That's a pretty big one. However, I think the word myth here is a bit more specific in its meaning: namely, a foundational story (much like a creation myth or a national origins myth).

Interesting. With the exception of the first (which I already knew to be false) and last (which I'd never heard of) stories, I'd heard all of these and believed them to be true. Very enlightening.

I don't feel like I'm dancing around the issue. It feels like you are. What the author did here is different than what Lucas did. That's the same as someone making an Arthurian movie that's not exactly the same as the original stories.

"Obviously you didn't read the part where I made a distinction between inspiration and commercializing on an over played franchise."

Cuz people *never* retold the same stories in new ways before Star Wars came along. Nope, never.

Technically the Civil War was about states' rights. It's just that the right everyone was most concerned about was the right for each state to set its own laws regarding slavery (there were other rights as well, but this was definitely the principal one). So both points of view are technically correct.

I like how this reply ignores the fact that I explicitly said I'm fine with films that portray Americans as villains.

See my other reply, I'm fine with villainous Americans. I'm not fine with negative stereotypes.

"Original English" in this case means the first language to be called English. Which is Old English.

I'm kind of burned out on Mass Effect and am one of those who doesn't like the ending, extended cut or not, but I would say that BioWare should make any future games after ME3. Because really, there aren't very many stories of sufficient scale to tell before ME1.

Ha! For once, the joke is actually appropriate in context!

Good point. Aesthetically (based on his actual armor in the game), it works, but thematically it doesn't really capture the character.

I noticed that as well, but presumably this is based on a timeline where Ashley was sacrificed instead of Kaidan. Still, I wanted to see what his interpretation of her would be.

But presumably it didn't happen as portrayed. Namely, a Korean worker saying "hey, this is dangerous" and the American going "hey, fuck it, I don't care. Dump it unsafely because I'm apparently a giant tool." The real incident (I'm guessing) was more likely the result of miscommunication and/or ignorance rather than…

Actually, apparently it would be "weres" and "queens." Which sounds more awesome.

A worthwhile footnote I discovered while doing some follow-up research out of curiosity. It appears that the original English word for "woman" was actually "cwen," the etymological root for "queen" (and a particular four-letter word as well).

You may be right. It's been over a year since I watched the film. But every other American stood in the way of the protagonists for no apparent reason, starting with the military officer who ordered (for some unknown reason) that the fluoride be disposed of improperly.

To clarify, I'm fine with stories that show Americans as the villains. In fact, I've enjoyed a lot of stories that do exactly that. It's when Americans are portrayed as obstructive and malevolent "just because" that I take objection.

There's a line between "bad guys" and "assholes," hence my use of the term. Stories that portray the American government as evil but not two-dimensional, like the Metal Gear Solid series, I'm fine with. I'm also fine with stories that portray us as being overly jingoistic like Team America or some of the Godzilla…