Swords vs. Guns

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In fantasy, swords beat guns, as evidenced by this little video here from Academie Duello (HT: Almost Infamous) and by the fact that in Star Wars, light sabers are better than guns.

I think deep down, we hate technology, and long for nature, our true unfettered human spirit, to pour forth and wipe it out. I think Lucas played on this desire in Return of the Jedi, when he has the primitive, naturalistic ewoks triumph over the tech-heavy imperial stormtroopers.

But of course we're smart enough to know that it's just a fantasy. The ewoks of the real world get slaughtered. And technology has become too much a part of us to ever cast it aside. We are Darth Vader: we couldn't survive without the technologies that make us strong. We are the imperial stormtroopers.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Good Post.

Giving up technology is easier than giving up smoking - just go to a real place like a jungle community.

I'd say it's easier to give up smoking and technology at the same time, becuase we smoke instead of fuming at technlogy, which we choose to live with. CHoose, well, we have no choice , becaus eit's hard to have independent commnities: independent of bullshit technology, the chemicals that are going to save you from suffering. The improvments that pollute your home and food, the motor carriage that seal you up in a jam and take you where you don't want to work, and permit you to exchange Freedom for a earnings- related vain staus symbol of freedom; the recordings that mean you can sacrifice partaking in music; the technology that allows you to become unfit and even more dependent upon medical technology.
5:25 AM, July 22, 2007
Anthony said…
Eh,

No such deep thoughts from me. Swords beat guns cos they are cooler. :)
7:10 AM, July 22, 2007
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