Sodom and Gomorrah and Explosions
Everyone knows that "Cool Guys Don't Look At Explosions"-- including my favorite "cool guys," the silent and scary Mexican cartel assassins from Breaking Bad-- but I have a hypothesis as to why this trope is so common: it is actually a subtle Biblical allusion to the the story of Sodom and Gomorrah; Lot and his wife are commanded by the angels NOT to look back at Yahweh's explosive destruction of the depraved cities but Lot's wife disobeys the angel's instructions and looks back and she is turned into a pillar of salt . . . and so not looking back isn't just about being cool, it's also about obeying God's will and showing humility when something is justly and purposefully destroyed-- and I had this epiphany while showing my children the story of Sodom and Gomorrah on a site called The Brick Testament, which is an illustrated Bible depicted with Legos . . . it is comprehensive and incredible; on the other hand, if something is being randomly destroyed in a movie, then people watch it in fascination (such as the colossal train derailment in Super 8).
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7 comments:
Brick Testament rocks!
And cool way to connect biblical theme in pop culture...I hadn't thought of this connection before...I happen to be showing in class today images of Eve, serpent, and Adam story and its influence in general culture/society - perfume ads are particularly telling.
it's true-- i will show them "cain and abel" when i start hamlet . . .
I thought that people don't look at explosions because the don't want to get facial injuries from burning shrapnel -- at least that's why I always turn my back when I set off an explosion.
dave, i recall that we looked intently at the explosion when we set the box fan on fire in nags head. that was pretty dumb.
that was not a "just" explosion. and we probably should have been punished by some omnipotent being for our extreme idiocy, but perhaps He was taking a nap that summer . . .
you clearly didn't get the message re: caring for the canadian women's soccer squad. they got hammered by the u.s. yesterday.
i feel for them . . .
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