By now, the vast majority of you have heard me grumble about how empty I found the sentiment when the pundits were lauding America's election of Barack Obama as the embodiment of our nation's commitment to equality for all, while here in the "liberal" state of California the masses succumbed to a campaign of ignorance and fear-mongering to vote yes on Prop 8. I was so frustrated and disappointed by this that I actually participated in a protest a week after the election. Yes, you read that correctly: I participated in a protest, and not the fake kind where you turn the lights off in your house for an hour on a random Tuesday. No, I actually marched around and chanted things for the better part of an afternoon. Just so you don't think it's an outright lie, I'll readily admit I was with friends the entire time, never actually held a sign, and rarely raised my voice even to the level at which I lecture my students. Nevertheless, for those of you who know me well, this is still clearly a sign of the pending apocalypse. Yea, and the wry observer would participate in political action, and the seas would boil, the skys raineth blood, and as hell frozeth over, many a date that was sarcastically promised in youth cameth to be.
My goal here is not to praise my first tentative step into political activism, 'cause let's face it, this will most likely be my only one. No, I bring the matter up as segue into a charming little video from our friends at Funny or Die, who have given us such hilarious yet offputting gems as The Landlord and Green Team. This artistic triumph, however, has anything anyone could ever want: Jesus with a shrimp cocktail, musical theater, Neil Patrick Harris (aka NPH, aka Dr. Horrible), and a political message that isn't (too) heavy handed. And it's set in a Sacramento community college, albeit one that doesn't actually exist. Enjoy.
