As a proud parent of a Millie/Homie cusper (my son is of the 2001 cohort) I have watched the movie Finding Nemo a terazillion times on DVD. The more I watch it the more it resonates with me and where I feel we are currently in the Saeculum.

I submit that Finding Nemo is an excellent archetypal indicator of our muddled 3T/4T zeitgeist.

It first struck me how overprotective Nemo's father, Marlin, was (quite understandable actually -- if my wife and 399 of my children were eaten by a barracuda, I'd be anxious too). He came across to me as a Nomad still in rising adulthood but approaching midlife, like thirtysomething Xer's today. Notice how he had worked so hard to get an expensive house (okay, in this case a sea anemone) in the right neighborhood, with good schools, and with a spectacular view. And like with many Xer's today, it looks like he bit off more than he could chew.

And later Marlin has to leave his community alone to go find his son, his greatest help coming from a loser from outside his family and community (i.e., Dori, the memory-challenged triggerfish). Some of the "going it alone in a hostile world" story there.

Though Nemo seems to show some of the helpmate qualities you'd expect of an Artist being raised by an overprotective Nomad, he shows young Hero qualities of his own as well. Quite possibly like a Millenial/Homeland cusper!

The fact that the coral community did not support Marlin in any way seems 3T, but the "dangerous world" out there feeling (the world beyond the coral shelf is very, very dangerous) is right in line with our post-9/11 feelings. Notice the edge of the reef is exposed to dangers such as sharks and scuba divers (like NYC and DC on the edge of our country have been attacked -- I have no idea where to fit Shanksville :wink: ).

The fish in the dentists aquarium seem like a motley Nomadish crew, except for Gill, who is scarred and hardened like a Nomad, yet also with a hint of Prophet wisdom. He seems a bit older than the others and could perfectly fit with an early midlife Prophet/Nomad cusper.

Now I'm going to stretch this a bit (as if I haven't already!) and go further. The 12 step "fish are our friends" sharks seem like Prophets to me. They are the only ones who bring spirituality (12 step program) and politics (the scuba diver was "probably American") into the picture. And notice how one pisses and moans about "not knowing his father" (probably mother-oriented). Also notice how fickle and impulsive they are, if otherwise very well-intentioned.

And how about those pelicans?? Kindly aging old Artists anyone??

Originally Posted by Sean Love

Notice the edge of the reef is exposed to dangers such as sharks and scuba divers (like NYC and DC on the edge of our country have been attacked -- I have no idea where to fit Shanksville :wink: ).

Interesting post. I only saw Finding Nemo once, since my daughter is more into tween-type movies like The Lizzie McGuire Movie and Freaky Friday.

One nit. We all know that Shanksville was a fortunate accident; the target was supposed to be either the White House or the Capitol, both located in DC.

Of course, most people consider Pennsylvania to be one of the Eastern Mid-Atlantic states, rightly or wrongly. Pennsylvania is a bit like New York; you've got the big East Coast city and its suburbs, and you've got the rest of the state which is more like the mid-west.

Originally Posted by The Wonk

Originally Posted by Sean Love

Notice the edge of the reef is exposed to dangers such as sharks and scuba divers (like NYC and DC on the edge of our country have been attacked -- I have no idea where to fit Shanksville :wink: ).

Interesting post. I only saw Finding Nemo once, since my daughter is more into tween-type movies like The Lizzie McGuire Movie and Freaky Friday.

One nit. We all know that Shanksville was a fortunate accident; the target was supposed to be either the White House or the Capitol, both located in DC.

Of course, most people consider Pennsylvania to be one of the Eastern Mid-Atlantic states, rightly or wrongly. Pennsylvania is a bit like New York; you've got the big East Coast city and its suburbs, and you've got the rest of the state which is more like the mid-west.

Good point.

OMG I love it. Good analysis. I love the overprotective X wary of the outside world. Holy shit how that hits home.

And Gil, wouldn't he be one of those cusp boom/xers? Most of the ones I know are pretty much one or the other, but take that whole 38-42ish crowd together and there's boomer spirituality and xer cynical realism.

With film, I see American Beauty as the quintessential example of the left boomers. What film captures the right boomers?

My wife, Croakette--the next best thing to Peggy Fleming--and I watch the first part of Nemo. It was quite amazing, but the frantic pace of dialog and action was too much for us. We didn't watch the rest of it.

Why do these movies need to be so rev'd up? Where are the reflective pauses? Is life always such a blur of bodily harm? What ever happen to "Searching For Bobbie Fisher"?

Originally Posted by Croaker'39

My wife, Croakette--the next best thing to Peggy Fleming--and I watch the first part of Nemo. It was quite amazing, but the frantic pace of dialog and action was too much for us. We didn't watch the rest of it.

Why do these movies need to be so rev'd up? Where are the reflective pauses? Is life always such a blur of bodily harm? What ever happen to "Searching For Bobbie Fisher"?

Do you expect kids 3-7 in this day and age with the attention spans of a nanosecond to watch a movie like that?

My 3-year-old grandson watched both Nemo and Bambi with very different kinetic reactions. Nemo spun him up like Holloween candy, while Bambi settled him down like Dramamine. The dialog differences are quite large, too. In Bambi, you actually have a little time to experience the movie (where are you Brian Rush?). In Nemo you have to mostly just react, and react, and react.

Please pass the Ridalin.