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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 22, 2002)
WEÓNEsdAy, M ay 22, 2002 A H he CI ac I ìamas P rìnt Magic card stock mysteriously disappears ISAIAH CREEL Staff Writer On May 14, the Wizards of the Coast retail store in the Clackamas Town Center ran completely out of Magic Cards. The store went one full week without Magic Cards, a circumstance that is far from coincidental with the final installment of the X-Files legacy and the occult. In 1993, Richard Garfield introduced Magic: the Gathering' (one of the first collectable trading card games) onto a nation of fan tasy hungry teenagers. In September of the same year, Fox aired its original pilot of the X-Files, a sci-fi investigation series into the paranormal. From their meager begin nings, both media have cap tivated audiences, and have since their releases enjoyed large success, due mainly to their respective underground or cult followings. On a personal level, I have been a supporter of both the X-Files, and Magicr. the Gathering since their begin nings, (although taking a brief hiatus from the X-Files after the departure of Fox Mulder, played by David Duchovny) and was recently shocked and amazed when I went to my official Wizards of the Coast (Magic’s pro duction company) retail store to find not a single card to be had in the whole store. “Apparently there was some problem with ship ping,” said Store Manager Eric Joy. But I was not con vinced. Suspicious, I returned to the scene of the crime two days later to find out the dirt behind this apparent “prob lem with shipping.” Cautious of bad publicity, Joy was reluctant to give answers beyond those of his original statement. All the secrecy peaked my interest and curiosity in the issue, so I did some more digging into the history of Wizards of the Coast. My suspicions were confirmed when I found that in September of 1999, Wizards of the Coast was sold for more than $325 million to Hasbro, Inc. A few months later on X- Files, Special Agent John Doggett, played by Robert Patrick, replaces Mulder. A strange “coincidence” con sidering the recent sale of the original Wizards of the Coast to Hasbro, maker of games such as Yahtzee. But what could tie my sus picions together? Then it hit me. What do both Magic: the Gathering, and the X-files have in common? The occult. There have been quite a few episodes of the X-files dealing with the occult, such as episode six of its fourth season, entitled “Sanguinarium”. On the Magic end of the spectrum, Wizards of the Coast has come under fire many times from Christian groups deeming it immoral. Just as is the case with role-playing games, there are allusions to the occult in Magic: The Gathering. “These include sorcery, witchcraft, and magic, all of which are condemned in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible (see Lev. 19:26, Deut. 18:10, Gal. 5:20, Rev. 21:8). Terms such as enchantment, spell, sacrifice, and ogre are com mon to the game,” said Eric Internet Photo Magic cards disappear completely from local ‘Wizards of the Coast’ computer acce- sories store; fellow ‘occult media,’ the hit show The X-Files. goes downhill after the star Fox Mulder, played by David Duchovny, leaves the Intense television show for good. What could be behind this decrease in ‘occult’ forms of entertainment? Who knows.... Hamo, in an article written for Answers In Action, a non-profit, evangelical, Christian organization based in Costa Mesa, California, which trains individuals to “think logically and reason ably about all things.” This occult strangle hold has given both Fox, the tele vision network, and Wizards of the Coast a powerful grip on the minds of the young people. In fact, an ad cam paign for Magic: the Gathering was seen on the Fox television network over the past six years, 6 being one of the numbers in 666, the number of the beast. What does any of that have to do with the recent short age of Magic cards at the Wizards of the Coast retail store in the Clackamas Town Center? The answer is quite simple. At the time of this apparent program in order to promote “problem with shipping,” I his new television hypnosis was visiting the store in series premiering this fall, search of employment. I and replacing all forms of now realize the futility of entertainment (haven’t you this due to the ever-fluctuat noticed a lack of effort from ing unemployment rate for Matt Groening?) the State of Oregon. How can you stop this? President Bush, in conjunc You can’t. You can howev tion with the Hasbro er purchase Magic cards not Corporation, has launched a produced within the last devious plot designed at tak three years. Three being the ing away the freedom of the number of perisons contained within the Christian ideal of common nerd by: 1:) Purchasing all the latest the Father, the Son and the Magic cards, and replacing Holy Spirit (the Trinity?). them with a new “pro I will not tell you to stop Terrorism” collectable card watching television. Rather, game due to hit stores later I will invite you to partici this year. This will keep the pate in occult behavior, general population confused including, but not limited to: and afraid while Bush takes demon resurrection, ogre, advantage of oil drilling Ouija, and the burning of efforts in the Middle East. incense. 2:) Destroying the X-Files To reach Isaiah Creel e-mail in order to eliminate yet zeplemen@hotmail.com or drop another quality television by B-104. Have you seen the Clackamas Print Website? DO YOU WANT TO WORK IN THE ARTS? PREPARE FOR A CAREER, PREPARE FOR LIFE. Neither have we. z Webmaster position now available for 2002-2003 Tuition waiver available Contact Editor-in-chief Maggie Jirasek for more information and an application: 503-657-6958 ext. 2447 or Barlow 104 ART ART THERAPY INTERIOR DESIGN MUSIC COMPOSITION MUSIC PERFORMANCE MUSIC THERAPY PAINTING PHOTOGRAPHY SACRED MUSIC SCULPTURE WRITING US Hews & World Report 2002_________________ lists Marylhurst University in its Best Universities Category, #1 in classes under 20 students and #1 in student/faculty ratio in the 15-state Western Region. Course scheduling options are designed for working adults. To meet with an advisor, e-mail studentinfo@marylhurst.edu or call 503.699.6268 or 800.634.9982 x 6268. WWW.MARYLHURST.EDU MARYLHURST UNIVERSITY Accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges 1760Q PACIFIC HIGHWAY (HWY. 43) MARYLHURST, OREGON - JUST 10 MINUTES SOUTH OF PORTLAND Serving students since 1893.
