Oh yes, I was way into Pink Flamingos! Wait, what?!

That might explain your impressive mullet. And your raging contempt for the Jews.

His closest friends called him Double Donger.

Sincerity!? That aughtta learn ya.

No, I didn't say bold action should be discouraged. I am saying that the real price of that action was more often much more severe than what Atticus paid, which in fact was nearly nothing compared to what so very many real people paid. If Lee had depicted the more realistic likely consequences of such bold action then…

Hold on, now you've gone and undermined your best point. The character in the book is an idealized expression of propriety and virtue but he also possesses a few conflicted, vague aspects to which we are granted access by way of internal monologues, observations and admissions from other characters and authorial…

Yep, you have nailed it. I often imagined other more emotive, natural men in the lead, and doing so could have brought out the nuances of the book. In fact, the right male actor could have made Atticus even more emotive and natural and sympathetic than as depicted in the book, and it would have then been a perfectly…

But those horrific consequences that Atticus and his family avoided were the sad, tragic realities for many whites who did take a stand, even a relatively modest one, such as letting a black man have a seat on a bus or letting a black person use a bathroom. The community or a more active element of it wold rise up and…

I'm going to let you consider your last response, allow you to ponder the contemporary implications and relevance of it, especially in the context of the recent passing of Nelson Mandela, who withstood unconscionable treatment at the hands of the Dominant whites merely for attempting to bring a bit of basic humanity…

Fuck you! Uh, sorry. I mean, uh, sure, take your time. It's all good. Whatevs… You done thinking?! Huh?! What are ya thinkin'? Huh? C'mon, gimme a hint. I can't take the pressure. The waiting's the hardest part. OK, just type the first letter - N or Y. That's all I'm askin'… Aw hell, I'm goin' to sleep…

The attempted lynching of Tom is the critical, most elemental moment. Yes Tom is eventually lynched, but it's what doesn't happen that's critical and is what let's the audience off the hook in a very profound emotional and psychological sense, which is that nothing happens to Atticus or his family. That's the…

Yes, it happened, occasionally, very rarely, extremely rarely, and that's my criticism, of how the story holds up a radically uncommon event as evidence and proof of what "the common man" is capable. Atticus's fictional act of heroism has supplanted so many people's notion of the reality of what most often, too often…

That is a fascinating piece and a prime example of the notion that art is a very hard, impossible entity to pin down. Art's best aspect, it's subjectivity, is also it's most disruptive, nefarious, slippery quality. Who can say definitively what is or isn't art, or what is or isn't valuable and worthwhile? If someone…

If this had been a debate about abortion or immigration or taxation or any other reasonably controversial, delicate subject I would have only proceeded with utmost courtesy and respect. But a discussion involving Taste in Entertainment always seems to strike just as deep and profound a chord with people. We all take…

Yes, that's how one gets under people's skin, by being a jerk. Mostly, I just wanted to hear a passionate defense of Mockingbird to see if I could be persuaded. E Buzz Miller did a very nice job of translating my crude complaint into a very polite, eloquent, and socially sensitive statement. That was unexpected,…

Everyone else was getting along fine, till I started my shit. People don't like to be directly confronted for their beliefs and opinions, which is what I chose to do to make a point - dull as it is - that the civilized, intelligent behavior of Atticus, while admirable and impressive, in reality was likely to have only…

The reality of the times was such that a single, sole man - even a respected pillar of the community - would very possibly, even likely have been viciously attacked for his defiant efforts. That aspect of the truth of the moment is downplayed by Lee, almost criminally. When the angry mob descends on the jail to lynch…

See, that's what made Ebert so popular and so indispensable to modern film criticism. I completely, utterly disagree with his opinion and position, but it's such a great pleasure to read his eloquent, impassioned words. I happen to think Caligula - in spite of it's demented, depraved self - is a masterpiece of amoral,…

Henry Fonda, William Holden, Glen Ford, Robert Mitchum, George Peppard, George Raft, and even John Wayne would have given the character of Atticus some interesting, varying color. Or what about Frank Sinatra? Huh? Right?

This. This is exactly the opinion that's inciting me to firebomb my local orphanage. You confidently, flatly, unquestioningly declare that Peck is amazing in Mockingbird. That's what I'm contradicting, denying, refuting, that his performance was anything other than above average. He did an impressive, solid job, which…