szmike
06-02-2005, 06:27 AM
Am I the only one who thinks that was a stupid line?
Only a Sith deals in absolutes? Well then, let's talk about the effin' Jedi. They believe in absolute devotion to the force. They believe in absolute refrainment from emotion: no love, no fear, no anger, none of the emotions that define us as individuals. They believe that they are the absolute good in the universe and there is absolutely no doubt about that.
And how was it that Palpatine seduced Anakin? By encouraging him to see both sides of the Force and to renounce the absolutism of the Jedi. I'm not arguing that the Sith do not believe in absolutes, but that the whole Jedi/Sith, good side/dark side conflict is the epitome of absolutes. You're either the good guy or the bad guy. (Hey, that sounds familiar. Kinda like...)
And let's not look over the fact that the line, "Only a Sith blah blah blah..." is in and of itself an absolute statement. It implies that if you think in absolutes, you could only be a Sith. It's self-defeating. Kinda like "I told you a million times, do not exaggerate."
I do see the possibility that the line was meant to be ironic. After all it was followed by the exchange in which Obi-Wan states that the Sith is evil and Anakin responds that from his perspective the Jedi are evil. It's arguable, unless you believe in absolutes. After all, what is more evil than the Jedi Mind Trick: to rob a person of their own free will to suit your own purposes. Perhaps the line was intentionally fallacious so that Anakin would see right through it and become ever further disenchanted with Obi-Wan and the Jedi. It's just that I do not give Lucas that much credit as a writer. Perhaps that was one of Stoppard's.
Only a Sith deals in absolutes? Well then, let's talk about the effin' Jedi. They believe in absolute devotion to the force. They believe in absolute refrainment from emotion: no love, no fear, no anger, none of the emotions that define us as individuals. They believe that they are the absolute good in the universe and there is absolutely no doubt about that.
And how was it that Palpatine seduced Anakin? By encouraging him to see both sides of the Force and to renounce the absolutism of the Jedi. I'm not arguing that the Sith do not believe in absolutes, but that the whole Jedi/Sith, good side/dark side conflict is the epitome of absolutes. You're either the good guy or the bad guy. (Hey, that sounds familiar. Kinda like...)
And let's not look over the fact that the line, "Only a Sith blah blah blah..." is in and of itself an absolute statement. It implies that if you think in absolutes, you could only be a Sith. It's self-defeating. Kinda like "I told you a million times, do not exaggerate."
I do see the possibility that the line was meant to be ironic. After all it was followed by the exchange in which Obi-Wan states that the Sith is evil and Anakin responds that from his perspective the Jedi are evil. It's arguable, unless you believe in absolutes. After all, what is more evil than the Jedi Mind Trick: to rob a person of their own free will to suit your own purposes. Perhaps the line was intentionally fallacious so that Anakin would see right through it and become ever further disenchanted with Obi-Wan and the Jedi. It's just that I do not give Lucas that much credit as a writer. Perhaps that was one of Stoppard's.