May the 4th Be With You

What started out as a little geeky in-joke has, it seems, become something of an internet craze, with people who don't even like Star Wars posting 'Happy Star Wars Day' comments and pictures on facebook and the like (apparently; I have so far resisted the lure of the big f, and intend to keep it that way so that when facebook eventually implodes I can sit back and go 'ner-ner' to the rest of the world).

So much so that one of my colleagues has suggested there will be a backlash before too many more Mays have passed, on the basis that Star Wars Day serves no useful purpose beyond glorifying a film trilogy whose creator has gone on making money by giving us increasingly bastardised versions of what was already a cinematic classic.

</rant mode>

And he has a point. By mentioning Star Wars I'm pointing people towards a fictional mythic spirituality rather than towards Christ. Star Wars Day will not cure cancer, or bring down the porn industry, or do any number of good and 'worthy' things that I care about. In the US it's National Mental Health Month; Star Wars Day could be seen as taking attention away from something that tries to raise awareness for good reason.

Whose side am I on? you may be wondering. Well, any minute now, I'm going to sit down with Animal and some of our friends, and enjoy some beer, some takeout, and a Star Wars DVD marathon; you work it out.

I have nothing against raising awareness of cancer, porn, depression or any number of other things, and maybe days for those have a place on the social networks of the intertubes. But Star Wars Day is just a bit of harmless (if geeky) fun, and sometimes a little bit of fun can be just what's needed.

Happy Star Wars Day everybody, May the 4th be with you.