Mal is an anarchist

POSTED BY: amnesiack
UPDATED: Monday, October 11, 2004 17:22
VIEWED: 5447
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AMNESIACK

Sunday, October 10, 2004 5:15 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by CORWYN: I disagree. I see no evidence that Mal wants to abolish government (after all, he did fight for one.)

Did he? To my understanding, the Browncoats were a group that fought against the formation of the Alliance, but not necessarily for any other specific government.

Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYSEVEN: I don't think Mal has *any* coherent political philosophy, he's just very hacked off at things in general.

I agree that I don't think Mal would say he's an anarchist. That doesn't mean that his outlook doesn't line up with anarchist philosophy, however.

Even during the war, Mal displayed a complete willingness to disregard any rules and procedures that didn't suit him. As the Captain of Serenity he undertakes many tasks and jobs that would be illegal regardless of whether the Alliance or a local government was in charge.

And there's always this classic line: "That's what governments are for. Get in a man's way."

Keep in mind I'm not in any way implying that being an anarchist or derivitive thereof is a bad thing.

GINOBIFFARONI

Sunday, October 10, 2004 5:40 AM

Mind you in Buskwacked he seemed to approve the fact that the Alliance was sending medicine to Paradiso.

I think Mal approves of limited government, as long as it helps and does not get in ones way

" If I going to get killed for a word....
Then my word is Poon-Tang "

AMNESIACK

Sunday, October 10, 2004 5:45 AM

Well, as you and I have both pointed out, many anarchists are generally very receptive of voluntary cooperation and working with other people to accomplish tasks. Mal doesn't like to see ordinary people suffer; I don't think it really mattered to him where the medicine came from, if it was helping people. But when he didn't know that it was relief for the suffering, he was more pleased to be lifting goods that belonged directly to the government.

LUPINADDAMS

Sunday, October 10, 2004 2:16 PM

All this thread made me think of was;

"I thought we were an autonomous collective!"
"Now we see the violence inherent in the system... Help! Help! I'm being repressed!!"
- Monty Python & the Holy Grail

"You are what you do."
Andrew Vacchs

CORNCOBB

Sunday, October 10, 2004 7:19 PM

Mal probably hasn't even heard of Anarchists but certainly does live like one. He lives by his own rules,getting by through co-operation with others. He has a rebellious, anti-authoritarian streak as long as my hairy arm. comments such as "that's what governments do: get in a mans way" seem to indicate he is no big fan of governments in general. Yep, Mal is an Anarchist. And isn't that one of the things we love him for?

oh, and the negative conotations that are usually attached to the word 'anarchist' really bug me. The media seems to think 'anarchist' is interchangable with 'terrorist', conveniantly fogetting that anarchism is a pacifist movement. If they were so blatantly descriminatory towards any other political philosophy they'd probably get sued.

"Gorramit Mal... I've forgotten my line."

MANTICHORUS

Monday, October 11, 2004 9:48 AM

Mal is definitely NOT anarchist, as part of the anarchistic belief is that all people are inheritantly good. I believe Mal's experience would have shown him some pretty compelling evidence that not all people are inheritantly good (e.g. Adelai Niska).

__________________________________________________
Zoë Warren: "At last, we can retire and give up this life of crime." (after breaking into a practically empty bank safe, from the Serenity trailer.)

CORWYN

Monday, October 11, 2004 5:01 PM

Quote:
the Browncoats were a group that fought against the formation of the Alliance, but not necessarily for any other specific government.

They had uniforms, command structure, authorizations, ergo government. They were the independent planets, planetary governments implied, in my opinion.

Quote:
He lives by his own rules, getting by through co-operation with others. He has a rebellious, anti-authoritarian streak as long as my hairy arm.

Ah, but he makes others live by his rules too. He has no problems with authority if it is him "we don't vote on my ship, because my ship is not the rutting town hall", "you might not want to mistake it for a suggestion".

Quote:
part of the anarchistic belief is that all people are inheritantly good.

I don't think that is true for all anarchists. And even so I think it would be better phrased as "people acting in their own best interests will cooperate with others".

Quote:
Zoë Warren: "At last, we can retire and give up this life of crime." (after breaking into a practically empty bank safe, from the Serenity trailer.)

Please mark spoilers. Some of us wish to see the movie unaffected by such things. Thank You.

FREMDFIRMA

Monday, October 11, 2004 5:22 PM

Umm.

Not all Anarchists are pacifists, for damned sure I am not.

But yes, Anarchism gets a bad name - mutual cooperation is almost instinctive for mankind as an evolved critter, and it takes decades of training at the hands of our ruinous and destructive society to beat it out of em.

Every man for himself is non-civilized, non-social, and in the end non-productive, really, if someone asked for a little help from you, when you were not busy with something else, that would take two minutes and cost you little or no effort or resources - what IS your gut instinct, your knee jerk reaction ?

For most folk it's "Hey, sure."

Anarchism isn't about social destruction, it's about society working from the bottom up, not the top down.

Folks wish to protect things, they make rules - over time those rules somehow become more important than what they were supposed to protect, then distorted further in human corruption and the quest for power and control - and at that point, those rules have no more use or value and should be tossed on the junk heap.

NOW does everyone get it, right from the horses mouth ?
(or other part of anatomy, as my girl is fond of remarking...)

-F

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