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Invisiblepacific blue
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Golden Compass is eeevil
    #7743276 - 12/10/07 11:17 PM (16 years, 1 month ago)

Took my kids to the local swimming pool, but it wasn't open, so we caught a flick instead. Given that the Christian unfun-duh-MENTAL(ists) were boycotting it because it — gasp — made religion seem backwards, arbitrary, manipulative and cruel, I thought there must be something of use in it for my kids, so we paid for our tickets and gave it a gander.

The wife takes the kids for religious indoctrination every Sunday, so I look for ways to fight back by fostering an interest in science, the arts and pop culture. A movie that allegedly made organized religion look bad by highlighting its backward fundamentalism and hypocritical cult of power sounded OK to this parent.

Anyway, I have to say that the movie does not pass muster as an anti-religious piece. It just supplants one religion with another. The main character, a girl, is yet another messianic figure, prophesied of and treated like royalty by all the true believers. If the author set out to simply tell a fun story, it works. If the author set out to trash religion (which is kind of what I was hoping for), it's an utter failure. Solely because she's the object of prophesy she is treated differently by everyone.

Maybe the subtext of messianic stories like this in our post-religious times is actually about the cult of celebrity. She is an underground celebrity and she proves worthy of it by being smart, plucky and courageous. It's the same with Harry Potter and, really, a hundred other children's stories.

(That being said, I don't care too much either way. I think it's asinine to politicize children's stories. Yes, maybe there are underlying themes that may challenge or reinforce children's values, perhaps only on a subconscious level, but they're fucking children. Lighten up. They'll make sharper decisions with their conscious minds when they're older. Anything that stirs the imagination isn't all bad for a kid.)


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InvisibleOrgoneConclusion
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Registered: 04/01/07
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Re: Golden Compass is eeevil [Re: pacific blue]
    #7743472 - 12/11/07 12:21 AM (16 years, 1 month ago)

Took my kids to the local swimming pool, but it was covered in ice so I got out the chainsaw and cut a hole, but my kids are pussies and wouldn't go in. So instead we caught a movie, The Golden Compass.

We bought popcorn and had fun because we realized IT WAS FUCKING FICTION and escapist entertainment designed to make bucks and not a religion nor any form of life-changing event.

The End.


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InvisibleSophistic Radiance
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Registered: 07/11/06
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Re: Golden Compass is eeevil [Re: OrgoneConclusion]
    #7743505 - 12/11/07 12:29 AM (16 years, 1 month ago)

Yeah, just because a movie portrays religious fundamentalism in a negative light doesn't mean it has to be a thundering diatribe against religion as a whole.


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Enlil said:
You really are the worst kind of person.



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OfflineNiamhNyx
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Re: Golden Compass is eeevil [Re: pacific blue]
    #7743592 - 12/11/07 01:01 AM (16 years, 1 month ago)

I read the books a few years ago, so I'm looking forward to the movie either way. The hero-prophet is a myth that has been a part of our culture since lord-knows-when (yep, I meant the dig) and it ain't about to disappear. It's a theme burned into the subconscious of our parents, our grandparents, and our great-great-great-great-great-great (ad nauseum) grandparents before them and we are not about to forget these stories any time soon. Better to subvert and thus change the meaning of the deep-dark buried symbolism than to try and supress it. Plus it's some entertaining material.

As for the value of imbuing kids with propaganda in thier movies and television - I grew up with Captain Planet, The Racoons and The Smoggies, and I'm a raging eco-radical. :shrug: There's something to be said for presenting a valid social critique in childrens programs. They're smarter than we give them credit for and they pick up on a lot of subtext we wouldn't think they would.

But for the record, I like your point and I especially like your prose style. You should publish your review somewhere. It's great.


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InvisibleOrgoneConclusion
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Re: Golden Compass is eeevil [Re: Sophistic Radiance]
    #7743607 - 12/11/07 01:08 AM (16 years, 1 month ago)

Thundering diatribe is my job!


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InvisibleSophistic Radiance
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Re: Golden Compass is eeevil [Re: OrgoneConclusion]
    #7743668 - 12/11/07 01:42 AM (16 years, 1 month ago)

I just love making thundering diatribes, but it doesn't always work out. :laugh:

It's not a very good medium to communicate ideas.


--------------------
Enlil said:
You really are the worst kind of person.



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