"‘Ender’s Game’ and Maneuver Warfare." Killing the Giant by burrowing through his eyeball.
Interesting article but remember "maneuver warfare" is THIRD generation warfare. Ender's Game is even more applicable to Fourth Generation warfare. As the author observes:
Ender initially believes the Giant’s Game is unwinnable until, in a moment of frustration, he attacks the giant by burrowing through the monster’s eyeball. The only way to win is to not play by the giant’s rules—and force the giant to play by Ender’s rules."
The target of 4GW is the few inches of space between the enemy warmaker's ears. This can either be done by reinforced persuasion ("Gee, if I give these orders somebody is likely to blow MY head off.") or, failing that, by a MatchKing bullet traveling at terminal velocity, launched by the precision-guided weapon of the citizenry -- the modern rifle. In Ender's Game, the metaphor is burrowing through the soft spot of the eye directly into the Giant's brain. Same thing applies to real-life tyrannical "Giants" no matter how invulnerable they feel or how strenuously they try to convince us that they are all powerful. For we know Ender's secret.
"The enemy's gate is down."
3 comments:
Mike the only way to "win" at war is to KILL THE ENEMY, or to convince him he is about to be killed so completely that he throws down his arms and surrenders. Everything else is tactics.---Ray
On the topic of new tactics:
I was thinking of an article I read a little while ago. The author was comparing opting out of Obamacare to burning their draft cards, their point was they aren't the same thing. This person was trying to make the case for Obamacare, and I really don't think they knew just how right they actually were.
If draft cards, and setting them alight are second and third generation warfare tactics, then what's coming with opposition to Obamacare is fourth generation warfare:
"Non-Participation"
I really don't think anyone over the age of say 40, or even 35, has any comprehension what the tactic of non-participation is going to be like to the other side.
Try shooting at something that isn't there, then look at the results. The other side is just not there. That's what Obamacare is probably going to result in. They're going to waste money and time, and ultimately (hopefully) crash and burn.
Certain brands of fake-pacifist idiots out there who like to let other people suit-up and go into danger zones for them have said: "What if there was a war, and no one showed up?"
Well we're about to find out as millions of people refuse to join up with Obamacare.
Mike the only way to "win" at war is to KILL THE ENEMY, or to convince him he is about to be killed so completely that he throws down his arms and surrenders.
That is exactly what Ender rebelled against to win. When he entered battle school, the battles were always "kill everyone on the other team then go through their gate." Ender realized that the first part wasn't required. You could just go through the gate.
That's where "The enemy's gate is down" get misinterpreted. Ender didn't mean it was open when he said that, he meant it was down, as in to the bottom. The battle school arena was entered from the side, with a gate to the left and the right. The students were in the habit of thinking in those terms.
Ender realized that in zero G, up and down is what you make it. He reoriented mentally so that the enemy gate was always down, and your job was to fall to the enemy gate. Mentally, it's easier to fall than to climb. The Enemy's Gate is Down means to orient that battle to give yourself the least resistance, and if the enemy is too dumb to reorient as well, that's all the better for you.
Post a Comment