Rock then Roll

I'm you're rock and I promise you this rock is going to weigh you down for the rest of your life.
-Homer to Marge, the Simpsons

On a more serious note, I saw a brutally edited version of Easy Rider the other night, and wasn't sure I cared for it. Maybe I need to see the un-Bowlderized version, but I think some of the orginal editing was intentional and just poorly conceived. However, the theme of this little scene between Nicholson's character (George) and Dennis Hopper's (Billy) I found alarmingly true. George responds to Billy's complaint that people mistreat them because all they represent is someone who needs a haircut:

George: Oh no, what you represent to them is freedom.
Billy: What the hell's wrong with freedom, I mean that's what it's all about isn't it?
George: Oh yeah, that's what it's all about alright, but being it and talking about it are different things. These country boys will talk to you and talk to you about individual freedom, but when they see a free individual it's gonna scare 'em.
Billy: Well, we'll make 'em running scared.
George: Oh, they're not scared of you, they're scared of what you represent.
Billy: Well, that makes them pretty stupid then.
George: No, that makes them dangerous.

And danged, if that ain't true. You don't have to be a hippie or a biker to appreciate it either. Of course, seconds later in the movie, George is literally beaten to death, which drives the point home in a rather heavy-handed fashion. And the movie ends similarly.