I decided at that time it was probably in my best interest to get away from Facebook for a while. And now, a couple of weeks later, I'm trying to decide if I really want to go back.

There are a lot of good things about Facebook. There are some special interest groups I'm a member of, and they frequently have posts that are enlightening, or at least entertaining. There's Dave's daily music game, which honestly I have missed. And Facebook is a good way to keep up with family and friends in faraway places.

Unfortunately, there are also a lot of idiots...er, silly people on Facebook. There are spammers and multi-level marketers and newfangled snake-oil salesmen. There are disciples of Maslow's Law, convinced that their one-size-fits-all personal pet project (the Keto diet, essential oils, daily Bible verses, etc.) can be the solution to all your problems. There's the Dunning-Kruger brigade, speaking/writing with profound passion and presumed authority about things they clearly don't understand even a little bit. There are people who think the world revolves around the Kardashians, or Harry and Meghan, or Sean Hannity, or whoever, and flood everyone's news feed with minutiae that in reality only they care about. 

And there are people who post and/or repeat things that are demonstrably false--vaccines cause autism, the Earth is flat, climate change is a hoax, that kind of thing. This has become ever more prevalent in a country it is now largely post-factual, where the truth of what is said is not as important as whether the person who said it has an (R) or a (D) beside their name.

But even worse than any of these are the idiots who have to prove that they're right--or that the other person is wrong. They can't just leave well enough alone. If somebody says something that is inaccurate, or misunderstood, or insulting to themselves or their tribe, they simply have to respond and let everybody know that they're right and that the other person is wrong.

And the very worst thing about this particular kind of idiot is that I appear to have become one of them.

I don't know where or when or how I became so reactionary. But I hate it. My kids are both huge fans of the movie Frozen, as am I. But in the last few years, I have found myself increasingly unable simply to let it go.

I once allowed myself to get into a protracted argument with a stranger on Facebook.* After quite a bit of back-and-forth, the other person flat-out said, "You're never going to change my mind on this." To which I responded, "I'm not saying any of this for your benefit. You're beyond help. I'm saying this for the benefit of the random reader who might stumble upon your post and mistakenly conclude that you have any idea what you're talking about." It wasn't received well, as you might imagine.

So this is my big conundrum. Can I go back to that environment, where I could potentially be facing, in the words of Motormouth Maybelle, "a whole lotta ugly comin' at [me] from a neverending parade of stupid"? And if I do, can I temper my responses so as not to make things worse? Or do I just not respond at all?

I can't do anything about what other people say.** What I can control is my own reactions. I need to work on restraint, and humility, and considering things from a different perspective. I sometimes fall into the trap of believing that my own way is the best way.*** And maybe it is. But I can't just assume that, I suppose. Actually, given my track record, it's probably a bad idea to assume that. I've been wrong a lot in my life.

I guess the real question is this: Is the fun I have on Facebook worth the aggravation I know I might face if I go back? Have I missed my Facebook experience more than I have not missed it? And am I in a position right now to make it more fun than aggravating?

I don't know the answer to that question right now. And maybe that's my answer. Maybe I need to give it another couple of weeks.

--

* There is an old saying among my people: "Never Wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty, and the pig likes it." On the other hand, there's this: "When someone does a foolish thing, you should tell them it is a foolish thing. They may still continue to do it, but at least the truth is where it needs to be." As much as I recognize the validity of the second statement, the pragmatic part of me is beginning to gravitate more toward the first.

** Okay, technically that's not true, I can block them if they're being egregiously unpleasant. Heaven knows it wouldn't be the first time.

*** "Of course I think my way is the best way," I will say. "If I thought there was a better way, I'd do it that way instead."