From: "Strong, Lee" <StrongL at MTMC.ARMY.MIL> To: "'WSFA members'" <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net> Subject: [WSFA] Re: Fwd: [BCI] Wisdom, of a sort . . . Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2002 13:40:35 -0500 Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net> Kit, Excellent commments on all points. Yeah, I associate with military at work and play, and fans at WSFA and most cons, and the contrast is often startling. Several years ago, I casually refered to "my right wing friends" in a WSFA conversation, and people visibly flinched at the thought of beings more right wing than "Lee on the Right." People who watch _Starship Troopers_ for the shower scene should probably be watching other forms of literature. I usually treat Verhoven's _Starship Troopers_ as a separate work from Heinlein's novel -- more so than the usual adaptation -- and watch it for itself. How about writing a review of _Black Hawk Down_ (movie and/or book) for _The WSFA Journal_? Spread your wings! Lee (on the Right) -----Original Message----- From: Kit Mason [mailto:kit at hers.com] Sent: Monday, February 25, 2002 11:02 AM To: WSFA members Subject: [WSFA] Re: Fwd: [BCI] Wisdom, of a sort . . . "Strong, Lee" wrote: > > Kit, > My apologies. I run into so many WSFAns who don't know the > differences that I automatically offered advice without knowing that it was > unnecessary. The cultures of some fans of science fiction and fans of > militaria are **so DIFFERENT**. > A friend of mine claimed that _Black Hawk Down_ was similar to > _Starship Troopers_ because the low tech Somali mobs attacking the > numerically inferior high tech Americans and Paks resembled van Verhoven's > Bugs attacking the M.I. "Bugs, Mr. Rico! Zillions of them! I'm'a burning > them down!" Heck! The Rangers even refered to the Somalis as Skinnies...! Lee, Not a problem. I know what you mean about different cultures; it gets very interesting being in several at a time. BHD does have similarities to ST in that way, but there it ends for me. When Verhoeven made ST, he dumped all of the critique of society's roles and the political system that were in the book and changed it all to a purely fascist state (heavily pointed out by the Nazi-type uniforms on the officers in the 'newscasts' toward the end of the movie). BHD's political background was simplified -- how else to fit at least fifty pages of politics into a few minutes introduction -- but it was still there and provided some level of context for the movie. Also, the primary technical consultants for Black Hawk Down were the Rangers and Delta Force members who *survived* the events being portrayed. They left in the crazyness -- the woman sheltering children in the school, the donkey cart going down the street between battles -- as well as the humanity; I have a much higher sense of reality taking place with BHD, and of the people in the movie being *people* as opposed to pretty cardboard cutouts without sense or character, as in ST. (I know one person who went to see ST four times just for the shower scene.) I originally read Black Hawk Down when it was published as research for some fanfiction stories I was working on, and it gives an excellent portrait of the kind of men who become Rangers, the training they go through, and the mindset they bring with them. I recommend it highly. Kit > -----Original Message----- > From: Kit Mason [mailto:kit at hers.com] > Sent: Monday, February 25, 2002 10:13 AM > To: WSFA members > Subject: [WSFA] Re: Fwd: [BCI] Wisdom, of a sort . . . > > "Strong, Lee" wrote: > > > > No, dear lady, you are confusing small arms or side arms, long > arms, > > and field pieces. In addition, "the stuff you trip over at Gettysburg or > > Masasses" is obsolete and is of interest to historical collectors only. > > Further, your estimaable spouse is confusing toys (dueling pistols) and > > fictional items (anything to do with Mr. deGriz) with serious weapons. If > > you're interested in this subject, I highly recommend _Black Hawk Down_ -- > > sort of _Starship Troopers_ with an all human cast. > > Lee, I know the difference -- I was twitting Steve because he mentioned > to me a while back a duel in which the choice of weapon was not sword or > pistols but 'armies'. As far as whether it's obsolete -- if it still > works, it counts for me. (I still know my basic swordplay from grad > school, when I studied tai chi sword.) I've both read and seen _Black > Hawk Down_, and I think it's a damn sight better than _Starship > Troopers_ in more ways than I can count. > > Cheers, > Kit > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Kit Mason [mailto:kit at hers.com] > > Sent: Friday, February 22, 2002 5:00 PM > > To: WSFA members > > Subject: [WSFA] Re: Fwd: [BCI] Wisdom, of a sort . . . > > > > Steve Smith wrote: > > > > > > "Strong, Lee" wrote: > > > > > > > > Among my peer group, a 45 is a small caliber sidearm. /s/ Lee > > on > > > > the Right > > > > > > Sheesh! What would be a *large* caliber sidearm? A 50 caliber dueling > > > pistol? Slippery Jim deGriz's 75 caliber recoilless? > > > > Musket. Goose gun. Cannon. Field artillery pieces. You know, the > > stuff you trip over at Gettysburg or Manasses... > > > > Kit > > > > -- > > > > kit at hers.com > > Kit's Concatenation: http://concatenation.blogspot.com/ > > > > "Don't you know by now that Nietzschians hold the truth in high regard? > > So high, > > in fact, that we're extremely cautious about how it's employed." -- Tyr > > Anasazi > > -- > > kit at hers.com > Kit's Concatenation: http://concatenation.blogspot.com/ > A Twist of Wry -- http://www.mrks.org/~kit/index.html > Kit's Works -- http//www.kitsworks.com/stories/index.htm > > "Don't you know by now that Nietzschians hold the truth in high regard? > So high, > in fact, that we're extremely cautious about how it's employed." -- Tyr > Anasazi -- kit at hers.com Kit's Concatenation: http://concatenation.blogspot.com/ A Twist of Wry -- http://www.mrks.org/~kit/index.html Kit's Works -- http//www.kitsworks.com/stories/index.htm "Don't you know by now that Nietzschians hold the truth in high regard? So high, in fact, that we're extremely cautious about how it's employed." -- Tyr Anasazi