There is another…
…Star Wars movie coming out, and that means there is another small crop of…let’s just call them “dedicated” fans who have already begun waiting in line. One of them is here in Seattle, Washington. He’s camping outside of the Cinerama theater downtown–which is, indeed, a marvelous place to see a film. Saw all three of the Lord of the Rings movies there, but didn’t wait in line for more than an hour the day I saw them.
Anyway, our Star Wars boy, Jeff, not only has himself a place staked out in front of this theater for a film that isn’t opening for another like, four months…he’s also got himself a blog.
That link is to a letter he received and posted about a week ago. It defies belief. Someone is trying to sell this hysterical campout not as a silly but harmless eccentricity (hey, if you’ve got the time and money, more power to ya), but…well, read for yourself:
“Jeff is someone who, as odd as it may seem to conventional society, feels deeply motivated by the idea of “waiting” for things of value, and in a consumer driven, materialistic culture he sees as spiritually drained, this is where he’s putting his time and energy down as a worthy investment. All Star Wars fans are moved by how these films capture mythic themes of heroism, discipline, and inner strength, but I would wager that very few of them have been as thoroughly transformed by these ideals as Jeff Tweiten.”
Put aside for the moment the discrepancy inherent in valuing a Star Wars movie as opposing a “consumer driven, materialistic culture.” But if you really had been transformed by “themes of heroism, discipline, and inner strength” wouldn’t there be anything else you could put your time and energy into?
There’s a war on now in this galaxy, you know–you could join up. Not that I’m recommending it, but that does seem just a little closer to a show of inner strength and–if you genuinely believe in the war–putting ideals into action than this. Or you could join the genuine space program and maybe really set foot on a distant planet someday. You could fight for the rights of a real group of people that’s oppresed and needs your help (pick your favorite).
Or, you know, you could make sure you’re the first person to sit back with your large Coke and let George Lucas break your heart again. I need a hero, I’m holding out for a hero till the morning light…
