The Lone Ranger, Zimmerman, and other musings

Two things of note happened this weekend.  After weeks of endless reporting, the Zimmerman verdict was handed down.  As expected, Zimmerman was declared not guilty.  A little more of a surprise was no manslaughter consideration.

So, basically George Zimmerman shot Trevon Martin to death, after disregarding police advice to leave the kid alone, while getting his ass kicked in a fight.  Supposedly, Mr. Zimmerman, who sought the altercation, lost control of it, and had to shoot Trevon Martin because he feared for his life. One wonders why he didn't pull the gun first (or maybe he did), and get Trevon to put his hands up? 

That is what the Lone Ranger always did, he got the  bad guys to put their hands up; he didn't kill them! 

Whatever else you believe , Mr. Zimmerman "solved" an altercation by killing his opponent with a gun:  one shot to the heart.  This is almost romantic in its impact, depending on whose side you are on.  I listen to my conservative friends, who almost choke up, with the RIGHT of a person to "stand his ground" and shoot someone; even a 17 year old kid!

And, then   we went to see the Lone Ranger.  This movie is not doing as well at the box office, because of a variety of complaints; some about the stereotyping of Native Americans, others about the barrage of special effects, even Johnnie Depp, who never misses in a Disney flick, is criticized.

We liked the movie.  When the William Tell Overture was played, I went right back to Tonto, Silver and the Lone Ranger, over our black and white T.V.,  the first T.V. show I remember. 

And the film was good, I think; I don't care what the critics say.

And the film glorified solving disputes by shooting people with guns; especially bad guys and Indians. 

Lots of guns, even Gatling Guns,  were used against an heroic, final  (and fatal charge) of what is left of the Comanche Nation. 

Historically the Gatling Gun is not what did the Comanche's in (and they were the most fierce of all Native American armies).  What did it was the repeating pistol (six shooter) and the repeating rifle.

Until after the Civil War, Texas basically could not move westward (also getting its butt kicked in the Civil War didn't help), because the Comanche's would simply dare the Texas Rangers to fire their single shot pistols or rifles, then charge and kill the Rangers who didn't have time to reload. 

The Texans just couldn't figure this strategy out, and kept sacrificing people to the Comanche's trap.

And, even  the Texas Rangers, who carried the fight to the Comanche's, could not match the bravery and sheer fanaticism (Comanche's were also crazy) of the Native Americans and lost battle after battle.

Only repeating weapons; ie,  overwhelming  firepower, swung the pendulum in the manifest destiny direction.

And in that at least, Disney had it right, but not with Gatling Guns. 

Firepower has been depicted as the major reason the "West was Won".  And there is a lot of truth to it.  Native Americans, in a fair fight with comparable weapons, were far superior to Army cavalry, until repeating rifles were introduced.  This fire superiority came about after the Civil War (which was the birthplace of modern warfare)  and it took about 25 years for most Native American resistance to be wiped out. 

Genocide is another term for it.   Massive firepower can kill everyone in a battle.  It also works well when you have people lined up against pits (Germans were really good at this ) and Indians trapped in canyons, done several times by the U.S. Cavalry. 

 This all culminated of course, at Wounded Knee, when hundreds of women and children were slaughtered, and the soldier firing the Gatling Gun into  masses of unarmed women and children, was awarded the Medal of Honor!  I am not kidding, he got the Metal of Honor for killing unarmed women and children. 

The antecedents of the shooting of Trevor Martin run deep in American soul.  Many Americans, especially white Americans, believe fervently that guns will bring safety and justice.  Small wonder, when one looks at the historical record of American firepower, and what it has done to people of color in our history. 

So, the final scenes of the Lone Ranger show even the hero, the Lone Ranger, blasting away and killing people (in the T.V. episodes the Lone Ranger always shot the gun out of the bad guy's hand). 

It is no wonder George Zimmerman reported than when he shot a 17 year old kid in the heart, while getting his pathetic ass kicked, that Trevon said "You got me".  That is right out of the Lone Ranger.

Of course, when a person really gets hit with a high velocity bullet, it blows off an arm, or explodes a head.   Hollywood  has very seldom shown what really happens when overwhelming firepower is turned against human beings.  The first fifteen minutes of "Saving Private Ryan" made many movie goers ill, as arms and legs flew into the air, entrails all over the sands. 

But the carnage was for a just cause, right?   

This  is right out of the myth of the American West.  When people are killed, it is always for a just cause, always allowing the good guys to win, always showing the Lone Ranger and Tonto making a more just society by killing, or at least wounding a lot.

And in the end what will this mean?

 No society has ever lasted for long that was based on violence and divisiveness, none.  Genocide will ultimately destroy the very fabric of a society.

The Thousand Year Reich, only lasted 12 years, and ended with Germany a smoking rubble; a product of superior American and Russian firepower.  And of course, there is Japan and the Atomic Bombs, the ultimate in superiority through explosives. 

It may take a few hundred years, but societies that rely on killing people to settle disputes, usually disintegrate into chaos and fail.  Or, in the Atomic Age, fall victim to a massive exchange of explosive power that wipes out all life on the planet. 

But  I cheered when the William Tell Overture was played, I winced when the Comanche's were slaughtered (but the only good Indian is a dead Indian...right?).  I rooted for the Lone Ranger and Tonto as always. 

And I pity us all, for allowing the worst of our natures to root for an asshole like George Zimmernan, and knowing that someday, we will probably  all be victims of our romanticized violence.