Originally Posted by
MasterShake
First of all I would like to thank Shane for keeping his criticisms in this thread lately, I come in here to see the other side of the argument and keep my finger on the pulse.
Second, I am sick of the vocal minority of Star Wars fans being labeled as indicative of the greater fan-base as a whole.
These fans are in every fan-base. They feel like they are gatekeepers of some mystical truth and god forbid if you go against what is supposed to happen in their minds. When you tie up your personality in pop-culture, sports, or whatever instead of cultivating your own it is very easy to feel personally offended when suddenly the thing you love changes or takes on a new identity. I have lived through the Ewok backlash, the Special Edition furor, the George Lucas "raped my childhood" crowd, the prequel-bashers, and now this. This is nothing new, just a continuation of people taking something that is supposed to be an escape or a hobby and making it their lives.
I have three display cases full of Star Wars stuff (most recently an awesome young Lando figure from the new Solo flick) to remind me of the good things about the movies I like. I don't have a Rose figure, or Supreme Leader Snoke bubble bath, but I also have nothing against the things I don't think work. I appreciate the risks The Last Jedi took, even though many of the ideas didn't stick. In the end Star Wars is a small part of who I am, but the minute I make it all about me and I lash out when it doesn't line up with what I define it to be I hope someone calls me out because I honestly think that is a symptom of much bigger personal problems. The reason? Star Wars or any thing someone likes is a different experience for everyone and I am not the keeper of truth on what those reasons are.
I have a friend who's 5 year old daughter dresses up like Rey for the last two Halloweens and any chance she gets. I have a father who doesn't know the difference between the First Order and The Empire but who still comes to the new movies with me and my son because he remembers taking me when I was younger. I have a wife who doesn't care for Star Wars but allows me to take up a good chunk of space in our home because she knows what a geek I am about this and the Broncos and it makes me happy. And last but not least, I have a son who sees this all as one big story and absorbs what he likes and dismisses what he doesn't.
If all Star Wars does right now is make you angry, I truly feel bad for you. At their heart they were never meant to be taken this seriously and are just fun modern myths. This criticism isn't aimed at anyone in this thread or Shane in particular, just my musings as a fan that remembers going to the drive in to see the originals and knowing that I can never capture that feeling again but I can appreciate it in those that are having it now.