I just watched what is quite possibly the most brilliant and hysterically funny movie review I’ve ever seen. This masterpiece critique was created by Mike of Red Letter Media and consists of seven parts that can all be viewed on YouTube. I highly recommend everyone viewing at least the first two parts of his videos, but it will not be necessary to understand what I’m about to say. His analysis brought to the forefront something that I’ve pushed down deep into my psyche for over ten years and am only now ready to release: The Phantom Menace is not only the biggest disappointment in movie history, it is also very likely completely responsible for screwing up our world’s history. Yes, I’m completely serious. Before I begin proving my point, let me begin with some facts that will be a little easier to swallow.
I experienced the original Star Wars during its initial theatrical release and have no doubt in my mind that it completely changed my life. Had it not been for that movie, I would’ve very likely become an accountant like my father before me. I was just a kid when I saw the film, yet, something about its themes of destiny and a universal Force to help us achieve it deeply inspired me. In fact, it inspired an entire generation. A generation that was meant to step up to the plate and guide our world so that we could defeat an evil empire of greed, materialism, pollution, and abuse of power. Yes, a movie was meant to inspire us to do this.
While this idea might seem a bit ridiculous, if you think about it, artists, writers, musicians, and poets are a lot like the modern day shamans of our society. Shamans have the ability to receive the messages of our world that are hidden deep within our collective unconsciousness. The most skilled shamans decipher these messages for the rest of their tribe to understand. Centuries ago, the shamans would gather their clan around a fire and explain universal mysteries in the guise of stories. Members of the clan would then pass down these stories from generation to generation, creating the legends of their people, and thus, its collective rituals and mythology. These divinely inspired stories form the foundation of just about every classically themed story we tell today, from The Wizard of Oz and Star Wars, to The Matrix and Lost. The messages of these newer stories serve the same purpose as the stories that were told hundreds and thousands of years ago: to reveal hidden truths about our world and our place in it. The only difference is (I realize I’m plagiarizing from myself right now so I’m going to cite the rest, which is from The Myth of Lost.)
The only difference is, instead of sitting around a flickering fire to experience [these] stories, we now view them from the flickering light of movie screens or TV sets. We still prefer to be in the dark to receive our myths—partly because we’ve been doing it for thousands of years and it has become ingrained in our psyches, and partly because being in the dark matches our state of mind before we are enlightened.
Once we begin to hear the stories that are encoded with subliminal truths about our collective destiny, they resonate with a part of us that had been forgotten. The result is a story that deeply moves a tribe and inspires those who are in tune with its message to act in line with his or her individual destiny. As I wrote in The Myth of Lost:
Star Wars did this for a lot of people—a story about how a simple farm boy with big dreams goes through a series of challenges to unlock his destiny, using a mysterious force in the universe to help guide him to success. In case you didn’t know, the simple farm boy is you (whether you’re simple, have ever worked on a farm, or for that matter, are even a boy). We all have longings to play our part in the universe, so that movie resonated with society and created a sensation.
The seed was planted with Star Wars, and began to take root with the two other films in the series that followed: The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. But those inspired by the messages of these movies would have to wait sixteen years for the final segments of their instructions, for it would take that long until the Star Wars generation was at an age where they could act on them. Unfortunately, something went catastrophically wrong. A hidden and dark power corrupted the download we were all meant to receive from former chief shaman George Lucas. Appropriately, the message resulted in a film titled The Phantom Menace. After waiting sixteen years for this movie, I, along with millions of others who had consciously or subconsciously changed their lives to align themselves with the wisdom of the original Star Wars films, was completely devastated and at a loss for meaning and purpose. Of course, like most others, I didn’t realize this at the time. I was just really disappointed. It was only much later when I began to realize how wrong the message of the movie really was. Because early Lucas is one of my childhood heroes, I was rather kind in my analysis of what went wrong with the films as described in The Myth of Lost:
When George Lucas wrote Star Wars, he was channeling the myth of the coming spiritual awaking which resonated with an entire generation that is now helping to bring it about. When he wrote the three prequels, however, he was telling more of a political allegory (i.e., Gulliver’s Travels, which is about the incessant bickering of humanity and all its stupid rules and laws) than a great mythical truth. Episodes I-III of the Star Wars saga tell the tale of what happens when culture gets so caught up in propaganda, bureaucracy, and what it views as morality, that it turns a blind eye as a madman rises to power with hopes of taking over the world. Now, I have no doubt whatsoever as to why George Lucas was channeling this story when he was—it was a moral lesson that society needed to hear to warn us about the times in which we currently live. I just don’t think it was a message on par with the original Star Wars, especially since it ended on a negative note for the hero. A true myth should never do that. The aim of the myth is to uplift and inspire. Taken as a whole, all six Star Wars episodes do this, but the first three episodes just don’t do it as well. They focus more on special effects than story, and this was why there was such a backlash after they came out. There are a number of simple changes these films could have undergone that would have made them as powerful as the earlier films, but that’s a discussion for another book. My point is that sometimes shamans lose their way.
After watching all seven parts of Mike’s Phantom Menace review, I now realize that it would take more than a few simple changes to fix that mess of a movie. I would take a complete re-write. I understand that Episodes I-III ended at a point that was the middle of the larger Star Wars story, and that this ending had to feature the fall of Anakin Skywalker so that he could be redeemed. 
But that point of the story is exactly where ABC’s Lost is right now (Season Five Finale) in the character arc of John Locke. We are being led to believe that he is either dead or evil, and have to wait over nine months to find out why. But I am still rooting for Locke’s resurrection and redemption. I am still completely on board with the character I most resonated with and fully anticipate that he will succeed. At the end of Revenge of the Sith, I didn’t give a shit about Anakin Skywalker because the character had never been properly developed. It would have been completely possible for Episode III to conclude with the fall of Anakin, but for the entire audience to walk out of the theater feeling bad for him but knowing, just as I do now about John Locke, that he would be redeemed. Let me just say that if Lost also drops the ball on this, we are royally FUCKED.
I understand that to many people Lost is “just a TV show” and Star Wars is “just a film,” but I hope that at least some of you out there will sense the truth in what I’m writing and understand the greater implications of these myths for the world. Even if their purpose isn’t to guide us, they are absolutely reflective of the times we live in and the times to come. Somehow, something went dreadfully wrong between the time that The Matrix came out in March of 1999, and The Phantom Menace in May of that same year. What happened was so wrong, that it corrupted the timeline we live in and most of the mythological messages to follow, including the second and third parts to The Matrix series. (I explain what I believe is the proper mythological ending to the The Matrix trilogy in The Myth of Lost and you can read it here on pages 8-9).
For those of you who watch Lost, you are probably aware of the quantum physics concept of multiverses also known as the many-worlds theory. The idea is that there are an infinite number of possible realities that exist at any moment, but we only experience the ones we notice. In other words, where your mind goes, you go. And the more people who have a collective idea about something, the more powerful the change in direction can be. In Lost, the main characters realize that the current timeline they exist in has been fraught with nothing but a series of hardships all because of one incident that led to their plane crashing on a mysterious island. They conclude that by changing this incident, they can put their timeline back on its proper alignment and thus properly fulfill their destinies. This idea has completely resonated with millions of viewers around the world. Why? Because it’s the subliminal message about the world we currently live in! We have been corrupted by an incident that subliminally devastated the destiny of an entire generation leaving us utterly LOST. That incident was caused by or solidified from The Phantom Menace.
I would now like to give a brief overview of the chain of events that came about from this horrific incident. Please note that NOTHING that I am writing about is politically, socially, or economically based on anything that has happened on a physical level. It is all a reflection of energies that occur on a spiritual level, or, if you are a more scientific type, within the unseen, subatomic particles that build our physical reality and are influenced by our societal mindset. So when I mention a person or event in a bad light, it is not that person or event which is “bad,” but the version of them that exists in the reality we are currently experiencing. With this in mind, have a gander of the series of events that occurred after The Phantom Menace was released:
1. After sixteen years, a hopeful generation who’d been inspired in their youth by a series of films to change the world (much as their parents and grandparents had done) will finally experience the newest chapter in the saga due out in May 1999. While this inspiration originally occurred mostly on a subconscious level, no one can deny the deep connection the Star Wars films had with its fans. Unbeknownst to most, this connection was based on the mythological messages hidden within the story. With the newest film, millions of fans around the world would be receiving subliminal updated instructions beginning with Star Wars Episode I.
2. Instead of channeling the myth this generation is meant to hear, Lucas is corrupted by some dark, unseen influence, and vomits forth an ego-based movie littered with an overabundance of special effects and a convoluted “story” that he appropriately titles, The Phantom Menace.
3. Devastated by the atrocity forced upon them and missing the message they’d so longed for, those who had been inspired by the original Star Wars myth bottle their resentment. Some even experience complete denial and force themselves to like it in order to avoid any traumatizing cognitive dissonance. These repressed feelings slowly leak out into the cohort’s collective psyche leading to feelings of confusion and hopelessness.
4. The generation that had helped shape the Internet and create much of the dot-com boom is now left soulless. This causes them to focus mostly on the material aspects of the Internet, instead of its much more important spiritual benefits that they were meant to usher in as per the message of Star Wars.
5. As per the precedents set in the Biblical Tower of Babel story and continued throughout history (the sinking of the Titanic, et al), using only ego to create something causes the massive Web structure of the dot-coms to immediately begin to collapse. This leads to fear, which leads to panic, which leads to irrational thinking.
6. As the stock market begins to tank in 2000, people decide to vote with their fear at the U.S. presidential ballot box. What was supposed to happen was environmentalist and overall group-hug type guy Al Gore was meant to win, but due to the overall confusion being felt at the time, a few hundred people incorrectly filled out the misleading voting ballot in Florida, enabling George Bush to become the next president. As is predicted in spiritual texts, it only takes a handful of people to tip the balance in any direction. This is known as a critical mass, and in 2000, this critical mass immediately put us on the wrong path to humanity’s enlightenment.
7. In 2001, George Bush takes office and immediately puts corporate greed and American materialism ahead of world peace and environmental prosperity. He does this through a bullying American policy and disregard for the unique differences and beliefs of other people.
8. This forceful energy instigates an energetic backlash in the form of Islamic hatred that brings about the world-shifting destruction that occurred on 9/11. This is the symbolic beginning of Armageddon.
9. America reacts in turn by attacking the entire Muslim world. Not satisfied with just attacking the perpetrators who caused the events of 9/11, Bush rallies the country to follow him into Iraq, practically tricking Congress to allow him to do so. Seen as a savior to many Christian Fundamentalists, perhaps time will reveal the Biblical character Bush was really embodying in our timeline, once we are far enough away from it to be able to judge objectively.
10. Making a threat that would eerily be mimicked by the Jedi-turned Sith Anakin Skywalker, Bush announces to the world that, “you are either with us, or you are against us.” (Was Bush to Cheney as Anakin was to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine—revealed to be the dreaded phantom menace?) Not looking to upset the belligerent mega-power, most of the world joins Bush’s personal vendetta.
11. The war for oil combined with a stock market benefiting from it eventually lead to a gluttonous nation focused on materialistic gizmos and superficial pleasures. It is official: we are completely on the wrong track. While many feel this realization deep in what’s left of their souls, most feel helpless to do anything about it. They try to satisfy their subliminal unhappiness with bigger houses, more luxurious cars, and more lavish lifestyles.
12.This focus on the purely materialistic, leaves our world without a stable soul on which to truly create, and much like The Tower of Bable, the Titanic, and the World Trade Center, our illusionary stable market once again sinks, this time, affecting the entire planet.
13.Almost as if coming out of a deep slumber, the world begins to awaken from its daze and immediately votes for change in the form of an American president who is different from anything we’ve ever had before, to help us deal with something we’ve never had to deal with before.
14.Unfortunately, still in an “outside savior” mindset, the American people do not change themselves but expect the president to do it all for them. They do not heed his message that “we are the change we’ve been waiting for.” In other words, there is no personal Messiah who will come to rescue us—WE are our own saviors. This misunderstanding only furthers our direction on the wrong path, and as the captain of the ship that is America, Obama is carried along with it and also goes astray.
15.Thinking that their misfortunes are based entirely on the superficial stock market and broader economy, which in truth is based on absolutely nothing but consumer mindset, the world anxiously watches to see when things will improve. All the while, the American government dishes out billions of dollars to banks so that they may give their fat cat executives huge bonuses for completely failing at their jobs. This money brings an energetic push in the wrong direction, furthering our fall on the dark path.
16.Now, millions are losing their jobs, their homes, and their former lives. Health premiums skyrocket, quality of life plummets, and all the while Americans believe themselves to be the victims of a world gone wrong.
17. However, glowing on the flickering silver screens around the nation, shamans who have managed to keep their connection to our collective message are channeling more truths for the world to hear. They tell us that WE have become the bad guys and have to change our ways. These messages come in the form of films like District 9, Avatar, and on TV, Lost.
18. Now, we are once again at a crossroads. We can stop focusing on all that’s wrong with the world and start focusing on what’s right. We can stop being brainwashed by the “news” and our presumed need for keeping up with the Joneses, and instead just try to make a difference in our own lives. If everyone changed his or her own life, the whole world would change. Stop worrying about everyone else. Change yourself and the world will follow. At the very least, you will jump into the timeline where the world is more in line with your thoughts. How can you do this? Fulfill your destiny! Do what you love. Even if it’s only as a hobby, or on the side. Even if it means not going out to dinners as much or skipping the bar or missing a ball game. Use your personal superpower to help change the world and get us back on course. We need you because if you don’t do it, who will?
In Lost, the castaways try to prevent an incident from the past in hopes of changing a series of events that led to their plane crashing and their lives becoming miserable. As of this writing, the effect of having tried to do this is yet to be revealed. I don’t know how it will go on Lost, but I have an idea of how it works in our world, and usually Lost perfectly reflects that. Changing the moment when you went astray can help realign you back on course. While we probably can’t go back in time and inspire Lucas to write the Star Wars prequels that fans were meant to experience, we can all put our energies towards a different vision. As a symbolic gesture, I am voting that all of us annul this reality’s version of Star Wars Episodes I-III, and begin a petition for them to be rewritten and remade. Whether or not it ever really happens is irrelevant.
What is important is that our generation recognizes that we have gone astray. We have not fulfilled our role in this world. We must put energy back into the vision we had after seeing the original Star Wars, after seeing the first Matrix, and hell, even after seeing The Wizard of Oz for the first time. Let these films inspire us and help us to remember who we are. Let us look to District 9 and Avatar—beyond the spectacle—but to their message on how we have become our own worst enemy and what we can do to change. Let us stop putting the blame on everyone else and start looking at what we can do to help bring about the change we’re looking for. We still have a chance to get back on track, before bringing about outcomes foretold by modern day shamans in the many apocalyptic films coming out of late. Let those myths serve as warnings. Let us not focus on 2012 as a time of dread, but a time of new beginnings. A time for us to once again connect with the message of our soul.
To join the petition to annul Star Wars Episodes I-III and have them remade, click here.
Marc Oromaner is a New York City writer whose book, The Myth of Lost offers a simple solution to Lost and uncovers its hidden insight into the mysteries of life. He can be contacted in the discussion section of The Myth of Lost Facebook page.
The Myth of Lost is available on Amazon and barnesandnoble.com.
Tags: "Destiny, bad guys, good guys, John Locke, Lost, Lost In Myth, marc oromaner, redemption, Resurrection, the myth of lost, time travel
246 Responses to “Marc Oromaner’s Lost In Myth: How “Lost” Explains Why “The Phantom Menace” Is Responsible For Our Current World Crisis.”
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You heard it guys, the Phantom Menace was so bad it’s going to be responsible for the end of the world.
Oh no. What should I do? Any advice? I’m worried.
I do not belong to the Star Wars generation, since I was born in 1987. Even if I had lived back them, I’m not sure I would’ve been swayed completely by it, at least, in such a deep, core-forming way. I belong to the generation that found its mythic stories in The Lord Of The Rings, The Matrix and now Lost. That’s maybe why I’m a little more cynic than the SW generation, and view the original triogy, marvelous as it can be, as somewhat naive. I’ve learned that achieving great, positive things comes with a price, and things are not black & white. It’s hard for me to believe in pure evil, except in rare cases.
Maybe because it is my vision that the original Star Wars were naive, I also believe many people were too dependant on it to receive lessons about life and the universe. I agree with you, that phenomenom was indeed monumental. It was major inspiration. But it was inspiration given to a crippled generation, the sons of the beginners of the Cold War. In a sense, I go back to LOST again and I find a good analogy for that, in the form of Locke. The first trilogy was like the crash on the beach: a breath of meaning, of purpose, of empowerment, of new life with clear roads. But life did not present itself that way. Conviction about those lessons wavered, but were never lost. Then the prequels were announced, and new hope was born. It was like Locke knowing he had to leave the island to bring people back and make things right again. But the reality outside the island was corrupted and he found no purpose, no reedeming meaning, nothing. Then he tried to kill himself, but hesitated and was instead killed by Ben, and his corrupted purpose (the one each one of us can always fall into, The Dark Side) was sealed, when the MIB took over his image and memories.
Both stories, LOST and SW, present the promise of redemption. But, unlike in Star Wars where the path to redemption was clear-cut, in LOST nothing is clear. The protagonists can’t see the way laid in front of them. Can’t even see if there’s one. Can’t know faith from foolishness, fate from manipulation, love from obsession and addiction, greater good from selfishness, inevitability from lack of will. And that’s the biggest lesson any series can give us. We must strive to define these things in our life, because striving for the good ones will lead us to happiness, and LOST is ultimately a story about the pursuit of happiness. There won’t be a Yoda telling us right from wrong, and we will make many, many mistakes in our life, in our generation, in our entire existence. Some may not even find answers nor redemption. But we gotta keep trying. Because “we are the causes of our own suffering”. Our actions do have an impact. And we should mind them. And, no matter how hard they are to come, there are some second chances out there. And we can take them.
That’s why I feel we’re blessed with LOST, and no matter how “right” The Phantom Menace could have been, it would still be naive and not resonate enough with today’s world.
And I think the stories that have shaped my life the most are LOTR, the Matrix (yes, even the sequels… especially the sequels) and Lost.
Well said. A good myth tells a message that’s appropriate for its time. Lost has a lot more room to explore complex themes than Star Wars. The world has become exponentially more complex than how we thought of it in the late 70s and early 80s. Lost’s message is more appropriate for today.
You and your apophenia. If you view the world as full of coincidences and random events, yes, most of how I view the world is certainly apophenic.
I’m just yanking your chain (while playing a bit of Devil’s advocate).
You can yank my chain anytime big boi.
Apophenia is the wizard’s disease.
It leads to either madness or supreme truth; being an affliction of those searching for meaning in even the most mundane places, and finding it!
And, then finding and finding and finding (for surely we are children of an infinite system), and if you cannot reconcile that, you will be overwhelmed and either stop looking or go crazier.
But, if you can reconcile the depth of meaning found in every corner, and the way all of the meanings come together to show you something…it is transcendant. This is magic: nothing more than a special way of looking at the world, understanding it IS a living thing that we are part of. Just as, perhaps, the living cells and bacteria inside of us may have an inkling of, as well.
And, maybe Star Wars did help a lot of people to see that, this living entity envelops us, protects us, binds the universe together, midichlorians be damned.
23 Skiddoo.
Man. Dude. Seriously. Star Wars is just a frickin’ movie. So tell me, what movie caused the great depression in 1929? I mean, I never quite understood that fascination with SW. The 3 “first” (or “old”) movies were good. Maybe they were even great. But c’mon, you really see too much in there. Like many people I guess. All that came around those movies, the merchandising, the biggot fandom and all? I just don’t get it. It’s a god damn movie. It’s sad, actually, to see that people get so psyched about something as meaningless as fiction. It does tell a lot about how boring their lives must be. I mean, I enjoy fiction, I love LOST for example, and I await with impatience that the last season begins; I even joke sometimes about how I’d like to hibernate until February; but for reals, at the end of the day, that’s still just a fictious show, a story. A pretty damn good one; the best show ever seen on TV, that’s for sure (to me at least). But still, allow me to repeat myself here: it’s a freakin’ show. It’s part of the human nature to need extraordinary stories; it’s been like that since the dawn of times. But trying to pretend that these stories shape nothing short of the major events of human history? Please. Humans need stories to make them dream. To maybe escape their dull life, or to add something to it if it’s good. It’s needed – and MEANT – to DISTRACT people, to ENTERTAIN them. Not to tell them how to live. I could go on and on about this, but I guess the 2 readers who stayed this far would get bored, too.
Now, about the videos, I just watch them, and they’re good. They ARE funny. They get the point, this guy is right about everything he says. To summarize, everybody around Lucas saw him as an almighty god and no one dared to challenge his decisions. That resulted in that apocalyptic movie. When I saw it, I hated it. Fast. Probably the second I saw Jar-Jar. Then, because of the in-your-face CGI effects that were trying to cover up for the fact that the story stinked.I was in the theater, and I just wanted it to end already. As the guy says in his review, there isn’t even a main character in there. There isn’t any depth. It all feels empty at all levels. It’s just plain wrong. But, again, that didn’t ruin my life. I didn’t get out of the theater thinking “oh my god oh my god oh my god the end of the world is near, let’s become a materialistic asshole”. No, instead, I just thought “what an idiot. He actually *managed* to completely ruin it. Okay, let’s move on”. And, to this day, I think I saw it once on DVD. I didn’t go to see episode II. I saw it on DVD, and I can’t remember a single second of it. To this day I haven’t even seen episode III, and I don’t give a damn. End of the story. Maybe people were very disappointed. Just like I might be when Lost is over. But hey, again, that won’t end my world, because I live in the real life, not in the entertaining fiction I watch, read or listen to.
So Lost is “just a show”? You do realize you just wrote a 600 word essay commenting about a six-page Lost blog which you posted on Christmas Day. Whether you realize it or not, “Lost” is more than just a show to you.
I highly recommend watching Joseph Campbell’s “Power of Myth” for some possible insights into why movies and TV shows may be more than just entertainment.
(http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005MEVQ/?tag=orowriter-20)
Look, to me, the final essence of Lost is just an entertainment, not some kind of torch lightening the dark in front of me. It may be just more than just another show to me, I never said it wasn’t. It’s much better than pretty much anything else on TV, probably no matter where you live in the world. What I’m trying to say in all those lengthy posts is that:
* Yes, it might be more than just another show
* Yes, I enjoy it a lot
* Yes I read and sometimes write a lot on that show, because it’s so great and because many of the articles I read are of great quality, and to be honest I would never notice 1/4 of what is explained in them
* I’m also a fan of much ‘lighter’ shows like ‘How I Met Your Mother’, and for those shows, I just watch the episodes, and that’s it. I don’t dedicate nearly as much time as I do for Lost, simply because they don’t justify it. They’re meant to be simple, extremely entertaining, and they’re pretty good at it.
But what I say is just that no matter how much time I put into Lost, it’s not a life-changing thing to me. I spend time (and money on the DVD boxes) as a kind of modest reward to the people who create it, and to those who dedicate much more time than I do to explaining and turning it upside down to get the most of it and give that to all those who read it (that includes you
). I’m very thankful to all of those people for their great work.
If the show gets cancelled tomorrow, of course I’ll be pissed and sad. But I’m not going to light a torch and walk on Hollywood to try and force them to continue it. I’m not watching Lost and saying ‘Mmmh I really like that Locke guy, let’s live just like him’. I’m spending all this time for FUN, see?
Now, I’m not saying that those (like you and many others) who see more than this in this show, or in SW or any other fiction are idiots or anything; I’m just saying that I don’t agree and that I don’t get it. Ignorance is not hate.
As you can see, I very often write long comments, it’s just to make sure I get my point across (and it seems it’s not always long enough
).
Finally, I wrote that on Christmas day, yes, but to me Christmas is no big deal. It’s…wait for it…just another day
. I just don’t celebrate it much. That won’t keep me to wish you and everyone (even if it’s a bit too late) a very happy one, as well as a great year. If fiction is one of many inspirational source for you, good, and I sincerely hope Lost and other stories are gonna help you find your path if that’s what you expect. And honestly I really like this kind of discussions with nice and educated people. It changes from the usual “What a FUCKTARD LOL!!1!!1!!” you find in too many places.
Namaste, I guess
I appreciate your honesty sv. I would absolutely agree that the messages of the media affect me more than most. But I do not agree that even if you don’t realize it, they are not affecting you at all. Most of Lost’s wisdom works on subconscious levels. You may not think you are learning anything from the show, but you are.
Because of Lost, the concept that the universe gives us clues is probably more apparent to you (even if you don’t believe it). The same is true about the concepts of us all being connected, being guided, people not being all that they seem, and alternate timelines. (Would you ever thought of the concept of a proxy or a constant had it not been for Lost?)
Namaste back at ya.
Speaking of which , right now I believe that there exists an sv in an alternate timeline who has never seen a single episode of Lost. I also believe that this version of you is a different person than you are now and has made different decisions. Perhaps a decision you made in this life was influenced because you got a small sign in its favor (you may not have even realized this influence). Or maybe because your mindset was focused on the clues of Lost, you were more likely to create clues in your own life.
We are not yet a place in this world where we can completely understand the way everything works. There is still a lot going on behind the scenes. Personally, I think the non-Lost sv is on more “fucktard” blogs.
Um, Namaste was suppose to be at the end. My cursor was not cooperating.
Well. I may seem to contradict myself here, but I’m not when I say that of course Lost has a deeper impact on me than other stories. I would even agree with you that maybe somehow it works on an unconscious level. I won’t pretend I’m completely impervious to fiction and its messages – after all, some books have had some impact in the past. I agree 100% that I learned things, maybe even important things from the show. Actually, I even think that anyone saying he didn’t learn a single thing from it is lying.
Shows like Lost, books like 1984, etc. are meant to give you more than just a story, they’re written to somehow force you to THINK. And that’s super-great that there are still people with enough talent to do that in our fucked-up modern world. It feels warm to know that there are still people who don’t insult their audience’s intelligence.
What I say is that it doesn’t tell me how to live my life. Right?
I would even give you benefit of the doubt on the alternate time-lines and multiverses since none of us can be sure about them.
But I just can’t agree when you write things like:
“6. As the stock market begins to tank in 2000, people decide to vote with their fear at the U.S. presidential ballot box. What was supposed to happen was environmentalist and overall group-hug type guy Al Gore was meant to win, but due to the overall confusion being felt at the time, a few hundred people incorrectly filled out the misleading voting ballot in Florida, enabling George Bush to become the next president. As is predicted in spiritual texts, it only takes a handful of people to tip the balance in any direction. This is known as a critical mass, and in 2000, this critical mass immediately put us on the wrong path to humanity’s enlightenment.”
If I get what you wrote there, you imply that because of the Phantom Menace turd, a few hundred people didn’t pay attention to their votes because of the movie… See, that’s the line-crossing I was talking about earlier. I just can’t agree with you on this. Now, if that kind of thing happened in the US, maybe other things also happened everywhere on the planet (or let’s even just consider Europe)? Like what? Any example?
What I understand when I read that (and if I’m wrong please tell me) is that people seeing a movie in May 1999 were still so disappointed about it MONTHS later when they had to vote that they screwed it up. Of course huge fans were disappointed (and rightly so). Of course some (maybe even most) of them were in denial and forced themselves to like it no matter what, at least for a while (I’d guess until episode II came out and they realized that Lucas had really lost it. Haha, Lost *wink*). But what you imply after that? No, I just can’t believe that.
I guess to summarize I would say that some fiction like Lost and others are so good that they undeniably have an impact on their audiences. The force of that impact is extremely different from one person to another. But I just can’t approve the idea that they have an impact so big that it changes the whole world.
Okay, yea, sure, LOST was created to entertain. It was also made to provoke minds and spark debate. I’m sure that, however you want to measure it, the intelligence of the average LOST fan is much higher than that of the average Survivor/Flava Flave (however you spell that)/put-name-of-pretty-much-any-reality-show-here fan out there. The reason why LOST is so successful is that it’s intelligent AND entertaining. The detail of the characters’ backstories and the way in which the producers present those “Easter eggs,” whether they be trivial to the plot or allusions to something in our real world, is unprecedented. It’s fun for us because it’s like a virtual scavenger hunt. Whenever we notice something that’s mythological, numerological, scientific or Egyptian, we get excited because we appreciate the fact that for once a show isn’t insulting our intelligence. It’s just television sure, but dare I say it, LOST stimulates our minds and our emotions. It’s possible to learn new things from everything, even a newborn baby. The ensemble cast and the superior acting don’t hurt either. The fact that LOST incorporates: characters that are easy to relate to, mythology, science, pseudoscience, a good friggin script, and real issues into one effing show is what makes it so different from all the others.
And I’m getting the impression that you think fiction has no real world applications? If you didn’t state something like that, you implied it. I think some guy named Albert said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create.” If you don’t think fiction affects anyone’s “path,” don’t watch tv and don’t read those books, you’re obviously wasting your time.
Yes, it IS more than just another show. Given the fact that LOST has such a huge following, it’s bound to affect some person’s life in a huge way because it’s quite easy to relate to at least one of the main characters. So don’t trivialize LOST or HIMYM, both of which I watch religiously. Both of those shows are high quality and deserve to be acknowledged as such (I think it’s a pity that HIMYM isn’t as popular). Just because it hasn’t affected your happy lifestyle (or maybe it has and you just don’t know it) in any major way does not mean that it’s stupid if other people see it as a source of guidance/inspiration/w/e. Scrooge.
With regards to the ending, I mean, c’mon, I think Darlton knows that they’re gonna have to deliver on Locke. He’s probably gonna be alive, not dead. It’s a classic nobody-becomes-somebody story. I think there’s a pretty damn good reason why Locke is in the fckng middle of the LOST Season 6 poster with his back to us. By now, I think it’s quite clear that Locke (and Jack I guess) is like Neo from the Matrix, Frodo from LOTR, and that guy who supposedly died for our sins from the Bible.
Oh and I’ve seen that Power of Myth documentary with Joseph Campbell. Pretty awesome stuff. Read somewhere here that they cringe when they think about the mythic hero model being abused by lazy writers. Ummm let’s look back at every fckng storybook ever written. Which one doesn’t have a fckng protagonist?! That formula works because the authors know that us real people either want to fckng be them, or understand what they’re fckng going through. Those characters are made all the more special because their creators based them on shit from myths. And like Campbell said, myths are based on shit from reality.
There are no such things as stupid questions, just stupid people.
I apologize for the mean-sounding-ness and seeming condescension. This rant was not directed at anyone in particular, ‘cept for maybe the first 2 paragraphs I admit. It just hit a nerve.
Oh, and I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say Scherbatsky’s the mom.
Hey,
First, no offence taken
Let’s take your paragraphs in order:
1. I’m 100% with you there. Good summary.
2. Fiction should not be a single source of inspiration. I guess it can stimulate, give you ideas, but I just can’t see myself reading or watching something and take life-changing decisions based solely on it. But that’s just me, if others do it, good for them. I guess I just don’t like the idea of someone telling me what to do (more or less)
3. I never ever said it was stupid if someone sees fiction as a source of any kind. I actually said the exact opposite
4. I hope you’re right about Locke. And more generally, am I the only one to be a little worried that there’s still so much to address in only 18 hours of show?
5. I’ll try to give a look at that documentary, it looks very interesting. Who knows, maybe I’ll agree with you (Marc and you) after I see it?
Cheers
P.S.: I’d feel tricked if Robin was the mom. I hope she’s not.
“With regards to the ending, I mean, c’mon, I think Darlton knows that they’re gonna have to deliver on Locke. He’s probably gonna be alive, not dead. It’s a classic nobody-becomes-somebody story.”
I liked Locke at first. Then they show all that back-story, his yearning for importance and belonging, his continued failures on the Island, continuously falling for Ben’s BS – pathetic. At least, in the timeline we’ve seen.
Maybe the reboot (IF) will reveal a different Locke, one making the right choices, and dying a death for good (Jake), rather than evil (MIB). But I have a bad feeling that from what we know so far, he’s still being manipulated by Ben – and just about anyone else that wants to jerk his chain.
“I think there’s a pretty damn good reason why Locke is in the fckng middle of the LOST Season 6 poster with his back to us.”
Well, yeah, ’cause as far as we know he is MIB, now, and dead. Is that poster revealing anything, or simply showing us what we know so far? Dunno.
I agree about Locke. Lost ending without Locke’s redemption would be terrible especially if mass murders like Ben were given redemption, or justification for their horrible actions.
What I believe would be really brave for the writers to do is make everything Jack and Jacob’s fault. Both of these characters are pretty standard and it would be nice if the writers broke out of the traditional story model. I like Joseph Campbell as much as the next guy but I cringe every time I hear someone mention his name. Relying on the mythic hero model has become a crutch for lazy writing.
Well if that isn’t the universe calling me out. Funny, I just mentioned Campbell’s name in the reply above. Did I mention him anywhere else? I don’t think so, so you must’ve been replying to my future reply. Cool.
It’s entirely possible to put a modern twist on the mythic hero model, just as Avatar and District 9 just did. As for Lost, it would also take courage to build up Locke as a hero and then have him fail. But just as most catchy songs use similar chords, most inspirational stories rely on the monomyth.
I like that Lost shakes things up a bit, but if it gets too far away from a story we can resonate with, people won’t relate to its message and it’ll just feel wrong.
The reason that LOST is so profound is because you have writers that are so literate! They have a great grasp of the classics of fiction, and are incredibly insightful, intelligent folks.
And, obviously, Damon Lindelof (probably some of the other writers/producers, as well) is very interested in human spirituality, with perhaps a New Age, Eastern slant. Even his Ultimate Hulk VS Wolverine had Tibetan monks teaching the Hulk how to control his rage.
Also, obviously, Damon (like the character of Hurley) is very inspired by Star Wars.
Lost, very much, is about humanity and our self-destructive tendencies (“It always ends the same, they come here, they fight, they destroy.” The Valenzetti Equation, etc.), and our attempts to fight those aspects of ourselves (the Dharma Initiative, the natives, Jacob?).
At this point in history, it is incredibly important that we overcome the darker, greedier, careless aspects of ourselves, and fast.
I really appreciate Lost tackling so many existential questions and shedding light on them in a main-stream venue. I really appreciate Avatar and it’s message too (even with some huge plot holes, it’s a beautiful film in so many ways), and I hope that both reach as many people as possible and influence them in positive ways.
I’m a Star Wars kid and it did help shape my morality, and I do wish that the newer ones took themselves a little more seriously and didn’t actively try to be silly kid’s movies with far too blatant polital subtext. But, the majority of the people on Earth are not Star Wars kids, so I think you’re very much overblowing it’s influence, Marc.
Dude I wasn’t calling you lazy. I was making a veiled attack at George Lucas. I meant to write this earlier but I have a life outside of Lost..
Political BS. If you’re going to attack something, don’t give a pseudo-philosophical reason as to why you’re not *really* attacking it. Won’t be reading Mark’s posts anymore.
It was meant to be pseudo-spiritual actually. Sorry for the confusion.
“Won’t be reading Mark’s posts anymore.”
Dude…overreact much?
well he IS a HIPSTER DOOFUS
probably a weirdo
j/p not really
Really dude? War for oil? War on the “entire” Muslim world? Get out of 2005. Grow up. Stick to writing about Lost.
Um, that part WAS supposed to be about 2005.
And it’s a very unsophisticated understanding of our current international conflicts.
Simple and unsophisticated yes, but the quickest way to sum it up in a few words. My point is that 9/11 brought us to Iraq, not the complex series of events that led us there. I probably should’ve taken the politics out of the examples all together since they only blurred the points I was attempting to make. Noted for future.
unsophisticated yes. The Phantom Menaces tie-in was weird. But not far from the goddamn truth. What are you all smoking
It’s not the quickest way. It’s mostly dishonest, uneducated, and partisan hyperbole– and this coming from someone who isn’t a Bush fan. You should have taken politics from this piece because you don’t know enough to write about it in the first place.
Just out of curiosity, are you the same person who wrote the series on monomyth that appeared on this site two years ago (or around that time)? I remember someone tried cracking the plot using that framework and made some predictions that didn’t pan-out at all (in fact, I believe the writer later displayed frustration with the show because it wasn’t revealing what he wanted).
Marc, Marc, Marc. 9-11 did not bring the US into Iraq. The bombing of Israel by Hussein did (although that was not the admitted reason). Or rather, his monetary support did.
Sigh….
Mack, you’re an idiot. I wholeheartedly agree with sv, it’s just fiction. But also, this author has a few huge mistakes. Also (SPOILERS): Locke is dead. End of the finale. We know that. There’s no damn “redemption” for him in season 6 because he hasn’t done anything wrong. Even if the fake Locke isn’t Smokey/the Man in Black, we know it isn’t the real Locke. So that all goes out the window. And to Mack, sure, it might be true that Jack is fairly standard, but 1: season 6 will be HIS redemption, as when you get down to it Jack is the main character of Lost. Also, how the hell is Jacob in any way standard? What other show/story has a character as mysterious or crazy awesome as Jacob, who skips through time and has visited all the main characters in the past and made a dude never age and supposedly heal a dude after falling out a window and even when facing death still be so calm and stress the importance of free will, and yet still not pretend someone is important when they really aren’t? The author of this article is merely delusional and a little misinformed, while you, sir, are just stupid.
I guess the better word would be validation, not redemption. Jacob is a classic savior archetype in the vain of many other man gods in mythology and literature.
Wow. Why are you so angry, its Christmas? You would never speak to another person in public like you have to me here. You pretend to be brave and can call me every name in the book because in the end you don’t have to back it up. You have the safety of anonymity and that makes you look like a pathetic juvenile coward.
Merry Christma
Since when were idiot and stupid “all the names in the book?” Also, you’re the one who makes yourself look juvenile and naive in thinking that everyone celebrates Christmas and has to be nice on this day. It’s almost 2010, wake up kid.
Also, explain how Jacob is “a classic savior archetype in the vain of many other man gods in mythology and literature.”
I said you can call me every name in the book which means you had the option to do so not that you actually did. The point was that you can call me any name you can think of and you will still be a coward behind a computer screen. I guarantee that you would never speak that way to me in person, kid. There is no reason for the name calling. The point is; you treat me with respect and I treat you with respect. You can continue to make this personal if you want but I am not going to waste my time further trading insults with a person over the internet.
It is fairly obvious how Jacob is being portrayed as a Christ like figure. Here is an excerpt from wiki on a Christ like figure. Sounds a bit like how Jacob is being portrayed if you ask me.
“In general, a character should display more than one correspondence with the story of Jesus Christ as depicted in the Bible. For instance, the character might display one or more of the following traits: performance of miracles, manifestation of divine qualities, healing others, display loving kindness and forgiveness, fight for justice, being guided by the spirit of the character’s father, death and resurrection. Christ figures are often martyrs, sacrificing themselves for causes larger than themselves.”
Finally, don’t roll out the whole religion thing. The celebration of Christmas isn’t necessarily religious. I celebrate Christmas and I am an atheist. I don’t know what you celebrate and I don’t much care either. Whatever it is, it’s obviously not a practice which emphasizes being descent and respectful to other human beings.
If you want to talk about potential, anyone at any given time can say whatever the hell they want. You could just as easily have called me anything. Just because I’m responding to what you said doesn’t make me a coward. I would happily call you a moron if I ever had the displeasure of meeting you in real life, because you are one. Jacob is not a typical character at all, and we know so little about him that it’s ludicrous to already call him “a crutch for lazy writing.”
And nice try making yourself seem higher up than me by calling me “kid,” after 1: I called you that in my last post, and 2: you chastised me for calling you names behind the veil of online anonymity.
Calling someone a name behind a computer screen is what makes you a coward. I guarantee you wouldn’t call me a name in person. Let me know who you are then.
You are acting immature and embarrassing yourself. It is mind boggling that a grown person would behave as you have.
Yes, Jacob is a common literary device. I never called him a crutch for lazy writing. I said that to much reliance on the use and quoting of Joseph Campbell is often a sign of lazy writing.
And,you are a kid, your only twenty-four.
Here is my email.
Rummydave79@yahoo.com
Thanks mate. And also I wholeheartedly agree with you on your post, too, except for the parts where ou call people with insults and all. The only idiots in this whole mess remain Lucas and his worshippers. The author of the original article (Marc Oromaner) is obviously a well-educated and intellingent man, I guess he just needs to get a reality check or something. Mack was just expressing an opinion, and even though I don’t agree with him, doesn’t make him an idiot.
I’m not sure what S6 will be about, but I guess it will be indeed about Jack. It saddens me a bit I must say, because, well, I basically hate that gu (the character, not the actor). And I hate Kate with all my heart too (even more than Jack, actually. Kate, in addition to being boring, is just useless). Those 2 are just so annoying. But hey, it’s not like I have a choice. Almost everything else in the show counter-balances those 2 freaks anyway.
I just reread this, and I have to agree one hundred percent. Kate has been so annoying ever since the end of S4. Juliette is awesome tho, I hope she lives and Kate dies.
I love Kate! She might have been kind of boring as a loving mom and girlfriend, but that lasted all of ten minutes. She makes interesting mistakes and, yet, has a good heart. I think she’s a fantastic addition, even if she’s not as cool as characters like Sayid or Desmond. I’m sorry that she makes so many people here so hateful.
Kate was great until season 4 and 5 when all she was used for was the dumb love quadrangle and an annoying “mother”.
I disagree; Kate is awesome.
Locke DID something wrong. A young man got killed because he couldn’t tell the Police about his father and his cons. They haven’t really played his character upon that but is a sympthom of a larger disease called “being so desperate for achieving meaning that will do anything a father figures tells him to”, or the short version: “being a pawn”.
Why is it that everyone who is claiming that all this is just “fiction” or “just a show” writing so passionately about it?
Well, because it IS very good. I guess we (I, at least) don’t cross the line you did. Now, it’s not that is wrong to cross it or anything, I guess even though I really like Lost, I just keep my feet on the ground and don’t make all my life revolve around it, nor around any other fictious work. It is true however that I’m a little more “passionate” about Lost, that is, I read all those posts, episodes reviews, Lostpedia articles (heck, I even contribute to some of them every once in a while), and as I said before, I can’t wait for S6 to begin. It’s like if I had had to stop reading a book I would have forgotten at a friend’s place and he’s coming home to give it back to me or something. But that’s it. I don’t try to see connections to Lost in real life all around me, all the time. Of course this show is full of universal feelings, themes, etc. But all the good stories are. Maybe there are a little more in Lost or SW than in other stories, but still. They don’t shape the human history as you seem to imply (unless I got something wrong).
But the main question remains: what happened to your faaaaace ?
I realize that most people do not see the connections between the myths in the stories they love, and their life. That’s why I write about them. It resonates with some, and not with others.
As far as I can tell, nothing has happened to my faaaaace.
I promise I won’t bother you with hours of reading on this one
Just to say that the faaace thingy is obviously a reference to the video review of the Turd Menace
You need to appreciate that you’re not some oracle who understands and interprets the media that the rest of us grunts are too stupid or uneducated to understand. Your interpretations are lazy and slow-witted. There’s nothing unique about your takes on popular culture. Look at most popular films of the past decade and you’ll find the same streak of self-doubt and introversion that you’ve identified here. What you are saying is nothing clever and nothing new. All it does is trumpet these old ideas about our own subjectivity and potential for evil at such a volume that they cease to resonate. I appreciate hyperoble is your – for want of a better word – style, but here it proves disastrously inaffectual. If you wanted proof of that, look at the reaction your post has provoked. People might not be able to articulate their response to well as you, but that does not make it any less relevant.
I credit How I Met your Mother with all of the Mothers I have made of chicks since it first premiered. Many, many new mothers are now out there because of me. Truly shaman in its inspiration.
George Focas’ hero is obviously Charlie Harper.
Eewwwwwww….
“The author of this article is merely delusional and a little misinformed, while you, sir, are just stupid.”
What the hell is WRONG with some of the people who post here? Christ, dude…lighten up and stop attacking people just because you disagree with them.
So said Pot, calling Kettle black….
I’m with Hipster. This guy has at least two less readers now. This is DocArzt, not the Huffington Post.
I think it’s a little harsh to attack someone with “watch the Hills” when they give you some critcism.
Yeah but look at the person he is referring to. Not the best example of a logical and reason individual. What bfdeg gave wasn’t what I would call criticism. He is upset at the article attacking Bush No where did he present a well reasoned, point by point, counter argument.
I wasn’t upset just that he was attacking Bush, I was annoyed that he was needlessly bringing in political views that, regardless of what they were, had no place on a blog about LOST.
And calling some one names and acting like an internet tough guy has a place on a Lost blog.
Right, calling you stupid for 1. saying wrong information about Lost and 2. believing Marc’s bullshit means I’m “acting like an internet tough guy.” Why don’t you stop acting like a little bitch who just got pushed in the playground for the first time? Nobody gives a shit if your feelings were hurt, go cry about it to your mom kid.
You cried like a baby.
Forget the political implications. LOST is certainly a brilliant show with lots of great philosophical and spiritual influences, but it’s not an excuse to just go on some big anti-Bush tirade. It’s irrelevant and just annoying.
You went on a tirade yourself. You can’t even argue your position without name calling. At this point there is nothing appreciable you can contribute to the conversation.
if you’re not anti-Bush by now, you’re mentally retarded
Not saying I disagree with the views, just saying they have no place on a blog about LOST.
Come on Omar, don’t be a hypocrite.
You heard it here first, folks: God Himself has spoken. Or, Herself.
Whatever…
I don’t know whats more shocking that there is a God or that he has chosen to bring force his divine word on a Lost website.
I am pretty left leaning and I don’t mind a good passionate debate but when arguments degrade into name calling and threats its time for me to call it a day and leave the thread.
Although it does some a few HuffPo members are Lost fans as well….
Hmmm….
So much for the 1st Amendment….
This website is privately owned so unfortunately free speech doesn’t apply here though Doc must be given some credit for allowing everybody to discuss issues freely.
Well…that was stupid
I know you are but what am I?
IF you’re a member of House, you should know what your are.
But not surprised you don’t…..
As always, Mark, your posts are controversial. I’m going to assume that you are being intentionally hyperbolic (although the prequels were an apocalyptic disaster). You did make a great point though in that myth does subconciously underscore our lives. While I think it’s a huge stretch to call “The Phantom Menace” the epicenter of our current tribulations, there is no doubt that we are a disillusioned nation. In a lot of way we are all a bit like Locke, once sure of something, but after a crushing blow to our faith, suddenly grasping for whatever might make things whole and right again.
That’s what good fiction does, though. It holds a mirror to our society and reflects our struggles. “Star Wars” was the perfect film of its time, just as “LOST” is the perfect TV show for its. As Michel pointed out earlier, “LOST” is a great reflection of our morally ambiguous culture.
I think your posts are great — keep it up — but this time I think your reach exceeded your grasp.
“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?” —Robert Browning.
As for hyperbole, there was a touch of tongue-in-cheek that I thought might rile up the locals, but honestly, there is a lot more to this than I explored here. It’s not necessarily about causality as it is a reflection of where we all are now on our collective path. Many of the myths coming out now (Avatar, District 9, etc) indicate that we have strayed. That we have become the bad guys. Right now, beyond the veil of our reality, I believe there is a version of our world where Star Wars Episode I was a smashing success. And I bet you that world isn’t in the same mess we’re in right now. They might have other problems, however. We at least got a wake up call that things don’t always go as we wish they would.
“…rile up the locals.”
???
Bored, huh? Probably never met an anthill you couldn’t ignore.
Oh, wait, precious ants. You’d never.
Humans, on the other hand….
Sigh
Nature abhors a vacuum. As such, every universe in a multiversal lattice is probably perfect and teaching exactly what needs to be taught to those with ears to hear.
Or maybe, everything just is and all possiblities exist just so existence can BE?
Hail Eris!
What’s up with your faaaaace?
Haha Looser, that’s what you get for taking direction in life from a movie!
I take life direction from the movies I see, the shows I watch, the books I read, the conversations I have, the words I overhear, the people I meet, the information I learn, the chance meetings I encounter, the knowledge I receive, and a plethora of other life events on both physical and spiritual levels. But yes, Star Wars set the seed level for everything afterwards. At least I’m aware of where my life direction comes from. Most people sleepwalk through life making decisions based on their past mistakes and never trying to strive to be anything greater.
Good luck with that. I take direction in life from the Bible. You know, that book written by the inventor and designer of life…
Im From the Past your very mention of the bible here shows your ignorance..so you take ur direction from a book that has been changed and diluted so much overtime to suit the authors needs that its true meaning is now covered in fire and brim stone? Enjoy living your life scared asshole..
by the way your name its self would be considered the highest possible blasphemy from those who are “true believers” for u to even imply ur from the past is to say that u urself is god.. asshole
Ok, thanks for sharing.
Wait, what?
‘Scuse me, Lucy, but HOLY cow!
Sigh…
i actually usually like imfromthepast and his articles.. but that kind of just like got to me his comments..
for anyone to to be so insulting for someone for looking at somethign creatively esp imfromthepast who has geeked out on lost as much as anyone is ridiculous..
one morething.. but smitty.. serious u give ur opinion on everything and most of the time what u say is completely preachy and self serving.. u need to regulate ur self to maybe two posts a thread cause u really do get qutie annoying sometimes.. we do not need ur opinon on every post..
Marc…you’re the kettle calling the pot black, you realize that, don’t you?
smitty you live in a glass house and u throw stones u realize that right? ur such an asshole man.. i have in no way contradicted myself or once been hypocritical in any of my comments.. in fact every comment i have made has been to say your an asshole and i have not strayed from that and i will not now.. you are an asshole.. you suck.. you are ruining my fun experience of reading a blog… stop with the fuckin cliches about kettles .. ur not saying anything.. asshole.. and when you have said something its been complete preachy hypocritical bullshit, asshole.. so stop being an asshole dick
“Good luck with that. I take direction in life from the Bible. You know, that book written by the inventor and designer of life…”
Which, of course, is just as fictional as Star Wars and Lost.
thank you shinto for putting it more eliquently then i could at the time..
Marc and Shito sittin’ in a tree…k-i-s-s-i-n-g….
Not that there’s anything wrong with that….
Unless you read the bible….
More so. The Bible is ludicrous.
My favorite part of the bible is where Jesus stops that chick from getting stoned.
Yeah, Zoot, then He tells her – what!?! “Go and sin no more.”
Perhaps the world would have been “better off” with AlGore in charge, but I do believe we would still be under threat of ManBearPig in that scenario. With Prez Bush busying the world with Sadaam, AlGore was able to find ManBearPig and extinguish him from the world. Thus, the world is better off with Prez Bush in office eight years, and AlGore triumphant over the threat of ManBearPig.
Omigod… are you cereal?
I am super serial.
You’re all silly gooses!
You do have a point there. And I’m grateful for being a South Park fan or I would have no idea what you are talking about. Neither Gore nor Obama are perfect either. I just think their motivations are more aligned with what’s ultimately better for the planet.
2012 doesn’t necessarily mean the world is ending. As I understand it, it’s the beginning of a new age. Your vision upholds this, and I think that change comes from within.
I don’t feel Episodes 1-3 need to be remade though. But I DO think that the renumbering is symbolic of people changing history to fit their own means. Although I understand the necessity of the prequels, I have a problem with the fact that anybody born after 1990 or so will not see that climactic scene at the end of Empire Strikes Back in the same way the previous generations have. In a few more generations, will people still be compelled to even make it to “Episode 4″ (IT’S NOT EPISODE 4, IT’S CALLED “STAR WARS”, DAMMITT!!! NOW KEEP OFF MY LAWN, YOU DAMN KIDS!!) after having to sit through 1 (“Yippie”!!!) and the extended love story of 2, if they even make it that far.
However LOST ends, I have faith that they’ll put the pieces together than turning the Yippie kid to a whiny emotional brat to an iconic, ice cold badass voiced by James Earl Jones.
Here’s to hope…
Sure, after destroying a few billion lives, saving the elite, a new beginning.
Sigh….
Oromaner is the King of Overthinking. His arguments are silly and weak and really he just wants to sell you his ridiculous book. I’m sick of his content. Couldn’t get past the first third of his post because it is so simply retarded. We get it. You love myths. You think writers are shamans. Fine. Go live in ancient Greece then. We’ve heard it before and it is still lame. Quit reaching so much, man.
“Only a Sith deals in absolutes.”
And yet you seem awfully fond of them.
So do mathematicians…
Bang.
Does anyone else understand just how hilariously ironic it is to emphatically and unequivocally state that only the other guy deals in absolutes?
“Couldn’t get past the first third of his post because it is so simply retarded.”
Anyone who uses the word “retarded” like that has no moral ground on which to stand.
You heard it folks, direct from God Himself. Or, Herself.
What ever….
Smitty, I’m curious: Do we have an issue of which I’m unaware? I have no idea who you are or what your posting history is, so I’m unaware of any bad blood between us, and yet you’ve bashed me after every comment I made today. Why the ‘tude? I have no beef with you, dude.
shinto smitty is like the inlaw who doenst know when to go home.. do not take anything to heart that his guys says.. he comments on everyones comment while everybody else is thinking to themsevles who is this guy and why is he in our conversation?
he is talkin to a wall.. so he really has not gotten the point yet that nobody on this website likes him or takes anythin from what he has to say and he would be better off not posting..
seriously he is an ahole.. dont worry about anythin he says.
I’m not buying it. First, I don’t think that people were disappointed in The Phantom Menace in the sheer numbers that this article portrays. The people who hated it were teenagers and young adults who thought that it was going to be the second coming of Jesus. As it so happens, those are the same people who whine the loudest about the flaws in pieces of entertainment and end up defining a lot of conventional wisdom about pop culture. On the other hand, there were millions and millions of little kids who absolutely loved TPM.
The rest of the adults who saw it may not have been completely enraptured like they were when they saw the original trilogy as kids, but it didn’t shatter their faith in humanity. They just shrugged, said “oh, another lousy sequel” and moved on. Really, you give people too much credit here in the amount of investment they place in a fictional story. I can’t tell you how many times I had to explain to my parents what a “prequel” was when we went to see the prequel trilogy. Most people have far too much going on in their lives to lose a lot of sleep being disappointed by a science fiction movie.
You know what? People are going to be really disappointed in the second coming of Jesus too.
“You know what? People are going to be really disappointed in the second coming of Jesus too.”
Especially since it will never happen.
That’s what he’s saying. The christians will be really disappointed.
Why is IFtP trying to preach this god and jesus nonsense all of a sudden? Were you always a religious nutbag, and I just never noticed till now?
Dude, rather than annoy people anonymously on the web with that garbage, I think you’d be using your energy better by just going outside on a street corner and getting in people’s faces like some kooked street preacher. Those guys are funny, and they get tips.
@Gripp:
Why are we getting anti-Bush tirades posted as frontpage Lost articles all of a sudden? IFtP’s comments are just as appropriate as this article.
Even if Jesus flys down on his steed of white flame and uses Archangel Michael’s awesome light saber of Righeousness to smite me in twain…it will be an honor.
i would rather be honored by a roundhouse kick from Chuck Norris
The event that we collectively want to undo is NOT Episode I but 9/11/01. That’s why the show started 3 years, 11 days after the event (um… a plane crash?).
If anything, the Star Wars prequels foretell the election of Barack Obama more than Bush.
Think about it, during a time of seemingly endless war, the American people turn to a man who promises “Hope” and “Change”, just like the Senate turned to Palpatine after the bureaucracy seemed to fail them. This results in increased government control that ultimately fails to be successful.
Now I’m not trying to start a political argument, but I’m just showing that you can take the same themes you used and use it to argue for any political side. Thus I question the validity of your arguments since you combined many very different speculations and details in order to support your possibly biased beliefs.
I can see that. Whatever the details, the movie for me indicates that we are not on the right path. Even if there wasn’t a big uproar about it, its message is not uplifting…perhaps, even if it was done well. Perhaps the biggest reason I didn’t like the movies is because I just didn’t like the message.
When were “we” on the right path? Love is the law, and even on this site where we all share a love for the same thing, we come and fight and destroy. Jacob’s going to lose the bet.
And, yes, Robin’s the mother. The End.
Deep.
I gave up on MOTHER just because I believed Robin is her, but then they are all sleeping around on each other – and now she’s sleeping with the mysognist pig!?! Sorry, I just don’t see a dad talking to his children about his mother like that.
I’m just a prude, I guess.
i wasnt a big fan of everyone having slept with each other either, especially with Robin and that lovable misogynist pig
I’m realizing now that the son kinda looks like Ted. The daughter kinda looks like Robin. Kinda.
couldnt have said it better myself
I rewatched S1 of HIMYM and Robin was a different experience for Ted. It just seems like Ted will never not have any feelings for her. Especially when Ted was gonna marry Stella and she said that she’d have a problem with it. There’s something going on between the 2. All these stories up until now are a perfect way for Robin and Ted to realize that they’re kinda perfect for each other and I cant see the writers bringing in a totally new person of interest for Ted. That Front Porch (Front Porch Test [that was a good idea lol]) episode kinda foreshadowed that for me so ya, Robin’s the Mother.
Well, having thought about this for a while, I have to say that they might slip in the real mother in the last episode, in the last minute.
@those who aren’t so floored by the politics in this wacky (not necessarily in a bad way) article – We’re all protected by the 1st amendment. It’s perfectly fine for this guy to write some politics into this. Politics isn’t so complicated. People are complicated, which is why I completely agree with #13-15 (I really liked/strongly agreed with all of them pretty much, but everything after 13 really brought it home)
Though I disagree about the Phantom Menace. I think the reason why not too many people were so happy with it is simply because it didn’t live up to their expectations. It wasn’t epic enough (or Anakin’s backstory was insufficient/’tarded). A podrace is nothing to write home about. And I don’t think PM needed to have a message and if you found one, then you might have taken it a bit too seriously. It’s meant to be Chapter 4 of 6. It’s just more to the story. I know it’s supposed to be “Episode I” but I think the most important message of the SW Trilogy I (the whole saga really) was that, well you know, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The Dark Side sucks. “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering,” you know, be more Buddhist, be humble and pacifist, but know how to handle a fckng lightsaber. If there were something to be learned from PM, it’s that you DONT MISINTERPRET A FCKNG PROPHECY. Or better yet, just don’t take that prophecy literally and just sharpen your lightsaber skills and master the frkn Force. That’ll getcha some tail. “Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills!”
I just didn’t like the children’s humor pandering it did(Jar-Jar, the series first purely comic character…stepping in poop…really?).
Just wanted to say before I finish reading the article, GW Bush was pretty bad, but knowing what we know now about Al Gore, I think he would have been much, MUCH worse.
I would’ve gotten to ManBearPig earlier, had I been prezident in 2001. I am super serial.
Nailed it!
Yeah, especially with VP Leiberman! Puke!!!
I liked Phantom Menace. I don’t understand the point of this column?!
I enjoyed this article. Remember Stan from South Park that even though these characters don’t exist.. that doesn’t mean they aren’t real.
If a character in a story has moved you or inspired you and made you re-evaluate your attitude about life and shaped the person you are today. Isn’t that real? Isn’t that more real then the people you meet randomly in life that haven’t made such an affect?
You know his last name was actually Copperpot, right? The Penguin’s last name is Cobblepot
Is Chester Cobblepot real(r)?
The Penguin’s full name is Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot.
Well, it’s not the most moronic thing I’ve read on teh interwebs over the past few months…but do keep in mind that I like to regularly peruse the FOX sports message boards. I guess what I’m saying is…Marc Oramaner must be a regualar Canadian guy, eh…and if he’s not, he’s fit in well if he made the move to the Great White North. Frickin’ Americans and their empty suit presidents……
Wow! I just stopped back in to see if this article was as controversial as I thought it might be, and…we have two people duking it out (even swapping e-mails), a writer obviously enjoying the dialogue he’s created, and a lot of people questioning the political leanings of Marc.
What we’re not doing is talking about one of Marc’s more subtle points at the end of his post: is “LOST” an apocalyptic tale? He puts it in league with those types of stories. At first glance, the show doesn’t have that feel, yet season five does end with a big boom. Will the stakes of season six be the fate of not just the Island and the survivors of Oceanic 815, but of the world?
Thanks Marc, for putting these ideas out there, if for no other reason than we can enjoy reading comment posts that seem more like a pissing contest than an idea forum.
Hopefully preventing an apocalyptic tale…. But probably not what The Darlton is going for.
Well, one thing it seems they did take from Star Wars is blowing something up at the end of every season!!!
What does that bode for the end?
Mark,
You certainly write on a mythic level–everything is so large in scope.
A very interesting dialogue you’ve created here. Keep it up!
I read The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien. Extremely intriguing, but somehow probably the hardest book I’ve had to get through. It’s readable, but…it is wacky as hell. What kept me going was wanting to find out what happens at the end and I think for the time period in which it was written, it was considered a shocker. Not sure if it’ll have the same shock value with my generation but I recommend it. Read it after I heard that Darlton said that a lot of themes/motifs ended up coming from that book. And they speak the truth. In fact, I was surprised at how many ideas there were that I recognized in countless episodes.
Read somewhere (never can remember where exactly though) that before they settles on “LOST”, they were gonna name it “The Circle.” “The Circle” is (I’m confident that it is an obvious one, at least to those who read it) an allusion to the conclusion of Third Policeman and a hearty wink at the initial title of that same book before O’Brien agreed to “The Third Policeman.” I actually highly recommend this book. It’s possibly the weirdest book I’ve ever read.
Oh boy, if the end of LOST is anything like the end of Third Policeman, I don’t know whether to be angry or not. I probably won’t be as Darlton have never really failed to deliver on creativity. To any other crazy LOSTies out there crazy enough to have read this obscure book (or wiki the plot, to know what the hell I’m talking about=D), do you think there’s a Third Policeman in LOST too? And if there is, who might it be? *There are obvious candidates but I’d like to hear other ideas, if there are any, on this book and its connection to LOST.
Oh and with regards to Marc’s political leaning, I think he watches Fox News for his entertainment.
I just added that book to my list of things to check out, just after “the power of myth”. When all is said and done, at least this post and all the fuss will have been useful to me, thanks
Well, I certainly hope The Darlton doesn’t mirror the ending of that book. St. Elsewhere’s ending worked, probably because it was a first for such a series. Newhart’s ending worked because it was a joke on St. Elsewhere. Lost does it, probably not a good thing.
And if Marc would watch Fox News for news that no one else will cover and not for entertainment, then he might actually learn something.
St. Elsewhere’s ending worked because it is reality. Like it or lump it, you, I, your Mommie, and your blanket, are all a product of Tommy Westphall’s imagination.
“And if Marc would watch Fox News for news that no one else will cover and not for entertainment, then he might actually learn something.”
“Fox” and “News” shouldn’t be spoken in the same sentence together. What an openly biased and disingenuous channel.
You know what they say: Opinions are like a**holes, everybody’s got one…
True, but I respect ***your*** opinion, despite it being different than mine. Apparently, the same cannot be said for you, which says more about you than it does about me. How unfortunate.
When did he ever say he didn’t respect your opinion? Fox News doesn’t imply a thirst for liberal blood, just conservative views. And his original comment didn’t even really imply he WAS conservative.
Wait, so people voted for Bush in Florida because they were hypnotized by how rubbish the Phantom Menace was??? Do you even read what you type? How about people voted for Bush because they thought he might make a better President than Gore (they were wrong obviously)?
[This of course all neglects the fact that many on the left voted for Nader rather than for Gore, which made it easier for Gore to be beaten by Bush, and that Bush didn't necessarily get more votes than Gore in Florida, there was that Supreme Court case, remember.]
And one crap film, and suddenly that causes all the bad stuff in the world in the last ten years??? How about bad things happen because bad people exist, because people are careless, because people don’t think things through etc? How about the dot coms collapsed because they weren’t making enough money? How about 9/11 happened, not because Bin Laden was pissed off with George Lucas, but because he was pissed off, rightly or wrongly, with what he perceived as an “imperial” nature to America, Israel and the rest of the West’s foreign policy (e.g. the 1996 bombing of civilians in Qana by Israel), and because he was already a pretty disturbed individual? How about Bush’s foreign policy was what it was, not because he’s some embodiment of Anakin Skywalker, but because he had neocons like Dick Cheney, Rumsfeld etc running it, people whose raison d’etre was always going to be, “let’s export (by gun if necessary) democracy to the world”. How about people bought and sold subprime mortgages and credit default swaps and so on, not because the Phamtom Menace made us all unhappy, but because of lax regulations, areas of non-regulation, so-called “irrational exuberance”, moral hazard, bad incentives, a global savings glut (mainly from Asia) which had to go somewhere, the ideas of efficient markets and rational expectations, financial wizards who thought they could avoid risk with Gaussian distributions, and a perception that if bad times looked to be on the horizon, the central banks could just step in like after previous bubbles and everything would be ok?
[I should also point out, that in fact 1999 was a pretty good year in film overall. The Matrix, Fight Club, Magnolia, American Beauty, loads of great films that year: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_in_film
You’re either trolling or you’ve jumped the shark if you actually believe what you just wrote. Do you realize how insane all of that is? So all the economists, political scientists, sociologists, pundits and so on, you name it, from your point of view, they’re all totally wrong in their understanding of the world, because none of them have wondered if perhaps it’s one bad movie that’s the cause of all our troubles?
What’s more likely: half the world has been infected with Lucas-itis for the last ten years, or you just don’t have a very good understanding of economics, politics and sociology? Oooh, no need to learn macroeconomics to understand the economic crisis, because Lucas did it! No need to work out who to vote for at the next election, because the invisible hand of “Really bad movies” will guide us towards our fated choice! No need to follow the news, because the films of George Lucas are our magic 8-ball unto the future!
“The Clone Wars” was even worse then Episode 1, and that came out last year. Does this mean they’ll be another economic crisis 9 years after that too i.e. in 2017?
Jeez, this was the stupidest thing I’ve read all year.
I agree, 1999 was a very good year for movies. That was the year I starred in Nasty Anal Sluts VI, and that was probably my best work.
I’m quite familiar with your work. NAS VI was good, but your work in The Return of the Sweaty Chewbacca and Attack of the Fat Chicks IV is quite popular amongst us SW fans
i dont think the Phantom-Menace-End-of-World connection was meant to be taken seriously. chill out. if it was, then, well, this is a blog about LOST, it’s all MEANT to be taken in good fun. we don’t need some senior citizen telling us teenagers that barney is retarded (analogy). if you’re too smart for this ‘crapola’, don’t assume we’re all too dumb to see things like you do. i can’t believe someone so smart as you took this ‘crap’ literally. we LOSTies don’t need to be told that The Island isn’t fckng real
*though i do agree with your point on that electoral college bullspit and how nader supporters robbed gore of votes.
If this post wasn’t meant to be taken seriously, why does it say in the first paragraph:
“The Phantom Menace is not only the biggest disappointment in movie history, it is also very likely completely responsible for screwing up our world’s history. Yes, I’m completely serious.”
ill give it to you that it’s hard to convey a tone of sarcasm from behind a keyboard but the title alone shouldve made you shake your head. Just because he’s stressing that he’s completely serious doesnt necessarily mean that he IS (I think that’s what sarcasm is). Anyone who thinks that a single movie is solely responsible for where we are now would be narrowminded, especially with no concrete evidence. But there’s also that Butterfly Effect=]. However, I agree that this article was probably more suited for Huffington Post.
Anyone who strongly feels that FoxNews is journalism w/o an agenda or that Bush was okay or that the bible was written by the hand of god could use a strong and serious analytic rebuttal, not this article.
Tom says:
December 27, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Wait, so people voted for Bush in Florida because they were hypnotized by how rubbish the Phantom Menace was??? Do you even read what you type? How about people voted for Bush because they thought he might make a better President than Gore (they were wrong obviously)?”
How do we know that, Tom? How do YOU know that? 9-11 probably still happens. Gore coddles the terrorists, blames America, turns America “Green” and utterly destroys our economy overnight, rather than the nine long years it took Bush and The One to do it.
Seriously???
“[This of course all neglects the fact that many on the left voted for Nader rather than for Gore, which made it easier for Gore to be beaten by Bush, and that Bush didn't necessarily get more votes than Gore in Florida, there was that Supreme Court case, remember.]”
Yeah, let’s not forget all the nuts voted for Perot, got Slick Willie elected. Sure, claim he balanced the budget – he didn’t, a Republican Congress did, albeit at the expense of our defense budge and Clinton’s tyrannical shutting down of the government. And the USSC? Sorry, count ALL the votes or none. Oh yeah, those fools in the Florida panhandle that walked away from the voting booth after the Media called Florida for Gore before the polls closed, you don’t count – specially if your right-wing military dweebs serving our country.
Seriously, please, can’t we all just get along, enjoy LOST as a mythic allegory of MYTHS/RELIGION and call it at that….
“9-11 probably still happens.”
Very unlikely, given that Bush and Cheney masterminded it.
Hahahahhahahhahahahaha.
I’m sorry, I must be lost – seems this is the looney toons aisle.
Smitty, I know you’re on a “bash Shinto” roll today for some reason, but there IS evidence that Bush and Cheney were in on 9-11. It’s not just Looney Toons, as you claim. Regardless, that’s not something for us to get into here, beyond this post, as it’s likely to rile up a lot of people, not to mention pissing off Doc, which I’d prefer not to do. Let’s just agree to disagree, without your resorting to slinging insults my way.
Okay, I know there was some disagreement before about me calling some other people names, but you’re just being ridiculous Shinto. Go home.
Looney.
Tunes.
Sigh. There is NO evidence of any such thing. Sheer L-U-N-A-C-Y. See comments below.
Good grief.
You act as if this is just some weird idea I alone came up with. A ***lot*** of people believe Bush was involved in 9-11. It’s not just some bizarre fringe theory. And yes, there IS evidence.
A lot of people believe in the Tooth Fairy, too.
“25% of Americans believe 9/11 was a conspiracy. Are you saying that 25% of Americans are retarded?”
“Yeah dude, definitely. At least 25%.”
I agree. Sometimes unethical leaders make these huge power grabs. And, it just so happens they made BILLIONS, personally.
handsome smitty once again being hyporictical using this blog as a forum to spew his republican propaganda.. way to go asshole
I really like what you wrote, except:
Bin Laden has not taken credit for 9/11 and is not even on the FBI Most Wanted list because there is no evidence that he had anything to do with it. He did state that it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving country, but the tape that the Bush Administration’s CIA paraded about where Bin Laden takes credit is a joke and has been discredited by Canada even. The man in that video doesn’t even resemble Bin Laden and has an Egyptian accent.
I won’t comment on the post itself, because enough discourse has been generated already, much of which I agree with, some of which misunderstands what you’re trying to say.
All I’ll say is that up until now, I’d been on the fence about you Marc Oromaner. Your writing is eloquent and your reasoning interesting, if often specious. This post has revealed that the lens through which you view the world is rather small. As a writer and a thinker, I’d go back to the drawing board on this one. You have potential, but if you’re going to write things like this seriously, then it’s going to go to waste.
You’ve gained points for bravery, lost some for naivety.
First of all, let me just thank everyone for their posts–the encouraging and the angry. As much as I’d like to respond to every comment, I think it just might be best to sum up why I wrote this article and what I was hoping would be the result of it.
I wrote the article because like a lot of fans, I’ve been fascinated by Lost’s concept (and yes, I realize it didn’t originate with the show but they’ve put a new twist on it) of being able to get a do-over with a moment that caused everything to go wrong. After I watched The Phantom Menace review on YouTube, this idea popped into my head and once an idea pops into my head, I have to get it out there. When inspiration strikes, you don’t question it, you don’t stifle, you just nurture it to see where it will go. This is what encourages inspiration to hit you again.
In my rush to get this out there (it was about 3am when I finished) I probably didn’t do as good of a job as I would’ve liked at getting the idea across that had come to me. But in a way, I’m glad, because it seems like this column struck a real nerve with people. I wonder if this reaction is foreshadowing what fans will be feeling after the show ends. People were really annoyed here after just investing a few minutes of their time. Imagine investing 6 years and feeling bamboozled by the point of the show. For me, it’s about the journey and I’ll always love the show no matter how it ends. But I can definitely be disappointed.
The point of this article was to draw a parallel between the do-over moment on LOST, and compare it with a do-over moment in our timeline. Since I believe that LOST is giving us real-world wisdom, I wanted to give an example that could relate. To me, Phantom Menace was at the head of a series of negative events. The point is not necessarily that it caused them, but that it was an indicator that we have verged onto another path. That is why I was trying to indicate when I wrote this:
“Somehow, something went dreadfully wrong between the time that The Matrix came out in March of 1999, and The Phantom Menace in May of that same year. What happened was so wrong, that it corrupted the timeline we live in and most of the mythological messages to follow”
Note I said that something went wrong “between” that time. It was the first omen. A sign that we were in for some troubling times. Maybe this is just destiny and it was the path we were always meant to experience. But I subscribe to the real-life metaphor of LOST’s alternate timelines and believe that life is not “happening.” It’s already happened. Every possible scenario. And we just enter the scenarios where our mind goes. This is how it works on subatomic levels and since were are made from subatomic particles, I believe it relates to our world too.
For those of you who don’t believe that mythological stories can be indicators of what’s going on in our world, I have no idea why you read my posts. My guess is that you enjoy arguing. That’s fine. You can call these ideas a lot of things, but to call them shallow or unoriginal seems to be a complete misappropriation. Either that, or you are only reading the words and completely missing the meaning.
For those who find it ridiculous that Bush was elected because of The Phantom Menace–yes, you are right. That is ridiculous. Because you skipped a few steps. Because of the dot-com crash and stock market crash of 1999/2000, people were fearful. They wanted something different. So they went Republican. Just like they went Democrat when it happened again in 2008. When things aren’t working, the other party usually wins. It’s Poly-Sci 101.
Someone asked if I wrote a LOST momomyth piece 2 years ago. I believe that was Doc Jensen, and it was pretty brilliant.
As far as whether I think I’m some know-it-all who’s enlightening people to my insight, c’mon. Lost fans are among the most intelligent out there. But I don’t see many people posting about the real-life parallels to its mythic themes and spiritual implications. Yes, I have read some. And there are many comparisons about good/evil, war, religion, etc. But I usually go in a direction people haven’t thought about. This was one of those times. Maybe no one thought about it because it was kooky. But maybe if you weren’t so quick to react, you’d see that perhaps there was a nugget of truth in it. That there was a moment where everything started to go downhill in our timeline. And maybe someone at CERN or a Buddhist monk will be able to figure out how to go back and course correct. Even if not, maybe we can put our minds together to get us back on track.
The point is, the specifics of this article were meant merely as an example. But there is a truth in what I wrote and if you disagree than you disagree with one of the main premises of LOST. Of the 80-something posts on here, I don’t think a single person brought up the LOST incident. That was the discussion I was hoping to start. Perhaps I can figure out a way to go back and redo that moment with a tweaked post. Then again, without this lesson, I’d probably be given another chance to make the same mistake with something else.
In short, I regret nothing.
Does it not occur to you that George Lucas is not the only autonomous agent on the planet. Either we all are or nobody is. Phantom Menace sucked for certain reasons. There were certainly influences and causes, wide-ranging and sophisticated, which made it like it is. At BEST, it’s a link in a chain. If you’re going to get spiritual, be smart about it.
I’m really glad you regret nothing. That’s a healthy, sociopathic attitude which I happen to share.
But, things are tough all over. Always have been. 95% of the world has been suffering something major since the dawn of consciousness.
That’s why we listen to the shamen and shawomen. We need an escape for a moment, and it’s always nice when they make it relevent and teach us a thing or two in the process. Yes, when W took office, things got much worse in the U.S. and the Middle East, and lo, the world. But, if you thought things were on a good path before that, you weren’t paying attention.
The above post was written by my alternate reality self. In this universe, which is the primary universe you are all familiar with, I regret EVERYTHING. That includes the time I threw banana peels at monkeys as a child. Those monkeys really didn’t do anything to provoke me.
For at least the past 40,000 years, humankind has trying to insert some importance of themselves to the world around them, some deeper meaning. That seems impossible considering the vastness of the known universe, not counting the unknown ones posited by some theorists, mathematicians and so-called “scientists.”
Same goes for conspiracy theories (probably the same thing, if you think about it – the theorists themselves inflicting their own deluded importance upon the world around them).
Humans classify, it’s what we do, who we are, what makes us this schizophrenic animal we be.
So you reached for it…big deal.
Banana peels!?! Man, I ate a mud pie at 6…what did that mud ever do to me!!!
Um, alternate self, that wasn’t mud you ate.
Do you not suspect that religion is just another mechanism for attempting to justify or vindicate our existence?
Sorry, that sounds a little harsh. I should qualify that by saying that I merely enquire because, as I’m sure you’d agree, many forms of spiritualism fall under that category. I’m an agnostic who’s considering religion at the moment.
It’s not harsh, at all. Isn’t religion the way we reconcile the outer and the inner? It’s not a bad thing, it seems really necessary.
Marc,
I commend you my friend. You put yourself out there, exposed your intelligence, passion, perspective and politics to the world, dared to be known by the world. Whether you are right or wrong or some point in between–cool for you.
I might also add that you’re not getting enough props from the peeps here for being very, very funny. I really couldn’t tell from your piece if you were being dead serious or mischiviously tongue in cheek. Might it be both? Yes, it might, and that makes it pretty genius for me.
The hostile reaction you’ve received is really about one thing: politics. It’s a huge lesson I learned from my own message boards: nobody wants to hear a Lost commentator mix entertainment with politics. Especially a political POV that reads as partisan as yours. It just becomes alienating, and gets in the way of the apolitical point you’re making.
Here’s the biggest problem I have with your theory that The Phantom Menace was a corrupting world myth that destabilized the world (if we are to take it seriously): What happened to the older, better, STRONGER redemptive myth of the original Star Wars trilogy? Your logic requires that TPM be so powerful, it usurped earlier, estalished myths. OR it requires that we argue that people did not process TPM as it was intended, which was as the new FIRST half of larger story. So yes, while the prequel trilogy ends with the triumph of moral ambiguity and the dismantling of hero archetypes, the LARGER whole of the entire Star Wars myth ends with redemption and restoration. And we KNEW that–or SHOULD have known that–going into TPM.
Personally, I’m not sure our fictional stories create the mythic meaning of our reality–but I do think it reflects, affirms, and perpetuates the existing mythic meaning of reality. You seem to agree with this by saying that these stories cause or “solidify” mythic meaning. But if the latter is true, then that seems to argue for the great relevancy of TPM, does it not? We may despise its execution, or resent it for not being the kind of story we wanted it to be or hoped it would be, but your essay actually seems to argue that the thematic arc of the trilogy both reflected and anticipated the times we lived in and still live in. It certainly belongs to a larger cultural moment whose roots go back to the early seventies, when Hollywood began giving us hero myths that openly questioned heroic mythology. That questioning is, in fact, the great theme of this decade’s hero stories, from X-Men to Spider-Man, Harry Potter to The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix to The Dark Knight, and now, Lost. To paraphrase something Damon Lindelof told me earlier this year, Lost in many ways is about saying: Why in the world would ANYONE want to be a hero these days? Those people are crazy. Right?
Thanks for sharing that Doc. Points taken. As for the hero thing, I’ve heard it said that “a hero is someone who suffers.” I don’t think anyone would want to be a hero. It’s just something that’s thrust upon them.
Spot on with the hero definition. We love to watch shows/movies with these heroes in them because they accept the circumstances while others would normally run away, and better yet, they end up succeeding. Everyone wants to be a hero for the success, the pats on the back, and the fame. What few people understand is that in order to be a hero, you need to take up responsibility, exhibit a ridiculous amount of humility, and, in time, the self-control of a monk. Even when they acquire hero status, they brush off the title because they know what’s important. People dont want to have hero status, they want the accolades that come with it.
I think that’s why it is so easy to like Locke and Sayid (I’m choosing these 2 only because I remember their backstories best and they’re probably the most relevant to the point I’m trying to make) because they’ve grown up in environments that force suffering upon them (Buddha was so right). They accept the situation instead of complain about it. Mix in a strong sense of determination and morals and you’ve got yourself some likable heroes in the making. Everyone wants to be the hero at the end, but few realize that it’s the journey that makes the hero. LOST shows us these journeys. That’s why we’ve become so attached to its characters. That’s one of the reasons why LOST is so great.
Like Harry Potter. He didn’t want to be the Chosen One at first, but realized that in order to save the world, he needed to quit whining and step the fck up. He absorbed discrimination and humiliation, took responsibility, and accepted the fact that he was probably the only one who could destroy the Dark Side lol. Few ever do what needs to be done. The current economic and political climate is a perfect example.
I’m not saying he’s a hero or a saint, but I think Obama did more in his first 100 days than his predecessor ever did in 8 years. That’s probably the only reason why he got that awkward Nobel Peace Prize. So much for our first MBA president. Definitely not hero material.
Yeah!
Doc, I love you, Man!
The reason I dispise the Phantom Menance is that it took all of these lovely Star Wars fans and made them hate Star Wars!
I enjoy the Clone Wars cartoon, but my friends make fun of me now because they think Star Wars is ruined and a joke.
It’s like having this really great uncle and he’s your hero and then he gets arrested when you’re a teenager because he killed your Aunt and had sex slaves trapping in his basement dungeon.
The good memories of your uncle are now overpowered by the new reality.
The context is changed forever (soemthing they do to great effect on Lost, like when we find out Jack is a stalker)).
Forward to:
Michael “I’m not a Rich man” Moore.
I smell an awesome left-wing liberal fake-u-mentary.
go away
The O6 and others were “fucked up” before the plane crash. The crash put them on a path of redemption, which is really the core of Lucas’ Wars, regardless of the political polemics he’d wish us to believe.
If the movie in question whimpers, it’s because of poor dialogue and acting. The dominance of cgi doesn’t help, either. The whole series is popcorn cinema, not something “important” as Lucas and other “artists” are so deluded into thinking.
Marc, you said “A generation that was meant to step up to the plate and guide our world so that we could defeat an evil empire of greed, materialism, pollution, and abuse of power. Yes, a movie was meant to inspire us to do this.”
Marc, what is your net worth? Do you worry about your financial security as you age? Your children’s, if you have any?
There is nothing new under the sun, dude. Like the poor, the greedy, corrupt and materialistic will always be with us. Witness claims of “Change, new traditions.” All bullshit as we’ve seen the current administration using the same ol’ backroom, arm-twisting politics of ages past.
Marc, grow up. Get a life. “Life” itself is about sacrifice. Not sacrificing what you want or need, but sacrificing to get what you desire or need. Achievement of you full potential is the best charity in the world, the best service to others in need.
Grow the fuck up!
“Please note that NOTHING that I am writing about is politically, socially, or economically based on anything that has happened on a physical level. It is all a reflection of energies that occur on a spiritual level, or, if you are a more scientific type, within the unseen, subatomic particles that build our physical reality and are influenced by our societal mindset. So when I mention a person or event in a bad light, it is not that person or event which is “bad,” but the version of them that exists in the reality we are currently experiencing.”
Lucas, like all of us, is corrupted by some unseen “force,” alright – it’s call the superego! We are all who we are because of the ego – OUR ego. We own it. No matter it was influenced by genetics or environment, it is ours, it is who we are as an individual.
Marc, seriously, I can’t even read all this drivel. I hate to criticize so vehemently, because I respect the writer, the artist, in all of us, even the ones that result in bad film or drama or comedy. But man, dude, I think your mind broke as you watch the failure of The One “we have been waiting for.”
There is no Heaven on earth or even a possibility of it. Heaven is heaven, Earth is Hell. Get over it.
Seriously? That sounds so like a politician. Oh, I’m not being political, I’m just saying….
Good fucking grief!!!
your an asshole.. for someone who hates this thread so much you sure spent alot of time answerin every fuckin post .. smitty stop wasting your energies on preaching to others and start practicing what you preach.. improve yourself man.. i am not wise at all, but i am wise enough to see you are not.. only another hypocrit.. ur time wud be better served not on this blog guy
“Yes, Boss.
“De plane, de plane.”
Doood!
I’ve been to Heaven on Earth, and it is real. The Hell on Earth just has more people in it.
I’ve been reading all of your posts, Smitty, and usually I don’t like to get involved in the heated personal attacks out here, but you just crossed the line. Telling a man to “grow the fuck up” because you disagree with him? Are you serious? You can’t pretend to know a man’s life — Marc appears to be remarkably mature, unlike you, who seems willing to put down virtually every other poster on this forum. Marc wants to encourage discussion; you seem to want to stifle it, or at least direct it to your own agenda. These forums are designed for discussion, not insults.
Maybe it was an overreaction – but I am sick and tired of assholes inserting their two-bit political attacks and opinions in blogs that are meant for it! It’s bad enough when you’ve paid a few bucks to watch a movie, hoping to see something new or relatable on the human condition, and then have some two-bit hack LIBERAL insert dialogue aimed at current affairs as if he or she is making some great contribution to mankind.
Get over yourselves. When I say GROW THE F**K UP, I am talking about the CHILDISH attitudes so many people seem to possess, thinking they are all stars or somehow attuned to the TRUTH of the Universe when they – we – are all insignificant bugs stuck on a speck of sand of existence. They like all of us are only sharing observations skewed by personal biases – it’s the human condition, it’s what we do. And we judge it as individuals, not follow in lockstep – unless you’re an idiot – to what someone tells you believe.
And as for my contributions or lack thereof in here, liked or not, I am sharing thoughts no different than yours or Marc’s or anyone else in that they are important to me. Marc is quick to attack with virtuolic and hyperbole, more so than anyone here, specially against me. Is he jealous of my name, “Handsome?” It’s a f**king joke a schizophrenic female resident made about me at a homeless shelter that has just about as much reality in fact as Marc being considered “witty” does.
Your name says it all, doesn’t AMBIVALENT suit you, in your mind, indecisive, believing in nothing, it’s all perspective – like Mao’s murder of 70 million chinese and Lenin’s decimation of 30 million Russians, from their point of view they were right – IF you think being INSANE is right, that is.
Like I said, opinions, we all have one, just like a**holes. Some just stink more than others….
Yes apparently urs especially asshole.. for someone who is so quick to say that other people are full of shit u sure are preachy as hell asshole.. no one wants to hear ur extreme right wing political opinion either asshole.. who are you to critique anyones work asshole? all you have proven is that your an asshole, asshole.. over and over and over again asshole.. get over yourself asshole..
We are intrinsically attuned to the TRUTH of the Universe and are all insignificant bugs stuck on a speck of sand of existence. Both are true. Meaning is something we create.
Doc said: “The hostile reaction you’ve received is really about one thing: politics. It’s a huge lesson I learned from my own message boards: nobody wants to hear a Lost commentator mix entertainment with politics. Especially a political POV that reads as partisan as yours.”
Don’t know about the last part of the, Mr. Jensen, but that old old old saying is true – never mix friendship with politics or religion!
Specially these days – our country is so partisan, so divided, unbelievable. But hasn’t it always been this way? People should read some of the political “discourse” of the Country’s first 20 years; they’d be surprised, I think.
And oh yeah, apologize for the language….
Geeeeez, what a mess! Cleanup on the “LOST” aisle.
Yes, clean-up indeed…Handsome Smitty’s mud pie is starting to smell quite ripe!
Nikki was f***g hottt.
paolo was pretty dreamy. i have to say that the writers gave them a pretty good sendoff in Expose when they became unpopular
Yeah, altogether, I’d say they were worth having on the show, both for their looks and their Twilight Zone end!
yeah handsome smitty needs to be banned some how… i read many sites but every time i see his name i cringe..
Yeah? Wow. Hmm. And I don’t even own a bible. Such hate. Only from an atheist.
I hate you too, he’s not alone.
I could say “such narrow-mindedness. Only from a Christian” but then I’d be a prejudiced arsehole who can’t comprehend someone thinking anything different to me, just like you are. I’d be immoral, and I’d be wrong in saying it. Stop trying to start fights and learn to read.
I hate all you haters!
Just kidding. I love you.
Wow. Does anyone want to go back to discussing who had the the compass first last season?
I say Vincent.
He got it from Roger Workman.
I completely disagree.
Of course you do.
I disagree with that statement as well.
Nobody cares.
I am just giving you an opportunity to be man and back up your words. Apparently you are incapable of that. I should have known, internet tough guys are all alike.
That’s why I love LOST! Because even Vincent is such a great character!
Who else would dig all this stuff up?
I care BFDEG.
Oh and I am still waiting on your email. It is a simple courtesy.
Get over your weird obsession with me, man. If you’re looking for someone to argue with I’m sure Handsome Smitty or someone else would love to. But I really don’t care, it’s the new year and I’m not looking at this stupid article or the crazy comments anymore. Congrats, you won your little war of attrition.
Thank you Gripp.. its funny that I have never seen once response to any comment smitty has made if it isnt from either myself or someone else saying they hate him..
i will say for a while he seemed to have learned his lesson and calmed his comments down but he is now back to his annoying self.. couldnt last forever..
Meh.
Doctor Arzt,
Please put up another post so we can stop this madness. And ban handsome smitty. Thanks.
Doc, this is unbelieveable. Please put a stop to this crap. Stat. This has nothing..NOTHING to do with my favorite TV show. It’s a travesty. An embarassment.
And sickening. I come here to share ideas and themes not a couple of morons wasting my time spent venting on each other. Unacceptable.
First of all, I am a complete LOST fanatic, I read dozens of blogs about it, I watch at least an episode every day and i post on various forums about it almost every day…but still I AM FULLY AWARE that Lost is just a tv show, and that SW (which i am a fan of) films are just films, and that my life will go on without it just the same. TFM was a bad, bad prequel, but to say that it is for what is wrong with the world today is completely insane.
Oh, and your little speech about John Locke having to become the real hero, resurrect and shi*. WAKE UP man, are you watching the same show as I am? Jack Shephard is the bloody main protagonist of Lost, the hero, it is up to him to make everything right. Not Locke. From the very beginning of Lost, pilot s1, I always, always thought Locke would become the big bad, that he is somehow evil, and time and time again he proved that, with the hatch, with Boone, with Naomi, with his obsession over his destiny, not caring for the Frenchie and the kids, … i knew, I just knew that they were going to completely turn him in the antagonist in the end. Don’t think that i am a die hard fan of Jack, nope, but i understand that he is the Luke Skyewalker of Lost, as much as Sawyer is Han Solo, but Locke unfortunately ain’t no Vader, he is the Emperor. Ben is the most likely candidate for the Vader role. The end.
Happy New Year!
Great points! If Locke is the villain for realz (if there’s a new timeline, he’s alive and paralyzed, maybe?), that’s bloody brilliant! As the Batman: The Animated Series showed so well, nothing works better than having a very sympathetic antagonist. And, Locke’s story of pawn-ship is just heart-breaking. That would be so powerful if they left him dead for good.
But, Charlie? Ana Lucia? Even if Locke’s dead dead, the man we struggled with for so long may still have some work to do.
Locke isn’t the emperor. He has been a victim the entire run of the show.
Locke killed Naomi because she was a threat to the people on the island. She knew full well what the folks on the freighter intended to do and was willing to go along with it.
And Locke didn’t exactly murder Boone. And if I remember correctly he pleaded with Boone to leave the plane before it went over the edge. None of his actions were in the least bit malicious.
Ben on the other hand has displayed cold blooded murderous behavior on several occasions.
Yes!!! Ben Bad Bad Ben.
Locke Fool Fool Locke!
again, wow…
Hey Marc, anyone ever tell you that you’re a moron! I’ll grant you that the Star Wars prequels were a bad idea if you’ll consider how much worse the world could be if we had Al Gore as a president. The world has gotten so much better with Obama too right. Sorry to make a political statement hear, but maybe if you spend a tenth of the time you have pouring over reasons to hate George Lucas you would realize that your political views are have more holes in them than the end of Revenge of the Sith.
Wow, that is alot of words just to say Bush is a wiener and Obama is cool…I just don’t understand why George Lucas had to get thrown under the bus to accomplish it…is it b/c his name is George?…..anxiously awaiting a new fishbiscuit post after suffer through that one.
good talk=]
Stories such as LOST and Star Wars were created by human beings and should not be placed highly in the realms of a godly power. Sure, their mass popularity can lead to inspiring people to do things or even act in certain ways, but there is no way to connect such things specifically. I can see what the writer of this article is trying to explain and while I do disagree, there is no shame in having such inspiration. However, LOST is not REAL LIFE. No matter how well written or wise the stories are, they have never taken shape in our world. You can compare real life to it all you want but there will always be a line between fiction and reality.
Myth is something that comes from fiction and rises above the plateau of its original existance. Star Wars is 40 years old, it is not Myth. The MAIN property of a myth is the loss of any ties to its creation. We KNOW who created Star Wars and who creates LOST, therefore, these stories are NOT Myth. Maybe thousands of years from now, humans will believe otherwise.
As far as John Locke’s redemption leaving us “Royally Fucked”; this is a bold and poorly backed up claim. LOST has created, in itself, a reality where things do not always work in the favor of the protagonists. It is in this trait that LOST has blossomed into a huge success. There are literally millions of stories where good triumphs over evil, but it is the stories where it’s not so “clean-cut” that resonate the most.
The world we live in consists of over 9 billion people. When we are born, the doctor does not stamp our foreheads with a “good” or “evil” insignia. We have to discover that path for ourselves. These entertaining stories can help to shape how we go about walking that path but to be completely ironic:
“There is a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path.”
No story can inspire us entirely, not even the greatest ever told. No matter how the writers of LOST decide to conclude John Locke’s story, our lives will move on. Our imagination and feelings may be tweaked, but there is NO WAY that a fictional character’s life being ended can cause world demolition.
It is inspiring in itself that I have “lost” myself in this post but I had to get across these things:
-Star Wars and Lost are NOT Myths (yet….maybe)
-Good and Evil is NOT “clean-cut” in our world
-Our world can inspire fiction completely but fiction can NEVER inspire our world completely.
Thanks.
This is, without a doubt, the biggest bunch of shit I have ever read. Put another way: Your political opinions + George Lucas’s crappy movies + a room full of writes for a TV show = the biggest bunch of shit I have ever read.
Wow, I was kind of digging this article untl the politics came into it. You were kind of just asking for it when you not only brought up politics in comparison with ANYTHING, but actually started pushing your own opinions about the subject as “fact”. And just as a kick in the crotch, Lost was barely even mentioned through the entire thing. This article would be more fitting on either a Star Wars site or a fiercly liberal anti-Republican site.
Another interpretation is that SW 1-3 tells the story of the rise of Barak Obama, a new, popular leader, promising hope and peace by requesting from the Congress more and more power, over banking, the auto industry and now our personal health information. Congress keeps giving Palpatine / Obama more and more power without asking reasons, because they are fearful and do not wish to disappoint the President. Before too long, Emperor Obama will possess our health records, our financial records and our whereabouts. He will tell us what cars to drive, how much heat to use, and the “proper” language to use.
LOST too, warns us about trusting too much in others which is why characters are constantly given a certain degree of freedom. Ben was given the chance to act on his own and choose not to stab Jacob. Jack and Hurley had to choose freely to return to the Island. Ben wanted Jack to want to save his life. LOST is not endorsing slavery under Palpatine / Obama, but freedom!
PM was a horrible, horrible movie. And perhaps it did change the world for the worst, but my version would go something like:
PM is released and millions are disappointed. First, whereas Luke Skywalker had to overcome obstacles and earn his path as a Jedi to the Force, and his generation set forth to earn their way in the world through hard work, perseverence and productivity, millions were taught by PM that if you are lucky enough to be born with midochondrians – don’t worry, you will be taken care of. A new generation was raised with no respet for liberty and responsibility (as Yoda counseled Luke during his teaining), but rather a fetishism for special effects and the academic elitism of the Jedi class – a whiny, pseudo-mystical, collectivist impressed with its own relevance and intelligence.
This new myth and message leads to its fictional progeny – Harry Potter, another boy who is “special” for no reason. Indeed, all Harry needs is his special book and all will be taken care of. There is no responsibility, no freedom, no hard work and no earned reward, just the welfare of a magic book and its power.
These two elementary and childish myths pervade pop culture and the political class. Congress tries to provide Americans with their own magic book of midochlorians in the form of cheap mortgages, more welfare, and now health insurance. As a result, people become lazier, less enamored with their own freedom, and more eager to accept the instructions of a leadership class committed to perpetuating its own power.
This also leads to 9-11 – an instance when evil, savage, primitive, hateful warmongers attacked the freeist, wealthiest, happiest, strongest nation on earth. In response many Americans blame themselves and lack the desire to fight for their own survival and instead desire to send our wealth to more people who never earned it.
This also leads to the leadership class’ invention of the greatest fraud in history, Global Warming. The only way to stop global warming is of course, to surrender more freedom and give more power to the Emporer Obama and his minions at the UN.
Um, Dude. Seriously…Harry Potter worked really hard and had to live under the stairs. Even his specialness made his school life pretty hard.
Plus, Hogwarts is bloody deadly, so read the books, okay?
While I suppose it’s remotely possible (in a bizarre, many-worlds sense) that The Phantom Menace’s suckitude caused such a massive chain reaction and created our current geopolitical situation, I think Occam’s Razor gives us a much more useful answer: your causality is backwards. None of the events you listed are at all inherently related to Star Wars. Isn’t it more likely that Star Wars embodied those negative ideas because the public mind and the general social consciousness contained those ideas? At which point, Star Wars simply becomes a casualty of the larger issue, not the preposterously important event you believe it to be. This article reads like a posting on a conspiracy theory site, simply listing off events which occurred in sequence and assigning arbitrary causal links between them, disregarding the fact that all such complex and significant events would have their own lengthy chains of events which led to them.
And let’s get real: Star Wars caused 9/11? Let’s just think about that one for a minute.
Here’s what happened: Bush and the Penguin were in an undisclosed location and got print of SW:TPM. After watching it and suffering all of the Jar Jar and bad CGI, they said, “You know what? This was the biggest disappointment since…well, ever! Let’s do our that PNAC plan for an American Century we talked about and increase Executive Power while similtaneously starting an endless war on an emotion (terror), and give out enough no-bid contracts to our politically connected pals so we’ll make BILLIONS of dollars that we can to buy awesome stuff (like the millions Cheney had invested in foreign currencies) to use before the economy catches up with our scheme and collapses. Because, you know what? After Star Wars turning into s#it…f#ck it!”
I think this was a great article. Star Wars had a huge affect on people when it came out. And even if it seems silly, these films do shape how we think, even if only on a subliminal level. they were much deeper, spiritual films than a lot of people recognize or give credit for.
The prequels were such an amazing disappointment, i feel like their existence is more of a bad dream than reality.
Anyway, well said, i’m on board with pretty much everything you said up there. Except I feel that what’s done is done. I’d almost rather let the memory of those prequels fade away and die than trust Lucas to try it again. I feel like it’s a lost cause.
cheers
This is . . . without a doubt . . . the dumbest thing I ever heard. This bashing of the Prequel Trilogy is incredible STUPID. I don’t even know how else to put it. I think that the Prequel Trilogy must have scared the shit out of a lot of people. In a way, Lucas revealed through those three movies the reality of our natures, instead of the illusions we like to harbor about ourselves – as the Original Trilogy did.
Compassionate for the brobdingnagian remember, but I’m real romantic the new Zune, and prospect this, as healed as the excellent reviews few else fill jazz written, leave amend you adjudicate if it’s the opportune for you.
Looks like spam is getting through your filters, Doc.
lol this thread is cursed.. 137 comments … 86 of them from handsome smitty=good thread turned horrible
I made it! I’m through!!
This was never a good thread.
BS. Wait, I’ll count ‘em…hmmm, 21, 22 at most, confused a bit by the Fake Smitty (wow, I have a faker just like Steven Jobs!).
Marc, your hyperbolic venom is akin to Al The Insane Gore.
Smoochie….
LOL!