Black Hat Brigade: Episode 40
Jun. 24th, 2016 03:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wingedbeastEstablishing shot: The playground outside a school and the window into the school's cafeteria. Children sit at the various tables, eating and conversing. The camera pans to a table beside the playground where one lone boy sits, eating his tomato sandwich and reading from a text book.
Two adults walk from the school building. The woman is dressed in the more modern style of the school, with slacks (positively scandalous for this 1950s setting). The man is dressed in the traditional school-master's mortar and gown.
The boy glances over to see the two adults approaching and immediately straightens his back, closing his book.
Susan Pevensie: Young man, would you be young Eustace Scrubb?
Young Eustace Scrubb: Yes, I would be, Miss...?
Susan Pevensie: I'm Ms. Pevensie.
Young Eustace Scrubb: Yes, Ma'am.
Susan motions to the man.: This gentleman is also named Eustace. I'm sure you have much more in common than that.
The older Eustace gives the younger a sterner, even contemptuous look.: Why are you in here and not with your (sneers at the word) friends?
Young Eustace: What friends?
Elder Eustace: The band you go around with, the bunch of bullies?
Young Eustace: I don't go around with anyone, sir. Bunch of bullies is pretty much everyone, sir.
Elder Eustace: Not everyone. I know for certain that it's not everyone. There are a few, the right ones, who have a proper religious upbringing.
Young Eustace: As you... no, not as you say, sir. You don't even work here, so no. The good Christian children mock me as much as anyone. So, if I'm going to be punished anyway for this conversation, I might as well tell you to go away and leave me alone.
Elder Eustace: What way is that for a child to speak to his elder?
Young Eustace: It's the way of a tired child who knows that it's not going to do any good to try. I'm not making you any trouble. I'm not making anybody any trouble. You're going to make trouble for me, anyway. If there's no way to win, I'm tired of playing.
Susan: Perhaps there's a better conversation to be had? Why don't you tell me about the insects you've been reading on?
Elder Eustace gives Susan an annoyed look.
Young Eustace: Because I'm tired of playing so I don't want to make you feel like you've helped me when you're not going to help me.
Susan startles at that.
Young Eustace: It doesn't matter how many teachers I ever have, it'll only ever be two. There's the one who wants to punish me for, I don't know, not being in there talking about whatever sport they like right now. Then, the one who wants to sit down, have a conversation where I make them feel better, then does nothing when this one *points to the elder Eustace* punishes me or when they *motions to the children at lunch* bully me.
Young Eustace: If I can't get anything for my efforts, both of you can leave me by myself. I'll be in better company.
Susan nods and looks to the elder Eustace: What an intelligent young lad, here. Not only studious but with an understanding of interpersonal and sociological realities.
Young Eustace looks up at Susan skeptically.
Elder Eustace: He's a brat is what he is, with all the wrong interests.
Young Eustace: In the real world, it's study of fruit flies that have provided examples of speciation in labs and given great leaps in real world understanding of Autism. There's nothing wrong about the books I read.
Elder Eustace softens his look upon the younger: You'll learn, of course, you'll have experiences, you'll learn from your cousins and you'll meet-
Young Eustace: My cousins? You want me to learn not to be a bully from Edmund and Lucy? Who both come into my home then immediately get together to talk about their pretend world?
Elder Eustace: It's not a pretend world.
Young Eustace: I've no way to know that, not yet. Any attempt I might make at playing along, with what I see as an extended game of pretend, as myself would only get me pushed out for doing it wrong. I'm not supposed to think about the complex ecologies and negotiations between Insects that live in Trees and the Trees themselves. I'm not supposed to consider the interactions with neighbors or the logistics of how messengers are paid or the court system.
Elder Eustace: It'll all seem very different once you've been in the world, once you've lived in it.
Young Eustace: Yeah, I'm sure I'll starve and be sold into slavery at the first opportunity, because that's what happens in those middle ages style worlds.
Susan smirks.
Elder Eustace: Maybe that. But, also, you'll be changed by the experience. You'll have the right interests, read the right books, be the right person.
Young Eustace: But... what about my reading about insects? What about my interest in how political systems work?
Elder Eustace: Those are the wrong interests.
Young Eustace: But, then I'm wrong. And that means that I can't be right and be me. So, you're saying I'll die and be replaced?
Elder Eustace: Don't think of it like that. Think of it like a rebirth. Someone loves you and, because they love you, they'll take away...
Young Eustace: They'll take away the parts that are me and leave someone else. I'm not in a Star Trek story. This isn't the start to some child-friendly version of Night of the Body Snatchers, is it?
Elder Eustace: No, this isn't anything like that. It's just taking the bad parts of you, the parts that don't fit into the good society, and removing them in favor of...
Susan: Tell me, Eustace, that is the elder Eustace, do you remember being interested in insects?
Elder Eustace: Yes, I remember. But, that was a different time in my life, I was a different person.
Susan: That person was replaced, then?
Elder Eustace: The two of you are making this sound much worse than it is.
Susan: You're dressing it up in nice sounding words.
Young Eustace: But, Aslan doesn't love me. He doesn't love the parts of me that are me. He loves for people to fit into his plans.
Susan: And, it's such work to fit in, isn't it? The talk of the transformative power is what it is, but it doesn't transform all at once. This is a children's book series, not a Chick Tract.
Elder Eustace: Yes, it is work. I have to work at it. All relationships take work.
Young Eustace: To respect the other person, yes. But, not to pretend you're someone different. Not to always be watching in case you say the wrong thing. I'm out here because I don't want to do that.
Susan: Here's a different fiction, one you can both read. It's a fiction, elder Eustace, so you can view it as the right book. But, it's also a study on certain methods of governance and society, to keep your interest younger Eustace. Perhaps you'll find something to appeal to the adult and the child within.
Susan hands over a copy of 1984.
Two adults walk from the school building. The woman is dressed in the more modern style of the school, with slacks (positively scandalous for this 1950s setting). The man is dressed in the traditional school-master's mortar and gown.
The boy glances over to see the two adults approaching and immediately straightens his back, closing his book.
Susan Pevensie: Young man, would you be young Eustace Scrubb?
Young Eustace Scrubb: Yes, I would be, Miss...?
Susan Pevensie: I'm Ms. Pevensie.
Young Eustace Scrubb: Yes, Ma'am.
Susan motions to the man.: This gentleman is also named Eustace. I'm sure you have much more in common than that.
The older Eustace gives the younger a sterner, even contemptuous look.: Why are you in here and not with your (sneers at the word) friends?
Young Eustace: What friends?
Elder Eustace: The band you go around with, the bunch of bullies?
Young Eustace: I don't go around with anyone, sir. Bunch of bullies is pretty much everyone, sir.
Elder Eustace: Not everyone. I know for certain that it's not everyone. There are a few, the right ones, who have a proper religious upbringing.
Young Eustace: As you... no, not as you say, sir. You don't even work here, so no. The good Christian children mock me as much as anyone. So, if I'm going to be punished anyway for this conversation, I might as well tell you to go away and leave me alone.
Elder Eustace: What way is that for a child to speak to his elder?
Young Eustace: It's the way of a tired child who knows that it's not going to do any good to try. I'm not making you any trouble. I'm not making anybody any trouble. You're going to make trouble for me, anyway. If there's no way to win, I'm tired of playing.
Susan: Perhaps there's a better conversation to be had? Why don't you tell me about the insects you've been reading on?
Elder Eustace gives Susan an annoyed look.
Young Eustace: Because I'm tired of playing so I don't want to make you feel like you've helped me when you're not going to help me.
Susan startles at that.
Young Eustace: It doesn't matter how many teachers I ever have, it'll only ever be two. There's the one who wants to punish me for, I don't know, not being in there talking about whatever sport they like right now. Then, the one who wants to sit down, have a conversation where I make them feel better, then does nothing when this one *points to the elder Eustace* punishes me or when they *motions to the children at lunch* bully me.
Young Eustace: If I can't get anything for my efforts, both of you can leave me by myself. I'll be in better company.
Susan nods and looks to the elder Eustace: What an intelligent young lad, here. Not only studious but with an understanding of interpersonal and sociological realities.
Young Eustace looks up at Susan skeptically.
Elder Eustace: He's a brat is what he is, with all the wrong interests.
Young Eustace: In the real world, it's study of fruit flies that have provided examples of speciation in labs and given great leaps in real world understanding of Autism. There's nothing wrong about the books I read.
Elder Eustace softens his look upon the younger: You'll learn, of course, you'll have experiences, you'll learn from your cousins and you'll meet-
Young Eustace: My cousins? You want me to learn not to be a bully from Edmund and Lucy? Who both come into my home then immediately get together to talk about their pretend world?
Elder Eustace: It's not a pretend world.
Young Eustace: I've no way to know that, not yet. Any attempt I might make at playing along, with what I see as an extended game of pretend, as myself would only get me pushed out for doing it wrong. I'm not supposed to think about the complex ecologies and negotiations between Insects that live in Trees and the Trees themselves. I'm not supposed to consider the interactions with neighbors or the logistics of how messengers are paid or the court system.
Elder Eustace: It'll all seem very different once you've been in the world, once you've lived in it.
Young Eustace: Yeah, I'm sure I'll starve and be sold into slavery at the first opportunity, because that's what happens in those middle ages style worlds.
Susan smirks.
Elder Eustace: Maybe that. But, also, you'll be changed by the experience. You'll have the right interests, read the right books, be the right person.
Young Eustace: But... what about my reading about insects? What about my interest in how political systems work?
Elder Eustace: Those are the wrong interests.
Young Eustace: But, then I'm wrong. And that means that I can't be right and be me. So, you're saying I'll die and be replaced?
Elder Eustace: Don't think of it like that. Think of it like a rebirth. Someone loves you and, because they love you, they'll take away...
Young Eustace: They'll take away the parts that are me and leave someone else. I'm not in a Star Trek story. This isn't the start to some child-friendly version of Night of the Body Snatchers, is it?
Elder Eustace: No, this isn't anything like that. It's just taking the bad parts of you, the parts that don't fit into the good society, and removing them in favor of...
Susan: Tell me, Eustace, that is the elder Eustace, do you remember being interested in insects?
Elder Eustace: Yes, I remember. But, that was a different time in my life, I was a different person.
Susan: That person was replaced, then?
Elder Eustace: The two of you are making this sound much worse than it is.
Susan: You're dressing it up in nice sounding words.
Young Eustace: But, Aslan doesn't love me. He doesn't love the parts of me that are me. He loves for people to fit into his plans.
Susan: And, it's such work to fit in, isn't it? The talk of the transformative power is what it is, but it doesn't transform all at once. This is a children's book series, not a Chick Tract.
Elder Eustace: Yes, it is work. I have to work at it. All relationships take work.
Young Eustace: To respect the other person, yes. But, not to pretend you're someone different. Not to always be watching in case you say the wrong thing. I'm out here because I don't want to do that.
Susan: Here's a different fiction, one you can both read. It's a fiction, elder Eustace, so you can view it as the right book. But, it's also a study on certain methods of governance and society, to keep your interest younger Eustace. Perhaps you'll find something to appeal to the adult and the child within.
Susan hands over a copy of 1984.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-01 03:19 am (UTC)The contrast, however, is this: when London writes it, the crew's bullying is labeled what it is, brutality and abuse, the captain (the titular Sea Wolf, Wolf Larsen) is a complete sociopath, and the nerdly male protagonist does not abandon his former interests and values--he adds to them. He puts on muscle, learns the skills of a sailor and mate, learns to see the "low-class brutes" of the crew as people (not to excuse them, some of them really are vicious bastards, but a lot of them turn out to be okay people in a bad situation), becomes tougher and more enduring... yet still can argue philosophy and discuss literature with his love interest and the Nieztchean captain. He doesn't stop being who he was, he grows into more.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-01 03:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-01 04:07 am (UTC)Incident to all that reading, I'm getting a good understanding of the difference between "person of their time" and "even for his time, he was a raging bigot" for late 19th-C/early 20th-C writers. E.g. London was a "man of his time". Lovecraft was a raging bigot even for his time. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle -- "man of his time". Sax Rohmer -- raging bigot. etc.
I think you might find Jack London interesting--he was an atheist and a socialist and, like Louis L'Amour, actually did all the things he wrote about.