Darth Vonnegut's address to the class of. . .
Jim Rovira (jrovira@juno.com)
Sun, 20 Jun 1999 14:54:08 -0400
DARTH VADER'S THOUGHTS TO THE CLASS OF '99
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Vassar College class of '99...
embrace the Dark Side.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, the Dark Side would be
it.
The long-term benefits of the Dark Side have been proved by the Dark
Lords
of The Sith, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than
my own meandering cruelty and conquests. I will dispense this advice
now...
Enjoy the power and beauty of your planet.
Oh, never mind, you will never understand the power and the beauty of
your
planet until after the Empire has destroyed it in a futile attempt to
find a
Rebel Base. But trust me, in twenty years, you will look back at photos
of
your home and recall, in a way you can't grasp now, how blissfully
ignorant
you were, and how fabulous your planet really looked before it was a pile
of
burning space rubble. Your planet is not as dull as you imagine.
Don't worry about the Rebellion - or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective as trying to make the Kessel run in a landspeeder. The real
troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your
twisted
mind. The kind that fire a direct hit into your reactor core at 4 PM on
some
idle Tuesday.
Do in one Death Star officer every day.
Scheme.
Don't disobey the Emperor's orders; don't put up with people who disobey
yours.
Hate.
Don't waste your time on Stormtroopers. They can't hit the broad side of
a
barn.
The battle is long and in the end, it's only with yourself. And your
idiot
son. Remember the prophecies of the Emperor; ignore the whinings of your
bratty upstart farmboy of a son. If you succeed in doing this, tell me
how.
Keep your old lightsaber, but change your costume slightly with every
sequel.
Destroy.
Don't feel guilty if you have no misgivings about joining the Dark Side.
The most interesting people I know didn't have any respect at 22 for
their
victim's lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year olds I know still
don't.
Have plenty of minions.
Be kind to your right hand, you'll miss it when it's gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe your son will join you, maybe
he
won't. Maybe you'll convince your daughter to become a dark Jedi and
assist
you in your campaign of hatred and destruction; maybe she'll become a
rebel
leader and marry a scruffy-looking nerf herder. Whatever you do, don't
congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your destiny
is
guided by the Force. So is everybody else's.
Enjoy the Force. Exploit it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or
what
other people think of your "sorcerer's ways." The ability to destroy a
planet is insignificant next to its power.
Kill. Even if you have no one to kill but a meaningless extra.
Listen to what the Emperor has foreseen, even if you don't follow his
prophecies.
Do not take your mask off, it will only make you feel ugly. And
vulnerable.
Get to know your parents. You'll never know when they'll turn out to be
your
arch enemies. Be nice to your siblings. They are your best link to your
Jedi
lineage and the ones most likely to become Jedi in the future. Understand
that lackeys come and go. But with a precious few, you should keep from
crushing their tracheas. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and
lifestyle, for as the more desperate you become, the more you will need
to
send bounty hunters to do your dirty work for you.
Live on Dagobah once, but leave before you get foot rot. Live on
Tattooine
once, but leave before you get heat stroke. Travel. Preferably in your
own
custom TIE Fighter.
Accept certain inalienable truths: rebellions will rise, the Imperial
Senate
will have to be disbanded, you too will get old. And when you do, you'll
fantasize that when you were young, rebels were easily crushed, the
Imperial
Senate was subservient, and citizens respected their Emperor.
Respect your Emperor. Don't expect your son to rule the galaxy with you.
Maybe he'll give in to his anger, maybe he'll strike you down, but you'll
never know when he'll whine pleadingly and you'll find yourself turning
to
the Light Side and saving his sorry butt. Don't strike down your old Jedi
Master, or he will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.
Be
careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it, or
I'll crush your throat. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a
way of fishing your humanity from the depths of sin, wiping it off,
putting
black body armor over the ugly parts and redeeming it for more than its
worth.
But trust me on the Dark Side.
Jim Rovira
http://members.aol.com/antiutopia/main.htm
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