Is there a general anti-authoritarian feeling in the Whedonverses?
POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Monday, September 12, 2005 19:54
VIEWED: 8893
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I see an evil Mayor, a twisted mean principal, a faceless Alliance that seems to have no problem contracting assasins to come-a-calling...
Is there a not-so-subtle message that power corrupts running in Joss' creations?
Or is it just a warning that such might be the case, so be aware?
I would think yes, and pretty relevant to today's political climate, I must say.
What do y'all think?
That's what governments are for, to get in a man's way Chrisisall
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It seems more of an anti-establishment feeling to me. and all the planets are under the mercy of their regional governers type thingy...reminds me of another story a long time ago...far far away...just the govt. part does.
~Beqi~
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Damn skippy!
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Quote:But how will they maintain control without the bureaucracy?
Originally posted by TheNextBestThing:
and all the planets are under the mercy of their regional governers
Tarkin Chrisisall
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Sorry... I was too busy trying to make my way throught the Anti-Father swarm...
(and if you didn't get it, that was a 'Pfft. Of course!').
I think Joss, every now and again, just wants to 
authority.
*~*~*
"Your toes are in the sand."
"And your head's up your..."
"Hey!"
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Fear will keep the local systems in line. Fear of this battle station.
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And what of the rebels? If they've obtained a complete technical readout of this station they might, however unlikely, find a weakness, and exploit it!
Forgettable character Chrisisall
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Quote:
Originally posted by SopranosBrowncoat:
Fear will keep the local systems in line. Fear of this battle station.
The more you tighen your fist, the more systems will slip through your fingers.
Lady Shelley
~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.redhawke.org
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Don't become too proud of this technological terror you've constructed....and yes, corruption of authority is a major Joss theme. I'm working on a JW analysis including that as a top 3.
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I think it's not as straightforward as saying that Joss is anti-authoritarian. After all, he's quite in favour of some kinds of authority - a captain and his crew, for example, or a slayer and her scoobies. All of his shows are ultimately about families, and families are political institutions in miniature. Indeed, families are where individuals learn about power and responsibility and their place in the pecking order. Families in the Jossverse are often problematic and relationships often have to be negotiated, but this is part of what makes them 'a very good thing'.
The problem in the Jossverse comes with bigger institutions that aren't connected to the people they govern and start to behave as if they have a life of their own. One of my favourite quotes that deals with this is in 'War Stories':
BOOK: I'm just wondering if they were. The people who did this to River.
SIMON: The government did this to her.
BOOK: A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned.
Being a privileged person who up until now has never really questioned the system, Simon thinks of 'the government' in the abstract. Book reminds him that 'the government' is really just a convenient fiction made up of individuals pursuing their own agendas.
For me it's a key Joss moment.
"The cat talks?"
"The cat never shuts up."
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