John C. Wright's Blog, page 154

Casting for my Post-postracial Dream Movie

I admit that I was looking forward to a live action version of LAST AIRBENDER because it was and is my favorite anime, certainly my favorite anime made in America. I was very pleasantly surprised when M Night Shyamalan found a young actor who looked so exactly like Aang.

I was even more surprised, nay, I was emotionally scarred for life when the Race Police erupted in a surprise raid, and protested that certain characters were of the wrong races to play the made-up make-believe races of pretend magicninjaland. They demanded that the blue-eyed Eskimos of the Water Tribe be portrayed only by blue-eyed Eskimos, of which, as we all know, there is abundance of blue-eyed young actors and actresses who are good thespians and can do convincing martial arts stunts flooding Hollywood.

The cast of the movie looked like the bridge of the Starship Enterprise docking with the UN building in New York: this was not good enough for the Race Police, however, since the specific races of specific cast members did not match the eugenic profile and pedigree that the rule of Limpieza de sangre or ‘Clearness of the Blood’ that the Race Cultists demanded.

Shaun Toub born in Manchester, of Persian racial stock, was criticized both for being Caucasian, on the grounds that it was racially insensitive to have a Caucasian portraying a Non-Caucasian, as well as for being non-Caucasian, on the grounds that it was racially insensitive to  cast a Non-Caucasian guy in the role of one of the most depraved villains in the story, the evil Uncle Iroh. This proved three things: (1) the critics had no idea who Uncle Iroh was, nor anything about the story or the background (2) the critics flunked Elementary School geography (Persians are Caucasian. There is where the Caucasus mountains are!) and (3) the critics were yammering dunderheads.

The movie was mediocre, even bad, and my emotional scarring became all the more traumatic, because to take my family to watch it in 3D cost me more than a years wages. There was a remarkably stupid scene in the movie where the Earthbenders, instead of being locked up on a steel rick in the middle of the ocean, where there is no earth to bend, are imprisoned, well, in a field of rocks. This is like locking up a Marine sniper, with rifle and pistol intact, in a fully stocked arsenal along with a five-man gunnery crew, mortars, howitzers, and bombards. I still have flashbacks due to post-cinematic stress disorder.

Instead of seeking therapy, I  decided to become a lifelong enemy of the Race Police.

Read more

Human life worth 20 000 Yuen

I reprint a line item from Jay Nordlinger’s column, along with the link:

You may have been wondering: “Where are Chinese men
going to get wives, what with female infanticide leaving such an
imbalance between men and women?” One answer, as this article tells us,
is Burma: Burmese girls are sold into slavery, or “marriage,” or whatever you wish to call how they end up.

Bear in mind that the U.S. vice president recently extolled the
one-child policy on his visit to China. The White House’s backtracking
cannot really efface that.

Here is the lede paragraphs from the linked article:

Aba was just 12-years-old when she left her hometown of Muse in Burma
to visit Yunnan Province in China’s far southwest. When she crossed
the border, she was expecting to spend only a few hours away from
home.

But it would be three long years before Aba saw her family again. Like thousands of other young girls and women from Burma, she
had been duped into coming to China so she could be sold into a
forced marriage to one of the growing number of Chinese men who –
because there are not enough girl babies born in China – cannot find
wives any other way.

During her time in China, Aba endured routine beatings, while never
being able to communicate with her family or even go outside on her
own. Above all, she lived with the knowledge that she was destined to
be married to the son of the family that had bought her – as if she
was one of the pigs or chickens that ran around their farm.

“I was sold for 20,000 Yuan (£1,880),” said Aba.

Read more

Woman Woman Brave and Bold

I felt I had to share this. I once wrote an essay for one of Glen
Yeffeth’s ‘Smart Pop’ series of books which asked the same question
there that Batman in this clip asks at the end.

Read more

Aishwarya Rai in Devdas

You may be wondering, dear reader, of the source of my admiration for Aishwarya Rai, formerly Miss World, now Mrs Bachchan.

It is one of those things that is better seen than described. Below
the cut is the film clip of the first scene I ever saw of a Bollywood
movie.

Now, to put yourself in the state of mind I was in, go watch all the
Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movies ever made, romantic, fair to the eye,
graceful, musical, lyrical. Then wait ten years, meanwhile watching the
ugliest and loudest MTV style quick-cut videos ever made, preferably
starring Madonna flaunting her unimpressive bosom, so that you are
convinced that grace and beauty have disappeared from the Earth forever.

Then come across the following by accident.

Read more

A Question I Never Tire of Answering

A reader I hope is young and not being serious asks:

Let me get this straight: you, a presumably rational
individual who writes science fiction stories for a living, sincerely
believes that the creator of our 13.7 billion year-old universe of 70
sextillion stars magically impregnated a human female about 2000 years
ago – a woman who then gave birth to a son named Jesus who performed
miracles, rose from the dead and served as the creator’s messenger to
humanity?

This might make for a mildly interesting, if outlandish, science
fiction story, but the source of your belief system? If you’re going to
base your life philosophy on absurd myths, why not choose something a
bit more interesting? Why not master the Dark Side of the Force or the
Golden Path, becoming a Sith Lord or a God-Emperor and strive to rule a
Galaxy? Why choose something as ridiculous and wretched as Christianity?
I must admit I am rather perplexed…

My answer:

I am more than a presumably rational individual, I am a champion of
atheism who gave arguments in favor of atheism so convincing that three
of my friends gave up their religious belief due to my persuasive
reasoning powers, and my father stopped going to church.

Upon concluding through a torturous and decades-long and remorseless
process of logic that all my fellow atheists were horribly comically
wrong about every basic point of philosophy, ethics and logic, and my
hated enemies the Christians were right, I wondered how this could be.
The data did not match the model.

Being a philosopher and not a poseur, I put the matter to an empirical test.

For the first time in my life, I prayed, and said. “Dear God. There
is no logical way you could possibly exist, and even if you appeared
before me in the flesh, I would call it an hallucination. So I can think
of no possible way, no matter what the evidence and no matter how clear
it was, that you could prove your existence to me. But the Christians
claim you are benevolent, and that my failure to believe in you
inevitably will damn me. If, as they claim, you care whether or not I am
damned, and if, as they claim, you are all wise and all powerful, you
can prove to me that you exist even though I am confidence such a thing
is logically impossible. Thanking you in advance for your cooperation in
this matter, John C. Wright.” — and then my mind was at rest. I had
done all I needed to do honestly to maintain my stature as someone, not
who claimed to be logical, objective and openminded, but who was
logical, objective, and openminded.

Three days later, with no warning, I had a heart attack, and was lying on the floor, screaming and dying.

Read more

Faith in the Fictional War between Science Fiction and Faith

Is science fiction innately and naturally inclined to be hostile to religion?

After all, in FOUNDATION, the church of the Galactic Spirit turns out
to be a hoax, likewise the messiahship of Muad-Dib in DUNE, likewise
the Church of Foster in STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, likewise the evil
church of evil on GATHER, DARKNESS or RISE OF ENDYMION, likewise the
church of the rebels in SIXTH COLUMN. On the other hand, Christians as a
whole are pretty hostile to false prophets and heretics, and Americans,
like all good Protestant nations, are pretty hostile to organized
Churches. Roman Catholics, on the other hand, would like our church to
get organized, and we will get around to that real soon. So are these
portrayals of false religions innate to science fiction, or are they
merely the dramatic inventions of stories who are not necessarily
condemning religion as much as condemning falseness?

I would say this question breaks into three questions: (1) is there
anything innately hostile in SFF to religion portrayed as a human
institution? (2) is there anything innately hostile in SFF to religion
portrayed as supernatural (3) is there anything innately hostile in SFF
to supernaturalism in general?

All of these are difficult and subtle questions, and I am in the
middle of writing a Christian Science Fiction book right now, where Mary
Baker Eddy teams up with Nikolai Tesla to repel an invasion of the
lepers of Mars with the help of a mind-reading lion, called ASLAN IS A
SLAN, so I can deal with these difficult and subtle questions in only
the most shallow and trivial way.

Let us start with a definition: science fiction is the mythology of a scientific age.

Read more

From the pen of Simcha Fisher

A bit of wisdom from a Christian woman (Who are sexier than
atheist women, because they submit to their husbands, and don’t indulge
in artificial sterility or prenatal infanticide. Sorry, God-haters. You
know it is true.)

Ten Things I Wish I Had Known as a New Wife

by Simcha Fisher Friday, August 26, 2011 

1.  You’re just an amateur, and that’s why your marriage isn’t perfect.
The first meal I cooked was disgusting, indigestible—but I learned over
time, and now I have the hang of it (with the occasional mealtime
disaster). It’s the same with marriage, which is a much more complicated
recipe to follow. Be patient with yourself and your husband, and be
patient with the relationship. You’re in it for the long haul. Things
that are worth doing take time to learn.

2.  Do not mention divorce. Do not even allow words
beginning with the letter “d” to cross your brain. If you’re hurt and
angry with your husband, but it was a valid marriage and he isn’t doing
any of the things listed in those abuse hotline posters in the YMCA
bathroom, then remember that you married a human being, not a god. You
can either work it out or learn to live with it, but no, you cannot
leave.

3.  Pray together every night, even if it’s just a
three-pack (an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be—the go-to evening
prayer for tired or lazy Catholics). If your husband doesn’t want to
pray, then snuggle up to him in bed and pray silently. The Holy Spirit
sometimes appears unable to distinguish between two married people, and
may react as if you’re praying together.

4.  Don’t be anxious to prove that you have a happy home by producing instant traditions.
Traditions take time to develop. It’s hard to have a complete-feeling
holiday with just two people, especially with no kids around. Also,
newlyweds are often poor. (Yes, the best things in life are free.
Christmas trees, however, are expensive; and so are the other trappings
of the holidays.)

Read the other 6 things here: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/simcha-fisher/ten-things-i-wish-i-had-known-as-a-new-wife/#ixzz1WSBnsQFI Read more

Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgment Seat

A reader with the diminutive name of Michael the Lesser asks:

Dear Mr. Wright,

I recently read your conversion story as you posted last year and some of the comments that followed. I was intrigued that you expressed the conviction that Christianity was more mature and philosophically advanced than the Eastern religions.

I have a friend, who is a Catholic convert, but struggles with letting go to of her attachment to Hinduism and specifically Hare
Krishna.

So, in what ways do you see that Christianity is more mature and philosophically advanced than Eastern religions?

An excellent question, and I tremble to think I now must make good on my rash words, for I fear my powers are inadequate.

As with all philosophical conversations, we must begin with definitions, lest we be misled into thinking some claim not present is
being made.

Read more

Paedophiliaphobia

A cloud the size of man’s hand was seen in the distance:

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/evil-attendees-at-prominent-pro-pedophilia-conference-horrified-by-sessions

The conference examined the ways in which “minor-attracted persons” could be involved in a revision of the American Psychological Association (APA) classification of pedophilia.Conference panelists included Fred Berlin of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Renee Sorentino of Harvard Medical School, John Sadler of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and John Breslow of the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Speakers addressed the around 50 individuals in attendance on themes ranging from the notion that pedophiles are “unfairly stigmatized and demonized” by society to the idea that “children are not inherently unable to consent” to sex with an adult. Also discussed were arguments that an adult’s desire to have sex with children is “normative” and that the APA’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) ignores the fact that pedophiles “have feelings of love and romance for children” in the same way adult heterosexuals and homosexuals have romantic feelings for one another.

Could this cloud grow and produce a storm?

I submit that all that is needed is to characterize opposition to paedophilia as a violation of a civil right, or a sign of mental illness. All that is needed is to coin a catchy word: I suggest paedophiliapobia.

Do you think such tactics will not work, given the current philosophy of the current culture?

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/08/19/florida-teacher-suspended-for-anti-gay-marriage-post-on-personal-facebook/

Patton said the school system received a complaint on Tuesday about something Buell had written last July when New York legalized same sex unions. On Wednesday, he was temporarily suspended from the classroom and reassigned.

Patton said Buell has taught in the school system for 22 years and has a spotless record. Last year, he was selected as the high school’s “Teacher of the Year.”

But now his job is on the line because of what some have called anti-gay and homophobic comments.

Buell told Fox News Radio that he was stunned by the accusations. “It was my own personal comment on my own personal time on my own personal computer in my own personal house, exercising what I believed as a social studies teacher to be my First Amendment rights,” he said.

Read more

Citizen Solomon Kane

This comment by Leo Grin (by way of NRO) about the new CONAN movie has quashed my desire to see it. Movies should be made about barbarians, say I, not by barbarians.

Leo Grin says:

Saw Conan the Barbarian last night. Revoltingly stupid,
incomprehensibly plotted and edited, and overflowing with the kind of
quasi-erotic torture porn (seemingly pulled wholesale out of a serial
killer’s wet dreams) that’s become a staple of both fantasy literature
and Hollywood films this century. Easily one of the worst films I’ve
seen during decades of painfully slumming through mediocre genre fare — I
daresay even Uwe Boll (the ham-fisted director commonly seen as the
modern era’s answer to Ed Wood) has never made anything this
irredeemably rotten. As you know, the best of Robert E. Howard’s pulp
tales of the 1930s — which in recent years have been reprinted
everywhere from academic presses to Penguin’s prestigious Modern
Classics imprint, and which the various silly comic books and movies
resemble not a whit — cry out for the cinematic talents of a Akira
Kurosawa or a Sergio Leone, men possessed of the same operatic poetry,
grandeur, heroism, and thematic depth found in Howard’s original
stories. Perhaps someday. Until then? Well, the audience I saw the movie
with seemed to have cheerfully low expectations, yet even they didn’t
so much leave the theater as recoil from it. You’ve been warned.

I also link to the Black Gate
comment on this comment because it has the following “crowning moment
of win” and I am stabbed with scorpion stings of envy because my pen did
not father these immortal words:

someone desperately needs to make a movie entitled
Citizen Solomon Kane about an elderly Puritan who owns a media empire
and dies with the mysterious word Rosebud on his lips after a long life
spent reporting on politicians and industrial magnates by day and
slaughtering the bad ones with a sword by night

* * * *

Those of you unfamiliar with the character of Solomon Kane, Puritan
Adventurer, let this bit of poetry serve as an introduction. Those of
you not familiar with CITIZEN KANE, hie thee and with all haste to
Netflicks, and netflick.

Solomon Kane’s Homecoming

The white gulls wheeled above the cliffs, the air was slashed with foam,

The long tides moaned along the strand when Solomon Kane came home.

He walked in silence strange and dazed through the little Devon town,

His gaze, like a ghost’s come back to life, roamed up the streets and down.

The people followed wonderingly to mark his spectral stare,

And in the tavern silently they thronged about him there.

He heard as a man hears in a dream the worn old rafters creak,

And Solomon lifted his drinking-jack and spoke as a ghost might speak:

“There sat Sir Richard Grenville once; in smoke and flame he passed.

“And we were one to fifty-three, but we gave them blast for blast.

“From crimson dawn to crimson dawn, we held the Dons at bay.

“The dead lay littered on our decks, our masts were shot away.

“We beat them back with broken blades, till crimsom ran the tide;

“Death thundered in the cannon smoke when Richard Grenville died.

“We should have blown her hull apart and sunk beneath the Main.”

The people saw upon his wrist the scars of the racks of Spain.

“Where is Bess?” said Solomon Kane. “Woe that I caused her tears.”

“In the quiet churchyard by the sea she has slept these seven years.”

The sea-wind moaned at the window-pane, and Solomon bowed his head.

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, and the fairest fade,” he said.

His eyes were mytical deep pools that drowned unearthly things,

And Solomon lifted up his head and spoke of his wanderings.

“Mine eyes have looked on sorcery in dark and naked lands,

“Horror born of the jungle gloom and death on the pathless sands.

“And I have known a deathless queen in a city old as Death[1],

“Where towering pyramids of skulls her glory witnesseth.

“Her kiss was like an adder’s fang, with the sweetness Lilith had,

“And her red-eyed vassals howled for blood in that City of the Mad.

“And I have slain a vampire shape that drank a black king white[2],

“And I have roamed through grisly hills where dead men walked at night[3].

“And I have seen heads fall like fruit in a slaver’s barracoon[4],

“And I have seen winged demons fly all naked in the moon[5].

“My feet are weary of wandering and age comes on apace;

“I fain would dwell in Devon now, forever in my place.”

The howling of the ocean pack came whistling down the gale,

And Solomon Kane threw up his head like a hound that sniffs the trail.

A-down the wind like a running pack the hounds of the ocean bayed,

And Solomon Kane rose up again and girt his Spanish blade.

In his strange cold eyes a vagrant gleam grew wayward and blind and bright,

And Solomon put the people by and went into the night.

A wild moon rode the wild white clouds, the waves in white crests flowed,

When Solomon Kane went forth again and no man knew his road.

They glimpsed him etched against the moon, where clouds on hilltop thinned;

They heard an eery echoed call that whistled down the wind.

Footnotes: The adventures to which Solomon Kane refers are from the following Robert E Howard tales:

[1] The Moon of Skulls

[2] Red Shadows

[3] The Hills of the Dead

[4] The Footfalls Within

[5] Wings in the Night