Comments on: Admitting You’re a Sinner

By: V for Vendetta, Part 5 - Pop Occulture

V for Vendetta, Part 5 - Pop Occulture — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 18:17:59 +0000

[...] , ordinary billionaire, that is) and became a sort of transcendent symbol (more about that here). This year, we see the same message being driven home once again cou [...]

By: Rev. Daniel Nephilim

Rev. Daniel Nephilim — Tue, 21 Jun 2005 05:35:53 +0000

The whole “forgiveness” deal is the main thing in which I part ways with (mainstream) Christianity. The idea that a child molester, rapist, mass murderer, etc. can “accept Jesus” and spend eternity in paradise. I would rather go to hell. At least the child molesters *there* are being punished.

Great article, by the way.

By: Avi Solomon

Avi Solomon — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 10:50:35 +0000

For great tales of Batman confronting his inner demons see ‘Batman: Dark Legends’:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1563892669/

By: crasspastor

crasspastor — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 06:39:19 +0000

It is “cool” I suppose when buildings blow up. As scary as that day was, it was also the most titillating day I can ever remember. It’s like when an earthquake hits, nobody can deny it. Imagine how shitty some people felt being on the first plane that landed at SeaTac after the earthquake hit. They missed, by a hair, what managed to scare millions of other people! Imagine how jealous some must have felt because of it.

So people fill in their own stories. “I was on the plane that was on final approach when the earthquake hit.” And then they dramatize what it was like to come off the plane and see all these shaken people and so on.

But what shook them? Surely, most aircraft approaches are more violent than the deep, therefore mild, 6.7 we had here a few years ago. But it was the buildings that swayed, that seemed they just had to snap. But they didn’t. I learned more about engineering by that earthquake alone than any highschool or college class I’ve ever taken. Of course, a lot of what I base my impression of the experience on was being on the fifth floor of a wooden apartment building and not an airplane. It moved the top of the building as though it were a whip. But that’s my dramatization.

In some ways I think that the collective experience of the Nisqually quake helped to manage the terrified jingoistic blur that would come some months later to everybody else on that fateful day of 9/11. Something sensible arose here — arose everywhere. Many of us, searching for answers gathered together at Westlake Park that following weekend, ignored the “kill all muslims” signholders and greived peacefully together. Was it a protest? Was it a wake? A teach in? No idea. But a couple thousand seekers came together and told each other we were also here.

As in an earthquake, the media trumpets that “people from all walks of life contributed to the rescure effort”, we also understood that day, that all humans must remain protected from and empowered to defeat, evil.

I’ve realized that evil can only work in the banality of its own self-projected ideal of the system. The key is to discredit the system and offer something more in return. And that is, freedom from “it”. Freedom to be you. Freedom not to be snapped at. Freedom to be and to let. God, how fucking glorious is that?

If we’re all going to die, why not help each other survive?

By: Ran

Ran — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 05:43:27 +0000

“They sought to infect the entire city with the same fear-inducing drug which transformed Bruce into Batman.”

I haven’t seen the movie, but that sounds just like the 9/11 operation! It made most Americans slaves of fear, but some of us were immune, and I suggest it ’s because we were aware of, and at peace with, the part of ourselves that thinks it’s cool when buildings blow up. The people who couldn’t stand this awareness had to get super-angry and vengeful to cover it up. Maybe seeing Fight Club was an immunization against seeing 9/11 (which, for most of us, was just another movie).

By: alistair

alistair — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 02:28:24 +0000

i`m marginalised because i`m a white male.i`m out of the meeting of black police officers that is being held in toronto in august.i`m marginalised out of the chinese businessmans association.
i know you don`t mean it personally.
yes,it`s seriously fucked up.but that`s the thing.it`s also a wealth of abundance.those who are marginalised in some ways make that choice.i have seen people meet the challenges in thier lives and in spite of it all just get on with it anyway.
life is tough.it`s no reason to give up.
i`m not guilty….directly or otherwise.if i believed that for a moment i would be rolling my sleeves up to change what i believed happened.
keeping us down in injustice and fear.hmm,i`m quite sure you`ll stand up for yourself when the time comes.
i don`t believe,personally,that i`m trying to go anywhere.i don`t have that sense of needing to get anywhere.i`m actually getting used to noticing myself alive and in the moment.i an grateful for that peace.i find that i also now recognise that in others too.
from an economic standpoint,i don`t think that economies marginalise people.i believe that economies,especially ones that are democratic are the best way to do things.not a perfect way,mind you,but a way that offers the best hope against the entropy that operates in the universe.
this isn`t a discussion about politics and economics but here`s a quick list of people who`s ideas failed.
stalin.
marx.
clinton.
mao.
the common element here is the idea of shared ownership.a re-distribution.not just of money but capital.resourses.it`s a dangerous game.spending capital like it was money is a con job.it is socialism.or slavery.once the capital is spent out of the marketplace people don`t have any bargaining power.no ownership of the means of production.
at least in a democracy we have some protections in place to allow us ownership in the means of production.without it we are slaves.
we still can`t stop all the pain in the world.
but we can choose to not get drawn into feeling guilty about it.
did you know that when mother teresa died she had bank accounts,in her own name, totalling over sixty million dollars?
now who`s guilty of what?
not you or me.
and about the death thing,what the hell is that?nobody here knows but we are told to be afraid of it.why?

By: Arizona

Arizona — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 02:13:47 +0000

I loved Batman when I was young. Thought I’d left it behind. This analysis and comparison with Christ’s heroism is intriguing. Think I might go see the movie for myself.

I agree that the gnostic interpretation of the imitatio Christi is pretty tough. How much easier would it be to imitate literally! How much harder to discover what God wants from each of us!

I recently watched Scorsese’s Last Temptation of Christ and I was moved by how hard Judas’ role was - and Jesus acknowledges this. It’s a bit like being chosen for a part in the school play. Everyone wants to be the hero but someone’s got to play the bad guy.

You seem to be exploring here a latent heroism - or at least necessity - in the shadow or anti-hero. Maybe even the TV evangelists play a role here. I daresay those that are sucked in don’t find the going as easy as they initially thought and the consequent battles with cynics and with life’s woes might be, oddly enough, bringing out their unique talents. Who knows?

By: slomo

slomo — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 01:04:36 +0000

alistair: no, you didn’t do those things directly. But maybe you own a refrigerator? Or drive a car? Or eat beef from South America? Maybe you participate in an economy that marginalizes people to the point of homelessness?

I don’t mean to pick on you personally. I’m just saying that all of us are indirectly guilty of the sins you’ve listed. We all participate in a seriously fucked up system, and that makes us all guilty. In my view, the purpose of a conscious spiritual path is to transcend fear to achieve that rare courage that allows you to speak Truth to Power, to confront the forces that keep us down in injustice and fear. But to do this is to accept death, to accept all the possible ways that we may be destroyed in order to be silenced. I’m not there yet, but I know at least where I’m trying to go.

By: alistair

alistair — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 00:35:40 +0000

i haven`t seen the film yet but i think you are giving the catholics too much credit.they knew,right from the kickoff,that they were in the business of peoples souls,not thier redemption here on earth.it`s about creating chaos in peoples`s lives,so they go running for the pews.an audience captive in thier fear,not set free by transcending it.nietzche said that which doesn`t kill you makes you stronger.that`s closer to what i feel is the truth than being made to feel guilty for the death of some guy`s only kid.
i didn`t do it.i wasn`t there.i have nothing to repent for.i didn`t ever own slaves either.or make a hole in the ozone layer.or pour oil into the ocean.or make acres of the amazon jungle disappear every day.or make people homeless.
repenting and letting jesus into your life.it is more lazy theology.consumer-grade spirituality.it`s a powerful tool for immediately feeling superior to others.feeds the ego like mother`s milk.
it pays billy graham`s bills.

By: N.M

N.M — Sun, 19 Jun 2005 23:47:05 +0000

I noticed the same thing during my viewing of the film.

I checked out your bookmarks to notice that you got my link to the Joker Syndrome… pretty cool huh. I wish Chris Nolan can take a cue from that article to get the character as realistic as possible.

My favorite quote was “puns and awful jokes in inopportune moments, going on tirades”…

Could it fit the discription any better than that?