While I'm ashamed to say I've never read The Ones Who Walk Away, from
descriptions I've heard many times over, it sounds very similar to a
wonderful short film I saw way back in high school, called The Lottery.
The premise was an idyllic (utopian) town, and once a year the citizens
took part in a lottery, by which one person was selected and then stoned
by the other citizens. The theme of the film was the way in which the
brutal violence of the lottery was an outlet for agression and violence
and injustice, without which the town's utopian life would not be
possible.
Which reminds me of the war games in Ecotopia. The author seems to posit
a certain essential violence to humankind, predominantly but not
exclusively men. The men, and some few women, need to use the violent and
often deadly wargames to purge their violent/aggressive urges so that the
peace and non-violence of the community can continue. As with most
essentialist views of human nature I reject this philosophy.
Robin Gordon
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"I am the wall with the womanly swagger."
Judy Grahn
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