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"Funny Games" = Clinton campaign
One of my reactions during the watching of Funny Games last night was a strange political resonance. In a baroque, very specific way, Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet -- the polite but completely psychopathic fiends who, we come to realize, are focused on delivering a terrible fate to a house built upon love, health and a semblance of sanity -- struck me as twin metaphors for the Hillary Clinton campaign.
Consider the following: (1) Just as HRC is now "in the house" and won't leave, despite many reasonable people imploring her to do so because of the destruction she's threatening, Pitt and Corbet's tennis-outfit-wearing killers are also literally in the house and won't leave; (2) Like Clinton, Pitt and Corbet are smiling, "well-mannered" and very persistent; (3) they have haircuts similar to Clinton's -- medium-length, swept-back blonde hair; (4) Pitt and Corbet are clearly monsters, a term that has recently been used to describe Senator Clinton by former Obama foreign policy adviser Samantha Power and writer Seth Graham Smith in a 3.9 Huffington Post piece; (5) Pitt and Corbet are without a shred of conscience or remorse about their destructiveness, as one could reasonably say about the Clinton campaign and their racially-tinted, bomb-Dresden, burn-the-house-down campaign at this stage; and (6) Pitt and Corbet's actions make Funny Games a kind of horror film, which is how political columnist Andrew Sulivan has described the Clinton campaign in a 3.9 London Times article.
See? Not as much of a stretch as you thought. Think about it.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on March 11, 2008 at 5:16 PM
comment #1
Zoidberg
says ...
Goodness, Wells....you have a one-track mind.
Posted by Zoidberg
at March 11, 2008 5:59 PM
comment #2
Walter Sobchak
says ...
Good Lord.
Posted by Walter Sobchak
at March 11, 2008 6:12 PM
comment #3
gruver1
says ...
Wells to Zoidberg: This was just a fleeting thought I had last night. It came into my head and went out again. But the parallels are there, and they're valid. If they're not valid, please explain how.
Posted by gruver1
at March 11, 2008 6:12 PM
comment #4
dangovich
says ...
Is there a good cop-bad cop element to it? I've noticed this has become a favorite Hillary strategy: Have someone in the campaign (i.e., Bill or Geraldine Ferraro) bring up Obama's race, so she can step forward and disavow the statements.
Posted by dangovich
at March 11, 2008 6:18 PM
comment #5
Walter Sobchak
says ...
I was brushing my teeth this morning and I couldn't help but realize how what I was doing was so similar to the Democratic primary. My tooth brush was, like Obama, long, slender and bristlingly hopeful. Hillary on the other hand was like gingivital plaque, rotting my teeth to the very root.
Hillary sucks! Obama rules!
Out!
Posted by Walter Sobchak
at March 11, 2008 6:20 PM
comment #6
PastePotPete
says ...
See this is why I like Wells. He knows this is going to play into the people knocking him for his political posts, but he says 'fuck you' and does it anyway. Like when he posts about Spielberg. I admire that kind of "fuck it" attitude at times.
And after all, it's his blog. He can write whatever he wants.
Posted by PastePotPete
at March 11, 2008 6:21 PM
comment #7
Dave
says ...
Jeff, after reading that, you should do me the honor of reading *this*, by David Mamet in the Village Voice:
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0811,374064,374064,1.html
How very insightful, and true.
See ya 'round the water cooler, Jeff!
Posted by Dave
at March 11, 2008 6:21 PM
comment #8
sweet_billy
says ...
you need to spend more time in laser blazer and less time where you can hear news.
Posted by sweet_billy
at March 11, 2008 6:26 PM
comment #9
christian
says ...
Jesus Keerist Jeff. Get laid. Or move in with Andy Sullivan.
Posted by christian
at March 11, 2008 6:49 PM
comment #10
kellyshang
says ...
haha~~~interesting discussion. i see a funy show about clinton on a site named interracialmatch.com/photo/blackchats you will find it's real a fuck funny.
Posted by kellyshang
at March 11, 2008 7:10 PM
comment #11
Sax
says ...
Yesterday I flamed the dude for absurd analogies, wondering who he'd compare Hillary to next. But who could have guessed he'd choose a pair of male psychopathic killers? Stephen Colbert was raving about bears the other night and all I could think was, if Jeff sees this, Hillary's going to be a bear tomorrow -- ravaging the Yosemite of our political process. Then there was that avalanche in Austria ... what a Hillary moment! Maybe we should just give up admit that she is ... everything bad. It would save Jeff some embarrassing moments.
Posted by Sax
at March 11, 2008 7:11 PM
comment #12
Mgmax
says ...
What a fucking polyanna, that fucking David Mamet.
Posted by Mgmax
at March 11, 2008 7:14 PM
comment #13
btwnproductions
says ...
The movie is so flat and affectless, it could be a metaphor for almost anything: the administration, the Iraq war, global warming, Darfur, Britney Spears, and all the other calamitous events to befall us since the original version appeared in 1997. Personally, I thought the white gloves the killers wear were a nod to Michael Jackson.
Posted by btwnproductions
at March 11, 2008 7:33 PM
comment #14
berkguru
says ...
what a douchebag...stupid post wells
Posted by berkguru
at March 11, 2008 7:47 PM
comment #15
Josh Massey
says ...
Oooh... fancy.
Posted by Josh Massey
at March 11, 2008 8:26 PM
comment #16
Mgmax
says ...
I like the new look, but how does posting work now? I put my info in, then it got eaten and I got bounced to the sign-in page.
Posted by Mgmax
at March 11, 2008 8:30 PM
comment #17
rr3333
says ...
Jeff: Your shocking new format startled me ..
How much you pay the guy?
Posted by rr3333
at March 11, 2008 8:34 PM
comment #18
Mr. Muckle
says ...
Oh no, this design ain't good. With flashblock on (saves headaches) it's just a mass of gray with some white blocks w/rounded corners. And the comments work weird. What was the necessity for this change? What wasn't working that works better now? Is this the kind of change what we have to look forward to from an Obama presidency? ;-)
Posted by Mr. Muckle
at March 11, 2008 8:38 PM
comment #19
soap-and-water
says ...
first impressions are good... even though i'm clicking around the edges to avoid funny games spoilers.
Posted by soap-and-water
at March 11, 2008 8:39 PM
comment #20
christian
says ...
Congrats on a new look, but...it's a little bulky and the comments certainly don't flow the way they used to. That's my two cents.
Posted by christian
at March 11, 2008 8:43 PM
comment #21
Josh Massey
says ...
I reserve comment because I always hate redesigns, and then eventually grow to like them.
Off-topic: just watched We Own the Night, and liked it far better than I expected to. There's something to be said for going into a film not knowing at all what the hell it is about.
Posted by Josh Massey
at March 11, 2008 8:59 PM
comment #22
scooterzz
says ...
grrrr....change.....change is bad....grrrrr
Posted by scooterzz
at March 11, 2008 9:09 PM
comment #23
Mr B
says ...
no, i think i kind of like this.
Posted by Mr B
at March 11, 2008 9:29 PM
comment #24
Edward
says ...
I think I'll pass on this film. I hope I can pass on not having to vote for Clinton.
Totally unrelated: Love the new look of the site. Way to go.
Posted by Edward
at March 11, 2008 9:32 PM
comment #25
alynch
says ...
The new look? I'll keep an open mind.
Posted by alynch
at March 11, 2008 10:07 PM
comment #26
D.Z.
says ...
Dave: Re: VV article:
"and that we in the United States get from day to day under rather wonderful and privileged circumstances—"
I'm not sure how having to decide between food, gas, health insurance, and apartment/house payments is considered "privileged".
"that we are not and never have been the villains that some of the world and some of our citizens make us out to be, but that we are a confection of normal (greedy, lustful, duplicitous, corrupt, inspired—in short, human) individuals living under a spectacularly effective compact called the Constitution, and lucky to get it."
So slavery and Indian genocide are no longer villainous?
"For the Constitution, rather than suggesting that all behave in a godlike manner, recognizes that, to the contrary, people are swine and will take any opportunity to subvert any agreement in order to pursue what they consider to be their proper interests."
Which is why it was written to represent white male slave owners.
"Bush got us into Iraq, JFK into Vietnam."
That's misleading, since JFK got shot before he made his decision on Vietnam. And the war itself was an extension of Eisenhower's interventionist policies.
"Bush stole the election in Florida; Kennedy stole his in Chicago."
Well, yes, but JFK didn't try to suppress minority votes in doing it.
"Bush outed a CIA agent; Kennedy left hundreds of them to die in the surf at the Bay of Pigs."
Not the same fucking thing. The agents in the Bay of Pigs knew they were supposed to die, while Plame's cover was compromised.
"Bush lied about his military service; Kennedy accepted a Pulitzer Prize for a book written by Ted Sorenson."
Again, not the same fucking thing. JFK still had experience in his field.
"Bush was in bed with the Saudis, Kennedy with the Mafia."
At least the Mafia wasn't funding suicide bombers.
"Well, in the abstract, coming from my time and background, I thought it was a rather good thing, but tallying up the ledger in those things which affect me and in those things I observe, I am hard-pressed to see an instance where the intervention of the government led to much beyond sorrow."
Yeah, New Orleans is so much happier with the free market taking the place of FEMA.
Posted by D.Z.
at March 11, 2008 10:11 PM
comment #27
Geoff
says ...
Cool new skin on HE.
Posted by Geoff
at March 11, 2008 10:42 PM
comment #28
T. Holly
says ...
i'm w/Alynch. A corkboard background to set off the index card feel might be better, more relaxing, look. Or maybe sage green.
Posted by T. Holly
at March 11, 2008 10:59 PM
comment #29
moorish
says ...
Wells, you sound like a nutter.
Posted by moorish
at March 12, 2008 3:03 AM
comment #30
MAGGA
says ...
David Mamet just wrote an article saying that plays were better without a director. Very clever analogy. And letting the market control everything is no longer a republican ideal, as they try to ban birth control, abortions, dildos and everything else that reminds them that people are, ghasp, getting laid. Regarding the new look, I like that the name of the poster appears before the post, but posting is confusing, let's see how this works...
Posted by MAGGA
at March 12, 2008 3:47 AM
comment #31
Josh Massey
says ...
Ban birth control? Link please.
Posted by Josh Massey
at March 12, 2008 4:02 AM
comment #32
Mgmax
says ...
I'm not sure how having to decide between food, gas, health insurance, and apartment/house payments is considered "privileged".
No, it's called "the human condition." There ain't no Santy Claus, accept it and move on.
Okay, so does anyone else go through this to post? I have to enter my name and email and a message, then comment fails because I'm not signed in, I sign in, then I can enter it the old way. Aren't we missing the button where I can just sign in and THEN enter my comment?
Posted by Mgmax
at March 12, 2008 4:57 AM
comment #33
MAGGA
says ...
Alright, fuck this. Just wrote a lengthy response and the whole damn thing dissapeared due to the stupid process of posting. Fix it, please!
Posted by MAGGA
at March 12, 2008 5:44 AM
comment #34
MAGGA
says ...
Also, the banner on top of the page and the search function doesn't work
Posted by MAGGA
at March 12, 2008 5:48 AM
comment #35
Mgmax
says ...
njkb
Posted by Mgmax
at March 12, 2008 6:55 AM
comment #36
Mgmax
says ...
Okay, so I guess I stayed signed in. But there's no way of telling until the comment either works or fails.
Posted by Mgmax
at March 12, 2008 6:56 AM
comment #37
Griff
says ...
Nice look to the web site. Re: Hillary, I was thinking she was more like the politician taken over by the greedy, rapacious alien in "The Hidden." A flack is saying, "No, the senator has no interest in running for president," and the possessed politician pipes up “I want to be president.†It seemed very reminiscent of the Hill’s sudden recollections of her foreign policy experience. She’s claimed to have helped achieve the peace in Ireland (a claim dismissed as silly by the Nobel-prize winning architect of that plan) and she also claimed to have urged her husband to intervene in Rwanda (a claim that has never appeared before in either her or Bill’s extensive memoirs).
Posted by Griff
at March 12, 2008 6:57 AM
comment #38
Jay T.
says ...
Wow, talk about a forced analogy... you're reaching again.
Posted by Jay T.
at March 12, 2008 7:56 AM
comment #39
D.Z.
says ...
Mgmax: "No, it's called "the human condition." '
More like a decline in the value of the dollar coupled with price gouging and speculation at the expense of the consumer.
Josh: http://video.aol.com/video-detail/mike-huckabee-wants-to-ban-the-birth-control-pill/2379847421
http://www.socialistworker.org/2005-1/546/546_12_BirthControl.shtml
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2006/03/20/anti_contraception/
Posted by D.Z.
at March 12, 2008 8:24 AM
comment #40
D.Z.
says ...
Mgmax: "There ain't no Santy Claus,"
Unless you're rich and well-connected. Then you get subsidies and a monopoly.
Posted by D.Z.
at March 12, 2008 8:26 AM
comment #41
Mgmax
says ...
At least Santa Clause conquered the Martians.
Posted by Mgmax
at March 12, 2008 8:38 AM
comment #42
Mgmax
says ...
Argh! Damn that Tim Allenesque "e."
Posted by Mgmax
at March 12, 2008 8:39 AM
comment #43
barcelona76
says ...
Jeff, it took a little while for me to adjust, but overall i like the site redesign. it would be nice to have an rss feed, but i can understand the reasons why you wouldn't want to add one. the main page looks stellar. the only thing that needs some tweaking are the comments pages. they don't flow very well nor foster an easy exchange of opinions amongst your HE denizens. it's rather tedious to sift through the comments -
other than that, everything is easy on the eyes and much more professional looking. congrats on this new chapter of HE.
Posted by barcelona76
at March 12, 2008 9:49 AM
comment #44
T. S. Idiot
says ...
If only Spielberg would leave his wife for Scarlett S. and then run for political office. Wells would be in heaven.
Posted by T. S. Idiot
at March 12, 2008 10:27 AM
comment #45
Sean E
says ...
'Re: Hillary, I was thinking she was more like the politician taken over by the greedy, rapacious alien in "The Hidden." '
Actually, America is John Hurt and Hilary is the chest-burster alien, wating to destroy the country from the inside. And Obama is Ripley. ("Get away from her you BITCH")
And Bill Clinton is obviously Hudson ("Hey, maybe you haven't been keeping up on current events, but we just got our asses kicked, pal! ")
Or maybe Hilary's just the devil, and Obama is Jesus, who also knows karate.
Posted by Sean E
at March 12, 2008 11:12 AM
comment #46
Rich S.
says ...
So wouldn't that make Obama Neo from the Matrix?
Posted by Rich S.
at March 12, 2008 12:23 PM
comment #47
T. S. Idiot
says ...
Obama is Billy Jack.
Posted by T. S. Idiot
at March 12, 2008 12:34 PM
comment #48
Sean E
says ...
I should add that I am well aware that Original Jesus also knew karate, but kept his badassery in check for the greater good of humanity. New Jesus will be under no such constraints.
"So wouldn't that make Obama Neo from the Matrix?"
Obama is not Neo, but Neo was Obama, as foretold by the prophets Wachowski. Watch Speed Racer for new revelations.
Posted by Sean E
at March 12, 2008 1:49 PM
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