hajenso
hajenso t1_j4erjko wrote
Reply to comment by thelandsman55 in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Leguin affected me like few books have done by feanor_imc
I don't see from Le Guin's commentary on the story that this was something she was mainly trying to convey, but regardless of authorial intention, I think you're pointing out something important to be drawn from the work here. I bet UKL would have agreed.
hajenso t1_j4esb69 wrote
Reply to comment by flyingjesuit in "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Leguin affected me like few books have done by feanor_imc
That last sentence was similar to my immediate thought after finishing the story just now: Never mind the ones who walk away from Omelas, why aren’t there ones who attempt Scapegoat-Child-Rescue Crimes in Omelas? This to me is a major practical problem with the conceit: There could never be a society 100% free of violence and oppression but for a single scapegoat whose suffering is known and accepted by all, because there would always be a few who would try to wreck the bargain by direct action, and now we have a conflict which motivates violence.
One could say "It's part of the premise that nobody decides to do that." But: