Finding the Answer(s)

Most Americans would agree that there is a single American dream-- that there is one thing that all Americans strive for. Most would also agree that this "thing" is in some way materialistic (i.e. nice house, car, good education). However, if there is one thing that all American want to achieve, it is something that all humans strive for: making sense of it all. It is a curse of being human. Everything is percieved as a mystery that must be solved. We feel compelled to simplify things that are in reality, extremely complex. Messy Middle-Eastern conflict turns into a war of good vs. evil. There is no way that our enemies could have any sense of reasonability; they only think "KILL KILL KILL!!!". Also, how silly is it to think that the only thing any American wants is a house. A house is nothing but some wood and fiberglass insulation stapled together a bunch of times (maybe a few windows if you want some natural light). I don't think there is any one answer for all the questions out there. For most humans, this idea never sinks in. They spend their entire lives finding a non-existent answer. Out of this frustration comes religion; without a concrete answer, people turn to the supernatural. Maybe. Or possibly, there is a single solution for everything. Maybe I'm completely wrong...? I guess it's just in my human nature to analyze these things.

Recount

Recently I saw the movie Recount on HBO. The movie, as the title suggests, takes a second look at the Florida Recount in the 2000 Presidential Election. As I watched, I did what any good AIS student would do: I analyzed biases. The film had a strong liberal bias, and as a democrat, it was very painful to watch the apparent injustice unfold. The whole controversy was depicted as a huge mess that boiled over in a vast right-wing conspiracy. Whether this depiction was accurate, I'll never know, but it was quite obvious that the filmmakers had an agenda to incriminate the Bush campaign. Contrarily, Al Gore was portrayed as pratically super-human. It almost seemed he was too good of a man to become president. He eventually conceited graciously even though it was apparent he would have won (should the recount had continued). I would certainly like to believe that the film was a 100% truthful portrayal of this event, but I wonder whether such a thing exists...

The Stuff Cowboys are Made of

I recently wrote my exploratory essay on the effect of frontier idealism on American politics. What does that mean? Well, whether you realize it or not, most of the politicians we see on TV embody, or at least attempt to embody, the traits supposedly pioneered (pun not intended) by the American Frontiersman.
Actually though, these traits were creations of the 20th century-long after the frontier had closed. The typical cowboy, according to author Richard Slotkin, is a rugged individualist who carries around a huge gun (think about it) and prefers the "shoot first, ask questions later" mentality. The most important asset of his to protect is his pride. He'll never give up until the enemy suffers. It fascinates me how this celluloid portrayal of "American-ness" is so prevalent today in American politics.
One example of this is how President Bush refuses pull troops out of Iraq. A removal of military presence would mean a "surrender" and would therefore be detrimental to his "cowboy" image. John Wayne says in one of his films, The Searchers, "I don't like surrenders." John Wayne was just an actor though; he portrayed a fictional character. Similarly, Bush simply refuses to look at the realistic side of the issue. He just looks at it through his cinematic lens.

Family Life

As I left my house this morning, I noticed a picture(above) in the New York Times. The story was about John McCain and his family's military legacy. The picture, however, was of Sen. McCain standing at a podium during the 2000 election. Behind him and to his right are his Caucasian birth children; however, behind him, literally in his shadow is his adopted Bangladeshi daughter, Bridgette. I wonder whether this is just a coincidence or McCain (with the help of his campaign manager of course) made an attempt to "soften" his image. The picture was taken not to long after the infamous South Carolina underground smear campaign in which McCain was accused of fathering an illegitimate black child. Unfortunately, some people were dumb enough to believe these lies that could not be farther from the truth. Even though McCain was wronged greatly, I question his decision to put his presidential campaign literally in front of his family.

King Speech

Last night, while I read the transcript of MLK's 1967 speech against the war, I also listened to Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On". Many of the same issues are discussed in both. As I listened and read, I realized that almost nothing has changed since the era of Vietnam. The country is still plagued with "superficial patriotism". We engage in a "war on crime" here on the home front, but we still let ourselves be duped into a murderous, fruitless fight overseas. How can we expect to help other nations when we, ourselves, need help. There are some striking (and down-right frightening) similarities between now and then. It's been forty years. Why haven't we learned our lesson?

What Really Matters?

I was watching coverage on the democratic race for president on CNN. They were discussing how the media was starting to criticize Barack Obama. They mentioned the way that Obama came under fire for not holding his hand to his heart during the national anthem, before a rally. People accused him of being unpatriotic. After seeing this, I asked myself "Why does this matter?" Aren't there more significant and effective ways to show the passion you feel towards your nation. For example, trying to make the country better than it already is (wait, isn't that the point of running for president). Similarly in Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Proctor becomes suspicious when it is discovered that he had not attended church regularly in the past. Instead he was taking care of his family while his wife was seriously ill. Obviously caring for others is more important than showing up every week at a place where you're told to do so.

The Impossible Compromise

During Geoffrey Stone's very intriguing lecture, he mentioned how there is a continuum between freedom and safety. In other words, the more freedom a country has, the more dangerous the territory tends to be. Whereas nations with really controlling governments tend to be safer and quieter. This is because the citizens of these countries fear the government. Therefore there is a big trade-off philosophically between the possession of civil liberties and national security. While many argue that an agreement of these two viewpoints cannot be reached, I believe that the obstacle to finding national security is not personal freedom, but rather people's maturity. When people are awarded civil liberties, many do not understand the responsibility that comes with them. People are not the right forms of dissent. They would rather burn flags in violent protests than sit down talk peacefully about change. It could be argued that these people are not mature enough to deserve many of their rights. If citizens were to use their rights responsibility, the country would be able to achieve that impossible compromise. Maybe the secret to making the most out of your rights is not using them every chance you get, but knowing that you can use them at anytime and choosing not to. That, to me, is a more powerful use of civil liberties.

The Frontline in your Backyard

As we analyzed WWII propaganda posters this week in class, we noticed a few common themes between them. One of these themes was the idea of a domestic threat. "Conserve resources or Hitler will attack YOU!" Therefore personalizing the war. This tactic is used very commonly today as well. A few weeks ago President Bush urged congress to renew the Protect America Act by saying that the country would no longer be safe if the bill was not passed by friday. This also targets congress as a threat that is putting the country in danger by not following this order. Mitt Romney also used this tactic when he pulled out of the race for president. He vowed that he could not let his campaign aid a surrender to terror; therefore implying that if you vote for a democrat, the terrorists will win. For those who do not think critically of authority, this is an easy trap to fall into. Unfortunatly that has been the downfall of many American citizens.

Unhappy Medium

In the 08 election, it has seemed like it has been almost impossible for Hillary Clinton to be judged positively for her character. She just can't get it right. If she shows any emotion, she's a weak little girl; but if she plays it straight, she's a robot. If a man is stone cold, he means business; that's how he is needs to be in order to get the job done. If a woman holds a straight face, she's not human; and therefore she cannot trusted to lead a country composed of strongly opinionated people. She still strives to find that place in between where she can't enrage her fellow Americans. Will she ever find it?

Comfort Zone

While reading Huck Finn this week, I came across a fascinating passage. Huck, afraid of being found, refuses to move a muscle; even when he has and itch, he "dasn't scratch it". This feat of strength lead me to conclude that Huck has no desire to conform to society's standards. Instead of a wild animal to be tamed, he is a strangled pet to be unleashed. Otherwise he will never find happiness. He can't stand being confined to his "good" clothes; therefore, he "got into his old rags, and was free and satisfied" Everyone has they're own comfort zone. Why should they be told how to live. Do what suits you; who cares what others think.

Women and Children

Whether it's right or wrong we live in a patriarchal (man-ruled) society. While I personally believe that this wrong, all Western civilization has been this way for thousands of years. Although many people try to change this and create an equal society, we still currently live in a Patriarchal way. One example of this is how women, on average, don't make as much money as men in the work-place. As long as this is happening, the term "Women and Children" will still be relevant in modern society. The term won't be obsolete until that "Patriarchal" label is too.

Citizen Soldier

"Citizen Soldier" by Three Doors Down was one of the most ridiculous music videos I've ever seen. It was comical, yet disturbing to see the National Guard's skewering of the truth. They found a loop hole into glorifying war without sending out a malicious message. It was interesting how the video started off with two young men playing football before getting into the intense action scenes of war. It was almost as if to say, "If you think football is American, check out war". I also found interesting how it was always the main character saving a fellow American soldier. The National Guard would not dare hint at the possibility of injury or death in the armed forces.