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GONE_WITH_THE_WIND

That's the movie, not the                     January 9, 2007
book.  (Haven't read it.)

Once upon a time, during the strange
days in the mid-80s when I was living
in Pocatello, Idaho, I went over to
the film series at Idaho State
University to see the movie "Gone
With the Wind" again.

                             (You don't see too many
There was a young woman      black people in the
with Farah Fawcett hair      audience at these things.)
seated in front of me,
making audible comments
to her friend...

She was repeatedly,
passionately, ranting
about the Ashely
Wilkes character:

     "He's such a wimp!"

   That surprised me quite a bit.
   I hadn't thought about it much,
   but Ashely had always struck me
   as one of the more positive
   characters in the movie:

   Philosophical.  A man
   with a strong sense        In comparison, Rhett
   of morality and duty.      Butler (Clark Gable)
                              is a bit flighty and
       Ashely and             useless.
       Rhett are
       the only                  E.g. he volunteers
       ones who                  to fight in the war
       object to                 only after it's clear
       fighting a                it's a lost cause...     (The existential
       war with                                           hero, again?)
       the north;

       Rhett objects
       that the North
       has a stronger
       industrial base.

       Ashley objects
       that war is more      Because Ashley's objection       When Scarlett
       horrible than         has a moral dimension to it      wants to use
       glorious.             he's perceived as "weak"?        convict labor,
                                                              Ashley pushes
                               (Or is it just that            to hire "free
                               hand-to-forehead style?)       darkies" instead.
   But that's just
   the reaction of
   some hicks in
   Idaho, right?

       Since then I've made
       it a point to
       question women what
       they think of Ashely.

       The judgement of
       "wimp" is nearly        Apparently, it's his
       universal.              fault for "leading
                               Scarlett on".           (Marrying another
                                                       woman wasn't a
 There's a powerful                                    strong enough hint.)
 worship of "strength"
 running throughout
 our culture...

    And I'm afraid
    it's a serious
    weakness.


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