Scots and Darth Vador

Inglis indentifies some interesting issues in the modern Western pursuit of authenticity. Specifically in one section, he discusses the recent tendency for Westerners to seek out their historical nationality (i.e. Scottish) (pg 66). The problem with this is that the idea of being Scottish is a politically fabricated idea that evolved from a revolution against the United Kingdom 200 years ago- having little to do with how we view the Scottish today (bagpipes, plad quilts, Welch accent, etc.). In my own world, I found an attempt at authenticity similar in principle. At the University of Central Missouri Annual Homecoming Parade, I spotted a group of people dressed as characters from Star Wars. Now, Star Wars is in no way a nationality, but it has formed into a culture of its own- similar in concept to Scottish nationality. The pursuit of knowing as many details as possible about the ground-breaking films, and replicating the characters accurately in appropriate settings, exemplify a similar pursuit of authenticity to that of modern Western Scottish imitators.  

This clan of Star Wars characters in the parade looked like they had come straight out of the movie studio. Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Bounty Hunter, a Storm Trooper, a Tusken Raider, and the Dark Lord of the Sith where all represented in as accurate of imitations as I’ve ever seen in real life. The costumes were seemingly flawless. Later at the football game, I spotted Darth Vader  again, and took advantage of the photo opportunity. After the picture I asked where he got his costume and how much it cost. He said he had ordered it online for about $1,500. To the average person, that is a lot of money to spend on a costume of any kind, regardless of the occasion. Yet according to Inglis, that is how modern Westerners work. They will go to great extents to immolate something real and authentic because the common view is that our everyday life has so become significantly less authentic, that we must cling to or identify ourselves with something more ‘real’.

Just like modern Scottish imitators, most Star Wars fanatics fail to accurately depict the originally intended nature of the character personas. Just like Scottish imitators, most Star Wars fanatics dress, accessorize, and even attempt to act like their favorite character, yet fail to be truly devoted and loyal to this culture in their everyday life. And just like the idea of being ‘Scottish’, the idea of being ‘Star Wars’ was fabricated to address an underlying issue from the perspective of outside sources. In the Scottish case, it was the political revolutions of Germany and Italy that sparked the interest of people residing in the region of Scotland inside the United Kingdom (pg 66). In Star Wars, the outside sources are Hollywood-influenced American ideals and a mixture of eastern and western religion. Neither are an attempt to create an original culture or way of life. So like Inglis, my point is: even though the Darth Vader depicted in the photo is pretty accurate in its physical authenticity, the rooted subject is not authentic in itself, canceling out any attempts of originality.