We like texture

Space Invaders is a tragic metaphor for the sorry geo-political situation we find in the world today.

Imagine, if you will, a lone rocket ship travelling in outer space. Imagine coming across an entire civilisation of alien life forms, an entire culture that you can not understand. They approach. They are different, their gestures make no sense to you and therefore take on the semblance of a threat. They are the Other.

Ever noticed that in the first few levels of Space Invaders, the aliens don't shoot back at the rocket ship?

Only after a few levels, after your intentions are clear and you have wiped out entire communities of peace-loving aliens, do they begin to defend themselves.

When you think about it, who is the real Space Invader?

Who does the Space belong to, and who is invading?

Yes, friends, the West, not understanding or caring to understand the East, chooses instead to draw its guns, setting off an irreversible chain of events that must lead to the destruction of either civilisation.

Some of these paradoxically named "space invaders", who are in reality Freedom Fighters, are choosing to lay down their laser guns and instead take a stand. Will you join them and heal the world? Or, uhm, the galaxy?




Great analogy! I always thought that I would love to put some of Ursula le Guin's books on the desk of "the west" so that they can read all about the Other in an outside context in english even they can understand. In other words, I choose to heal the galaxy.
 Wendy  


Yes, healing. But I kind of wish North Korea would forget about nuclear weapons. Not that we need to invade their space.
 ing  


Post a Comment