Some soothing thoughts in stressful times

Sometimes there is a strange tendency in Western Civilization (and perhaps others as well) to combat unsavory reality with escapism. In my case, I enjoy all sorts of entertainment from movies to television to music to whatever. Now, to defend certain choices. While there is a certain allure and enjoyment to had from what some would call high-brow art, at times there is a need for more esoteric art forms. In the instance of movies (or if you must films) I really like the works of John Ford for his expansive and breathtaking glimpse into the American West. The French New Wave films of Goddard and Coucteau (especially the latter's Orpheus)are very exciting. But at other times, I need a fix of what I call escapist crap. For instance, the Streetfighter series of movies starring Sonny Chiba as Terry Tsugury are just what the doctor ordered when I feel particularly stressed by the likes of Herr Bush and his amoral cronies.So why escape from the brutal realities of what America is perpertrating on the Islamic world with mindless, senseless violence? Well, quite frankly because the Streetfighter is cool! Of course, that's not much of a response, but somehow that's all that can be said. The Streetfighter movies are not technically good by any stretch of the imagination, but that's not the point. They are entertainingly inept. The violence in these movies is legendary. In the 1970's when these movies were made, the first installment of this trilogy ( the fourth Sister Streetfighter doesn't count) received the first X-rating because of the altogether gruesome, purient violence level. O.K. there is some overboard brutality in these movies. The Streetfighter does rip out a man's genitals and throw them on the floor (He was a rapist by the way). Then the Streetfighter gropes the woman he just rescued. But this violence is very cartoonish in execution and it would be hard to take very seriously. In a strange way, what makes the Streetfighter so cool is his very amorality. He is not a good guy or a bad guy. To paraphrase Tarantino's True Romance script, the Streetfighter is just a BADDASS. Naturally, this all seems rather juvenile, and perhaps it is, but it's my way of fighting the complacent slide into adulthood that seems to suck the life out of most people. Why do most honest, hardworking, responsible adults forget what motivated them in their younger years and become automatons who don't recognize, or even worse, chose to ignore the crazy, upside-down, emotionally-starved, morally-bankrupt nation in which they live? Maybe because they have lost touch with, or even never possessed, the ability to see the absurdity of life. If you can see and appreciate the ridiculous quality of a Streetfighter movie, then you should be able to recognize the same quality in real life and therefore be urged to do something about the situation. Take up arms! Move out of your parent's basement! Graduate from college for christ's sake! You can either laugh or cry in this world, and one of them's more fun! That doesn't mean you ignore the world and sit around smoking dope and watching t.v. all day. It means you get all you can out of life and do so in a positive manner.
More on this later (Sonny Chiba's appeal can never be exhaustively discussed, and if you didn't know already, he's in Kill Bill, vol. 1).