I wholeheartedly agree on the appeal of that era

[ Reply ] [ The Indyfan Forum ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Abner from user-2ive89g.dialup.mindspring.com on May 05, 1999 at 22:38:36:

In Reply to: Out of action... posted by Aquinas on May 05, 1999 at 12:37:41:

: Hey all,

: I was working on a final project for a class of mine when I turned on the T.V. and saw Last Crusade on the screen. I was thinking that its been a while since I last posted or even visited the forum.

: With all the Star Wars hype, which I am looking forward to, I had forgotten to finish the latest Indy novel. I have to say, it was a great book. I really enjoyed it. Indy just really appeals to the grown up and the kid in all of us. I'mnot trying to get philosophical here, just ruminating. There is just more of an appeal to us of a bygone era when you could go almost anyplace in the globe, with OR without a passport, and not have to worry too much about a militant group kidnapping you or, whatever else, while your staring at the pyramids or walking through an excavation. Yeah, its a pretty fantastic notion but, it was so true back then. World's change.
: How many of you can say that Indy doesn't appeal to you for at least some of those reasons. Indy and the time period have so much to do with my being a life-long Indyfan.

: Sorry, I think its the lack of sleep, and too much coffee talking.
: Oh,and I was wondering what was the general opinion of the latest book Is it just me or did you get the feeling of a perfect transition of Indy's life to the films ? Just wondering. Good God I'm tired...
: NEED A VACATION...BEST...

: --- Aquinas
:

I also find the early twentieth century to be a fascinating period in history. However, besides the history there is also an aesthetic appeal to a time period before EVERYTHING was made of plastic, etc. Whatever happened to BAKELITE??? :) You can't beat that Art Deco styling, either! What I also find appealing are the vehicles, especially the airplanes. After going to many airshows, I've found that no whining jet can match the beautiful sound of and old propellor plane! I also wonder what society and life was like in the days before television...sitting by the radio to listen to one of Roosevelt's fireside chats... I also try to imagine what this country must have looked like before the highways and sprawling suburbs ate everything up. I think a lot of the appeal of the era is that it was the beginning of the mechanical and electrical world we know now so it has a familiarity to it, and yet it also carried enough similarity to the previous century to be a bit slower paced and more gracious.

However, I'm not sure I agree about not having to worry while travelling back then. If anything I think it was more dangerous travelling back then. (But could you really get on a plane with a gun in your suitcase?) Despite the recent terrorist acts in Egypt, Africa and elsewhere, etc I think travelling today is safer and easier than ever. That's why so many people visit a place like Macchu Picchu or the Pyramids and these places become legendary "tourist traps". I've never been to either but I imagine the pyramids are pretty crowded (Of course they were a tourist attraction even in Indy's day). Pre-packaged "Adventure Tourism" is on the rise everywhere. But you're right, today travelling is different than the way it used to be. Implied in the meaning of the word "adventure" is a risk or danger of some sort and this is largely missing today. In order to be truly adventurous now you have to push the limits further to more exotic locations (and probably the ones tourists don't want to go to, like northern Greenland or somewhere. Actually last fall a previously unknown valley and waterfall was discovered in the Himalaya. It was so steep as to be invisible to sattellites. Which reminds me, with the arrival of the Iridium sattellite phones travelling around the world will become more ho-hum than ever. Ah, cheer up, I'm sure there's still TONS of cool places to visit off the beaten path (the rainforests aren't all burn't down, at least no yet)...I think I'd be more worried about food/water poisoning than terrorists. And all those nasty parasites!

Cheers,
Abner

PS- Watch out for that mold growing on the walls of Egyptian tombs!




Follow Ups:



Post a Followup:

Name:    
E-Mail:  
Subject: 
Comments:

Optional:

Link URL:   
Link Title: 
Image URL:  


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Indyfan Forum ] [ FAQ ]