I just watched School of Rock. It was pretty good; definitely worth the 50 cents. One of my favorite lines from the movie, and maybe even one of the central themes: "Rock is about sticking it to the Man." Hah, I loved that.

I think sticking it to the proverbial "Man" is quite a pivotal part of my mindset/ethos these days. And maybe it boils down to me just having a problem with authority. If given an order I disagree with, I'm usually not very inclined to obey, or at least not without making a big fuss over it first, haha. But I guess for me personally, the "Man" isn't just about authority, it's about being a part of the mainstream, it's about mindlessly following a system or ideology without giving it a second thought, it's about being stuck in the Matrix. Not being given a choice, or not evaluating the choices given to you. I despise the idea of being an unquestioning zealot to any cause, no matter how righteous the original intent. Humans are prone to corruption, as is our word, and only you in your heart can know what's truly right for you.

Also, I don't even know why, but something about being a part of the mainstream just irks me so; something about conforming to the norm and losing individuality. But then again, someone pointed out to me awhile back: "Everyone wants to be different these days. Since when did being different become the cool thing to do?" And in doing that, maybe this whole countercultur-esque movement has just defeated itself and stands on a paradox. I'm reminded of the phrase: "Yea, you're unique... just like everyone else!" But yea, when something indie goes mainstream, it kinda leaves its members with a crisis of identity. *sigh* a rat race by any other name... =/

*In other news, I also watched Return of the King. I thought it was comparable to the first two, if not slightly better. But it's sooo freaking long. And after reading those dang secret LotR diaries, I just can't sit through scenes with those long sentimental gazes without cracking up.