I think in general, people can be opportunist. An enemy of an enemy is a friend. Yes, they can be enemies to each other as well, but I think that sometimes people see opportunity to put those aside.
I do think it’s crazy that we borrowed technology from our once enemy, but I think that that is life.. “C’est la vie”
We are are not always the smartest people, and sometimes we must concede to our enemies for knowledge. Isn’t it wise to befriend an enemy if you have the same goal?
Von Braun was definitely a hero… But, he was also a traitor. Like anything it depends on the perspective. And in understanding this, each person is an individual. Each person has their reasoning and purpose. I’m sure von Braun and others in these situations do what they must because they think it’s necessary.
How can we judge? We kinda did benefit.. Even in other situations. I’m sure angels have to play with devils sometimes. In war, enemies can always be around us. Likewise so can your friends.
Friend one day, enemy another. I’m sure it can also be reversed.
If looked at on a personal level, I don’t think I can ever befriend my enemy… but we’re talking about ideologies here, and to respond to Sabrina’s point, we indeed do business with our “enemies” every day. The truth is that wars are necessary for human evolution whether we want to accept it or not, and in a case of von Braun, he’s just a very sharp tool within human civilization, who’s only objective was advancement in science. And as we all know it, same tools can be used for many purposes – it all depends on who’s using them and how.
So after getting through the first few episodes of Gravity’s Rainbow, I think I’m beginning to understand how this all ties in. If you look at pg. 80-90 particularly, you can get a feel for one of the main themes of the novel. On pg. 87, we are told that Edwin Treacle (a Freudian) believes “Slothrop is, with the force of his mind, causing the rockets to drop where they do.” This sentence blew my mind. Professor Cucu mentioned, when reviewing this video, that one of Pynchon’s motives is to mock the transfer of weapon technology, particularly the V-2, from Germany to the US. I think that Slothrop may just be an extreme representation of this mockery. Somehow with the information given about stimulus training, cause-and-effect, telepathy, and coincidence, it may be possible to link Slothrop to the V-2, and perhaps consider him a part of the technology.
October 9th, 2010 at 11:41 am
It’s interesting how we seek help from our enemies and benefit from their knowledge though it is the very same that harmed us.
Is it so different from shaking hands on business with those we now deem terrorists?
The video brought attention to whether von Braun was a traitor or hero, once hero then traitor to the Germans, and hero to the United States.
But I want to know, isn’t a bit treacherous to work with the enemy?
October 11th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
I think in general, people can be opportunist. An enemy of an enemy is a friend. Yes, they can be enemies to each other as well, but I think that sometimes people see opportunity to put those aside.
I do think it’s crazy that we borrowed technology from our once enemy, but I think that that is life.. “C’est la vie”
We are are not always the smartest people, and sometimes we must concede to our enemies for knowledge. Isn’t it wise to befriend an enemy if you have the same goal?
Von Braun was definitely a hero… But, he was also a traitor. Like anything it depends on the perspective. And in understanding this, each person is an individual. Each person has their reasoning and purpose. I’m sure von Braun and others in these situations do what they must because they think it’s necessary.
How can we judge? We kinda did benefit.. Even in other situations. I’m sure angels have to play with devils sometimes. In war, enemies can always be around us. Likewise so can your friends.
Friend one day, enemy another. I’m sure it can also be reversed.
October 12th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
If looked at on a personal level, I don’t think I can ever befriend my enemy… but we’re talking about ideologies here, and to respond to Sabrina’s point, we indeed do business with our “enemies” every day. The truth is that wars are necessary for human evolution whether we want to accept it or not, and in a case of von Braun, he’s just a very sharp tool within human civilization, who’s only objective was advancement in science. And as we all know it, same tools can be used for many purposes – it all depends on who’s using them and how.
October 20th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
So after getting through the first few episodes of Gravity’s Rainbow, I think I’m beginning to understand how this all ties in. If you look at pg. 80-90 particularly, you can get a feel for one of the main themes of the novel. On pg. 87, we are told that Edwin Treacle (a Freudian) believes “Slothrop is, with the force of his mind, causing the rockets to drop where they do.” This sentence blew my mind. Professor Cucu mentioned, when reviewing this video, that one of Pynchon’s motives is to mock the transfer of weapon technology, particularly the V-2, from Germany to the US. I think that Slothrop may just be an extreme representation of this mockery. Somehow with the information given about stimulus training, cause-and-effect, telepathy, and coincidence, it may be possible to link Slothrop to the V-2, and perhaps consider him a part of the technology.