The show is something of a solid example of Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations" - but also an example of a critique of Huntington as well. Because it's not just the civilizational differences that lead to conflict but also stupidity that is specific to decisionmakers - like Pike's unwillingness to consider that the "Tree People" might be different from the "Ice Nation" or not even really consider what the other nations' interests or plans are.
I agree. Political theorists don't always take into account emotion and the fact that human beings aren't robots.;-) So don't tend to always think rationally or logically. (It's what I did love about Star Trek and the Star Trek universe -- the critique of scientific rational mind and/or pure logic. That sometimes the best strategies were not necessarily logical. Showing that rational thought was not always right or pure.)
It's interesting when you think about it -- how similar Pike's stance on the Grounders is to well Trump's on immigrants from Mexico and Muslims, or the US during the Cold War. Both make the mistake of generalizing.
Grounders killed my friends.
Lincoln is a Grounder therefore he is responsible for killing my friends.
Which refuses to look at Lincoln as an individual or the fact that he had zip to do with Echo and the Ice People's actions.
The people who blew up the World Trade Center were Muslim and did for an Islamic State.
My next door neighbors are Muslim therefore they are terrorists.
Refuses to acknowledge the flaw in the syllogism.
And in both cases the thinking behind the response that the leader makes - is ironically similar to the flaw in thinking resulting in the original attack.
The Ice Nation, and Echo sort of parallel Pike's Farm Group and Bellamy. Bellamy and Echo had been allies, they did for a time get past the us vs. them thinking.
Echo decides along with her people, the Ice Nation, that the Sky People moving to MT Weather is an affront to their people and an indication that they are no different than the people who were in Mount Weather. So, to ensure that there isn't another Mt. Weather, the best approach is to blow up Mt. Weather - killing everyone inside.
This action, instead of increasing their power base, results in their Queen's death and 300 Grounders being killed. So probably not such a great idea in hindsight.
Bellamy who had begun to trust Grounders, with the betrayal of Echo, stops and begins to trust Pike. Like Echo, he ensures that Pike's crew is able to attack the Grounders. And like the Ice Nation, neither Pike nor Bellamy make the distinction between the Ice Nation and the Tree People, as the Ice Nation didn't make a distinction between the Sky People and Mount Weather. Which was the flaw in both groups thinking.
And digging deeper, there's the tendency to put people in groups. Pike sees all Grounders as a problem, don't save the wounded, don't save any of them. Bellamy questions that...is it ethical not to treat the wounded? To clear a village of women and children? Innocents? Pike states that this sends a clearer message. He refuses to see them as individuals and cautions against doing so -- as a weakness they can't afford. Indira and Lexa, Indira believes all Sky People are the same, just take them all out, but Lexa realizes this isn't true and that Clark is right.
Both are to an extent emotional responses, but one is able to see the trees and not just the forest. It's I think the flaw in a lot of thinking - the tendency to generalize, to not see people or any living thing for that matter as a unique individual entity that is part of group, but also separate from that group. (Okay with the exception of hive insects.) And a tendency to not question one's perceptions of things - which is also being explored in the series - via Thelonious and Allia's arc.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2016-02-21 06:00 pm (UTC)I agree. Political theorists don't always take into account emotion and the fact that human beings aren't robots.;-) So don't tend to always think rationally or logically. (It's what I did love about Star Trek and the Star Trek universe -- the critique of scientific rational mind and/or pure logic. That sometimes the best strategies were not necessarily logical. Showing that rational thought was not always right or pure.)
It's interesting when you think about it -- how similar Pike's stance on the Grounders is to well Trump's on immigrants from Mexico and Muslims, or the US during the Cold War. Both make the mistake of generalizing.
Grounders killed my friends.
Lincoln is a Grounder therefore he is responsible for killing my friends.
Which refuses to look at Lincoln as an individual or the fact that he had zip to do with Echo and the Ice People's actions.
The people who blew up the World Trade Center were Muslim and did for an Islamic State.
My next door neighbors are Muslim therefore they are terrorists.
Refuses to acknowledge the flaw in the syllogism.
And in both cases the thinking behind the response that the leader makes - is ironically similar to the flaw in thinking resulting in the original attack.
The Ice Nation, and Echo sort of parallel Pike's Farm Group and Bellamy. Bellamy and Echo had been allies, they did for a time get past the us vs. them thinking.
Echo decides along with her people, the Ice Nation, that the Sky People moving to MT Weather is an affront to their people and an indication that they are no different than the people who were in Mount Weather. So, to ensure that there isn't another Mt. Weather, the best approach is to blow up Mt. Weather - killing everyone inside.
This action, instead of increasing their power base, results in their Queen's death and 300 Grounders being killed. So probably not such a great idea in hindsight.
Bellamy who had begun to trust Grounders, with the betrayal of Echo, stops and begins to trust Pike. Like Echo, he ensures that Pike's crew is able to attack the Grounders. And like the Ice Nation, neither Pike nor Bellamy make the distinction between the Ice Nation and the Tree People, as the Ice Nation didn't make a distinction between the Sky People and Mount Weather. Which was the flaw in both groups thinking.
And digging deeper, there's the tendency to put people in groups. Pike sees all Grounders as a problem, don't save the wounded, don't save any of them. Bellamy questions that...is it ethical not to treat the wounded?
To clear a village of women and children? Innocents? Pike states that this sends a clearer message. He refuses to see them as individuals and cautions against doing so -- as a weakness they can't afford. Indira and Lexa, Indira believes all Sky People are the same, just take them all out, but Lexa realizes this isn't true and that Clark is right.
Both are to an extent emotional responses, but one is able to see the trees and not just the forest. It's I think the flaw in a lot of thinking - the tendency to generalize, to not see people or any living thing for that matter as a unique individual entity that is part of group, but also separate from that group. (Okay with the exception of hive insects.) And a tendency to not question one's perceptions of things - which is also being explored in the series - via Thelonious and Allia's arc.