Wall-E and conservatives
Monday June 30, 2008
Have you seen "WALL-E", the Disney/Pixar film, yet? Me, no, but I'm taking the boys this weekend. The WSJ's Joe Morgenstern calls it a "masterpiece," and the critical consensus seems to be pretty strong in its favor. Over at TAC's...
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Rod Dreher is an editorial columnist for the Dallas Morning News, and author of "Crunchy Cons" (Crown Forum), a nonfiction book about conservatives, most of them religious, whose faith and political convictions sometimes put them at odds with mainstream conservatives. The views expressed in this blog are his own.
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"Why on earth is it considered "liberal" to point out that gluttony is sinful, and that evil lurks in the hearts of men?"
because for years the liberals have been telling us that consumerism is bad, but that it doesn't apply to them. just like they tell us to conserve while they drive around in the fancy cars and fly in the G5s
their "do as I say, not as I do" attitude has caused conservatives to be very skeptical
yes gluttony is sinful, but I don't want to pay someone to tell me that. I go to the movies for entertainment and escapism. If I want a lecture on gluttony I need only turn on the TV, open the newspaper or pick a MSM magazine.
Let me enjoy the movie. Besides the children get enough indoctrination in the schools.
The first half hour or so was great. Then when they got on the spaceship, it became formulaic and lost its appeal for me. I preferred The Incredibles. Also, it makes fun of fat people.
I saw it this past weekend (the first indoor movie for my five-year-old!) and I think it is a masterpiece, the best Pixar has done yet.
Also, Rod, I think there is a strong crunchy theme in it, but I won't say more since you haven't seen it yet. Let us all know what you think when you have!
I found it rather heart-rendingly sad and beautiful and really not too formulaic. I'm not a fan of Disney, but this really is a must-see.
Just because gluttony is called sinful is no reason not to be a glutton.
It was a great movie. It was sad but mostly because it is so true. At times the audience was totally silent. I know it made me want to get off this "treadmill" life.
I'm going to say that I also don't think it makes fun of fat people (and I'm overweight). One of the creators of the film stated that his goal was to present humans as big babies with their every need being catered to and I think he did it very well.
It sparked some great dialogue in our home about consumerism, greed, relationships, etc.
Did anyone besides me find the movie to be anti-abortion?
Cosimano: I'd say that the existence of the word "gluttony" alone is a great reason not to be a glutton.
Two points for snark though.
Katherine,
Indeed you aren't the only one to find the movie anti-abortion. A friend of mine wrote a nice blog post about it at: http://vocatum.blogspot.com/
I doubt it was intentional, but it is definitely one way to read the story.
I saw the movie but didn't catch that, Katherine. Are you referring to the little plant?
Gluttony is sinful. I am a conservative. Ergo, conservatives think gluttony is sinful.
I'd like to think that settles it, but apparently other people claim they are conservative as well, so my point may not extend as broadly as i'd like to think.
Pity.
(Oh, and my barely 10 year old found the movie riveting. FWIW. I agree that there's a neatly embedded pro-life point to the movie, but maybe we're not supposed to highlight that, which is fine by me, so forget i mentioned it unless you're Katherine or Kitten.)
The point, regardless, is that life is precious. Deal with it.
(Yes, even cockroaches. Which would imply you could extend that preciousness even to . . . right.)
From reading the National Review I would have thought WALL-E was Ferngully: The Last Rainforest when really the anti-consumerist elements are more like a less cynical take on Idiocracy. How can you not like a film that makes a cockroach endearing?
I felt the same way about Rush Limbaugh and other conservatives' defense of SUVs when the left attacked them. In this case, there are actually good arguments from environmentalists and others that have nothing to do with consumerism or capitalism. It is a giant dance of ignorance. Moronic liberals make arguments like "brushing your teeth supports world socialism" and moronic conservatives respond by telling people they don't have to brush their teeth if they don't want to, it's a free country. Conservatives need to relax and understand that the majority of Americans recognize the idiocy that comes from the environmental left. The blog "Stuff White People Like" mocks them mercilessly. Then you can enjoy a movie like WALL-E and laugh at fat people.
WALL-E does not make fun of fat people. And I have a very sensitive bash-o-meter.
The whole presentation is subtle and I don't want to put in spoilers. If that keeps someone away from the movie, so be it - that's perhaps a weakness in the film, that the points made get confused with fat-bashing. As I interpreted it, though, it was thoughtful, *not* hateful (Get Smart, I'm looking at you.)
Monty Python's "Jabberwocky", now THERE'S a movie that bashes fat people.
Not to mention Mr. Creosote in "The Meaning of Life"--"Would you like a mint, sir? They're wahfer thin..."
No, as a fat guy myself, I didn't think the movie bashed fat people. It certainly bashed the sedentary lifestyle, though, the kind that might lead someone to sit in an air-conditioned theatre for two hours eating popcorn and Raisinets...
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