Editing Rod Serling (section)

==Themes==
{{Quote box
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| quote  = No one could know Serling, or view or read his work, without recognizing his deep affection for humanity&nbsp;... and his determination to enlarge our horizons by giving us a better understanding of ourselves.
| source = —&nbsp;[[Gene Roddenberry]]
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According to his wife, Carol, Serling often said that "the ultimate obscenity is not caring, not doing something about what you feel, not feeling! Just drawing back and drawing in, becoming narcissistic."<ref name=Rosenbaum/> This philosophy can be seen in his writing. Some themes appear again and again in his writing, many of which are concerned with war and politics. Another common theme is equality among all people.

===Antiwar activism===
Serling's experiences as a soldier left him with strong opinions about the use of military force. He was an outspoken antiwar activist, especially during the [[Vietnam War]].<ref name=Scribner/> He supported antiwar politicians, notably U.S. senator [[Eugene McCarthy]] in his [[1968 United States presidential election|presidential campaign in 1968]].<ref name=Scribner/>

"The Rack" is an example of Serling's use of television to speak his mind on political issues. This script for ''[[The United States Steel Hour]]'' tells the story of an army captain charged with collaborating with the North Koreans. ''The New York Times'' reviewer J. P. Shanley called it "controversial and compelling".<ref name=shanley /> Serling tackled a question that was much in the media at the time: should veterans be charged with a crime if they cooperated with the enemy while under duress? In this courtroom drama, the accused is put on trial for helping the enemy by urging fellow [[Prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] to cooperate with their captors. Serling offers many valid arguments on behalf of both the defense and the prosecution. Each has a strong case, but in the end, the captain is found guilty. There is no Serling narration to conclude the drama, as he had become famous for in ''The Twilight Zone''—instead, the audience is left to make their own conclusions after the verdict has been rendered.<ref name=shanley>{{Citation |last=Shanley |first= J. P. |title='The Rack' Tells Story Of a War Prisoner |url= https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1955/04/17/293886272.html?pageNumber=349  |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 6, 1955 |page= X15 }}</ref>

"No Christmas This Year" was a script written early in Serling's career, around 1950, but was never produced. It told of a place that no longer celebrated Christmas, although none of the residents know why it has been canceled. Meanwhile, at the North Pole, the audience sees Santa Claus dealing with striking elves. Rather than creating toys and candy, the North Pole manufactures a diversity of bombs and offensive gases. Santa has been shot at on his route, and an elf was hit by shrapnel.<ref name=Grams/>

"24 Men to a Plane" recounts Serling's first combat jump into the area around Manila in 1945. The combat jump became a fiasco after the jumpmaster in the first plane dropped his men too early, causing every subsequent plane to drop in synchronization with the mistake.<ref name=Sander1992/>{{rp|48}}

===Racial equality===
''A Town Has Turned to Dust'' received a positive review from the critic [[Jack Gould]], who was known for being straightforward to the point of being harsh in his reviews. He called ''A Town Has Turned to Dust'' "a raw, tough and at the same time deeply moving outcry against prejudice."<ref name=Gould1958/> Set in a Southwestern town in a deep [[drought]], it sees poverty and despair turn racial tensions deadly when the ineffectual sheriff is unable to stand against the town. A young Mexican boy is lynched, and the town as a whole is to blame. A second lynching is in the works after a series of events leads again to the town turning against the Mexicans. This time, the sheriff stands strong, and the first boy's brother is saved, even as the town is not. "Mr. Serling incorporated his protest against prejudice in vivid dialogue and sound situations. He made his point that hate for a fellow being leads only to the ultimate destruction of the bigoted."<ref name=Gould1958/>

Serling took his 1972 screenplay for the film ''[[The Man (1972 film)|The Man]]'' from the [[Irving Wallace]] [[The Man (Wallace novel)|novel of the same title]]. The black senator from [[New Hampshire]] and president ''pro tempore'' of the Senate, played by [[James Earl Jones]], assumes the U.S. presidency by succession.