Saturday, March 4, 2017

fear/evasive language, and . . . Invasion of the body snatchers


Copyright ESA/Herschel/PACS, SPIRE/Hi-GAL Project. Acknowledgement: UNIMAP / L. Piazzo, La Sapienza – Università di Roma; E. Schisano / G. Li Causi, IAPS/INAF, Italy


More evasive language I've been finding that proves fear of thinking(for whatever reason) found in the movies "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."  The 1978 version even features Leonard Nimoy.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, check out my Sophie and Silas post - Jun 8, 2015 post.

- The Invasion of the body snatchers is a kind of parable of how people pick up ideas and become cultish.  Of how people become conditioned in a given culture and incrowd.  Of how, if someone doesn't go with the cultural flow, they get pointed out.  This all seems surreal; but, the following Biblical quotes proves it!

2 Thessalonians3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us."

and another, "3:14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed."


Well, the first scene I can find that corresponds to my notes is the rat terd scene,


Here, Donald Sutherland, who plays Matthew, finds a rat terd in the food.  The owner uses evasive language, being in denial, and calls it a caper. Some of the rest of the scene that is not shone are the restaurant chefs acting offended at Matthews presence.  Then, when Matthew finds the rat terd, they go and egg his car.

One of the main characters, Elizabeth, explains to Matthew that her punk husband has changed.  She followed him once and noticed he's with others and they're all passing around seed-pods. This reminds me of religious people who run around passing out bibles.  - I further noted that this passing around of seed-pods is like Eric Drexler's "disruptive".  Everyone gets in the act - to be cool.


The scene above is a guy who's trying to whistle blow; but, Matthew just blows him off.  He doesn't want to think there's a problem.  He's a bit cowardly here.  The whistle blower runs and gets hit by a car.  They turn the corner, and they see everyone looking at the whistle blower in a rather empty feeling way. They're all the converted.

- There's a scene where Matthew is calling Elizabeth's huspand.  The husband doesn't say anything.  He just listens and hangs up so that Elizabeth can fall asleep and wake up as one of the pod-seed people.


Elizabeth tries to get one of the pod-flowers tested.  But, her boss is uncooperative.  He asks "how" and tells her "you're consistently late".  He doesn't want the flower tested.  He doesn't want information to get out until the pod-seed invasion of the body snatchers conspiracy is in full swing.


The above is kind of a central scene. Matthew and Elizabeth are found by the now converted Leonard Nimoy and some others. Leonard Nimoy and the others say, "It's so much easier if you just convert."  Then, they make a bunch of evasive spin doctor talk - "all are one", "born into an untroubled world", "no fears or anxiety", "no room for hate . . . or love", and "don't be trapped by old concepts."


This last scene is kind of famous amongst "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" fans. Earlier in the movie, when he, Elizabeth, and his other friends are running away from the pod-people, they learn that if they just act like the rest, they can walk amongst them - unnoticed.  The last scene is a play like Matthew has perfected this. One of his friends finds him and thinks he must know how to walk amongst the drones as well.  But, to her horror, Matthew screams and points to her, signaling to the others that he's found someone who's walking disorderly.



1 comment:

  1. I point out

    2 Thessalonians3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us."

    and another, "3:14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed."

    at the end of this write up about fear and evasive language. But, I don't say much of it's relation to "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."

    In "Invasion of the body snatchers", the converted are passing around the pods, they're doing so quietly. They're saying stay away from the normal humans, just like the biblical passages above.

    This type of scene seems preposterous in a real world setting; yet, there's the quote!

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