I don't think Lucas screwed me over. He is what he is, not what anybody ever thought him to be. This is in the open now, it will never change. My only complaint is the lag time in the DVD release, then the realization that the DVD release he did make was only a reaction to the bootlegs floating around so he essentially commercially released his own bootleg. That is annoying. But my complaint with the guy ends there. Everything else is fair enough. He can change the films all he wants, and he can make as many new films as he wants. He can't destroy the old ones, as long as they are available in a valid format I am as happy as can be. My opinions are my own, I didn't get the internet till about 1999, and even then I didn't spend a lot of time on it on message boards or even going to websites, just email really. Nobody told me to dislike the SE, I did that on my own. Nobody told me to dislike Episode I, I did that on my own. Having only a small number of friends who are SW fans in the real world, and some of them being quite fond of the SE and PT, I think it is quite impossible for me to be listening to the popular opinion that Lucas screwed me over and regurgitating it, since I never knew that was popular opinion at the time my own opinions were formulated.
I very much agree with anchorhead about the current state of TV and entertainment, but I don't see it relevent to people complaining about George Lucas. I have never even visited another SW board beyond OT.com, I would assume this being called OT.com that it is a bit of a haven for pre-SE fans, and that in being such that it contains a good deal more of the "screw the SE and PT" type conversation than most the others on the net. I agree it gets old the same people saying the same thing all the time. But if every one just accepted it as it was and forced themselves to like it because it had the label "Star Wars Episode x" stampt on it then we would have never had any of the decent fan edits we have now. I don't think criticising art is so over the top, unreasonable cynicism or negative. I also enjoy sitting and talking with my few friends who are as geeky as me about what changes could have been made to the PT to make it better. I find that as fun as some people find sitting around and talking about the last sports game they watched and how terrible is was so and so fouled up the game and that if he hadn't our team would've won.
I have no hate for Lucas, he did make the movies I have been so fond of over the years. He use to be one of my heros, I used to think he was one of the greatest story tellers alive. Now I know better, but I have no reason to hate him. I may wish he was how I precieved him to be rather than how he is.
And finally, I do not think there are so many who actually let SW rule their lives. Just because it was a big part of my childhood, doesn't mean it does that much for me today or that it rules my life. I don't wear Yoda underoos to bed, and I had no clue Clonetrooper-Os existed.
It should not bother you so much, this is the general SW discussion, so it is sure to come up. You created a thread about disregarding fans under 30, so it was sure to come up. I am willing to bet none of us leave this forum and go to our wives, bosses, coworkers, etc and say, "You know what? George Lucas really raped my childhood." Seriously, there is a time and a place for everything. As they say in Turkey, evash!