Blogtrek

Blogtrek

2002/07/29

Press Button to Destroy Evil Empire

About 25 years ago I read a Mad magazine parody of the movie Star Wars. It showed the final scene when Jedi fighters swooped down to the center of the Death Star with the mission of destroying it from inside. In the Mad version there is a button at the center of the Star saying "press button to destroy evil empire". I also see this gimmick used in a number of other places. For example, the ending of Independence Day shows a plane going up into the center of the invader ship seemingly pressing the button that destroys the evil empire. I see some humor in this; it is that the fearsome bad guys have seemingly purposefully made it easy for the good guys to destroy them. It dehumanizes the enemy. Just press the button and see them blow up. It makes it seem easy. Some of our leaders may think it is easy to win a war simply by pressing the right button. Further, it is a metaphor for some of the problems we encounter in our lives. There often is no button you can press that will solve your problem. No button that can bring you your ideal mate, no button that can give you an A on an exam, no button to increase the worth of your stock portfolio, and no button to eliminate poverty and its causes. Just press the button and it will destroy your evil empire. Just like I press a button up in the upper right corner of this form to publish this blog. Self-destruct, Evil Empire!

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