Power of the Dark Side

by Pamela Jaye Smith

  Work stoppages, strikes, blue-flu (when cops call in sick), boycotts, tying up customer service, and email-phone-mail campaigns have sometimes been effective. The trick is to follow the rules — to the word, to the letter — so much so that you bug the heck out of the rule makers by wasting their time and tying up their resources.

  A. IN ACTION

  Sulky teenagers use civil disobedience against parental authority by pushing the line but not going over it, thus driving parents nuts.

  Activist Saul Alinski influenced civil disobedience in the 1960s. One tactic against bank policy was for hundreds of depositors to line up, close their accounts and get cash, go to the end of the same line and open a new account with the same cash. All legal, all time-consuming, and all heck for the bank.

  Greenpeace, people who chain themselves to trees, and other nature protectionists for the most part try to stay within the law as they conduct their protests, often with picturesque or sometimes tragic exceptions (the ones who don’t make for interesting stories).

  Czechoslovakia’s 1989 Velvet Revolution and Ukraine’s 2004 Orange Revolution accomplished their socio-political goals without violence.

  B. IN MEDIA

  Office workers use this one well, as in Dilbert cartoons.

  Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars novels pit colonists in civil disobedience against the multinational corporations trying to control the terra-formed red planet.

  Iron Jawed Angels portrays American suffragettes protesting to get the vote for women. Reds is about idealistic Americans sometimes using civil disobedience in the cause of Communism.

  C. IN YOUR CREATIONS

  Inner Drives Center of Motivation – Lower Solar Plexus: individual rights and personal power, & Aspirational Solar Plexus: helping others gain their rights.

  Free trade, the IMF and World Bank, war profiteering… how can ordinary people take a stand against some of the global practices without destroying everything? How can they encourage a synthesis of the positive aspects of big business with the good of consumers, producers, and ordinary people?

  The payoff for this tactic should have your audience cheering. Build up the frustrations and show your antiestablishment heroines trying two to three other tactics that don’t work.

  Have resistance from some who think using anything of the establishment’s would taint their movement.

  A defector from the establishment is often the best source of information. Their conversion provides a dramatic character arc. Or perhaps they’re just doing it to spite someone else or set them up for a downfall.

  Towards the end, showing one of the protestors getting drawn into the establishment would illustrate the lure of power and why it’s hard to sustain effective resistance. Exposure of this traitor to the cause can be a key story point. Cypher in The Matrix played this traitor role.

  FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE

  When none of the above works, you may just need to physically fight back with whatever you have on hand, as some aspects of the Dark Side simply do not respond to anything but force.

  You can sometimes counter impersonal Dark Forces by applying impersonal counterforces. If fields flood every spring, build dams or divert the waters. If there are seasonal fires, burn firebreaks. If predators eat your herds, run off or kill the predators, inject a counter-predator, or move your herds. Counter-predators often end up being more trouble than they’re worth, though, as do weapons such as landmines and NBCs (nuclear-biological-chemical).

  Sometimes a show of force is enough: aircraft carrier battle groups moved to hot spots, rifles on truck gun racks, police patrols, strutting scowls and clenched fists. A small feisty cat-chick in TVs Andromeda challenged a huge alien to guess whether she was really clever or really crazy. He deemed either one really dangerous and left her alone.

  Though they can be misused, preemptive strikes can deflect or defeat a possible greater danger. Ideally this tactic means you take up arms to squelch a clear-and-present danger exhibiting both capabilities and intent to harm.

  A. IN ACTION

  Violent tendencies seem inherent in all humans and most of history is the story of fighting over one thing or another: resources, land, power, women, men, animals, slaves, honor, religion, or the way you fix your hair.

  Sometimes opposition to the Dark Side is perpetuated by the Dark Side in order to draw others into battle. In his departure speech, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned against the military-industrial complex unduly influencing foreign policy. The film Syriana and the British TV series Reilly: Ace of Spies, both based on reality, illustrate how weapons manufacturers and resource power brokers manipulate and perpetuate conflict around the world in order to keep their businesses flourishing.

  B. IN MEDIA

  From ancient India to Mesoamerica and all around the world, myths recount pitched battles between the Dark and the Light. The Lord of the Rings trilogy raises this concept to multiple hours of impressive battles.

  More than just a tactic, many war stories and martial arts movies focus on fighting for fighting’s sake.

  Some war stories comment on the idiocy of war or the addictions we have to violence: Paths of Glory, All’s Quiet on the Western Front, Johnny Got His Gun, Apocalypse Now, The Battle of Algiers.

  Some display the honor of men and women in battle: Zulu, Patton, Gunga Din, Khyber Pass, Glory, Starship Troopers, 300.

  Others reveal the games played by great gods or powers, with warriors as pawns: The Iliad, The Aeneid, Lawrence of Arabia, The Thin Red Line, Babylon 5.

  Spartacus, Magnificent Seven, The Seven Samurai, Red Dawn, El Cid, The Fellowship of the Ring, and The Last Samurai feature a few good guys going up against a whole lot of bad guys.

  Shane, Rambo, The Highlander, Xena, Batman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Sarah Connor in The Terminator, and most superheroes stand alone against the Darkness.

  The World of Warcraft multiplayer online game, Age of Mythology, Age of Empire, Star Wars, and all the other battle games engage this tactic of armed confrontation.

  C. IN YOUR CREATIONS

  Inner Drives Center of Motivation – Lower Solar Plexus: the Warrior center, band of brothers, defense of self, & Root: sheer survival.

  Contact the military Public Relations offices for assistance in information, personnel, and equipment for your projects.

  Two things to consider about the enemy as your protagonist prepares to encounter them are 1) their capabilities and 2) their intent. No point wasting your own resources in overkill or in fighting the wrong enemy.

  War stories offer the opportunity for valor, to sacrifice one’s own self for the greater good. It’s usually redemptive to have the person who previously wimped out be the one to fall on the grenade.

  Just as in any Hero’s Journey, be sure your hero finds effective allies and weapons.

  To escalate tension, escalate the weapons and danger.

  Cut off the head, the rest will die. Or find the center of gravity and tip the enemy off balance.

  Tension appears when you assign a mission but not enough resources to accomplish it. Indiana Jones is often in this situation and has to just make it up as he goes along.

  YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION?

  Now that the guns are out, let’s talk about other armed approaches to battling badness. Revolutions and coups have been occurring long before Greek god Zeus and his siblings overthrew their father Chronos (Clash of the Titans).

  The problem with revolutions is that the situations often just revolve like a pig on a spit: it’s a different side getting roasted, but it’s all the same pig. When successful, revolutions often spawn counterrevolutions and the fighting just goes on and on.

  A coup is different from a revolution in that it’s usually a small, powerful insider group, usually military, that breaks ranks and tosses out the leadership. Because it’s a military force rather than the will of people, as in a revolution, coups often lead to longstanding military dictatorships.

  Coups are a favorite t
ool of empire. Alexander the Great, the Roman Empire, Genghis Khan, European colonizers, and America have all installed friendly rulers in lands they’ve conquered or wish to exploit in some way. Often called “client governments,” a more descriptive term is “puppet regimes.”

  A. IN ACTION

  The American Revolution, French Revolution, Russian Revolution, Spanish Civil War, Simon Bolivar’s revolutionary leadership in South America, China’s Communist Revolution, etc., etc., etc.

  Lawrence of Arabia was encouraged to encourage Bedouin tribes to rebel against the Turks by promising them land and power. In a betrayal of those promises, the Treaty of Versailles after World War I created new countries (including Iraq) and client governments of nomadic tribes in the Middle East. Many of today’s conflicts, though founded in centuries-old enmities, were exacerbated by this oil-driven manipulation.

  American-supported coups include Augusto Pinochet in Chile, Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines, Manuel Noriega in Panama, the overthrow of the democratically elected Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran and his replacement with our guy the Shah Reza Pahlavi, Viet Nam’s Ngo Diem, Indonesia’s Suharto, Saddam Hussein in Iraq, etc., etc., etc. The early 2000s populist movement in Latin America threatens longtime U.S. hegemony and influence in that region.

  B. IN MEDIA

  Under Fire, The Mission, Salvador, A Tale of Two Cities, The Scarlet Pimpernel, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Missing, The Year of Living Dangerously.

  In Viva Zapata Marlon Brando plays a Mexican peasant who leads a revolution and then becomes just like the oppressors.

  In Fight Club, Edward Norton and his alter ego Brad Pitt foment a violent revolution out of frustration with their passionless, consumer-oriented culture.

  Three Kings shows American soldiers involved in the aborted Kurdish coup during Gulf War I.

  C. IN YOUR CREATIONS

  Inner Drives Center of Motivation - Lower Solar Plexus: polarity, and personal power at the expense of others.

  Define the oppressors and show it getting worse. Or are the rebels just feisty power mongerers exaggerating the oppression?

  To illustrate the dangers, show an unsuccessful attempt to rebel.

  Oppressors are usually conservative and control-oriented. Show their point of view and justified fear of giving in to rebel demands: It would change everything.

  Rebels often want a return to the good old days, so show why and how that was lost. Or, they are visionaries who want to move forward. Be sure to define these different approaches so we know the direction of motivation.

  Show how the seeds of a revolution’s downfall lie in the fact that it fights its opposite and risks becoming that.

  CUT TO THE CHASE

  Contrary to popular opinion, you can run away from your problems — if you run far enough, fast enough, in the right direction. When other tactics have been tried and failed, sometimes running is simply the smartest thing to do.

  A. IN ACTION

  You can run, but not always hide, as extradition treaties between countries helps control cross-border crime, and Interpol enforces basic laws worldwide, from white-collar crimes to drug and human trafficking.

  The United Nations has an entire branch dedicated to refugees. The developed world is currently battling with how best to integrate the flood of mostly Developing World immigrants who’ve run from bad economic or political situations.

  B. IN MEDIA

  A good part of every action-adventure movie involves the chase. Three iconic run-for-it films are Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Thelma and Louise, and The Fugitive.

  Though not a chase movie, at the end of Casablanca, all the main characters are running away to fight another day.

  In the dramatic film El Norte, immigrants run from Latin American poverty to troubling lives in LA.

  Other run-for-it movies are Road Warrior, Catch Me if You Can, Brother Where Art Thou, and Apocalypto.

  In games, the “run” button gets a lot of wear.

  C. IN YOUR CREATIONS

  Inner Drives Center of Motivation – Root: Sheer survival.

  Somewhere in the setup let us know who’s chasing who and some of why. Some can be saved for later revelation, but unless we get some sympathy for the hero and an understanding of why he’s running we simply won’t care, no matter how exciting the visuals are.

  Because of it’s visceral impact, try to save chases as exhilarating punctuation between sequences of character development, or save it for the last-ditch effort after all other tactics have failed.

  Use details of the chase as metaphor for what the character’s going through. In The Fugitive Dr. Richard Kimble leaps off the dam (concrete civilization) into the falls (dangerous unknown Nature). In Thelma and Louise the girls speed away from dangerous males (and certain jail time) into yet another unknown freedom from an unwanted past (pretty certain death).

  SEEK SANCTUARY

  This tactic is usually grasped in chase situations when the heroine or the audience needs a rest, or you need to deliver some information to her or to the audience.

  Living out their own metaphor, holy ground usually offers physical sanctuary for anyone, criminals included, along with the opportunity for spiritual salvation. Some deities take up residence in their temples, others just make regular scheduled appearances but are available for 911 calls. Regardless, the presence of a good deity can deter evil.

  Public places sometimes provide sanctuary, depending on how worried the villain is about exposure. It may work if a hypocritical public figure is after the heroine, but don’t count on it with mindless demons or ravaging beasts.

  Cyberspace offers sanctuary too, now that cameras and the Internet can make any place public, as overzealous cops and rude citizens have discovered to their chagrin.

  Shifting elements, geography, or dimensions can create sanctuary, like jumping into water to escape a lion (don’t try it with tigers — they swim), joining the Witness Protection Program, or the sci-fi trick of hiding in hyperspace.

  A. IN ACTION

  Social services offer discreet homes for abused spouses, mostly women. But there are plenty of men who get physically as well as emotionally and spiritually abused by their domestic partners. Where can they go?

  Church leaders around the country protested when proposed U.S. immigration laws threatened to force them to turn in illegals who came for assistance.

  A few countries without extradition treaties and with very loose banking laws offer safe haven for tax dodgers and criminals. They tend to be in warm climates with strong umbrella drinks and are favored by murderous military dictators.

  Hostage-taking is an attempt to create a sanctuary space.

  B. IN MEDIA

  In The Highlander series and films, churches are off-limits for head removal (guaranteed one per episode), but a lot of decapitating swordfights occur on the front steps of a lot of churches.

  In His Dark Materials books and film, characters use a magic knife to cut doorways between dimensions and find safety.

  Odd that Switzerland, a staunchly neutral country, doesn’t have more international conflict refugees; maybe it’s just too cold and small.

  C. IN YOUR CREATIONS

  Inner Drives Center of Motivation – Root: Sheer survival.

  One way to use this tool is to establish early on that a certain place offers sanctuary, but make it really difficult to get there or to get in. Like Switzerland?

  Another way is to surprise us, e.g. hurtling over the waterfall reveals a hidden cave where your heroes can hide.

  If set up by showing how or why sanctuary has worked well before, betrayals of sanctuary can be shocking.

  Shift from one aspect of the Dark Side to another for more conflict: Your characters find physical sanctuary but their own Dwellers (claustrophobia, self-destructiveness) betray them, or a Dark Force (earthquake, tsunami) makes it all for naught.

  TRIALS, TRUTHS, AND

  RECONCILIATIONS

  Retaliation is an ancie
nt concept easily corrupted into eye-for-an-eye vendettas that ravage people, families, and entire cultures for ages. Restorative justice is based on giving back, not continuing to take away. It’s about shining light into the dark places, admitting wrongdoing, and starting fresh. It’s what redemptive religions preach but don’t always practice. Restitution and reparations make more societal sense because they restore balance and can defuse hatreds.

  Many victims just want to be heard and understood, especially if the crimes they suffered were done in silence or secrecy that denied their humanity. Particularly in crimes like ethnic cleansing or genocide, public acknowledgement of a person’s right to exist restores dignity for many.

  A. IN ACTION

  Modern war crimes trials are designed to give victims a voice, to expose previously hidden atrocities, and to design social systems that compensate victims and prevent the problem from recurring.

  In the 1990s, South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Committee (TRC) gave both victims and perpetrators of apartheid injustices the opportunity to be heard in open court and to request amnesty.

  Augusto Pinochet of Chile, the Somozas of Nicaragua, and Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines all perpetrated crimes against their own people while Western governments turned a blind eye. It’s still going on in Burma and other developing nations. Even when dictators fall and are brought to trial, as Marcos was, most countries never recover their stolen riches.