Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/01/23/remember-leia-is-watching.html
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I’ve been thinking about Star Wars and other scrappy-rebellion-of-lovable-rogues literature in the context of Trump for the last few days. I know it’s not the first time any of this has been said, even here on the bbs boards, but I can’t shake thoughts about how much the “con man with a heart of gold is the only one who can save us from the system” archetype actually was a part of setting the stage for Trump’s ascendance. From Zootopia to Robin Hood to…[plus some examples from a person who watches movies made for adults…] to Han Solo. The rogue who at first glance is called a criminal, but underneath is really just a good man working in a crooked system.
Palin and McCain tried to play the Maverick card, but nobody established themselves as the rogue like Trump. The support/defense of Trump sound as vague as you’d expect from people whose support come from a vague connection to a literary archetype lurking in the backs of their minds, rather than concrete policies they could get behind. The complaints against Obama feel the same. He was in the seat of power, so in a vague sense, progressive politics (well, from a certain perspective) became the empire, or at least were in that slot, if a person was already inclined to overlay this metaphor. The easy appropriation and reassignment of these roles feels like a part of the larger disorienting, cynical and brazen appropriation of progressive language among the “reverse racism,” “blue lives matter,” “oppressed christian,” “victims of PC culture” chucklefucks.
Of course the second act conversion of the self-interested huckster into a hero who cares deeply about the needs of the people isn’t going to happen here. I feel like the next trilogy of Star Wars that we need (or needed a few years ago) was a story of a second emerging rebellion that promises power and wealth, and embraces hate and fear, but somehow still sells itself as opposition to the empire, and the true rebellion has to compete for hearts and minds against a loud, brash, well-funded alternative. Of course, in the end its a dark side darker than the empire…
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Well said, Sir or Madam.
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