re: #29 Fenway_Nation

I guess not…a little late for you to weigh in on that particular thread, altho’ this is an open thread right here.

I guess I could weigh in with a general impression: Stand Alone Complex seems to be very concerned with the relation between humanity and humaneness. The terrorists who believe flesh and blood are to be kept pure typically are the most inhumane and suicidal; I remember one episode where they had lured the Major into a trap and had no compunction throwing the lives of their own men away against a technologically and tactically superior team, and trying to create as much carnage as possible. I think the Major saved a little girl that was actually part of the trap during the fight.

The trick to seeing “is humaneness a necessary part of humanity” is to drop the notion of “terrorist” from the opposition - they seem to have codes of honor that are samurai-like at times, other villains prize chaos and disorder. The drama among the Major’s team is usually very personal; even the fighting with other parts of the government is gossipy, bureaucratic infighting. The conflict looks to be about different visions of humanity: are we honor-lovers, freedom-lovers, or trying to be rational? If the last, where does love fit in?