Reply #26: I'm going to re-post my answer from the other thread [View All]

[Cats Against Frist]

Because I think my post specifically addresses this question of narrative, and icon -- it is true, in the case of Viggo Mortensen, as well -- as icon, which I'll address, after.

For me, personally, it all seemed a little crass and antic-y, from the beginning -- I'm not a "cult of personality," kind of person, like many of the knee-jerkers here on DU, (except for when it comes to Mario Cuomo, Frank Zappa or Thomas Jefferson -- who, I think, have proved themselves over a number of decades... ), neither am I overtly sentimental, so Cindy didn't do too much for me. That's a personal opinion, however, and I supported Camp Casey, and what she was trying to do.

It is this "jump the shark" deal that is intriguing -- when put that way, it seems clear, to me, that the entire anti-war movement has jumped the shark, since the 1960s, the protest marches, the soft-core, ball-less "all-too-civil" disobediences -- even the people who "do something," for the movement, occassionally, are still far too chained to their computers -- and don't need to be harshing others for their ineffectiveness. Some people don't participate in some of this, because they don't feel that these events, these token, sentimental narratives have any efficacy. Or little, anyway.

I, personally, hate sappy narrative, and have as much of a problem with a person -- any person -- who stands on TV, bawling -- tearless or not, and shouting slogans -- because BOTH SIDES DO IT. How do you think that the GOP got to be as pervasive as they are? They always credit it to their "reason," but it's really not -- it's baseless fear and sentimentality -- two of the most irrational human emotions that there are. So, to me, it's every bit as lame, when the left does it, as when the right does it. Perhaps this is the problem with Cindy -- nothing against the woman, her cause, her son, her message -- but because those of us who are cynics are not moved by emotional plea, and suspicious of those who are so easily "moved," by conventional narratives and attempts to tie tired signs to tired signifiers, with the intended outcome so...goddamn scripted.

For some of us, that's frustrating and we see these things as counter-effective. There are a lot of people on here who hate ANSWER for similar reasons -- it's not such a stretch, when you think about it, philosophically, to extend that same kind of critique to Cindy, or to any other person who is providing a springboard for a narrative that really has little to do with the geo-political situation, at hand.

We'd do far better to make individual, local changes, rather than uplink our brains into the national discourse -- which is a circus, in and of itself, as far as I'm concerned, and to make changes in our lives, in our activities, in our buying habits, in our alliances, rather than tailgate behind an icon, and expect it to sweep us to glory. What we should hope is that the world become too complex for simple appeals to emotion, the clap-trap and the "good story," meant to persuade a person, outside of rationality, outside of practicality.

Some of us, who are cynical, and have really sensitive bullshit detectors are sensitive to "shark-jumping" moments, and I agree with ruggerson, and some of the others -- and it's not just Cindy but this whole sixties re-dux that has outlived its efficacy.

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Now, I think Viggo Mortenson is FUCKING HOT, K? I also hate that I think that he's fucking hot. Truly. To me, it really shouldn't matter, as I try not to make worship of the construct of physical beauty one of the focal points of my human relationships. Viggo, however, though he really writes terrible poetry (sorry, Viggo), seems to be a caring person, who is socially aware, and because of LOTR, also, to some extent, carries the archtype of "king" in his bosom. With a few shrooms on top of a manic episode, I could probably run into Viggo, and feel that I should bow or something.

HOWEVER, the fact that we're even discussing Viggo, how hot he his, how cool he is, or even how caring he is, is really fucking irrelevant, when it comes to changing the world. All of this talk -- this chattering class-ing, gets us nowhere. Hands do. The rest of this, which all falls under "opinion leading," as in -- who can we sway with Cindy or Viggo or which narrative, or whatever, is counter-productive and is nothing more than a distraction.