|
I am aware of the fact that there are those within the Science
Fiction community who don't like this book. As a result, I feel
that I should address some of their concerns. Here are some of
the criticisms of the book and my responses:
Heinlein writes about limiting the franchise (the right to
vote), so the book must be about a system of government which is
fascist, dictatorial, etc. - and must be un-American.
The United States Constitution originally limited
the franchise to landowners (the ones who paid most of the
taxes). This was at least in part because the Founding Fathers
of the U.S. believed that personal rights had to be balanced
with personal responsibilities. That idea, by definition,
cannot be un-American (since it was embraced by the founders
of America). Mr. Heinlein was writing - as he always did -
about social responsibility, not about government. Social
responsibility is a topic which needs more discussion,
not less. Today many feel that they have all kinds of rights,
but no responsibilities - a corrupt concept.
But, the basic system of government won't work!
If only the military can vote, they'll just vote for a
bunch of war toys and bankrupt the systen.
Did you really read the book? The military is
never allowed to vote. You have to be retired from
the service before you can exercise the franchise. It
might surprise you to know that people who have been in
wars don't want to see another one. Ask a veteran. Only
career military want to do it again ( and remember,
in Starship Troopers they can't vote)!
Let's clear the air, once and for all on this problem
everyone seems to have with voting. Heinlein hasn't
been the only Science Fiction writer to speculate
about limiting the franchise. One author even speculated
that if only women were allowed to vote, things would
be run in a much more sensible fashion. (The author
was a man - or a very convincing cross-dresser.) This
type of speculation is a valid plot element.
The book is full of American propaganda.
Indeed, it is! Mr. Heinlein was born and raised
in the United States - what did you expect?
The book glorifies the military.
I can't speak for the rest of the world, but in
the U.S., the military has defended our rights for over
two centuries. Without all those military people running
around in funny costumes, I probably wouldn't have the right
to voice my opinions as I do here. While I don't always
like the things which my government does, I'm DAMN glad
to have the military around to defend my opinionated butt!
The training depicted in Starship Troopers is
inhumane.
That's basic training, deary. They tear down
what you have and build the soldier they need from what's
left. If you don't like it, don't sign up!
Aren't some of the things these soldiers do
to civilian populations considered war crimes?
Again, you didn't read the book very closely.
It's made very clear in the text that when a civilian
population is attacked, the goal is to threaten
and spread confusion, not to kill. They're instructed
to kill only when they can't avoid it. This is not
the stuff of Nuremberg.
I didn't read the book, but I saw the movie.
In the movie, the propaganda that government put out
seemed pretty silly.
Actually, you should read the book before forming
an opinion. That aside, one need only look at the propaganda
handed out by the United States during World War II to
understand what the director was trying to express. Most
of that old propaganda seems pretty silly today, but most
of it seems to have been quite uncritically accepted during
the heat of battle. It's one of the more realistic elements
of the film. Incidentally, did you notice that the propaganda
piece which begins the film was a deliberate distortion of
the real battle which was shown later?
The sexes don't appear very equal in the book.
Well, Mr. Heinlein did write this book in
the Fifties. Considering the time in which it was written,
it was quite progressive. He did put women in combat - as
starship pilots and captains! This was unheard-of in the
Fifties. Heinlein made women more equal than any other
author of the time.
I could go on for pages, but many of you have already read
or discussed these same points before. Suffice it to say that
some of us believe that we have a responsibility to leave
the world better than we found it. If you don't believe that,
you probably won't like a story about the people who are willing
to die to make it better.
|
