The Sound of the Crowd

Attack Of The I Know You Are But What Am I’s

From a New York Times article on how the latest Star Wars movie is being further “politicized” by both the right and left:

(Excerpts in bold, my comments in normal text)

For sheer lack of subtlety, the light-saber-wielding forces of good and evil in George Lucas’s “Star Wars” movies can’t hold a candle to the blogging, advertising and boycotting forces of the right and left. (Or left and right.)

I resent that.

PThe liberal advocacy group Moveon.org was preparing to spend $150,000 to run advertisements on CNN over the next few days – and to spread leaflets among audiences in line at multiplexes – comparing Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the majority leader, to the movie’s power-grabbing, evil Chancellor Palpatine, for Dr. Frist’s role in the Senate’s showdown over the confirmation of federal judges.

Lord knows I’d love to go along with this…but…(see yesterday’s remaks about the folly of looking for depth in Star Wars).

ETA: On the other hand, in this picture, Trent Lott sure looks a lot like Palpatine.

As a rule, Hollywood studios go to great lengths to ensure that their projects – both in the development stage and especially when they are positioned in the marketplace – are free of messages that could be offensive to any great swath of the moviegoing public. Like, say, people who vote for one political party or the other.

Good thing I don’t know anyone planning a movie that might cause such offense, isn’t it?


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