I am watching the live action Peter Pan movie from 2003.
Several thoughts:
1: Good movie. Good actors. Rachel Hurd-Wood, playing Wendy, is a beautiful kid who will go places.
2: SquareBob Spongepants (or whatever) is not a gay symbol, but Peter Pan is.
3: Peter Pan is an arrogant a-hole (like the "Little Prince"), so why is everybody in love with him?
4: Same with Tinkerbell. Nasty piece of work she is. She tries to kill Wendy just out of jealousy.
5: Why do people romanticize pirates? You don't romanticize the guy who robs a convenience store and shoots the clerk, so why pirates?
6: More significantly, why do people romanticize childhood? Do people really miss being small and weak, having no power under the law, and being treated like property?
Update:
Anonymous said...
Oy, no offense man, but reading your blog can be exhausting at times. Do you always have to over-analyze everything?
People romanticize pirates because they talk funny and have a good fashion sense. Plus, they're always hunting for booty, and that's always a good thing, right? Argh!
And aside from the whole world being this new, exciting, mysterious place, childhood was a time when you could get away with pretending to be a superhero all day. Also, people would give you candy at the bank or the doctor's office. Not to mention Street Fighter, He Man, Ninja Turtles, X Men
eolake answered:
Well, that's another viewpoint, and I am sure a happier one.
As to which one is truer, who can tell.
most women love the bad guys although they won't admit it. also people wish they were young again because of being innocent, not because of being treated like property. i never liked the peter pan thing because peter was always played by a female at least in the united states.
ReplyDeletebeing young mean't having your whole life ahead of you, when you're older the dreams fade and you know you're heading for the grave, sigh. very sad indeed.
"peter was always played by a female at least in the united states."
ReplyDeleteIn England too, apparently (according to the film about Barie's life, starring Johnny Depp). I wonder why.
"Peter was always played by a female at least in the united states."
ReplyDeleteElves are supposed to be delicate in appearance, hence the female actors. (Lucky they usually get much more from their mother's side!) Still, I can see why he'd then be considered a gay symbol. The truth is, he's a brat symbol. Centuries of parent-less childhood will have that effect on people... Spongebob is a "square" symbol (well d'uh!). Now, purple Teletubby Tinky-Winky... who else but a drag-queen would wear such a screaming color, darling, really, I ask you? And that name! It's not a symbol, it's a confession on Jerry Springer's set! (Dramatic swoon.)
"Peter Pan" (as he is called in the West) is indeed an Elf, who lives on another world. I'm currently working on a series of books that'll explain (in the second one) what exactly is an Elf, and why "Peter" doesn't age physically. (Okay, the truth is, like he says he doesn't want to grow up, and this indeed means that his Elfic puberty will not start unless he changes his mind. The Faunus gene...) I'll also be explaining why he and the mermaids are so close, and what fairies are exacltly.
As a matter of fact, poor Tinkerbelle had a seriously valid excuse. Carefree immature kids like Pip (sorry, "Peter") don't bother to think that jealousy for a fairy is a matter of survival. Remember : if you say you don't B.E.L.I.E.V.E. in them, one will die. They really ARE this fragile and sensitive. The defaults of their qualities. Remember that "clap your hands" bit? It's no baloney. They feed on human love. A broken heart can truly be the end of a fairy. And their life expectancy is already so brief as it is! :-(
Believe me, I know from a most trusted source that when you are loyal to them, a hundred fairies will all give their lives for you in a minute.
As for romanticizing pirates... Either you go ask Cpt Jack Sparrow (provided you can ever catch 'im), or you read the very interesting autobiography of Long John Silver, which explains quite a bit about the perspective of Piracy in these times. Not the best role-model for kids, but some official ones aren't any better.
Regarding childhood, the problem is that most people mistake nostalgia for the regret of something lost, while in reality it is (or should be) nothing more than the normal love that we have for a done past which is part of us. A couple of months ago, I returned to have a look at my old school. It is still there, of course. But one of my former classmates is now a teacher there, and that old building has been so well renovated that the school I once new is clearly no more, at least the one I knew. Although it felt very weird to witness that, I didn't shed one tear. It is normal : time moves on. Ask "Peter" whether he regrets anything that he's outlived. Not even his many fairy-sisters. Brat.
Ah well, boys will be boys. Snips and snails...
"Being young means having your whole life ahead of you"
I must confess, part of my non-regret for what my school once was (apart from a rickety building needing urgent renovation) might be related to the fact that I grew up all through the Lebanon war, which in a way stole the innocence of that period. But nobody grows up in Paradise on this planet. Nothing of the worst ever happened to me or my family, and I know we're very lucky for that.
"they paint a flowery picture of another time and indulge in that fantasy"
Twilight is being very lucid once again. :-) I'm always amazed at the ability of human memory to selectively retain only a golden image of a past that in truth was hardly any better than the past of slightly youger geezers. It seems to me that when you start to really believe in that self-made tale of a "good old time", senility is staying in your guest room. In the "good old times" of MY youth, there were almost no videogames (except for some bleeping one-colored mosaics), women had much less rights, the USSR threatened to cause a nuclear WW3 (Bin Laden is still far from it), mysterious AIDS was starting to terrify the world, Medicine was far less advanced, and being gay was considered a disgusting disease of perversion. Also, all those pedophilia affairs that we hear about today? They were actually happening, under the blanket of secrecy and shame. I really DON'T regret that the world is moving forward. Okay, so I'm gonna miss having Pluto as our Sun's ninth Planet. Somehow, Mickey's orange dog isn't quite as cool...
To return to LT's analysis, I realize that my childhood wasn't that crummy. I had loving and caring parents, who did their honest best to protect us from the war and stuff, and raised a very decently mentally balanced person in my opinion. Could have been more "wondrous", but I'd be an ingrate to complain. Be it ever so humble, ain't no place like a loving home. Mom, Dad, thank you. You did your best to make me a good and happy Somebody. And, most importantly perhaps, you gave me that priceless treasure, of knowing how to love. Yes, these "nasty old times" are a cherished part of me. My foundations. Doesn't mean I have to live exclusively in my basement!
One day, I know I'll die. Worse perhaps, on day my loved ones will die on me. Yes, I fear that moment, and that's okay. But I also accept that eventually it must come. If one's life ends by itself, after a good time of enjoyment and fulfillment, not from some war/murder/accident, well... I believe I am already prepared for it. I've seen children go. They were friends. "Fear not that you have to die, but that you may die without having lived."
Perhaps this is the true reason of the Peter Pan syndrome : some people are afraid to begin what then must one day end.
I'm currently living with two baby children. They grow up so fast! Well, that's okay, 'cause it's normal. I'm only real careful to live these brief moments fully, to live the day, to make of every instant a treasure forever safe in our hearts. Crying over the "good old days" is for bad old guys. Old in their minds. Me? I'm 35 years YOUNG! :-)
"Some age, others mature." (Sean Connery.)
Perhaps this explains both why I had my first white hair at about 10, and why I never gave a hoot.
The best age is TODAY.
"Perhaps this explains both why I had my first white hair at about 10, and why I never gave a hoot."
ReplyDeleteOooh, me too! Both of those.
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Who's your authority on elves?
I never realized Peter was such a one.
I'd ask for a three-sentence summary of what about piracy, but you'd probably write three pages.
I realized the gay symbol thing when I saw a poster for another PP film around the millennium. It showed PP in his tights, in silhouette. It just struck me. And Peter's single exposed nipple in this film did nothing to convince me otherwise! :)
Eolake,
ReplyDeleteHere's a THREE WORD summary on pirates : "read Amazon's page". I gave the link.
How's that for brief? Well, if you have a few hours ahead of you, I'll answer that question. In Ancient Greece, "brief" (originally BPY...
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For elves, my authority is the same as for naiads. And dragons, gargoyles, satyrs, unicorns, fairies, vampires...
Let's just say he's a good friend of mine. A teen prodigy from a small Caucasian republic. His diary / travel journal is as riveting (in my opinion) as the one dictated by John Silver to Daniel Defoe. You'll make his acquaintance in due time, I promise.
Here are a few spoilers : humans are the highest mental evolution of mammalians. Gargoyles are the same for scapulopteric reptiles, and fairies for insects. My friend Aabel Zyrov is a disciple of Darwin's naturalist observation methods...
Oh yeah, he's also a disciple of naturism! :-)
Oh, by the way, the "Little Prince" was never arrogant. Just for historical accuracy. :-)
ReplyDeleteMaybe I confused irritating with arrogant.
ReplyDeleteI'll gladly grant you irritating.
ReplyDeletePart of a kid's job description!
Otherwise, how would parents get white hair?... ;-)
I once met a Little Prince in France, years ago. Before I had to leave the country and my friends. Today he's a teenager almost as tall as me. [And I am tall!]
(Sigh!) Time DOES fly too fast, when you're away. :-(
Especially that this Little Prince tamed me. "I knew we'd part one day, and I knew I'd be sad. But still it was worth it, knowing you."
Guess you understand now why I'm writing books. So much to tell and share...
A blog is like a nest : friendly, comfy and reassuring, but one day it becomes too narrow for your wingspan.
But don't worry : I'm not saying goodbye!!! :-D
Hey! Who said "what a pity"??? I heard that!
Oy, no offense man, but reading your blog can be exhausting at times. Do you always have to over-analyze everything?
ReplyDeletePeople romanticize pirates because they talk funny and have a good fashion sense. Plus, they're always hunting for booty, and that's always a good thing, right? Argh!
And aside from the whole world being this new, exciting, mysterious place, childhood was a time when you could get away with pretending to be a superhero all day. Also, people would give you candy at the bank or the doctor's office. Not to mention Street Fighter, He Man, Ninja Turtles, X Men...damn dude, what's not to like?
Well, that's another viewpoint, and I am sure a happier one.
ReplyDeleteAs to which one is truer, who can tell.
"Anonymous"? Bah! You might as well come out in the clear, Jack Sparrow, we all know it's you!
ReplyDeleteI hear there's a lot of nice booty to be found in Africa, brother. Yo!
Me, I'm buddies with an Amazon space pirate. Quite a fun gal, I reckon.