Re: this episode: it seemed to me that the 'running away' was the theme of the whole store: a society where it is easier to pretend ignorance/actually forget than to deal with the difficult and painful questions... we continue to use polluting energy sources, we continue to treat other people as though they don't count, we all close our eyes and take the easier path.
I think it's more complex than that. I also don't think that is necessarily true.
In the episode - the Queen goes to great difficulty each time to solve the problem - but keeps running up against a rock and a hard place - the exact same rock and a hard place that the Doctor runs up against. And everyone who pushes the forget button.
Imagine you were told that you could release the creature flying the last survivors of your civilization to safety, over 2-3 million people which by the way would kill all 2-3 million people, or you could choose to continue torturing the creature in order to save the lives of those 2-3 million or turn the creature into a brain dead mechanism? That's the only choice the Queen and the Doctor see.
The reason everyone pushes the forget button - everyone "runs away" is because of guilt. It is the reason the Doctor keeps running - he feels guilty for being the reason that his race is extinct. He chose to kill his race in order to save the universe. To end the Time Lords. It was either stop the Time Lords or kill millions of people. An impossible choice.
Is there a third way? Amy eventually finds it - but it is notable that she doesn't figure it out immediately.
We close our eyes because the choices seem impossible. And we feel guilty. And being extremists - like the Doctor and the Queen, we often only see two options. When in reality there may be others, compromises that we can make.
Example - driving a car pollutes the environment. BUT this does not mean you have to stop driving a car. Just limit how much you drive and in areas where there are a lot of cars, and public transport is readily available and affordable - use it instead. (ie. In NYC - driving a car is stupid. It's cheaper to use other means. You shouldn't be in a car at all - unless you are going to an area that public transport is not accessible.) Or buy a car that is an electric hybrid.
The story is about how we deal with difficult problems that may seem impossible: 1. procrastinate 2. avoide or run away from them (neither are useful, because the problem doesn't go away, as is demonstrated in the episode, the Queen just has to keep coming back to it - every ten years.) 3. find a compromise...
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branchandroot
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Date: 2010-04-26 04:23 pm (UTC)we continue to use polluting energy sources, we continue to treat other people as though they don't count, we all close our eyes and take the easier path.
I think it's more complex than that. I also don't think that is necessarily true.
In the episode - the Queen goes to great difficulty each time to solve the problem - but keeps running up against a rock and a hard place - the exact same rock and a hard place that the Doctor runs up against. And everyone who pushes the forget button.
Imagine you were told that you could release the creature flying the last survivors of your civilization to safety, over 2-3 million people which by the way would kill all 2-3 million people, or you could choose to continue torturing the creature in order to save the lives of those 2-3 million or turn the creature into a brain dead mechanism? That's the only choice the Queen and the Doctor see.
The reason everyone pushes the forget button - everyone "runs away" is because of guilt. It is the reason the Doctor keeps running - he feels guilty for being the reason that his race is extinct. He chose to kill his race in order to save the universe. To end the Time Lords. It was either stop the Time Lords or kill millions of people. An impossible choice.
Is there a third way? Amy eventually finds it - but it is notable that she doesn't figure it out immediately.
We close our eyes because the choices seem impossible. And we feel guilty. And being extremists - like the Doctor and the Queen, we often only see two options. When in reality there may be others, compromises that we can make.
Example - driving a car pollutes the environment. BUT this does not mean you have to stop driving a car. Just limit how much you drive and in areas where there are a lot of cars, and public transport is readily available and affordable - use it instead. (ie. In NYC - driving a car is stupid. It's cheaper to use other means. You shouldn't be in a car at all - unless you are going to an area that public transport is not accessible.)
Or buy a car that is an electric hybrid.
The story is about how we deal with difficult problems that may seem impossible:
1. procrastinate
2. avoide or run away from them (neither are useful, because the problem doesn't go away, as is demonstrated in the episode, the Queen just has to keep coming back to it - every ten years.)
3. find a compromise...
See, not so simple. ;-)