AKMA’s Random Thoughts

On Joi and Kevin Smith (Joi Probably Knows Him, Too)

Over the weekend I caught up with Joi’s provocative observations on the reaction to the Japanese hostages’ return and — coincidentally — read a graphic novel, Green Arrow: Quiver, by Kevin Smith that Si brought home.

The juxtaposition piqued me, since the debate in Joi’s comments raised questions of individualism-versus-community orientation, and offered examples for and against generalized characterizations of Japan and the U.S. (citing comic-book narratives as a case in point. At the same time, I had just read a very U.S.-centric comic book about a superhero who saves the universe (happens every month) somewhat on his own, but also largely in cooperation with his colleagues. So be it granted that the generalizations communicate some truth about Japanese and U.S. culture, but that in plenty of circumstances the generalizations fall short of robust predictive value — and the most interesting aspects of these generalizations come not when they’re treated as intrinsic qualities of national character, but when an observable tendency encounters circumstances that change the most urgent contextual valences of that tendency (when economic dislocations change class structure, or when divergent cultural formations interact, blend, clash, redefine one another). Joi spots a glitch in the cultural matrix; why would one not say, “I’m sorry”? (Well, there are reasons — but that’s the point of the controversy.)

The graphic novel and the cultural analysis also make contact inasmuch as one of Joi’s commentors suggests that Christianity contributes (along with consumerism) to an American efflorescence of “group-mind” (sigh), while Kevin Smith proposes a theological cosmology that alludes both to Buddhism and to Christianity. I admire Smith’s restless speculation on theological topics, but he’s one of those cultural figures for whom I would wish a little deeper understanding of the theological topics they take up. Of course, physicists who read comic books and watch movies probably say the same thing about their subjects.

I’m getting too sleepy to make much more sense, but the dissimilar sibling subjects kept my brain thrumming much of the weekend.

Posted by AKMA at May 3, 2004 11:14 PM | TrackBack