I suppose it is an idea that has always been in the back of
my head, but something I didn't really think about until today: Early American
freedom fighters like the Sons of Liberty were actually just terrorists. Of
course that's not the way we were taught it. I still remember learning about
the American Revolution as a young third grader. We were always told that the
early American leaders were brave heroes that stood up to the tyranny of the British
Empire. The only reason we are taught with this bias is because we actually
won. But consider how the American Revolution would've been perceived if we had
lost. America would most likely still be under the control of the British; and
us, as young English citizens, would probably learn how the Revolution was
merely a rag-tag group of terrorists that attempted to oppose the peace and
order of the Empire. Events like the Boston Tea Party would not be regarded as
acts of heroism, but instead as petty acts of terrorism.
It was
our exploration of Irish history in English class that inspired this provoking
thought. During the Irish War of Independence, the IRA were considered a
terrorist group that used guerilla warfare to defeat the British. The only
other time I had heard the term "guerilla warfare" was during our
studying of the American Revolution. Just like the IRA, the Sons of Liberty and
other early American "heroes" were nothing more than terrorists in
the eyes of the British. It is such as strange concept to grasp because we, as
Americans, have always thought of ourselves as "the good guys". But
if you were French, Spanish, Russian, or especially British at the time of the
American Revolution, you probably would've seen the American Colonists as "the
bad guys".
So
while writing this, I have been quietly applying this idea to Star Wars. I am a
huge Star Wars fan (I've seen the new movie twice already), and I'm sure there
are many of you reading this are fans too. What's not to love? Though the
prequels were not great, the 3 originals are classics. The heroic adventures of
the brave rebel alliance and Luke Skywalker against the oppressive Galactic
Empire, right? However when you think about it, we only see it that way because
the bias of the movie is told through our rebel "heroes". You have to remember that the majority of
people in the galaxy are part of the Empire. Even if they disagree with, or are
possibly ignorant to, the dark ways in which the Empire works, you can't argue
that the Empire doesn't bring order and structure to the galaxy. So take
yourself out of the plot of the movies and just be part of the universe;
chances are, you are impartial to, or even support the Empire(like 99% of
everyone in the galaxy). Now if you think from that perspective, the rebel
alliance is nothing more than a terrorist organization that seeks to destroy
your accepted way of life! For the majority of the galaxy, the destruction of
the death star was seen as a horrific act of terrorism, much like 9/11, not the
heroic event that was portrayed in the movie. Sorry if this has ruined Star
Wars a little.
The
overarching idea of these three examples- who we see as "good guys"
and who we see as "bad guys", whether in real life or the movies, is
all a matter of perspective and the bias of the side your see it from.
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