Sherrie R. Cronin's Blog, page 25

Top Requirement for a Superhero

[image error]More likely it was the goofy boots and lasso I saw as a young girl. This modernized Wonder Woman had a faintly Texas air about her, and I wasn’t big on cowboy stories. Was I judging her by her appearance? Sadly, yes. I didn’t know much else about her, though, because although I read comics and watched superheroes on TV,  somehow her stories were never there. Her image was all I had.

[image error]Then I became a teen-aged feminist, and Wonder Woman became a sex object. Well, not totally I’m sure, but her outward appearance took a sharp turn, so once again I wasn’t interested in her. I preferred my heroes not to look like that they were prepared to do a lap dance in some sort of kinky bondage strip club.

Read more at  Top Requirement for a Superhero.

(For more Wonder Woman inspired thoughts, see Believe, It’s About What You Believe, I believe in appreciating those who protect us. All of them, and Believe in Tomorrow.)

Filed under: c3: favorite posts Tagged: believe, creating characters, fiction, films, heroes, honor, kindness, role models, superheroes, superpowers, women, women warriors

Believe.

[image error]I can give you a long list of things I do not believe in, and an even longer list of kind-ofs to which I can add many qualifiers. But today, I’m forcing myself to make a short list of simple virtues in which I firmly believe. Virtues that can shape my everyday actions, you know, Wonder Woman style.

Read more at  Believe.

(For more Wonder Woman inspired thoughts, see Top Requirement for a Superhero,  It’s About What You Believe, I believe in appreciating those who protect us. All of them, and Believe in Tomorrow.)

Filed under: z2: favorite posts Tagged: acceptance, believe, compassion, define yourself, differences, ethics, fairness, how far we have come, intolerance, justice, kindness, open mind, personal freedom, perspective, tolerance, understanding

I believe in appreciating those who protect us. All of them

Which takes me back to my blogging theme for this month. It’s not about what people deserve, it’s about what you believe.

I believe, along with Arizona Republican and Vietnam war hero John McCain, that “Any American who meets current medical and readiness standards should be allowed to continue serving.”

I believe that policy changes that deeply impact the lives of of anyone should be well thought out, based on valid reasoning, and carefully and compassionately communicated.

Read more at I believe in appreciating those who protect us. All of them

(For more Wonder Woman inspired thoughts, see Top Requirement for a Superhero, Believe, It’s About What You Believe, and Believe in Tomorrow.)

Filed under: y1: favorite posts Tagged: acceptance, believe, compassion, equality, fairness, heroes, honor, justice, LGBT rights, open mind, sexuality, tolerance, working together

It’s About What You Believe

[image error]At this point, you might be concerned that too much of my personal philosophy comes from science fiction, but I’ll argue back. Stories of a speculative nature throw out a lot of societal constraints found in other frameworks, making it a fine realm in which to develop one’s code of ethics. It is absolutely where I have developed mine.

Read more at It’s About What You Believe.

(For more Wonder Woman inspired thoughts, see Top Requirement for a Superhero, Believe, I believe in appreciating those who protect us. All of them, and Believe in Tomorrow.)

Filed under: x0: favorite posts Tagged: be better, be gentle, believe, books, compassion, define yourself, ethics, fiction, heroes, kindness, philosophy, purpose, role models, science fiction, speculative fiction, superheroes

And that’s the way it was, June 18, 1972

I spent the summer of 1972 checking groceries, making out with my high school boyfriend, and trying my first marijuana. At the time, I needed both the money and the worldly experience because come September, I was off to study journalism in the big city of Chicago.

Even though I was going to be too young to vote, I also spent that summer following politics. I’d met Nixon the previous year and felt a visceral dislike for him. I’d become increasingly opposed to the Vietnam war. I was a geeky high school debater with a lot of opinions, and less of them favored the GOP each day. Oh, and I loved spy novels.

So on June 18, when I heard about a break-in at the Democratic National Headquarters, of course I was intrigued. Over the next two years I would become enthralled by the enfolding story.

Read more at And that’s the way it was, June 18, 1972.

(For more segments about June days from long ago, see That’s the Way It Was June 10, 1947, June 15, 1984, June 28, 1888, and June 30, 1940.)

Filed under: d4: favorite posts Tagged: choices, crime, ethics, history, honesty, honor, I know it when I see it, justice, lessons learned, obnoxious men, people who bring you down, perspective, politics, probability, risks, truth, unexpected

And that’s the way it was, June 30, 1940

Ten years later I headed off to college to major in journalism. I didn’t particularly want to write for a newspaper, and in fact was poorly suited to asking anyone questions they didn’t want to answer. But I wanted to be independent and fiery and have adventures, you know, so even though I’d long since stopped caring about either of my heroes, I landed in their profession. Go figure.

I suppose it’s a good thing that Major Astro didn’t run Wonder Woman features or I might have joined the army instead.

Read the full post at And that’s the way it was, June 30, 1940.

(For more segments about June days from long ago, see That’s the Way It Was June 10, 1947, June 15, 1984, June 18, 1972, and June 28, 1888.)a

Filed under: c3: favorite posts Tagged: adventure, choices, creating characters, define yourself, history, role models, women

And that’s the way it was, June 10 1947

[image error]She turned twenty-one that day, and married her high school sweetheart. He was about to turn twenty-two, and had already returned from the war, smoking cigarettes and telling tales of the motorcycle he had learned to ride. She thought that he seemed pretty full of himself since he got back, but she married him anyway at the small country church in the town in which she was raised. A 9:00 mass was followed by a giant buffet lunch which was followed by an afternoon of drinking and dancing and then a lavish dinner with more dancing and drinking after that.

Read the rest at And that’s the way it was, June 10 1947.

(For more segments about June days from long ago, see That’s the Way It Was June 15, 1984, June 18, 1972, June 28, 1888, and June 30, 1940.)

Filed under: z2: favorite posts, z2: time Tagged: beginnings, change, family, love, memories, time passing

And that’s the way it was, June 28, 1888

One of my best antidotes for information overload is history. There is something calming about returning to a world devoid of smart phones, cable news and (yes) blogging. Today, I was delighted to learn that exactly 129 years ago Robert Louis Stevenson left San Francisco for the South Seas.

[image error]Ah, islands in the Pacific. I am fascinated by that swath of the globe, although I’ve only managed to touch it twice. And Stevenson’s Treasure Island was certainly in the back of my mind when I wrote y1. I suspect that his more famous Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has helped inspire every writer after him who tried to craft a meaningful villain.

Read more at And that’s the way it was, June 28, 1888.

(For more segments about June days from long ago, see That’s the Way It Was June 10, 1947, June 15, 1984, June 18, 1972, and June 30, 1940.)

Filed under: travel, writing, y1: favorite posts, y1: joy Tagged: adventure, books, creating characters, do what you love, exploring, far away, fiction, fresh start, happiness, joy, ocean, personal freedom, reading, travel

And that’s the way it was, June 15, 1984

[image error]I would be an excellent liar. Not of the small, occasional-lie type, but of the grand, that-story-is-so-amazing-she-couldn’t-possibly-have-made-it-up type. After all, intricate plots and multi-faceted characters are my strength as a writer, and if you wanted to turn a small country’s propaganda machine over to me, I know I could do you proud.

That is why I almost never lie. Falsehoods scare me. And, in the way of those who abhor people who flaunt the very faults they work so hard to control, I hate liars. I am particularity outraged by grandiose, habitual liars who create a make-believe world and foist it on others as truth. How dare they?

Read more at And that’s the way it was, June 15, 1984.

(For more segments about June days from long ago, see That’s the Way It Was June 10, 1947, June 18, 1972, June 28, 1888, and June 30, 1940.)

Filed under: writing, x0: favorite posts, x0: telepathy Tagged: #amwriting, #amwritingfantasy, be who you are, beginnings, books, family, fantasy, fiction, finishing a novel, honesty, imagination, mind reading, telepathy, truth, video tapes, writing

As Far Away Places Edge Closer

Is a shrinking world a good thing? We now feel the pain of distant events in new ways. The sorrow they cause is difficult, the increased desire to help is laudable. I was searching for a video of a song to convey that feeling, to stand in contrast to the various videos of “Far Away Places” that I posted on my other blogs.

I found this instead and realized that it was perfect. Maybe that’s because it’s about the way the world could be. Or maybe, it’s about the way it really is and we just tend to forget.

Read the full post at As Far Away Places Edge Closer  and for more thoughts on Far Away Places see Those Far Away Places Could Be Next Door, Leaving a Light Footprint in a Far Away Place, Caring About Far Away Places and The Courage to Embrace Those Far Away Places.

Filed under: d4: favorite posts, d4: humanity, music Tagged: adventure, best music, better, connected, exploring, happy songs, just listen, music, music videos, tour, tourists, travel, understanding, unexpected, world