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Universal Studio's new film in November: Ender's Game
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but this is probably influenced by the fact that the story basically ended immediately after the event, and I have read none of the sequels, so the ending struck me as far more tragic, and seemed to be a commentary on the moral cowardice of the top brass.
I guess in retrospect that does sort of give Ender an implicit "pass", and it doesn't really address the obvious next step, which is "what becomes of a person who does this sort of thing", and apparently the answer posed by the sequels is "He's actually a pretty great guy because he didn't mean to"?
The American military using a free to play shooter as a combat simulation and surreptitious recruitment tool? That's just too implausible.
I have read none of the sequels, either! In fact, I really liked the book when I read it.
However, as I think about it now, I realize that Card intended for Ender's powerlessness over his own fate to be some sort of redeeming trait. I think that's why the book appeals to young teens, particularly; Ender is a victim of circumstance. He's a dirty tool in the hands of awful men, but he's incapable of changing things, and thus, (morally) "clean."
The thing is, Card's fictional world is tailor-made to convince us that Ender is powerless to act differently. In reality, everybody has at least enough control over their own actions to be responsible for them. Maybe not a young child, but there's a reason we don't have young children controlling our armies.
I would never call Card a Hitler apologist, but I think the book allows for a certain world philosophy where a person can say, "I can't change things, therefore I am absolved of my actions." when what they mean is, "I am uncomfortable with changing things, therefore I am absolved of my actions."
man I dont care how shit it is, I love both Will and Jaden. I'm psyched for After Earth
But not in the nice, Good Will Hunting way.
(Even if it was genocide)
Like, doesn't he
From what I've read, Card writes it such that the reader is supposed to say, 'aw, Ender, you're being too hard on yourself!"
which is bulllll-sheeeiiit
This was a thing in Iron Man comics, kinda.
while when i was 12 i found this to be one of my favorite parts of the book (the fact that he exalts their culture as penance for destroying it) the criticism posted earlier in the thread makes the specific point that the only more heinous thing than obliterating and silencing an entire culture is to then take advantage of it to fill the silence with your version of the deceased. and while i would say that is certainly not how the acts are painted in the book, it is pretty definitively what happens and i find the idea itself to be pretty problematic.
also i feel like it should be said that while there is definitely some weird shit going on between valentine and ender that even at age 11 i picked up on, i don't think the 'naming the aliens buggers = sex' thing really holds water specifically because card is american, the characters are american and it's one of those terms that really does not have ANY of the same connotations across the pond. i grew up hearing bugger as a noun describing tiny, cute or annoying things with a someone teasing tone. it is also a very obvious slang for an insectoid race- i had no idea it was even a british term until MUCH later, didn't realize it functioned as a verb until later than that, and (this might be embarassing? idk if this is everyone's experience) didn't even find out it is an overtly sexual term ( i think it means sodomy or something?) until i was like 20.
That seems like a reading that could be supported by the text. I don't have a problem with characters being victim of circumstance per se, though when coupled with the point made earlier about him killing the boy in the shower, I think you're right that the author seems to be giving him carte blanche to do a lot of stuff that would be otherwise morally ambiguous and not having him really pay the consequences or have to deal with it.
I kind of always thought that ending the book where it did sort of side-stepped the whole problem of "what does something like this do to a person", which felt like a cop out.
Just a helpful reminder that every character in Ender's Game is two-dimensional, not just the villain
Also, "genocidal people are human too" is a really, really gross message. Like, really gross. Mega gross. To the max. And a weird one to put in a book where the kids' dialogue is, like, sixty percent talking about farts.
look man
you got something to say, say it to my face
It's a fact that they are. If they weren't, then we'd have less culpability as a race. And if we simply shrug and reject that truth, then we'll inevitably make similar mistakes over and over.
Regardless of how the book relays that message or whether it's appropriate (probably not well and also not appropriate), that isn't a bad subject to investigate, in and of itself.
Killing and defense of tribe is just an indelible human trait that I don't think we'll ever be rid of. I don't think pretending that isn't the case is very helpful
That the book has this little "...so let's not be so hard on them" undertone is the part that's so disgusting
That's absurd. The fact that they're relatable doesn't somehow take from the severity or horror of their crimes. Being able to comprehend and sympathize with a villain doesn't make them less of a villain, it makes them a tragic villain.
Oh ok well that is different!
"bugger"
Again, that the book has this little "...so let's not be so hard on them" undertone is the part that's so disgusting
And again, it's an interesting idea to explore, but a book where little kids talk about farts and play space laser tag is a weird fucking place to explore it
Pretty stark absence of farts and/or laser tag
Yes, okay.
Genndy Tartakovsky, creator of Dexter's Laboratory, Powerpuff Girls, and Samurai Jack created a show called Symbionic Titan
Paul Dini, writer of Batman the Animated Series and its subsequent related cartoons, wrote an episode for Symbionic Titan that was basically Ender's Game in a 22 minute pg rated cartoon format
I kind of liked that episode.
yes, you read that right
the creator of samurai jack made a show about giant robots and I didn't care for it
something is wrong there
I have seen you gripe about it.
But I still think it was an okay show.
Biggest part of the show that consistently bugged me: either they do an amazing job of evacuating people
or thousands die pretty much on the regular in that town.
Shakespeare used fart jokes many times
http://ultragross.blogspot.com/2011/04/fart-jokes-of-william-shakespeare.html