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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Buenos Aires, We Meet Again

BA1 199x300 Buenos Aires, We Meet AgainThe first thing that came to mind when arriving to Buenos Aires and officially beginning our round the world adventure is that the greatest part of travel is not the many wonderfully different places you see, rather the people you meet. This thought was pleasantly in mind when we were met by our good friend, Eduardo, at the E-Z-E (the fantastic initials betrothed to Ezeiza International Airport –not a posthumous honor to the great NWA rapper, Eazy-E.)

It was awesome being back in the former city we called home. It was, in many ways, exactly how we had left it: loud, assertive, curious and absolutely enthralling. Four years, however, do not pass without change. The most obvious change was the prices. Inflation has taken its toll all over the city. The prices we once knew are now considered laughable. Even with the dollar strengthening significantly against the peso (3.8 pesos to 1 USD compared to 2.9 pesos to 1 USD in 2005), this was not even close to offsetting the inflated prices. The same apartment we let in 2005 was now more than double the monthly rent. It took a week or so before we got accustomed to the new prices, but eventually we acquiesced. I would not have been so discouraged by the new price changes were it a result of the Argentine economy improving and providing more for its citizens. However, this is not the case. Salaries have not increased at anything close to the pace of inflation. It’s a struggle and constant grind for the Portenos to afford the escalating prices.

The less obvious, but more exciting, change is the growth of the Palermo neighborhood. As is the case in many instances, crisis tends to breed opportunity. The chic, trendy and bohemian divisions of the greater Palermo area are prime examples of this. Palermo Soho, Hollywood and Viejo, once spotty neighborhoods, are now chalk full of hip bars, cafes and boutique shops. The spots have been filled in with the requisite supermarkets and corner stores that every neighborhood needs. For Chicagoans, fast-forward four years and look around Wicker Park to note the change.

Buenos Aires 012 300x200 Buenos Aires, We Meet AgainWe made the most of our time there, renting an apartment for two weeks and catching up with old friends on day trips outside of the city and over coffee and medialunas at city cafes. We even squeezed in a 10k race in Puerto Madero to work up an appetite for a Sunday asado, or barbeque. We also had the fortune of timing our visit with our fellow round-the-world traveling friends, Greg and Ashley over at www.FollowOurFootsteps.com, and friends from Chicago. We took full advantage and spent some rowdy nights doing what I do best, drinking and eating. We made it back to our old haunts and found new ones. And we took advantage of the auspicious spring weather to explore BA’s fabulous parks, including the Rosedal.

I can’t recommend the Argentine capital enough. In good times or bad, this is a world-class city. For its incredible steaks, wine, design, people and, most of all, its tremendous energy, Buenos Aires is a must-see for any around the world traveler.

pixel Buenos Aires, We Meet Again

Comments (2)

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  1. roundwego says:

    Glad you found us, too! We’re always glad to meet fellow BA afficionados. Looking forward to sharing updates with you along the way.

  2. Melissa says:

    Hi! I’m a random Canadian that found your blog randomly! I am with you–I LOVE BUENOS AIRES! I’ve just followed you folks on Twitter and got set up on RSS….I’m so psyched that I found you guys at the beginning of your journey!