MovieChat Forums > The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) Discussion > Klaatu's Solution = Police State

Klaatu's Solution = Police State

posted 12 years ago by global_global
17 replies | jump to latest

I know Klaatu says the interplanetary system isn't perfect, but he basically seems to suggest that a police state is the answer to suppress all forms of violence.

All of those people on other planets are totally at the mercy of the robots like Gort. Essentially, they live under a police state, plain and simple.

Is this really THE solution to preventing violence? Because usually, police states themselves are rife with violence...at least here on Earth.

[–] kbarada 12 years ago

The robot's hard drives do not include lust for power and wealth. they are uncaring about such matters.

[–] WhoToTrust 12 years ago

In this case though, the police are not controlled by the state, so not the same thing.

[–] global_global 12 years ago

Good point about robots not suffering human desires for control which leads to corruption.

But the part about not being controlled by the state is a double-edged sword:
--It can prevent corruption and abuse by the people who run the state
--It can lead to the robots theoretically running amok if something goes wrong, without any oversight.

But ultimately, it was people who created and implemented the robots in the first place with the aim of controlling the populous, regardless of how good the intentions were.

So yes, I would still say Klaatu is advocating a police state of sorts.

[–] kbarada 12 years ago

So yes, I would still say Klaatu is advocating a police state of sorts.

I'm not so sure its a police state at all but rather a doomsdays type machine installed by galactic nations-planets to insure that war does not happen among them. Other than that, I got the impression that the citizens of all nations-planets are free to live as they wish.

This does not rule out civil war and armed conflict for any individual nation-planet as long as they do not threaten their neighboring planets. The goal was to insure peace among all the plants. Planet Earth was free to fight with itself, but not other planets. Some nations on Earth were already police states, some nations democracies, and all things in between. We are free to slug it out among ourselves, but not let it spill over beyond Earth.

[–] WhoToTrust 12 years ago

by kbarada - I'm not so sure its a police state at all but rather a doomsdays type machine installed by galactic nations-planets to insure that war does not happen among them. Other than that, I got the impression that the citizens of all nations-planets are free to live as they wish.

This does not rule out civil war and armed conflict for any individual nation-planet as long as they do not threaten their neighboring planets. The goal was to insure peace among all the plants. Planet Earth was free to fight with itself, but not other planets. Some nations on Earth were already police states, some nations democracies, and all things in between. We are free to slug it out among ourselves, but not let it spill over beyond Earth.

Agreed, the sentiment of which was pretty much covered by this part of Klaatu's speech:

...I came here to give you the facts. It is no concern of ours how you run your own planet -- but if you threaten to extend your violence, this Earth of yours will be reduced to a burned- out cinder....

[–] donuts151515 12 years ago

What people don't seem to get about the criticisms leveled at the films message is that shrugging off the notion that this system will fail with "it's not perfect" is a terrible, terrible way to 'protect' against that kind of criticism. It is a legitimate question. These species which have disarmed themselves and entrusted these robots to do their heavy lifting in times of need are also at their utter mercy should something go wrong. What if someone finds a way to sabotage them? If GORT is anything to go by, I think it's safe to say you'd be dealing with mass genocide on planetary scales.

[–] WhoToTrust 12 years ago

by donuts151515 - What people don't seem to get about the criticisms leveled at the films message is that shrugging off the notion that this system will fail with "it's not perfect" is a terrible, terrible way to 'protect' against that kind of criticism. It is a legitimate question. These species which have disarmed themselves and entrusted these robots to do their heavy lifting in times of need are also at their utter mercy should something go wrong. What if someone finds a way to sabotage them? If GORT is anything to go by, I think it's safe to say you'd be dealing with mass genocide on planetary scales.

Then again, it's likely that the GORTs/The Police would register a human trying to sabotage the GORTs/The Police as an act of aggression and would act accordingly.

[–] DrWhen 11 years ago

What makes the movie great is because it made you think about that. There is no perfect solution so obviously some movie couldn't present one. The movie is a logical and philosophical exploration of how to deal with the new nuclear age and avoid conflicts like the one that just ended.

[–] frequency-2 11 years ago

Its a "police Galaxy", not state. A police state is defined:
"a state in which the government exercises rigid and repressive controls over the social, economic, and political life of the population"
This would be a very hands on sort of control of the population.
The Gort robots don't throw down the hammer unless one planet attacks another. They don't care how a planet governs itself.

[–] pawtrax67 11 years ago

So are you trying to defend Humanity's right to kill one another? Is that what you're saying?

[–] kbarada 11 years ago

So are you trying to defend Humanity's right to kill one another? Is that what you're saying?

Are you saying that Humanity has a right to kill one another?

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] kbarada 11 years ago

I wouldn't want our government to have these kind of robots to play around with

We already do Addlepated . They are called drones.

[–] irvberg2002 9 years ago

Jerk, drones are only aircraft in which the pilot is on the ground and oprates the craft from there.

[–] kbarada 11 years ago

Yes, we are into uncharted waters when it comes to the use of drones. I think drones are a much better offensive weapon than defensive. However, if we are attacked by foreign powers and drones are sent to take out the leadership, then drones become a powerful defensive deterrent.

Should our government try to direct drone attacks on domestic dissenting groups, there would be hell to pay. All Americans would rally around the constitution and put an immediate end to any administration that would try such a foolish action. The people will prevail and law and order will be upheld.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] 9 years ago

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