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Lucas Derangement Syndrome
Nov. 7th, 2009 01:57 pmIn a private e-mail convo with a reader at SWPAS, said reader talked about how any mention at all of Papa George and/or SW on a movie blog seems to draw out the rage of bashers and those who think they're supposed to just start posting hater comments because that's what makes them cool. He called it Lucas Derangement Syndrome.
That's about the most apt name I can think of for this fandom/internet phenomenon and I don't know why it didn't occur to me before. Because if you really think about it, it *is* pretty deranged. It's not limited to movie blogs; it seems to be common on comics/fandom/sci-fi/geek blogs, websites, etc. as well as the general media. Now I'm not talking about genuine criticism. I'm talking about foaming-at-the-mouth, vulgarity-filled rants that seem Pavlovian in nature. I'm talking about gross exaggeration of Lucas's/the saga's faults and ignoring their strengths. Those afflicted with Lucas Derangement Syndrome return to the same memes over and over. One starts to get the feeling that they aren't even sure if they ever gave any of those memes any thought. It's been said a bunch of times, so it must be true, hit "enter."
We SW fans who spend time online or are familiar with the hive mentality in geekdom know Lucas Derangement Syndrome when we see it. So there's no need here to define what it is. I can however address the question of "why."
Anyone who has lived long enough has found something or someone to be ultimately disappointing. Feeling that person or thing has let you down can run deep, depending on what it is. And sometimes, you can't really get over it. You find a way to go on with life, but deep down it still gnaws at a tiny bitty part of you. Okay, that's normal. But I think that some of these people have to realize Lucas didn't do it to them on purpose. He wasn't out to ruin anyone's childhood or deceive anyone or anything. He made the movies he wanted to make and had to let the chips fall where they may. You can't please everyone.
Yet a big part of Lucas Derangement Syndrome isn't disappointment, it's what SW has become in 32 years' time. Popular culture has been adolescent in nature for over 40 years. It builds up the underdog, the iconoclast until it's successful. Then it becomes the establishment and it must be rebelled against for rebellion's sake. It becomes The Man and the counterculture must take it down for the count. SW is little more than a zillion dollar entertainment/merchandising conglomerate empire in their opinion. This is why they go on about the alleged good old days when Lucas was some sort of starving artist, even though he certainly wasn't poor when he set about to make ANH ("American Graffiti" made him a millionaire). It is true that Lucas fought against the Hollywood system for a good chunk of his career--I think the saga is a metaphor for trying to succeed as an independent filmmaker--but instead of appreciating that he's maintained his independence, they say he's somehow sold out. Why? Because he chose not to do what everybody else in Hollywood has done and that is to pursue "edge" and "pushing the envelope" over all else.
That's about the most apt name I can think of for this fandom/internet phenomenon and I don't know why it didn't occur to me before. Because if you really think about it, it *is* pretty deranged. It's not limited to movie blogs; it seems to be common on comics/fandom/sci-fi/geek blogs, websites, etc. as well as the general media. Now I'm not talking about genuine criticism. I'm talking about foaming-at-the-mouth, vulgarity-filled rants that seem Pavlovian in nature. I'm talking about gross exaggeration of Lucas's/the saga's faults and ignoring their strengths. Those afflicted with Lucas Derangement Syndrome return to the same memes over and over. One starts to get the feeling that they aren't even sure if they ever gave any of those memes any thought. It's been said a bunch of times, so it must be true, hit "enter."
We SW fans who spend time online or are familiar with the hive mentality in geekdom know Lucas Derangement Syndrome when we see it. So there's no need here to define what it is. I can however address the question of "why."
Anyone who has lived long enough has found something or someone to be ultimately disappointing. Feeling that person or thing has let you down can run deep, depending on what it is. And sometimes, you can't really get over it. You find a way to go on with life, but deep down it still gnaws at a tiny bitty part of you. Okay, that's normal. But I think that some of these people have to realize Lucas didn't do it to them on purpose. He wasn't out to ruin anyone's childhood or deceive anyone or anything. He made the movies he wanted to make and had to let the chips fall where they may. You can't please everyone.
Yet a big part of Lucas Derangement Syndrome isn't disappointment, it's what SW has become in 32 years' time. Popular culture has been adolescent in nature for over 40 years. It builds up the underdog, the iconoclast until it's successful. Then it becomes the establishment and it must be rebelled against for rebellion's sake. It becomes The Man and the counterculture must take it down for the count. SW is little more than a zillion dollar entertainment/merchandising conglomerate empire in their opinion. This is why they go on about the alleged good old days when Lucas was some sort of starving artist, even though he certainly wasn't poor when he set about to make ANH ("American Graffiti" made him a millionaire). It is true that Lucas fought against the Hollywood system for a good chunk of his career--I think the saga is a metaphor for trying to succeed as an independent filmmaker--but instead of appreciating that he's maintained his independence, they say he's somehow sold out. Why? Because he chose not to do what everybody else in Hollywood has done and that is to pursue "edge" and "pushing the envelope" over all else.
