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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God is Brazilian

beach God is Brazilian
We begrudgingly left behind Argentina, a place to which we’ve become addicted, to continue our around the world travel adventure. Next stop: Brazil.

We spent about six weeks traveling through Brazil on our last visit to South America in 2005 and had a chance to get to know the southern coast of the country rather well. We have been dying to get back to Brazil ever since. Known for its physical beauty and rich folkloric culture, this time around we had our eyes set on getting to know the Northeast coast.

They have a saying here in Brazil “Deus é Brasileiro” (God is Brazilian). After a few short days here, you will concur. The country is vast, with nearly 200 million people, and a land mass covering half of South America. With more than 4,500 miles of coastline, it really is a tropical paradise. The landscape boasts lush, green rainforest rolling over hills and mountains that cascade into a coast dotted with fluffy white beaches, crystal clear waters and tropical islands. Need I say more?

It’s more than the natural beauty, however, that makes Brazil so appealing. Brazilians have an innate energy and unparalleled love for life. Everyday seems to be a celebration and music, dance, sun and sand are the backbone of their culture. To match the warm climate comes an equally warm people. We’ve found mere casual encounters have often lead to lasting friendships, and we’ve been welcomed into homes for celebrations, meals and extended stays on more than one occasion.

A few initial obervations:
- The thumbs up sign is omnipresent here, used to communicate thank you or a seal of approval (Who knew: They say Brazilians adopted the “thumbs up” from watching American pilots based in northern Brazil during World War II who used it to communicate they were ready to take off and that the wheel blocks could be removed.)
- National pride – everyone is extremely proud to be Brazilian
- Passion for futebol beginning at such a young age – as soon as a boy begins to walk he is introduced to a soccer ball. No where else do you see three and four year olds juggling a soccer ball with such artistic skill.
- Men are in incredible shape here, sporting six packs and sculpted pecks no matter what their age, while women are proud of their bodies and clad in thong bikinis no matter what their shape or size
- Races intermix more than anywhere I’ve ever seen, with interracial couples a dime a dozen
- Beach volleyball is not played using hands; rather, taking from their mastered soccer skills, they use their feet, knees, chest and heads

We’re staring our adventure from the state of Bahia, located on the Northeast coast of the country. Stay tuned for more updates.

pixel God is Brazilian

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  1. Tiasha says:

    “Men are in incredible shape here, sporting six packs and sculpted pecks no matter what their age”

    Making a note to travel to Brazil.