Three Years of Hell to Become the Devil: Outgeeking Bainbridge

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Outgeeking Bainbridge

Now, I'd never take on Professor Bainbridge when it comes to wine: I haven't the taste buds. And on corporate law? More fool me to challenge the guy who authors textbooks. But outgeeking? There we're on more equal ground. And I'm afraid that his accusation that George Lucas has sold the soul of Star Wars to the Democrats just rings hollow.

Basically, the good Professor is upset because:

...Lucas betrayed the basic story arc of the Star Wars mythology in order to score these cheap political points. In the original trilogy, Luke struggled against the absolutism of Obi-Wan and Yoda. It was Luke who insisted that there was still good in Vader, which Yoda and Obi-Wan rejected.

The betrayal in question is in having Obi-Wan say to Anakin, after the latter has muttered some you're-for-me-or-against-me line, "Only a Sith thinks in absolutes."

Now, I've not seen the movie yet, and to the best of my knowledge, neither has Prof. Bainbridge, but to my mind his internal critique doesn't hold up. Bainbridge spends a great deal of time talking about how an older (presumably wiser) Obi-Wan was still doctrinaire and absolutist in his consideration of the Force. But if we consider this Obi-Wan to be less mature than Alec Guinness (and who wouldn't), then the plot still hangs together. Obi-wan may just be full of it. And there's no "betrayal" for "cheap political points" so long as the elder Jedi isn't doing anything more than the lightsaber equivalent of Godwin's Law: you know the conversation's over (and someone's limbs are about to go) when somebody mentions the Sith.

So why are so many assuming that Old Kenobi needs to be taken seriously? It seems that the New York Times found political meaning in the film:

"This is how liberty dies - to thunderous applause," Padm observes as senators, their fears and dreams of glory deftly manipulated by Palpatine, vote to give him sweeping new powers. "Revenge of the Sith" is about how a republic dismantles its own democratic principles, about how politics becomes militarized, about how a Manichaean ideology undermines the rational exercise of power. Mr. Lucas is clearly jabbing his light saber in the direction of some real-world political leaders. At one point, Darth Vader, already deep in the thrall of the dark side and echoing the words of George W. Bush, hisses at Obi-Wan, "If you're not with me, you're my enemy." Obi-Wan's response is likely to surface as a bumper sticker during the next election campaign: "Only a Sith thinks in absolutes." You may applaud this editorializing, or you may find it overwrought, but give Mr. Lucas his due. For decades he has been blamed (unjustly) for helping to lead American movies away from their early-70's engagement with political matters, and he deserves credit for trying to bring them back.

Dear goodness, we can only hope. I mean, if Democrats can't do better than Lucas's tin-ear for dialogue for their political bumper stickers, then I suspect the Republicans will get the geek vote. But now the New York Times has done the impossible: it's made me curious about the final Star Wars film.

Let's face it: Lucas is about as subtle as a chainsaw running through a screen door, at least when it comes to dialogue. I'd expect that even if Chewbacca were mouthing Bush-lite rhetoric, you wouldn't need to be Han Solo to figure out the reference. On the other hand, the New York Times could probably scan Beowulf and find hidden anti-Bush meanings.

So who is it? Is George L. taking on George B.? Or is this all a figment of the Times' fevered fantasies? Sadly, I'll have to see the film to find out, because when it comes to a conflict between the Lucas lack of subtext and the Greying Lady's determination to find same, we reach a level of difficulty almost equal to that of the Great Sci Fi Paradox: What happens when a bunch of clueless red-shirts, guaranteed to survive less than three minutes after a beamdown, meets a platoon of Imperial Stormtroopers, who can't hit a barn from inside it?

Comments

This article on a Cannes press conference might save you the trouble of going to the movie.
http://midwestsummerassociate.blogspot.com/
A wise man once pointed out that "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar", and I think someone needs to remind Prof. Bainbridge that sometimes a trashy sci-fi B flick is just a trashy sci-fi B flick.....
The "wise man" was Freud, on the sometimes-noninterpretation-of-dreams. Less well known is his debt to Kipling. The original line went something like "Wine is only wine, but a cigar is a smoke."
I've noticed that people who are absolutist often think that they are nuanced. (Often because they know other people on their own side who are even more extreme, or have unexpressed feelings which are much nastier.)
TTP: I know it was Freud; I was under the impression that the quote was familiar enough that nobody (at least nobody well educated enough to be follwoing a first person narrative of American legal education) needed to be told who said it. :-)
Oh, perhaps I've underestimated folks. I was under the impression that a lot of people didn't know the source. Eh. Also I was trolling for the exact phrasing of the Kipling quote.
"Now, I've not seen the movie yet, and to the best of my knowledge, neither has Prof. Bainbridge..." And thus continues the conservative tradition of critiquing movies without having seen them. :)
If you notice, Dave, the above isn't a critique of a movie, but a series of questions about it. And having now seen the movie, if you want to carry water for Lucas's dialogue, I hope your back's pretty strong.

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17

Back Home…In Search of Home

A month ago today I boarded a ferry from the palm-fringed island of Zanzibar to the bustling port city of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. It was the beginning of our crawl home, the end of an adventure around the world and the beginning of our journey back in the USA.

BAR2 Back Home…In Search of Home

Soaking up December rays on the island of Zanzibar

One month to the day later, I’m on a train headed north, back on the road again to conclude that journey home. Traversing the snow-kissed plains of “Middle America,” it’s the final stretch. We’re headed back to that Windy City, the place we once called home.

There’s something contemplative about train travel. The bellowing whistle and rhythmic cadence of clanking wheels singing along a steel track seem to put me in a trance. I find myself lost in thought, reflecting on the past month of my life and the uncertainty of the road ahead.

Holidays Back Home…In Search of Home

Home sweet home dressed for the holidays

Our homecoming has been many things, but at all times full of emotion. Arriving on the Eve of the Eve, we were flung full-throttle into the Christmas spirit. Stockings were hung by the chimney with care. Ceramic snowmen platters overflowed with goodies while Santa trays housed sausage puffs, crab dip and cheese balls. Bing Crosby belted out classics over the sound of a roaring fire and our parents’ homes were filled with cheery faces offering a warm welcome to their “world travelers.”

In the chaos of the holiday season, we had dinner parties and holiday dates galore. Catching up with familiar faces became a full time job. Our once dutiful packs now took reclining position on the basement floor as we tapped into our former selves. Dressing the part, we clad ourselves in spiffed-up leather shoes and holiday sweaters with toffee and Brandy Alexanders in hand. Acting out the scenes storybooks are made of, it was a truly white Christmas…the kind days before was a world away.

Back Back Home…In Search of HomeBack22 Back Home…In Search of Home

It didn’t hit me the first day we came home…nor the second, nor the third. The grand realization of the power of our journey, it has come to me in waves.

The first taste hit me like a ton of bricks. Walking into my pseudo room of my parents’ cozy suburban home, I pulled out the boxes of me I had left behind. Sunglass cases and lip gloss, heels and leggings, robes and jewelry, I was staring at a life I no longer recognized. Running my hands over piles of clothing, the cotton felt like cashmere and polyester like silk, as tears trickled down my face. And no, I recognized, these weren’t tears of joy, but rather tears of shame. Not a shame rooted in having the things that make up our comfortable lifestyles but for so long having taken this life for granted.

The comfort of our lives continued to amaze me. No longer did I go running earnestly to the clothing line when gray clouds starting to roll in. After months of hand-washing clothes in puny African buckets, the novelty of a washer and dryer left me speechless. Or how about taking a glass from the cabinet and running it under a flowing faucet of potable water? Doing it again made me plain giddy. And then there’s the reliable hot shower. I turn on the knob and boom goes the dynamite! There’s no half hour wait or crossing fingers it works. Hot water rushes out without fail. Weeks later I still find it remarkable.

Running Back Home…In Search of Home

Scenic run along the Seine

Back to the gym after a year and a half sojourn, now that was eye-opening. The flashing red lights of my treadmill twinkled under suspended rows of flat screen TV’s. Gym mates were glued to a spectacle of talking heads while iPhones sang and rang to them. As the soundtrack from my year played in my ear buds, I thought back on the last time I laced up these shoes. From the dusty roads of Central Africa to the sweaty locker room of 24 Hour Fitness, I could hardly believe my eyes.

A visit to the American grocery store, however, tops the chart for most awe-inspiring homecoming experiences. Shelves teem with plump strawberries and blueberries in the dead of winter and offer cereal bars, energy bars, fiber bars and any darn bar your heart desires. There are 20 kinds of peanut butter to choose from and umpteen loaves of bread that promise to last for a month. Canned foods offer ethnic cuisine from every corner of the globe and meat cases overflow with enough juicy goodness to feed the entire population of Zambia for a month. This was enough to make my head spin and my stomach as well. As sick as my body got adjusting to the curries of India and “delicacies” of China, it hardly compares to the protest my body staged upon returning to good ole American cuisine.

Pipa Back Home…In Search of Home

A pensive mood back in Brazil with the whole journey ahead of us

Returning, I feel I’ve undergone some sort of reawakening. Once meaningless tasks, like chores and errands, these are now novel. Yes, a run to Best Buy or stop at the gym, these have become exciting outings. But best of all, once simple encounters with family – like coffee around the kitchen counter with my pop or cleaning out the basement with my mom – these moments are treasured.

To tell you the truth, I feel like George Bailey in It’s A Wonderful Life. Clarence paid me a visit, only instead of saving me from the bridge, he saved me from the humdrum of my mundane corporate American existence. No, life wasn’t bad before. It’s now just rich.

Guidebooks Back Home…In Search of HomeThe cookie tray has thinned now and the holiday bows have been put away. Friends have gone back to work. Rush hour traffic has ensued. A job search sits at our door, and we’re faced with the uncertainty of the road ahead.

Bumping into each other over PJ’s and morning coffee is our daily reminder that we relinquished the once status and stability of our corporate lifestyles. There are days when this fills me with anxiety, when I thirst for the answer to the question, “What am I doing with my life?” There are days when temptation seeps in, and the desire for structure, routine and a reliable salary entice me.

But a glance at our room, flooded with guidebooks, photos and memories, brings it all back. Suddenly that feeling of “unsettled,” and the tension and fears that come along with it, don’t seem so overwhelming. It’s then we say aloud with conviction that we’ve been changed.

In our search for home, one thing is certain: Life won’t be what it was. Those leather shoes didn’t fit well anyway.

_________________________________________________________________________

“Round We Go” was about living the life we imagined. We are searching for the way…our way…to bring that back home. We still have a few more photos and stories up our sleeves from the final leg of our trip and plan to share those, too. In the meantime we want to thank you for following our journey. Many days we felt we were writing just for ourselves, to document this trip of a lifetime. Discovering along the way that these stories might have meant something to someone else touched us deeply. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

pixel Back Home…In Search of Home

Comments (17)

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  1. Laura says:

    Hi Laura-
    My husband and I recently stumbled on your website and I look forward to reading more of your entries! Having just read your post home, I imagine the contrast you must be feeling to where I am now (but will be down the road). We are planning our own RTW adventure to begin this Sept/Oct and will last 18 months. I’m very interested to read your take on the countries we mutually will have visited. =] We are also planning to document our travels with a website/blog and I really like how you’ve structured your site. =] More inspiration! Welcome home!
    -Laura (also) :)

  2. nora says:

    the journey never ends, i know you know that. looking forward to seeing you someday soon.

  3. roundwego says:

    Bridget – Thank you for the kind words on our travels. It was the experience of a lifetime and has had a profound effect on my life in so many ways. Great to hear from you and I hope you are able to do the same someday!

  4. Laura, I can definitely see your travels in print and on film. Your writing gives such a perfect visual and emotional picture of your travels. So inspiring–hope to do the same one day!! (When the kids are out of college maybe!)

  5. Trisia says:

    Your blog inspired me to travel around the world,
    Hope someday you’ll traveling to my beautiful country “Indonesia” :)
    Trisia´s last [type] ..IndoPROGRESS Jalan Teguh Sang Pemimpin

  6. Molly says:

    Laura – finally got a chance to read this post. It’s beautiful and you’re an amazing writer. Agree, book or documentary or something – to help give us all the little reminders of how lucky we are. Your journey was amazing, and I’m so proud of you and Ryan for making it happen. Hope to see you soon!

  7. Brianna says:

    Last summer I happened to pick up a newspaper at Carl’s Burgers in St. Louis and read an article about you two traveling around the world. I just wanted to say that your trip has been a personal inspiration for me. Almost weekly I read to see what new adventures you had explored. Thanks for letting me travel along with you. I’m sad to see that it’s over but hopefully now I’ll get to do some traveling of my own. P.S. I’d buy your book

  8. Andrea says:

    So happy to hear you’re back – perhaps not totally back in mind and spirit, but safe and sound. Thanks to the both of you for sharing such an amazing experience. Each time I read your passages, I felt thankful, reflective and inspired. I’ll miss hearing of your adventures. But, you have one of the biggest ones ahead – how you’ll take what you’ve learned and transform your life journeys. That’s exciting! Can’t wait to hear more! If not a book, you should definitely consider s show on the Travel Channel ;-)

  9. roundwego says:

    I’m overwhelmed and truly humbled by the support and encouragement….So much in fact it’s taken me a week to respond! Not sure what the next step is in our journey but these words go a long way. I’ll need them in these moments of uncertainty to help us continue to appreciate the adventure behind and ahead.

    Thank you, all. I appreciate it immensely.

  10. Greer says:

    Laura-Have so enjoyed being able to see your journey around the world on this fantastic blog. The photo of you guys on the lounge chair in Zanzibar is just beautiful…aren’t you glad to live in the digital age? Otherwise you would be lugging hundreds of pounds of film around:) Can’t wait to see what you guys do next…

  11. Thi says:

    i whole-heartedly agree with everyone else. you should write a boooooooooook! maybe it’ll break my personal streak of illiteracy.

  12. Cherie Fuentes says:

    Once again, so beautifully stated! I feel strongly as well that as you search for the answer to “that” question, “what should I do with my life?” you should consider compiling these blogs and videos and write a book and make a documentary film. Just like your experience, your writing is rich, exciting, and powerful. The world would be lucky to have you share it with them:)

  13. Dad says:

    As always, another posting from your heart… and a wonderful summation of the true experience of travel. It opens our eyes as well to those things that we take so much for granted in our daily lives, not realizing how truly blessed we are. Thanks for sharing this with us… and looking forward to more stories and pictures.

  14. Liz says:

    Beautiful post, Laura! I’m so glad you guys took this risk and lived a dream. Not many people do that. I have no doubt you both are better people for it.

    Good luck with the job search. Hopefully you can blend your new self with a steady job you’ll love!

  15. It’s a beautiful writing… I can feel the emotion of coming back home behind it. It makes me feel a little sad thinking that most likely that’s how we’re going to feel too… and we haven’t even left yet!
    Jill – Jack and Jill Travel The World´s last [type] ..Poi and Kirsty from No Place To be — Meet A Traveling Couple

  16. Sarah says:

    What a beautiful article! I love your writing. Perhaps you should begin writing a book? Maybe a novel? A book about your trip? Best of luck in your search!!

  17. sarah fister hanna says:

    I think you should publish a book! You are such a beautiful writer! Good luck with everything!!