Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-4224349-20150311205045/@comment-25471332-20150312031009

Wouldyoukindlydance wrote: Bloo Gem wrote: Garnet: “Peridot is coming and we don’t know who or what she’ll be coming with. She’s a modern gem with modern gem technology that’s bound to overpower us. The truth is, we’re scared.”

 I’m in class about Native American history and this  makes me think about how the Native Americans must have felt when the “White Man” was coming (and would change their world ‘forever’) and with, as Garnet would say, “Back Up.” It’s really a realistic example of helplessness and fear and frustration with knowing that there’s absolutely nothing  you could do about it but wait for it to happen and resist until you majorly ‘lost’ (if you considered that’s what happened to the Native Americans).

 Considering this, I guess the Crystal Gems would be the “White People” who sympathized with the “Native Americans” and Peridot and “others” would be the “White People” coming to take over or ‘destroy’ the “new world.” While it's an interesting comparison, it's not incredibly accurate. For one, the Native Americans existed in many different forms throughout pre-colonial America. Some surrendered quickly in face of death, some attempted to negotiate with the visitors, and some fought to the bitter end to defend their territory. The Crystal Gems are scared, but they will almost definitely fight until they are physically unable to.

Furthermore, the Crystal Gems already know the intentions of the homeworld gems, while the Native Americans had little idea of what the invaders goals were. They assumed, correctly in many cases, that the invaders desired the land and wealth of the New World, and that this would mean death for many of them. This was business as usual for many native tribes, as tribal conflict and war was common. The final difference I can see between the two situations is that while the invaders of the New World ended up killing many, their goals were for "God, glory, and gold." The homeworld gems invasion plans, while generating the same effect, are caused by their desire for population. You’re right that it’s not an accurate comparison, but it still makes me think of it out of all the real life human scenarios on my mind that happened in the past. But maybe it’s also because I’m in a specific history class and I can’t help but make comparisons with it. So, do you know what real life human scenario does this situation make you think is more of an accurate comparison and if so, what? I really do love shows that hint at an injustice that we, as a people, have done (though, this isn’t always the case when I feel the show isn’t portraying the injustice as ‘wrong’ or “wrong enough” or even worse, "fights wrong with wrong”).

 To add to this, anything in real life will always  be a lot more complicated and complex than what a 10-minute per episode television show could ever convey (heck, a 30-minute per episode television show can’t accomplish this). It’s the reason why a lot of stories from the past and present hardly deviate from a “good vs. evil,” “black and white,” outlook on its characters and subject matter. Not to diss this kind of story telling, at all, but life itself is really gray.