Sunday, August 06, 2006
Paradise Now
As you can see, all the movies that Rhonda and I have been watching lately I write commentaries on. But the commentaries are about more than the movies we've been watching. Our minds become further inspired by the movies we've been watching and we start to think about change and how to create it.
Last night, we watched "Paradise Now." It is a movie about Palestinian suicided bombers. It gives on insight into what life is like for the Palestinians in order to give them the mentality that this type of behavior is OK.
It also gives one insight into how they are forced to suffer as a people for being born the wrong race. For a good personal example, drive across the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, then go to a major city. Indians are forced to live under horrific conditions in this nation, while the affluent and privileged don't have to live on the reservation.
"Paradise Now" is an excellent film and should be viewed by everyone. It is done in subtitles because the characters are all speaking an Arabic language. You can probably find it in the foreign section.
After the movie, Rhonda and I talked a little about what to do about this world stuff, immediate stuff. She has all these wonderful ideas, banner drops, street theater, the stuff we already do, etc. But what does all the work we do amount to. I speak out a lot and have no idea if that does a thing.
Rhonda pointed out that people around here are probably not going to do a thing unless it effects them. It made me think of those Reed College boys who, after the Ward Churchill lecture, could only think of themselves and worry about any potential loss of their privilege and couldn't even consider the suffering caused to many peoples around the world to build and protect their privilege. Unless it directly effects the people of America, they are probably not going to do anything that might somehow make them lose a little privilege, or worse yet...have to share it with others. America has a profound lack of empathy.
We also rented a movie called "Stupidity" which we have yet to watch. It is a documentary about how American's prefer to choose a purposeful path of stupidity over all others. It covers issues from TV to the alleged president. We are hoping it will give insight in how to get peoples minds turned.
I don't want to work to change the hearts of politicians who want to protect their "phony balogne jobs." Many peace groups work on that, and that's fine. I just don't see it working. I see relatively few to none going after the corporations that use and own the U.S. government. I see most the people of this nation being apathetic and purposefully stupid. So the question is, what do we do?
I choose not to use violence. Like with what is happening in Lebanon, hurting or killing one of them will lead to the genocide of a whole nation. We Indians have been there. We also understand as well that were it not for our freedom fighters, they probably would have killed every last one of us and I wouldn't be here writing these words to you. However, I personally don't feel that to be an option. Besides, to be violent against them is to be them.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0805-01.htm
I just read the above article by Robert Fisk stating that there will be another 9-11. With all the horrific military might Israel is using against Lebanon, the people, though they fear for their immediate lives, are becoming unafraid of the monster. When people become unafraid of the moster because it is so fucking mean, what is left? People become more determined in their struggle.
Rhonda just reminded me of when we were growing up, she became aware of the plight of the bald eagle and the California Condor and how people had a perception of coming together and saving the environment. There was an immediate understanding of the circumstances behind the polluting of our environment. How during WWII people had to make sacrifices of their privilege: food rations, scrapping metal, women giving up their nylons, etc. People during our illegal wars with Iraq and Afghanistan, and soon, Iran and Syria if King George gets his way, we here in the states make no sacrifices, just continue to move around like normal in our privilege. How do we wake people up? Honestly, it probably won't be until all the people at the bottom are suffering. Will that happen here in the U.S.? No. Why? Because no one can face our military might. But when the resources run out for our giant killing machine, then the people will suffer. And even then, I doubt that Americans will get off their ass and do anything.
But it is the people we have to change the hearts of. How do we change the hearts of a people so stubborn as to cling to their stupidness and feel no desire to empathize with those who are forced to suffer to protect their privilege? There are probably many answers, as individual as the people we are. The answers may change from time to time, even, depending on our situations.
Although I think it is peachy keen that those in the peace movement somehow find it relevant to go after politicians who will say the right words to get them off their backs then do whatever it takes to protect their "phony balogne jobs," I just don't see it working. Then the peace movement people run off and pat each other on their exclusivist elitist backs. However, it is easy for me to allege that these people are only out to serve their own interests because: I have told them that "I want it all back" and they have the same reaction as all the stupid white boys. They start talking about deportation so they don't have to talk about the horrific genocide of my people and all indigenous peoples of this hemisphere in order for them to have their privilege. They are only out to protect their privilege for the most part. Not all of them. Rachel Corrie is a good example of a fine upstanding person of privilege, or at least was, and there are more. But a majority of people are out there just to protect their own privilege.
All of that said, are there any of the numerous answers out there you want to share with me on how to change the hearts of the people?
Last night, we watched "Paradise Now." It is a movie about Palestinian suicided bombers. It gives on insight into what life is like for the Palestinians in order to give them the mentality that this type of behavior is OK.
It also gives one insight into how they are forced to suffer as a people for being born the wrong race. For a good personal example, drive across the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, then go to a major city. Indians are forced to live under horrific conditions in this nation, while the affluent and privileged don't have to live on the reservation.
"Paradise Now" is an excellent film and should be viewed by everyone. It is done in subtitles because the characters are all speaking an Arabic language. You can probably find it in the foreign section.
After the movie, Rhonda and I talked a little about what to do about this world stuff, immediate stuff. She has all these wonderful ideas, banner drops, street theater, the stuff we already do, etc. But what does all the work we do amount to. I speak out a lot and have no idea if that does a thing.
Rhonda pointed out that people around here are probably not going to do a thing unless it effects them. It made me think of those Reed College boys who, after the Ward Churchill lecture, could only think of themselves and worry about any potential loss of their privilege and couldn't even consider the suffering caused to many peoples around the world to build and protect their privilege. Unless it directly effects the people of America, they are probably not going to do anything that might somehow make them lose a little privilege, or worse yet...have to share it with others. America has a profound lack of empathy.
We also rented a movie called "Stupidity" which we have yet to watch. It is a documentary about how American's prefer to choose a purposeful path of stupidity over all others. It covers issues from TV to the alleged president. We are hoping it will give insight in how to get peoples minds turned.
I don't want to work to change the hearts of politicians who want to protect their "phony balogne jobs." Many peace groups work on that, and that's fine. I just don't see it working. I see relatively few to none going after the corporations that use and own the U.S. government. I see most the people of this nation being apathetic and purposefully stupid. So the question is, what do we do?
I choose not to use violence. Like with what is happening in Lebanon, hurting or killing one of them will lead to the genocide of a whole nation. We Indians have been there. We also understand as well that were it not for our freedom fighters, they probably would have killed every last one of us and I wouldn't be here writing these words to you. However, I personally don't feel that to be an option. Besides, to be violent against them is to be them.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0805-01.htm
I just read the above article by Robert Fisk stating that there will be another 9-11. With all the horrific military might Israel is using against Lebanon, the people, though they fear for their immediate lives, are becoming unafraid of the monster. When people become unafraid of the moster because it is so fucking mean, what is left? People become more determined in their struggle.
Rhonda just reminded me of when we were growing up, she became aware of the plight of the bald eagle and the California Condor and how people had a perception of coming together and saving the environment. There was an immediate understanding of the circumstances behind the polluting of our environment. How during WWII people had to make sacrifices of their privilege: food rations, scrapping metal, women giving up their nylons, etc. People during our illegal wars with Iraq and Afghanistan, and soon, Iran and Syria if King George gets his way, we here in the states make no sacrifices, just continue to move around like normal in our privilege. How do we wake people up? Honestly, it probably won't be until all the people at the bottom are suffering. Will that happen here in the U.S.? No. Why? Because no one can face our military might. But when the resources run out for our giant killing machine, then the people will suffer. And even then, I doubt that Americans will get off their ass and do anything.
But it is the people we have to change the hearts of. How do we change the hearts of a people so stubborn as to cling to their stupidness and feel no desire to empathize with those who are forced to suffer to protect their privilege? There are probably many answers, as individual as the people we are. The answers may change from time to time, even, depending on our situations.
Although I think it is peachy keen that those in the peace movement somehow find it relevant to go after politicians who will say the right words to get them off their backs then do whatever it takes to protect their "phony balogne jobs," I just don't see it working. Then the peace movement people run off and pat each other on their exclusivist elitist backs. However, it is easy for me to allege that these people are only out to serve their own interests because: I have told them that "I want it all back" and they have the same reaction as all the stupid white boys. They start talking about deportation so they don't have to talk about the horrific genocide of my people and all indigenous peoples of this hemisphere in order for them to have their privilege. They are only out to protect their privilege for the most part. Not all of them. Rachel Corrie is a good example of a fine upstanding person of privilege, or at least was, and there are more. But a majority of people are out there just to protect their own privilege.
All of that said, are there any of the numerous answers out there you want to share with me on how to change the hearts of the people?
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