Babel Clash

Beware the stranger in your strange land. He may be a well-armed cranky individualist.

Yes, Robert Heinlein’s body of work, when taken as a whole, was most certainly didactic, in the very strict definition of “intending to instruct.” But I’m not at all certain he was intending to teach his readership what you might think. He wrote often about the man (or woman) sufficient unto himself, a man crankily determined to keep his individual liberty in the face of powerful forces intending to incorporate and completely absorb the individual into the group. The rugged individual was good. The socialist group was bad.  That much seems obvious.

But was his message that everyone should then be a rugged individual, charting his own course? Should all organizations of group control be destroyed? No and no. Maybe in a perfect world, but I don’t get the sense that Heinlein ever believed in the possibility of such a perfect world, nor would waste his time in trying to form one. I don’t think he was trying to recruit others into his world view, just as most libertarians don’t care a whit if people want to live other than he might prefer. I think his instruction was much more basic: “Attention everyone. You go ahead and form your highly regulated communities and governments and nations, if you insist, but leave me (and those like me) out. We have no intention of playing by your rules, but we will leave you to them, if you in turn leave us alone. If you choose not to leave us alone, be advised that we are cranky, we are well armed, and we have scant tolerance for your nonsense.”

He wasn’t a recruiter — or if he was, he was the recruiting sergeant from Starship Troopers whose main job was to try his best to turn people away, and failing that to inform them of the world of struggle and woes they are getting into by signing up. He advocated a hard life that is absolutely to be admired, but which few are suitable for.

In the spirit of honest disclosure, that’s my world view too, but I don’t think I’m guilty of shoehorning Heinlein into it. And yes, I did indeed accuse Matt of being a closet Republican when he admitted to loving Starship Troopers, but only because I knew it would horrify him (it did) and that would amuse me (it did). It’s fun the poke the Matt and watch him squirm. But the truth is, I don’t really care what his politics are. Dear Matt; I don’t actually think you’re a secret right winger. True, it’s clear you’re on the road to becoming one, but you’ve a long way to go, buddy. Plenty of time to turn back.

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