dagblog - Comments for "Our Criminal Minds"

Chungking Express comes to

Elusive Trope — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 22:53:20 +0000

In reply to I guess that's fair. They're

Chungking Express comes to mind, although I am not sure exactly why -- something for me ponder

I guess that's fair. They're

arc400 — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 22:21:44 +0000

I guess that's fair.

They're all acting outside of societal law and convention, but the narratives around them are really different. A Sandusky acts out of the need to gratify a private desire (presumably), while Gosling's character acts out of care for the community or pseudo-family he's come to love.

The narratives seem different to me based on that distinction: do you ignore your understanding of social contract so you can get away with rape or demolish it so you can protect your community, which is under attack? Gosling's character is indeed far-fetched, because he seems to care so little for personal gain.

Paterno's story is surely less simple.

I haven't seen Drive, so

Elusive Trope — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:51:51 +0000

In reply to I don't know. I'm really

I haven't seen Drive, so cannot really comment on it. I can only read about it. But your comment brings up the question: Did Sandusky learn to rape children or did he unlearn how not to rape. The same question goes to Paterno: did he learn how to turn a blind eye or did he unlearn how not to turn a blind eye?

I don't know. I'm really

arc400 — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:43:51 +0000

In reply to Is this a narrative to

I don't know. I'm really trying to figure out what kind of superhero Gosling represents. Did he learn how to kill that way or did he unlearn how not to kill? (Disclaimer: it's a European story set in an American city.)

Is this a narrative to

Elusive Trope — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:38:04 +0000

In reply to I taught at an elite College

Is this a narrative to emphasize?

How much control do we really have as to which narrative is emphasized? By that I mean, in part, how much do we control what resonates with us? The movie Die Hard is a recent example, but probably two of the big ones that came out around the same time were Dirty Harry and Death Wish. These films reflect some basic notion about how we would like to believe we would react to someone like Sandusky. Yet is it really how we want out society to operate?

I taught at an elite College

arc400 — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:23:26 +0000

In reply to Our Criminal Minds

I taught at an elite College in the U.S. for 10 years. Date rape was the name of the game; frat boy-football players had their own lawyers. No surprise what happened in State College.

I heard an interview with a former football player who said, if he'd seen what was going on in that shower, he wasn't sure what he would have done, but kicking the shit out of Sandusky was the first thing that came to mind.

I've never seen Criminal Minds, but I saw Drive last night. The mystery of that movie seemed less about what divides everyday 'us' from serial killers, as to what teaches people how to kill, whether for retribution or survival? The fantasy of that film would definitely have culminated in Gosling quietly entering the shower and taking Sandusky out (maybe with an implied flashback to his own youth and what instilled this survival reflex in him to begin with).

Is this a narrative to emphasize?

sports - competitive

Elusive Trope — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:49:02 +0000

In reply to If there's going to be

sports - competitive endeavors - have part of human society from the beginning. Moreover, in our modern society, sports serve the need for formal rituals that seems to reach deep into our DNA. We cannot merely dismiss sports as something shallow. Look into how the Rugby championship help South Africa heal in the aftermath of Apartheid and you will know what I am talking about.

Thanks for stepping in and

Elusive Trope — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:42:50 +0000

In reply to Wow to you, too. [Comment

Thanks for stepping in and editing the comment.

If there's going to be

anonymous — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:15:14 +0000

In reply to Our Criminal Minds

If there's going to be collective reflection, I wish that it will be on how professional sports personalities are treated like the new royalty worldwide.

The adoration of professional sports breeds societal corruption as surely as the "bread and circuses" of ancient Rome. Yes, it is a deadly virus infecting U.S. universities. But from elite commandos sent to rescue kidnapped baseball players in Venezuela, while the other 5 persons kidnapped per day in Caracas get no such government services, to players spot fixing in cricket in Pakistan, the sickness is everywhere. What, you don't like your government? But hey, how about those soccer wins?

Wow to you, too. [Comment

anonymous — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:40:00 +0000

In reply to Wow. You ask, where all the

Wow to you, too.

[Comment edited. As I suspect you know, we're not keen on public discussions about blogger behavior. If you are concerned, you may bring your concerns to the moderators. Thanks, G.]