The Case for Empire, Redux

In the early days of The Weekly Standard online, Jonathan V. Last wrote a very controversial piece entitled The Case for Empire. In it, he argued that viewers were cheering for the wrong side in the Star Wars flicks–that the empire was a force for stability in a universe ungovernable by the republic that once ruled. It remains one of the most widely-read stories my magazine has ever produced.

Now his co-blogger over at Galley Slaves, Victorino Matus, has written a post arguing that Indiana Jones is basically a malevolent force in his movies. “Balderdash!” you cry. “Indy is a force for good and justice–the purest distillation of American moxie, can-do, and cleverness.” I suppose. But he also causes the problems he has to solve.

“In Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Matus writes, “the Nazis were digging in the wrong place. It is Jones who actually excavates the Well of Souls and hands the Ark over to the Germans. And despite Jones’s heroic pursuit of the Ark while on horseback, the prize is ultimately returned to the Germans when they board the ship.” Similarly, he leads the Nazis to the Holy Grail by delivering them his father’s diary and figuring out what “only a penitent man shall pass” etc. means.

I can’t say I agree entirely with Mr. Matus, but he raises some interesting points. Perhaps the world would be better off with Jones leaving well enough alone…