pooh@ut-sally.UUCP (Pooh @ the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen) (06/19/85)
[source: The Daily Texan, campus paper at the University of Texas]
GANDHI, MLK: NOW RAMBO
I've been a firm believer in the non-violent philosophy as long
as I can remember. People like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
have been my inspiration, and I have spent most of my life trying
to accomplish my goals through peaceful means.
So it was indeed a breath of fresh air to discover "Rambo: First
Blood Part II." After years of trying to persuade through non-
violence, I was forced to consider the possibility that there is
another way: persuasion through superior firepower.
What a fascinating dilemma. I always had been impressed by the
concept of /satyagraha/, the term Gandhi used--its closest English
translation is "soul force"--to refer to the resource that is
tapped when someone is confronted with peaceful protest. Because
the soul force is more powerful than the forces of hatred,
peaceful actions are more effective than violence can ever be.
Or so I thought. The moment I saw Rambo leaping into action,
accompanied by stirring music provided by some low-brass
instruments, I realized that when you get right down to it,
it's not what's on the surface that counts. It's what's on
the inside--blood.
Maybe it's the speeches that contain the answers. As King
once said, ". . . We need not follow the 'do-nothingism' of
the complacent or the hatred and despair of the black
nationalist. There is the more excellent way of love and
nonviolent protest." Or as Rambo said, "Damned Russian
bastards."
But I always have been more impressed by the strength of a
person's character than by the words that a person uses. You
have to admire a man like Rambo, who, on the run from his
enemies and betrayed by his allies, can beat the odds armed
only with a serrated knife, some grenades, a bow and arrow
that uses arrows with explosive tips, a Sig Sauer .45-caliber
handgun, a 9mm Heckler and Kotch submachine gun, and even-
tually a helicopter.
If you like Gandhi and King, you may be surprised by the
philosophy of Sylvester Stallone. When this man takes his
shirt off, he means business (I'll bet King couldn't take
his shirt off if he tried). And if you've heard the way
the eighth-graders in the audiences cheer when Rambo burns
a field full of Vietnamese people to death, you know that
Stallone has discovered an exciting new concept--the power
of weapons.
For this is what man must learn if he is to survive. In
America, we are secure because we have the constitutional
right to bear arms. Not as secure as if we had the right
to bear tactical nuclear weapons, but pretty secure nonetheless.
In other words, Rambo wins because he sticks to his guns.
The problem is, some of us will never be able to follow
in Rambo's footsteps. Some of us don't look good with
our shirts off. Others of us can't fire a machine gun
with one hand. Some of us can't even dodge machine-gun
bullets.
But we can't all be winners. That's why we need leaders
like Sylvester Stallone. When Rambo blows up some jeeps
and a Vietnamese general with his bow and arrow, you feel
good because you know the good guys are winning for a change.
Seeing an actor fighting for his country just blows away
any feelings of inadequacy you may have because America--
"the A-team"--lost a war.
That's why Sylvester Stallone has captured the minds of so
many Americans, the eighth-graders and the eighth-grade-
at-heart. Because it's nice to know that it's okay to
have muscles again, especially if The Deity is on your
side. At the end of "Rambo," you can tell Stallone means
it when he grunts that all he and his fellow Vietnam
veterans want is "for our country to love us as much as
we love it."
We love you, Stallone. And if you and your disciples in
the audience are that eager to fight for your country
again, well, we won't stand in your way. After all,
peace is hell.
So if you're looking for some /real/ action, don't settle
for the movies. Find a real war and join it. If you
can't find any relevant wars, start one. And remember:
as you would say yourself, there's no greater honor than
the honor of dying for your country.
Go ahead. Make my day.
--David R. Nather