A link to a great email exchange that began with Team USA getting beat like they stole something in Olympic basketball by Puerto Rico (it is worth the read, trust me). For the record: I feel that we as a society should root for the Predator in the Alien vs. Predator conflict not because it seems more human-like but because the Predator is what we as a society should hope to one day become. The Predator, like an onion or a Photoshop document, has many layers; it is a skilled hunter, an assassin, intelligent and is a perfect example of the philosophical superman Nietzsche wrote about. The Predator is not a mindless drone but a free thinking individual that learns from its mistakes and is wise enough to outwit its enemy (like not walking into Dutch's crude jungle trap, for example). The Alien seems singular in its focus to destroy whatever creature/culture crosses its path and less concerned with educating itself on its environments, its enemies and most importantly, itself. The Alien mirrors contemporary society; mindless, submissive and narrow minded, whereas the Predator symbolizes enlightenment. Also consider that a woman with a bad perm adorned in cotton panties killed the Alien and the Predator wiped out an entire platoon of Special Forces soldiers skilled in the arts of guerrilla warfare before a strategically placed tree stump took it down.

Labels: movies, pop culture, sports