Press-Republican

Columns

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
comments powered by Disqus
October 3, 2009

Torn between the dark and the light

By STEVE OUELLETTE, You Had to Ask

An important moment in any young child's year comes in October, when he or she has to decide what costume to wear on Halloween.

My sons have been through the ritual every year since they hit trick-or-treating age. Will I be a ghost or a vampire? A baseball player or a football player? Spider-Man or Superman?

This year is different. This year has me dripping sweat and biting my nails. This year's decision has lasting, serious implications for my younger son and our entire family.

"Dad, I want to be either Yoda or Darth Vader."

Yoda OR Darth Vader? These two are not interchangeable. They're mutually exclusive. It's good vs. evil. It's like choosing between God or the Devil; dogs or cats; John or Yoko; Big Papi or Derek Jeter.

It's not like the Star Wars costuming decisions I had to make as a child — Han Solo or Luke Skywalker? Wookie or Ewok? Princess Leia or Jabba the Hutt? This one is a choice between the light side of the Force and the dark side "¦ and it is a choice, frighteningly, that my 7-year-old has to make for himself.

There is much for him to consider. Frankly, I think he's a bit too tall for Yoda and much too short for Darth Vader — either way he'll look a little silly — but it goes much, much deeper than that.

Does he want to be wise or devious? Old and shriveled or wheezing and disfigured? Does he want to use a green lightsaber or a red lightsaber? Would he rather fly a TIE fighter or an X-wing? Would he rather be powerful or shockingly nimble?

Does he want to teach future generations or rule them with an iron fist? Does he want to wear a cape or talk in backwards sentences he will?

What he chooses now could determine the direction his entire life takes; heck, the future of the entire empire could hang in the balance.

I tried to convince my son that, since Yoda is one of his possibilities, maybe another Muppet would be just as good. Not to mention less nerve-wracking and heart-wrenching. Perhaps Kermit the Frog or my personal favorite, Grover? He refused. Wouldn't even consider Elmo or Miss Piggy.

Two separate friends suggested I just have him go trick-or-treating as young Anakin Skywalker. Anakin, of course, will later become Darth Vader, but at one point he was a powerful Jedi in the service of goodness.

I thought about it, but since it would mean he'd have to dress as a character played by Hayden Christiansen, I figured that would be the same as dressing him as a cardboard cutout or Keanu Reeves.

Plus, this would still leave him in limbo and merely put off the inevitable moment of decision.

I know that my son is basically a good kid, but he's always been a little "¦ rambunctious.

I could see him being intrigued by the dark side, drawn to it. Tempted by it.

He's just 7 and I could see a future where he's a leader of men, a protector of the innocent, a beacon of strength, a source of wisdom. But I could also see a future with him as a ruthless power-monger and an evil genius.

He could go either way. We'll know by Oct. 31. May the Force be with him.

E-mail Steve Ouellette at: ouellette1918@gmail.com

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Columns
Peter Black: Canadian Dispatch

Lois Clermont, Editor

Cornell Cooperative Extension

Richard Gast: Cornell Ag Extension

Bob Grady

Guest Columns

Peter Hagar: Cornell Ag Connection

Health Advice

Ray Johnson: Climate Science

Gordie Little: Small Talk

Terry Mattingly: On Religion

Steve Ouellette: You Had To Ask

Colin Read: Everybody's Business

Senior Thoughts