NP: Dune again, white dudes-- and others. Not Others.

[Ian Livingston]

Well, Leto is described as “olive skinned” in the book. I would think Paul would have some of his father’s color. 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Oct 27, 2021, at 4:24 PM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I’m not sure you are saying the same things (similar?).
> 
> Slate’s Ali’ main concern seems wrapped up in the article’s title: Is Dune
> a White Savior Narrative?
> 
> Not enough black/color/Arabic sympathetic cast members who “survive to the
> end.”   Suffusing TOO MUCH Islam into all of the cultures depicted (not
> keeping it only to Fremen) was a bad choice WHY?  Because Hollywood has a
> bad history with Islam boogie men? Not being blatantly subversive enough in
> attacking that history? Only the Fremen should embody “good” Islam?
> Savior-Paul is white (wasn’t that a Herbert intention?)?  Wouldn’t the only
> way out of that trap be to make Paul black?
> 
> I think the article is hopelessly muddled, except for its title.
> 
> David Morris
> 
>> On Wed, Oct 27, 2021 at 10:51 AM Joseph Tracy <brook7 at sover.net> wrote:
>> 
>> Great article. Saying similar things myself but I was less articulate,
>> less filled out than this.I sense we are in basic agreement that Herbert’s
>> intentions as a writer got subverted by 2 things:1) too much attention to
>> the machiavellian  maneuverings of the Empire,House Atraides  and the
>> godlike messianic powers of Paul A,  with little serious development or
>> nuance or internal divisions in the Fremen culture. and 2) too binary a
>> conflict (messiahs lead to wars- really what about buddhism) with no 3rd
>> option. As I said earlier I think killing the ecologist off was a big
>> mistake as he could have represented a 3rd way. War is never ecologically
>> friendly, and future heavens are piss poor substitutes for milk and honey
>> now.
>> 
>> I do not think the original reception of Dune was as nuanced or
>> provocative as Herbert intended. I think a lot of the novel’s popularity
>> revolved around fantasies of revenge against imperial violence toward
>> justice and the earth, and the idea that psychedelics might be a liberating
>> force that would free individuals and society to a higher destiny.
>> The dark side of messianic powers was not what I remember people talking
>> about, and in fact this was a heyday of Jesus People and other cults.
>> 
>> There is an appeal of being at the center of a great mystery hinging on
>> your personal destiny that is seductive to the ego and dangerous , just as
>> there is an appeal to disappearing safely into the peace of enlightened
>> non-attachment that can be more like asleep than awake. Is there at least a
>> 3rd way?
>> 
>> 
>>>> On Oct 27, 2021, at 9:28 AM, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> 
>> https://slate.com/culture/2021/10/dune-2021-movie-vs-book-white-savior-islam.html
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