choconougat reviewed Jingo by Terry Pratchett
Must stop quoting, Arrrggghhh
4 stars
There's also a very nice line about the thought of expanding the country border, but I must stop somewhere.
Jingo is comparatively more messy than the other books around this time; groups are split and regrouped more often than usual, making the narrative a bit hard to grasp, and the mirroring a bit hard to summarise. But it is somehow necessary, because every one of these characters represents an attitude towards foreigners. When Witches Abroad was only running a light commentary on arrogant attitude when going abroad, Jingo is full out on trying to show as many aspects of racism and xenophobia as the story could manage.
(especially as Jingo is the western culture representative versus the desert natives, this makes such a nice pause from Dune (sorry). I suppose it's because in Jingo, there are a lot of characters who actually do respect the other races, and are trying …
There's also a very nice line about the thought of expanding the country border, but I must stop somewhere.
Jingo is comparatively more messy than the other books around this time; groups are split and regrouped more often than usual, making the narrative a bit hard to grasp, and the mirroring a bit hard to summarise. But it is somehow necessary, because every one of these characters represents an attitude towards foreigners. When Witches Abroad was only running a light commentary on arrogant attitude when going abroad, Jingo is full out on trying to show as many aspects of racism and xenophobia as the story could manage.
(especially as Jingo is the western culture representative versus the desert natives, this makes such a nice pause from Dune (sorry). I suppose it's because in Jingo, there are a lot of characters who actually do respect the other races, and are trying to see everyone as equal, and even ( in the case of Sam Vimes) suspect/distrust his own people more than the foreingers, and generally, treating people as people and not tools. (I can't start to describe my despair every time when Lady Jessica thought, the Fremen would make such good army for us, good GOD.) As Irony, Dune would make good representation of white supremacy and chauvinism, but it is very discouraging for me to keep on reading ...... Jingo, on the opposite, has this hope that these actually okay people have a chance to stop the war and bring peace and do good. Even though these people still all have their flaws.)
Besides Jingoism, on Vimes and Ahmed, Jingo talks about the duty of the police. Pterry has been very distinct about a police force and a military force, now that I see it, Night Watch is indeed directly following this thread of thought. Generally speaking, he wanted to say being a police (I have to leave out the man due to the mixed species in the Watch) doesn't mean take orders from the authority figure, the leader of the government. Being a police means being the protector of the Law, which comes from a general Good, I guess. From the decency and clear-headness and fairness that come from a clear conscience. It is being the protector of the City, keeping the city people living well, keeping the peace. Even sometimes it means to go against your king, which certainly took some courage (and this is the one time, well, generally, Disc is the one thing where I don't mind a it-runs-in-the-family). I suppose the Prince was indeed taken down by a policeman the size of a country - first by Vimes, then by his own country's feelings.
In Jingo, the justice for Little Crimes was being compromised in the face of the Big Crimes, which made Vimes very frustrated. It is a compromise, and Vimes being the straightforward terrier that he was, felt very sad about it. The Juggling has to be left to Vetinari, who took it with great grace and skills and happiness, I imagine. Vetinari is a compromise after all. He is a much evolved character through the series, I wait to see what he will do next time I see him.
