From: ggggg9271@gmail.com   
      
   On Thursday, June 2, 2022 at 8:41:52 PM UTC-10, gggg gggg wrote:   
   > On Thursday, June 2, 2022 at 8:37:42 PM UTC-10, gggg gggg wrote:    
   > > On Monday, March 30, 2009 at 5:48:10 PM UTC-10, good grief wrote:    
   > > > Planet of the Apes and Its Implications.    
   > > > Planet of the Apes has always been one of my favorite films. I loved    
   > > > it as a kid though the first viewing freaked me out; I had screaming    
   > > > fits and turned it off after the first 30 min–I must have been 5 yrs    
   > > > old. So, I really saw the entire film when I was around nine. I loved    
   > > > every minute of it, and I like it even today. Of course, reasons for    
   > > > liking it changed over time.    
   > > >    
   > > > I saw Planet of the Apes again some months ago and couldn’t help    
   > > > noticing certain parallels with the 10 Commandments, not least because    
   > > > Charlton Heston played both Moses and Taylor. I’m not sure if the    
   > > > makers of POTA consciously thought of 10 Commandments, but the two    
   > > > films make for interesting comparisons. Both are stories of alien    
   > > > minorities, oppression, liberation, and uncertainty. But, if Ten    
   > > > Commandments reflected the moral certitudes of the Cold War 50s, POTA    
   > > > reflects the anarchic skepticism of the late 60s. Moses leads his    
   > > > people out of bondage to an uncertain but promised land. There will be    
   > > > many obstacles and tragedies, but God is on their side. Taylor flees    
   > > > Apeland toward freedom, but he’s practically alone, with only a horse    
   > > > and mute bimbo. He rides toward the future only to re-discover    
   > > > humanity as a past-tense. Triumphant miracles aid the Hebrews on    
   > > > their path to freedom; tragic catastrophe awaits Taylor on his    
   > > > journey. Moses condemns the Golden Calf worshipers and saves the good    
   > > > members of his flock. Taylor condemns all of mankind, but deep down    
   > > > realizes and knows that he too is part of cursed humanity.    
   > > >    
   > > > Another movie that comes to mind in relation to POTA is Bridge on the    
   > > > River Kwai, hardly surprising since both stories were written by the    
   > > > French author Pierre Boulle. I haven’t read Bridge on the River Kwai    
   > > > and don’t know what changes were made for David Lean’s film, but   
   both    
   > > > stories share common themes. When the books were written, France still    
   > > > had an empire stretching all over Asia and Africa. For a couple of    
   > > > centuries, the French, along with the British, assumed that the    
   > > > dominance of white man would practically be permanent. The West was    
   > > > great and powerful; white man was advanced and well-organized. Whether    
   > > > one called it the white man’s burden or white man’s destiny, it   
   seemed    
   > > > like the world was meant to be ruled by white people.    
   > > > The first crack in this assumption happened with the rapid rise of    
   > > > Japan. An isolated feudal-state, Japan catapulted to world power    
   > > > status in a few decades after its gates were crashed open by Brits and    
   > > > Americans. In 1905, the Japanese, deemed a newcomer to world power    
   > > > politics, defeated the Russian Bear. Japanese power grew in Asia to    
   > > > the point where it became the premier imperialist player in northern    
   > > > China. But, that was not enough for Japan. Japan wanted dominance over    
   > > > all of Asia. This brought Japan face to face with European powers in    
   > > > Southeast Asia. Japan’s victory over British, French, and Dutch forces    
   > > > in Southeast Asia was shocking to both Westerners and Asians. It was    
   > > > as if the world was turned upside down. This was something new. Yes,    
   > > > Japan had defeated Russia in 1905 but that didn’t lead to rule over    
   > > > white folks. Yes, Japan had competed with Western powers in China and    
   > > > elsewhere, but Japan didn’t gain dominance over white-ruled areas.    
   > > > This all changed in 1941 when Japan charged into Western Imperialist    
   > > > holdings in Asia. This was all the more shocking because Japanese    
   > > > victory was so swift and resounding. There were deeper implications in    
   > > > this victory for all Asians–most living under colonialism–could now    
   > > > see that white folks could be defeated by non-whites. Though most    
   > > > Asians resented and hated Japanese imperialism–even more than Western    
   > > > Imperialism–, Japan’s victory inspired anti-Western-Imperialist    
   > > > movements(both Rightist and Leftist)all over Asia, Middle East, and    
   > > > elsewhere.    
   > > > Of course, Japan was finally defeated by white powers. US smashed    
   > > > Japan in the seas and from the sky. Russians charged into northern    
   > > > China and totally whupped Japanese ass. But, the West–especially    
   > > > Europe–never recovered from the shock of defeat at the hands of Japan    
   > > > in Southeast Asia. (And, Russians later came to fear the 800 million    
   > > > Chinese communists that turned into enemies.) Indeed, when the    
   > > > Europeans returned to take control of Southeast Asia, it was    
   > > > hopeless. Even Southeast Asians who hated the Japanese took    
   > > > inspiration from the Japanese example and fought against the re-    
   > > > imposition of Western imperialism. Dutch had to abandon Indonesia.    
   > > > French gave up Indochina. British realized its days were numbered in    
   > > > Malaysia. Americans, though not an imperialist power, inherited the    
   > > > French mess, tried to make the best of it(create an anti-communist    
   > > > South Vietnam), but was eventually pushed out by crazed communist    
   > > > Vietnamese in the North.    
   > > > Of course, victory over the white race by non-whites is nothing new if    
   > > > we look at all of history. The ancient Huns whupped the Europeans over    
   > > > a long period. The Mongol armies reached as far as Paris at one time,    
   > > > and the heirs of the great Khans ruled over Russia for centuries.    
   > > > But, since the time of Western advances in science, technology, and    
   > > > industry, it seemed to Western Europeans and Americans that there was    
   > > > nothing to turn the tide of history; white folks would rule and rule    
   > > > for good. Of course, many white folks saw this as a good thing since    
   > > > they were supposedly good Christians bringing the light of progress to    
   > > > all those crazy, backward, poor, and benighted darkies. There was some    
   > > > truth to this as much of the world was ruled by oppressive tyrants or    
      
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