Babylon 5 and Politics

[Jan]

JMS tells it like it is.

[Ubik]

Ummmhmmm. We're in for many of those "goodfacts". The facts that make certain people look like winners who are getting things done.

We're hardly even a day into Trump's tenure and I'm already lost for words. Really scary shit people... A whole load of 'not good'.

To all my US based friends on here, keep fighting the good fight. Stand between the darkness and the light

[Looney]

Ummmhmmm. We're in for many of those "goodfacts". The facts that make certain people look like winners who are getting things done.

[Jan]

Today brought a senior adviser to the president saying with a straight face that the press spokesman for the White House didn't lie, he presented "alternative facts"

Or as JMS wrote in "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars:

Not propaganda. Goodfacts, as opposed to realfacts. Facts the government has endorsed.

And all over something as petty as crowd size for the inauguration. Not even anything *important*!

[Jan]

I think the parallel to the Supreme Court is not unintentional, and Joe did reference it at least once when comparing to the Grey Council (in that JMS quote above).

Ah, got it. Sorry for being so slow. I wouldn't be surprised if there were something along those lines in the back of his mind. I've always thougtht that nine was a good number, even aside from the attraction of 'three times three'. It means there's enough people that you have to persuade to your side to make sure it's not easy to get your way but not so large a body as to be overly cumbersome.

Thanks for the clarification.

Jan

[JoeD80]

Sorry I didn't move this post over from the other thread, JoeD80. I'm not sure what it's addressing?

From above:

So, my watching just reached "Babylon Squared." When I cam to the part when Delenn comes back in to the Gray Council, she is greeted with "For too long the 9 have been 8." That made me think of another 9 that has been 8 for too long.

I think the parallel to the Supreme Court is not unintentional, and Joe did reference it at least once when comparing to the Grey Council (in that JMS quote above).

[Jan]

Well there is this one reference:

Sorry I didn't move this post over from the other thread, JoeD80. I'm not sure what it's addressing?

[JoeD80]

Well there is this one reference:

Membership in the Grey Council is usually for life; a person can choose to leave but only under truly extraordinary circumstances (kind of like being appointed to the Supreme Court). In Delenn's case, though, remember that she didn't quit, she was booted out.

[Jan]

Okay, I've moved several posts over here.

Here's another thing that's reminded me of B5 for months now: The media calling refugees by the less guilt-inducing term 'migrants'. As Julie Musante said, we've re-written the dictionary.

[Looney]

Definitely agree it should move there if it turns into a discussion. This, for me, was just an observation related to my current viewing. :-)

I didn't plan on taking it any further.

I think it should be moved as I have a feeling this will be one of many observed parallels in the future.

[WorkerCaste]

Definitely agree it should move there if it turns into a discussion. This, for me, was just an observation related to my current viewing. :-)

I didn't plan on taking it any further.

[Jan]

Is it just me, or is that at all similar to something else????

Not just you.

Wondering if it might be an idea to combine this with the 'B5 and Politics' thread in General? I'm thinking that there's going to be a lot of parallels and things to discuss in the foreseeable future and it would probably be good to keep it in one place. Thoughts? Note that I have *no* objection to political talk as long as it's kept respectful and labeling of people is kept to a minimum.

Jan

[Looney]

Not just you.

[WorkerCaste]

So, my watching just reached "Babylon Squared." When I cam to the part when Delenn comes back in to the Gray Council, she is greeted with "For too long the 9 have been 8." That made me think of another 9 that has been 8 for too long. Then I thought how the missing one was replaced with a Warrior Caste representative through various machinations, and how that brought the Council out of balance.

Is it just me, or is that at all similar to something else????

[Jonas]

The depiction of liberal (in the strict political sense of the word) academics attacking Sheridan is, I think, very heavily based on the attacks on Abraham Lincoln by postmodernist academics, which were fairly prominent in the 90s and pretty much continue today. The arguments, and the flaws in them, are extremely similar. Another aspect of the show's thematic relationship to the American Civil War.