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If you listened to our most recent Brink Podcast , you heard us discuss a new genre that is developing in Christian publishing. It’s actually being called “Christian Vampire Fiction.” If you listened you also heard some strong opinions come out and heard things get a little bit fiery. If you haven’t listened, I encourage you to do so. You can visit www.thebrinkonline.com/podcast or find us on iTunes.

I’d like to add a few more comments and maybe clarify a few things with this post.

First of all, I understand that the vampires in Twilight are not the typical vampires we’ve seen in literature. They have morals, practice abstinence (even if it’s not for the right reasons), and are like “normal” people. But here’s my problem: Vampires have long been considered mythological creatures that represent some type of cultist activity. And as we know, they survive by feeding off the blood of living creatures. So how does that line up with Christian value and virtue? It doesn’t.

Regardless if the vampires are moral human beings or not, when we start mixing elements of mysticism in with Christianity, we’ve created a syncretic approach. Essentially, we are blending 2 systems of belief that do not need to be blended.

So let’s look at this even deeper. What happens when a Christian parent tells his or her teen she can’t read Twilight but she can read the Christian alternative? Essentially that parent is saying “Since this is Christian, it’s okay.” In reality, the parent is telling that teen “If it’s labeled Christian, it’s acceptable.” And the truth of the matter is, something labeled “Christian” could be far misleading than the original brand.

The danger of labeling something as “Christian” is that many people in our world aren’t able to discern things from a biblical worldview. They see the Christian label and accept everything at face value, never once thinking to question what the author might be saying. This has led to a lot of “Christian stuff” that is garbage. From Christian music to Christian publishing, there is a lot of stuff out there that has the “Christian” label but is far from biblical.

Christian Vampire Fiction exemplifies that. Mixing Christianity and mysticism is not acceptable. Parents may think this is harmless, but it’s a gateway to other things.

Look at books like The Secret or The Shack. These books have ideas that actually go against the words of Scripture. However, people in our society read the words of these books as Scripture, accepting everything as truth, simply because it’s labeled “Christian.”

To be honest, if I had a teen who was wanting to read Twilight, I would probably prefer my teen to read Twilight instead of the Christian alternative. Here’s why: I could use Twilight as a teaching tool. We could read the book together and discuss the truth in the book, and also where the book falls short. However, things become much more complicated with a “Christian” version. Not only is the quality of the writing typical poorer, but you also have a “Christian” version that is not quite Christian at all.

We have to be very careful and discerning. “Christian” does not mean God-honoring or even biblical. In fact, it even seems like some “Christian” things are more a mix of religions than anything. And the truth is, we cannot mix religions and worship God.

It starts small, even with a simple book. We HAVE to compare what we do and what we read to the Word of God. We must give it a test and see if it holds up when we look at things through a biblical lens. Even if it’s labeled “Christian,” if it does not fall in line with a biblical worldview, it’s not very “Christian” at all.

If you have a comment or a disagreement or agreement, I ask that you tune into our podcast at www.thebrinkonline.com/podcast first and hear our full argument.

This post might offend some people. If it does, just try to hear me out before you get angry and vow to never read my blog again. I have this theory that there are a lot of things that are popular in this culture simply because we think we’re supposed to like those things. For instance, when I was in high school, some friends and I made up a fake band and started raving about them to some of our other friends. Within a short time, some of our oblivious friends were raving about how awesome that band was. They even claimed to have all their albums and songs. Unfortunately, that band was made up. They simply liked them because some of their friends did.

Just because something makes this list does not mean that you’re a poser and only like it because your friends do. In fact, most things in life are “liked” because of a chain reaction. I truly believe that there are genuine fans of these shows, movies, products, etc. The following list (in no particular order) contains things that I think our society has overrated, simply because people think they’re supposed to like those things.

1. Coldplay
And here come the hateful comments. I do think a lot of people like Coldplay for their music. However, I think a lot of people buy into Coldplay because “everyone” thinks Coldplay is “cool” and let’s face it, we all want to be cool.

2. Dane Cook
He’s not funny! But somewhere along the way, someone really popular said he liked Dane Cook. And the snowball effect has taken place.

3. Lost
Too soon? I will admit that I’m a fan of Lost. However, sometimes I think Lost gets overhyped because people think they are supposed to be obsessed with it. It’s a great show…but some go just a little bit overboard with it.

4. The New York Yankees
You either love them or hate them…and a lot of people that love them came to love them by jumping on the bandwagon. They’ve almost become more of a fashion accessory than a baseball team. If you see someone wearing a flat-billed cap turned sideways, chances are it’s a Yankees hat.

5. Avatar
It was in 3D. It featured blue people. But is it really a “great” movie? Is it Golden Globe worthy? Academy Award worthy? I think the media made a lot of us buy into this one.

6. Lady Gaga
People call her a freak, yet her music sells. Someone must be buying it. I guess she could be the very opposite of this last and everyone buying her music is a closet fan afraid to admit it.

7. The North Carolina Tar Heels
This one is tough to put on here because I’d like to think of myself as one of the biggest Tar Heel fans on the planet. (I even came home from the hospital wrapped in a Tar Heel blanket when I was born.) However, much like the Yankees, the Heels have become a bandwagon-ridden team. This is mostly in part to Michael Jordan. Nonetheless, there’s a lot of Heels fans out there who are Heels fans simply because they want to fit in with their peers and culture.

8. Kim Kardashian
I’m pretty sure she’s only popular for being popular. Yet Kim, as well as any other “reality-TV” celeb on the E! channel have become overnight sensations. Their shows and stories are pitiful, materialistic, and vain, yet their popular keeps growing. Do we really like this people, or do we simply like them because our friends like them?

9. Hot Wings
This probably applies to guys more than anyone. Wings are a “guy’s” food. And to be honest, they’re good. But there’s a level of pride in guys that says they have to eat the hottest wings possible to keep their standing as “one of the guys.” Anything mild makes them a wuss. So even though they’re mouth is on fire, they’ll swallow their pride (literally) and pretend like everything is fine.

10. Rap music
A lot of people truly enjoy rap music. But a lot of people only listen to it because their friends are listening to it. You know who I’m talking about too. They’re very easy to spot.

11. Alcohol
If none of your friends drank alcohol, would you? Even more, if all of your friends thought alcohol was disgusting and detestable, would you touch it? Probably not. You’d have no need to.

12. The Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is much more than a game these days. It’s 2 weeks of media coverage, and a 3 hour social gathering for most people. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s fun for people to get together for the game, even if they care nothing about the game. But since a lot of people show interest in it just to blend in with the crowd, it makes this list.

13. MMA
UFC has a huge following, as well as the rest of MMA. It’s a sport that’s on the rise. But in a sport that’s becoming so popular, you know there has to be a large chunk of the audience that only watch because it’s the “cool” and “manly” thing to do. Also, wearing Tapout and Affliction t-shirts fits in here too.

14. Abercrombie & Fitch
Why do people buy overpriced clothing? Because they’re friends are buying overpriced clothing and because the media says that is what we need to wear to be cool.

15. Dave Matthews Band
See Coldplay

16. American Idol
For many of us, we watch because our friends and co-workers watch. After all, we don’t want to be left without a word during the talk around the water cooler.

17. Political Activism
Whether it’s a fight for social justice or politics, a lot of people take a side they know nothing about and march, protest, complain, etc because that’s what everyone else is doing. This really seems to spring up around election time. If you really want to see it in action, wait until October 2012. Whether people love Obama or hate Obama, they will be out in full force…with absolute ignorance as their guide. Any guesses on how many of those people actually read the newspaper or watch Fox News and/or CNN regularly?

18. President Barack Obama
I’m not bashing or endorsing the president here. However, in many circles, it’s fairly obvious that people make up their opinions about the president based on the opinions of their friends or others in their “social group.” Very few people actually know how to think politically for themselves. Instead, they either hate or love the president based on what they think they are supposed to do to be accepted in certain circles.

19. Twilight
Need I say more?

20. Michael Jackson
It’s sad that Michael Jackson died at an early age. It’s amazing how many people became fans after he died. Some people just couldn’t stand to fall behind a trend.

Thanks for those that contributed. I want to give you credit, but I don’t want to put your name down if you wished to remain anonymous. So, feel free to claim your submission. If there’s anything to add, feel free. If you disagree, I would love to hear about it.

The Bachelor makes me feel insecure. As a bachelor myself, it seems like it shouldn’t or wouldn’t, but it does. Is it crazy that some reality-TV show could make me feel this way? Maybe. But I think the power that lies behind it is deeper than we actually think.

Although I’m not a fan of The Bachelor and do not watch it regularly, I’ve seen and read enough about it to know the premise, the controversies, the proposals, the fighting, the breakups, etc. And no matter how ridiculous I think the show can be, it still makes me feel insecure.

You see, the guys they get for The Bachelor aren’t anything like me. In fact, the guys they find aren’t like most of us. Through their ultra-selective profiling and filtering, ABC finds the most attractive, charming, and financially secure (aka rich) men to headline the show.

While the the “bachelors” not only have looks and money, they’re also given an inexhaustible budget for their dates. If they want to fly a girl to an exotic island for the weekend, they can do it. If they want to take a girl hiking in the Grand Canyon, they can do it. If they want to sent up a romantic dinner on the beach with champagne and expensive food, they can do it. Why? Because when the cameras are off, ABC sets it all up for them. In fact, I doubt the people on the show have to do much thinking at all. Everything is already laid out for them.

So maybe you can start to see where my insecurities come in. This picture that we paint as “reality,” features a rich GQ model who can make any girl’s dream come true, simply because he has a budget that has been given to him by a network. Sadly, we look at this and call it “romance.”

Some women may read this and argue that their love for the show has nothing to do with the good looks of the bachelor, his charm (how much of a factor is ABC’s editing in this factor?), or his money. Maybe. But I’ve heard men put up similar arguments and say they only go to Hooters because of the wings, or only watch Baywatch because they love David Hasselhoff’s acting.

Do you remember the show Average Joe? Probably not because it was canceled after a short time on TV. It was a show much like The Bachelor, only it featured one beautiful person to be “won,” and all of the “competitors” were average people. Like I said, it didn’t last. Even so, at the end of the first 2 seasons, the “beautiful” person had their choice of an “average joe” or a model…and the shallow models won out both times.

Still, some might argue that romance is the key factor. However, how real is the romance? After all, most of the men on the show kiss several women within hours of each other. And then you have the hot tub visits, the overnight stays, and yada yada yada. If you want a taste of reality, consider this: Out of the 13 seasons, only 1 couple from the show is still together…and they even broke up for about a year.

So maybe now you can see my insecurity. I’m not good looking like the guys on the show. I don’t have a successful career and lots of money. I don’t have a network paying for exotic expensive dates or paying for roses that I can give out each week. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that that is what so many women are craving. They’re craving that false sense of romance they see on TV for 1 hour a week. They’re craving a good-looking guy who has charm and lots of money. They’re craving romance that seems perfected and utopian through the screen of their TV. They’re craving something that really isn’t reality at all.

Let me offer this apology to women on behalf of men. I’m sorry if we’ve ever made you feel inadequate when we see a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition on the shelves. I’m sorry if we’ve lied and spent time at restaurants simply because of the waitresses and not the food. I’m sorry if we’ve stared at the opposite sex in a way that has made you feel uncomfortable or insecure. We’re guilty of this too. And we’re without excuse.

Now I seem to know how you feel. And maybe that’s why The Bachelor makes me feel so insecure.

The US News and World Report released a study last week that says 1 in 4 teen girls have STDs (The results from the study showed 24.1% of teen girls in the study to be exact). Among teen girls who were sexually experienced, 37.7% had STDs.

Among the diseases, HPV was the most common infection, followed by chlamydia.

Some experts are calling for young teens and tweens to get the HPV vaccine to prevent the disease, especially cervical cancer, from occurring. Others are calling for sex education to begin at an earlier age.

Maybe we’re preaching the wrong message here. Whether we come out and say it or not, when schools teach messages about special vaccines, pills, or various uses of contraception, many of them do so in a way that says “We’re not going to discourage you from having sex; we just want to teach you some safety precautions.”

If you look online, you can find plenty of websites that teach people how to pass sobriety tests if they’re drunk. Sounds stupid right? Why should these sites even exist? We don’t want drunk people on the road at all, do we?

The same could be said about sex education and all of the “safety precautions.” Schools and experts have no problem telling teens how to take precautions. However, if you drive drunk enough times, you’re bound to be in an accident sooner or later. The same can be said for teenage sex. No matter how “safe” you try to be, you will have to face the consequences at some point, whether physically, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, etc.

From that study, it appears that at least 1 out of 4 of teen girls would agree.

Sex education isn’t the answer. Contraception isn’t the answer. Pills aren’t the answer. Vaccines aren’t the answer. We may think they help a little bit, but judging from numbers, it doesn’t seem to be much. It seems the only true answer we should be teaching is abstinence.

If 24.1% of girls 13-19 have STDs, can you imagine what that number will be 10 years from now…right about the time those girls are getting married…

[You can read the full story by clicking here]

Today I turned 25 years old. Yep, I’m 1/4 of the way to the century mark. Today made me think of what some of my “favorites” have been in my life–my favorite songs, video games, TV shows, friends, subjects in school, etc. When I was a little kid (I use the term “little” loosely), my favorite show was Sesame Street. My earliest memory of Sesame Street is still one of my favorites. It was James Taylor singing “Jelly Man Kelly.” That happened in 1980…4 years before I was even born. 29 years later, I’m still a fan of James Taylor (and Sesame Street). It’s amazing how some things never change. Since today is my 25th birthday, and this year is Sesame Street’s 40th anniversary, I thought I’d share a little bit of my favorite moment:

This article comes from Aaron Kuriloff of Bloomberg.com. You can find the full story by clicking here. My thoughts are after the story.

Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) — Playing team sports increases teenage boys’ likelihood to binge drink and fight, while reducing unhealthy behavior in girls, a study found.

Teen girls who played team sports said they fought less, were depressed less often and didn’t smoke as much, according to a study presented today at the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting. Male athletes who played team sports also reported some benefits, such as less depression and smoking, the organization said in a news release.

“Sports team participation appears to have both protective and risk-enhancing associations,” said the study’s author, Susan M. Conner from the Injury Prevention Center at University Hospitals’ Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, in the release. “These results indicate that healthy lifestyle benefits are not universal and do not apply equally across genders.”

The study surveyed 13,000 U.S. high school students to evaluate links between team sports and risky behavior. About 60 percent of the boys reported they played team sports within the last year, compared with 48 percent of girls.

The boys playing team sports reported binge-drinking rates 40 percent higher and fighting 30 percent more often than nonathletes, according to the news release. The athlete boys also showed 30 percent lower rates of depression and 20 percent less smoking.

The girls showed no link to drinking in the study, the research reported. The athletic girls showed 10 percent lower rates of fighting, 30 percent less depression, 50 percent less smoking and 10 percent less unhealthy weight loss habits compared with nonathlete girls, the study found.

This study doesn’t come as a huge surprise to me. I think parents, teachers, coaches, and teenagers have had a pretty good idea about these results for a long time. For many teenagers, especially guys, sports is associated with popularity and popularity is associated with alcohol. In my high school, many of the popular guys were athletes who also drank.

Less smoking among both genders seems obvious as well. It’s difficult to be an athlete at the top of your game if you’re smoking.

It’s also no surprise that sports seems to boost or at least sustain self-esteem. When teenagers have a hobby or something they can spend time doing, it helps self-esteem, especially when a teen can find reason to feel good about sometime. Self-esteem is also built when relationships are built through activities such as sports.

The increase in fighting among athletes vs nonathletes doesn’t seem to be surprising concerning boys. I’ve seen fights break out among fans at hockey games. Guys take a lot of pride in their teams, even if they’re not the ones playing. If guys are playing, that pride increases even more. When someone talks bad about their team, they take it personal. That’s when fists get thrown and fights ensue.

Although much of this information may seem obvious and predictable, it is saddening and scary and something parents should take note of. While athletics can have many positive effects on the lives of teenagers, it can also lead them to take part in things that are unwholesome.

Teenagers will do almost anything to be liked, popular, or just fit in. For some, this is turning to sports. If sports was as far as this went, the problem would not be so complicated and detrimental. Unfortunately, the drive for popularity leads many teens (especially guys) beyond the field and to the bottle. Maybe the boys should take a note from the girls on this one…

Ask any fan of CBS’ popular show The Big Bang Theory who their favorite character is, and 99% of people will tell you it’s Sheldon (played by Jim Parsons).

Likewise, ask fans of NBC’s show Community the same question and it’s likely a majority will tell you their favorite character is Abed (played by Danny Pudi).

What’s interesting is that both characters seem to have some type of disorder that many have labeled as Aspergers. In fact, in one of the first episodes of Community, Jeff (played by Joel McHale) directly tells Abed that he has Aspergers.

According to Wikipedia, Asperger syndrome is “an autism spectrum disorder, and people with it therefore show significant difficulties in social interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.”

Symptoms of this are very evident in Sheldon. He is socially awkward and often gets on his friends’ nerves because of his repetitive behavior that seems OCD. He has trouble with social interaction, often being clueless as to when someone is using sarcasm. Although he’s a genius, he’s often the butt of all the jokes and just doesn’t have a clue.

Abed shows many of these symptoms but in different ways. Though socially awkward, he is also very culturally aware. Typically, Abed is the one making the jokes instead of getting made fun of. However, he seems to having a problem taking social or emotional clues from other cast members, often living outside the norm and doing his own thing and being his own person.

When interviewed about the possibility of Sheldon having Aspergers, Jim Parsons had this to say:

When I asked the writers if Sheldon had Asperger’s, they said, “No, he does not. That’s not what we’re doing.” Okay. But it made me curious. And I don’t know why, but Johnny read that book Look Me In The Eye by Augusten Burroughs’ brother [John Elder Robison], who wrote about his life with Asperger’s. I think Johnny purchased it and took it with him on a trip, and when he came back he said, “You’ve got to read this. You’re gonna die. The Sheldon comparisons.” And I immediately went and I got it. And that was as much “research” as I’ve done on it. Which was very fun research, because it was very applicable human stories about living with Asperger’s. And the comparisons were undeniable. (Thanks to The A.V. Club for the article)

So far, I have not heard any comments from NBC about Abed possibly having the disorder.

By scanning through some message boards, blogs, articles, etc. I have noticed several reactions to the idea the characters have Aspergers. Some are extremely upset and refuse to watch the shows because of the portrayals. Some of the people, which include parents of children with Aspergers, say they are extremely offended by people making jokes at a very real disorder. However, others, including parents of children with Aspergers, love the idea that there are characters on TV that have this disorder. One father said his child with Aspergers has always longed to see TV incorporate characters with these real disorders to make people see that they are real. Other people have said that it has opened up their eyes to a disorder that they didn’t know is real.

I’m not here to argue if it’s right or wrong, but I do find it extremely interesting that two of the most popular and likable characters on television seem to have this disorder. Maybe this is because we’ve exploited the quirks of the disorder, but I’m not so sure. During the current season of The Amazing Race, one of the most popular teams was Zev and Justin. Zev was the first contestant on the show with Aspergers. Before their elimination, they became one of the most popular teams on the show as many came to love Zev’s unique personality and unique sense of humor.

While Sheldon and Abed aren’t exactly representatives of “reality,” I do think that along with their senses of humor (thanks to well-written shows), people have come to love their differences and quirks. Maybe it’s exploitation. Maybe it’s people acknowledging these disorders are real and coming to accept and love the people that have them nonetheless. I guess that’s not for me to decide…

- You remember a time when the Macarena was actually cool to do

- You remember when Facebook was called a “cordless phone”

- You owned a special comb for your Treasure Troll

- You like Christian Bale, but you’re a little more partial to Adam West

- You put on a pair of glasses, pulled your pants up high, snorted, and asked, “Did I do that?” in your best Urkel voice

- You remember when there was only 1 Michelle Tanner

- You’ve always seen Howie Mandel as the genius behind Bobby’s World, not Deal or No Deal

- You asked someone to marry you with a Ring Pop

- You own parachute pants

- Your first encounter with Alanis Morisette was on You Can’t Do That on Television

- You actually thought Scooby-Doo was taped before a live studio audience

- You sang The Song That Never Ends until you got punched

- You remember when baseball cards were actually worth something

- No one batted an eye at the thought of two men named Ernie and Bert living together

- You always hoped your doctor was named Doogie

- You tried to turn your skateboard into a hoverboard

- Who cares about “The Fonz?” Mike Seaver was the man!

- Your role model: Mark Summers

- You can finish this: “And I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there, I’ll tell you how I became the prince…”

- You decided your lifetime career and future spouse by playing MASH

- You’ve tasted the “orange drink” at a birthday party at McDonalds

- Your first taste of American literature was Goosebumps or The Boxcar Children

- You’ve ever seen a movie starring Shaq

- You remember when floppy discs were actually floppy

- You’ve mastered “Oregon Trail”

- You poked a hole in the wrong part of a Capri Sun and had it squirt all over you

- Your mom wouldn’t let you play Mortal Kombat because it was too violent

- You ever owned anything made by Sega

- You’re still waiting for Macaulay Culkin to make another Home Alone movie

- You thought Trapper Keepers were the coolest!

- You actually wanted to hang with Mr. Cooper

- You remember when Nick At Nite had shows from before your time; not shows that were canceled 2 years ago

- You ever said “Whoa!” and tried to sound like Joey Lawrence

- You remember when McDonalds put a Barbie or Hot Wheels toy in the Happy Meal’s when they couldn’t think of anything better to use. Oh wait. That still happens

- You remember when Adam Sandler movies were funny

- You paired the phrases “Power Rangers movie” and “best ever” in the same sentence

- If you were a guy you wanted to be Zack Morris and date Kelly Kapowski. If you were a girl you wanted to be Kelly Kapowski and date Zack Morris.

- You can still recite the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme, and you remember when the show moved to CBS and went downhill.

- You can relate to Doug Funny is so many ways.

- You remember when Polly Pocket actually could fit in your pocket

- You owned a Walkman

- At point you were sure Laserdisc would be the next big thing

- You know how to get to world 8 from world 4…and you know what game I’m referring to

- You knew Michael Jackson as the guy who did the song on Free Willy

- You ate a Flintstones Push-Up Pop

- You wore your pants backwards to be just like Kriss Kross (“The Daddy Mac will make you…”)

- You remember when MTV actually played music videos

- You remember when the worst show on TV was Beavis and Butthead

- Vanilla Ice…striped sideburns…enough said

- You drank “Surge”

- You’ve corrected someone by stating that Tommy was in fact the Green Ranger and the White Ranger

- You’ve owned a pair of shoes that you have to “pump” up

- “Clap on…clap off”

- You remember when you actually wanted to stay home on Friday nights to watch TGIF

- You can recite the Saved By the Bell graduation song word for word and it still makes you cry

-  You considered naming your first daughter Topanga

- You know Cuba Gooding Jr. as the guy whose brother Omar was on Wild and Crazy Kids

- You can Skip-It

- You’re still mourning from the loss of Mr. Hooper

- Your LA Gear shoes lit up while you walked

- You remember when Arnold Schwarzenegger was an actor

- When someone says, “Who should we call?” your first instinct is to yell “Ghostbusters!”

- You can name all of the New Kids on the Block

- Your teacher showed you the OJ verdict during school

- At one point, you really wanted a MiniDisc player

- You thought one of the girls in Hanson was cute

- You know what a “busy signal” sounds like

- You needed to use Microsoft Encarta for research

- You bought a slap bracelet…only to find out a few days later they weren’t allowed at school

- Your family’s first cell phone looked like an Army walkie-talkie

- You owned the board game Mousetrap, set up all the pieces, but never played the actual game

Did that commercial offend you? Many people are answering “Yes.”

DirecTV has started using famous clips from movies to promote their products. Using movies such as Alien, King Kong, and Back to the Future, the ads appear to be an exact scene from the movie, but during the scene one of the characters steps “out of character” and gives a brief promo for the satellite company.

An NBC affiliate in the Dallas-Fort Worth area had this (sarcastic comment) to say: Indeed, Spade could be at home with DirecTV. Instead, he’s with the ghost of his famous friend, who died as a result of a drug problem that almost certainly stemmed from massive insecurities, and making a (bad) fat joke about him. HILARIOUS!

Here’s what The Consumerist had to say: Is anyone else skeeved out over the DirecTV ad?…It’s bizarre that Spade, a close pal of Farley’s went along with this. He and DirecTV must have miscalculated the ad as a tribute to a great movie moment rather than a disturbing, insensitive money grab.

What do you think? Are you offended by the commercial? Is David Spade exploiting Chris Farley? Is this “too soon?” Or is this a fitting tribute to a late actor and comedy from 1995?