Mexican standoff
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Mexican standoff is a strategic deadlock or impasse, in which no party can act in a way that ensures victory.
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[edit] Origins
The phrase came into usage during the late 19th century. Originally a reference to perceived Mexican political indecision,[1] it has come to refer to any impasse, regardless of the participants or the presence of arms.
[edit] In popular culture
In popular culture, the Mexican standoff is often portrayed as three or more opponents with weapons aimed at one another,[2] such that each opponent feels equally threatened and does not believe he can strike first without endangering his own life; not only does any initial shot decisively destroy the unstable equilibrium of multiple deterrence, shooting any one person takes one's aim away from the other opponent. [3][4] Note that two people with weapons pointed at each other is a simple standoff.
The Mexican standoff has been used in many film genres such as spaghetti westerns or action films.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ McFarlane, Keele. "Almost by definition, a Mexican standoff!" The Jamaica Observer. July 08, 2006 (Retrieved December 16, 2007)
- ^ "News & Notes: Quentin Tarantino." Entertainment Weekly #1002, July 25, 2008, pg. 8. "Inglorious Bastards ... features the director's now-classic use of the Mexican standoff, in which multiple characters are at an impasse pointing guns at each other."
- ^ "Mexican Standoff." TVtropes.org Retrieved September 1, 2008.
- ^ "Mexican Standoff." MovieDeaths.com Retrieved September 1, 2008.
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