After being mostly—though not completely—offline for the better part of five days, I had a little time to think about everything that’s been happening in our corner of the galaxy lately. Especially after taking into account what Jim Raynor had to post and some facts Derek Tate supplied about the films’ distribution rights.
I realized that there’s an underlying assumption I have about the state of Star Wars, Lucasfilm, and its fandom these days and that affects my reaction to everything. When they “postponed” the 3D releases, my reaction was based on that assumption. It didn’t help that the entertainment media was making claims based on their biases and it especially did not help that Lucasfilm’s hastily-issued press release gave a lame excuse that will forever be a running gag on SWPAS. Especially now that they’ve magically found the resources to spare on TWO new spinoff films. What was likely the main reason, though perhaps not the only reason, was the legal problems of re-releasing movies through Fox now that a rival studio owns Lucasfilm. Fox has the distribution rights on Eps II-VI until 2020. It has the distribution rights to ANH in perpetuity…or what lay people call “forever.” Apparently this wasn’t worked out during the takeover by Disney even though the plans to re-release all of the films in 3D were in the pipeline. But come on guys, we can handle the truth and if distribution rights needed to be sorted first, we’d understand.
Of course overlooking the distribution rights to the existing films stirred another aspect of my paranoia and that is my concern this whole thing, including a new trilogy and other projects, is a rush job. I know they hurried up with the deal to avoid 2013 tax consequences though nobody has come right out and said so.
Which gets back to my assumption and my worries about a new trilogy, aside from it being a rush job. Not only did I think that Abrams was a very safe and conventional choice, it also made me fearful that they’re intending to make these movies as some sort of suck up to the bashers. Not in the sense that they will retroactively toss everything that came before into the trash but that every moment will be some winky wink of “Look at how unlike the prequels this is!” It’s crazy to believe somebody out there wants to make a movie that hurts fans like me, isn’t it? Not very rational; after all a lot of basher nation really thinks Lucas deliberately set out to hurt their feelings. But I’m not alone in having those fears.
The bottom line is I have a hard time trusting official fandom. The experience of the past decade or so is the reason. Even though I wasn’t in the 501st or anything, I was very much out there doing fan events or whatever from the time of the Special Editions onward. It’s fine because it was my choice but it seemed to me that with the backlash against TPM and against Lucas, official fandom left us on the field and ran away. Worst of all, both the official and fan end of things (I’m looking at you, TFN) validated the extreme elements of this backlash to some degree or another. It went beyond being disappointed with a movie. It was all of the cruelty, bullying, and obnoxiousness that went with it. I’m still baffled as to why anybody would want to reward unkindness, but that’s what they’ve been trying to do.
As a result, beneath the sometimes cheerful surface of fandom, there’s a lot of negative energy. It’s often unacknowledged yet it has permeated everything. Especially on the internet. Instead of focusing on what’s positive, the unspoken reality is so much in fandom caters to the negative. There are a lot of really unhappy campers out there making me an unhappy camper too. What stinks is that unless I want to move into a cave in Afghanistan, I can’t avoid it while still having anything at all to do with Star Wars. I can’t avoid it on SWPAS, including when I have to deal with someone who hasn’t been very nice, or on my LiveJournal page. A lot of us limit our exposure to fandom and our participation because of the negativity, which is really a shame.
You know, for a moment last week I wondered if after 36 years it was time for me and Star Wars to call it quits. Then I found reasons to be positive about it again. Whatever the case may be, we can’t hope that Episode VII fails. We can’t become bashers ourselves. A bad turn at the box office could mean Star Wars ends up the property of some private equity firm that could do God knows what to it. So let’s just figure out, how can we do a smudging on this fandom that badly needs it?
Cross-posted on my LiveJournal.
February 5, 2013 at 7:45 pm |
THe EU has become the prequals – some people are screaming ‘don’t mess with ‘canon’, others (myself included, but I have NEVER hidden my distain for many of the EU elements) freely embrace the idea of a complete and utter abandonment of it, and even find some humour in the whole shrieking mess. My personal favorite was the suggestion that in the nex book, it starts out with Luke waking up and realizing that he’s just had a horrible dream, and the last 20 years of the EU never happened ALA Dallas. Good greif, you’d have thought someone was going to go around confiscating and burning the books! (I resisted urge to tell them I have several lighters.)
The fandome is ALWAYS going to be divided, people will always find something to bitch about, or demand to be protected, or moan if it’s included. The only way it can affect us on ANY level, is if we let it. Support what you like in Star Wars, ignore the rest… That’s the ONLY thing we can do because int he end, it will always be George Lucas’s creation (for better or worse) and we’re just along for the ride to the places WE want to go with him to.
February 5, 2013 at 11:03 pm |
LP- I’m traveling in a parallel universe with you. I’m so convinced that all new SW films will indeed intentionally ignore or trash the prequels, I also find myself putting distance between me and all SW board/sites etc. I’m actually avoiding the films that I love and those who talk about them because of the way they talk about them. I don’t think this is paranoia – I believe that the bashing of the what came before is in some ways even sanctioned by those who could make a difference. The only person in “authority” I’ve heard actually try to do something was Ian McDiarmid, and that was with a heavy emphasis on Hayden. And for that he is a hero to me.
February 6, 2013 at 2:15 am |
Hey LP, this was a very thoughtful piece, and there are so many good points in there. This is a pretty important sentence:
” Whatever the case may be, we can’t hope that Episode VII fails. ”
Definitely–not only do I want Ep. VII to be a fantastic Star Wars movie and story worthy of the previous 6 films and The Clone Wars, I want it to be so commercially and culturally successful that it makes SW fully MAINSTREAM again, lifting it out of the grim and horrible Geek™ Sarlacc Pit that’s been painfully digesting it over the past decade or so (I’m absolutely not saying I want SW “mainstream” in terms of content, just in terms of societal acceptance). I want the next generation of Star Wars fans to love it so purely that when they *do* eventually venture online into the cesspool, they’re insulated from the Geek™ “thought leaders” and their soul-crushing orthodoxy. When we were kids, SW wasn’t some niche thing; every kid loved it, along with plenty of adults who otherwise had little to no interest in science fiction as a genre. Sadly, so many of the kids from our “Star Wars Generation” grew up to become the curdled Geeks™ of today, poisoning successive generations through the internet, so that you end up with the absurd existence of these callow, ridiculously jaded teens babbling about Leigh Brackett and Gary Kurtz as if they themselves had been hanging out with Kersh at Elstree…fueled by Red Letter Media and Secret History of Star Wars and originaltrilogy.com and every other of the million sour dime-a-dozen Geek™ sites on the internet.
These people, either Gen Xers or Millennials or whoever, are basically lost causes, and nothing we say or do will ever convince them to venture outside the tribal, cozy, stupid, and suffocating hivemind of internet groupthink. Some may eventually look more deeply into Star Wars and realize that what they’ve been led to think and feel isn’t fair or true, and once they do, we’ll welcome them with open arms. The rest of them? delete anything they post without a second thought…the only way to break the cycle is to just stop dealing with them altogether. I love conversation and talking with people who don’t share the same ideas as I do…in all things BUT Star Wars. I can think of nothing more pointless than defending why I love something to some ignorant twit hiding behind their dad’s iPad–I’ve been dying for somebody to post some anti-TPM screed on TPM:TH just so that I could gleefully delete it in the blink of an eye, but no luck yet.
These people don’t make me angry or even annoy me anymore—even worse, they BORE me, because they artlessly say the same things we’ve all heard a thousand times before for years on end. They haven’t worn me down or tired me out– I just don’t care what they think one way or the other…I feel like my love of Star Wars, and the energy I put into it, has more intrinsic value than their kind of sad and circular hatred could ever have. You’ve already got them beat, LP, just keep doing what you’re doing, there’s no fixing them.
(of course I’m not talking about people who simply aren’t fans of the PT—their loss, but I’m sure we’re all friends with plenty of them–I’m talking about loud, frothing haters.)
February 6, 2013 at 4:09 pm |
This reply has more awesome than should be allowed on the internet. Pretty much exactly. You know, I keep flashing back to Karate Kid II. Miyagi is being called out by a group of haters, who are all too amused by referring to him as Mr. Coward and such. Daniel-san asks him whether it bothers him. Miyagi says “Why?” to which Daniel-san reasons “because people might believe it’s true.” Miyagi sagely responds, “Daniel-san, a lie only becomes true if people want to believe it.” So it is with fandom. If people can’t sleep at night unless they believe the prequels ruined their childhoods and Lucas stole their money, that’s what they’re going to believe. I’ll argue the point if the opportunity presents itself, but it’s their for-want-of-a-better-word karma to work through. Sometimes insults are simply too stupid to be taken seriously, and if people believe them, it’s a reflection on themselves, not anything else.
February 7, 2013 at 12:16 am
Thanks, Paul–and funny you mention Karate Kid II, I just caught it on TV a few weeks ago after not having seen it for years and years, and it reminded me how much I liked those first 2 movies when I was a kid–largely due to the awesomeness of Mr. Miyagi. That quote is so appropriate, because these people do just seem to want to feel chronically aggrieved about SOMETHING…it’s like residual Grunge-era angst that they can’t (or really, won’t) shake, and then you have a portion of the generation after that adopting it as some sort of model of snide “cool”, though it really just looks to adult eyes like stunted emotional development. I personally don’t even need them to ever like the Prequels; I even sort of regret describing them as “half-fans” once (which, in a tentatively 9-part Saga, is kind of inaccurate now anyway…unless they ultimately choose to like 4.5 movies, and hate 4.5 of them! ), because I’m at peace with the possibility that for whatever reason, the Prequels didn’t grab them like they did the rest of us, or they were in a place in life where they were no longer receptive to the magic of it all. It’s like we all got on a totally awesome roller coaster in 1977, and then in 1999, we got back in line to ride it again, while they decided to leave the amusement park. My hope is that they’ll get back on the ride in 2015 and realize that they could’ve been having a blast this whole time…it’s never too late to learn how to stop worrying and love the Prequels!
February 6, 2013 at 8:17 pm |
“Geek™ “thought leaders” and their soul-crushing orthodoxy”, “every other of the million sour dime-a-dozen Geek™ sites on the internet”. My feelings exactly Eddie. It seems that there’s a “hive mindset” on so many of these so-called “geek” websites. There’s no one that go against the grain. Is there anyone working at these sites that thinks Lucas did NOT kill the franchise? Is there anyone at these sites that thinks “Lord of the Rings” and Joss Whedon is overrated (with all apologies to the fans of aforementioned franchises)?, champion a lesser-known genre tv show or movie (“The Man From Planet X” anyone?)?, discuss the classics?
February 7, 2013 at 12:27 am
yeah, isn’t it crazy how certain things are just assumed by so many of these cookie cutter sites? I’ve never gotten the master list of what I’m allowed to like/supposed to hate!
February 7, 2013 at 10:09 pm |
Eddie, it would be a great thing if Star Wars was for everybody again, not just stuck in the “geek sarlacc.”
February 8, 2013 at 7:53 pm
I agree. Your excellent post on that awhile back really did make a good case for it. Somewhere along the line … we became almost borderline Trekkies.
February 9, 2013 at 8:17 pm
Because Star Wars is science fiction, it will always be of special interest to the geek/nerd community just as “The Magnificent Seven” is to western enthusiasts. This doesn’t mean that Star Wars isn’t for everyone, but within it’s general popularity there are people who take their love for the saga a step further.
February 6, 2013 at 7:22 am |
Why does StarWars.com wrongly present Lawrance Kasdan as the sole writer of TESB other than to appeal to the post-1980 haters?
February 7, 2013 at 10:11 pm |
The movie credits Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan even though Kasdan actually did most of the work. Lucas did write quite a bit of it too but he is not credited in the film.
February 6, 2013 at 10:35 am |
While I don’t feel the Sequel Trilogy will in any way ignore or bash the prequels, I have had a fear that Disney will play it as safe as possible and make the ST as OT-like as they can in order to please as many people as possible. Not in a way that outright disrespects the prequels, but just… playing it safe. The result of which would be a very decent, very likable Star Wars film, but one without identity or a standout factor or even something to make it great rather than “just good enough”–a good Star Wars movie, but not a memorable one. And Star Wars absolutely *has* to be memorable; it always has been. Even the most vocal prequel bashers have to admit the prequels are memorable; it’s been 14 years since TPM and even they are still talking about it. And one of the main successes of the prequels in my opinion is that they did not attempt to imitate the OT or replicate its formula, but rather acted as an extension to the story, and added many elements–depth, politics, etc… And they were sadly bashed for doing so. And if Disney end up playing it safe and give us an OT clone with a new cast… I’d enjoy it for what it is, of course, I won’t devolve into a basher, but it’d feel like a missed opportunity. And I’m sure even prequel bashers would feel the same, except they wouldn’t realize that they brought it on themselves.
I must insist that this is what I fear, but not necessarily what I believe, will happen. Despite the elements (Abrams, despite his talent, feeling like a safe choice, Kasdan being brought back, etc), I still maintain that there’s a good chance the ST will not make that mistake. The PT and The Clone Wars expanded the Star Wars mythology considerably, it would be a shame to see it tossed aside in favor of something familiar. With Lucas’s story treatments still the driving force behind the ST, my hope trumps my fear. And the news about the spinoffs cheers me greatly, because it could signify that Disney understands Star Wars is more than just the OT, that it is a wide world to be explored. Plus, it reassures me that Kasdan wasn’t just brought back to emulate the OT.
I do feel, however, that Episode VII at least will be a “safe” movie. It won’t be an anti-prequel movie, but it will be a self-conscious movie that tries extra hard to avoid the PT’s perceived mistakes and captialize on the OT’s triumphs to make a good, “safe” film like the one I mentioned above. I love J. J. Abrams, but he’s not an unexpected choice, and as talented as he is, it makes me feel like there won’t be anything truly unexpected about Episode VII. However, I feel fairly certain that Episodes VIII and IX will take more risks; after Episode VII sets things up, plays it safe, in a way that is enjoyable but not overly ambitious, once the fans have been won over/reassured, the sequels will take more chances, and dive deeper into the world and the story. I wouldn’t be surprised if J. J. Abrams is only on for Episode VII, with VIII and IX helmed by other, less conventional choices (Ben Affleck comes to mind), but this is pure speculation. And this dosn’t really mean they’re sucking up to the bashers; it merely follows a pattern I’d noticed with both trilogies we have: a first movie (ANH, TPM) that plays it safe in terms of story (ANH was ambitious in its visuals, but it wasn’t until ESB that we dove into the story and the characters properly, and the same goes for TPM–it set up the foundation for the PT but followed a rather OT-like journey, complete with lightsaber/space battle/ground battle climax), and two sequels (ESB and RotJ, AotC and RotS respectively) that really “jump into it”, as they say.
Basically what I’m trying to say is, Disney won’t diss the prequels, or their fans, especially not with Lucas supplying the story and acting as consultant. But they will, I think, play it sort of safe, at least with the first entry, as the previous two trilogies did, and hopefully *only* the first entry, and hopefully not overly so.
As for the fandom, I’ve always felt it’s as torn as the Republic during the Clone Wars, and Lucasfilm have been certainly turning a blind eye to it. I just wish they’d come out and say, “We stand by the prequels and George’s decisions. End of story.” One can dream.
February 7, 2013 at 10:17 pm |
I think that regardless, this new set of flicks will have their own feel to them just as their predecessors did. I’m sure they will try reeeeally hard to make the first one as “fun” as possible but I’ve read that this set of films is more philosophical and no matter what, it’s not going to be TESB on steroids if that’s what people are expecting.
February 6, 2013 at 1:22 pm |
Ans now they’re considering doing a Han Solo movie, and a Boba Fett movie.
Talk about being predictable and appealing to the insecure SW crowd that needs a strong male character to appease their fragile ego.
February 7, 2013 at 10:18 pm |
The haters are hatin’ anyway. I say just bring on a Jar Jar movie and be done with it
.
February 8, 2013 at 7:11 am
I would sell everything I own to direct a Jar Jar movie.
Actually, I’ve always wanted to write a story about Jar Jar and Wicket and their adventures in a post-RotJ Coruscant.
February 6, 2013 at 1:25 pm |
And also, RIP Stuart Freeborn. A truly great artist and collaborator.
February 6, 2013 at 2:09 pm |
I think it’s up to you, and me, and Paul, and Eddie, and ANH at A Certain Point of View (wherever he’s been hiding), and all of us true Saga fans to keep on doing what we’re doing. To hammer in what we love as the bashers have hammered what they hate. We have a lot of ground to make up for, but perhaps our unbridled enthusiasm will bring balance to the search engines and maybe snag a convert or two.
February 6, 2013 at 3:59 pm |
Where IS A Certain Point of View guy?! He really is a great guy, glad I got to meet him at CVI. Hope he’s okay and starts posting again soon.
February 7, 2013 at 12:29 am |
Maybe we should take up a collection and hire a PR firm
February 6, 2013 at 2:38 pm |
Great thoughts guys, all the way around. I’m really hazy due to lots of cold medication, but for my money it all boils down to an almost Gandhi-esque be-the-change. Seriously. Be the fan you want fandom to be. That’s really all we can do. Just be the best fan you can be, that’s our only real concern/responsibility. We can’t control everyone else, nor should we. Yes, it sucks sometimes, but maybe we can show them a better way. They say living well is the best revenge. I say loving SW and Lucas and having a blast and geeking out is the best one.
February 6, 2013 at 7:37 pm |
Not that long ago in a galaxy not that far away, after watching parts of all six movies with my Dad, I finally became a full-fledged fan of Star Wars threw TCW in 6th grade. (The first episode I remember was ‘Bombad Jedi’!) This led me to watch the movies, the whole way through with my dad. My dad would point things out, and I would ask questions. But as time went by I get more involved with Star Wars, and I was the one answering his question! So as you can see, I’m one of those Fans of the Next Generation. And around 7th grade I became more involved with the internet and star wars. Probably more involved than I should have been, because I started questioning the worth of the Prequels. I knew I liked AOTC and ROTS but apparently TPM is a terrible movie. I would read people’s opinions why, and then I would look up Pro Prequel articles to. This got me wondering, whenever I looked at Star Wars’ Facebook page, it was always OT posts, and “Everyone” complained about the prequels. I TRIED to watch a full RLM review on the prequels, but I couldn’t. Cause somewhere deep down inside I knew that The Prequels are great films.
I wasn’t the only one Involved in the Internet. One of My old school friends Loved Star Wars too. But he then started to grow away from the PT and TCW. It started with TCW, he thought it was too kiddish and messed up the EU. And then in middle school, he stopped liking the PT, he showed me an article on why they “Suck” and a really stupid song called Jango bells. I tried to tell him my views, but he wouldn’t listen, not all, but most prequel haters tend to have the same views on PT conversations. I showed him an article I found on this site, but he ignored it, not to my surprise. But you know the funny thing is when you don’t go on the internet, you tend to see mostly positive Prequel remarks, heck, most people don’t even know that they are prequels; I have to explain them to them, because they see the saga as a whole. Which it is! One of my pals even says the most relatable character in star wars is Anakin! Most adults enjoy the prequels too! Unlike on the Internet, you have to look hard to find a prequel hater in life.
This is the only thing I fear for the ST, that they will completely ignore the PT. I am hoping to see at least a positive reference about Midiclorians, but I doubt that will happen. I do think that companies listen to the internet fan base a bit too much, and at times, leave the rest of the world out of it. Did anyone see the article on the Star Wars Blog about J.J Abrams Directing. He says his son feel in love with Anakin, and that he would love to see an online Senate game! Sounds awesome! While it sound like he enjoys the OT a bit more than PT, that’s expected, considering he is a first generation fan. But he does seem to speak highly of them and George Lucas is there so he won’t let them destroy his vision. But the question still remains What about Michal Ardnt? What’s his take on the prequels? While I do think Star Wars is in good hands, I also fear that the Prequel Fans may not, and until my generation of fans finally grows up into full-fledged star wars fans, we won’t see too many prequel things anymore.
But who knows, the force works in mysterious ways…….
February 7, 2013 at 4:32 am |
You’re right. The internet and the real world are not comparable.
Prequel hate on the internet is a self reinforcing phenomenon which, in extreme cases, even ignores the freedom of opinion.
In some ways it makes me sad when young people suddenly think they’re “more adult” if they hate the Prequels and “decide” to hate them therefore.
I mean really, have you ever encoutered a 70 years old Star Wars fan? They would have been in their mid-30s when ANH was released. Yet most internet prequel hate preachers are somewhere between 25 and 40, somehow trying to create the illusion that the first Star Wars films were targeted at adults. It’s just ridiculous.
Recently I argued with a hater and asked him why ROTS was rated PG-13 as the only Star Wars film if “the Prequels” were “just for kids”?
His answer: “Lucas couldn’t make another children’s film after the other two”. So suddenly his argumentation changed from “the Prequels are onyl made for children” to “ROTS doesn’t count”. When I subsequently started to ask him about the political side of the Prequels he stopped responding. That’s what they are.
It’s pointless. What irritates me too is the impression that some people think of a “children’s movie” as an insult. That’s really sad.
February 7, 2013 at 10:22 pm
There is Steve Sansweet, who’s the same age as my dad, 67. But it’s preposterous to say those movies were “adult.” No, stuff like “Annie Hall” or “The Deer Hunter” or “Looking For Mr. Goodbar” or “Taxi Driver” were for adults. “Saturday Night Fever” was for adults, though they did edit a PG version so youngsters could participate in the disco mania of the day. “Titanic” was more for adults than ANH was.
February 7, 2013 at 10:22 pm |
Wow, that’s great. You give me hope for the future!
February 7, 2013 at 7:38 am |
My only fear is that Mr. Abrams will think of VII as a reboot or “Re-imagining” of SW as opposed to integrating and continuing the existing Saga. As said above, the Lucas story treatments are the base so hopefully the filmakers will not tread too far from the treatments unless it makes good sense to. Abrams is a very good director and probably won’t make “mistakes” (or perceived mistakes) with the film, and hopefully Kennedy will keep a strong rein on what’s happening during filming. I’m cautiously optimistic about the movie. Regarding the other news that’s been going on (postponing the 3D releases or whatever), I’m not looking for a conspiracy yet. I want some awesome, new Star Wars, and I will continue to love ALL the films regardless of some nitwit who can’t come up with their own opinion why a particular installment sucks. As a member of the Rebel Legion and hopefully the 501st later this year, I love sharing my passion and love of ALL Star Wars with other fans and the kids. The good news is so far, I haven’t seen that kind of divisiveness in those groups (though I’m sure there are a few.) The future won’t likely change how I feel about the Saga. It’s been a part of my life since ’77. And I’m glad.
February 7, 2013 at 10:23 pm |
That’s great!
February 7, 2013 at 9:37 am |
Thanks to LP once again, this has spawned some truly epic, thoughtful discussion. Greatly enjoying it. Bottom line for me, I’m simply not turning SW into a source of stress and upset. Otherwise we’re all bashers and there really is no side worth taking anymore.
February 7, 2013 at 7:14 pm |
I had something profound to say, but I think many of you have already said it. Eddie, you especially seem to have articulated exactly how I’ve felt of the past couple of decades. I’ve found myself keeping fandom at arm’s length because of the negativity. But fandom is not nearly as important to me as Star Wars is. And no ones opinion can take that away from me.
I’m very thankful for this site and for some like-minded fans.
February 8, 2013 at 8:30 am |
One thing Id like the thank you for is not letting theforce.net off the hook in your post because I have been a member there for YEARS since around 1999 and they had AMPLE chances to crush the hateboy raiding by establishing a simple rule like the one we have here that excessive bashing is not allowed. But NO! Years and years and years went by, flameWAR after flameWAR happened over and over again for years with LOTS and LOTS of fans ALWAYS asking, even begging for the rule to be instated over and over again all through out the years and ya knwo what….they never did it.
That website just never EVER instated the basic, simple little rule that SO many of us BEGGED for for years and would have done wonders for our lives. Instead TIME AND AGAIN they allowed the hateboys to HIDE behind their beloved “films not fans rule” which the hateboys always LOVED and years latter STILL LOVE because they can hide behind it.
So…..(eff) YOU THEFORCE.NET!!!! (eff) YOU! You hear me?! (eff) theforce.net!!! It was partly your fault we spent years of our lives being forced to defend SW because you refused to pass a little simple rule that would have protected it.It was more important for you to protect your precious “films not fans” rule bs. Pathetic.
I just got banned from their for the hundredth time and this week I realized that ALL I EVER ever got banned from that site for was always defending SW from haetboys. FOR YEARS! ALL throughout the years. And go see how they take their side. They always seem to give the hateboys the benefit of the doubt. And darth baba if you can see this (curses) ! You trader you. You people make me laugh because you dont have the BALLS to conduct yourselves in REAL LIFE! So you hide behind computer screens and “ban” people for defending against the angry hateboys who have been attacking us for years.
Ill tell ya a little story, in the neighborhood where MY family came from if you wanted to be a punk you had to FIGHT FOR IT. Every day. On the way to school, walking down the street everyday. And it wasn’t about weather you even lost or won. Didn’t matter. It was about FIGHTING. I happily bought myself a “greedo shot first” t-shirt just so that when I walk down the street I can find out RIGHT AWAY which one of THESE (charming neighbors) around here have THE BALLS to start with me about it and I cant wait to DIVE at the first one who wants to start with me over it.
Thats the way I feel and I dont apologize for it. They need to start feeling the affects of this war they wage on us in REAL LIFE, it needs to start banging on their front doors and when they start seeing this then they might finally start to wonder how worth it is it for them to keep it up.
Thats my 2 cents, ya wanna make a real difference, start working out and buy a yourself a nice big fat greedo shot first shirt and wait to see which one of these (swell people) had the BALLS to start. So far I haven’t had one…yet.
Edited for language.
February 9, 2013 at 8:22 pm |
Don’t worry Rob, you won’t have to because all the cowards are on the internet, hiding behind their computers.
February 10, 2013 at 9:10 am |
If I can get an honest-to-god video camera and decent editing software, the very first thing I’m going to do is “Review” the RLM reviews (not quite in the same style – more like the disbelief and rage of certain other internet critics whom I won’t mention because they aren’t particularly kind to Lucasfilm either – but you get the idea). Very similarly to the “Study in Fanboy Stupidity” (which isn’t a free read anymore; what’s up with that?), except something funny that doesn’t involve a lot of *gasp* reading, since that seems to be how the stupid things got viral in the first place.
February 11, 2013 at 2:31 pm |
It’s a real pity that there are people out there trying to ruin everyone else’s enjoyment of this beloved sci-fi fantasy. I just recently watched a review of a Star Wars comic book that turned into a, you guessed it, prequel bashing extravaganza. What’s also quite irritating about the review is that the reviewer was trying to convince everyone that Star Wars was stupid “when you really thought about”. Well, after “really thinking about it”, I can certainly say that Star Wars isn’t stupid and that the reviewer doesn’t speak for the whole crowd. Most of the points he brought up to support his claim were also quite invalid.
Why do these online critics and negative minded people who look into things too much think they know everything and think they speak for everyone when they state something lacking any clear foundation, fact or truth (then again, that’s common among many outspoken naysayers)? You can’t even watch, read, or look upon anything Star Wars related without have some pompous, ignorant individual in the background, loudly proclaiming how Star Wars has fallen and that everyone who likes the newer stuff is a drooling idiot and child. It’s really a shame.
If you like the prequels, that’s absolutely, 100% fine. We all have our reasons why we like or dislike something, but that doesn’t make us dumb losers with no purpose on the Earth. Liking and disliking certain things makes us who we are. It makes us the different, diverse, individuals that walk about the Earth. It makes us stand out so others can identify us, or at times, identify with us. No nasty, bullying online critic is going to tell me what is stupid and what isn’t stupid. I’ll decide that for myself.
The sooner this comes to the mind of critics like this, the sooner the world will become a better place, at least in my eyes. The force is with us all, but only we can decide how in which we want to use it.