Cattlecar Islamica?

[thebitterguy]

A cute article on the backlash in the US about Battlestar Galactica suddenly becoming 'politically incorrect'. He even takes a shot at Lileks sexification of Trek ("Put the liberals in the disintegration chambers!").

Man, it's funny watching crazy people when they live someplace else.

Comments

[indefatigable42.livejournal.com]

Well, that was disillusioning... I previously knew nothing about James Lileks other than his brilliant Gallery of Regrettable Food (http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/index.html).

Anyways... I haven't watched Galactica, but I've thought of writing a story which would be a general condemnation of people who think their god gives them permission to kill. Scary to think it could be taken as a condemnation of Islam specifically, just because people forget everything that isn't on the front page of the paper. I guess people have forgotten about stuff like Northern Ireland, or the Crusades.

[indefatigable42.livejournal.com]

Er, and now that I read that again, it sounds like some really pretentious writers who annoy the hell out of me. I never said I could pull it off. It's just a theme that pops out at me from time to time.

[thebitterguy]

Lileks, although he has written amusing stuff, is one of those guys who went nuts after 9/11.

He lives in some fear state that's almost impossible to understand if you're rational.

BSG, btw, is very fun. You should check it out sometime.

[indefatigable42.livejournal.com]

I missed the entire first season because it wasn't on a channel I got... I'll catch up eventually.

[ludickid.livejournal.com]

Man, neocons sure are nerds. I thought it was just Lileks, Jonah Goldberg, and John Podhoretz, but I guess it's more widespread than I'd imagined.

[thebitterguy]

They found a show that they thought reflected how they saw the world. It must have been hard on them, since Major Dad got cancelled.

[terminal-pariah.livejournal.com]

No, he's right, I can totally see that.
The Cylons, who believe in reincarnation, are Muslims. I mean, I know lots of brown people who believe in reincarnation. Brown people are Muslims, right?

The Pagan humans, whose religious leaders engage in frequent use of narcotics, are Christian Americans.

This allegory could not be more clear-cut.

[thebitterguy]

For some, the allegory is only forced if it does not support their arguments. These people are called "bloggers".

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Or, you know, it could actually just be a TV show with no political thrust to it. Honestly I've gotten less than zero political vibes from the few BG episodes I've seen; it feels like they just want to tell a compelling story.

[thebitterguy]

I think it's designed to parallel and reflect the world we live in, but saying "these people represent these people" is just a fantasy.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Yeah, as a show it's far too complex for one-to-one ratios...part of the reason I think there's no agenda beyond just telling a good story.

[kevin-church.livejournal.com]

If people are seeing the condemnation of secret trials as a statement against our govenment, well...

I'll say this about BSG: nobody is above scrutiny. Roslin attempted to fix an election. The Adamas abandoned the survivors for over a year. Starbuck's letting what happened to her on New Caprica ruin her life. Lee ate too many pies. It just goes on.

Best show on TV.

Of course, I don't watch much TV...

[cargoweasel.livejournal.com]

I agree. BSG does an amazing job of showing everyone as justified, everyone as righteous, and everyone as vicious. The Cylons have their motives, the humans are humans, and reality is messy. So he doesn't like the occupation? I bet it didn't bother the Lileks of the world when they showed a peace group as terroristic enemy collaborators.

BSG is indeed the best show on TV, and I watch a fair amount :)

[thebitterguy]

Apparently, one guy thought the fixing of elections was right, if it lets your candidate win.

Man. It's scary, sometimes, living next door.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

I'm definitely enjoying this season of BSG, but I'm amazed that any conservative would see the first two seasons as either pro-war or pro-conservative. It seemed largely about a totally pointless cycle of violence and the humans leaders were consistently blind, desperate, and completely reliant upon Sharon's aid to survive. Then again, conservatives are generally equally blind, so this is hardly surprising.

I'd not seen that piece by Lileks, wow, I did not think that my utter contempt for him could increase, and yet it did.

[thebitterguy]

Lileks is a total goofball. If you want amusement, ludickid does semi regularly deconstructions of his screeds. Quite fun.

[ghostwes.livejournal.com]

"Dorkofascists". Heh.

[kallisti.livejournal.com]

Actually, most of the anthropologists I know who are following the series have seen it more of a mono-theists (eg "religions of the book") versus the polytheists (classical Greek paganism).

ttyl

[thebitterguy]

It doesn't parse too well to any specific history, but you can find echoes and reflections throughout it.