Posted on 04/02/2002 5:53:25 AM PST by Mr. Thorne
Edited on 07/12/2004 3:38:22 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
First the groundwork.
Campbell posited that there are, so far, three basic types of humanity:
Tribesman: Superstitious, subservient to his tribe and culture. Individualism is not an option, only the tribe matters. He is the archetype of aboriginal peoples everywhere; what's good for the tribe is good for him, what's good for the tribe is known by tradition, anything outside of tradition is bad medicine, and to be avoided.
Barbarian: Self centered, loyal to himself and his hero-king. The self sacrifice of the tribesman baffles him. Tradition is fine until it gets in his way, at which point it can be... modified (special circumstances, don't'cha know). He is the archetype of the 'rampaging hordes' we read so much about. He can take anything from tribesmen, but only so long as a sufficiently charismatic leader is in charge. When his hero-king loses his 'hero' status, he loses his king status as well.
and finally...
Citizen: This is the archetype of civilized peoples. A mix of self-interest and self-discipline, he works both for himself and for 'the civilization'.
Campbell's premise was that no inferior archetype could stand before a superior archetype. Thus, tribesmen fell to barbarians, who did not fight by counting coup and racking up good medicine, but by hacking their enemies to pieces and enslaving their non combatants.
Thus, too, did citizen beat back barbarian. The Roman Legionnaire baffled the barbarian. Where was his axe? His two-handed sword? How could he gain glory in battle? In the meantime the Legionnaires concerned themselves with discipline, unity, and tactics, not personal glory.
Which brings us to the middle east. The Barbarians have been watching the weaklings for so long; they were so sure. Their enemies avoided battle, they sued for peace, where was the glory in that? They must, therefore be weak tribesmen.
And then they pushed one step too far.
The Citizens' response, as usual, was baffling to the barbarian. Where their wounded pride should have demanded a massive retaliation, there was instead resolve, cold anger, and tactical planning. And then, when the Citizen was ready, there was attack. Consistent, ongoing, attack. The barbarian doesn't understand this whatsoever.
Similarly, in Israel. Where is the glory in being one of four men in a tank, as opposed to being a heroic figure with a Kalashnikov or an explosive waistcoat? Nowhere, to the barbarian. But the tanks seem to be somewhat more effective, in the short term at least, than the rifles and suicides. After all, it is not the Citizen government besieged in a basement, but the barbarians' 'hero-king.'
Also, the barbarian's treatment of tradition is a perfect match. Not only are the barbarian's cultural traditions well suited to their conflicts, but those aspects that speak against such things are... forgotten, or reinterpreted... so that everything works a little bit better for them in the here and now.
Really must see if I can find that piece. It was an interesting read.
Send the word!
Send the word to beware!
'Cause the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming....
Flag me if you find it please.
Do you want to live with the constant smell of manure (main form of transportation, remember), B.O. (hard to grab a hot shower every day, when water takes an hour to heat up), woodsmoke, dung fires, etc. Oh, and don't forget, you're giving up: pre fab clothing, shoes, belts, etc., most modern drugs, especially penicillin. The AIDS cocktail is toast, get an STD and die. Get an infection and die. Get just about any disease, and die.
Oh, and fire up those natural childbirth classes. Not gonna be too many painkillers readily available...
Nuts, man.
I love technology.
Please find that piece. Your post #22 was most interesting.
When I was young, we kids were assured that, althought the Soviets wanted to conquer us, the Soviets would never nuke us. If they took over our country, logic said, they would want it to be intact, they would want to be able to utilize our rich farmlands and our infrastructure. The scary thing about these Muslinazis is that they want to conquer us and destroy us too. They don't give a rat's carville about preserving any parts of our civilization or our land.
Watch as the hometown heroes rescue countries in distress, feed the hungry and win the hearts of more than one grateful nation. Watch as the faithful fighting men return victorious to America with cheers and pride. Don't miss this stunning saga of a nation prepared to defend their homeland.
I do believe you have an assignment.
As someone told me "Mother nature is a castiron bi*ch and she will bite you in the butt give half a chance."
Yes it really is a negative philosophy. In Friedmans book "The Lexus and the Olive Tree" he talks about these people. They don't understand what's going on in the modern world, they know they don't like it and they'll do all in their power to bring it down.
Your alternative is....what?
Well, now, y'all will have to give me a bit. I'm busy wasting time at work and the book's are at home!
Mercy, have mercy!
sheesh
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