3 ms·

Lawrence of Arabia? Might as well cite Tarzan comics.

by mahmud 16y ago

jordan0day 16y ago
Yes, because no matter how insightful, wisdom must be ignored if it comes from a disagreeable source.
Mz 16y ago
Lawrence of Arabia is a historical figure and I did a college paper on him. He accomplished amazing things in the real world in terms of helping the Arabs achieve their independence. The Arabs were a relatively "primitive" (tribal) people compared to the English who sought to rule them. The film is based on real events. Like most such films, it is part documentary, part fiction/drama. He was famous enough during his life to have been followed around by a journalist. The journalist provided both actual documentation of Lawrence's activities (through film and photos) but also hyped it, so not all of that information is really accurate. Some themes in the movie are relevant to the discussion here: The Arabs keep wanting British artillery as The Answer. The British don't want to give it to them because they want to keep the Arabs under their thumb. (Note: Like with American Natives, they apparently saw "guns" as a source of power and wanted them completely out of context -- unable to manufacture them themselves and so on.) Lawrence tells the Arabs that he thinks their traditional ways are their source of power -- that riding camels through the desert like they did historically is the way to have power equivalent to British power. At the time, Britain was a Naval power and he compares the camels to ships and the desert to the ocean. I cannot verify whether or not Lawrence ever said that but it is historical fact that he rode with Arab irregulars and that such troops traveled by camel. It is also historical fact that he took Aqaba, a key port city, with a force of only 40 men. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Revolt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Revolt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._E._Lawrence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._E._Lawrence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_of_Arabia_(film) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_of_Arabia_(film) Here is an actual quote of the man which agrees with the gist of what I am saying and from a reputable source: Do not try to do too much with your own hands. Better the Arabs do it tolerably than that you do it perfectly. It is their war, and you are to help them, not to win it for them. Actually, also, under the very odd conditions of Arabia, your practical work will not be as good as, perhaps, you think it is. http://telawrence.info/telawrenceinfo/life/biog_quotes.shtml http://telawrence.info/telawrenceinfo/life/biog_quotes.shtml
- Mz 16y ago
  Too much time has passed and I no longer have an edit button. Wanted to make it more accurate. My brain mangled the following: Lawrence and Auda left Wedj on 9 May 1917 with a party of 40 men to recruit a mobile camel force from the Howeitat of Syria.[10] On 6 July, after an overland attack, Aqaba fell to those Arab forces with only a handful casualties. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Revolt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Revolt So he went with 40 men and more joined. It would be better if my remarks indicated he took Aqaba with a relatively small number of Arab irregulars. But they apparently basically overran the city with a small-ish force. The point is not inaccurate, but the detail of how many men is inaccurate. My bad -- posting in the middle of the night while suffering insomnia.

Lawrence of Arabia? Might as well cite Tarzan comics.

by mahmud 16y ago

Lawrence of Arabia? Might as well cite Tarzan comics.

jordan0day 16y ago

Yes, because no matter how insightful, wisdom must be ignored if it comes from a disagreeable source.

Mz 16y ago

Lawrence of Arabia is a historical figure and I did a college paper on him. He accomplished amazing things in the real world in terms of helping the Arabs achieve their independence. The Arabs were a relatively "primitive" (tribal) people compared to the English who sought to rule them. The film is based on real events. Like most such films, it is part documentary, part fiction/drama. He was famous enough during his life to have been followed around by a journalist. The journalist provided both actual documentation of Lawrence's activities (through film and photos) but also hyped it, so not all of that information is really accurate. Some themes in the movie are relevant to the discussion here: The Arabs keep wanting British artillery as The Answer. The British don't want to give it to them because they want to keep the Arabs under their thumb. (Note: Like with American Natives, they apparently saw "guns" as a source of power and wanted them completely out of context -- unable to manufacture them themselves and so on.) Lawrence tells the Arabs that he thinks their traditional ways are their source of power -- that riding camels through the desert like they did historically is the way to have power equivalent to British power. At the time, Britain was a Naval power and he compares the camels to ships and the desert to the ocean. I cannot verify whether or not Lawrence ever said that but it is historical fact that he rode with Arab irregulars and that such troops traveled by camel. It is also historical fact that he took Aqaba, a key port city, with a force of only 40 men. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Revolt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Revolt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._E._Lawrence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._E._Lawrence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_of_Arabia_(film) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_of_Arabia_(film) Here is an actual quote of the man which agrees with the gist of what I am saying and from a reputable source: Do not try to do too much with your own hands. Better the Arabs do it tolerably than that you do it perfectly. It is their war, and you are to help them, not to win it for them. Actually, also, under the very odd conditions of Arabia, your practical work will not be as good as, perhaps, you think it is. http://telawrence.info/telawrenceinfo/life/biog_quotes.shtml http://telawrence.info/telawrenceinfo/life/biog_quotes.shtml

Mz 16y ago
Too much time has passed and I no longer have an edit button. Wanted to make it more accurate. My brain mangled the following: Lawrence and Auda left Wedj on 9 May 1917 with a party of 40 men to recruit a mobile camel force from the Howeitat of Syria.[10] On 6 July, after an overland attack, Aqaba fell to those Arab forces with only a handful casualties. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Revolt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Revolt So he went with 40 men and more joined. It would be better if my remarks indicated he took Aqaba with a relatively small number of Arab irregulars. But they apparently basically overran the city with a small-ish force. The point is not inaccurate, but the detail of how many men is inaccurate. My bad -- posting in the middle of the night while suffering insomnia.