Friday, November 9, 2007

Friday Afternoon (Random Thoughts)

Just in case you needed another reminder that we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto:

Fearing rabies, villagers shoot more than 20 dogs

So apparently, there's this pack of rabid wolves hanging around Marshall, which is what, 3 or 4 hours north of us on the Yukon. Last week someone from Fish and Game said something along the lines of that his advice to the people there would be to "get out there and shoot them, they're in season!" Which, of course, I've already read some backlash about from some wolf conservation groups downstates. There was a time, I guess, I may have agreed.

But things are a little bit different up here.

I've been going back and forth about whether to write about this new movie, Into the Wild, that seems to have been drumming up a lot of reaction here in Alaska. Now, I've never read the book, and of course I haven't seen the movie, but it seems like there's a bunch of people look at this guy as some kind of counterculture hero. In Alaska, people seem to mostly see him as an idiot who went out in the wilderness without the right supplies or knowledge and died because of it. Here's a good collection of stuff about him and the movie from the Anchorage paper.

I think a couple years ago I would have liked this movie, maybe thought the guy was a visionary or an adventurer.

I'm glad I hadn't heard of the story before moving up here. Now, I just think the guy was a moron.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm an Alaskan. And I gotta say... I saw it. And I liked it. I admit the plot is pretty much what the negative press claims it to be. Guy... goes to "the wild" in AK to "find himself"... and ends up staving to death. However... the plot was just one part of the story, IMHO. Great characters. In depth family relationships explored, etc. I recommend you see it. Then judge.

If it's still in ANC next week do it for me. We can discuss it during VTC once you get back.

--Christina.