The Power and Promise of Humane Education
Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times
Claude and Medea: The Hellburn Dogs
So, You Love Animals: An Action-Packed, Fun-Filled Book to Help Kids Help Animals
I’ve watched two movies recently, Match Point and The Player, in which the proverbial “bad guys” win. There is no happy ending. The murderers not only go unpunished but also prevail. Ironically, in The Player, there is a film within the film in which the screenwriter insists that his movie not have a happy ending, that it be based in reality. But the unhappy ending flops in screen tests and is replaced by a predictable, happy one. But The Player itself has no such ending. These kinds of dark, anti-hero movies are commonplace these days, and they win awards. No Country for Old Men — a gruesome film with a gruesome end – won this year’s Oscar for best picture.
What effects do such films have on us? Do they make us less likely to be just, compassionate, kind, courageous, and honest ourselves? I’d love to see a social psychology study analyzing the effects of cynical films versus uplifting ones on our attitudes and behaviors. (Dissertation topic anyone?) Although I’m only guessing, I think bad-guys-prevailing films may erode our care for others, contribute to our apathy, and justify our self-centeredness. I’m concerned that we’re raising in-it-for-me cynics instead of ordinary heroes through our trends in entertainment.
Yet, I also think this trend in unlikable characters successfully beating the system will soon fade. Even if the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences elevates these “bad guy” films with its awards, box office sales still prove that we like heroism, and that we want the good guys to prevail. I also think that we crave more nuance and truthfulness in these complex times, and that simple happy endings will be disappointing and unsatisfying. I don’t believe that most of us want apathy reinforced, but we do want our minds sated; we want brilliance, not sappy, feel-good-but-ultimately-unrealistic finales. We want human complexity acknowledged, in which good and bad are not depicted in either/or characters, but in more subtle and complicated ways that require more clever and intriguing solutions for today’s — and tomorrow’s — world.
I welcome your comments.
~ Zoe
Image courtesy of dubswede via Creative Commons.
Filed under: Cultural Issues, media literacy, movies | Tagged: bad guys, Cultural Issues, filmmaking, media literacy, movies, social psychology, values | Comments Off
Usually, the holidays are anything but balanced. We often don’t eat balanced meals; we may tip the balance toward excess activity and away from relaxation, and we usually unbalance our checkbooks.
It’s so easy to be influenced by the prevailing values of our culture. We are bombarded with messages to buy more and more. Several people were killed or injured in the U.S. on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving, which is reputed to be the biggest shopping day of the year) because they were trampled by frenzied shoppers. This is insane; yet, how many of us find ourselves influenced by those messages to buy more? It’s difficult to swim against the consumerist current and to take back the holidays. Advertisers are brilliant at manipulating us.
It’s particularly challenging during the holiday season to buck the buy-as-much-as possible system without support. Your family may not be happy without dozens of gifts under the Christmas tree or expensive presents each day of Hanukkah. It’s important to find or create a community of people who also want a holiday season that revolves around joyful giving, sharing, and connection, not just the buying of more stuff.
Mahatma Gandhi was once asked by a reporter, “What is your message?” He replied, “My life is my message.”
As you buy gifts, food, wrapping paper, ornaments, etc., this holiday season ask yourself some questions. What are the effects of these purchase on other people, animals, and the environment? All your purchases will contribute to the economy, which is a positive effect in these hard times, but your money is your vote for the world you want. Some purchases have very negative consequences. For example, a toy made from plastic in an overseas sweatshop may contribute to pollution, human exploitation, and resource depletion, whereas a wooden toy made locally from an artisan may be more aligned with your values. Facial lotion from a company which tests its products on animals may be less aligned with your values than a lotion made by a cottage industry with natural ingredients that are known to be safe.
Many are suffering this holiday season. Millions have lost their jobs and are struggling with the basics. They cannot even buy their children a winter coat or mittens, let alone a new toy. During this holiday season, consider how you might be of service to those in your community who are facing serious hardship, and make a commitment to give. You might give in the form of volunteering for a local non-profit, helping out at the local homeless shelter, bringing baked treats to people in a nursing home or hospital, shoveling an elderly neighbor’s drive when it snows. You might also want to connect with churches and synagogues that organize gift-giving to people who cannot afford presents for their kids.
Most of us don’t write our own epitaphs. If they’re written at all, they come from those who knew us well, and hopefully they reflect what we ourselves would have wanted said about us. But what if you were to write your epitaph now, in the fullness of your life, to seriously consider how you would want to sum up your contribution, what would you say?
In the next two weeks, I’m going to post about each of the 7 Keys to MOGO, which are part of my just published book, 
I took an online self-reflection course through the 
IHE offers online courses for educators, activists, parents & concerned citizens seeking the tools, knowledge & motivation to align their actions with their deepest values & to become more effective leaders and changemakers. Sign up now for an upcoming session. 
