Reading comprehension . . .

WORDS MEAN DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE, and sometimes, comprehension gets lost in the reptilian knee-jerk. According to Charlie Jane Anders at io9, University of Wisconsin-Stout theater professor James Miller put a poster on his office door, showing the likeness of Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds, and one of Mal's many fine quotes from Joss Whedon's Firefly.

And somebody with a shoe-size IQ got upset.

And this poster, with its reference killing, caused such a stir, the campus police were called in to tear it down. And Miller was warned that any further such posters would be deemed "disorderly conduct" and there might be criminal charges.

Charlie concludes:

In case it's not clear, part of what's so great about that quote is that it doesn't endorse wanton killing. It actually says that killing unarmed people is wrong, which is a good stance to take.

The upset becomes more ridiculous when you ponder that this is a theater arts school, and the Firefly series was/is a delightful inspiration, along with its movie sequel, Serenity, with the awesome River Tam. However, the sanctimonious pecksniffs are eternal. As is the theater's fascination with aspects of war, because = duh = it's great DRAMA. As Willie wrote in Big Julie, in 1601:

Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war;
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.

Seems that a lot of playwrights love that violence thing.

Always liked Joss Whedon's attention to detail. Notice Summer Glau's wheel-kick from Serenity? See how she has her torso cranked into the kick? Beautiful form, that'll loosen a few fillings. Also seen in Buffy, as Sarah Michelle Gellar does her thing with fine style, just turn the sound off and see.