2009-09-24

Obnoxious Pacifism

Regarding "Jedi Crash" and "Defenders of Peace"[TCW1], as noted at NoLettersHome.Info and expanded here:

I hate arrogant pacifism.  It's the taking of an ideal that's good and worth
striving for and turning it into a socio-political tool.  For instance, if
you're an arrogant pacifist talking to someone who respects pacifism
but values justice and liberty more (and thus fights), then this reasonable person
wants you to understand why they feel liberty overrides peace ((since of course it is a difference of degree but you're both in the same general moral zone and thus equals)).  After
all, pacifism is a worthy goal, and Jedi above all others would not
wish to be seen as not respecting pacifism.

But if you're the
arrogant pacifist who's more pacifistic than said Jedi at the expense of justice and liberty, being an
obnoxious schmuck about it only serves to make perfectly reasonable
people want to hit you.   At that point, of course, you would then start
crying and bemoaning what evil hostile aggressors they are, yelling far
and wide.  Then you get a lightsaber in the chest because you won't
shut up.

Opinions will differ, and moral men will disagree.  But to get all haughty with complete strangers because you made your choice and they made the opposite one in the presence of the same facts is not noble or even pacifistic.  Words can be weapons, too, and the little old alien punk from
this episode knows that all too well.  No supreme pacifist is he.   Instead, he's one of those people who complains that no one likes him and then goes out of his way to ensure he is unlikable so he can complain about people not liking him.   What a toolbag.

The moral of the story is, being a pacifist doesn't
just mean not shooting a gun.  It also means not shooting your mouth
off.  

1 comment:

Unknown said...

"Arrogant Pacifism" was the modus operandi of TNG. Their theme song should have been set to the theme from "The Jeffersons:"

"We're movin' on up (movin' on up) To the peace side (movin' on up),
To a dee-luxe big starship, in they sky-high;
We're groovin' on up (groovin' on up),
To the peace side (movin' on up),
We finally got to be, a nice guy.

Kirk don't kill any Klingons,
Spock don't meld any minds.
Took a whole lotta crr-yin,
just to show that we're kind.

Now we're up in the big ship;
we don't want no war;
All we do, is savey that treaty,
Where no one has gone before!

We're movin' on up (movin' on up) To the peace side (movin' on up),
To a dee-luxe big starship, in they sky-high;
We're groovin' on up (groovin' on up),
To the peace side (movin' on up),
We finally got to be, a nice guy."