Outro Script for 1 x 14

I ended up re-writing my outro because there was a lot I wanted to delve into but I thought I would share it with you all in advance as a huge thank you for your support of my content. It is LONG.

There may be some grammatical errors. I tend to edit whilst reading through my script and talking so I don't tend to fix things in advance haha!

Classicism/Rebellion/Classicide

Eren and his Titan abilities become seen as symbolic of resistance and defiance against the class system. There’s genuine fear that he may be utilised by the lower class to rebel and turn against the upper. The military police fear such an uprising enough that they willingly propose executing him for ‘the good of humanity’ but this in itself is deceptive language. Whilst we can all understand and sympathise the fear of the unknown especially in regards to Eren and his titan abilities, we know that such a statement is not so much to do with protecting everyone. Rather, it is about protecting the interior of Wall Sina and the upper nobility emphasising the clear class divide.

The military police go as far to say “he’ll be a pawn in the revolt against the centre” indicating that discontentment is brewing to the extent that open rebellion is feared. Of course, at this point in the series, we are not entirely sure as to exactly why. The first half of the series hasn’t delved into the policies that have been put in place to cause such aggravation. However, the show does a great job of giving hints as to the lack of respect that the upper classes have for those of the lower walls. We know that the walls are divided by class. The poorer you are – the less luxury you have to avoid the Titans. You are forced into the outskirts where your life is at risk on a near daily basis. The richer you are, the more protected because you are in the centre. It’s much harder for the Titans to get to you. The conditions in the lower walls are cramped. You can see how squashed and built up the areas are in comparison to that of Wall Sina where there is larger space between buildings, and ample room for families to live.

I know this point is going to get people’s backs up as it has done before when I’ve commented on it, but I believe that the division of class is best emphasised by the lack of respect given to the refugees and the forced conscription to take back Wall Rose. None of these people were trained. They were rounded up by the Military Police and forced to embark on a suicide mission. There was no hope of succeeding. I’ve seen people attempt to justify this act as ‘necessary’ or ‘justified’ due to the looming famine. The fact that the vast majority were refugees indicates that they are not seen as fully human. They are not given the chance to live because they are seen as deposable and lesser than the lives of those in Wall Rose and Wall Sina.

Whether you believe the operation to take back Wall Rose was justified in order to prevent famine, you have to look at the broader picture rather than just what is explicitly told to you. This is where media literacy is crucial in terms of looking at imagery. We have to understand that the characters are obviously going to defend what happened as justified because there is a bias. That bias comes from either serving in the military itself or having survived due to the sacrifice of the refugees. So, when they defend it as a necessary good, this in itself is misleading and hides the truth of what is actually ongoing behind the scenes.

Think back to Episode 5 between the meeting of Pixis and the Lord. The peaceful atmosphere that surrounds the Lord in his home also indicates that he has never known true fear of what it means to be threatened by the Titans. However, what is most striking is the extortionate amount of food laid out within the scene. Far too much food for the number of individuals present. What this indicates is that food is NOT a concern but rather greed. We see the Lord sweep up numerous pastries in his hand, eating them without care as to when his next meal will be.

What is implied in this imagery is that food is not a concern in Wall Sina and it is safe to presume that it was not a concern even 4 years prior. What this indicates is that the refugees could have survived if Wall Sina had been open to cutting back on their lavish lifestyle in order to share resources with Wall Rose to help accommodate the influx. Yet, their innate greed is what led to the looming famine and as a result to 20% of the population being culled. Pixis calls the culling a sin that all humanity must bear the weight of, emphasising that he feels a great sense of guilt over what was done to the refugees.

Whilst some may call the action a ‘necessary evil’ – I would argue instead that the language used in reference to the event and the later imagery of Wall Sina serves to portray this act as abhorrent and wrong. Classicide is considered a form of genocide. Michael Mann, a sociologist, states that the classicide is considered as “premeditated mass killing’ that targets a part of the population defined by its social status whereas genocide is the mass killing based on ethnicity.  The lack of regard for the lives of those in the lower classes and the blatant way in which they are quite literally thrown to the Titans in a mission that would never have succeeded, is a form of classicide orchestrated from the very top with two aims;

·         To protect the interior circle and their way of life, allowing them to continue to live a life of luxury without being forced to share with those they deem inferior.

·         To cull the population of those they deem inferior and undesirable because their lives are not deemed as equal to that of themselves.

You can disagree with me but I think it is blatantly clear from the language and imagery that we see that the class systems that are being promoted and the militaristic society that so easily culls large members of a social class purely to uphold their own greed is not presented as a necessary or even justified evil, but as a disgrace to humanity, freedom, and liberation. The show is clever in forcing watchers to question their own moral and ethical beliefs, but at the same time I think the writing is quite explicit on its own stance in relation to the culling which is that such an act can never be truly rationalised or justified and is a crime against humanity.

Referring back to Episode 14 – we see a rich merchant of Sina siding with the idea of killing Eren. Again, this is an indication of innate greed outweighing morality and common sense. His priority is himself and the wealth he has accrued. He even speaks up to condemn someone’s ‘illusions of grandeur’ which is hypocritical considering he values his own wellbeing over that of humanity as a whole.  As Levi, my little socialist King, says his wish is only “to protect your friends who help line your pockets” without looking at the larger picture, which is those in Wall Maria who are struggling to survive because there is a lack of land to sow and no help/resources being given to them by Wall Sina.

Whilst the upper-class fear Eren and see him as a threat to their established order. The lower classes look at him as a potential saviour to take back the land that was lost. A golden opportunity for humanity to fight back against the Titans. He is not seen as a threat but a symbol of hope in a world which so often feels cruel and hopeless. In times of darkness, people often turn to forms of belief as a means of support and Eren becomes that for the lower class who feel rejected and looked down upon by those of Wall Sina.

However, this also leads into my point of belief and its intersection with politics through the Wallists.

********************
Wallists / Intersection of Religion & Politics

Eren notes that the Wallists were not taken seriously until five years ago. What this indicates is that in the aftermath of such a traumatic event, people have turned towards something higher than themselves or humanity as a whole in order to find some sense of peace and understanding. This also occurs in contemporary society. People who have experienced significant trauma will often try to find explanation through religion as a way to try and find meaning to their experience because they cannot fully come to terms with it.

Finding religion after trauma can also be a coping mechanism, a way of healing in which the traumatic event is presented as being God’s will and design, removing the need to think about choice and personal responsibility. Trauma can also challenge our religious beliefs and can cause people to pull away entirely as it shakes our moral and ethical understanding of right and wrong, but Episode 14 illustrates how in the face of uncertainty and fear people need to find something bigger than themselves, bigger than humanity, to provide an explanation or understanding of the world around them. Hence, the Wallists beginning to gain significant power and presence within Wall Sina.

What is interesting to see is the writing critiquing the intersection of religion and politics. The Wallists believe that altering the walls is akin to blasphemy against God. That these walls are God, completely ignoring the fact that they were designed by humanity as a form of protection against the Titans and did not just magically appear one day. The Wallists have gained enough power to openly speak during a military tribunal with no repercussion, which indicates how they are becoming involved in the political landscape which poses a significant threat to humanity as a whole.

The significant threat is that they condemn the alteration to the Walls which includes fixing repairs, rebuilding parts to make them stronger, and attached new weaponry. The more power they gain, the more influence they have which could lead to humanity being at significant risk overall to the Titans if the walls are left to fall into disrepair simply due to the religious beliefs of a vocal minority.

Whilst I am for freedom of speech and believe that everyone should be able to preach about their religious beliefs, whether I agree or not, I do believe that the show is critiquing the very real concern of religion impacting the political system to the extent that it leads to inequality and undermines democratic processes in benefitting only those who abide by that religious affiliation, whilst condemning those who do not. It serves to bring up larger questions of inequality when religion forms a part of politics as the same human rights are not granted to all.

It leads to a greater chance of bias and prejudice, and in the case of the society that we are being shown in Attack on Titan, a very real danger to humanity as a whole by wanting to ban repairs and development to the walls that save them from the Titans. Armin even comments that “thanks to them it took ages for us to even mount weaponry on the walls” with Riko adding that “they have a lot of support and power, which makes them difficult” implying that their influence has already infiltrated the political infrastructure. They refuse to allow any changes them, even for defensive purposes, even if that means the destruction of humanity as a whole. What it shows too is how the intersection of religion with politics only benefits the few and not the many, showing it to be an inherently polarising system and contributes to discrimination whilst ignoring individual autonomy and exclusion of those they believe ‘undesirable’ in that their beliefs do not align with their own.

What is clear is that the show is critiquing the influence that religion can have on politics, to the extent that it worsens rather than benefits society as the protection of humanity becomes overshadowed by personal belief rather than that which benefits society as a whole. It will be interesting to see if the Wallists continue to gain significance and power. If so, I can see this being a contributing factor to open rebellion from the lower walls as the refusal to alter the walls is akin to a death sentence for those in Wall Rose due to the class divisions that force the lower class to be closer to the walls and the Titans altogether.

It was something that really struck me and fascinated me so I may have spoke too long on this matter, but as someone who grew up in a country where religion and politics were intertwined, and seen the horrific outcome it had on women and children as a result, it really struck me on a personal level to see it represented very clearly as a system that discriminates and halts the progression of society as a whole. Honestly, this show is so much deeper than I expected and brings up really interesting discussions around morality, ethics, and class in a way that I was not prepared for!