"Iron Man"

Go see "Ironman!" Not only is it terrific seeing Robert
Downey, Jr., on the big screen again, with all his colossal talent
and recovery from substance abuse and whatnot, but "Iron Man"
has a lot to say about post-modern society. It is both ironic and
funny to think that a man, Tony Stark, who has spent his life
making and profiting from "weapons of mass destruction" is able
to build a device, i.e., a "supersuit" of armor, that allows him to
destroy said weapons.

Imagine that: using technology to destroy technology. But that
is the double-edged sword of modernity. The technology that
holds such promise and has the potential to improve life on
earth at the same time is capable of great harm. That is why
post-moderns have some serious doubts about the promises
of science and are, by and large, often disappointed by
what industrial society calls "progress."

But we are, sans catastrophe, not going back to a pre-industrial
society. Technology is here to stay. Indeed, humans seem to be
morphing into something on the order of organic-technological
hybrids as time goes on. Just think of all the cybernetic devices
available these days for human organ and limb replacement, not
to mention the hands-free cell phone devices that are so ubiquitous.
So, all of our romantic dreams of going back to a "simpler" time
notwithstanding, such "advances" are going to be with
us for the long haul, it would seem.

Now artificial hips and artificial hearts are one thing. But smart
bombs are another matter altogether, not to mention nukes. One
is a blessing, the other a curse. How do we embrace the blessing
and avoid the curse? For that, we must rely on a couple of things
that are totally organic: our minds and our hearts. We must learn
to see clearly what technology can and cannot do and refuse to
endorse it willy-nilly without understanding what it is capable of,
in both a positive and negative sense.

Tony Stark had his consciousness raised about the negative, and
devastating, human impact his weapons were causing in a small
Middle Eastern village when they got into the wrong hands. And
then he proceeded to do something about it.

Early in the movie, Stark is critically injured and his heart is
repaired by technology (albeit fictional technology). And in more
ways than one, Stark's new heart is what made him a superhero,
not his awesome armor. Indeed, his faithful assistant and potential
love interest, Pepper Potts, turned the original, crude "arc reactor"
prototype used to repair Stark's heart into a desk sculpture, a
momento of the time Tony almost lost his life. The sculpture
had on its base an inscription that said "Proof that Tony Stark
has a heart." Technology with a heart: now we are getting
somewhere.

Hello

Hello, everyone. This blog is dedicated to whatever feverish topic my little brain desires.
Watch out, worldwideweb, I am going to conquer the world! Everything is proceeding according to plan! Mmm-ba-ha-ha-ha-ha! But, seriously folks, I am primarily going to be tackling issues related to topics in the entertainment field with some select ranting about the injustices in the world. Also, I plan to divulge the meaning of life. So stay tuned........


Sam W. Foskey

P.S. Oh, who am I kidding? The suspense is killing me. O.k., here it is: the meaning of life
is .....lard! Yes, consuming large amounts of lard will make you happy. Fat tastes GOOD,
you see, and I really don't think it's THAT bad on your hea..........aarrgghh!!

P.S. S. On the next Rrantzz, the role of Sam W. Foskey will be played by John Smith....