Who Has the Power? An Observation and Assesment

RIP NOSTROMO

I watched the Oscar winning film Alien(1979). Alien is a film that captivated the lives of many when it initially debuted in '79. With the jaw dropping special effects for the era it came out in, this film was received positively across the board and still holds up in amongst today's films. It takes place in the future and the plot revolves around a spaceship (the Nostromo) that received a distress beacon from a nearby plant. They go into the planet only to get one of their men infected. The man dies suddenly on board the ship when a being bursts out of his stomach. This being ends up turning into a vicious man eating alien that devours everyone on board the ship except for one, who stowed away in an escape pod. In the film there are several conflicts that arise. One of the biggest conflicts (and why everyone dies) happens when the crew allows an infected man onto the ship even though they knew it was breaking protocol. The acting senior officer, Ripley, specifically tells everyone to not let the infected man in because it could jeopardize the lives of everyone on board. Unfortunately a stubborn science officer, Ash, violates protocol and allows the infected man onboard. Initially Ripley is upset because she felt like no one ever listened to her, even though she was second in command. It might have to do with the fact that she is a woman and men believe they can overrule women. Ripley had the ranking power to boss everyone on the ship but since Ash was below the deck at the doors Ripley couldn't forcefully stop him from opening those doors. She confronted Ash telling him that the death of everyone on board would be on his conscience. Ash believed he had done what was necessary to further expand the horizon in the scientific field. But by doing so he'd risked the lives of every crew member aboard the Nostromo. Another conflict (a more physical one) was fairly evident when Ripley discovered that the mission was all messed up. She had a feeling that something about the whole situation, specifically about Ash, was wrong. The ship was receiving messages from earth which were being intercepted by Ash. Earth prioritized the state of the alien above anything even if it meant the inevitable death of all the crew members. Ripley was shocked and disgusted about how the government had tricked them all and even risked they're lives for the alien. As soon as Ripley discovered this she tried to warn the crew but Ash came at her and tried to kill her via suffocation. Luckily she was saved by two other crew members. That's when they discovered that Ash was actually a robot sent by the government to capture the alien and use it for evil. The main conflict throughout the film was Ash and his cahoots with the government. Ripley's intuition was telling her to not trust Ash and her gut instinct was right on the money. In the end I'm really glad she survived because I felt like she was the only person aboard that ship with even a shred of common sense. Ripley vanquished the monster and blew up the Nostromo! All is well... Until the sequels and prequels.

Empathy and Understanding

Empathy in the most basic definition, is the emotional ability to understand someone else. After researching just about everything there is to know about empathy and its role in conflict, I thought I would write a blog about my thoughts and ideas on the topic and what I found. Empathy is a key component in resolving a conflict, one article called it the “X factor” in a resolution. For a conflict to be solved completely, there needs to be an understanding by at least one party of the other party’s needs. If one person in a conflict can step up and be the bigger person, by setting aside the presumption that a conflict has a winner and loser, then an issue can be solved through an understanding of opposing viewpoints.

While researching about the most basic definition of empathy, I came across a short story online about the concept of empathy rather than the role it plays in conflict settings. The story was about a farmer who wanted to sell four puppies, so he made a sign in his yard advertising that there were puppies for sale. A little boy walked up and asked the farmer if he could buy one of his puppies and held out money in his hand to pay for one. The farmer accepted the boys offer and asked the boy if he would like to pick which one he wanted. So the farmer called out his dog, and out of a doghouse walked the mother dog followed by four small puppies. The little boy was delighted at the sight, but also noticed something else in the doghouse.

A much smaller dog appeared from the doghouse and struggled to catch up with the other puppies. The boy pointed to the puppy and told the farmer that he wanted that one. The farmer explained to the boy that the dog was born with a bad leg and urged the boy that he did not want to buy it because the dog would never be able to run and play around. The little boy then rolled up one of the legs on his pants and revealed a steel brace running down his leg and told the man, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands."

This story is a perfect example of empathy in its most simple form. The understanding that the boy has for the dog is the reason why he sees the two of them as a perfect fit. When you can relate to another person’s feelings or situation that they are in, it is warming to hear that someone also knows exactly how you feel and shows an understanding for your situation.