Deconstructing "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and a New Year's Eve Conversation about the Killing of Tamir Rice

This week's New Year's Eve episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show is two great shows in one.

The first part of the New Year's Eve podcast features a review and discussion of Star Wars: The Force Awakens with friend of the podcast and site Bill the Lizard. Bill and Chauncey have been thinking about, anticipating, and meditating on all things Star Wars for many years.

Their conversation about Star Wars: The Force Awakens is more than a basic review.

Chauncey and Bill the Lizard talk about how this new film is a remix of A New Hope, questions surrounding Arthurian legend and the Hero's Journey, speculate about how the First Order (the new version of The Galactic Empire) is now both multicultural and also includes women, explain how Commander Snoke must be Darth Plagueis the Wise, and map out what the sequels to J.J. Abrams version of Star Wars must do next to make or break the foundation laid down in The Force Awakens. This is a spoiler filled and fun conversation.

The second part of the New Year's Eve podcast turns to far more serious matters. In this extended segment, Chauncey talks about the extrajudicial killing of Tamir Rice and answers the question(s) asked by some online about how best to stay sane and positive in these trying times. To that end, Chauncey reads some of the wicked comments at the white supremacist Right-wing political website known as The Free Republic about the killing of Tamir Rice and the exoneration of the thug cops who stole his life. Chauncey then uses the wisdom of Dr. Na'im Akbar to help black and brown folks understand how best to win a psychological battle with white racists.

In this New Year's Eve episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Chauncey also gives some love to the now permanently retired radio legend Art Bell by playing a clip from one of the latter's amazing conversations with Father Malachi Martin, former exorcist for the Vatican.

Chauncey shills for the great new movie The Hateful Eight and then overshares during this episode of the podcast about his inexorable lust and explosive desire for Katrina Pierson, the bullet necklace wearing spokeswoman for Donald Trump.

This episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show can be downloaded from Libsyn and also listened to here. It can also be "watched" on Youtube at this link.

The Chauncey DeVega Show is available on Itunes and at Stitcher as well.

When They Show You Who They Really Are: Right-Wing White Supremacist Website the "Free Republic" Excuse-Makes for and Celebrates the Killing of Tamir Rice

We are in the last week of the December annual fundraiser.

I would like to thank the very kind and generous folks who donated so far. There is much generosity in the world. I will be sending out my "thank you" notes at the end of the month. As I have said before, I like the ritual of doing those all in one or two days. It makes me smile.

We are just 30 dollars away from the goal for the December annual fundraiser. The monies, as you know, will go towards the video podcast next year and following through on some of the great opportunities that are being finalized for my online and other work.

Christmas holiday shopping is done. If you have any funds remaining--and have taken care of your other obligations, please throw some love in the donation bucket so that I/we can continue to grow the site and get our video podcast up and running next year.

If the embedded donation link is being fickle you can always click on the Paypal button on the right-hand side of the screen.

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I take my daily safari to Right-wing websites so that you do not have to.

Right-wing humanzees are very entertaining. They fling political feces and expose themselves in public both for their own pleasure as well as that of their fellows who are flopping about in the same Right-wing trough urinal with them.

Because conservatism and racism are now one and fully the same thing in the post civil rights era (and especially the Age of Obama), the most radical and extreme of conservatives are also the most stridently white supremacist.

They are also pathological in that they continue with this behavior without reflecting or thinking about it. It is a habit and norm for them. Moreover, and I have discovered this in their responses to my own work, contemporary conservatism replicates and performs white supremacy even while denying that they are 1) racists and 2) simultaneously claiming that white people are the "real" "victims" of racism in the Age of Obama.

Tamir Rice was killed by the Cleveland police for the "crime" of being a black child playing in a park with a toy gun. To deny that basic fact is to be complicit with a monstrous evil, support an act of barbarism, and be in bed with the obscenity that is how America's police, as a matter of policy, violate the human rights of people of color and the poor.

The website the Free Republic--as a barometer for the Right-wing hate media, more generally--is defaming the memory of Tamir Rice, excuse-making for his cop killers, and celebrating the death of a child.

For some years, I was inclined to ignore the political scatology and coprophagia that occurred in the comment sections of the online Right-wing media. Now, I have finally realized that the opinions expressed there, in the Age of Donald Trump, and one where the Republican Party is the United States' largest white identity organization, are neither outliers or just the loudest voices among an already obnoxious "silent majority". No, the ilk of the Free Republic and like sites are the beating heart of the Republican Party.

The people who populate those spaces are not just harmless wannabe digital demagogues and online fiends. The conservatives who haunt the Right-wing sewer-comment sections of websites such as the Free Republic, Breitbart, Fox News, and elsewhere are police, fire fighters, teachers, soldiers, nurses, doctors, bus drivers, bank loan officers, human resources employees, daycare workers, landlords, real estate agents, professors, attorneys, and from all other walks of American life.

These white supremacists have the power to impact the life chances of people of color and those others they identify as somehow "less than" or as not "real Americans". And the most scary part of this dynamic is that if you confronted these bigots and human debris in person most of them would say they are not "racists", are in fact "colorblind", and may even be proud of how they have black and brown friends, lovers, spouses, and maybe even children.

As I did in an earlier post about white supremacists and the new Star Wars film, what follows are some comments (selected out of a total of approximately 200) about the killing of Tamir Rice (most were written in response to my recent essay at Salon) from the Right-wing, de facto, white supremacist website known as the Free Republic.

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1. My child would never have been dumb enough to pull a toy gun - or any gun - on cops with real guns.

2. Racism won’t end until we stop looking at people by race. Such as when they lecture us about the evils of white America.

3. A boy who looks like a man, not that silly photo that has been posted, and who points a realistic looking gun at strangers and pretends to shoot, deserves exactly what he got.

4. My children would never think of roughing up storekeepers, brandishing weapons, charging cops, rioting, committing mayhem, or any of the other things these idiots do. So I for one will never look at a Trayvon and see, frankly, anyone I know. 

5. “Until White America looks at Tamir Rice and sees their own children, there will be no racial justice in the U.S.” Much of “White America” raises their children so they in no way resemble Tamir Rice. We pay law enforcement to keep Tamir Rice at arm’s length.

Let's Be Honest Folks: Tamir Rice is Dead and the Police Will Go Unpunished Because Black People Are Scary

An Ohio grand jury has decided that the police thugs who de facto executed Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old black child for the "crime" of playing with a toy gun, in a locale where white people are legally allowed to brandish real weapons, will not face criminal charges.

I am in the process of writing something about this most recent miscarriage of justice. But, I keep returning to the same basic question: what is there new left to say? The murder of black and brown people by America's police is the system working precisely as designed. This is not an aberration or mistake. Only those willfully ignorant and blind to the realities of the color line in America can sustain a belief that the lcountry's legal system is "blind" and "fair".

I wrote the following piece in 2012 in response to the execution of Trayvon Martin by the murderous thug George Zimmerman. I have slightly modified it. My thesis holds true for Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and so many thousands of black men (and women, as well as boys and girls) who have been killed by the police and their allies, both legal and extra-judicial, in the United States from the Founding to the present.

White supremacy is a changing same in the United States. There is no justice for Tamir Rice because it has been deemed that the black body deserves no protection under American law.

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It’s been a while since we've chatted about the invisible knapsack of black privilege in the age of Obama. Tragically, the killing of Trayvon Martin Tamir Rice by George Zimmerman two police in Cleveland, Ohio demands that we black folks engage in some “real talk,” as I like to say, about our special role in American society.

During the last few years, I have spent a good amount of time listening to white folks talk about the shooting of Trayvon Martin Eric Garner Michael Brown Freddie Gray Laquan McDonald Tamir Rice. I have talked to friends, been invisible as I sat next to white people at bars and cafes, and eavesdropped on conversations while riding on the bus. I have watched Fox News and lurked on right-wing Web sites to get a fair sense of “real America’s” collective pulse on this issue. I truly care about white people. I am their best friend because I always tell them the truth.

After doing all of this research, I have come to a conclusion that may be a bit upsetting to some of you: Black people are scary. In fact, I have come to realize that as a black man, I am a member of a group that scares white people more than any other in America.

I think we should own this fact. Could it be that the disproportionate coverage we are blessed with by the corporate news media has convinced white America that we are a threat to them? Always suspicious, dangerous and suspect? Is this fear a result of a deeply held, almost primordial belief that still lurks in the collective subconscious and racial id of whiteness: that black men are naturally more vibrant, masculine, dynamic, virile, and athletic than white men?

Who knows where this fear comes from? As black men, we are left to deal with the consequences; the mysterious ways of (some) white people are not ours to divine or to understand.

Is Donald Trump a Cult Leader for Racially Resentful, Low Information, Right-wing, White Voters?

We are in the last week of the December annual fundraiser.

I would like to thank the very kind and generous folks who donated so far. There is much generosity in the world. I will be sending out my "thank you" notes at the end of the month. As I have said before, I like the ritual of doing those all in one or two days. It makes me smile.

We are just 55 dollars away from the goal for the December annual fundraiser. The monies, as you know, will go towards the video podcast next year and following through on some of the great opportunities that are being finalized for my online and other work.

Christmas holiday shopping is done. If you have any funds remaining--and have taken care of your other obligations, please throw some love in the donation bucket so that I/we can continue to grow the site and get our video podcast up and running next year. 

If the Paypal link is being fickle you can always click on the Paypal link on the right-hand side of the screen.

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Donald Trump is the front-runner in the 2016 Republican presidential primary race. He leads his closest rival, Ted Cruz, by a substantial margin. Trump’s proto-fascism, xenophobia and bigotry are not anomalies or outliers. These values are held by a large percentage of Republicans.

Donald Trump validates these feelings. As such, it is now fundamentally clear that Donald Trump is a hero and leader for many conservatives in the Age of Obama.

Most members of the pundit class have been befuddled by the ascendance of Donald Trump. But, there is one person who has solved this riddle.

In a little-discussed editorial written several weeks ago, Pat Buchanan offered the following analysis:

Enter The Donald.

His popularity is traceable to the fact that he rejects the moral authority of the media, breaks their commandments, and mocks their condemnations. His contempt for the norms of Political Correctness is daily on display.

And that large slice of America that detests a media whose public approval now rivals that of Congress, relishes this defiance. The last thing these folks want Trump to do is to apologize to the press.

And the media have played right into Trump’s hand.

They constantly denounce him as grossly insensitive for what he has said about women, Mexicans, Muslims, McCain and a reporter with a disability. Such crimes against decency, says the press, disqualify Trump as a candidate for president.

Yet, when they demand he apologize, Trump doubles down. And when they demand that Republicans repudiate him, the GOP base replies:

“Who are you to tell us whom we may nominate? You are not friends. You are not going to vote for us. And the names you call Trump — bigot, racist, xenophobe, sexist — are the names you call us, nothing but cuss words that a corrupt establishment uses on those it most detests.”

Pat Buchanan possesses gifted insight into powerful appeal of Donald Trump for the Republican base. Both men are nativist, xenophobic, right-wing populists who understand the allure of white alienation and racial resentment in the post civil rights era. Pat Buchanan is more of a “culture warrior” than Donald Trump. But like George Wallace in the 1960s, the Know-Nothings in the 19th century and the Black Legion in the 1930s, Buchanan and Trump are recent iterations in a long history of right-wing demagoguery and false populism in American politics.

Nevertheless, the essence of Buchanan’s claim remains correct: the “political establishment” and “media” are viewed as discredited by Republicans.

One does not need to read rigorous research by social scientists or mountains of polling data to prove this thesis. All one has to do is listen to Donald Trump’s supporters (who are really none too different from the Republican base writ large) and how they make sense of the political and social world.

For example, in recent focus groups conducted by CBS and CNN, Trump’s backers told interviewers such things as “I don’t believe any one of (the politicians). Not one. I believe Donald”; “My president comes on TV and he lies to me … I believe Donald. I tell you, he says what I’m thinking!”; and “I think we’re all scared. I’m actually a little jumpy, I find Trump is the only one who would come out and say something like this, no one else would do it … You know what he says, he says something completely crazy and in inflammatory then he dials back (and) starts explaining it.”

These people are divorced from reality. To listen to Donald Trump’s supporters is to peek into the mouth of political madness.

A Semi-Open Post Holiday Weekend Thread: On Parenting, Consumerism, and Christmas

I hope that you are having a restful and enjoyable holiday week. My positive energy extends out to those who celebrate Festivus, continue with Maulana Karenga's Kwanzaa efforts via burning candles and saying/and practicing words like "Kujichagulia", and those who take part in a commemoration of the immortal son of a sky god by decorating pagan offerings and reflecting on the change in seasons and giving each other gifts. However, I do not include those people in my positive energy sending who continue the Nazi-inspired celebrations of Christmas in Germany circa the 1930s and 1940s (this story on that topic is very fascinating).

As is our habit and tradition, do you have any stories of personal or public concern to share? Did Santa give you coal or silver and gold? Did Mrs. Claus come over and give you special attention...read that as you may.

Friend of the site Mr. Werner Herzog's Bear has a very insightful and heartfelt essay on Christmas, parenting, and consumerism over at his site Notes From the Ironbound. I am sharing it below.

I am not a parent. But, I imagine that I would echo his sentiments if I were.

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One of the biggest cliches in the book is that parenthood changes everything, and it's a cliche because, well, it's true.  In many ways this is obvious.  I usually subsist on six hours of sleep a night, and have cleared the eight hour mark maybe a dozen times in the last three years, usually only when I was too sick to sleep less than eight hours.  Smaller things have changed too, like Christmas.

Through most of my adult life, Christmas was pretty ho-hum. With two three year old girls, that has changed drastically, and Christmas has become a lot more significant in my life.  In many respects, this has meant that I love Christmas the way I loved it when I was a child.  My daughters take such joy in the Christmas season, from the songs to the gifts to the time with family.  It's very difficult for a lot of that not to rub off on me.

At the same time, however, it is extremely difficult for me not to develop great levels of hate and resentment against Christmas.  The Christmas season is perhaps the biggest reminder I have of how much power the broader society has in shaping my daughters and how hard it is for me to instill the values I want to impart.  In the first place, the consumeristic side of Christmas is especially pronounced with children.  I don't know if there has been a change in this since my childhood or what, but every year my children are buried under a tide of toys and trinkets.  I blame the Wal-Martization of America, which was not yet complete when I was a tyke.  It's easy, without thinking, to buy a child a mountain of toys, since they come at dollar store prices.  They also have dollar store quality but never seem to leave the house, forming a giant mass of cheap plastic crap to take up space, be stepped on, and constantly clutter living spaces up while rarely being played with.

A Conversation with Michael Witwer about Gary Gygax and the History of the Role-playing Game Known as "Dungeons and Dragons"

I would like to thank the very kind and generous folks who donated to the December annual fundraiser yesterday. There are some really cool and giving folks out there who will be receiving their thank you notes very soon. There was a very nice donation on Thursday night. I am very moved by that kind gesture. So wonderful. I am now just 200 80 dollars away from the goal for the December annual fundraiser. The monies, as you know, will go towards the video podcast next year and following through on some of the great opportunities that are being finalized for my online and other work.

The sooner we reach that goal the faster I can pull back in the begging bowl and get back to business as usual. As always, if after having taken care of your human and animal family members, yourself, and other obligations, throw some love in the donation bucket so that I/we can continue to grow the site and get our video podcast up and running next year.

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This episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show features two great guests.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is taking the world by storm. The Chauncey DeVega Show has done several special episodes with friend of the site Bill the Lizard about the new series of Star Wars films. Chauncey and Bill the Lizard have finally seen the new movie. They originally intended to talk for only 20 minutes, but instead ended up with an almost hour long deconstruction of the film, the future of the franchise, and other matters about the (for all intents and purposes) rebooted/remixed J.J. Abrams Star Wars universe. 

This week's episode features 20 or so minutes of that conversation. It will be posted next week as an end of year full episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show.

The main guest on this week's installment of The Chauncey DeVega Show is Michael Witwer. He is the author of the great new book Empire of Imagination.

Popular culture is social history. In this wonderful conversation Michael Witwer and Chauncey talk about the history of pen and paper and dice role-playing games in the United States, the history of Dungeons and Dragons, share some great stories about its primary inventor Gary Gygax, laugh about how the U.S. military infiltrated Gygax's role-playing group, and explore the legacy of Dungeons and Dragons as one of the great influences on a whole generation of Hollywood filmmakers, video game creators, and authors. 

Michael Witwer and Chauncey also discuss questions of "inclusion" around race and gender in role-playing fandom and events such as Gencon and the subgenre known as "swine gaming" that features "games" about the Holocaust, the genocide of First Nations peoples, and white on black chattel slavery in the New World.

Michael Witwer also surprises Chauncey with his in depth knowledge of Star Wars and how his brother does voice-over work for Star Wars video games and animated series.

In addition to the great teaching done by Michael Witwer and Bill the Lizard, Chauncey talks about Donald Trump's use of the phrase "schlonged", reflects on the death of Sandra Bland, offers up his Festivus grievances, tells folks about his iron skillet troubles, continues to thank the kind folks who donated to the fundraiser, and shares why he is happy and more or less content this holiday season.

This episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show can be downloaded from Libsyn and also listened to here. It can also be "watched" on Youtube at this link.

The Chauncey DeVega Show is available on Itunes and at Stitcher as well.

There Will be No Justice for Sandra Bland: This is the American Justice System Working Exactly as Designed

I would like to thank the very kind and generous folks who donated to the December annual fundraiser over the weekend.We are only 100 dollars 90 dollars from the goal. There are some really cool and giving folks out there who will be receiving their thank you notes very soon. The monies, as you know, will go towards the video podcast next year and following through on some of the great opportunities that are being finalized for my online and other work.

Many of you will be celebrating Christmas this week. If you can include me on that gift giving list after you have taken care of family members, both humans and pets, yourself, and shown some love to a homeless brother or sister, it would be much appreciated. 

The sooner we reach that goal the faster I can pull back in the begging bowl and get back to business as usual. As always, if after having taken care of your human and animal family members, yourself, and other obligations, throw some love in the donation bucket so that I/we can continue to grow the site and get our video podcast up and running next year.

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In July of 2015, a young black woman named Sandra Bland died far from home in a Texas jail after being stopped by a white police officer for failing to supposedly use her car signal lights while changing lanes.

On Monday, a Texas grand jury decided to not indict the police or other agents potentially involved in the death of Sandra Bland.

Black Americans share a waking nightmare when they encounter America’s police.

Will I live? Will I die? Will this cop find a reason to arrest me? Is white racism operative in this moment? A great deal? A little?  None at all? Will this heavily armed and militarized cop use their “judgment” to decide they are somehow “in fear of their lives” and then shoot dead a black or brown body that has done nothing wrong? Will I make it home tonight? Can someone bail me out of jail if this police officer decides to manufacture a reason to beat upon me, put me in jail, or break my limbs or skull? Are there witnesses who will vouch for my innocence? Will I lose my job? Will someone know to feed my pet if I am in jail? Will justice be done if I am killed? My parents, friends, and other family know that I am not a monster who provoked lethal violence, but will the public ever truly understand that I am not a Negro fiend or beast that had to be put down for the safety of the (white) American public? How will the news media slur my name and memory?

Sandra Bland’s lonely death in a Texas jail, and a grand jury’s decision to not move forward with charges, is a parable drawn from the pages of the Jim Crow survival guide “The Negro Motorist Green Book “and the recent book by Nick Chiles called “Justice While Black.”

As has been said many times before, Sandra Bland’s death is not a bug or error in the American legal and “criminal justice” system. No, it is American justice working precisely as designed.

When White Supremacists Go to See "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"

I would like to thank the very kind and generous folks who donated to the December annual fundraiser over the weekend. We are only 100 dollars from the goal. There are some really cool and giving folks out there who will be receiving their thank you notes very soon. The monies, as you know, will go towards the video podcast next year and following through on some of the great opportunities that are being finalized for my online and other work.

The sooner we reach that goal the faster I can pull back in the begging bowl and get back to business as usual. As always, if after having taken care of your human and animal family members, yourself, and other obligations, throw some love in the donation bucket so that I/we can continue to grow the site and get our video podcast up and running next year.

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Some final thoughts on Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I should be recording the podcast discussion of the movie with Bill the Lizard either tonight or tomorrow for inclusion in this week's episode of the show. Mark Clark, author of the great book Star Wars FAQ also has a review of the movie that can be read here. Mark is cool folks and has also been a guest on The Chauncey DeVega Show. John Scalzi, super famous sci-fi author and all around interesting guy and lover of animals, has a review over at his site Whatever. He basically agrees with my thoughts on the film. It feels good to be in such esteemed company.

I often joke about my habit of going to white supremacist websites in order to get a sense of how they read and interpret political and cultural events. I am never surprised or amazed at how white supremacy is a type of political psychopathology and the ways that it damages the cognitive, emotional, and critical thinking skills of too many white people. Reading white supremacist websites has been very helpful in other ways: Donald Trump is their spawn; they mapped out his electoral strategy years ago.

White supremacists are obsessed with the "culture wars". Like movement conservatives, men's rights types, "anti-social justice warriors", and other assorted scum on the American Right, they have a deep concern with "cultural Marxism"--of course they do not fully understand critical theory--and how popular culture does some type of secret ideological work to attack, demean, and indoctrinate "white people" into "anti-white" attitudes and beliefs.

Star Wars is a global phenomenon. I was very curious as to how they would respond to the new Force Awakens movie. As I wrote about here, there is much going on in terms of race and gender in that text. I, and I am sure others, will be deconstructing and writing a great deal about race and gender in the new Star Wars movies.

What follows are the thoughts of some white supremacists on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the Star Wars films in general, and other movies as well. This is funny stuff. It should also give you pause when you realize that these attitudes and beliefs are more common than many people would like to believe in this "post racial" era.

White Supremacist #1

I don't mind a negro playing a supporting role, much like Lando Calrissian in the original (who was more like a mulatto), but I've heard this current, extremely simian looking negro plays the love interest of Han Solo's and Princess Leia's daughter.

That's a significant part of the plot, I'm sure, as we "watch their love bloom".

White Supremacist #2

Just tell me if the girl is a mud shark.

Race, Politics, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens

J.J. Abrams’ “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is a fun and exciting film. Older audiences will be pleased as they remember their childhoods of the 1970s and 1980s. A new generation of fans who only know the more recent prequel films — and were likely left wondering “Why is ‘Star Wars’ such a big deal?”— will finally begin to understand why “Star Wars” captivated several generations of viewers around the world.

“Star Wars” is an example of “the monomyth” — a set of story forms and narrative structures that are common across all cultures and which together form a shared human mythology.

As such, J.J. Abrams takes the “Star Wars” formula of a quest — a magical item, family secrets, the coming of age struggle, finding one’s destiny and the battle between good and evil — and continues it in “The Force Awakens.” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is for the most part a remix of “Star Wars: A New Hope.” As an example of the monomyth and the subsequent repeated themes present in all the “Star Wars” films, this is to be expected.

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” hearkens back to its origins in George Lucas’s original “Star Wars” trilogy. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is also grounded firmly in the Age of Obama and a multicultural, “post-racial” present.

The original “Star Wars” films created a filmic imaginary galaxy that was almost entirely populated by white people. “Star Wars” had a magical energy field called the Force, sentient droids, bizarre aliens, faster than light travel, lightsabers, and moon-sized battle stations that could destroy a planet with one blast of its laser. Yet there were no black or brown people in Lucas’s original 1977 film. What cultural critic and scholar bell hooks and others have described as “oppositional reading” turned the Star Wars universe upside down: If black and brown folks were not actually in the visual and narrative frame (or if there, depicted in a racist and derogatory manner by the White Gaze), they would imagine themselves still present in the movie.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is a Remix of "A New Hope"...That is Both a Good and a Bad Thing

I would like to thank the very kind and generous folks who donated to the December annual fundraiser on Friday. We are only 150 dollars from the goal. There are some really cool and giving folks out there who will be receiving their thank you notes very soon. The monies, as you know, will go towards the video podcast next year and following through on some of the great opportunities that are being finalized for my online and other work.

The sooner we reach that goal the faster I can pull back in the begging bowl and get back to business as usual. As always, if after having taken care of your human and animal family members, yourself, and other obligations, throw some love in the donation bucket so that I/we can continue to grow the site and get our video podcast up and running next year.

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I have now seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens twice. Instead of a traditional review, I have decided to offer up some thoughts in the form of questions and answers. Friend of the podcast Bill the Lizard and I will have a special episode of the podcast dedicated to finalizing our thoughts on Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He and I have been deconstructing and anticipating Star Wars: The Force Awakens since its announcement several years ago. Now we can bring some closure to that conversation and ponder where the sequels should go in the future. I also have a new piece on the The Force Awakens, race, and politics in the Age of Obama over at Salon.

Did I like Star Wars: The Force Awakens?

Yes. Rogert Ebert said that a film review should be centered on how a given film or movie makes the audience—and by implication, the critic—feel. I waited for several hours to see J.J. Abrams’ take on Star Wars. I even got to talk with a reporter from The Chicago Tribune about the new movie. As I told her, my fondest childhood memory is waiting in line for at least 6 hours to see Return of the Jedi in 1983. I hope that a young child now in line for Star Wars: The Force Awakens will have a shadow of that experience, and reflect upon it the same way as I can, now, 32 years later.

The Star Wars Prequels were a very challenging experience. Star Wars: The Force Awakens makes it possible for lifelong fans to no longer express a qualified sense of love for the films. After Abrams’ new movies, we no longer have to say “I love Star Wars but…”

In short, Star Wars: The Force Awakens almost made me cry—not because of the events on the screen but because of how they channel the best sense of what “nostalgia” is…a yearning for a best sense of what the past is, something familiar, a good feeling of childhood innocence, warm, and happy.

Is Star Wars: The Force Awakens a good movie?

It is very good for what it is. Abrams’ Star Wars is not revolutionary. It is nothing new. It will not change the cinematic world the way that George Lucas’ A New Hope did in 1977. The Force Awakens is a remix of A New Hope that also combines elements of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Because it is a homage—even by the standards of the monomyth echoes of the other films—it cannot ascend to the level of singular greatness. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an amazing tribute band. If you are of a certain age you will never have seen James Brown, Elvis, or The Beatles in their prime. Now, the best you can do is a cover band in Vegas. As such, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a damn good take on George Lucas’ first Star Wars Trilogy.

Is Star Wars: The Force Awakens the best movie of the year as some critics have suggested?

No. Not even close. Mad Max: Fury Road is the best mainstream commercial movie of 2015.

What did I think of the story, J.J. Abrams, and the new actors?

A Conversation with "Champion" Joe Lansdale Part 2

I would like to thank the very kind and generous folks who donated to the December annual fundraiser yesterday. There are some really cool and giving folks out there who will be receiving their thank you notes very soon. There was a very nice donation on Thursday night. I am very moved by that kind gesture. So wonderful. I am now just 200 dollars away from the goal for the December annual fundraiser. The monies, as you know, will go towards the video podcast next year and following through on some of the great opportunities that are being finalized for my online and other work.

The sooner we reach that goal the faster I can pull back in the begging bowl and get back to business as usual. As always, if after having taken care of your human and animal family members, yourself, and other obligations, throw some love in the donation bucket so that I/we can continue to grow the site and get our video podcast up and running next year.

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Print author, TV, and film writer Joe Lansdale is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. This is the second time that "Champion" Joe has stopped by to chat at the virtual bar and he does not disappoint.

Chauncey and Joe talked about a huge range of topics including, the new Hap and Leonard book and TV series, his new book Paradise Sky which is about African-American cowboy Nat Love, Joe's work on the Batman cartoon series, writing Tarzan, thinking about the movie John Carter of Mars, generational change and codes of honor, manhood, race, martial arts, Ronda Rousey's loss, Bruce Lee, and whatever topics happened to come up.

Champion Joe is always lots of fun and does some great teaching and sharing as is his habit on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show.

This week's podcast also features some Star Wars: The Force Awakens content. Friend of the site and podcast Bill the Lizard stops by to talk with Chauncey about their excitement, fears, and worries about the new movie. This conversation was recorded Wednesday, the night before the premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. There will be a special all things Star Wars: The Force Awakens podcast episode next week where Chauncey and Bill the Lizard talk about the new movie. 

In addition to the great sharing and teaching offered by Joe Lansdale and Bill the Lizard, on this 

episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Chauncey talks about the human zoo sociopaths at the CNN GOP primary "debate", discussed the Freddie Gray mistrial for the first thug cop whose inaction/actions led to that horrible death, revealed more about his soda addiction, and talked about going on the David Pakman Show and the accusations that Chauncey looks like a turtle and is high on bath salts.

This episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show can be downloaded from Libsyn and also listened to here. This great set of conversations with Joe Lansdale and Bill the Lizard can be "watched" on Youtube at this link.

The Chauncey DeVega Show is available on Itunes and at Stitcher as well.