May the Farce be with you...

Technorati tags: Humor, Star Wars, Jabba The Controversial Hutt, Undilah

The road to stupid controversies is paved with noble intentions, it would seem. What Walski is referring to here is the latest “controversy” surrounding the Undilah video. No, not the fact that the MCMC instructed the TV stations to cease airing it (purportedly due to the clip not having gotten the Censorship Board’s blessings).

No, this is something else.

On Sunday, The Malaysian Insider reported that BN MP for Kota Belud, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, felt that the video was anti-establishment, in a "subliminal" way. You can read the full report here.

But here’s the bit that really caught Walski’s eye. Okay, both eyes (emphasis by myAsylum):

He said that at one point in the clip, a man dressed as Star Wars’ character “Jabba the Hutt” is seen standing next to a poster of Datuk Seri Najib Razak, a scene that appeared to mock the prime minister.
(source: The Malaysian Insider)

All together now... HUH?!?.

In case you missed the part where Jabba the Hutt makes an appearance – frankly, Walski had to go back to the video and look C-L-O-S-E-L-Y – the guy in the large slug suit appears around about time-counter 3:35, for about 3 seconds or so.

Now, unless those in BN call our PM Jibby the Hun secretly behind his back, Walski has no clue whatsoever why, or how, the appearance of Jabba the Hutt could be considered mocking the PM. Or maybe, Jibby owes Jabba a bunch of space credits – again, it’s knowledge only those in the BN inner circle would be privy to.

But seriously, it got Walski to wondering: would MP for Kota Belud have thought it were just as mocking if ANY other Star Wars character were in Jabba’s place? 
(the Farce is strong with this one, and more, in the full post)

It actually took a while for Walski to even recognize the Undilah blob as Jabba the Hutt. Looked more like a strange looking Barney to him, disfigured after a hudud punishment exercise gone terribly wrong. Or Barney at the larvae stage of development perhaps.

The “real” Jabba (see left) looks a lot uglier, slimier, and probably more closely resembles a certain Malay language entertainment writer who used to be on Walski’s shit-list, than it would any other fictional semi-character.

But what if it had been Darth Vader that was featured instead? Perhaps a Sith Lord paying tribute to his master would have been less mocking? Or more so? Dunno. The Farce is strong with these MPs and so it’s difficult for a mere mortal like Walski to guess.

It’s amazing how we see something negative when it’s negativity we’re looking for. After all, human beings are pattern-seeking creatures. See an apple, you think Steve Jobs. See Darth Vader, you think paying tribute to an evil entity, in all likelihood. Not that Najib resembles Palpatine (aka the evil Emperor, aka Darth Sidious) or anything like that. But you never really know with these MPs.

Or would Yoda have been a better choice? Hmmm.... strong resemblance this old one has.... would probably have been the thought permeating through the minds of those wont to find something mocking. Okay, so Yoda’s better looking (a tad), has got bigger ears, and likely more adept at deflecting bullshit, what with having a light-saber and all.

But you don’t have to try very hard to find a resemblance, do you?

The point is, even if it were one of the Star Wars good guys, some idiot somewhere would probably find something offensive about it when put against the image of our esteemed Prime Minister. Not to imply that our MPs are idiots, of course (snicker). But some of ‘em have this uncanny skill of attracting ridicule without much effort... strong the Farce is in some elected ones...

In all likelihood, put any character from Star Wars in that bus shelter, and those intent on finding mockery will definitely find it. In spades.

Han Solo? Scoundrel.

Luke Skywalker? Bumbling wannabe trying hard to be like his father, but never quite succeeding. In the Star Wars universe, this turned out to not be such a bad thing. In our universe, a different connotative story altogether.

Princess Leia? Altantuya.

You simply cannot avoid potentially insulting those wired up to be insult magnets. It’s like discharging a shotgun into a horde of rampaging zombies and not hitting a single one. Possible, but highly unlikely.

Come to think of it, put ANY character in that bus shelter... it simply is a lose-lose proposition. Solution? Just do what you think is right, and not worry too much about what the fault-finders may think.

The producer of the Undilah music video has done just that – stuck to his guns, with a rebuttal (via The Malaysian Insider). And Pete Teo being Pete Teo, a head-butt of a rebuttal. Which, to Walski, is the right thing to do.

Naysayers will be naysayers, and it’s next to impossible to create something of value – exactly what Pete Teo has done with Undilah – without them conjuring up some sort of farce to fuss over.

In the words of that make believe diminutive mystic of the Star Wars universe, pondering over his new pair of shiny sports shoes, “Do it, just”.