Can you dudes tie my assignment together?

[anselmi8.5]

Hi Dudes,

I'm a 3rd year film student writing an assignment on fan practices.

I was hoping some of you could take a moment and share your thoughts on what makes The Big Lebowski's fan base different from others, which in turn has resulted in its own theism. How has the film's fan practices affected you?

Please help from my paper being marked zero.

Thanks.

[DigitalBuddha]

Hi Dudes,

I'm a 3rd year film student writing an assignment on fan practices.

I was hoping some of you could take a moment and share your thoughts on what makes The Big Lebowski's fan base different from others, which in turn has resulted in its own theism. How has the film's fan practices affected you?

Please help from my paper being marked zero.

Thanks.

We're not different, we just slack off a lot more.

[Reverend Al]

...I was hoping some of you could take a moment and share your thoughts on what makes The Big Lebowski's fan base different from others, which in turn has resulted in its own theism. How has the film's fan practices affected you?

Well, as DigitalBuddha mentioned above, we're lazier.  We probably drink more Caucasians as well, bowl more often, and maybe smoke more weed, but I haven't done the research so I'm not willing to state with any certainty that any of those traits are indeed of an increased frequency among Lebowski fans versus fans of other movies and/or franchises.

If you're planning to mention Dudeism, which seems unavoidable in conjunction with any mention of The Big Lebowski these days, it should be noted that while almost all Dudeists are Lebowski fans (a.k.a. Achievers), not all Achievers are Dudeists; being one does not automatically make you the other.  Most of us here on the Dudeist forum believe there's great validity in what Dudely Lama Oliver Benjamin started and take it seriously to varying degrees, but there are a lot of Achievers who don't see a literal connection between the movie and ancient wisdom (were it not for the Dudely Lama, I'd probably still be one of 'em).  For more on that, you might want to include a book called "The Dude and the Zen Master" by Jeff Bridges and Zen Master/Roshi Bernie Glassman in your research.  It's essentially a transcript of a series of conversations between Bridges and Glassman that examines those connections and why many Buddhists think The Dude is a Zen Master.  To be clear, I'm not trying to sell books; in fact, I've only just started reading the book myself.  But it might give you some insight into why some of us have escalated our appreciation of The Big Lebowski to a theistic level.

As for the non-Dudeist Lebowski fans/Achievers, speaking from personal experience I'm not sure there is a difference between them and any other movie/movie franchise fans.  I and some of my family and friends enjoy movies.  We watch our favorites repeatedly, seek out opportunities to watch them in a theater (the way they were meant to be seen), constantly insert favorite lines of dialogue into our conversations, occasionally buy the soundtracks on vinyl/CD, collect merchandise, and so on.  We can, on occasion, take our movie appreciations to what some might think is an extreme, but in my experience that's no different from fans of any other movies/movie franchises.  In fact, one of the forums I frequent regularly is called The Replica Prop Forum (http://www.therpf.com/), an assemblage of movie-loving lunatics, some of whom spend countless hours and untold finances re-creating costumes and props from their favorite movies (including a thread or two specifically related to The Big Lebowski).  To some, their fandom is surely seen as extreme; to them, it's just a fun hobby.  Some people collect stamps, some people exercise, some people fly remote control airplanes, they make costumes and props.  *shrug*

Aw, hell, I'm ramblin' again.  I'm not sure any of this will help, but best of luck on your assignment!

[BikerDude]

There's a movie?
Wait, what day is this?

[Reverend Al]

There's a movie?

[anselmi8.5]

Thanks dudes for your responses.  They are much appreciated.

The Dude Abides.

[Masked Dude]

And I'm a Dudeist who still hasn't gotten around to seeing the movie.

Ain't that something?

[Reverend Al]

And I'm a Dudeist who still hasn't gotten around to seeing the movie.

Ain't that something?

So you have no frame of reference here.  You're like a child who never bothered to wander into the middle of a movie and...wait a minute...oh, great, I'm paraphrasing lines from a movie you've never seen. 

[BikerDude]

And I'm a Dudeist who still hasn't gotten around to seeing the movie.

Ain't that something?

So you have no frame of reference here.  You're like a child who never bothered to wander into the middle of a movie and...wait a minute...oh, great, I'm paraphrasing lines from a movie you've never seen. 

Far out man.

[Hominid]

And I'm a Dudeist who still hasn't gotten around to seeing the movie. Ain't that something?

Incomprehensible. My buddies died face down in the muck so people like you could.......    oh never mind..  It's past the 10th, rent's due.

[DigitalBuddha]

And I'm a Dudeist who still hasn't gotten around to seeing the movie.

Ain't that something?

This aggression will not stand, man! 

When you do, dude, give us notes, MD.

[Rev. Jimmy]

This is a very interesting question, man. I think it would be fascinating to explore it in a more general context of cult fan bases. Think of Star Trek conventions or the festivities that surround the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Sometimes there's a movie, TV show, band, etc. that manages to transcend the medium in some way to where it becomes more than just entertainment. There is something about it that draws the fans in to where they feel part of it rather than just a consumer of it.