I took the kids to see Episode I The Phantom Menace in 3D
yesterday. As expected, the 3D was
nothing special. There's only so much
that they can do with it; it wasn't originally filmed in stereo. The 3D effects were on par with Clash of the
Titans, which wasn't all that. They
basically looked like a bunch of flat cardboard cut-outs that were either nearer
or farther - a lot like the cardboard cut-outs that were standing in the lobby
of the theater when we walked in. Having
said all that, it was still Star Wars, so it was still awesome. Jar Jar Binks doesn't even really bother
me. Actually, I would rather watch Jar
Jar in the first movie than teen-angst Anakin in Episodes II and III any
day.
After the show, we stopped by Target for some Star Wars
Valentine's Day cards for James' school.
The whole think got me thinking.
Do we really need Valentine's Day?
I know I'm not the first person to say this. Everyone pretty much knows Valentine's Day is
just a load of crap. I'm not sure what
exactly Hallmark had to do with it, but I'm sure they must have been behind the
whole thing somehow. What are we even
celebrating on Valentine's Day? I sure
as hell don't know, and I probably won't spend the 30 seconds of my life that
it would take to Google it and find out.
Seriously. I bet if I were to
walk outside right now, and ask the first person I see, "what is the
history of Valentine's Day?" They
wouldn't know. Or they might take some
air of knowledgeable confidence as they say, "Oh, well it's all about St.
Valentino of course." OK. So who is St. Valentino, and what did he do,
and why do we celebrate him? I would bet
my left nut they won't have any idea. I
know I certainly don't.
So if we can all agree that Valentine's Day is a lame
holiday, then why can't we replace it with something that isn't lame? Do LeRoy's Jeweler's , Helzberg Diamond's, and
Zales really have that much pull in Washington?
I kinda doubt it. So why can't we
just do away with the whole stupid thing, and celebrate something that truly matters. Something that is an integral part of our
national heritage. Something like Star
Wars.
Replacing Valentine's Day with Star Wars Day is the only
sensible course of action. No one knows
who St Valentino is, but you show me someone who doesn't know who Luke
Skywalker is, and I'll show you someone who has lived in a cave for the last 40
years. I don't care if you are a Star
Wars fan or not, you know who Princess Leia is, you know who Chewbacca is, and
you damn well better know who R2-D2 is. You
don’t think I'm serious? You think I am
exagerating when I say that Star Wars is woven into the very fabric of our
nation? Well, I'm not. Darth Vader has even been immortalized in
stone at one of the top tourist destinations in our nation's capitol. Which one?
The National Cathedral. No
shit.
I haven't done any background research on the subject, so
I'm not sure of all the details, but this is the story as I have heard it and it's
probably not too far from the truth. However-many years ago, some Washington
think-tank decided to hold a vote among Washington elementary school students
as a way to get America's youth more interested in their country's
heritage. The vote was to determine
who's face should be used as a new gargoyle at the National Cathedral. Elementary school kids were asked who did
they think of when they thought of evil.
Who is the visage of darkness?
Who personifies "bad" ?
It wasn't Satan, or Saddam, or the Boogey-Man, or anyone else that you
may guess. It was Vader. And you can get off of the tour bus and go
see him there today. I don't see any
stinkin' cupids on the National Cathedral.
I would say I don't see St. Valentino's statue there either, but I can't
say that because I wouldn't know it if I did see him. I wouldn't know St. Valentino if I was
standing behind him in the checkout line at the grocery store. That's kinda my whole point.
Let's make a change people.
Let's do something that matters.
Let's change February 14 to Star Wars Day.
May the Force be with you.
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