Lessons from the Apes

Planet of the ApesDawn of the Planet of the Apes seems to be the current rage, topping box office records and offering an impressive array of special effects, costuming and makeup. We saw it last night, and I’d say its reception is well earned, since it’s beautifully acted and extremely well paced. (And the apes are flat-out amazing, conveying unmistakeable emotions with little more than grunts and facial expressions, so kudos to whoever handled the prosthetics and the actors who managed them.) I’d recommend it for those elements alone.

But I was more struck by its theme than its dazzle, because this installment of the famous series focuses on leadership, and the tension between leaders who strive for peaceful co-existence, versus those who build their power base by stirring up fears and hatred of the “other.” That’s what made the film so relevant and, for me at least, so easy to relate to.

If you’ve been following the cultural clashes over abortion, homosexuality, immigration, or big versus small government, I think you’ll recognize many of the issues the film raises. And you’ll certainly see some of today’s public figures in Planets cast of characters.

First there’s Caesar, the wise, strong, and up to now undisputed leader of the apes, who only wants to keep his population safe and able to live without interference or danger. His human counterpart Malcom is a young and gentle father, one of the few human survivors of a catastrophic plague which has wiped out most of humanity. The colony he belongs to, based in San Francisco, needs access to the dam occupied by Caesar and the apes, and he hopes to gain their trust so they’ll allow him and his team to activate the dam, generating electricity for the humans. He, like Caesar, is a “family man”, peaceful and meaning harm to no one,
ape or human.

The same can’t be said for Koba, Caesar’s aggressive second in command who hopes to usurp Caesar’s position and lead a full scale assault on the humans. He’s been cruelly experimented on by men in the past, leaving him embittered and contemptuous of Caesar’s desire to get along with a race Koba feels is untrustworthy and evil. So he stirs up fear and animosity among the apes by taking his bad experience with some humans and declaring it the norm for all humans. His stereotypes make sense to many of his own, and since they’re quite ready to believe the worst about the “other”, they react to their prejudices by aligning themselves with Koba’s hate-filled agenda.

Dreyfuss, the human colony leader, is the answer to Koba, a man whose distaste for the apes is matched by his desire to annihilate them all. Like Koba, he sees not the individual, but the image born of his own fears, and in response he inspires similar fears among humans. So Koba despises all humans and all apes who sympathize with them; Dreyfuss loathes all apes and all humans who don’t share his loathing: and thus humans are turned against apes and fellow humans; apes are turned against humans and fellow apes, partisan bickering evolves into mayhem, and everyone suffers.

Familiar territory, for sure. And that’s what resonated with me while watching the film. Yes, I think there is such a thing as a just war, and I likewise believe some principles are worth fighting for at the expense of getting along. But in the midst of necessary tensions over truth, I never want to be guilty of needlessly fighting when peace was a legitimate option.And when I do fight, I want to fight wrong principles, not people. I want to see error and sin as the enemies rather than the people promoting the error or committing the sin. And I do believe, perhaps naively, that it can be done.

So as a theological and cultural conservative, yes, I’m against many things, for many more things, and unashamed of lines in the sand when they need to be drawn. (And brother, do some of them need to be drawn, underlined, and set in bold type!) But the caution I left the theater with last night was hard to shake off. Because while my admiration was for Caesar, who wanted peace but would fight if necessary, I had to admit some affinity for Koba, who wanted war but would get along only if necessary. Sometimes my positions on key issues get clouded with personal hurts I’ve endured from the “other side”, hurts tempting me to resort to stereotypes, half-truth, or petty insinuations when referring to people I disagree with. And I hope I’ve learned by now that no, the end does NOT justify the means. I’d much rather be on the losing side of any cultural clash if that side was not only rght, but also expressed itself in the right way.

So this Fox-News watching, tongue-speaking fundamentalist aging Republican who misses William F. Buckley needs to remember the blessing Jesus pronounced on peacemakers, and the sin of uncessary strife. Or striving in the wrong way, which is as great or greater than the sin of avoiding necessary confrontation.

Many thanks to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes for that reminder.

And thanks to you for being here. Have a great weekend.

Love,
Joe

Comments

Brenda | Jul 18, 2014

I just have a hard time spending 2 hours of my time watching APES riding horses, and acting as humans and that the way the movie portrays Apes vs humans, the "natural" reaction is for me to side with the Apes! I don't think I need Apes or Hollywood to remind me. We have His word, and His Spirit, and better movies, to do that!

John J Kirkwood | Jul 18, 2014

Another wonderful article. I always walk away from your columns, thinking. I, too, miss William F. Buckley. There was a veiled defense of Christopher Columbus, as well.

Sue Bohlin | Jul 19, 2014

Joe, your power of analysis never fails to astound and bless me.

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