Monday, February 4, 2013

You are now entering, The Twilight Zone.

It's one of my favorite shows, they did so much with writing that your imagination did the rest.  Some of my favorite episodes only had two actors in it, but the story was so solid and well written that it didn't matter.  It always allowed my imagination to peak right after i was done watching an episode, making me think about what was capable with just words.
 
The episode where i took this speech from was about a man from the future who travelled back in time and tried to change historical events, but, hard as he tried he could not.  So, he picks a time and city that should allow him to live in peace and nothing significant should happen in history for him to feel that he could have done something.
 
He's found lodging renting a room and during a communal dinner there is a very opinionated guest on the topic of what the US should do in order to achieve the greatness they deserve.  It all involves attacking, conquering and burying the flag nice and deep into foreign soil.  Our lead character holds his tongue only for so long before he owns him with this speech, after "Mr Hanford" asks him if he's some sort of tree hugging hippie (I'm paraphrasing) (i don't think hippies had bloomed yet) (i guess i should have said like some sort of beatster?) (anyway).  My favorite phrase is when he calls him an "arm chair warrior", fucking love that.  I had to share it.
 
From the episode No Time Like The Past.
 
No, I'm just some kind of sick idiot who's seen too many young men die because of too many old men like you who fight their battles at dinning room tables...and i take offense at arm chair warriors who don't know what shrapnel feels like, or what death smells like after 3 days in the sun, or the look in a man's eyes when he realizes he's minus a leg and his blood is seeping out.  Mr Hanford, you have great enthusiasm for planting the flag deep, but, you don't have a nodding acquaintance with what it's like bury men in the same soil...no, no, you'll go back to your bank and it'll be business as usual until the next dinner time when you'll give us another of your vacuous speeches about a country growing strong by filling it's graveyards.  Well you're in for some gratifying times Mr. Hanford, you can believe me.  There will be a lot of graveyards for you to fill, in Cuba, then in France, then all over Europe and all over the Pacific.  And you can sit on the sidelines and wave your penance because according to your definition, this country is going to get as virile as the devil from San Juan to Inchon.  We'll show how red our blood is because we'll spill it.  There are two unfortunate aspects to this, one is that you won't have to spill any and the other is you won't live long enough to know I'm right.

2 comments:

  1. Incredible how that speech - great monologue- and episode really hits a mark, (unfortunately), and is still relevant. This is/was such an awesome show.

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  2. The great thing about it is how it still holds up. And, yes, the unfortunate thing is that this conversation can still be had today.

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