Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Evidently I'm Not As Stressed As I Thought
Considering that now 32 students from Virginia Tech are dead. I have a ways to go before I pick up a gun and start shooting people. That's messed up.
I honestly cannot fathom why anyone would be involved in a school shooting. It just doesn't make sense. I can somewhat empathize with people who commit suicide, or who want revenge, but killing dozens of random people just doesn't add up logically. Unless you're thinking to yourself, "Well if I'm going to die I might as well become infamous in the process," there's no reason for killings of that magnitude.
Suddenly, Bowling For Columbine seems that much more relevant.
---
If you haven't already, check out my report on Full Frame, complete with photos and a few links to media.
---
Nothing but work for me here on out. I'm extremely far behind on my screenplay, I'm still working on that short film for my honors class, I'm still getting loads of assignments for the newspaper, and I've got two more jobs demanding my attention. And lets not forget the study abroad paperwork. And the meetings that it seems like everyone is holding that I'm expected to be at.
Last time I checked, college was supposed to be a happy place.
---
Full Frame has inspired me to think about making documentaries. I've already been planning on filming a short one about my experience in China, but there are a couple of issues that I think deserve more attention and are worth putting in the effort to make a feature-length film about. They are, in no particular order:
1) College sexuality. Sex has for years been a topic of extreme interest to me - and I don't mean in just the typical "I'm a horny male looking to spread my seed" way. I find it fascinating how much emphasis is placed on sexuality in American culture. From the media portrayal, to the conflict between sex and religion, to the role of sex in a relationship, to sexual behavior, to sexual deviancy, to people's attitudes towards sex in general, it's a really intriguing topic to study, and one I think is often overlooked either out of fear or out of overexposure. If I could major or minor in Sexology, I probably would, just because it's such a powerful part of life and culture, and one that has the potential to easily be misinterpreted and misused. From what I gather, North Carolina on the whole is a pretty conservative state. Lots of students grow up in religious backgrounds. Nine out of ten people claim that they'll wait for sex until marriage and be abstinent throughout college. However, I think I read somewhere that only 1-3 end up keeping this promise. It might be interesting to investigate the reasons this is the case, how many students take advantage of the promotion of "safe" sex at NC State, the number of pregnancies, people who get married in college, etc.
2) Homelessness. This is something I've been interested in ever since coming to college and seeing the homeless population on Hillsborough Street. The shelters are all full. LaborReady (an organization that helps people find work) is busy all day long. People I've talked to who are more familiar with the matter have told me they know dozens of people who are living in poverty despite their best efforts to escape. This doesn't make sense to me - I can understand homelessness in a third world country, but the United States is the most prosperous countries in the world. It's easy to dismiss the problem by saying, "They just don't want to work" or "It's their own fault." While that might be true in some cases, it certainly can't be true for all. This might be interesting to investigate. Perhaps one summer I could pull a Morgan Spurlock and be homeless for a month, and document the experience.
3) The rise of the Christian left. People hate the religious right. I know, because I'm one of them. That's probably the biggest areas of hypocrisy in my life - I judge those who judge. The problem is, the conservative religious right is only a portion of all Christians, and I would hesitate to say that they're even a majority. However, they are the people that receive the most media attention, probably because they're so outspoken, and as a result I think it's easy for people to place all Christians under that stereotype. I think one of the main reasons people today can be so anti-religion is because of the hypocrisy found in organized religion. In a time when tolerance towards Muslims is applauded, tolerance towards Christians is pushed aside. It would be interesting to interview major thinkers, authors and artists of what I think of as the emerging "Christian left" or Christians with more liberal views. I would also investigate the hardcore religious right. I think it's important to remind people that not all Christians are like Jerry Falwell, and even the Jerry Falwells of the world deserve love and tolerance. This might make for an interesting documentary.
---
Perhaps another main reasons for my interest in that last topic is that I'm basically the "liberal" of the family. Over around the past 5-7 years, I've noticed myself gradually sliding towards the left side of the American political spectrum. For example, when voting in 2008, here are the issues I'm going to be focusing on:
1) The environment. I'm sorry, but the fact of the matter is that global warming is real, and we're basically committing gradual suicide by destroying the planet. Even if we start cutting back now, it's going to take decades to get back to a healthy level of resource consumption. I firmly believe that if this issue isn't dealt with firmly, we could very well be past the point of no return within the next few decades. The religious right needs to stop focusing on abortion and homosexuality, and start concentrating on this, because we won't be around to argue about abortion and homosexuality if we're dead due to an ecological meltdown. I strongly support whatever measures need to be taken in order for us to avoid catastrophe. Make a consumption tax like in Europe, charge nine dollars a gallon for gas and force people to drive smaller cars, I don't care. Do what has to be done.
2) The war. I'm opposed to it. This administration is terrible, and I hope it's the worst I ever see in my lifetime, because if things get any worse than they are now then I'll have to seriously consider moving overseas. We need someone in the White House that will stop manipulating the American people (in regards to multiple issues, not just the war), and come up with a straightforward, solid exit strategy. We can't just leave now, we're in too deep, but we also can't stay there forever either. We've got to come up with a concrete plan, and realize that this is a war of ideologies, and that Iraqi culture is vastly different from ours and treating it otherwise will just make things worse. This whole "war on terror" needs to be really toned down. I don't understand why the U.S. had to get crazy offensive after a single terrorist attack that was due in a large part to our own mistakes. No matter what you think of Michael Moore, you can't deny he had a point when he said: "You can't declare war on a noun." Honestly, I think the world would be a better place right now if Hussein were still in power. With the amount of money we've spent on this stupid war, we could have stopped world hunger.
3) Whether or not "Intelligent Design" should be taught in schools. I'm an evolutionist. Creationism is not science. Saying, "The universe is so complex that we can't figure out what's going on, so there must be a Creator" is not science, even though I would agree with the majority of that statement. Save it for the religion and mythology classes. Evolution is science, and that's what should be taught in schools, nothing more. Yes, it's just a theory, but so is gravity.
4) Economic reform. I don't know a whole lot about economics. However, I do know that the idea that the wealthiest 2% of Americans get more tax breaks than the poor is ludicrous. There's a widening gap between the upper and lower class, and it needs to stop. Personally, I have a whole lot of issues with capitalism in general, but if you're going to be a capitalist society you can at least do your best to level the playing field a bit more.
5) Abortion. This is an issue that I think has been blown way out of proportion by the religious right and the Republican Party. There are way more important things that need to be dealt with, like poverty and AIDS and the environment, to name a few. However, for the record, though I am morally opposed to abortion, I do think that it should remain legal. To anyone who disagrees, I would point you to the film Lake of Fire and propose the idea that abortion is a fundamentally unique issue from the get-go, and that perhaps both sides are right.
6) Gay marriage. This is another issue that I think has been way overblown by the right. There are way more serious things happening than two consenting adults of the same sex deciding they want to be more than friends. It doesn't hurt you, and it doesn't hurt me. Personally, I'm not even sure if homosexuality can be considered biblically wrong. I think homosexuals should at least be allowed to be married civilly by the state; to not allow that is unconstitutional in my book. Will somebody explain to me how the idea of two people committing to a monogamous relationship is a bad thing? If anything, the religious right should support gay marriage, since it cuts down on promiscuity! I understand the controversy with the idea of marrying gays religiously, and I'm on the fence when it comes to that, but if a country promises equality for all then the government needs to back it up.
7) Political party. I'm registered independent. If I like the Republican candidate more, I'll vote for him. If I like the Democrat candidate more, I'll vote for him. If I'd rather see Ralph Nader or a communist in office, I'll vote for them. I don't think Jesus would be affiliated with any particular party. Both parties have a whole lot of problems. The religious right needs to stop its love affair with the Republican party, and liberals need to stop their with the Democrats. Both parties have good and bad things to offer. To claim that only one is the best is like comparing raw sewage to a paper mill: both stink. At the moment, there's a 99.9% chance I'll vote Democrat in the next election, just since: a) I'm very fed up with the current administration; b) at least the Democrats have some strong candidates already out there; c) in all likelihood, I'll probably agree more with the Dems when it comes to what I consider to be the "big" issues such as the war, the environment and the economy.
In general, I'm just of the opinion that people need to shut up and stop trying to force their opinions on others, especially if the only reason they have those views is religion. Too many Christians seem to want a theocracy rather than a democracy, and forget that whole reason the Pilgrims came over here was to get away from a government that didn't allow them the freedom to practice their own beliefs. The United States is founded on the idea that every person and every person's beliefs are equal, whether you're a Christian or a Satanist or Jerry Falwell or Larry Flynt or whatever. I've said it before and I'll say it again: if you want a Christian nation where everyone has to abide by your moral compass, go buy a small island somewhere and make one (that goes for everyone, not just the Christians). I'm sure if Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and James Dobson pooled their resources they could afford one. Then again, such an island would probably be in a constant state of civil war over doctrinal differences between denominations. What a sad state of affairs we live in.
Quote of Da Moment:
"Should such an ignorant people lead the world? How did it come to this in the first place? Just a handful can speak a language other than English... We don't know about anything that's happening outside our country. Our stupidity is embarrassing. National Geographic produced a survey which showed that 60 percent of 18-25 year olds don't know where Great Britain is on a map. And 92 percent of us don't own a passport."
--Michael Moore
"White people scare the crap out of me... I have never been attacked by a black person, never been evicted by a black person, never had my security deposit ripped off by a black landlord, never had a black landlord... never been pulled over by a black cop, never been sold a lemon by a black car salesman, never seen a black car salesman, never had a black person deny me a bank loan, never had a black person bury my movie, and I've never heard a black person say: We're going to eliminate ten thousand jobs here— have a nice day!"
--Michael Moore
I honestly cannot fathom why anyone would be involved in a school shooting. It just doesn't make sense. I can somewhat empathize with people who commit suicide, or who want revenge, but killing dozens of random people just doesn't add up logically. Unless you're thinking to yourself, "Well if I'm going to die I might as well become infamous in the process," there's no reason for killings of that magnitude.
Suddenly, Bowling For Columbine seems that much more relevant.
---
If you haven't already, check out my report on Full Frame, complete with photos and a few links to media.
---
Nothing but work for me here on out. I'm extremely far behind on my screenplay, I'm still working on that short film for my honors class, I'm still getting loads of assignments for the newspaper, and I've got two more jobs demanding my attention. And lets not forget the study abroad paperwork. And the meetings that it seems like everyone is holding that I'm expected to be at.
Last time I checked, college was supposed to be a happy place.
---
Full Frame has inspired me to think about making documentaries. I've already been planning on filming a short one about my experience in China, but there are a couple of issues that I think deserve more attention and are worth putting in the effort to make a feature-length film about. They are, in no particular order:
1) College sexuality. Sex has for years been a topic of extreme interest to me - and I don't mean in just the typical "I'm a horny male looking to spread my seed" way. I find it fascinating how much emphasis is placed on sexuality in American culture. From the media portrayal, to the conflict between sex and religion, to the role of sex in a relationship, to sexual behavior, to sexual deviancy, to people's attitudes towards sex in general, it's a really intriguing topic to study, and one I think is often overlooked either out of fear or out of overexposure. If I could major or minor in Sexology, I probably would, just because it's such a powerful part of life and culture, and one that has the potential to easily be misinterpreted and misused. From what I gather, North Carolina on the whole is a pretty conservative state. Lots of students grow up in religious backgrounds. Nine out of ten people claim that they'll wait for sex until marriage and be abstinent throughout college. However, I think I read somewhere that only 1-3 end up keeping this promise. It might be interesting to investigate the reasons this is the case, how many students take advantage of the promotion of "safe" sex at NC State, the number of pregnancies, people who get married in college, etc.
2) Homelessness. This is something I've been interested in ever since coming to college and seeing the homeless population on Hillsborough Street. The shelters are all full. LaborReady (an organization that helps people find work) is busy all day long. People I've talked to who are more familiar with the matter have told me they know dozens of people who are living in poverty despite their best efforts to escape. This doesn't make sense to me - I can understand homelessness in a third world country, but the United States is the most prosperous countries in the world. It's easy to dismiss the problem by saying, "They just don't want to work" or "It's their own fault." While that might be true in some cases, it certainly can't be true for all. This might be interesting to investigate. Perhaps one summer I could pull a Morgan Spurlock and be homeless for a month, and document the experience.
3) The rise of the Christian left. People hate the religious right. I know, because I'm one of them. That's probably the biggest areas of hypocrisy in my life - I judge those who judge. The problem is, the conservative religious right is only a portion of all Christians, and I would hesitate to say that they're even a majority. However, they are the people that receive the most media attention, probably because they're so outspoken, and as a result I think it's easy for people to place all Christians under that stereotype. I think one of the main reasons people today can be so anti-religion is because of the hypocrisy found in organized religion. In a time when tolerance towards Muslims is applauded, tolerance towards Christians is pushed aside. It would be interesting to interview major thinkers, authors and artists of what I think of as the emerging "Christian left" or Christians with more liberal views. I would also investigate the hardcore religious right. I think it's important to remind people that not all Christians are like Jerry Falwell, and even the Jerry Falwells of the world deserve love and tolerance. This might make for an interesting documentary.
---
Perhaps another main reasons for my interest in that last topic is that I'm basically the "liberal" of the family. Over around the past 5-7 years, I've noticed myself gradually sliding towards the left side of the American political spectrum. For example, when voting in 2008, here are the issues I'm going to be focusing on:
1) The environment. I'm sorry, but the fact of the matter is that global warming is real, and we're basically committing gradual suicide by destroying the planet. Even if we start cutting back now, it's going to take decades to get back to a healthy level of resource consumption. I firmly believe that if this issue isn't dealt with firmly, we could very well be past the point of no return within the next few decades. The religious right needs to stop focusing on abortion and homosexuality, and start concentrating on this, because we won't be around to argue about abortion and homosexuality if we're dead due to an ecological meltdown. I strongly support whatever measures need to be taken in order for us to avoid catastrophe. Make a consumption tax like in Europe, charge nine dollars a gallon for gas and force people to drive smaller cars, I don't care. Do what has to be done.
2) The war. I'm opposed to it. This administration is terrible, and I hope it's the worst I ever see in my lifetime, because if things get any worse than they are now then I'll have to seriously consider moving overseas. We need someone in the White House that will stop manipulating the American people (in regards to multiple issues, not just the war), and come up with a straightforward, solid exit strategy. We can't just leave now, we're in too deep, but we also can't stay there forever either. We've got to come up with a concrete plan, and realize that this is a war of ideologies, and that Iraqi culture is vastly different from ours and treating it otherwise will just make things worse. This whole "war on terror" needs to be really toned down. I don't understand why the U.S. had to get crazy offensive after a single terrorist attack that was due in a large part to our own mistakes. No matter what you think of Michael Moore, you can't deny he had a point when he said: "You can't declare war on a noun." Honestly, I think the world would be a better place right now if Hussein were still in power. With the amount of money we've spent on this stupid war, we could have stopped world hunger.
3) Whether or not "Intelligent Design" should be taught in schools. I'm an evolutionist. Creationism is not science. Saying, "The universe is so complex that we can't figure out what's going on, so there must be a Creator" is not science, even though I would agree with the majority of that statement. Save it for the religion and mythology classes. Evolution is science, and that's what should be taught in schools, nothing more. Yes, it's just a theory, but so is gravity.
4) Economic reform. I don't know a whole lot about economics. However, I do know that the idea that the wealthiest 2% of Americans get more tax breaks than the poor is ludicrous. There's a widening gap between the upper and lower class, and it needs to stop. Personally, I have a whole lot of issues with capitalism in general, but if you're going to be a capitalist society you can at least do your best to level the playing field a bit more.
5) Abortion. This is an issue that I think has been blown way out of proportion by the religious right and the Republican Party. There are way more important things that need to be dealt with, like poverty and AIDS and the environment, to name a few. However, for the record, though I am morally opposed to abortion, I do think that it should remain legal. To anyone who disagrees, I would point you to the film Lake of Fire and propose the idea that abortion is a fundamentally unique issue from the get-go, and that perhaps both sides are right.
6) Gay marriage. This is another issue that I think has been way overblown by the right. There are way more serious things happening than two consenting adults of the same sex deciding they want to be more than friends. It doesn't hurt you, and it doesn't hurt me. Personally, I'm not even sure if homosexuality can be considered biblically wrong. I think homosexuals should at least be allowed to be married civilly by the state; to not allow that is unconstitutional in my book. Will somebody explain to me how the idea of two people committing to a monogamous relationship is a bad thing? If anything, the religious right should support gay marriage, since it cuts down on promiscuity! I understand the controversy with the idea of marrying gays religiously, and I'm on the fence when it comes to that, but if a country promises equality for all then the government needs to back it up.
7) Political party. I'm registered independent. If I like the Republican candidate more, I'll vote for him. If I like the Democrat candidate more, I'll vote for him. If I'd rather see Ralph Nader or a communist in office, I'll vote for them. I don't think Jesus would be affiliated with any particular party. Both parties have a whole lot of problems. The religious right needs to stop its love affair with the Republican party, and liberals need to stop their with the Democrats. Both parties have good and bad things to offer. To claim that only one is the best is like comparing raw sewage to a paper mill: both stink. At the moment, there's a 99.9% chance I'll vote Democrat in the next election, just since: a) I'm very fed up with the current administration; b) at least the Democrats have some strong candidates already out there; c) in all likelihood, I'll probably agree more with the Dems when it comes to what I consider to be the "big" issues such as the war, the environment and the economy.
In general, I'm just of the opinion that people need to shut up and stop trying to force their opinions on others, especially if the only reason they have those views is religion. Too many Christians seem to want a theocracy rather than a democracy, and forget that whole reason the Pilgrims came over here was to get away from a government that didn't allow them the freedom to practice their own beliefs. The United States is founded on the idea that every person and every person's beliefs are equal, whether you're a Christian or a Satanist or Jerry Falwell or Larry Flynt or whatever. I've said it before and I'll say it again: if you want a Christian nation where everyone has to abide by your moral compass, go buy a small island somewhere and make one (that goes for everyone, not just the Christians). I'm sure if Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and James Dobson pooled their resources they could afford one. Then again, such an island would probably be in a constant state of civil war over doctrinal differences between denominations. What a sad state of affairs we live in.
Quote of Da Moment:
"Should such an ignorant people lead the world? How did it come to this in the first place? Just a handful can speak a language other than English... We don't know about anything that's happening outside our country. Our stupidity is embarrassing. National Geographic produced a survey which showed that 60 percent of 18-25 year olds don't know where Great Britain is on a map. And 92 percent of us don't own a passport."
--Michael Moore
"White people scare the crap out of me... I have never been attacked by a black person, never been evicted by a black person, never had my security deposit ripped off by a black landlord, never had a black landlord... never been pulled over by a black cop, never been sold a lemon by a black car salesman, never seen a black car salesman, never had a black person deny me a bank loan, never had a black person bury my movie, and I've never heard a black person say: We're going to eliminate ten thousand jobs here— have a nice day!"
--Michael Moore
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 4/17/2007 01:04:00 AM 
