Quote:
Originally Posted by hyperborealis
But even if Squealer alone has a truly universal conception of humanity, he can only realize it by resorting to tribal politics, his tribe against other Queerat tribes, and Queerat tribes against the PK tribe. He is like Lenin, proclaiming universal revolution, but in actual fact carrying out traditional czarist expansionist policies.
I don't think the ideological differences between Squealer, Kiromaru, and the PK villagers particularly matter. No matter which figure "won," there was only going to be the same sort of tribal politics the show itself illustrates the day after the glorious victory.
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Well, what I was trying to say is not that Squealer was the right choice per se, because honestly despite this episode gave us a more rounded and balanced view of Squealer I can't really affirm that he wouldn't have been the worst choice because, really, probably he would, for the reasons you stated about how tribal politics and rivalries usually led to other new conflicts. And for Squealer alone. In fact I did understand Kiromaru choice prioritizing his own tribe over the others.
Where I disagree with you is considering PK villagers like just another tribe. Because they are not. The difference in power is far greater than some queerat tribes. In fact, for now, the status quo has been re-established. And if I recollect right, even before, tribes fought each other. So it's not like having some Gods looking over them preserved them from inter tribes wars.
Instead, considering a Squealer winning scenario in which he would have had the girlfiend as a weapon, it would have been a far more balanced situation. Because she worked only against humans as a lethal weapon, and not queerats.
Anyways, from a queerat perspective, as a race, I would have found more queerat-ish to betray PK-ers instead of queerats. Because in the latter case you, a queerat, are putting your hopes to a single person with a wider mind, among the majority holding a grunge against your race. And more, a person of another race who still doesn't consider you as a "person". In the former case you are betting on a majority who has not any particular view on the matter against a person who you don't know if is good or not, but in the worst case that sooner or later will die.
For that reason I said that this kind of choice would define the person you are. Because choosing your tribe over your race is understandable, but choosing your race over your tribe is what would distinguish you from the crowd.