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From: FAUST%MIT-OZ%MIT-MC@sri-unix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.movies.sw
Subject: RotJ
Message-ID: <2471@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 23-Jun-83 11:02:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.2471
Posted: Thu Jun 23 11:02:00 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 25-Jun-83 18:20:39 EDT
Lines: 28

From:  Gregory Faust 

     I may be way out on a limb with this one, but . . . 
     Has anyone noticed a similarity in philosophy between Jedis which
follow the "light" side and the oriental Shau-Lin (sp?) priests as
popularized in the TV show "Kung Fu"?  I don't know much about this
eastern sect, but taking the TV show as a source (risky business at
best!), it seems that there is much in common.  Teachings like "never
succumb to anger", "no unneccessary use of one's power", and other
pacifistic type things.  In the TV series, "grasshopper" is capable of
kicking anyone's ass, but only does so when really forced into it
either in order to defend himself or else some other good guy from the
bad guys.  (of course, this happens every episode.  Certainly one way
to get us to like the protagonists and still get lots of action into
the script is to make the protagonist someone who abhors the use of
violence, but is forced to use it to combat others.  This technique was
used in both Kung Fu and SWs (and countless others)  A refreshing
counter-example (taken from real life) was in Ghandi which I happened to
see recently).
     Without getting to ridiculous with this, perhaps Vader, the
Emperor and other dark siders could be likened to the usual martial
arts types defeated by Chuck Norris in "Kung Foo Mama and the Emporer
of Doom".
     Back to more serious matters, the real point here is that there
seems to be a commonality between the teachings of Yoda and some eastern
philosophy.

Greg