Hey there Liz,
Thanks for the article! Great read. I think that Letham makes a lot of heady and fascinating points about The Dark Knight. But I also think the movie doesn't hold up entirely to the model he puts forth. I am not smart enough to answer Letham's analysis point by point. I think he is definitely on to something, but its not all hopeless.
I think The Dark Knight is a reflection of the times at hand, not necessarily a propaganda piece for the administration. (That partisan hack, Andrew Klavan, who interpreted the movie as a defense of W is an idiot, and his op-ed doesn't hold a candle to Letham's thoughtful analysis.) I think its funny that I had an allergic reaction to Iron Man, and you to the Dark Knight. I'm not sure what it says about us, maybe that at the times we saw each movie, we saw the real evils that haunt us and thus, were horrified.
My only criticism of Letham's article is that he sounds beyond pessimistic. Granted, it may be a time to despair, but you cannot allow your despair to totally paralyze you because when you do that, you give your enemies power over you. I'm not about to do that anymore. Pessimism is a poison. McCain/Palin will not stop us. They may make it harder, but they will not stop me from living a free life or doing what I can to help others live free lives. It may be small consolation in a world where even Amy Goodman gets forcibly arrested in the United States, but she isn't giving up and neither should we.
Don't lose hope! I realize its hard living in Oklahoma with two fascist idiots as your senators. But the tide is turning. Obama isn't the end all be all, but his election will demonstrate a shift. And he has a great chance -
www.fivethirtyeight.com
Stella's mom volunteers for Andrew Rice in Oklahoma. Sure, he has a very small chance at beating Inhofe, but he has a better chance than a Democrat has had in OK for a long time. That's big! And a sign of a shift. Keep the hope alive Liz! Don't despair (too much). You're a bright shining beacon in that state of yours, and even if you don't feel like you are penetrating the haze and apathy created by No Child Left Behind and video game binges, I guarantee that you are reaching some of your students in ways you can't possibly imagine. And the effects of your teaching will live on long after we are all gone.
God, I sound maudlin and I'm not even drunk. Yet.
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