golem said:
I haven't seen the movie, etc etc and I can reply
only to what is in this forum thread. If the movie
is some sorta 'Goodie-two-shoes christian hand
wringing epic' in support of drop-in-the-bucket
missionary work .... IF that be the reality, then I
think somebody needs a new girlfriend.
OTOH, I hope no one here believes that just cuz
one movie [or more] needs a reality check does
NOT mean that the problem is not real, and much
bigger than the movie can possibly portray.
My suspicion about the movie are derived mainly
from the title, with it's focus on children. The old
reliable hook. The problem in which these children
exist are brutal for every person of every age.
As to the US government, and by extension the so
called news media in the US, yes these people are
invisible, swept under the rug with a racial broom.
But the rest of the world, including the comfortable
countries, is very aware.
The best first step thing that Obama can take about
correcting the american blindness is both lead and
follow at the same time. He has to LEAD the people
to demand that their representatives pressure the
white house to FOLLOW the demands that the people
must make on the representatives.
That may sound convoluted, and the expalnation of
how it works would geet very wordy if I wrote it out.
Look up up a quotation from Franklin Roosevelt that
IIRC is: "Yes I agree with what you ask. Now MAKE
ME DO IT." IOW americans need to see these huge
tragedies, injustices, and genocides NOT as "wrongs"
the "good people" would feel "obliged" to correct. If
americans only knew that this horrific tragic mess is
a huge AND EXPONENTIALLY GROWING threat to
their personal comfort and well being, then the "now
go out an make me do it" factor will work.
BTW, that "threat to their personal comfort and well
being" is NOT about "terrorists" penetrating the US
borders, as the lieing Bushie Tails prefer to present
the world. It's about shortage of everything and a
total lack of security throughout the world. TO GET
BACK TO MY OPENNING COMMENT .... this is not a
job for missionaries. They have a totally misguided
agenda even tho they do kind-hearted actions. They
are not evil in disquise, they're just stuck in an
obsolete paradigm. Missionary work IS valuable but
it's pragmatic value is masked by it's missionary
nature. Prostheletizing by deed beats doing it by
word, that remains true. And the side benefit is that
bellies get fed and such. But a more important way
for them to make their goal is as first hand reporters,
for an america that refuses to hear the message.
The human culture and species is quite globalized
now. While there may be 15 billion humans, there is
also one global human "thing" and I'll compare it to
one human body: If a human is healthy in many
ways, but 5%, or even just 1/10%, of him is very
unhealthy with cancer, that human body will most
definitely suffer agony and death unless treatment
for the cancer is performed IN TIME. So the global
human "thing", including people in the comfortable
lands, is doomed unless the cancer is cured in time.
And of course the percentages are very different
right now. The cancer is not at 1/10% or 5% of the
body. It's at between 20% and 30%. It's not that
it's becoming an emergency ..... it's loooong BEEN
an emergency, and emergencies do have a point of
no return.
Americans will demand that their representatives
pressure the white house to treat the cancer IF the
white house can teach them the truth that they can
grasp: The the global humanitarian crisis is not just
a moral outrage, but that it leads to $8 per gallon
prices at the pump and a parallel situation in the
grocery store, while your wages decline or you lose
your job in a time when there few opportunities for
a new job, and fewer every day.
That is how you do it, no with goodi-two-shoes hand
wringing morality-based missionary work. The best
thing that missionary work can accomplish, and it is
HUGE, is something that is not happening right now.
The BEST thing is not ow many mouths can you feed
at your missionary outpost. The BEST thing is that
the missionaries and other aid worker are actually
on the scene, so they can give first hand reports to
the american people thru MAJOR media outlests and
with PRAGMATIC explanations of how it affects the
comforts and well being of americans.
I tend to believe that this movie is prolly a perfect
example of a near total waste and misdirection of
the PRAGMATIC value of first hand reports.
I tend to agree with Tyler. And if anyone want to try
condescending to me, just write it out in longhand
and put it someplace dark and moist. Disagree with
me, but cop an attitude ? I already got one and I
don't need another.
This is what I mean by there's always
two sides of a story.
I agree with golem 100% on his statement.
The movie is more-so directed at the plight
of child soldiers, and the regime taking over
(and in control) of Uganda than missionary
work.
(I hate saying missionary work, it sounds like
a sexual reference.)
Regardless, here's a link to the Wiki, which is
sparse to say the least.
I'm all for missionary work, (ugh) as I believe
good can come from it, however, I don't think
that it will be the cure for the problems that
plague our world. Stronger actions would need
to take place in order for that to happen.
I tend to shrug off statements like I got from
the misses last night, she just gets so involved
in movies like this, and forgets that film is a
way to tell stories, and yes Virginia, some if
not the majority of movies out today are made
in a way to pull and tug and eventually rip at
your emotions.
She tried explaining the film to me, but I didn't
want to hear it. I recall saying "I know all about
it, I watched Blood Diamond." Although that was
a light hearted chuckle at a serious subject, it
doesn't mean I'm not aware of the problems that
face our world today.
People seem to forget about the Surbs, and what
happened in that whole situation. My cousin was
there, he told me all kinds of horror stories as
to what was
really going on, not just what
FauxNews was spewing out daily.
I've gotten off topic. :roll:
Regardless, I stand by my statement that, there
are to many variables to cure this epidemic that
easily, and it's something we all should work toward.
The question is, how many people really care to
actually put a plan in action? That's good and great
that we as civilians wish to put an end to this,
however, writing letters, and making films is about
all we can do, it's up to the guy in the three-piece,
sitting behind a desk, taking money from all kinds
of places he shouldn't. Because, that's who has
the power.
