Blog Post #7 (LATE)

(I'm also about to go back to the other #7 blog posts to post a comment)

It took me a while to read the book, which is one of the reasons why this post is so late. That said, I enjoyed it quite a bit: though I had a constant nagging in the back of my head pestering me to remember my position on global warming, Crichton succeeded in making me lose my political footing on several occasions through his weaving of fact and fiction (which is summed up in the promotional quotes decorating the book's cover, both heralding it as having characteristics of thrilling fiction and compelling political observation). The literary tools that Michael employed were a prominent cause of the book's success and wide-spread political influence, and, while the story itself wasn't particularly captivating in my opinion, I found most of my entertainment being drawn from Crichton's bashing of real-world political opinions through the textual manipulation of fictional characters.

"Come out now," Kenner yelled to him. "Come out, and everything will be all right."

"Fuck you," the guy said. "Who the fuck are you, anyway? What is your fucking problem? Don't you get it, man? We're trying to save the planet."

"You're breaking the law," Kenner said.

"The law," the guy said contemptuously. "The law's owned by the corporations that pollute the environment and destroy human life."

"The only one killing people is you," Kenner said.

[...]

"Hey, I'm not killing anyone," the guy said. "Not even you."

"You're killing little kids," Kenner said, "in the park. You're killing families on a picnic."

"Casualties are inevitable in accomplishing social change. History tells us that."

Kenner wasn't sure whether the guy believed what he was saying, had been fed it at college, or was just distracted by fear. Then again, maybe it was meant to be a distraction...

With this passage, Crichton succeeds in creating two sides of an incident: the rational, moral, right-wing law enforcement agent (Kenner), and the illogical, extremist, left-wing environmental terrorist.

But little text is spent on making Kenner appear to be the to-the-core superior, for, especially with Crichton's intentions, bashing the opposition is often more effective than promoting the home team (in addition, it doesn't take much text to support a calm and in-control mentality).

With this in mind, and using tools such as frequent swearing, the word 'man' (classic stereotypically moronic hippie), and a fallacious justification of murder in the name of saving lives, Crichton sketches the leftist as an out-of-control, disillusioned, and self-contradicting buffoon.

To take it a step further, Crichton lumps this extremist together with all college-educated leftists by stating the possibility that he was 'fed' this incoherent nonsense in his liberal education. Suddenly an entire demographic of political ideology is perceived as irrational idiocy in the eyes of the uncritical reader: a cultural black box.