The Geek/Parent Hat

While I have been a geek much longer than I have been a parent, there are moments when I have to remind myself that I am a parent. While I have a ready list of comic books to suggest to parents, there are times when someone might ask for a recommendation and then I give them a few and then they tell me that it's for their 12 year old nephew.

I read a large amount of independent titles along with Image. Most of these titles are edgy and for mature readers. While I enjoy these titles so much, I am careful to recommend them. They are not for the faint of heart. My oldest son, who is now 21, has never lived with us. He was raised by his pentacostal mother who at times could be very strict but then be much more liberal than I could ever be. So while my son had strict curfews, she allowed him to run the gamut when it came to entertainment.

I remember one evening on the phone when he was about 14, he recommended “Preacher.” I assumed that I have read everything from the Vertigo line, but somehow “Preacher” missed my radar, so I was a late comer to that story. I loved it. As an atheist, it was right up my alley but I will admit that it was borderline blasphemous (I am honestly shocked that they are planning to make this into a movie). At that moment I had forgotten my parent hat. Wait, what was my 14 yeard old doing reading “Preacher?” On top of that, did his mother approve of this? This is the time of the internet and oftentimes, children will have access to things that we parents might never even know about.

In our day, no matter how well we hid our secret stash, ma dukes would find it. They were physical and tangible objects that took up space. We were bound to get caught since we only had to slip one time. Nowadays, a porn stash and hentai books can fit in a thumb drive that we would need a password to hack into it. So if he got away with it, shout out to the young G. Still, “Preacher” deals with some heavy themes.

I am a huge fan of Octavia Butler, but I am hesitant to recommend it for children. Butler dealt with difficult themes along with intersectionality. Her work bites hard and is revolutionary on every conceivable level. I want my children to be readers of her. At that moment with my oldest, I felt it was time for me to introduce him to her. He taught me a valuable lesson that day.

The first is that each parent knows his or her child. I know my children. I know what they like and what they are ready for. So while I might recommend some dope comics for them, they might not dig it and really enjoy something else. My middle son enjoys manga. That's how he gets down. That is totally outside of my lane so I should seek ideas from manga readers.

Second is that no parents are created equal. Some parents really engage their children when it comes to pop culture. Some might be in the middle. Others might just let their children roll how they want. My mother had no clue what I was doing reading comics but she saw that it kept me off the streets, so she supported my comic book habit. She had no clue what I was talking about when my brother and I would geek out. Every parent gets down differently. That is also okay.

Finally, we have to give our children the benefit of the doubt. As a parent, mentor, and educator, I have learned that children surpass every standard we set for them. They will get concepts that are completely over our heads. We have to stop assuming that they might not get something.

I hope this post helps. It's something that's been on my mind for the last few days. Today was the opportunity for me to put it out. You know your child better than anyone else. You know their perks and what they dig. You know how they get down. So while a comic might have that Mature rating, one never knows how they will grow from that.  

A Butlerian future?

Two days ago on June 25th, was the born day for George Orwell, the author of the classics Animal Farm and 1984. It's unfortunate that this was glossed over in the mainstream media even though HR 6034 FISA Amendment Act of 2008 was just passed last Friday. I remember way back in 1983, when the mainstream media made a big hoopla about the book “1984.” Most people balked at the idea of an Orwellian society. Many assumed that Orwell was discussing a future where Stalin like dictators ruled the world. Contrary to popular belief in 2008, there are Stalin like dictators who run several countries (Zimbabwe, North Korea, etc.).

In the United States, things are much different. Yet lately, our economy has hit a low. Food and gas prices have skyrocketed to prices that have not been seen in decades. The 1973 oil crisis was not as bad. Next winter, people will see gas bills for heating their homes to double. Economists claim that there will be another 1.5 million foreclosures in the next 18 months. Some are afraid that more and more companies will continue to lay off their employees as more of them move overseas or try to cover the rising prices of food. Gun violence is beginning to have another upsurge. Gangs continue to plague communities throughout the nation.

All of these things seem to place us teetering at the edge. It reminds me of Octavia Butler's “Parable of the Talents.” It is set in the year 2025 and things are much worse than we have it now. However, it all sprung from the situation we see ourselves in now. The suffering economy, loss of jobs, lawlessness, the widening gap between the rich and the poor, etc. It's scary to think of it that way. I don't mean to scare folks just wanted to point that out.

Maybe Butler was warning us. She also saw the potential in humanity to uplift itself. Of course like the characters in the story, we have to find the solutions within ourselves. We can expect some wanna be deity save us from all this. Like Butler's story, there is hope but we have to work at it. That's the part I took away from her stories.

If anything, I encourage my readers to check out her stuff. You won't be disappointed.