The Barefoot Bandit may understand relativity
On Yahoo’s news page right now:
A master of disguise, it seems. It’s intentional - click on the picture, and you learn this.
The mother of Colton Harris-Moore -- a fugitive burglar who was finally caught in the Bahamas -- has hailed her son as a genius, even if of the criminal sort. "He's smart. He took an IQ test a few years ago and he's three points below Einstein," she said last year.
Well, we could use a supervillain; ever since SPECTRE went bankrupt (that spaceport in the Japanese volcano pretty much cleaned them out, and there are still lawsuits over the contractors’ liens) we haven’t had a good evil genius to terrorize the world with plans so fiendish they can only be stopped by a fornicating Scottish chain-smoker.
Mr. Colton Harris-Moore doesn’t seem up to the job, but he does have his admirers: he’s something of a “cult hero” for people who think that these crooks are somehow romantic. A rebel! A charming rogue on the run! His fans are modern versions of the people who thought Bonnie and Clyde were romantic back in the 60s, for the same reason: sociopathy + a sense of PR + bluegrass soundtrack = charisma, I guess. At least Dillinger had a sense of style. And shoes.
Interesting, though, how the Great Recession hasn't bred more anti-heroes whose daring exploits against The Man supposedly give a weary population someone to root for. Perhaps because we're supposed to love The Man now.
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May '10
Re: The Barefoot Bandit may understand relativity
He's expected to be hauled to the States for trial? I guess it takes a few more points on the 'ol IQ test to flee somewhere like, say, Switzerland!
Foolishly I read one of the news stories and learned there are people donating to this loser's defense fund. Excuse me while I spend the rest of my evening staving off depression about the state of humanity.
May '10
Re: The Barefoot Bandit may understand relativity
I would say the vision of Batman in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight is closer to the quintessential hero of modern Americans, which is partly why those films are so popular. He fights injustice in spite of government. He rejects The Man without being deliberately against The Man.
Batman is what D&D players call "Neutral Good" (which lies between Lawful Good and Chaotic Good) -- he doesn't hate rules, but he won't let them get in the way of justice either. Many Americans today reject anarchist tendencies, but they're tired of having theirs hands tied by bureaucrats and lawyers.
Jul '10
Re: The Barefoot Bandit may understand relativity
Another case of being famous for being <strike>in</strike>famous.
I yearn for the days of REAL manufactured villains like MODOK
Well, relatively real....
Jul '10
Re: The Barefoot Bandit may understand relativity
the thing is, he looks like a child. And he has a sense of humour (those chalk outlines of feet!!) So, yep, I would contribute to a freedom fund for the boy. I wonder if the deals his mother is making with movie people will result in actual money for him? I would bet not.
Jul '10
Re: The Barefoot Bandit may understand relativity
Am I the only person who thinks it is bizarre that if he pleads "not guilty" in his first court appearance in the Bahamas he will wait in jail longer for his trial than he will likely get sentenced to in the United States?
Apparently if he pleads guilty they can just boot him out of their country. Then he becomes the problem of the country where he went on an alleged 8 state crime spree stealing boats, cars, airplanes, and what ever else fell beneath his hands. Meanwhile his crime spree in the Bahamas resulted in his immediate arrest. I thought we had the high tech police with DNA, wire taps on every PDA and cell phone [which all have GPS beacons to help locate the user], and video surveillance cameras in every gas station, fast food joint, and noisy urban street corner. How come the Bahamas police in a boat caught the bare footed one?
Re: The Barefoot Bandit may understand relativity
HeatherMC: the childish widdle-boy aspect may yank heart-strings for some, but he might consider the fate of Baby-Face Nelson. ;) I'll admit the chalk-outline-feet bit was interesting, but not unexpected: even crooks understand the importance of brand identification.