Chojin Patriarch
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Ah, Herr Fleidermaus. Visiting, I see. Clearly on business, since they're discussing... I assume films. No doubt the native Earth 10 Cinema is very, very bland. I'm picturing it as like American cinema in the fifties: Lots of simple dramas with largely inoffensive characters...29th November 2012
08:01 GMT
"Some were quite good, but others will not pass the censors."
The Bat shrugs, then takes a sip of tea. I've shown him around my Bir Tawil home, he's made interested noises, and now it's time to talk.
I have no doubt there's cliques of 'underground' cinema creators trying to break out of the norm by being transgressive. The legality of that is probably up in the air.The League... Are more or less in favour of my efforts to make National Socialist Earth less National Socialist. But that doesn't extend to letting me use League resources to keep in touch. Which… Yes, the UN would probably blow their collective tops if they found out that the League were using their funds for something like that. For… Pretty understandable reasons, really.
But it needs to happen, so I've moved Dr. Sivana's relay to Bir Tawil, a little way away from my home. My first attempt at cultural infiltration came in the form of cinema, because even things with no overt anti-National Socialist theme will include cultural assumptions that they don't share. I've been hoping that -with there not having really been external influences on their Earth for sixty years- their censors would be out of practice.
I'm sure some can be... Edited to tone down whatever they object to. With a Power Ring, it'd be easy...
Yeah, not the best of compliments, hearing about the things a literal Nazi enjoyed."Oh, it is best not to dwell on the negative. Rather, we should focus on the successes, the things that our societies have in common."
Oh, he obviously knows exactly how I feel about that.
...Because of course the Goddamn Nazi Batman has as good an intelligence network as the Goddamn Batgod."Bat,-."
"You want to have a brief honest talk about our actual objectives before we retreat into our familiar epistemologies." He nods. "And to find out whether or not I actually know what Overman and Overgirl are doing. Because you lack the confidence in your own intelligence to tease that information out over a period of time."
If you're anything like Batman, you might be able to fake your own desire networks."I'll have to do that anyway. It's not like I can trust anything you say."
"That's a little harsh. Particularly-" He points his right forefinger at my face. "-given that you can see inside my soul."
...Mammon while be skating to work before that happens."There are ways to block that."
"It's going to be a while before magic becomes acceptable in the Reich. Almost as long as it will take for us to persuade you to give us access to your knowledge of the subject."
You mean 'used by ancient white people we like', don't you?"Your Atlantis not sharing?"
"Our Atlanteans were bio-engineered. We did check." He looks away, an odd expression on his lips. "Some in the Ministry of Culture were hopeful that an… Acceptably 'Aryan' magic might be discovered."
Went over your head, eh? No shame in not being proficient in everything."Aryan in style, or as a discrete thing? Because there probably were forms of magic used by whatever people you're referring to as 'Aryan' that weren't used by, say, Africans."
"I wasn't involved in that discussion. But, reading the minutes to try and understand it was like trying to explain the doctrine of the Trinity to a pagan."
Well, let's take that as read and move on, shall we?"Overgirl told you the Arianism joke, did she?"
"She mentioned the philosophy. My point is that I have no way to prevent you seeing into my soul."
Yeah, kind of hard to manage what he says in off-the-cuff comments, hmm?"Still, I'd like to know."
"Anyone who knows him knows that Overman is not happy with things. And anyone who watches his public interviews-. The live ones, I mean. If he wants to reform things… Well." He shrugs. "He may try, and he may succeed or fail. That is the nature of Darwinism."
Well, that's a very accommodating way to look at it. And, to be fair, it's probably a view shared by others..."And how do you feel about it?"
"Ah, I doubt that I will live long enough to see any major changes. It will be the work of a generation at least. If he wants to standardise the rules for the black reservations, it makes no difference to me. If he wants to change the censorship laws, it makes no difference to me. If he wants to change history lessons in schools, it makes no difference to me. I won't like it, because I'm old and set in my ways, but I recognise that. I doubt that he will change Greater Germany enough to make much difference."
Not that local Kryptonite would work as well as you think it might. Different wavelengths and all that. For all you know, the local green Kryptonite works like blue sunlight on Overman."No?"
"No. He and I are from the same generation. We share an underlying sense of what is normal. I don't believe that he'll do anything too extreme, which is why I am not going to try to acquire kryptonite while I am here."
At least he won't go getting in Overman's way? The question is how many of his comrades might..."I'm not sure whether to be relieved or disappointed."
"Now you know how I feel, even without staring into my soul. So, the films."
It was an entertaining movie. Wonder if the characters were similar to their portrayal in our universe or not. I mean, the lead's father is pretty much a Superman-alike, minus the flight..."Yes. What was the problem?"
"We liked Sky High. The idea of a central training centre for empowered superhumans has been raised on numerous occasions, but the various institutions of state have never been able to agree on how to make it work. There were clear ideas of hereditary power and responsibility yoked to the good of the state as a whole, and the overt pro-eugenics message played very well. Particularly at the end, with how the superhumans with limited abilities were still able to provide useful 'hero support' while the innately superior hero saved the day."
Probably tolerable as an 'accepting his place in society' analogy...I… I think that was the exact opposite of-. Different culture. Of course he's going to see things differently.
"The black child wasn't a problem?"
Well... Frozone is pretty much Mr Incredible's best friend (and best man at his wedding!) I suppose that level of friendliness between white and not-white is too much for them..."He was inoffensive. I suppose there is the question of how we treat negro sup-er…" He trails off, looking both amused and confused. "It is a little difficult to know how to refer to them. 'Supernegro'? The Incredibles will not pass the censors due to its freezing negro being too prominent, but the one in Sky High is fine."
"And.. the theme of not underestimating people who were dismissed by the authorities as useless?"
...Not the worst takeaway from the movie, I guess?"No, no. If someone surpasses what the authorities believe are their limitations…" He frowns. "What was the line in Gattaca? 'That merely means that we did not measure their potential properly'. The guinea pig girl, for example. How often would being able to turn into a guinea pig realistically be useful? But nonetheless, she kept her wits about her and used it in the one time in her life that it was. A person does not need superpowers to be a good citizen. I do not have superpowers." He leans forward slightly, smiling. "But I am not going to try and arm wrestle Overman. There are things I cannot do, and will never be able to do."
Expect them to order certain scenes cut or shortened, I bet. With illegal 'uncut' copies becoming a black market item.…
"So that's approved?"
"No, it will have to go through the censors, but I cannot imagine what other complaints they could have."
...Okay, care to explain that one? ...Outside of 'Incredibles', I haven't seen any Pixar stuff...I sigh inwardly.
"And the others?"
"Wall-E was an instructive demonstration of the dangers of lassitude and complacency, as well as decadence and dependence on others."
...Just as long as they aren't depicted as being equals to"Again, no problem with the black characters?"
"National Socialists don't just oppress negros. The negros are just the only ones who survived. There isn't a problem with including negros with other types of degenerate."
...He's not wrong? Which fills me with disgust, for some reason..."And you don't think there might be a problem with the evil AI who was lying to everyone about the state of Earth?"
"Why would there be?" He grins. "Hah, my little joke. No, that is not a problem because as an AI it is inherently alien. The portrayal of the captain might have been a problem, but amongst a group of degenerates he took the most effort into becoming more than he was. He sought purpose, and in the end found it in working to restore his peoples' ancestral homeland."
After all, there's no characters who can't be read as white, is there?
...Wow, did OL just toss the Disney/Pixar back catalogue at them or something?"A Bug's Life?"
"A parasitical culture being defeated by a collective effort led by a valiant hero."
What do you have against Micheal Bay, huh? Too American? What about the original Trilogy, then? Or is the anti-imperial theme too unsubtle?"The Phantom Menace?"
"No. Not because the censors would block it, it just isn't very good." He looks mildly pained. "And the racial allegory was rather unsubtle, don't you think?"
Well, that whole discussion was... Uncomfortable. Like talking with that one family member at a reunion that has the.. concerning opinions that everyone else avoids them for, and you're only talking to them to to be polite... Thankfully, this won't be a recurring thing, I hope. Still, good to see not all of his colleagues would stand in Overman's way to achieve reforms...
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