- Sep 22, 2013
- 4,956
- 250
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This is a modernism-vignette (my last one) inspired by Ghost in the Shell and my love of comic books.
Cheers,
====
"My name is David Ali. I'm an Algerian who moved to America in the late 20th Century. I studied at an Ivy League school then travelled to the West Coast where I was part of a Bohemian anarchist movement directed at a millennial backlash against the claustrophobia created by technology obsession. I became too immersed in this Bohemian group, so I started repenting for my rebelliousness and became a born-again Christian. When I returned to Algeria, I started looking at Japanese anime/manga and discovered an intriguing manga-adapted animated film called Space Adventure: Cobra which featured a valiant female character named Jane Royal. I decided Jane was to be my 'muse' for redemption. However, Jane was merely a 'cartoon,' so I worried that I was becoming too 'obsessed' ironically with media-images and modern animation vanities. Was I a 'by-product' of the modern age?"
"America is the new Empire. America offers the world IBM, Apple, Microsoft, Duracell, Energizer, Wal-Mart, Toys 'R Us, and of course, McDonald's and Burger King. I decided Jane Royal could offer me clarity about all this modern 'brouhaha' and perhaps direct me towards more 'temperate' forms of modernism praise. However, like I said, Jane was merely a 'cartoon,' so I wondered if I should monitor my own mind for 'traces' of media/tech/vanity over-indulgence/immersion. Could Jane 'teach' me about 'intellectual purity,' and could I navigate myself in this modern labyrinth (as the new millennium began!) more-or-less swamped by microchips, video-games, battery-operated toys, consumerism indulgences (e.g., eBay, eTrade), and machinery wizardry (e.g., Facebook, Wikipedia, Amazon.com). Why was Hollywood (USA) making sci-fi horror films such as Ghost in the Machine, I, Robot, and Alien: Covenant? Was modern civilization a toolbox?"
"The sci-fi horror-film franchise Alien featured bizarre insectisoid-dragon creatures called Xenomorphs who preyed on humans with terrifying relentlessness. These 'Xenos' possessed corrosive acid for blood and could demolish and tear humans apart. These symbolized modernism anxieties regarding the mismanagement of intelligence and what it could mean for the 'evolution' of life itself. I started thinking that the Xenos were the opposite of my modern-angel/darling Jane Royal. Should I rescue Jane from this new age hellish sea of commercial fury? You see, I'm an immortal. I never get old past the age of 30. So I'll always be Jane's age. I'm from Venus, but I look like a human and share human DNA (just like Jane Royal does). No one knows this about me or about the fact that I'm an avid science-fiction comic book fan. My secrets are my own, and I use my intellectual curiosity to evaluate the metaphysical symbolism of relevant modernism films such as Alien: Covenant, RoboCop, The Matrix, and Toys."
GOD: What do you think of David Thomas?
SATAN: He seems to be a Job-like figure...
GOD: Do you think he'd go insane if he lost Jane?
SATAN: Jane Royal represents purism to David!
GOD: Should we foster his 'anime/manga' fascination?
SATAN: David seems sincerely interested in 'modernism design.'
GOD: Yes, but is he an honest social critic?
SATAN: He's from Venus, so he's not human, but he cares about humanity.
GOD: It's ironic he's a fan of sci-fi comic books.
SATAN: He's a big fan of the Alien films and The Matrix films.
GOD: Do you think 'TrumpUSA' is oriented to trust David?
SATAN: Consumerism today is much about online-markets and networking.
GOD: It's about convenience mostly, so I worry Jane is David's 'doll.'
SATAN: Maybe there's nothing wrong with 'evangelism-dolls.'
GOD: We have to be wary of idol-worship and witchcraft...
SATAN: I don't think Jane is anything but the Statue of Liberty to David.
GOD: I think you're correct, but is America the right canvas for critique?
SATAN: I don't think Facebook and Wall Street have demoralized capitalists.
GOD: Not entirely, but there certainly is a lot of sloth and gluttony.
SATAN: Consumerism is a 'cholesterol-system' requiring 'medicine-men.'
GOD: Let's treat David then as an 'imaginarium medicine-man.'
SATAN: Let's watch the toy-paranoia film Batteries Not Included on Netflix!
====
Cheers,
====
"My name is David Ali. I'm an Algerian who moved to America in the late 20th Century. I studied at an Ivy League school then travelled to the West Coast where I was part of a Bohemian anarchist movement directed at a millennial backlash against the claustrophobia created by technology obsession. I became too immersed in this Bohemian group, so I started repenting for my rebelliousness and became a born-again Christian. When I returned to Algeria, I started looking at Japanese anime/manga and discovered an intriguing manga-adapted animated film called Space Adventure: Cobra which featured a valiant female character named Jane Royal. I decided Jane was to be my 'muse' for redemption. However, Jane was merely a 'cartoon,' so I worried that I was becoming too 'obsessed' ironically with media-images and modern animation vanities. Was I a 'by-product' of the modern age?"
"America is the new Empire. America offers the world IBM, Apple, Microsoft, Duracell, Energizer, Wal-Mart, Toys 'R Us, and of course, McDonald's and Burger King. I decided Jane Royal could offer me clarity about all this modern 'brouhaha' and perhaps direct me towards more 'temperate' forms of modernism praise. However, like I said, Jane was merely a 'cartoon,' so I wondered if I should monitor my own mind for 'traces' of media/tech/vanity over-indulgence/immersion. Could Jane 'teach' me about 'intellectual purity,' and could I navigate myself in this modern labyrinth (as the new millennium began!) more-or-less swamped by microchips, video-games, battery-operated toys, consumerism indulgences (e.g., eBay, eTrade), and machinery wizardry (e.g., Facebook, Wikipedia, Amazon.com). Why was Hollywood (USA) making sci-fi horror films such as Ghost in the Machine, I, Robot, and Alien: Covenant? Was modern civilization a toolbox?"
"The sci-fi horror-film franchise Alien featured bizarre insectisoid-dragon creatures called Xenomorphs who preyed on humans with terrifying relentlessness. These 'Xenos' possessed corrosive acid for blood and could demolish and tear humans apart. These symbolized modernism anxieties regarding the mismanagement of intelligence and what it could mean for the 'evolution' of life itself. I started thinking that the Xenos were the opposite of my modern-angel/darling Jane Royal. Should I rescue Jane from this new age hellish sea of commercial fury? You see, I'm an immortal. I never get old past the age of 30. So I'll always be Jane's age. I'm from Venus, but I look like a human and share human DNA (just like Jane Royal does). No one knows this about me or about the fact that I'm an avid science-fiction comic book fan. My secrets are my own, and I use my intellectual curiosity to evaluate the metaphysical symbolism of relevant modernism films such as Alien: Covenant, RoboCop, The Matrix, and Toys."
GOD: What do you think of David Thomas?
SATAN: He seems to be a Job-like figure...
GOD: Do you think he'd go insane if he lost Jane?
SATAN: Jane Royal represents purism to David!
GOD: Should we foster his 'anime/manga' fascination?
SATAN: David seems sincerely interested in 'modernism design.'
GOD: Yes, but is he an honest social critic?
SATAN: He's from Venus, so he's not human, but he cares about humanity.
GOD: It's ironic he's a fan of sci-fi comic books.
SATAN: He's a big fan of the Alien films and The Matrix films.
GOD: Do you think 'TrumpUSA' is oriented to trust David?
SATAN: Consumerism today is much about online-markets and networking.
GOD: It's about convenience mostly, so I worry Jane is David's 'doll.'
SATAN: Maybe there's nothing wrong with 'evangelism-dolls.'
GOD: We have to be wary of idol-worship and witchcraft...
SATAN: I don't think Jane is anything but the Statue of Liberty to David.
GOD: I think you're correct, but is America the right canvas for critique?
SATAN: I don't think Facebook and Wall Street have demoralized capitalists.
GOD: Not entirely, but there certainly is a lot of sloth and gluttony.
SATAN: Consumerism is a 'cholesterol-system' requiring 'medicine-men.'
GOD: Let's treat David then as an 'imaginarium medicine-man.'
SATAN: Let's watch the toy-paranoia film Batteries Not Included on Netflix!
====
