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What to say to people who somehow think "war" is the only answer?
Well, the whole point of the film is the madness of war. If you don't show the madness happening, what would be the point? It's based, as you probably know, on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, though of course the film is set in Vietnam rather than Africa. The book is an awesome exploration of human savagery, sort of a grown-up version of Lord of the Flies. The basic theme of the film version is how war is nothing but savagery when you tear the mask of civilization off it. It's a film that really makes you think about what vicious killers we really are underneath all the layers of respectability and civility we may paint over ourselves. I think it's particularly relevant now in the wake of Hurrican Katrina when, much to our collective horror, we saw the savageness of humanity once more displayed in all its fearsome splendor.
On a deeper level, both the movie and the book could be seen as a depiction of our own struggle to penetrate the jungle of our own delusions to get to the heart of ourselves where we must finally face and defeat the demon [or Mara, if you will] within. Brilliant.
I personally feel this is one of the 10 best movies ever made, probably #1 on my list, so I may be a bit biased! But I think it is valuable to see humanity for what it is rather than what we wish it was. A great aid to practice!
i'm pretty sure the idea had me - i have a book where i write down all the 'profound' stuff i hear and i put where i heard it next to the quote. This one's blank which usually means i came up with it.
What do you say to people that think "war" is the only answer?
Lay a little Smackdown on 'em. Open up a 24oz can of WhoopAss on 'em. Hit 'em so hard their mother gets a black eye. Beat 'em right out of the phone book.
See how they like it.
I betcha they'll have a change of heart.
I'm sorry - I should have said that. Goes against my teachings.
Maybe just "hire" someone else to open that 24oz. can on them....
about the americans "supporting" Nazi atrocities: We gave them the idea! If your ever bored, do a search on the word eugenics. It seems like almost all that bad things that have gone on in the 85 years or so can be traced back to us (the US) somehow.
about the americans "supporting" Nazi atrocities: We gave them the idea! If your ever bored, do a search on the word eugenics. It seems like almost all that bad things that have gone on in the 85 years or so can be traced back to us (the US) somehow.
Ohhhhhh boy,
I'd have a hard time agreeing with you on this one, my friend.
I did a look up on "eugenics" and actually found the first page with the statement
Elements of the American eugenics movement were models for the Nazis, whose radical adaptation of eugenics culminated in the Holocaust.
I've heard an old addage my entire life: You can't believe everything you read.
So, by some nut-job reading a book some other nut-job wrote - it's America's fault that, what... 6 million people were killed in the concentration camps of Germany?
Didn't your mama ever say to you, 'So... what? If your friends jump off a bridge, are you gonna jump off a bridge too?"
I mean, it's interesting that people used to think up this stuff - but I can't quite make the stretch to attributing this as the fault of America.
This is slightly political, but the discussion is timeless and is only political because of our current climate (war with iraq + american presidential elections coming up soon).
One of the things you hear often is "War was the only way to {fill in the blank}..." or "this war was justified".... And the people who are saying these things really believe that.
What do you say to them? In terms that they can comprehend?
Hmm, I can say that those phrases like "war was the only way" or so on depend on the historical reality of a country. War is justified when your own safety and integrity ( or a country's safety and integrity) are threatened directly by an enemy. You got the right to defend yourself, right ?
If you take the case of U.S. ( although I don't live there, I will appologize for some things that may sound like offenses ), you can see that it started something that looks like a Medieval Crusade in the Middle East, fought with hi-tech bombs and assault riffles. In this case, the war that is supported by U.S. is to be condemned, and those people who say that the war against Middle East is justified don't know what fighting (in) a war means.
For those people who say that "war was the only way to" I would tell them to slap themselves two times over their faces, and then I would calmly advise them to go home and read some history books.
Comments
On a deeper level, both the movie and the book could be seen as a depiction of our own struggle to penetrate the jungle of our own delusions to get to the heart of ourselves where we must finally face and defeat the demon [or Mara, if you will] within. Brilliant.
I personally feel this is one of the 10 best movies ever made, probably #1 on my list, so I may be a bit biased! But I think it is valuable to see humanity for what it is rather than what we wish it was. A great aid to practice!
Palzangpo
Crap. I'm writing a song and it would work perfectly. I'll do a lyric search and see if I can find it used anywhere....
-bf
If I can work it in, lyrically, I'll send you a copy!
-bf
-bf
Lay a little Smackdown on 'em. Open up a 24oz can of WhoopAss on 'em. Hit 'em so hard their mother gets a black eye. Beat 'em right out of the phone book.
See how they like it.
I betcha they'll have a change of heart.
I'm sorry - I should have said that. Goes against my teachings.
Maybe just "hire" someone else to open that 24oz. can on them....
-bf
Ohhhhhh boy,
I'd have a hard time agreeing with you on this one, my friend.
I did a look up on "eugenics" and actually found the first page with the statement
I've heard an old addage my entire life: You can't believe everything you read.
So, by some nut-job reading a book some other nut-job wrote - it's America's fault that, what... 6 million people were killed in the concentration camps of Germany?
Didn't your mama ever say to you, 'So... what? If your friends jump off a bridge, are you gonna jump off a bridge too?"
I mean, it's interesting that people used to think up this stuff - but I can't quite make the stretch to attributing this as the fault of America.
-bf
Hmm, I can say that those phrases like "war was the only way" or so on depend on the historical reality of a country. War is justified when your own safety and integrity ( or a country's safety and integrity) are threatened directly by an enemy. You got the right to defend yourself, right ?
If you take the case of U.S. ( although I don't live there, I will appologize for some things that may sound like offenses ), you can see that it started something that looks like a Medieval Crusade in the Middle East, fought with hi-tech bombs and assault riffles. In this case, the war that is supported by U.S. is to be condemned, and those people who say that the war against Middle East is justified don't know what fighting (in) a war means.
For those people who say that "war was the only way to" I would tell them to slap themselves two times over their faces, and then I would calmly advise them to go home and read some history books.