Perspective is everything

[delphipsmith]

Of course, the Jedi didn't go around beheading people who didn't believe in the Force so, y'know, still the good guys. But it kinda makes you think.

Comments

[helenarickman.livejournal.com]

There is not one single country in this world that doesn't apply to. Revolutions aren't pretty.

[delphipsmith]

Very true. And somehow both sides always think their position is the only righteous one.

[gelsey.livejournal.com]

I've always wanted to write a short story in two parts reflecting perspective like that.

[delphipsmith]

It is interesting to flip something on its head and see how it looks from that angle. Have you read An Instance of the Fingerpost? A superb novel, told from four or five different perspectives; by the end, you realize that the thing you thought happened was in fact something completely different.

[gelsey.livejournal.com]

I haven't, but obviously I need to!

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting! I remember being very young--this was back when the Empire Strikes Back or the Return of the Jedi first came out, actually--and being floored by the comment that one person's freedom fighter is another's terrorist. I was just old enough to really take that in and see the Star Wars series differently.

Meanwhile, thanks for the recommendation of An Instance of the Fingerpost above? I'll have to check it out. What does it say that I immediately thought of Twitter when I saw that title? :) M.

[delphipsmith]

What does it say that I immediately thought of Twitter when I saw that title?

Heh. I never thought of that, but yeah :)

I read some article yesterday that said Trump has "an itchy Twitter finger" which made me laugh.

[kellychambliss.livejournal.com]

Yep, perspective is all. And students wonder why I spend so much time on point of view!

[delphipsmith]

One hopes that, over time, it becomes clear to them!

[iulia_linnea.livejournal.com]

I'm not showing this to Shog; he's usually great with perspective flipping, but I doubt he'd be okay with doing it to Star Wars.

It surprises me how it's the closest thing to religion for some people.

I'm going to check out that book; it sounds interesting!

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I remember making comments about this around the time of the first Gulf War, way back in 1990. There was wave after wave of aerial bombings and I said to people in the lounge room "A young man is going to get home and find his parents have been killed, and dedicate his life to destroying the Empire. Just like in Star Wars".

I guess other people picked up on the idea that Tatooine and Iraq had some similarity.

However in a further case of reality imitating fiction, Tatooine was actually taken by Daesh.

[haruhi-fan.livejournal.com]

Sure but then it's the perspective of "sides", the ying and yang, the good and evil. Sure can use different words but in the end it was the actions of each side that best describe who is more in the right, especially to a partisan crowd. If only our world took a moment to figure that out.

Oh and not to be all dark, Hamill with a beard is manly. :P