Today is an historic day in the U.S., whichever way the Georgia Run-offs go - there is deep dread and there is great hope side by side.
Our headline phrase echoes this sentiment. The Day the Earth Stood Still is a landmark 1951 movie. I remember that we kids saw it on television. In fact, we saw a lot of movies on television in the 1950s. They were daytime filler during the summer months. We thought it was pretty exciting for little kids.
This is an echo from the past to today's situation in the U.S.
"When a flying saucer lands in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Army quickly surrounds it. A humanoid emerges and announces that he comes "in peace and with good will". When he unexpectedly opens a small device, he is shot and wounded by a nervous soldier. A tall robot emerges from the saucer and quickly disintegrates the Army's weapons. The alien orders the robot, Gort, to desist. He explains that the now-broken device was a gift for the President of the United States that would have enabled him "to study life on the other planets".
Read more of the plot HERE. There is a section on the Metaphors that describes the comparison of Klaatu with Jesus Christ.
The conclusion of the story:
"Klaatu addresses Barnhardt's assembled scientists: an interplanetary organization has created a police force of invincible robots like Gort. "In matters of aggression, we have given them absolute power over us." Klaatu concludes, "Your choice is simple: join us and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face obliteration. We shall be waiting for your answer." Klaatu and Gort depart in the saucer."
The famous phrase in the movie that has been analyzed by countless people, including an "alien linguistics editor" is "Klaatu Barada Nikto". It wascreated by the Screen play author Edmund North rather than the original story author. His own direct translation describes where things are today:
"There's hope for Earth, if the scientists can be reached"
So our pictures today reflect the dread vs hope theme of the future that awaits the U.S. along with the rest of us watching from the sidelines.
