In response to the two posts about blame shifting, I found it interesting that it’s so natural to assign blame, whether it is us or in Who Goes There or in the movie or, even, in The Thing short story. Pitying something, as The Thing did in the last short story suggest some sort of causal relationship – that is, man, some man, is to blame. However, at the end, even the Thing realizes it’s not about blame but shared perspectives when it says “I was so blind, so quick to blame …they’re simply so used to pain … they literally can’t conceive of any other existence” (The Thing, Watts). In the movie and Campbell’s short story, it seems McReady is the only one, that is ultimately able to rise above the blame game and hope that the Thing hasn’t escaped when he asks, “The albatross … Do you suppose -” (Campbell, last page) or in the movie blows the Thing up for seemingly altruistic reasons. Yet, even McReady is unable to assume the perspectives of others like The Thing has, perhaps communion is not so bad after all!
