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Prompted by a FB discussion
Jun. 2nd, 2016 11:30 amINT.GEORGE'S TRAILER.DAY.
GEORGE enters, in mid-conversation, talking over his shoulder to ROBIN.
GEORGE
...sure. Sure, you coulda taken him. You coulda beat him but good. Put him on the floor, yeah. Hey, maybe if you got lucky you coulda damaged his brain. Very heroic.
ROBIN follows him in, on the defensive and not sure why.
ROBIN
People like that have to be stopped, George.
GEORGE
And you think hurting him would work? You got something in common, then. That's what he thinks. Why he did what he did. He thinks hurting people's the way to get things done.
ROBIN
How else do we teach him a lesson?
GEORGE
So, you teach him a lesson. You teach him you believe hurting people works too. And you're stronger than he is, so hey, if you believe it too it must be right. Way to go, kid.
GEORGE goes to wash the coffee cups.
ROBIN
No! I mean teach him not to do it again.
GEORGE
Oh, sure, 'cause that always works. Listen, kid, I'll tell you what happens. Two things. One, he waits a while and comes after you again, maybe with help, maybe with a gun.
ROBIN sits down in the window seat, still not sure what the problem is but playing along.
ROBIN
Then I'll take him again.
GEORGE struggles to control his temper as he fills the kettle.
GEORGE
Two. He can't take you. So he takes it out on somebody else. Maybe his wife. Maybe his kid. Maybe a school full of kids. Maybe some girl he sees in the park one day. That's what they do, guys who think hurting people is the way to get it done. That's what they always do. You always gonna be there? Everywhere he goes? Beating him down every single time? Keeping that flame of anger and resentment alive in his heart?
ROBIN
Then I'll put him in jail. We've got enough evidence--
GEORGE
Surrounded by a whole lotta guys just like him. Think that'll teach him different?
He switches on the kettle.
ROBIN
It taught you.
GEORGE
No, kid. I taught me. Jail had nothin' to do with it. Punishment don't help, see? It just makes you feel better. And private revenge is the worst, 'cause it keeps it all alive.
ROBIN
So what am I supposed to do?
GEORGE spoons instant coffee into two cups as the kettle comes to the boil.
GEORGE
Supposed to do? You ain't supposed to do nothin', kid. But if you choose to do somethin', then you got two choices.
He fills the cups and stirs them in turn.
GEORGE
One. You treat the guy with respect, you head him off when he acts up, you show him how decent human beings behave, and you wait for him to figure it out on his own. Not ideal, I admit...but it ain't gonna happen any other way. People gotta learn for themselves. A good example helps, but that's all.
ROBIN
What's the other option?
GEORGE
You kill him. Fast and painlessly. And then you take the consequences of that on yourself. And you better believe there's gonna be consequences, and you gotta face up to them fair and square. Maybe jail. Maybe death row. You kill a man, you take the rap.
He offers ROBIN a cup of coffee.
ROBIN
(taking the cup)
But that's not fair.
GEORGE
Sure it is. The only kind of fair we get. Everyone's the same. Everyone's protected. Otherwise...if it's okay for you to kill him...then it's okay for him to kill you, or for anybody to kill anybody. And it's okay for his wife or his kid to come lookin' for you and kill you after he's dead, and then your friends kill them, and so it goes on and on. Everyone's protected...or nobody is. Anything else is fascism through the back door.
He sits down beside ROBIN and sips his coffee.
ROBIN
What about the guy he beat up? Where was his protection?
GEORGE
I didn't say it was a perfect system. But if you think you can make it better by doin' what he did...by goin' around beatin' on people and gettin' away with it...you're wrong, and you're gonna get hurt finding that out.
ROBIN
Maybe I don't want to make the world better. Maybe I just want to stop people hurting people.
GEORGE
By hurting people.
ROBIN
(mimicking him)
I didn't say it was a perfect system.
GEORGE loses it.
GEORGE
It's a stupid system! It's a selfish system! And it's a system we been usin' for thousands of years and it has never, ever, worked!! How much longer we gotta keep doin' the same thing and hopin' for a different result? When are we gonna start to learn?
He gets up but has nowhere to go.
GEORGE
(without turning round, quietly)
Sorry, kid. I think you better go. I'll...I'll see you tomorrow,'kay?
ROBIN puts down the cup, gets up and goes to the door.
ROBIN
George...
GEORGE
Just go, kid.
ROBIN leaves, closing the door quietly. GEORGE sits back down, puts his face in his hands.
GEORGE
(to himself)
Thousands of years...and still they don't get it.
CUT TO:
GEORGE enters, in mid-conversation, talking over his shoulder to ROBIN.
GEORGE
...sure. Sure, you coulda taken him. You coulda beat him but good. Put him on the floor, yeah. Hey, maybe if you got lucky you coulda damaged his brain. Very heroic.
ROBIN follows him in, on the defensive and not sure why.
ROBIN
People like that have to be stopped, George.
GEORGE
And you think hurting him would work? You got something in common, then. That's what he thinks. Why he did what he did. He thinks hurting people's the way to get things done.
ROBIN
How else do we teach him a lesson?
GEORGE
So, you teach him a lesson. You teach him you believe hurting people works too. And you're stronger than he is, so hey, if you believe it too it must be right. Way to go, kid.
GEORGE goes to wash the coffee cups.
ROBIN
No! I mean teach him not to do it again.
GEORGE
Oh, sure, 'cause that always works. Listen, kid, I'll tell you what happens. Two things. One, he waits a while and comes after you again, maybe with help, maybe with a gun.
ROBIN sits down in the window seat, still not sure what the problem is but playing along.
ROBIN
Then I'll take him again.
GEORGE struggles to control his temper as he fills the kettle.
GEORGE
Two. He can't take you. So he takes it out on somebody else. Maybe his wife. Maybe his kid. Maybe a school full of kids. Maybe some girl he sees in the park one day. That's what they do, guys who think hurting people is the way to get it done. That's what they always do. You always gonna be there? Everywhere he goes? Beating him down every single time? Keeping that flame of anger and resentment alive in his heart?
ROBIN
Then I'll put him in jail. We've got enough evidence--
GEORGE
Surrounded by a whole lotta guys just like him. Think that'll teach him different?
He switches on the kettle.
ROBIN
It taught you.
GEORGE
No, kid. I taught me. Jail had nothin' to do with it. Punishment don't help, see? It just makes you feel better. And private revenge is the worst, 'cause it keeps it all alive.
ROBIN
So what am I supposed to do?
GEORGE spoons instant coffee into two cups as the kettle comes to the boil.
GEORGE
Supposed to do? You ain't supposed to do nothin', kid. But if you choose to do somethin', then you got two choices.
He fills the cups and stirs them in turn.
GEORGE
One. You treat the guy with respect, you head him off when he acts up, you show him how decent human beings behave, and you wait for him to figure it out on his own. Not ideal, I admit...but it ain't gonna happen any other way. People gotta learn for themselves. A good example helps, but that's all.
ROBIN
What's the other option?
GEORGE
You kill him. Fast and painlessly. And then you take the consequences of that on yourself. And you better believe there's gonna be consequences, and you gotta face up to them fair and square. Maybe jail. Maybe death row. You kill a man, you take the rap.
He offers ROBIN a cup of coffee.
ROBIN
(taking the cup)
But that's not fair.
GEORGE
Sure it is. The only kind of fair we get. Everyone's the same. Everyone's protected. Otherwise...if it's okay for you to kill him...then it's okay for him to kill you, or for anybody to kill anybody. And it's okay for his wife or his kid to come lookin' for you and kill you after he's dead, and then your friends kill them, and so it goes on and on. Everyone's protected...or nobody is. Anything else is fascism through the back door.
He sits down beside ROBIN and sips his coffee.
ROBIN
What about the guy he beat up? Where was his protection?
GEORGE
I didn't say it was a perfect system. But if you think you can make it better by doin' what he did...by goin' around beatin' on people and gettin' away with it...you're wrong, and you're gonna get hurt finding that out.
ROBIN
Maybe I don't want to make the world better. Maybe I just want to stop people hurting people.
GEORGE
By hurting people.
ROBIN
(mimicking him)
I didn't say it was a perfect system.
GEORGE loses it.
GEORGE
It's a stupid system! It's a selfish system! And it's a system we been usin' for thousands of years and it has never, ever, worked!! How much longer we gotta keep doin' the same thing and hopin' for a different result? When are we gonna start to learn?
He gets up but has nowhere to go.
GEORGE
(without turning round, quietly)
Sorry, kid. I think you better go. I'll...I'll see you tomorrow,'kay?
ROBIN puts down the cup, gets up and goes to the door.
ROBIN
George...
GEORGE
Just go, kid.
ROBIN leaves, closing the door quietly. GEORGE sits back down, puts his face in his hands.
GEORGE
(to himself)
Thousands of years...and still they don't get it.
CUT TO: