summercomfort | (no subject)

Watched The Deer Hunter today. 3 hour movie, with only about half an hour of action, but v. good. I'm not even sure if it should be called a war movie, because you don't *see* a lot of war. It's just always present, in the background. It's about three people who sign up for war, and traces them from signing up, hasty marriages, one last deer hunt, to fighting, war, and then back home. This isn't some general or captain directing movements. There *are* no battle plans, just a lot of isolation and confusion. And one dangerous game of Russian roulette. You really get to feel the confusion of these people. It's not a buddy film, either. When Michael gets back to Chairon, Pennsylvania, he has no idea what has happened to Steve and Nick. Anyway, it got best picture in 1978, along with a bunch of others. And young Meryll Streep and young Robert DeNiro!

I don't know what to think about this. When does the crackdown in racism start being over-PC ? Where is the line between racism and a statement of fact about a unique culture? Can you tell if it's in good fun or spoken with malicious intent? Can it really be helped?

Anyway, dinner, then homework!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That's a hard question. I think it's a hard question because it deals with the disconnect between what people say and what they mean. Which can never really be resolved.

For instance, lots of people I know make racist comments and jokes even about themselves at school. It's funny, in the way that jokes about death are funny. It's almost like they are saying... Haha... the lack of understanding some people have for other people is funny. haha... And it is funny, it's funny because it's horrible, and you have two choices when something is horrible, laughter or anger. I laugh.

I thought the most interesting part of the article was:

"Yao found the promotion amusing but pointed out that fortune cookies have nothing to do with him. He said that he was not angry because he was not familiar with American stereotypes of Chinese."

What happens when the targets of the stereotypes don't care? Is that good or bad?

Regardless of what Yao thinks... I have less respect for the stadium. Just like I have less respect for O'Neil. It just shows that they are ignorant. I laugh at my friends... especially Giboc, but sometimes whenever they see minorities they'll start doing accents, and I just get sick of it, and I have less respect, even for them.

PCness is strange... I think it has to be taken in moderation and on a case by case basis.