Nov
09

Oppression

“Human beings are so made that the ones who do the crushing feel nothing; it is the person crushed who feels what is happening. Unless one has placed oneself on the side of the oppressed, to feel with them, one cannot understand.”
-Simone Weil

The riots going on in France, and April’s post both started my mind turning. How would I explain the oppression that I have felt? Yes I have been discriminated against just based on my skin color, several times. Some of those times were pretty clear racism, some I try to think as just people being ignorant and just not knowing any better. The damage in all situations is the same and the feeling is not a good one, but how to describe it to someone that has not experienced it can be a tough thing to do.

I came up with a simple explanation. We can all remember at one time or another when we were kids playing in the playground. Kids can be very cruel because they are not equipped with the sensibility to accounts someone else’s feelings when they say things. When we are adults we try to incorporate that sensibility into our personalities. At least I hope must of us do. Remember when other kids were being cruel and that hurt our feelings in some way, something about your Mother, or the way you looked, your clothes, etc. That was a horrible feeling, insecurity, fear and eventually anger. That is what oppression feels like, some people grow up and never have to experience those feelings again. People that are oppressed feel that way every single day of their lives.

I found a great resource about anger. It states “Anger is an emotion that centers on getting control.” When people feel oppressed, they feel mostly like they have lost control. Eventually after years of oppression someone can become so full of anger that it turns into hate and then despair. It is hard to relate to some of those situations because there are so many levels of it. I try to empathize with people in oppressed situations and while I have experienced racism I am lucky enough not to have to experience it every day. I cannot comprehend what someone that feels oppressed every single day must feel like, but I do know that they will eventually explode of pure anger. I am not sure if after reading this you feel like you understand oppression any better… Do you feel like you understand the word?

Nov
09

Out on Video

Well, this idea has been on my mind and I am not sure about the execution yet but here is a try. A post every Tusday, I think… even though I am late this week about the movies that are out that week, and of course I have have reviewed them a little self promotion never hurts. Maybe a recomendation on if you should rent it or not… let me know what you guys think.

Out on Video

Movie Title (Logtar’s Score) (Metacritic Score) (Review Link)
Batman Begins (***) (70) (Logtar’s Review)
Star Wars, ROTS (***) (68) (Logtar’s Review)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (****) (72) (Cielo’s Review)
Beavis and Butthead Vol 1 (***)

Logtar’s Rating System
* Don’t bother
**If there is nothing else in the video store
***Rent it for sure
****Buy the DVD

Nov
08

Jarhead (**)

Unfortunately I heard a review of this movie-before I even saw it, that said that the film did not convey the internal mental drama that the book did. I went in with lowered expectations, which normally enhances my movie viewing experience, but not in this case. I believe the movie to be substandard as a drama during war times.

I am not sure if I am just sour with the violence and pornography that is now fed into movies that really does not enhance the story. Emotion is not acted properly making it most times feel forced upon the actors. While Jake Gyllenhaal has come a long was since Bubble Boy, he still does not convince me as a dramatic actor. Jamie Foxx did a good job with his character even though at times he seemed a little crazy; maybe that is what the role called for.

While I agreed with the political subplot that the movie had, I felt it was a little to force-fed. I believe that if I saw it that way, someone with opposite views to mine would have been annoyed by it. I am not sure if a marine will feel the same way, at times their portrayal seemed a little too comical.

In the end I did not appreciate having to see all the sex, not just because of the pornography, but because I believe it sends the wrong message. I feel that a young man that sees this movie, which is probably going to be must of the audience, will see way too much infidelity and sex portrayed as a gratuitous thing. *Spoiler* I also believed that his girlfriend could have stayed faithful to him, while that might have been predictable I felt it would have been a nice tribute to all the women that are waiting faithfully for their boyfriends and husbands away at war right now.


buy at Amazon.com
Jarhead.
, ,

Nov
03

Origami

I love origami. As a little kid in the classroom I would always be folding something. My favorite shapes were frogs and little spaceships. I have not done origami in a while but today both Cielo and I kept a dollar from a HUGE lotto Jackpot that we won, LOL. So I decided to fold my dollar. I had seen the bowtie dollar before, but I found one a little more interesting so that is what my dollar ended up being.

During college, one of my buddies was almost obsessed with making birds. They made for some humorous noises in the middle of class, some of my friends did some unusual bird calls. They would mostly just end up flying around. I know, how “third grade of us” to act like this in college, but at times the digital security class would just get super boring.

We actually encountered Origami earlier this week. A lady a couple of streets from us was giving away little origami kits instead of candy. I thought that was excellent. A house earlier gave Ty the choice of play-doh or candy. The play-doh I found cool but did not impress me as much as the origami kit which included a frog already folded by the lady.

A funny story from the whole trick or treating night was created thanks to my dorkyness. At time I can be a huge dork. The lady giving out the frogs had an awesome house. Stained glass windows and a bench up front decorated with licenses plates. Cielo and I were kind of hanging by the sidewalk, as Tyler would walk to the front doors. The lady’s house also had a pretty cool looking front yard garden. As Tyler was saying thank you, I told the lady “beautiful house…” she gave me a weird look and said thank you. I should have stopped there with the attempts at compliments for the night, but, no, there was no such luck.

Later on a Mom and Son were actually sitting on the front porch giving out candy. After the lady had given the candy to Tyler and he started walking back I noticed a kitty hanging behind the glass storm door. I proceeded to very innocently say “Pretty kitty”. Even though the lady was wearing pants she must have taken it the wrong way because she gave me an embarrassed look and promptly closed her legs in a reflex like motion. Cielo and I waited until we turned the corner to start laughing… but it was just hilarious. Thankfully the lady did turn around and saw that her kitty was sitting right by the door, but at the time it was already too late and she seemed at a loss for words.

Hope it was not one of those you had to be there kind of moments. Going back to the original subject, I find origami relaxing and rewarding. Some might say it is an art, I find it more of a recreational tool. So did you ever do any origami growing up? Still do? Love it? Hate it?

Nov
02

Your Eyes

Inside your eyes I can see
More than you ever knew
Pain is erased inside of me
With a simple gaze from you

Your eyes tell a story
That cannot be told by words
Tales of pure glory
And triumphs that sing like birds

Your eyes to me are portals
To a world yet to be discovered
That holds a treasure not for all mortals
But just for me to recover

Inside your eyes I find
I always have a beacon
Not ever walking blind
Not ever feeling weakened

Your eyes mirror your soul
They vanish life’s trance
Once again making me whole
And ask mine to dance

With a simple glance
I see my future wife
I have a new chance
At this game called life

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