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I have to go with Regicidal on this - its not rational to want to be respected when you are not first willing to respect.
Hey, that makes perfect sense. But I dont' think I'm saying anywhere in there that you should move onto the SE's at all. I don't see where you're reading into that. I mean, maybe you're so used to people arguing that point in more typical internet debates (I know I've seen it more often than not--I think it's just as bad when people trot out that "Lucas could CG the whole thing and set the negatives on fire and I'd be fine, they're HIS MOVIES NOT YOURS" chestnut. That's just as bad as "Lucas raped my childhood.") But that's not really what I'm saying at all. I mean--I signed the petition, and I have two different OT bootlegs. If someone doesn't feel like moving onto the SE's, they don't have to, not at all. And I don't want them to do that against their will.
BUT: The respect issue still smacks of irrational reaction. For one..I don't really see how respect figures into it. Respect is something that comes from an actual relationship. I don't know if you can talk about Lucas disrespecting you if you've never met him. I don't think Lucas' refusal to release the originals has anything to do with a disrespect to his fans. I don't think that even enters into it at all. Because that hints at Lucas being spiteful, and I don't see that being realistic. That seems to be more coming from an inflated sense of importance in the whole deal, a misguided sense of the fans place in creative, artistic decision. It starts pointing back towards that feeling of entitlement. I've found there's entirely more evidence pointing towards a healthy respect for the audience coming from Lucasfilm, but not to the point where he's willing to cede any creative control to them. This is a man who is VERY hung up on creative control, and always has been. BUT--I'm not convinced his passion for creative control is equal to disrespecting his audience. I don't really see that. Now, if, in ANY of his interviews regarding this subject, he let ANYTHING out that somewhat hinted at him doing this with a modicum of spite or disrespect, I could maybe see it. But it seems to me that, just as when he was writing and producing the original trilogy from 74-82, he's not even looking at that aspect of it when he's thinking of the movies. I don't think that's disrespect, it's just simply not a factor.
I think the majority of the disrespect is flowing FROM the fans TOWARDS Lucas. I can understand being disappointed at not getting the originals, because I'm disappointed as well. But I think the difference is that I didn't take it as personally as other people have, I haven't elevated that disappointment into vendetta because I don't have an official DVD version. I understood that my role is consumerist at best. That's it. I consume, or I don't. And if they don't want to provide the product I'm wanting...I'll check other avenues. But I never took it as a personal affront that I didn't get that choice, because that just seems really immature and irrational. It's not a respect thing. it's a creative control thing. That's so far outside my role in this thing that it's not even a question. I respect that I'm at least getting 90% of the originals, and I'm disappointed that I'm not ALSO getting the originals, but the idea of being personally insulted by the actions of a man I've never met, talked to, or done anything but read about, doing nothing but merely exercising his creative control, regardless of whether I agree with those decisions or not.
And by the way, I don't agree with all those decisions. But I'm also a weird fan in that I don't think these movies are flawless examples of motion picture greatness. I love em--but they're not as great as they've been overzealously built up to be.