Originally posted by: Tachikoma-Kun Some of the PT fandom is slightly disturbing, I agree. Giving Anakin a pass for everything he does. Or admireing the Emperor. I understand that when you are in love, you do stupid things but killing small children has to be something else. There has gotta be a line that when you cross it, it's no longer love. But some of the fans seem to find excuses for everything Anakin does and what's even more alarming, they are justifying his actions. Laying blame elsewhere. "It was the fault of the Jedi for not caring about Anakin or some such."
That touches on the root of the problem for me; Anakin is entitled to act like a shit because he’s the chosen one. Everyone owes him, nothing is his fault and he doesn’t need to take responsibility for any of what he does.
I don’t mean to sound like an old-timer, but I think a great deal of this is cultural. When I was a child I received a spanking when I did something wrong. Even if someone else had “tricked” me into doing it, even if my heart was in the right place, if I broke the rules I faced the music. There was always PERSONAL responsibility. Now everyone wants to be their kid’s buddy, they want to understand their child and there’s an excuse for every shitty thing their brat does. My wife is a Pre-K teacher and when she confronts parents about their children’s inappropriate behavior they defend their child with all the passion of Perry Mason. When I grew up you received a trophy when you did something that merited an award, but these days showing up is enough to merit an award.
This is now a world where one is rewarded for doing nothing, where no one takes responsibility and everyone has an excuse. No wonder they relate to Anakin; they are Anakin. Everyone owes them something for gracing the Earth with their presence. No one should give them a hard time about being an alcoholic because alcoholism is a disease and daddy never loved them. What changed in the last 20, 50, 100 or even 1000 years? Alcoholism has always been a disease and many people have been shafted with less than stellar parents. What changed is that we as a society now accept and in some instances encourage mediocrity. Why do your best when everyone from the star goalie to the bench-warmer gets a ribbon? Why should you step up and accept responsibility for killing children when you can blame it on chemicals and daddy’s mental abuse?
So now we’re back to Anakin. Sure he has a right to be mad at not being a Master because everyone else on the JC is a master. I got a ribbon just for showing up at a little league game so shouldn’t Anakin become a master for showing up at the JC? Sure Anakin did some bad things, but shouldn’t Obi-Wan act as a defense lawyer for him? My mom defended me and shielded me from discipline when I took crayon to the schoolhouse walls so shouldn’t Obi-Wan keep Mace from taking a tone with Anakin?
PT fans can’t help being PT fans just like many of us can’t help being OT fans. In both instances the films reflect the world of the fans on a fundamental level. In a nutshell:
OT Fan: Give me liberty or give me death.
PT Fan: Give me that it’s mine.
P.S. This is a “if the shoe fits wear it” post. There are many young people, such as my children, that still get spankings. There are also many young people that believe in standing up for what’s right even if that means personal loss. There are even young people that take personal responsibility. If you are one of those people this message (and the generalizations that go with it) doesn’t apply to you.