banky's Journal: Mayans lived in harmonious peace with nature. Right.

I love how the "Mayans" are freaking out over Apocalypto.

My main problem is that their argument is, well, insulting. Paraphrased, it says that by painting the Mayan people as savages, we - which is to say, white people in America - will think that RIGHT NOW, they're cutting hearts out and all that.

That by watching this movie, my Guatemalan neighbor who walks to work every day as a prep cook at Sweetwater Tavern will suddenly in my eyes be viewed as a savage, too.

So, my dear "Mayan activists", I'd like to say: Fuck you. For two reasons.

First for assuming I am going to be scared of Jose because now, OMG, he's going to cut my heart out just like the Mayans did in the 1500s. Wow, yeah, thanks. I appreciate that awesome assessment of my intelligence.

Second, I'm terribly sorry to say this, and I know you'll disagree vehemently, but c'mon, ya'll motherfuckers were some heart-cutting-out people. It's true. Every goddamn flat surface at Chichen Itza has depictions of sacrifices and gore. I know it's pretty important to keep the grant money flowing that you depict your ancestors as harmonious peaceful hippies living in perfect sync with nature, but it's bullshit, and you know it, you just don't choose to believe it. (Michael Shermer as a name for the bullshit notion of living in perfect harmony with nature, and how it's crap; I just can't remember it.)

"The Noble Savage"

[mekkab]

C'mon, Bankzxx0rz, you gotta admit. The concept of "The Noble Savage" is fairly attractive. Not to mention lucrative. It's a recognition of their cultural wisdom. Ya know, despite a lack of advanced science, medicine, fire, and the wheel.

And this is a surprise *why*?

[perfessor multigeek]

A.) There are some remarkable chowderheads out there, both seeing the movie and complaining about the movie. That doesn't even get into the loon behind it getting made.

B.) Since when has reality had anything important to do with the hurt feelings of an advocacy group? Think of the "horrible" cartoons about Mohammed that made no impression until some rabble-rouser decided how much later that these were a crippling and intolerable insult against Islam.
For that matter, there are still complaints anytime a mo