It is easy to trash the 70's and 80's today when our selective history focuses on the bland .

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I suppose media expression gets obsolete in the same style as technology, especially if special effects (as opposed to physical rigging) is involved.

Yet, very good things do not date, they become classics - so maybe this is a matter of quality.

We might take Modesty Blaise (comic strip) as an example - it ran for 1963-2001. Some story details may be dated, the writing shall remain brilliant, the characters iconic.

Or Fiskars scissors - closest thing I know to perfection! ;-p

It was just a discussion on the old 'determinism versus destiny' concept. Are we in charge of our own lives? Our culture? Our fates? Are we to be dictated to simply because politicians, bankers, and snake oil salesmen are there ready to pounce on us for our ignorance?

I guess what I'm saying is that Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, and Miley Cyrus are products... simple as that. That is also why yes, they will be remembered in the future. But who's future? Again, the question arises. There are literally thousands of great bands out there right now making awesome music in tons of different genres. But yet when you click on mainstream media links, when you go to youtube, when you turn on the tv, who do you see? The product. Do you really think Justin Bieber is where he is because he's the best at anything? If the answer is no, then why is he that rich and famous, and just why should we be remembering him in 30 years? If Miley Cyrus has to blow a donkey on live tv while wearing a clown costume, that's what she'll do. Why? Because she's product, and she's marketed to the LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR. And why is that? Because the magicians in the powerful places of the world think that you and I are little more than self-propelled stomachs. If we'll except garbage in a can, why would they spend the effort to offer us gold in a gem encrusted chest?

So when your friend tells you just how much they love the new Katy Perry video, you can quietly tell yourself just what a goddamn moron your friend is... not really for having bad musical tastes. Too have bad taste, first you have to reject the better choice. No, your friend is a moron because they are unable and unwilling to think for them self.

What about the O'Donnel novels ?

Am asking because I have one for a long time but haven't started it yet.

Also, some tropes get old because our knowledge evolve. I was reading a John Flanders story, and, while I love this author (especially what he wrote in french under the Jean Ray name), god, it was a tale about evil jews preventing good white missionaries to enlighten the black people of new york and allow them to realise they must fight for their rights. It was like a terribly patronizing antisemitic antiracist pamphlet (the only "active" positive intellectual black guy was the white hero under dark paint), denouncing prejudice and bigotry while imposing some of its own (those jews amirite).

I think I'm not overly optimistic when I say that this genre is dead. I even think that some other similar tropes are dying - the latest "lone rider" was heaviliy criticized by how offensive his indian politically correct faithful servant actually is nowadays, and I think that the white-messianic-hero-saves-helpless-primitive-natives-against-bad-whites trope will disappear soon, even though it's still a success in "avatar" and such. Not to mention the primitive-savage-tribe (still hilariously present in "king kong"), and the "they-think-white-man-is-a-god" (last serious occurence I know of it is a mild-ish scifi transposition in "return of the jedi"). I don't really think such things can be cyclic, we're evolving past them. We probably won't go back to 60s action movie sexism either, I think. At least not this specific jamesbondish form, but even modern forms (strong women characters) get difficult to justify as self-awareness increases in these domains. They'll vanish along with the faithful childlike nigger servant, etc.

But this is almost unrelated to what I started the OP about. In fact, this thread had been triggered by this embarrassing french trailer : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GNSswaZ2xw

I like you. Thumbs up.

Fair question - and I must state that I like them, and own as many as publishing policies allow, but the novels to me are more in function of being a great fan of the Modesty Blaise comic strip. Titan books - check it out!

When O'Donnel's story spinning qualities combine with graphic genius' such as Holdaway - this is most sublime.

But also, the characters of Modesty Blaise and Willie Garwin stand tall above any given medium. There I would see a parallel with Sherlock Holmes - as clever as this current BBC modern spin of it is - this shall prove a fad, whereas the originals shall probably never fade.

Edit: getting italics right. Should use them more often as to remember how it works, seems!