Posted by verne on October 11, 2004, at 23:05:52
In reply to Re: The Doctrine of Bob Infallibility » verne, posted by Atticus on October 11, 2004, at 20:11:15
> Let me be sure I understand your argument. The crew was to blame for Captain Queeg's incredibly poor judgment and stewardship of the vessel he commanded, and if it had just let him go on his merry demented way, all would have been well?
The point I'm trying to express is that the crew shared in, or contributed to, the captain's meltdown. I can't remember the book but after the trial in the movie, the lawyer for the captain gives the crew a tongue-lashing for their part in the captain's failures.
This is more than a story about a captain that becomes unhinged and a crew that mutinies. It's about the nature of rebellion and authority - how any revolt will shape and influence the authority. The crew created Captain Queeg.
The captain or authority doesn't exist in a vacuum. "Captain" is a meaningless title without a ship and crew. And the mutiny isn't simply about an inept captain and disgruntled crew that takes command. They all share in the failure.
The reason I brought up the Caine Mutiny is not that Dr. Bob resembles the captain or the posters, the crew in a particular way. For me the comparison with the book had more to do with the nature of any "mutiny" - especially the interaction between the rebels and the authority - how both shape each other.
How an obsession with a tiny pail of missing strawberries can lead - with a little "help" - to a complete collapse of command. The captain may have gotten silly over the strawberries but the crew was quite serious about undermining his authority from then on. And in the end, he was found unfit for command - which is exactly what the crew had hoped for all along.
verne
poster:verne
thread:400918
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20040927/msgs/401932.html