Jonathan101 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 01, 2020 6:37 pm
Why would he bring a Geiger counter?
He has no idea they are using unlicensed nuclear accelerators, and if he DID know that would actually undermine his belief that they are just a bunch of scam artists.
Well, no one's seen the containment grid, but they have seen them walk around with the proton packs. Seems entirely reasonable to suspect just from witness description the things might kick out radiation, and a responsible regulator would be prepared to test for that.
As noted upthread, while we can suggest that the filmmaker's political views are *why* Peck was depicted as petty and irresponsible, within the film itself he absolutely is those things. He brought what seems to be a regular technician from Con Edison to turn off what by all evidence was a nuclear reactor, and even that guy was like "I have no idea what this is and we shouldn't touch it"!
The Ghostbusters absolutely needed to be regulated and quite possibly shut down. But Walter Peck wasn't equipped to handle the job.
Edit: It's telling that in the video game, which uses a lot of the core concepts from potential Ghostbusters 3 scripts that had been kicked around at that time, by the early 90s when it takes place the Ghostbusters were more or less on the city's payroll, because "A ghost-free city is a tourist-friendly city".
Peck believes the Ghostbusters are frauds. He thinks they are using nerve gasses to cause hallucinations and that the proton packs are just a light show. He has no respect for the intelligence of their clients who he considers gullible and even stupid, which he flat-out says when Egon tries to warn him how dangerous turning off the equipment is ("Don't patronise me! I'm not GROTESQUELY stupid like the people you bill!").
The electrician is there to shut down what Peck thinks is a bunch of fancy special effects tech. Peck honestly believes they are a bunch of con artists and he doubles down on that belief when confronted with evidence to the contrary since he can't accept he is wrong.
The problem with the theory he wants the unit shut down so it can be upgraded is that he's told repeatedly this is a dangerous thing to do. Igon tells him "Turning off these machines could be extremely hazardrous". and he responds "I'll tell you what's extremely hazardrous your facing a dozen violations of envrionmental regulations". Igon replies "Try to understand this is a high voltage laser containment system simply turning it off would be like dropping a bomb in the middle of the city." then you get Peck's "I'm not stupid." after some more dialogue he orders his electrician to turn it off and Venkmen say's "Don't shut it off I'm warning you." to which Peck's own electrician say's "Umm I've never seen anything like this before I don't . . ." Peck cuts him off with "I'm not interested in your opinion just shut it off."
So there's no good intentions here he has trumped up charges based on nothing but malicious prosecution then he proceeds to ignore not only the warnings of two Doctors with multiple degree's that simply shutting the system down would be dangerous but straight out say's he isn't interested in the professional opinion of his own expert. Even if they had been con-artists using dangerous chemicals that's a good way to turn a small business breaching regulations into a full scale environmental disaster. Then when it turns into said disaster her tries to blame them and say its a direct result of their actions not his own in ignoring 3 different people one on his pay roll saying "don't do this."
Yes, it's certainly his fault and he is stubborn and reckless.
Nevertheless, he does honestly think they are frauds imo and if he is going to the extreme of making things up to get them shut down then he likely has personal issues going on beyond just being a government bully.
Fianna wrote: ↑Mon Nov 02, 2020 4:50 pm
Arguably, the Ghostbusters do keep a large amount of dangerous chemicals at their headquarters ... assuming you count ectoplasm as a chemical.
That's not really hazardous though. Venkman was covered in the stuff from head to toe with no negative consequences after all.
Its only hazardous in large amounts when it animates the Statue of Liberty and brings back the ghosts of executed felons.
FaxModem1 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 02, 2020 6:54 pm
So, quick question, in the movies, cartoons, or video games, was there ever a bureaucrat there to do their job for the right reasons? Say, someone from the Department of Energy curious just how they're powering their proton packs?
Or only strawmen like Walter Peck?
I don't think anybody's gone after them in the cartoons, aside from ghosts of course. Peck did show up in one episode of the cartoon but aside from that, people going after the Ghostbusters was not a common thread in the cartoons.
The cartoon seems to assume that after there's a giant marsmallow man attack that everyone believes the Ghostbusters.
Fianna wrote: ↑Mon Nov 02, 2020 4:50 pm
Arguably, the Ghostbusters do keep a large amount of dangerous chemicals at their headquarters ... assuming you count ectoplasm as a chemical.
That's not really hazardous though. Venkman was covered in the stuff from head to toe with no negative consequences after all.
Its only hazardous in large amounts when it animates the Statue of Liberty and brings back the ghosts of executed felons.
Oh yes, I'd forgotten about the mood slime from the second movie. That being said, there's no way Peck could have known about that in the first movie is there? At any rate, I do stand corrected.
FaxModem1 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 02, 2020 6:54 pm
So, quick question, in the movies, cartoons, or video games, was there ever a bureaucrat there to do their job for the right reasons? Say, someone from the Department of Energy curious just how they're powering their proton packs?
Or only strawmen like Walter Peck?
I don't think anybody's gone after them in the cartoons, aside from ghosts of course. Peck did show up in one episode of the cartoon but aside from that, people going after the Ghostbusters was not a common thread in the cartoons.
The cartoon seems to assume that after there's a giant marsmallow man attack that everyone believes the Ghostbusters.
the other thing is i don't think peck even knows anything about chemistry, does he have any sort of qualifications, i doubt it, i think he is assuming. So we have someone with authority with no qualifications to wield that power.
Over all i think peck is probably just trying to get his name in the papers probably so he can use it as a way to get into politics, bureaucrats like him sometimes use their credentials working in some job to get them into politics so what do you think, walter peck -man who broke up a ring of con men extorting thousands out of people by using nerve gas would look like when he tries to run for mayor or congress.
Sfdebris really went on with this. What happen with all his talk about how people should treat people better and all be more humane? He should put all aside for the sake of stupid nostalgia, he ignore the ideology of this movie and the director, says nothing critical, and then bash the character that actually have some sense, I really disappointi of Sfdebris, all his talk was just that, talk, he doesn't believe in anything of it, and science fiction is introspection of the present, exploring social, economic and political issues, that why science fiction exist, and Sfdebris refuse to do anything about it. And he dares to call himself professor, professor teach, not make excuses for the people that endangering other people.
Keyser94 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 30, 2020 8:10 pm Maybe because he spineless and want to avoid controversy because Walter Peck wasn't wrong. Let me guess, he pass over the developing of this movie and the ideology of the producers and the director, like their ideology had nothing to do in the plot of the movie, Walter Peck was portrayed like an idiot and wrong, because the director and producer were anti-regulation hardcore conservatives, they loved Reagan, that why the science of how their backpack and the containment area is never explain even that they say that is nuclear powered, basically they have a nuclear weapon in the middle of New York. And that don't need oversee and regulation? That is the epitome of U. S. exceptionalism.
Thanks for this awesome joke post, I couldn't stop laughing for over an hour. Thank you!
Maybe you should see the video of today, not a joke anymore.
