Self-centered Prick

Gotcha!

No, this isn't an article bashing Trump but it does have something to do with him.  That "something" is a label that often brands those undeserving of it.

It's a label that's often only a superficial representation of the myriad of perceived character flaws exhibited by those who at least on the surface fit the remark.

I'll admit that I've felt the sting of it myself.  The accusers used kinder terms like: arrogant, overconfident or entitled but that's only because they're uttered in mixed company.  The real meaning is: Self-centered Prick.

Did I deserve it? In their mind I did but it doesn't matter.

Once you're branded as such, there's not much point in defending against it.  To do so just proves the point to the prosecution.

Maybe that's why Trump never apologizes.  You can't admit a mistake without owning the flaw and as we all know, everything about Trump is, "Fabulous, never better."





But more to the point...

I've leveled the barb myself and of course I was right to do so.....Uh Oh....maybe I am a self-centered Pr...

Perception is rarely reality.  We color our views with our own experience.  Whatever we're going through now is viewed through that lens.  

Even if it's a family member, if something they're doing ( or NOT doing ) is affecting YOU in some way and they won't acknowledge it to your satisfaction, I can guarantee the phrase will at least briefly come to mind.

Thing is, who's the bigger devil here?  If you're only concerned with yourself how are you any better than the other guy?  If you won't take the time to see things through their eyes, their experience and their beliefs then who's the real "prick?"

I don't make excuses for people that deserve the charge.   We're all products of our environments and if that's a negative thing and we don't try to change it then the label is deserved.

But an attack is rarely left unanswered.  The conflict only escalates and in our society conflict sells.  We even encourage snap judgement without further reflection.  It's a world with little more patience than the life of a paparazzi's flash bulb.

Everything is black and white.  You're guilty or not.  No time for evidence or reflection.  Why waste time moving past the first impression when it fits so neatly into our safe, uncomplicated view of the world.

If there's anything from the Star Wars prequels I liked it was one quote.  

"Only a Sith deals in Absolutes"  - Obi Wan Kenobi

Sith's are bad people, you don't want to be a Sith.  

Nobody is completely right or wrong and by extension you know nothing about anyone if you don't bother to listen to them first.

You have a right to an opinion, don't waste it with unilateral decisions based on petty evidence.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens review

As I write this it's late in the day on January 10th.  As such I have no fear of spoiling anything for those who haven't yet experienced the latest installment of the goings on in the Star Wars universe.

The movie premiered on December 17th for some and the 18th for everyone else.  The buzz around it has been deafening. Everywhere you went online you were reminded of the return of Star Wars to the forefront of popular culture.

Trident light sabers, BB8 toy robots and an avalanche of related kitsch has been showing up everywhere from geek toys to cereal boxes. 

Which should have been your first warning.  Just like video games, the ratio of hype to content in a movie is directly proportional to the level of disappointment.

In a word the movie was...meh.

Which flies in the face of current pop culture, I know...

How could anyone not embrace and revel in a new Star Wars movie! One who's greatest hope is that it's not another awful prequel.

If the Star Wars Prequels were forgettable embarrassments to the franchise, The Force Awakens is a taciturn acknowledgement of their failure.  A half-hearted apology consisting of copious visual effects, a  rehashed story line from a A New Hope peppered with uninspiring performances from forgettable stand ins. 

Rey is the new Luke, Finn and Poe an amalgamation of Han Solo, Kylo Ren the new Vader and Snoke an analog to the Emperor. 

The appearance of original trilogy characters Han, Leia and eventually Luke were little more than a bone thrown to diehard fans and filler for an otherwise deep plot hole.   Is it not obvious that Luke will function as the Obi Wan Kenobi to Rey's Luke Skywalker?  Can anyone doubt that the newly widowed  Leia will likely become an analog of the often forgotten Mon Mothma,  Leader of the Rebel Alliance in the original trilogy. 

Yes, I've let the big secret slip.  Han Solo is dead.  His freewheeling ways brought to an end at the hands of his own son Benjamin Solo AKA Kylo Ren.

And what of Kylo Ren?  The spoiled brat given to childish outbursts of rage when he isn't worshiping his fallen hero, Darth Vader.

What of Rey?  Whose kid is she anyway?  She connects with Luke Skywalker's light saber but can finish Han Solo's sentences and can fly the Millennium Falcon like a seasoned veteran even though she supposedly had no clue how to fly a space ship and no knowledge of the Force.

The bones for the faithful were everywhere from a mothballed Millennium Falcon springing to life to Luke's training orb rolling around in front of the holographic game table.  Even the backdrops recalled the parched landscape of Tattooine and the barren icy wastes of Hoth but with different names.  Even the nemesis weapon of the First Order, the Starkiller is nothing but the Death Star on steroids.

Honestly, who cares?  The whole thing felt like fan fiction on a big budget.

If this movie is anything it's at best a bridge between what we knew and what we'll be forced to accept.  That being an overly processed and weakly developed storyline borrowing heavily from its predecessors but repackaged for an audience that craves CGI effects and politically correct storylines that inspire little reflection. 

The questions left after the closing credits are inconsequential.  The experience during the previous 2 or so hours left me frequently checking my watch as I awaited my release.

It's not a bad movie but it's not a great movie either. 

I like a good story.  I didn't get one with The Force Awakens.  I honestly enjoyed Episode 3 of the prequels better.  If the best praise I can offer is: "At least it's not another prequel." It's not exactly a ringing endorsement.  It had its moments but in the end I really couldn't get invested in the well being of any of the characters including what amounted to little more than extended cameos of the original cast.

Go, see the movie, enjoy yourself but don't expect too much.  Keep in mind that even though it's now reached the status of the highest grossing movie of all time, the previous holders of that title included Avatar and Episode 1. 

This movie is popular only because it's got Star Wars in the title.  I don't expect the next two to do as well unless they plan on waiting another 10 years between releases.

This is not the Star Wars Movie you're looking for...