A guy like Marty is legitimately great, but he doesn't trust it and so fear hijacks his goals by way of lying, cheating, and manipulation. Fear is pervasive, but it's weak, taking us out of the moment by dangling future consequences or past failures as bait. In the moment, he's a great ping pong player; right now. But he's more concerned with legacy.
And this greatness is squandered when it's not recognized as a gift. Something to be shared (like the honey example). Otherwise, it becomes vampiric, like an ego with fangs. Vamps literally suck life energy out of others, just like a baby, except they don't ask, just take. No trust. And what is more utterly trusting than a human child?
I heard from someone who had a Post in mind to be titled "The Valorization of Narcissism"
This sums it up. Marty is repulsive, and so is the movie.
You can just see the producers saying to their backers "well, it's LIKE a period movie, but we don't want to make a period movie." The synth score completely ruined whatever was left after they got done with it. Marty's not a "time traveler," he's just the product of people with no knowledge of human history or culture.
I enjoyed this article, and the repetition of "one of the greats" reminded me of the new Florence and the Machine song of that name, which uses Buffy resurrection imagery and also doesn't make striving for that title sound good or desirable.
All three of these passages struck me, and are related:
I want to be one of the greats. But I also have theological beliefs and feelings of compassion and so on.
his pre-WWII friend knows something he doesn’t: “food” is best stored in the bodies of others, in the form of ….
To strive for greatness from within a family. For the sake of a family.
In the narratives of greatness, there is only one that connects this trinity above. In the drama of life there is an egodrama and a Theodrama. Our challenge is to understand that Greatness can only come through the latter and highest art form. Self-gift in vocation with virtue is the path to our ultimate greatness- with a timing TBD.
Great piece. I looked at it from the angle of “monomaniacal” behavior. Ahab being the most famous in Western literature. We/capitalism lavishly reward successful monomaniacal individuals, but they are not generally healthy. I also recognized the humanizing effect of children. They were the joy of my life.
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Great insight in this article about trust.
A guy like Marty is legitimately great, but he doesn't trust it and so fear hijacks his goals by way of lying, cheating, and manipulation. Fear is pervasive, but it's weak, taking us out of the moment by dangling future consequences or past failures as bait. In the moment, he's a great ping pong player; right now. But he's more concerned with legacy.
And this greatness is squandered when it's not recognized as a gift. Something to be shared (like the honey example). Otherwise, it becomes vampiric, like an ego with fangs. Vamps literally suck life energy out of others, just like a baby, except they don't ask, just take. No trust. And what is more utterly trusting than a human child?
The best take on Marty I've read -- and I wrote one.
I heard from someone who had a Post in mind to be titled "The Valorization of Narcissism"
This sums it up. Marty is repulsive, and so is the movie.
You can just see the producers saying to their backers "well, it's LIKE a period movie, but we don't want to make a period movie." The synth score completely ruined whatever was left after they got done with it. Marty's not a "time traveler," he's just the product of people with no knowledge of human history or culture.
I enjoyed this article, and the repetition of "one of the greats" reminded me of the new Florence and the Machine song of that name, which uses Buffy resurrection imagery and also doesn't make striving for that title sound good or desirable.
All three of these passages struck me, and are related:
I want to be one of the greats. But I also have theological beliefs and feelings of compassion and so on.
his pre-WWII friend knows something he doesn’t: “food” is best stored in the bodies of others, in the form of ….
To strive for greatness from within a family. For the sake of a family.
In the narratives of greatness, there is only one that connects this trinity above. In the drama of life there is an egodrama and a Theodrama. Our challenge is to understand that Greatness can only come through the latter and highest art form. Self-gift in vocation with virtue is the path to our ultimate greatness- with a timing TBD.
Great piece. I looked at it from the angle of “monomaniacal” behavior. Ahab being the most famous in Western literature. We/capitalism lavishly reward successful monomaniacal individuals, but they are not generally healthy. I also recognized the humanizing effect of children. They were the joy of my life.