RIP Kurt Vonnegut, most famous as the author of Slaughterhouse Five, a novel published in 1969 during the height of American protests about Vietnam and the futility of war. The novel was inspired by his experiences as a prisoner of war sent to the apparent safety of Dresden, when it was razed by British/US forces on the night of 13th-14th February 1945. The novel comments on the failure of war as a means of achieving either State policy or human good. Thank goodness humanity has learned some lessons and we’ve moved on in the thirty years since.
Its also 25 years since the death of Philip K. Dick, author of “Do androids dream of electric sheep?” the novel upon which the iconic film Bladerunner was based. From his novel “How to build a universe that doesn’t fall apart two days later” (1978) comes the following
“The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words you can control the people who must use the words. ”
Extraordinary rendition anyone?
That phrase...
uh?
I’m sure the post has a point …
A bit metaphysical–but then so are we 3. KV was a great man, though, and part of my childhood and even my Dad’s….same high school in Indianapolis….and SH5 is very autobiographical….Ruthie likes outlaws, eh?
Erm, either I’m not making myself very clear, or the Geeklawyers of this world are struggling to get their heads around thought processes that arent pure logic..
My point is this: there are clear parallels between the Vietnam War and the Iraq war, therefore literature produced as a response to the Vietnam war may well have something to say to “our” generation (well mine at least, you were around the first time GL). We haven’t moved on in thirty years, the question is, why? Since the answer is not obvious, perhaps some of the commentary produced at the time may assist.
Philip K. Dick and Kurt Vonnegurt are very different writers, but both addressed issues that modern society is now facing. Dick’s comment about the manipulation of language is only one example. Bladerunner provides a prophesy of the future that seems to be increasingly accurate. I could go into more example’s of Dick’s visions that appear to be coming to pass, but instead I would urge readers to read the books. They were written at least partly as a warning which we appear to be ignoring.
Ruthie likes outlaws? I respect people who have enough personal belief that they are prepared to take a risk, do somthing different and stick their neck out. It takes courage and personal sacrifice. Most people are simply sheep, who complain when life isnt what they want, but refuse to do anything about it, or worse, mock people who try and make a difference and fail.
When I posed the question “do you still have the words to say what you mean?” I’m refering to recent manipulation of language by the State of which Extraordinary Rendition is just one example. Sounds inoccuous to most people, who will not be inclined to challenge something they dont understand.
I note that Hillary Benn is going to the States to denounce the use of the phrase “war on terror” on the basis that terrorism cannot be solved by war alone. But if you think about it, the phrase “War on terror” makes no sense. It is utterly meaningless. Since war is by definition a conflict between two or more parties it is not possible to have a war “on” anything/one. We could have a war against/with terrorists but since terror is an emotion I don’t see how it is possible to have a war upon it.
“Kill the Warmongers; Smash violence; Meet here Saturday for the Peace Riot”
Ah the memory of those words ringing across the Joint Student Union Concert Hall shows we have learnt little in the past 30 years. Now as then the only ones who can say such things without fear of arrest are comedians, (Fred Wedlock for the above quote if I recall) but where are those satirical comedians to bash the Great British Public’s Social Conscience today as they did during the Tory Party’s governments.
History should be a compulsory subject for all MPs and Senior Civil Servants, there is so much to learn so that they might either avoid the same errors, or at least apologise quickly.
http://www.markthomasinfo.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/markthomaspresents/pip/hy48n/