Ronn!Blankenship wrote: > At 01:43 PM Sunday 11/27/2005, Robert Seeberger wrote: >> Ronn!Blankenship wrote: >>> After a lengthy period of isolation, though, why should all of >>> their >>> artifacts look exactly like those found in contemporary North >>> America? Even on Earth, you can tell a difference between the >>> scenery, the clothing, etc., when you travel to Europe, Asia, >>> Africa, >>> . . ., even after centuries of contact and trade. >> >> I don't think that is a fair comparison really. On Earth, cultures >> developed in relative isolation for very long periods of time but >> are >> now becoming more and more monocultural as time passes. >> What is seen on BSG is a vast monoculture (for the greatest part >> the >> 12 colonies are almost identical) defined and evolving from its >> colonial origins. > > > > Agreed. My point (which may not have been clear) is that the 12 > colonies have been *** isolated from Earth*** for umpty-ump years . > . > . so howcum the fashions worn by the colonists are identical to what > is being worn in a specific part of Earth (North America) right now? >
I don't find the suits identical myself. They would look quite strange on the street here. It's the ties that get me. Why are there ties? The suit itself looks like a truncated version of the formal robes from the original series. The cut looks odd to say the least, and the colors are as out of place as the ties. Query: What are the cultural antecedents for ties and for suits? It would make an odder case for cultural parallelism than the case I make for dumpsters.<G> > > >> To some extent this development should parallel the development of >> the only example of "cities carved out of virgin wilderness" we >> have >> more than any examples we have of cities built on top of ancient >> cities as seen in our eastern hemisphere. >> >> How long does it take to fully develop a planetary colony? >> (I see evidence that the colonial planets are not fully developed >> and >> populated, and the total population of the entire polity is small >> multiples of earths population. Remember that 40 years in the past, >> the cylons had almost wiped out colonial civilisation.) >> This is a central question. >> >> How many different ways are there to transport garbage on a planet >> that is not fully populated? > > > > Some would say that television is a good method . . . :P And remakes are recycling? <G> > > > >> (All the evidence I've seen from the >> series points to the colonies being having much smaller populations >> than Earth [correct me if I'm wrong], and my speculation is that >> these are originally colonies *from* Earth since all the evidence >> shows that humans evolved here *first* and then emigrated, hence >> the >> lower populations.) >> This is a central question. >> >> >> >>> Why should the >>> people on a planet where the people have not had contact with >>> Earth >>> in so long that no one from either world knows of the other world >>> except as an ancient legend just happen to wear suits and ties >>> that >>> look exactly like what some people on Earth wear, when styles in >>> other parts of Earth and little more than a century ago in the >>> parts >>> of Earth where they are worn today look so different? >>> >> >> See above. >> >> Of course there is another argument to be made. >> When you watch a biography of say...George Washingtons life, do you >> expect the actor to look *exactly* like George Washington? To sound >> exactly like George Washington? To *be* an exact copy of George >> Washington? >> Of course not! >> The actor is supposed to convey the *idea* of George Washington. >> In that sense, a terrestrial dumpster is supposed to convey the >> *idea* of a *pretend-makebelieve-doesn'texistintherealworld* >> dumpster. And yet another argument. >> If someone finds a dumpster jarring in a scene on >> "pretend-Caprica", >> yet is not jarred by vehicles, asphalt, and average everyday >> warehouses also seen in the background, then ones >> suspension-of-disbelief is awfully selective. >> I'm pretty sure I know which scene Warren is speaking of and it >> reeked of "ordinaryness of setting in turbulent times" which I >> wouldn't doubt was intentional. >> >> Then too, my line of work brings me into contact with dumpsters on >> a >> regular and daily basis. Dumpsters are cheap, functional, and >> effective, and come in a variety of styles. >> I think you have to argue/show that there is a vastly different way >> to design dumpsters of equal or better utility that look nothing >> like >> "our" dumpsters > > > > Are they Pepto-Bismol pink, like those belonging to one company here > are? The ones I see come in a variety of colors depending on the vendor and how long they have been onsite and if they have ever been set afire. xponent Contemporaneous? Maru rob _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
