The Masks We Wear
Thousands of true believers gathered in Atlanta this Labor day weekend for the annual Dragon*Con festival; myself included. This congregation believes strongly in Harry Potter, but they do not believe in magic. Others believe in Klingons, but don't believe in aliens. Still others believe in Superman, while others believe in Yoda. You wont find any of these people trying to leap buildings in a single bound or lift rocks with the power of their minds. The common belief amongst these people is that the literature that they consume can and does have value in their lives. They share a belief that heroism is real and can be a model for our own behavior in our mundane yet complicated lives.
The 501st Legion is a group of Star Wars fans who dress in the Imperial garb of those white clad Stormtroopers from the movie series. Their membership numbers more than five thousand. The only requirement for participation is to have a theatrical quality costume resembling a villain from the Star Wars series. Most of these costumes are of the Stormtrooper variety. Why would so many do this? Why troopers? What draws hundreds to hide their personal characteristics under the impersonal garb of an armored soldier from a time and place that does not exist?
The answer to the question reveals the power of the metaphor. Their actions expose a need for such theatrics and play in our lives. This group of play actors help express the sensation that so many of us have today living in the modern world. Each Stormtrooper looks essentially the same. The plastic armor is imposing in its size. The grim faces and dead eyes of the trooper mask, convey a sense of vacancy to their actions. In the face and the form of the uniform there is nothing personal. There is no way of knowing who hides beneath the costume. This is the image of the automaton; doing what they are told without thought to what they might otherwise want to do. As the responsibilities of life push against our personal desires, how many of us feel like these villains of apathy. We do our jobs and pay our bills, never expressing a distinction in our work or our actions from those of our neighbors. It is this burden of necessity that is expressing itself through the mask. Hundreds of men and women marching down Peachtree Avenue in Atlanta, as part of the machine that drives the modern world. Each in their own way reflecting the empire of stress and pressure that every one of us helped to build.
However, under the round white helmets lie individuals as diverse and character filled as any group that might be assembled. Each mask hides a person with their own dreams and aspirations. The people of the 501st are fully aware that they are not defined by the costume that they wear. This is why they put on the armor with a sense of joy and playfulness. When the Star Wars costumes are put away and the work attire is applied for the coming week, the same attitude can be carried. The tie of the business man is worn by some as a chain around ones neck. The mask that some wear come in the form of a strip of cloth with a knot at the neck or a pull over poncho with “How can I help you?” written on the back. Those that can see the lesson behind the Stormtrooper mask do not have to be so burdened. Those things in our lives that keep us from reaching our own personal potentials as individuals doesn't have to be the thing that defines us. It is the striving toward our personal strengths that make us valuable beyond the masks we wear or the roles we play. The hero within can surface from behind the wall of duty and necessity.
There are gatherings of such fans of fantasy literature and art every weekend of the year around the country and around the world. They share a common belief that the media which they enjoy, can enrich their lives and deepen their understanding of the world. It's through the nobility and strength of heroes acting out of the best of what humanity can be that fills us with hope that such strength might be inside us as well. It is the villain that reminds us that evil does not belong to the distant someone else, but can be created out of our own fear and inaction. So much time and money is spent entertaining ourselves in the modern world. How much of this energy is spent simply to fill voids of time? How much television is broadcast for no other reason than to fill time and sell advertisements? How much of this have we already watched and forgotten? The value that fiction fans place on the stories they love might seem strange to those on the outside looking in. However, the silly person dressed as the hero of their comic fantasy is expressing the potential no only of their inner self but of all people. In doing so they define themselves beyond the requirements of their lives and the limitations of their form. It is my hope that everyone, fiction fan or not, can find something that encourages the potential joy of living in their lives. Keep in mind that you do not have to dress like a Stormtrooper to learn something from one that does.
The 501st Legion is a group of Star Wars fans who dress in the Imperial garb of those white clad Stormtroopers from the movie series. Their membership numbers more than five thousand. The only requirement for participation is to have a theatrical quality costume resembling a villain from the Star Wars series. Most of these costumes are of the Stormtrooper variety. Why would so many do this? Why troopers? What draws hundreds to hide their personal characteristics under the impersonal garb of an armored soldier from a time and place that does not exist?
The answer to the question reveals the power of the metaphor. Their actions expose a need for such theatrics and play in our lives. This group of play actors help express the sensation that so many of us have today living in the modern world. Each Stormtrooper looks essentially the same. The plastic armor is imposing in its size. The grim faces and dead eyes of the trooper mask, convey a sense of vacancy to their actions. In the face and the form of the uniform there is nothing personal. There is no way of knowing who hides beneath the costume. This is the image of the automaton; doing what they are told without thought to what they might otherwise want to do. As the responsibilities of life push against our personal desires, how many of us feel like these villains of apathy. We do our jobs and pay our bills, never expressing a distinction in our work or our actions from those of our neighbors. It is this burden of necessity that is expressing itself through the mask. Hundreds of men and women marching down Peachtree Avenue in Atlanta, as part of the machine that drives the modern world. Each in their own way reflecting the empire of stress and pressure that every one of us helped to build.
However, under the round white helmets lie individuals as diverse and character filled as any group that might be assembled. Each mask hides a person with their own dreams and aspirations. The people of the 501st are fully aware that they are not defined by the costume that they wear. This is why they put on the armor with a sense of joy and playfulness. When the Star Wars costumes are put away and the work attire is applied for the coming week, the same attitude can be carried. The tie of the business man is worn by some as a chain around ones neck. The mask that some wear come in the form of a strip of cloth with a knot at the neck or a pull over poncho with “How can I help you?” written on the back. Those that can see the lesson behind the Stormtrooper mask do not have to be so burdened. Those things in our lives that keep us from reaching our own personal potentials as individuals doesn't have to be the thing that defines us. It is the striving toward our personal strengths that make us valuable beyond the masks we wear or the roles we play. The hero within can surface from behind the wall of duty and necessity.
There are gatherings of such fans of fantasy literature and art every weekend of the year around the country and around the world. They share a common belief that the media which they enjoy, can enrich their lives and deepen their understanding of the world. It's through the nobility and strength of heroes acting out of the best of what humanity can be that fills us with hope that such strength might be inside us as well. It is the villain that reminds us that evil does not belong to the distant someone else, but can be created out of our own fear and inaction. So much time and money is spent entertaining ourselves in the modern world. How much of this energy is spent simply to fill voids of time? How much television is broadcast for no other reason than to fill time and sell advertisements? How much of this have we already watched and forgotten? The value that fiction fans place on the stories they love might seem strange to those on the outside looking in. However, the silly person dressed as the hero of their comic fantasy is expressing the potential no only of their inner self but of all people. In doing so they define themselves beyond the requirements of their lives and the limitations of their form. It is my hope that everyone, fiction fan or not, can find something that encourages the potential joy of living in their lives. Keep in mind that you do not have to dress like a Stormtrooper to learn something from one that does.
posted by kamuizot at 10:59 AM
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