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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Is This India? No, It’s Darjeeling

Dar 3 e1271095399717 Is This India? No, It’s Darjeeling

The windy road to Darjeeling, India

After enduring what can only be described as absolutely the most horrific travel journey I’ve ever experienced, Laura and I were ready to completely relax. Our previous stop, Varanasi, had put an Indian tax on us that let us know, as much as we enjoyed her (maybe our favorite country yet), we were done with her. This break-up was not an easy one. India was done with us, too. She was giving us a swift kick in the butt, as to say, with no room for interpretation, “Get out.” Darjeeling was to be our last stop in India before heading to Nepal. Needless to say, we really wanted to end on a good note, and so we held out hope for the green hills and cool, breathable air that the romantic version of Darjeeling had promised. But, like all things in India, you learn that to expect anything is a disappointment waiting to happen.

Along with a motley crew of travelers from Israel, Poland, England and Germany, we hired a jeep to take us from the city of New Jalpaiguiri, where we disembarked our train, to Darjeeling – 80km, 3 hours and 7,000 feet of elevation away. In our mini-UN of a jeep, we discussed, as we always do in situations like these: American politics, health care, Michael Moore films, George Bush vs Barack Obama and why Americans don’t travel outside of the US (almost invariably in that order). The new wrinkle in the conversation came from the German who warned us that Obama is “a master hypnotist” and that we needed to be careful because, as such, we can easily be controlled by his cadence and manner of speech “to do things.” Thank you, duly noted. This is to say nothing of the variety of drugs and personal oddities you can find in India. This place is full of them. Most prevalent are the 30 year Goan veterans who moonlight as yogis/dealers/preachers and daylight as just freaking weird.

Dar 4 e1271096459958 Is This India? No, It’s Darjeeling

Passengers hitch a ride up the mountains to Darjeeling

The journey up was more than I reckoned we were in for. I, for one, am afraid of one thing only in life: heights. Not being in a plane or a big building kind of heights, but the “Holy crap, our driver looks to be about twelve, there are no guardrails, these roads are way too narrow for two automobiles, why are so many people walking alongside the road with huge burlap sacks when these roads are too narrow for two automobiles” kind of heights. In short, I was freaking out. Why, I asked myself, did I pay so much to skydive in New Zealand when I could get the same feeling for $3 here? Laura, normally my rock in these cases, was beyond freaking out. Grabbing my leg, gritting her teeth and alternating a sour face with brief sighs of relief, I realized that I had to be the strong one here. To assuage my fear, I just had to concentrate on that kid in front of me who was smiling broadly and hanging onto the back of the jeep in front of us. Wait, what? Yep, here I am hyperventilating while this youngster is teeming with delight while he freeloads a ride on the back of some jeep bounding 7,000 feet up some very steep cliffs! I console myself, thinking that maybe he’d begin to hyperventilate if he were put in an office cubicle like mine back in Chicago. Err, wait, after 5 continuous months of traveling the thought of that is making me a little queasy now, too.

Dar2 e1271095550792 Is This India? No, It’s Darjeeling

Smiling children in Darjeeling

Halfway to the top, we stop for no logical reason, other than that logic and reason don’t apply in India. I use the moment to take stock of all the changes 3,500 feet of elevation has brought us. For one, the people look incredibly different. Laura said it best, “It looks like you took all of Asia and put it into a blender and out came Darjeeling.” The people’s skin is lighter, their eyes squintier and their heads are only slightly wobbling. Women had exchanged saris for jeans and silk tops. Men are not wearing colorful turbans. The rickshaws – gone. The acrid smell of burning trash, fecal matter and stale urine – still there, but less so. The intense stares that we’ve become accustomed to in India– nowhere to be found. I’ve been standing here now for 30 seconds and haven’t been accosted yet to take a boat or a rickshaw or been solicited to buy hashish, ganja or chora? Jesus, is this heaven? No, it’s Darjeeling.

Dar 5 e1271096739455 Is This India? No, It’s Darjeeling

Fog lifting off the hills of Darjeeling

Our introduction to Himalayan culture was made very apparent as I sat down, not to a spicy curry, but to a delicious lunch of steamed, chicken momos. After this, it was back into the jeep for the rest of the climb up to Darjeeling proper. After another hour through the dense fog that we’d get to know well in our time in Darjeeling, we arrived, as I had hoped, in one piece. We exchanged contact information with our fellow travelers (minus the German whom I didn’t want to share more life details with) and said our goodbyes for the moment (Darjeeling’s “strip” and the Bible that is Lonely Planet would ensure that we’d see each other again several more times in the city).

Darjeeling is not heaven, but after a month in India it seemed close enough. Having read that, you may think that I hated India. You’d be wrong. You see, India is a complex place that will make you feel. At times – wonderful, happy, joyous, excited and yearning for more. And other times – sad, tired, broken and wanting to give up. We were not crossing any literal borders, but it was obvious, on the road to Darjeeling we were leaving behind a country, and with it, a piece of ourselves. And, at least for the moment, this was OK.

pixel Is This India? No, It’s Darjeeling

Comments (5)

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  1. Claudia Rhodes says:

    Ryan,

    Your description of this hair-raising ride reminds me of driving with Christopher through the much smaller moutains in Idaho….close to the edge, a far way down, on-coming cars speeding….I could feel your pain. India has never been on my top 10 places to visit, and now it is off of any list I might make.

    The photos and writings are wonderful, keep up the good work.
    Claudia

  2. Daniel says:

    Ah! A litany of great reasons to discover Darjeeling. Half a dozen years ago, we toured the northern triangle, ie Kolkata to Jaipur to Delhi. So we can identify with you on a number of fronts. India is very much the very best and the very worst of Asia all rolled I to one. It’s so exhilarating even at it’s most frustrating. I love the country and especially the people. Thanks for the great post!
    .-= Daniel ´s last blog ..What We’re Reading: June 11, 2010 =-.

  3. Chris Rhodes says:

    Outstanding keep the post coming.

  4. Tom Volpe says:

    That looks and sounds amazing. There is something quite appealing about tea country, same with the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia.

  5. Cate says:

    Apart from the tea, this is a piece of India I know very little about. Even the facial features differ. It must be beautiful there and cooler than the lowlands.
    On the side, I can never understand why when people travel do they want their political opinions on other people, perhaps the German tourist was feeling the effects of travel and needed to go home.
    .-= Cate´s last blog ..Photo Friday -Wandering through Te Papa with a camera =-.