What Ann Compton Thinks Is News...
I just heard one of the goofiest news segments since, well, Dan Rather saying his memos were fake but accurate.
Ann Compton did a brief piece on ABC radio saying (paraphrased):
"Many people watching the new Star Wars movie are equating Darth Vader's line 'if you aren't with me, you're my enemy' with President Bush's war on terrorism. But President Bush isn't the only president with lines from these movies. President Reagan also used lines from the movies when he dubbed his Strategic Defense Initiative 'Star Wars' and when he called the Soviet Union the 'Evil Empire.'"
Where to begin?
First, I really don't think President Bush can claim ownership of the concept of "If you are not with me, you are against me." And if Lucas had Bush in mind when he wrote it...so what? I mean, it's not like Lucas is the master of subtlety. It's like reporting that "in a story, the super evil Badooley from the planet Quatmire said 'if you're not with me, you're my enemy' which many people equate to President Bush's comments about the war on terrorism." Again...so what?!? This is news?!?
Second, let's examine the etymology of the phrase "Star Wars" when it was used to describe SDI. Reagan didn't dub SDI "Star Wars." It was what critics called it, in an attempt to trivialize and ridicule it.
Third, is the term "Empire" now to be copyrighted by George Lucas from 1977 on? I know this is hard to imagine, but empire is hardly a new term. I can talk about an empire without once drifting into allusion over Star Wars. I can hear it without thinking about Star Wars. But as reporters at the time dubbed that speech the "Darth Vader" speech, I have to again characterize it as a way for the media to trivialize and ridicule what Reagan was trying to say.
Fourth, "many people?"
Fifth, well, I don't want to get too far into Star Wars geekery, but in the movie Obi-Wan castigates Anakin for thinking in absolutes. But isn't the Star Wars universe ALL ABOUT absolutes? At its core, it's good v. evil. And to get more specific, it's the Jedi who are dealing in absolutes. It's the people Lucas holds up as "good." I don't want to spoil anything, but if anything the process that leads Anakin astray is characterized by the very rejection of absolutism. So on one hand he's an absolutist, and on the other hand he isn't? And this is considered by "many people" as brilliant political commentary?
This piece of "reporting" by Compton is ridiculous. It's nothing more than an attempt to use something...anything...as a way to attack Republicans. But then, the media using Star Wars lines to attack Republican administrations isn't exactly news either....
Posted by John Tant at May 19, 2005 12:06 PM
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Comments
| # May 19th, 2005 12:18 PM kris |
| should we even get into the way Han Solo has to work outside the wussy rebel "government" to get anything done? |
| # May 19th, 2005 1:03 PM james |
| what a piece of garbage reporting on her part. take something sinister or evil and compare it to the president. see, look how easy it is:
"i saw will ferrell's 'kicking and screaming' the other day; many are comparing his character's coming unhinged and being obsessed with 'winning at any cost' to the president's failing iraq strategy. we can only hope that bush takes a cue from ferrell and eases up before it's too late" |
| # May 19th, 2005 1:22 PM KorlaPundit |
| Bush never said that line. Go back and actually read his speech to Congress. I think somebody may have written it down somewhere...
The quote is constantly being distorted. So I have to assume Lucas is criticizing Jesus Christ himself, since that is who was actually first credited with the quote "You are either with me, or you are against me." I have to assume, therefore, that the latest installment of the Star Wars series is nothing more than yet another lefty swipe at "Jesusland," which they consider the "evil empire." Speaking of which, how come Compton doesn't allude to the only actual Reagan quote that may count as a Star Wars tie-in: when he called the Soviet Union an "Evil Empire"? I guess because they know he was only proven oh-so right, and they don't want to remind anybody of when Democrats were on the wrong side of history, yet again. |
| # May 28th, 2005 4:55 PM kulgan |
| ..."when he dubbed his Strategic Defense Initiative 'Star Wars' and when he called the Soviet Union the 'Evil Empire."
yes she did. And the movie is supposely against jesus?? dude you are imagining things. IS just what the media do, every time there is a news they start quoting and comparing things from movies just to get people attentions. Like the other day ive heard a news about a young men in england that was found and didnt remember anything about his life and didnt talk a word but he could play the piano, then of course the media start calling him "the piano man", and everytime i catch it they mentioned a movie called Shine. Of course the movie is NOT the story of his life, they just want to make parallels to keep us watching and entertained, WHy??? always with they have to mix movies with news?? fo figures. And i dont want to get too much into the star wars "geekery" but i dont think jedis think in absolutes either, they use violence like a last resource, they prefer talking things out first, thats why they are refered many times as the "Negotiators", if you let the sith take go rampant people are going to die so you need to kill them, thats why yoda tell obi-wan that they need to destroy the sith... ok more geekery stuff obiwan says in episode 5 "You’re going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view." see? so jedis dont think in absolute either. I think the only diference betweem good and evil is that jedis only think about others while sith are selfish, i dont have the exact quotes but pretty much thats whats anakin says to palpatine in a scene. Well we could be all day talking about Sw meanings so lets leave it at there... Also if you take the original series and the new series there is some serius inconsistencys that i dont want to get into here. |
| # February 1st, 2007 3:31 PM Jomp34 |
| You are all completely retarded. First off, look at Ann Compton's track record. Ask any polotician on either side of the asile what they think of her, ask Rush for that matter. Sencondly, and I quote,
" I don't want to get too far into Star Wars geekery, but in the movie Obi-Wan ....." too late, your already a complete loser. Get somthing better to do other than listen to Rush and complain about one of the most univerally praised and admired people in Washington. But of course, how could you know that? Oh.. that right, because true journalism is created by people who don't know what they are talking about. Huh, full circle.... |