Post by johnofgwent on Nov 20, 2024 10:58:56 GMT
A few days ago sitting in the pub when the TV re-ran Starship Troopers a mate of mine piped up 'its not remotely like the book'
I'd heard this of course
And I remarked I'd never read it
He seemed very surprised, given my background and voracious appetite from my freelancer days of reading anything to take my mind off the grotty B&B etc
He suggested I should rectify that black hole in my education
And so two nights ago I did the jaws thing. Downloaded the e-pub at about 8pm and put the phone down at about 3am
I can see why they never made the film of the book. It is a good book, but it would make a really lousy film
About the only thing they have in common is the line 'is there any hope for this man's and the follow up 'very well, we shall try administrative punishment'.
The world Heinlein creates is interesting. Military conflict on earth seems to have ended. At the start when Rico joins up there is no war. The boot camps take only volunteers, and all must have spent time - a cooling off period - reflecting on their decision. Even once trained, any man, of any rank, may choose even at the last minute not to jump, and if they do, all that ever happens is they are quietly taken away, paid their dues in pay AND probably rata pension, and discharged.
But such a man will never have a vote
Because in Heinlein's book 'service guarantees citizenship' because ONLY those who have served and been honourably discharged on completion or on medical grounds get a vote and only voters can stand for political office.
In the words of those teachers of morals in a particular class on the school curriculum, a subject that ONLY a full citizen is allowed to teach, political power, and the power to choose who exercises political power over us, is only wielded by those who have of their own free will wagered their own lives as a stake in a fight for the good of the people as a whole.
It's interesting.
I'd heard this of course
And I remarked I'd never read it
He seemed very surprised, given my background and voracious appetite from my freelancer days of reading anything to take my mind off the grotty B&B etc
He suggested I should rectify that black hole in my education
And so two nights ago I did the jaws thing. Downloaded the e-pub at about 8pm and put the phone down at about 3am
I can see why they never made the film of the book. It is a good book, but it would make a really lousy film
About the only thing they have in common is the line 'is there any hope for this man's and the follow up 'very well, we shall try administrative punishment'.
The world Heinlein creates is interesting. Military conflict on earth seems to have ended. At the start when Rico joins up there is no war. The boot camps take only volunteers, and all must have spent time - a cooling off period - reflecting on their decision. Even once trained, any man, of any rank, may choose even at the last minute not to jump, and if they do, all that ever happens is they are quietly taken away, paid their dues in pay AND probably rata pension, and discharged.
But such a man will never have a vote
Because in Heinlein's book 'service guarantees citizenship' because ONLY those who have served and been honourably discharged on completion or on medical grounds get a vote and only voters can stand for political office.
In the words of those teachers of morals in a particular class on the school curriculum, a subject that ONLY a full citizen is allowed to teach, political power, and the power to choose who exercises political power over us, is only wielded by those who have of their own free will wagered their own lives as a stake in a fight for the good of the people as a whole.
It's interesting.