Well, I guess you could spin this into Mr. Miller suggesting that Serenity is part of a spiral that will lead humanity into a social unconsciousness, but what the hey.

The aliens are responding! We're too busy watching telly! ;-)

[ edited by The First Weevil on 2006-01-05 01:10 ]

The First Weevil | January 05, 03:09 CET

This is cool indeed, but my favorite thing of that sort from 4 years ago can be found here.

Chris inVirginia | January 05, 03:17 CET

Cool. LOL. How do you guys find this stuff? Good work.

Relight | January 05, 04:11 CET

Cool find Chris, even though cool is not usually a word I use to describe a treatise about biological warfare. "frightening" is more spot on, but the theory about unpredictability "Buffy-paradigm" actually is very good. I don't agree with his analysis of the "Buffy-syndrome" though. The scoobies are much to confused in their problem solving most of the time to be called "in denial".

OK, shutting up now.

@relight: I believe I mentioned I stole the find from cmmahon-1 on IMDB :)

@TheFirstWeevil: I believe there is a short story by Jack Vance that tells of a first contact between humans and aliens, that is a bit underwhelming because the aliens have to watch the latest soap opera from back home first. Somebody here to be able to provide the Title?

[ edited by Harpy on 2006-01-05 02:21 ]

Harpy | January 05, 04:15 CET

He makes an interesting point, but the phrase that comes to mind is "fiddling while Rome burns"--i.e. this is the kind of thing that can be seen to have happened to several civilizations on this earth alone, yet we're still here. It's the back-and-forth tug that results in movement between the Roman Empire, the Medieval period, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and even between the suburban 1950s and the free-love 1960s. But humans are still here. Also, there are people in each period who don't think with the mainstream by which the period subsequently comes to be known--suburban families still existed quiet comfortably in the '60s. What goes around comes around in the end, I think, but maybe the pull gets more violent as the ages roll and could eventually pull the system apart.

As for the CSIS treatise, I'll have to make time to read even a little of it, but it cracks me up that apparently a D.C. think tank is using Buffy to think out scenarios. :)

Anwyn | January 05, 04:30 CET

Wow, ChrisinV, that was a new one for me. I'm blown away by the idea of a CSIS analyst using BtVS as a paradigm, although (jokingly) disappointed that he didn't get into more specifics about the threats the gang faced ("Take for example the relative danger posed by The Master versus that engendered by Glorificus - who, after all, was not a demon but a God . . .") And no Buffy or Whedon footnotes? What kind of a serious paper fails to source such important observations? :)

And the linked page is fascinating stuff. It'll take me literally minutes to go through all those essays, and then years to work out what they all are talking about.

Wonder what Joss makes of this use of his creations?

SoddingNancyTribe | January 05, 05:08 CET

Why SNT, that sounds like a leading question to me. The last one that is. It seems to me we discussed the Buffy paradigm before. Maybe I'll see if I can find it.

Lioness | January 05, 05:39 CET

I would just like to thank Harpy for the phrase "cool is not usually a word I use to describe a treatise on biological warfare". While perhaps not directly Whedon-related, it is perhaps Buffy-worthy. It seems like the sort of thing Xander would say, no?

[ edited by The Devil's Robot on 2006-01-05 03:43 ]

The Devil's Robot | January 05, 05:42 CET

Ah, Lioness, don't throw legal terms of art at me! Then the tedious and pedantic part of my brain will answer, "No, a leading question is one which implies the correct response by its form," such as "Were you driving your red car down Main Street on the night of January 4th, 2006?" (and as such is forbidden on direct examination . . . blah blah blah).

But, yes, you're correct - I was rather inviting comments from a certain source . . . ;)

SoddingNancyTribe | January 05, 06:19 CET

Sorry SNT, you are of course correct. But I can't think of what to call it instead. And used, as we are, to sloppy English, you understood me anyway. Now if only a certain someone would as well...

Lioness | January 05, 06:26 CET

More of a 'begging' question, maybe?? Not to be confused with "begging the question" which is constantly being used incorrectly these days. It is a kind of logic argument. (Sorry, got on my pet peeve high horse there.) Coming down, any mention of "Serenity" that brings the movie more attention is okay in my book. But a US-government agency using "Buffy" as a paradigm is indeed mind-blowing, SNT.

samatwitch | January 05, 07:22 CET

samavitch, misuse is misuse....and that's no begging the question!

[ edited by Chris inVirginia on 2006-01-05 06:09 ]

Chris inVirginia | January 05, 08:02 CET

Samavitch and Chris: If enough people get it wrong, it'll be all right. ;) Language is fluid after all.

Harpy | January 05, 08:20 CET

Expresso, anyone?

ARGH!

Willowy | January 05, 08:43 CET

Isn't that strong coffee that speaks up for itself? *runs away*

billz | January 05, 11:41 CET

Expresso is a virtual verbal center stimulant that will soon be available for download via iHole.

What this writer is saying is interestingly reminiscent of what Joss has said was the inspiration for Firefly - that he wanted to explore a more physical, effortful world than our present society yields. Of course, according to this guy, in doing so he's just producing more life substitute to wend us on our way to well-deserved extinction.

dreamlogic | January 05, 13:45 CET

Um, wouldn't more people had to have seen the movie for references to become mainstream?

PMMJ | January 05, 16:51 CET

The article content is giving me the wiggins...

Rant Start
They will evolve a horror of virtual entertainment, psychoactive drugs, and contraception. They will stress the values of hard work, delayed gratification, child-rearing, and environmental stewardship.

It's been a long time some I have read something that creeped me out so much. Speaking as someone who is concerned about "environmental stewardship", I have a horror of "a horror of ... contraception".

And don't get me started on psychoactive drugs - I'd rather enter a room containing 1,000 people on E than 1,000 drunks.

And the wonderful gentle souls I know that are both game addicts and scientists..

Those practical-minded breeders (fundamentalists) will inherit the earth

Oh yay! How much fun life will be then for us pagan gay-positive single moms with careers.

Rant End

As I said, wiggins.

redfern | January 05, 17:26 CET