September 26, 2011

"'Firefly' and Anti-Fascism Posters Get Professor Threatened with Criminal Charges on University of Wisconsin Campus."

Instapundit highlights this story from UW—Stout, stressing the threat of criminal charges against a professor who put a quote from the TV show "Firefly" on his office door.

If we're going to talk about this, let's face up to what the quote was: "You don't know me, son, so let me explain this to you once: If I ever kill you, you'll be awake. You'll be facing me. And you'll be armed."

I can't fathom why a teacher would put that on an office door. I mean, I can see that this was a theater professor and it's a vividly theatrical line from a character some people are familiar with. I wonder what the whole story is, specifically, how the school attempted to handle the matter internally and cordially.

212 comments:

1 – 200 of 212   Newer›   Newest»
JorgXMcKie said...

Isn't that a stretch? Thinking that the matter would be handled "cordially"?

I once got dinged for merely placing a small replica of the Klingon battle flag on my door. Sheesh.

Fred4Pres said...

It is a strange quote to put on your door, but I mean, come on--lighten up people.

rhhardin said...

It's not about doing what makes sense. It's about doing what forwards the narrative.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like UWS Chief of Police Lisa A. Walter needs to have her budget cut. NOT as punishment for her colossally bad judgment but because she has illustrated, in the clearest possible way, that she and her department have far too much time (and resources) on their hands.

Fred4Pres said...

And then to go after the professor because he had the termerity to call this facsism? I suppose you could say you disagree with his comments has a tad over the top, but to react to that in the manner the UoW did is sort of self confirming facsism.

Andrew said...

Paranoia strikes deep.

Scott M said...

Firefly - Not the best sci-fi in the world. But quite possibly among the most fun.

Robert Cook said...

Gotta say though---it's a pretty stupid quote.

TWM said...

Man you Wisconsinites are weird.

Anonymous said...

I can't fathom why a teacher would put that on an office door.

He aims to misbehave.

Known Unknown said...

Sometimes I wonder which country am I living in.

raf said...

Gotta say though---it's a pretty stupid quote.

In context, the speaker is assuring another that there is no need to fear that he might ambush him.

Even without having seen the show, I would have thought that was clear from the phrasing.

Known Unknown said...

Gotta say though---it's a pretty stupid quote.

Not the best dialogue in the universe, for certain, but he is a theater professor.

slarrow said...

Shiny.

jrberg3 said...

Seems to me the quote is more about self-defense and justifiable homicide. Nothing really off-putting to it.

Although I can see how a chief of police with a threat assessment team can find harm in it. I mean, she has to justify her existence somehow right?

Anonymous said...

Reminds me of all the people who got put on probation for putting "You talking to me?" on their office doors.

KCFleming said...

I am shocked shocked to see leftist universities devolve into a coercive police state.

X said...

hysterical

Hoosier Daddy said...

"... Firefly - Not the best sci-fi in the world..."

You are beginning to damage my calm.

Anonymous said...

Horseshit, Ann.

Kensington said...

They should just charge him with being a nerd.

KCFleming said...

The red union Wisconsin fist is all about peace and love and hugs, though, right?

Hoosier Daddy said...

"... In context, the speaker is assuring another that there is no need to fear that he might ambush him.

Even without having seen the show, I would have thought that was clear from the phrasing..."

Yeah, that pretty well sums it up.

Firefly and Serenity both dwell much on an overbearing central government that wants nothing more than control over everything. It's no wonder leftists hated it.

Lauderdale Vet said...

Mal: "And I'm thinking you weren't burdened with an overabundance of schooling. So why don't we just ignore each other 'til we go away?"

Loved Firefly.

Scott M said...

You are beginning to damage my calm.

I did qualify my remark.

Known Unknown said...

Reminds me of all the people who got put on probation for putting "You talking to me?" on their office doors.

I prefer: "Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets."

Levi Starks said...

Any time a citizen behaves in a way that makes it seem like they might be willing to take drastic action on their own behalf, in a way that is independent of the "system" The "system" is going to feel threatened.
The system cannot be threatened, because it is the system.

Anonymous said...

I can't fathom why a teacher would put that on an office door. [...] I wonder what the whole story is, specifically, how the school attempted to handle the matter internally and cordially.

Well, you're a respected, tenured professor in the UW system -- why don't you send e-mail to the involved parties and ask them ... in a cordial manner, of course. I can even suggest the text of the message:

What the fuck?! I mean, what the fucking fuck?!

Anonymous said...

My days of not taking Cook seriously are certainly coming to a middle.

John Bragg said...

There is no censorship at UW Stout.
Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia.

"TWEET! Hostile environment for Asians! Strike three!"

Paddy O said...

大象爆炸式的拉肚子

MadisonMan said...

This makes the police at UW Stout look ridiculous.

BJM said...

Given that, as Althouse says, this is a highly theatrical quote from a space oater with a cult like following, by a professor in the theater dept., I think we need more context; and as Fred says to lighten up.

It could have been much worse, Miller could have quoted Jayne.

btw- How'd you miss the Firefly phenom Althouse? Wheldon and Straczynski created two of the best written, smartest, character-driven story arcs in a scifi TV series in the last twenty years, if not ever.

Ann Althouse said...

"Isn't that a stretch? Thinking that the matter would be handled "cordially"?"

By "how the school attempted to handle the matter internally and cordially" I mean the extent to which the school attempted to handle the matter internally and cordially.

I think if it were up to me — if I were his dean — I would want him to take the poster down, but I would talk to him about it. I think if I wasn't able to reach a friendly solution with him, I wouldn't deserve my position of power.

Bringing in the police is a terrible idea.

Bryan Townsend said...

I believe the other character said, just before this quote:

"How do I know you won't kill me in my sleep?"

And Firefly is the best science fiction evah!

Holmes said...

I guess this theater professor decided, "No more runnin'; I aim to misbehave."

Ann Althouse said...

"Well, you're a respected, tenured professor in the UW system..."

I operate via blog, in public.

Expat(ish) said...

My stats professor had a poster of Clint Eastwood saying "Do you feel lucky?"

I wonder, now, how many people got it?

-C

David said...

His next post on the door should say:

FIRE!

Then see how the humorless handle ambiguity.

Ann Althouse said...

"How'd you miss the Firefly phenom Althouse? Wheldon and Straczynski created two of the best written, smartest, character-driven story arcs in a scifi TV series in the last twenty years, if not ever."

I rarely follow any TV dramas. Aside from HBO, I think I haven't watched anything since "Hill Street Blues." I don't enjoy watching actors pretending to have a lot of problems.

edutcher said...

The prof did a riff on a group of Oxford profs in the 60s when some of the campus Maoists started making noises about blowing up classrooms.

The profs placed a small announcement on the relevant bulletin boards reminding said Maoists that said profs had seen action in the Second Global Unpleasantness with such storied organizations as the Long Range Desert Group, Special Air Service, Special Operations Executive, and various Army and Royal Marine Commandos, among others, and were proficient in demolition, unarmed combat, and a variety of firearms.

Needless to say, said Maoists took the hint.

Ann Althouse said...

And I haven't followed a TV sci-fi drama since... maybe... "Twilight Zone."

(Which I think was just about the greatest TV show ever.)

MadisonMan said...

Althouse, I am unsure whether the Dean knew about this before it happened. Scheduling the meeting does make him look shockingly bad though. I figure that happened after the Police Chief brought it up.

He should have recognized the quote for what it was, told the Police Chief to search the dorms for under-age drunks, and closed the chapter on this.

Lincolntf said...

My wife was teaching at the College of the Holy Cross on 9/11. In the days after, many of her colleagues and students started displaying various-sized American flags/logos on their doors, bulletin boards, etc. I'm sure you all remember what that was like. Needless to say, some Professor was horrified by this display of patriotism and started a jihad against the "militaristic and alienating" displays. Many people were shamed into removing their flags, but a few resisted and even wrote letters to the Editor of the local paper. HC eventually came up with some bullshit "compromise" that stuck flags, etc. in the same category as Math Club Pizza Party flyers, with all the same restrictions and limits.
When I saw it in the paper, the first thing I did was ask my wife why the hell she hadn't mentioned it to me. She pointed to my flushed face and the "...vein sticking out of your forehead..."as two good reasons. Anyway, I'm still pissed thinking about it.

Fred4Pres said...

Paddy O, nice.

Fred4Pres said...

I rarely follow any TV dramas. Aside from HBO...

Not even Glee?

slarrow said...

The film Serenity begins with a voiceover as a teacher is giving a history lesson:

Earth that was could no longer sustain our numbers, we were so many. We found a new solar system, dozens of planets and hundreds of moons. Each one terraformed, a process taking decades, to support human life, to be new Earths. The Central Planets formed the Alliance. Ruled by an interplanetary parliament, the Alliance was a beacon of civilization. The savage outer planets were not so enlightened and refused Alliance control. The war was devastating, but the Alliance's victory over the Independents ensured a safer universe. And now everyone can enjoy the comfort and enlightenment of true civilization.

The question arises why people would fight this, why they wouldn't wish to be "more civilized". The teacher frames this as, "With so many social and medical advances we can bring to the independents, why would they fight against us?"

The answer: "We meddle. People don't like to be meddled with. We tell them what to do, what to think, don't run, don't walk. We're in their homes and in their heads and we haven't the right. We're meddlesome."

It's enlightening when art imitates life. When life imitates art, it's sometimes kind of depressing.

PeachTreeStreet said...

So would a poster that said "Keep abortion legal" be out of bounds since it directly supports violence?

Scott M said...

Serenity

Features one of the absolute best bad guys in a long, long time. Unlike the hispanic outcry about Boba Fett, I don't recall the black aggrieved venting about Ejiofor's Operative.

Patrick said...

Sounds like it's trying to be a "tough guy" type quote, along the lines of Clint Eastwood. On it's own, you'd have to struggle mightily to find any credible threat in there. Is there anything in the Prof's history that would suggest a propensity to violence? More likely the school just screwed up, particularly in light of their reaction to the next, even more clearly protected poster. Idiots.

BarryD said...

Shun-SHENG duh gao-WAHN.

KCFleming said...

UW Stout needs to ban watching Firefly as well.

It spreads violent thoughts, and is unacceptable "because it refers to killing."

I for one welcome the University of Wisconain thought overlords.

DADvocate said...

Sounds like quite an over-reaction on the university's part. As theater, the line just sounds cool, like what Samuel Jackson would quote in Pulp Fiction.

I guess some little student's feelings got hurt. I'm thinking I should put that quote on the door to my house.

Patrick said...

"I don't enjoy watching actors pretending to have a lot of problems."

I get that, but don't you watch a lot of movies too? Not very different, really.

sean said...

"If we're going to talk about this, let's face up to what the quote was . . . ."

Why on earth would that matter? Is the First Amendment only for statements that the government (in the person of the local police chief) considers pedagogically sound?

Dust Bunny Queen said...

How'd you miss the Firefly phenom

I'm a big sci-fi fan. I tried to watch it but they kept moving the time and I was never able to catch it in sequence. I gave up trying to chase it all over the place.

Same thing happens with some current shows that I would like to watch. We set the dvr to record and they either move the program after a few episodes so we have to reprogram....OR even more insidious....they set the show to lapse over a few minutes into the next hour and you miss the conclusion or last 3 minutes of the show. PRICKS!!

BarryD said...

Next up, theater professor puts up a poster of Hamlet saying, "To be, or not to be?", is suspended and placed on 24 hour suicide watch.

Tank said...

Ann Althouse said...
And I haven't followed a TV sci-fi drama since... maybe... "Twilight Zone."

(Which I think was just about the greatest TV show ever.)





Oh, Si Senorita.

And what a list of actors !

Bon.

Scott M said...

Same thing happens with some current shows that I would like to watch.

Speaking of which, Terra Nova starts tonight. Here's hoping they come up with something actually entertaining and not ham-fisted, over-stuffed with pc bullshit.

I'm hoping against hope, but here's hoping for hope's sake.

TosaGuy said...

In my proposed reform of the UW system, UW-Stout would be closed. There is already another 4-year UW campus 45 minutes to the east and west. SE Wisconsin doesn't have that 4-year UW school to population ratio.

BarryD said...

"大象爆炸式的拉肚子"

ROTFLMAO!

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

The Operative was great..
Mal: “I don’t kill children”
The Operative; “I DO”

Poor Mal running up against someone like him.

Anonymous said...

Althouse wrote:

I operate via blog, in public.

Yes, and we respect you for that. But the administrators at UW-Stout probably don't read your blog.

I wonder what the whole story is ...

Why don't you try to find out? It seems like an easier thing to do than going to the State Capitol building with a video camera.

Tell you what ... Why don't you explicitly ask in the blog post? Perhaps someone can bring it to the attention of the administrators or the professor.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Mmmmm. Summer Glau was in Firefly which makes any SciFi much more watchable. Too bad Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was cancelled after such a short run. She was the bestest robot ever.

So what was this post about?

WV: libiz
As in, "Solyndra was a libiz set up to launder cash for Democrats."

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)
Speaking of which, Terra Nova starts tonight. Here's hoping they come up with something actually entertaining and not ham-fisted, over-stuffed with pc bullshit
Scant hope of that…they start off talking about a world killed by “our greed”…you KNOW they’re going to be all about how we destroyed ourselves (and deserved it).

bagoh20 said...

Serious questions:

Is there any public space less tolerant of free speech than the modern university?

Is there any public space that should be more tolerant than a modern university.

I'm sorry, but the places are abject failures.

Scott M said...

Too bad Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was cancelled after such a short run.

Too bad it ever started its run to begin with. Awful stuff. Can we please have MORE badass, tougher than nails women warrior characters? Seriously, we've got a veritable dearth going here.

If you're of like mind, whatever you do, don't watch the trailer for the new "Three Musketeers" without a barf bowl handy.

Scott M said...

yawn

Tell me, jolly, since you're such an expert. What "e-grade" would a captain in the Air Force be? Can you do that without looking it up? Might be tough, benchpresser.

Anonymous said...

"I can't fathom why a teacher would put that on an office door."

dunno. Maybe too many grade complaints?

G Joubert said...

Hoosier Daddy @1:57:

"... In context, the speaker is assuring another that there is no need to fear that he might ambush him.

Even without having seen the show, I would have thought that was clear from the phrasing..."

Yeah, that pretty well sums it up.


Yeah, well, that's all true, but for someone who has never watched the show and hasn't a clue about the context, it does seem to contain a threat as well. And that might be the problem with it to someone. The threat of physical violence, gun violence, some people get edgy.

X said...

"I can't fathom why a teacher would put that on an office door."

In case Karleton Armstrong came by?

Lincolntf said...

Coming soon...a Very Special Episode of Glee...

Automatic_Wing said...

What kind of stuff does roesch-voltaire put up on his door? Glossy NPR pledge drive poster signed by Daniel Schorr and Nina Totenberg? Memorable quotations and deep thoughts from Bob Herbert? Inquiring minds want to know.

Anonymous said...

Ann: You should give it a watch. Thinks of Firefly+Serenity as a long mini-series (14 episodes + 2 hour movie).

Anonymous said...

Also loved Firefly.

I wish I could watch it again for the first time.

J said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
J said...

yo Squatty the stupid. That's the payroll classification yokel, not the ranking as Ive said numerous times. Then youve never had a Fed job and you're just too dim to understand the point. Stick to yr fave wicca sci-fi shows, trash

Salamandyr said...

That's not even in the top 10 lines from Firefly/Serenity I'd have on my door. However, even shorn of context (instead of being, you know, printed on a poster showing the character who says it, which should give you a hint it's a quote), the line does nothing to evoke threat. It's a reassuring line, one that says "I'm a straight shooter; if we do have a disagreement, you'll see me coming, and I will give you a fair shot". This is apparently not something the University administration believes in.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

“E-grade” isn’t that the group the baby advertises for? So the Small Pathetic Voice is a polymath, an intellectual giant, a power lifter AND an expert on government/MOS designators, now…


WV: ovinessi, Loch Ness Monster Eggs?

frank said...

How about posting the NYT obit of JFK? Or for real fun, MLK? But as UW-Stout is an institution of higher learning you could post the old standby that is guaranteed to arouse intellectuals, "the Bill of Rights' heh.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Jeez- it's from a well known movie right? And kids today are quoting movie lines almost non-stop. So why the hubbub?

Though, I think he should chosen the Dirty Harry line "you feeling lucky today creep?"

Scott M said...

That's the payroll classification yokel, not the ranking as Ive said numerous times.

As I've said numerous times, you have no idea what you're talking about and refuse to admit it. A serious character flaw.

Rob Crawford said...

The threat of physical violence, gun violence, some people get edgy.

Most people, however, can distinguish between the words of a fictional character and an actual threat.

Methadras said...

Paddy O said...

大象爆炸式的拉肚子


LOL. This. HAHAHA!!

Methadras said...

Rob Crawford said...

Most people, however, can distinguish between the words of a fictional character and an actual threat.


Oh, not in fantasy leftard land they can't.

Rob Crawford said...

Oh, not in fantasy leftard land they can't.

Apparently.

I thought they claimed to be so much smarter than the rest of us, and so much more in tune with literature and nuance and open to controversial ideas...

J said...

Small Pathetic Kissinger aka Joejoe--fuck you satanist and yr high holy bogus holidaze as well. You dont even know what this is scumfock

prairie wind said...

I think if it were up to me — if I were his dean — I would want him to take the poster down, but I would talk to him about it.

Why would you want him to take it down? And if you were to ask him to take it down anyway, what is the point in talking to him about it?

Anonymous said...

Many of you seemed to have not read and understood the last sentence: "And you'll be armed."

Let's see, the UVa shooter, and others more recent. Hello! McFly!

Clearly, this Theater Professor is closer to Tolkien than anything you can imagine. Says Faramir "I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend."

Prof Miller is telling you that he will stand his ground and defend civilization, and you mutter darkly.

What you fear, is the coming vassalage of yourselves to the warlords and barbarians, and that you will not have the moral courage to defend this civilization. And he rubbed your nose in it.

(As for the police chief, she's acting like a typical bureaucrat. We pay her to perform a mission; Prof Miller is stating quite boldly that he has lost confidence in the Chief. The Chief is defending the organization against threats to its existence.)

Lincolntf said...

Hey J, I watched your episode of "Intervention" last night. Sure didn't look like a power lifter to me.

J said...

no Squat the stupid ass - afew minutes of googling and yd find out--it's the fedpay rate. IMnotgoing to explain it to you again white trash bag of wicca filth

Scott M said...

no Squat the stupid ass - afew minutes of googling and yd find out--it's the fedpay rate.

Do tell, Jolly. Everyone that works for the federal government or just the military?

Trooper York said...

Ann Althouse said.....
I rarely follow any TV dramas. Aside from HBO, I think I haven't watched anything since "Hill Street Blues." I don't enjoy watching actors pretending to have a lot of problems.

This type of condescending nonsense is one of the reasons why normal every day Americans should ignore anything any pointy headed professor has to say.

Typical of the so called academy and intelluctuals everywhere, it is the reason why we should ignore anything they say.

If they are too good to watch "Two and a Half Men" or "House" then we should just ignore them.

J said...

Make shit up, Lincoln-- how the teabagger perps operate

Get it on-this blog known as a demonic wicca site. Don't like to get religious--but that's all demon-perps understand.

Trooper York said...

Real Americans watch TV every day. A least four hours.

And eat snack cakes while doing it too!

If you don't then you are a commie pinko terrorist.

Trooper York said...

God bless "The Big Bang Theory" and "Hawaii Five O" and "Ice Road Truckers" and "Pawn Stars" and "Poker After Dark."

Oh and Little Debbie.

Joe said...

(The Uncredentialed, Crypto Jew)

I missed “Intervention” J, how was there? Why did they intervene…certainly they hadn’t read your blog, because no one does….

KCFleming said...

In Universities, the First Amendment is studied as a relic of a past civilization, like mummies and horse carriages.

I mean, can you believe the US used to allow any old slob to put a poster from a TV show on their wall, with a quote that could be interpreted as possibly condoning violence?

I mean, WTF?

J said...

Belch away, swine

Trooper York said...

Tonight there is going to be a start of what looks to be a cool new sci-fi
series called "Terra Nova."

It is set in a world where AL Gore and the eco-terrorists have destroyed the earth and they have to send colonist back in time to live in the time of the dinosaurs.

It stars the Irish guy from "Live on Mars" and a bunch of hot Indian chicks.

It is like Jurassic Park only with hot dot heads.

Trooper York said...

Later they meet these two natives named Fred and Barney who own a gravel pit. They intergrate them into the new society and the eventually become insurance salesmen.

It's an allegory.

Trooper York said...

The they are menaced by this lizard like being which bleches out a foul stench and unending noise.

They call it a Carol Herman.

Scott M said...

They could disarm the entire race sector of political correctness in the first episode by having the colony leader tell them that, "This is it. Forget all the bullshit about skin color because we're all hear together and our grandchildren's grandchildren are all going to be a light coffee color anyway. Drop it now."

And never look back.

But they won't.

hawkeyedjb said...

"Is there any public space less tolerant of free speech than the modern university?"

Maybe the modern airport, but they're pretty close.

"Is there any public space that should be more tolerant than a modern university?"

Depends on the purpose of the modern university. There are plenty of folks who would disagree with the idea that the university exists to air different ideas. At my alma mater, for instance, the history department rejects the idea that conservatives can teach history.

Tibore said...

So, if I hang a poster of Carrie Fisher from Empire Strikes Back with the quote "I'd just as soon kiss a Wookie", does that mean I'm into beastiality?

Or does it simply mean I'm a geeky fan?

Those are the types of questions administrators and police should be asking themselves. The whole point of being aware of threatening language is to be aware of the need to interpret whether the language is genuinely threatening or not. Unless there's other behavior with this professor that's not making the news, then movie or TV show quotes are normally not in the "genuinely threatening" category, certainly not in the absence of other behavior.

Human beings have discretion. Merely reacting to words is turning a human into an algorithm. And doing so is giving up the entire advantage of having human judgement in play in these situations. The lesson here is that the people involved need to apply their judgement to this and honestly evaluate whether it's a genuine threat, instead of taking the easy way out and just point out actionable words. Not doing so is the epitome of reducing ones self into a drone.

Sloanasaurus said...

Not sure if anyone has answered Althouse's question yet so I will try....

The quote is really just an expression of "chivalry" or "anti-violence" from the main character of the show who follows a recognized code of civalry and justice. The character is implying from the phrase that he will not kill an unarmed man that he has beaten or captured so easily....

There are probably hundreds of similar quotes from more refined literary sources that the professor could have used such as Shakespeare or Homer, but the professor chose this one.

Maybe if the professor put up:

"Thou shall not kill;"

the campus would order it removed since it uses the word kill (and is also religious expression)

frank said...

@ poor J,
can't you tell Scott is toying with you? As one who has held GS, WG, O and E grades and military rank,some at the same time, please accept the fact you are commenting on something, 'above your pay grade', he he he.

Bill said...

Raf: In context, the speaker is assuring another that there is no need to fear that he might ambush him.

Even without having seen the show, I would have thought that was clear from the phrasing.


Right; here's a larger quote:

Simon: I'm trying to put this as delicately as I can. How do I know you won't kill me in my sleep?
Mal: You don't know me, son, so let me explain this to you once. If I ever kill you, you'll be awake. You'll be facing me. And you'll be armed.
Simon: Are you always this sentimental?
Mal: Had a good day.

DADvocate said...

I wonder if having a live sex demonstration in class would have been OK.

Mary Beth said...

"You know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I go get and beat you with 'til ya understand who's in ruttin' command here."

The solution shouldn't have been to take down the quotation but to add more.

Scott M said...

I wonder if having a live sex demonstration in class would have been OK.

It worked for John Cleese and crew.

Calypso Facto said...

sloanasaurus said:"The quote is really just an expression of "chivalry" or "anti-violence" from the main character of the show who follows a recognized code of civalry and justice."

Maybe the Secret Service made him take it down then; we can't have everyone publicly shaming the President about Predator drone policy, can we?

traditionalguy said...

Here we go again.

The Weimar Republic's culture was going headlong into unusual themes right before the Third Reich showed up and stopped those artistic expressions with fascism.

Bertold Brecht's Three Penny Opera was a wild and crazy musical play then featuring Mack The Knife.

This Professor is upsetting authority in Wisconsin with far less craziness and threat quotes than Mack the Knife's character was famous for.

So the vortex of clouds in the heavens over Wisconsin could be a spiritual war front.

Thorley Winston said...

Too bad it ever started its run to begin with. Awful stuff. Can we please have MORE badass, tougher than nails women warrior characters? Seriously, we've got a veritable dearth going here.

I would have agreed with you two weeks ago but last Friday “Nikita” returned for its second season and I also watched the premier of the US version of “Prime Suspect.” Definitely more physical than the UK original and not afraid to take a punch to get the job done. Also, I don’t know if anyone else watched “Torchwood” but Gwen Cooper has definitely gone the badass route (brought down a helicopter with an RPG in the series 4 premier).

Steven said...

If it had only been the Firefly poster, I might possibly be able to potentially see the side of the authorities.

However, when they went after the replacement anti-fascism poster, they made it absolutely clear that they're just assholes whose employment in a position of responsibility by any school should constitute grounds for immediate revocation of accreditation.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Trooper wrote:

"poke her after dark".

I think you meant to post that comment on the Roger Ebert thread.

Thorley Winston said...

The question arises why people would fight this, why they wouldn't wish to be "more civilized". The teacher frames this as, "With so many social and medical advances we can bring to the independents, why would they fight against us?"

I always thought it would be interesting if Joss (maybe this would have happened in later seasons) had shown the perspective of someone who believed in Alliance on fought for them during the war. Perhaps we might have found out that the “Independents” were practicing slavery or exploiting underage girls or some other reprehensible practice that the Alliance felt that they were morally justified in overruling local rule. Sort of like that famous British governor of India who threatened to hang anyone who burned windows as part of their “tradition.”

Another possibility is that the Independent worlds were basically the equivalent of failed states rife with widespread piracy or other criminal acts (we see signs of that now) and the Alliance realized that peaceful coexistence was impossible in the absence of law and order which the Independents showed no signs of establishing on their own.

Or a third possibility (in keeping with the western theme) is that majority of people living on the Independent worlds wanted to join the Alliance and get the benefits of civilization (sort of like people living in a territory wanting Statehood) but the criminal element who had free reign because they had the most guns opposed it (sort like “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” or “Deadwood”). In which case the “Browncoats” may not have been the popular resistance movement that Mal would have liked to believe.

Trooper York said...

I always watch Poke Her After Dard when Jennifer Tilly is on.

Carol_Herman said...

Choose your posters, wisely.

Now, what hung in your room, when you were a kid?

I had a photo of Marlon Brando. Because I was in love with him.

Luckily, I didn't have to deal with him in real life.

But the professor with the Firefly photo ... whouldn't he have been better off just hanging a photo of "Stout."

I always thought "Stout" was the dark brown ugly beer. But I also thought it was called "Bucks."

But not "bucks," as in money.

Carol_Herman said...

Where's "Stout?"

Is it in Madison?

Is it just one bulding "off" ... on the Madison campus?

Carol_Herman said...

Could you put up a poster that reads:

HE'S DEAD, JIM.

Triangle Man said...

I wonder if having a live sex demonstration in class would have been OK.

That is OK at Northwestern if it's "after class".

Scott M said...

I would have agreed with you two weeks ago but

...but you didn't sense the irony in my statement. I'm frankly sick of the xena bullshit.

Trooper York said...

"Carol_Herman said...
Choose your posters, wisely"

I wish we could but you keep posting here anyway.

Trust me it would not be my choice.

Bruce Hayden said...

Sort of like that famous British governor of India who threatened to hang anyone who burned windows as part of their “tradition.”

I think that it was "widows", not "windows", that he didn't like being burned. I can understand either one, in context. But, I do think that that 19th century British chivalry would have been more sympathetic of windows being burned than widows after their husbands had died.

For me, being a guy, I am thinking that burning widows might be a great way to solve our social security and medicare demographics problem. After all, women live longer than men, and tend to marry older men, so just think of this as balancing the budget by eliminating the Social Security widow's benefit.

But, I doubt if that is what he meant.

Bruce Hayden said...

BTW - thanks for the link to Jayne's lines. Maybe the last one listed there is appropriate to this year's political debate:

Jayne: If wishes were horses we'd all be eating steak.

Paul said...

He was just saying he would not MURDER you! That is what the quote is about.

He was no backshooter or bushwacker.

And I love the show, Firefly!

He was a John Wayne in space.

Charlie Martin said...

SO then this guy;s freedom of expression and academic freedom are limited by what someone else considered cordial?

Richard said...

Liberals are pussies, plain and simple; and academic liberals are super-pussies.

Fred4Pres said...

Trooper: Little Debbies? How about a few Tastykakes to celebrate the Philadephia victory over...

Oh never mind.

Philadephia. Eat me.

I probably violated a few rules at UW Stick Up Its Ass with that post.

KCFleming said...

I hope the theater professor doesn't stage Frankenstein or Julius Caesar or Of Mice And Men.

UW Stout would prolly hafta hang him or sumpin. Too scary n violent n stuff.

Bruce Hayden said...

Definitely a cult classic. Missed the show on TV. Got the movie on DVD, and then went back and got the series. Kid turned me on to it, and we watched it together. Multiple times.

The kid is in college, but expect to bring them over to the dark side of conservatism after graduation, if this is any indication.

Steve Koch said...

CHUCK LORRE (producer of 2 and a half men and Big Bang) PRODUCTIONS, Vanity Card #326

"In the near future, we will see brain scan technology that can determine, without fail, if someone is telling the truth. Shortly thereafter, we will be able to buy mobile devices that perform the same task on the fly. In other words, we are on the verge of having all of our conversations constantly and instantly monitored for veracity. This would then spawn a counter-technology comprised of personal mind shields that keep oneself from being scanned (the use of which would, of course, imply that one is keeping secrets). The end result? Universal honesty, initially as a result of the duress of surveillance, will become the norm. Then, over time, this mode of thinking, communicating and behaving will become second nature. This will usher in the dawn of a new civilization. After thousands of years of human suffering, world peace and the long-fabled 'good will towards all men' will have finally arrived. The end of lying and cheating will also mark the end of scripted entertainment. So, you know, there'll be a downside."

Bruce Hayden said...

As in, "Solyndra was a libiz set up to launder cash for Democrats."

Well, not to nit pick here, but you need to keep in mind that the approval was apparently expedited primarily because President Obama had already scheduled a publicity event to publicly disclose the funding to build the second plant, and it was thought that even the Secretary of Energy couldn't tell him "no" at that point.

VP Biden, in one of his rare moments of lucidity, apparently warned that the WH needed to be kept abreast there for just this reason - so that the Administration didn't get itself in this sort of trouble.

The ground breaking of Fab 2 was also apparently also expedited for another Presidential photo op - a fab that apparently was never really needed.

So, just to be accurate here, while the money did benefit a big Obama bundler, and that may have been part of why the company was funded, it appears that the big reason that the half billion dollars was authorized to be flushed down the toilet, despite the DoE knowing the proposal was a loser, was because announcing it was a photo op for the President.

Classic case of not being able to make this sort of stuff up.

Carol_Herman said...

Yup. I said "choose your posters wisely."

That's because I remember the posters kids hung up in their bedrooms.

Dunno why adults hang them up.

They're really harmless.

And, should be ignored.

Even the ones from JAWS.

Tari said...

At least the poor man has some recourse to howl "violation of 1st amendment rights", since he works for a state university. If I put something like that up on my office door (in the legal department of a public company), either it would be down within the hour or security would be escorting me to my car and I would have no job. If they forced my neighbor to remove the cross from her desk, why would I expect different treatment? Expressions of free speech aren't any more welcome in Corporate America than they are among the useful idiots in academia. If you need the paycheck, you keep your opinions to yourself. I need the paycheck, ergo I have no political or religious opinions at work.

Christy said...

@Paddy O, thank you. I obviously should have gotten translations of all those oaths long ago.

The scary aspect of Firefly/Serenity, not when they first aired, but now, after the last few years, is that Whedon gives us a world where the final prevailing Earth culture is Chinese.

Trooper York said...

AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dust Bunny Queen said...

It is set in a world where AL Gore and the eco-terrorists have destroyed the earth and they have to send colonist back in time to live in the time of the dinosaurs.

The hard part for me to buy into this premise is that they would pick the time of the dinosaurs. The Cretaceous Maybe they don't have a choice. But if they do....it was a bad one.

However....one of my fav sci-fi fantasy series has people going into the Pliocene era which was climatically a paradise. Similar to today but slightly warmer. No nasty dinosaurs to deal with.

Probably going to record this one, and hope like Scott that they don't eff it up with political correctness. I have some hope for the first several episodes but it will probably all be downhill from there.

@ Trooper York. Snack Cakes!!! Really. No adult beverages?

Bruce Hayden said...

As in, "Solyndra was a libiz set up to launder cash for Democrats."

Of course, if you want to divert into scandals, U.S. Government Used Taxpayer Funds to Buy, Sell Weapons During 'Fast and Furious,' Documents Show.

Soapbox Jill said...

Hey, Mal meant he would be fair to his enemies, and face them directly. So, this prof. means to encourage dissent, even if he knocks down yr idea in the end. It's metaphor, not some literal violent intent thing, folks.

Trooper York said...

Hey Little Debbie always tastes better with a little rum and coke.

Wait a minute....that sounded way too weird....that didn't come out right.

When I am muching on Little Debbies I enjoy a nice gin and tonic..

Wait that ain't right either.....
I give up!

Anonymous said...

Thorley wants to know if perhaps the Alliance were actually the good guys.

On the outer worlds, there were lots of small settlements, by people with non-standard ideas of how to live their lives, surrounded by lots of empty spaces. Val kept the trade routes open. Even ascetics and Quakers need spare parts and trade goods.

So I reckon that most settlements didn't get much in the way of either visitors, or crime. But being isolated, they had to defend themselves.

I bet there were circuit riders of judges, attorneys, and marshalls. But these guys had to market themselves, based on their reputations for fair and equitable administration of the common law.
Distances too vast, settlements too sparse, surplus value not large enough, and no social contract consensus, to support a permanent Alliance constabulary and justice system and Warren parasites.

The Alliance just got tired of having to bend its own laws, and have its authority either ignored or neutralized, every time it had to deal with these outlanders.

J said...

Slang:the grunt of the human hog (Bierce)

grunt away ,Hoghouse

reeennreeentreeentreeent

Anonymous said...

Oops, Mal, not Val.

And, Shepherd Book was the Alliance insider, a still high status guy who chucked it all for a spiritual journey and the liberty of the outer worlds. He left the alliance on good terms, but was able to coexist and be simpatico with the outworlders.

Big Mike said...

I wonder what the whole story is, specifically, how the school attempted to handle the matter internally and cordially. [my emphasis]

This is from the article in question:

"On September 16, UWS Chief of Police Lisa A. Walter emailed Miller, notifying him that she had removed the poster and that 'it is unacceptable to have postings such as this that refer to killing.' " [my emphasis]

That doesn't sound very cordial to me, Professor. Nor does Chief of Police Walter's response to Miller's Email sound very cordial:

"Walter responded that 'the poster can be interpreted as a threat by others and/or could cause those that view it to believe that you are willing/able to carry out actions similar to what is listed.'"

And note that Prof. Miller was threatened with criminal charges if he attempted to repost the article.

No, there was nothing "cordial" about the university at all.

Is there a point where the schools that make up the University of Wisconsin system come to grips with the first amendment? It has been on the books for a while, you know. Maybe the Madison campus would be a good place to start.

Anonymous said...

Tari, you got that right. Maybe a Theater Professor can do it, but corporate wage-earners, no way.

In business everything must be focused on getting the teams to work together, keep the conversations about the business, and get the product out the door. Postings on walls and doors are for business communication purposes, idiosyncratic personal statements that can be easily misunderstood are not helpful to the shared purpose of our work.

That's why we have to guard even more academia as a haven of free and diverse speech. We want kernels of truth in all the sizes and shapes, to resist the sifting and winnowing so beloved by faux orthodoxy.

Thorley Winston said...

Tonight there is going to be a start of what looks to be a cool new sci-fi
series called "Terra Nova."

It is set in a world where AL Gore and the eco-terrorists have destroyed the earth and they have to send colonist back in time to live in the time of the dinosaurs.


So basically it sounds like “Earth 2” meets “Primeval” but with a bigger budget.

I’ll still watch.

JAL said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
cubanbob said...

The professor should have quoted the great inspector Harry Callahan who said "opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one". 'Make my day".

David said...

I thought Firefly was a National Geographic special.

JAL said...

AA but I would talk to him about it.

I'm still reading comments, so perhaps you answered this.

What would you say?

Why?

It's a freakin' movie professor!

It's a QUOTE.

It's a free speech issue.

che t-shirts? Nooo problemo!

JAL said...

Hehe Paddy O.

Thorley Winston said...

"On September 16, UWS Chief of Police Lisa A. Walter emailed Miller, notifying him that she had removed the poster and that 'it is unacceptable to have postings such as this that refer to killing.' " [my emphasis]

That doesn't sound very cordial to me, Professor. Nor does Chief of Police Walter's response to Miller's Email sound very cordial:


I disagree, in the actual emails the Chief of Police comes across as the more calm, more professional and more cordial of the two.

Erik Robert Nelson said...

"I always thought it would be interesting if Joss (maybe this would have happened in later seasons) had shown the perspective of someone who believed in Alliance on fought for them during the war."

That would have been nice. Joss has said in interviews that he himself (being the liberal that he is) was always more of an Alliance man. I think the libertarian influence in the show came mostly from Tim Minear. Mal was always like the tragic cowboy in the '10s, slowly losing the frontier to civilization. Inevitably, his kind was going to come to an end. I imagine in later seasons we'd see that. I have a feeling Mal would not have come to a very happy end.

Thorley Winston said...

I can't fathom why a teacher would put that on an office door. I mean, I can see that this was a theater professor and it's a vividly theatrical line from a character some people are familiar with.

I’m with you that it’s a strange quote to put up on a door to at work. It doesn’t seem to serve any purpose other than as a way to garner attention for the professor which makes me suspect that this was a publicity stunt.

JAL said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
JAL said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Thorley,

The Police chief said that others might perceive it as a threat. But that's only if those so-called others can't critically read. In which case, why are they even in college? Don't you have to be, like, intelligent and educated to get into college?

And second. Notice the case change, from "I removed" to "we ... believed". The Chief was less than honest in her first e-mail. The first e-mail implied a personal, spur-of-the-moment drive-by decision, and the second e-mail admitted a collective decision-making process, of which Professor Miller was unaware and did not have a chance to contribute.

Professors are not used to having functionaries stifle their speech, and react primitively. Especially since, being a tenured professor, it is free speech that is his only product.

Thorley Winston said...

That would have been nice. Joss has said in interviews that he himself (being the liberal that he is) was always more of an Alliance man. I think the libertarian influence in the show came mostly from Tim Minear. Mal was always like the tragic cowboy in the '10s, slowly losing the frontier to civilization. Inevitably, his kind was going to come to an end. I imagine in later seasons we'd see that. I have a feeling Mal would not have come to a very happy end.

I always thought that Mal was a bit closer to Jesse James (both fought on the losing side of a civil war and turned to a life of crime afterwards). When you think about it Mal isn’t particularly “libertarian” in the sense that I think libertarians like to promote their ideology (e.g. against the initiation of force and fraud), he’s basically a robber and a thief who steals from others to support his lifestyle so he doesn’t have to settle down for a more “honest” living. Yes, sometimes he takes on passengers or transports cargo but it seems that more often than not, he’s robbing ships, trains or hospitals.

That doesn’t mean I won’t root for him the same way I’ll root for Captain Jack Sparrow or SAMCRO ;).

ricpic said...

It's touching that Chuck Lorre thinks enforced universal honesty would usher in heaven on earth when in fact it's only artifice that keeps us from rending each other limb from limb.

JAL said...

{For some reason I can't get the link to work. Something to do with java?} Third time's a charm?

Anyway as above -- put Clint Eastwood in "Sudden Impact" up.

Cultural icon, and all that.

wiki:
In one scene of the movie, Harry Callahan ... goes into a diner for a morning cup of coffee. When Callahan discovers a robbery in the diner, he kills the robbers in a shootout. However, a surviving robber grabs the fleeing waitress Loretta ... holds his gun to her head, and threatens to shoot. Instead of backing off, Harry points his .44 Magnum revolver into the man's face at point-blank range and dares him to shoot, saying with clenched teeth and in his characteristic rough grumble, "Go ahead, make my day," meaning that if the robber attempts to harm Loretta in any way, Harry would be happy to dispatch the robber. At the end of the film, Harry, again, says "Come on, make my day" just before shooting Mick the Rapist, who aims his stolen shotgun at Jennifer Spencer.

Ann Althouse said...

"This type of condescending nonsense is one of the reasons why normal every day Americans should ignore anything any pointy headed professor has to say."

How is it condescending to be in touch with my own personal enjoyment? I just don't enjoy scripted drama with actors at this point in my life.

caplight said...

"I can't fathom why a teacher would put that on an office door."

Because he can. It's called, Liberty.

Ann Althouse said...

"Real Americans watch TV every day. A least four hours."

I didn't say I shunned TV. I just don't watch dramas.

I like a few reality shows -- "Survivor," "Project Runway" -- and I like the occasional comedy -- "Curb Your Enthusiasm. And I watch some sports with Meade. I watch a little news and "The Daily Show" and "Colbert" occasionally. I like some documentaries.

I'm not against TV. I think TV is great, better than movies. I"m just not into the hour-long dramas. I'm too impatient and too busy. I watch TV in a nonserious, scattered way.

Ann Althouse said...

"Because he can. It's called, Liberty."

Who does everything he *can* do? Everyone chooses. The question is: Why choose that? I can't fathom why he would think that is a good choice.

Anonymous said...

Re: Terra Nova ... I hope they've bought the rights to this from the estate of the late Poul Anderson. If not, I hope his heirs can borrow some flesh-eating lawyers from Harlan Ellison.

Anderson's science fiction story "Wildcat" has as its premise a colony in the distant past, 100 million years ago. Time travel works only into the past, not the future, and only in very large fixed jumps. The colonists supposedly are drilling for oil deposits that existed back then but no longer do in the present. But the colony is suspiciously large for an oil drilling enterprise ...

It turns out that "what everyone knows" about time travel is partially a lie. Time travel into the future is possible ... and in much smaller jumps. An expedition 100 years into the future has found an Earth sterilzed by nuclear war ... and analysis of the radioactive decay products reveals that the war was/will be approximately two years from the "departure date" of the colonists. The colony is actually a last-ditch effort to save some remnant of the human race.

AB said...

"Sure as I know anything, I know this - they will try again. Maybe on another world, maybe on this very ground swept clean. A year from now, ten? They'll swing back to the belief that they can make people... better. And I do not hold to that. So no more runnin'. I aim to misbehave."

- One of the most conservative AND libertarian lines in the history of movies.

Beer Ninja said...

It's not even a very good Firefly quote...

Anonymous said...

caplight wrote:

Because he can. It's called, Liberty.

Althouse wrote:

Who does everything he *can* do? Everyone chooses. The question is: Why choose that? I can't fathom why he would think that is a good choice.

Ah, the Socratic Method in action!

No, the question is: Who has the right to choose for other people against their wishes?

Perhaps you can't fathom why he would think that is a good choice, but fortunately that decision isn't left to you. I'm sure there are people who can't fathom why you would choose to worship in the wrong religion -- or worse, to not worship in any religion at all. Aren't you glad that administrators at UW-Madison are forbidden to force their choices upon you?

Sigivald said...

Fred: I disagree.

It's not "fascism".

It's just authoritarian, at worst. (And plain stupid at best.)

The words, while related (fascism is always authoritarian) are not synonyms (most authoritarians aren't fascists).

Sigivald said...

BJM said: Wheldon and Straczynski created two of the best written, smartest, character-driven story arcs in a scifi TV series in the last twenty years, if not ever.

Well, that's a pretty low bar, though.

I didn't even watch it until it was off the air, and I've been a life-long SF fan.

(For that matter, while it was entertaining and not stupid, I think the lionization has gone a bit far.)

gadfly said...

Menomonie on the Red Cedar is a lumber baron town gone pretentiously collegiate. The culture shock doesn't wear well.

Madtown would not relate well to tiny Lake Menomin, or the change in county name from Dane to Dunn and the substituting of Swiss Miss pudding cups for Oscar Meyer weiners just would not do.

But hey, it is all about Wisconsinites who will find controversy where there is none.

Anonymous said...

I can't fathom

Is this a discussion of the purpose or a professor? Or an admission that people believe and do stuff that we just plain disagree with?

It is my guess, that to fathom this Professor, you must study the pacifist Faramir. Not the character Notinthebookamir of film, but as written by Tolkien.

With that, I have shot my wad on this topic.

Synova said...

The Firefly browncoats organization here in Albuquerque hosts regular screenings of Serenity to raise money for charity. This is a nationwide thing.

They dress up for sci-fi conventions too, but that seems to be a side-line to the charity efforts.

Jose_K said...

Die, frantic wretch, for this accursed deed!

Jose_K said...

Do you feel lucky ,punk?

Jose_K said...

Joss Wheldon is the creator of Bones. The main character said that he hates tea parties and USA was better as a british colony. what alibertarian

Synova said...

"Ann Althouse said.....
I rarely follow any TV dramas. Aside from HBO, I think I haven't watched anything since "Hill Street Blues." I don't enjoy watching actors pretending to have a lot of problems.
"

A drama is probably one step up from "disease of the week" so I don't blame you.

Firefly snuck the serious stuff in there in between the silly.

In my opinion television should be about entertainment. Otherwise why not just watch the news? What good are fake problems and fake crisis when the real thing is available?

Jose_K said...

best sci fi ever: UFO , The Invaders. Star Trek, the original.Lost in Space

Joe Schmoe said...

Trooper York said:

God bless "The Big Bang Theory" and "Hawaii Five O" and "Ice Road Truckers" and "Pawn Stars" and "Poker After Dark."

You give props to Ice Road Truckers but not Deadliest Catch? Who's the pinko commie now? Crabbing in the Bering Sea in February is soooo much more ballsy than sitting in a heated cab listening to old CW McCall songs. A trucker's biggest dilemma, after trying to decide where to stop for lunch, is trying to figure out when to downshift.

Synova said...

Oh, and if Joss were planning on portraying the Alliance as the good-guys at some point he likely shouldn't have had them experimenting on little girls against the will or knowledge of her parents or employing assassins in blue gloves that make Darth Vader's wanton killing of bystanders look restrained.

The Alliance has medicine and culture and all sorts of good things, but Simon can't even convince his parents to check up on their only daughter because it will hurt their social standing if they make a fuss.

The economy doesn't work, of course. Even if fuel is next to free they never carry enough cargo or load enough food even for themselves.

I sort of expect the economy of Terra Nova to fail, too. They'll have some fields and green houses and make a big deal about how they're growing their own food, but it will be a token and no one will spend much time doing it.

Maybe I should give it a chance but every time one of these shows comes out (Falling Skies?) where everyone is supposedly put in a survival situation no one bothers to do the math. (In Falling Skies they've got 200 refugees and send *a* pickup truck to get supplies from a Costco-type place. Were they only intending to feed, oh, 20?)

They should adapt Steve Stirling's "Dies the Fire" and on... but they'd have to show it on HBO. He does the math and so do his characters, "Do we take this busload of elementary kids with us and risk starving us all to death or do we leave them?"

Jaske said...

The best science fiction? Ergoy Proxy. Never expect the best from titans with cash.

Firefly qualifies. A random blurb on a door should inspire questions.

Paddy O said...

"I watch TV in a nonserious, scattered way."

Oddly enough, that's how Fox scheduled Firefly during its brief run.

I'd echo the suggestion to watch it, not as a hour long weekly drama but as a multi-part miniseries with a movie at the end.

It's surprisingly thoughtful, which comes out even more if you listen to the dvd commentaries. Whedon's comments on "Objects in Space" transformed how I understand him.

It's very character driven, with the sci-fi and action stuff more of a context in which to explore distinct personality types, including a very rare in sci-fi religious character.

Read the Amazon reviews. I bet Meade would like it at least.

Paddy O said...

Joss Whedon didn't create Bones. It's based on an already established character and books.

David Boreanaz was in Angel, another Whedon show, but Bones wasn't Whedon. Plus, Boreanaz's character is very pro-America and pro-Catholic. But the show totally jumped the shark last year, so I agree in not recommending it.

Chef Mojo said...

I can't fathom why he would think that is a good choice.

Oh, jeebus, Althouse! You're willfully ignoring the many comments on this thread that explain it to you!

Mal Reynolds has a chivalric code of conduct that states that he will not kill and unarmed man, but if he does mean to kill him, it will be face to face in a fair fight. What about this is "unfathomable" to you?

It is the entire basis of Western civilization's concept of fair play and mercy! What don't you get? We deploy entire armies and navies under the assumption of this code, and we've got a pretty good record of sticking to it. It's why we have the UCMJ.

Again, what don't you get about this poster and its significance?

They are stirring words to live by, and they don't incite to killing, but rather to restraint and mercy.

Again, what don't you get about this?

Synova said...

"But the show totally jumped the shark last year, so I agree in not recommending it."

I remember that.

I don't remember what it *did*, I just remember thinking, "Oh, wonderful," in a very sarcastic tone of mind and never watching it again.

Paddy O said...

The poster issue itself seems to be about who chooses the meaning of art. Here, the quote was seen as being potentially offensive based on a non-contextual reading. In the context itself, the quote basically is arguing against murder.

If art is censored based on potential offense caused by noncontextual misunderstanding, then what art can survive? Only that which is sanctioned by the governing institution? And if that is the case, then what is the point of art at all?

roesch-voltaire said...

Tell me Trooper are you and Debbie in tough touch with your own personal enjoyment while watching TV? Funny guy you. What goes on in your office,or in your head, shouldn't be on the door, unless it is the office hours.

JAL said...

I'm 3/4 of the way through Terra Nova. Some interesting stories waiting to be told. (Obligatory overpopulation of future earth -- in contrast to news these days of aging population.)

A few stupid things so far.

Firefly was in some ways a sophisticated sci-fi cowboy movie crossed with Star Wars.

Liked it. Missed it on TV, caught the set in Amazon.

Anonymous said...

If art is censored based on potential offense caused by noncontextual misunderstanding, then what art can survive?

When bureaucrats are being niggardly with their common sense, they will find any number of opportunities to take offense ... and it will always be the other person's fault.

Paddy O said...

Synova, I'm totally in the same boat!

I just asked my wife what it was. She reminded me that for us the final straw was all the sexual tension being resolved by a barely implied, and easily missed, sexual liaison that happened entirely between scenes, which resulted in her becoming pregnant. And now they're all giddy about raising a child together this season.

But, if I recall most of last season was filled with all sorts of stumbles and frustrations, compounded by being compared to the significantly better writing on Castle.

Synova said...

I think that my last straw was the psychologist fellow becoming more prominent and better accepted and constantly saying stupid, political things.

He could do that when Bones was prepared to go all Aspie on him and (I just totally spaced the FBI guy's name) whatshisface ignored what he said. It was more balanced, I think. Several different and conflicting points of view were expressed.

It got unbalanced.

Trooper York said...

Roachy whenever I am sitting with Little Debbie and watching tv I am fingering her pie hole and licking my fingers......wait that sounds even worse.

Trooper York said...

My relationships with snack cakes are surprisingly sensual. Just sayn'

Trooper York said...

And Roachy as a college professor I would think you would support the freedom of expression.

If I were a professor I would put my favorite quote from Shakespeare on my office door:

"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers"
(Henry the Sixth,Part 2, Act 4)

Paddy O said...

Synova, I also was getting increasingly irritated with artsy gal and her science guy husband. So contrived all the way through, but it has become increasingly like it was a show written by 13 year olds, using early teen understandings of relationships, romance and whatnot.

I've seen better writing on CW shows. The actual main plots stayed good, but they kept wandering away and getting to entirely silly relationships.

DADvocate said...

reeennreeentreeentreeent

J's reminiscing about the good ole days in the Georgia backwoods. Best canoe trip ever.

Ralph L said...

which makes me suspect that this was a publicity stunt
The prof claims to be a pacifist in his email to the chief of police, so you could be right.

The FBI guy's name is Ceely? Booth. I really enjoyed Buffy, though it went off the deep end, too, near the end.

jeff said...

"I can't fathom why he would think that is a good choice."
Maybe to tweak people who couldn't fathom why he would think that was a good choice.

About 20 years ago, someone gave me a plastic baby they got out of a gumball machine. At the same time. building services was rewiring part of my dept and left wire scraps around. I made a noose from the wire scraps, and hung the baby outside my cube. Totally inappropriate, totally in bad taste. But I thought if I put a note above it saying "The Noose of Damocles" then maybe my coworkers and supervisors would let it stay up without complaint because it sounded intellectual and no one would want to ask me what it meant. This was in the early 90's, no google. And n one said a word to me about it for a month until one of our weekend guys (who was working on his masters in English) stopped by and asked me if that was supposed to mean something. Told him "Nope". He told the Supervisor she was a idiot and I was essentially making fun of the whole department (which was true) and the next day I got my note to take it down. So even though no one could fathom why I would do such a thing (except for the weekend guy), turns out I had my reasons. As did this guy.

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