So Here's A Real "Get Off My Lawn" Moment

As somebody who's still not very interested in Avatar (the Cameron movie), I've been getting more and more annoyed by the whole "Oh, this is just Ferngully: The Last Rainforest with blue people! In space! Rippy rippy ripoff, yah boo sucks neener!" meme. Because that title means literally nothing to me--I keep looking at these references and going: "Am I supposed to know what this is? Does everybody know what this is except me? What's wrong with them? What's wrong with me?"

Well, today I looked it up...and discovered that it came out in 1992. When I was either 24 or 26, on the verge of moving/freshly moved out of my mother's house, just starting my career as a film reviewer, very self-identified as an adult, and highly unlikely to go see animated kids' films on my own recognizance. Which I suppose should make me feel sheepish, but--yeah, not so much. Not so much AT ALL. Because applying the templates of films aimed at children to films aimed at adults is...specious at best, ridiculous at worst, in this former critic's eyes. At least the whole Dances with Wolves comparison has actual merit, and--better yet--a chance of being a reference people beyond your personal age-range might recognize. Not everyone has the same set of childhood touchstones, ladies 'n' whoever; who'd'a thunk?

But then again, I guess it's true what they say about geeks, after all: We really do never grow up. And--as keeps getting ably proven and re-proven, in oh so many ways/areas--we continue to have amazing trouble understanding the idea that everyone on Earth isn't just an endless reiteration of ourselves.

This morning's rant brought to you by yet another Tuesday of run-run-running, and no coffee yet.;)