Hero

VERSE 1

Screaming into a phone doesn’t make you a hero

Saying otherwise means your IQ is a solid zero

Any coward can offend from miles away

Any moron can change his face and name

But in order to have a solid steel spinal cord

You’ve got to be prepared for a fistfight war

You hide behind lawyers and sympathetic judges

And wonder why the public holds violent grudges

CHORUS 1

I see no bravery among you criminals

Your valor is at the very best minimal

Lock your asses up and throw away the key

Even heroes know when it’s time to flee

VERSE 2

Blasting a sound cannon at a crowd of protesters

Ensures your status as the corporate protectors

You represent the evil you’re trying to fight

You make the streets dangerous to walk at night

The irony is killing me like a rubber bullet

We’re buried underneath mountains of bullshit

Karma is a bitch and she’ll smack you like a pimp

Until your Burger King body is broken and limp

CHORUS 1

I see no bravery among you criminals

Your valor is at the very best minimal

Lock your asses up and throw away the key

Even heroes know when it’s time to flee

VERSE 3

It’s the same old shit, but on a different day

The power hungry don’t know when to pay

They don’t know when to shut their mouths

They hide from justice like a frightened mouse

Prison is a bitch and so are you, my friend

You’ll one day know what it’s like to bend

If it takes forever, we’ll fight forever

We’ll bring the thunder and stormy weather

CHORUS 2

I see no bravery among you thieves

I see no end for the ones who greave

You steal life like a home invader

And turn the innocent into gladiators

You want a battle? Here’s a war

Justice and honor are what we fight for

We don’t need machineguns and tanks

To our strongest voices, we give our thanks

"Flight" by Sherman Alexie

For those of us who grew up with a difficult past, it’s easy to get lost in the anger and that anger can often beget violence. Such is the case for half-Irish, half-Indian teenager known only as Zits (because of his poor complexion). His Indian father left him when he was just a baby and his mother died of cancer when Zits was only six years old. Ever since then, Zits has been bounced around from foster home to foster home with nothing but rage boiling inside of him. The burning hot anger gets too be too much and with the guidance of another troubled youth only named Justice, Zits comes within moments of shooting up a bank full of strangers. Before he can actually pull the trigger, the Indian youngster gets sent back to various moments in time in which the people he inhabits had to make violent choices as well, from nineteenth century Indian warriors to corrupt FBI agents. In each of these moments, Sherman Alexie is doing what a book critic once said he did all along, which was break our hearts and make us laugh at the same time. The laughter comes from the pop culture references and snappy dialogue, all of which coming from the narrative mind of Zits. The heartbreak takes the form of various deaths and tragedies that the people Zits wakes up as had to endure. Killing another human being isn’t nearly as easy as our angry consciences make it out to be. Yes, we can be angry enough to punch someone out or shoot someone into oblivion, but after the fact, it becomes hard to live with. Committing violent acts isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. It’s not relieving. It’s not therapeutic. It’s hurtful. Pain begets pain. Anger begets more anger. Blood doesn’t wash away no matter how much dish soap you use to scrub your hands with. Only a cold-blooded mercenary could ever live with himself after committing murder. Zits is not a cold-blooded mercenary. He’s just a kid who was dealt a crappy hand. And now he’s imagining dealing a crappy hand to complete strangers in return. The blood, the tears, the heartache, is it all worth it? If it’s still worth it to you after you read Flight by Sherman Alexie, you missed the point entirely. Life isn’t an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. It’s not even a Jason Statham movie. It’s a cycle of violence that tears away at us until there’s nothing left. Think about that for a minute, if you have the stomach for it.

　

***WRESTLING QUOTE OF THE DAY***

“Shawn Michaels claims to be this great Christian who loves everybody and then he goes out and shoots innocent animals with a high-powered rifle.”

-Jim Cornette-

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” is the main reason why I consider Sherman Alexie to be one of my personal influences. I’d like to read more work from this wonderful author, but I don’t know where to continue. But for now, consider this book to be one of the fastest and most enjoyable ones you’ll ever read. In this piece of autobiographical fiction, an Indian teenager named Arnold Spirit describes his dismal life of being bullied around on the Indian reservation in Spokane, Washington and how he went to an all-white school to get away from that. Just from this synopsis alone, you’d probably guess that there’s a lot of heartache for the reader to empathize with. But with every piece of heartache, there’re also some giggly moments. In fact, when a reviewer once said that he was “laughing while his heart was breaking”, I thought to myself that I couldn’t have said it better. One of my favorite lines in the whole book is when Arnold says, “It’s like stomping on the backs of baby seals on the way to the beach to protest seal clubbing.” I can’t remember what exactly it was he was describing, but it’s one of the giggly moments that you can enjoy while maintaining a quick flow. It made me wonder if having comedy increases the pace of the writing. It was certainly true for Carl Hiaasen’s work and “Napalm and Silly Putty” by George Carlin, so maybe that’s one of the reasons for Sherman Alexie’s breakneck pace. I’ll even go so far as to say that it doesn’t matter if you’re laughing like a hyena or smiling a Mona Lisa smile, because you won’t want to put the book down if you’re having a good time. It might also help if you the reader can relate to some of the themes of this book such as bullying, being in love, poverty, death, and friendship. While nobody could be compared to Arnold Spirit, you’ll still have plenty of reason to cheer him on as the story progresses. If you’re a writer and you need inspiration for whatever market you’re catering to, buy a copy of “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”. Or if you just want to cry and laugh at the same time, that’s perfectly alright as well.

　

***WRESTLING JOKE OF THE DAY***

Mr. Anderson is a real TNA-hole.