As I was putting my daughter to sleep last night she said to me, "I wish you and Daddy could sleep here in my room with me. Actually, I wish our WHOLE family could sleep here in my room!" She went on to explain how she would put all of her toys, books and furniture into her closet so we could all (she named all of her aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents as well) sleep in her room with her. My 4 year old little girl hugged me tight and whispered in my ear that this arrangement would be the "bestest" ever. As I softly closed her door behind me thinking about her desire to have her entire family sleep in her tiny bedroom I couldn't help but be reminded of communities in developing countries that live in exactly this manner. I wondered if they were on to something. Western culture is so bent on autonomy and isolation that I ponder the considerable cost we absorb to achieve independence.
Charles Taylor discusses this condition in his critique of capitalism and consumer society, "Legitimation Crisis." Taylor attributes our autonomy as a product of mobility and concentration: "[T]he reproach that our society pushes inexorably towards bigness and concentration, and in the process inexorably destroys smaller communities and long-standing ties between people. This is often seen just as another aspect of the price we pay for our Calliclean path. Mobility and concentration have been seen as essential conditions of rapid growth." As we consume and expand our economic opportunities we move towards acquiring and furnishing a private space. A space to house our family and our things privately away from others. We have moved away from a society that recreates communally to one that recreates privately. The good life is now defined by making a comfortable living for the nuclear family to enjoy. That is the ideal anyway. What is broken in the process is a sense of solidarity. This expresses itself in many ways such as divorce. Without the community being heavily vested in our unions, we not only lack the support to work things out but we lack the audience, for lack of better word, to hold us accountable. Our private lives are kept so hidden from the community that a sense of accountability is lost. We no longer depend on each other. This could also explain the widespread depression that new mothers feel in Western cultures. Western mothers are overwhelmed and ashamed of their desperation. Raising children is hard work, Western culture seems hesitant to admit that fact. In communal cultures where it literally takes a village to raise children, women are not alone in child rearing.
Now, by no means do I want to romanticize or idealize the conditions of living in an underdeveloped community. There are tremendous drawbacks, obviously. Women in Western culture have an enormous degree of freedom by comparison. Women are more educated and have much greater opportunity for economic development. Practical living conditions and health-care are also incomparable. However, in a social sense one cannot help but long for something missing in Western culture, a sense of togetherness and community.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Avatar
Disclaimer: A lot of material for this blog may come from films. Film, art, literature, music, are all messages of language and being. Artists are "keepers of the house of being" as Martin Heidegger would say.
My husband and I saw Avatar in 3D a few days ago. As parents of two small children, who don't get enough sleep, it was imperative to see the matinee showing of this 3 hour film so we could stay awake for it's entirety. We arrived a half hour early to find that the auditorium was almost filled to capacity. This is proving to be a popular film indeed. As we took our seats in the lower section, we noticed many people had brought along infants and toddlers. We made snide remarks to ourselves about getting babysitters and how could anyone possibly enjoy a three hour movie while trying to keep a baby quiet, and so on and so forth. As the lights dimmed and things quieted down we began our three dimensional journey. What at first seemed like might be a complicated sci-fi drama quickly became a futuristic almost Western. Cowboys vs. Indians set in a technological fury of a distant planet. While the literal premise of the film is humans vs. aliens one gets a sense that it is not just simply that because the aliens are the heroes, sort of. For one, humans are attacking aliens not the other way around, and not just any humans, American humans. Americans have traveled into space to do what else? Exploit and consume. The native species of that planet, the Na'vi, are a poorly disguised version of what indigenous races on Earth are like, complete with bows, arrows and warpaint. Let me rephrase that, they are a poorly disguised version of what a stereotypical indigenous race on Earth is like. And this is where the experience of watching this film became eerily personal, not "just a movie" anymore. See, we live in a town with a large Native American population. Well, that is not entirely correct. We live in the town, with shopping and a movie theater, closest to the nearest reservations. Which means that folks pack up their families and take long drives into town to see a movie and enjoy some recreation. I would say that about 80% of the film-goers in that particular auditorium were Native. As the film drew on I began to wonder what they were feeling. When the American humans are destroying the Na'vi's land and people with ruthless abandon, what does an American Indian feel? I would imagine rage and bitter sadness. I can't say for sure because I'm not Indian, but my imagination allows me to feel something along those lines. There are more questions to be asked: what do they think about the plot line that a (white) human man comes in to save the Na'vi (because they "couldn't" do it for themselves)? What do they think about a movie where aliens are dressed up like them? Is it an honor or a sacrilegious mockery? How would you feel? Mostly, I wondered what the drive home was like. Did they sit in silence mourning the fact that they did not "win" like the Na'vi in the film, that they were headed home to a reservation? I don't know. James Cameron says this movie is about accepting others' differences, I wonder if Sherman Alexie would agree.
One thing I do know however, I felt incredibly guilty for the snide remarks about children in the theater. In my smug illusion of superiority I failed to take account of the cultural factor. It is usually the most important factor in human living. I failed to acknowledge that many cultures include their children in everything and do things as a family. They bring their children to, what some would say, a grown-up film because it does not occur to them to do otherwise. It is a beautiful thing, always doing something as a family because any other scenario wouldn't be considered. This practice reminds me of my own upbringing. My (Mexican) parents simply didn't believe in leaving children with babysitters. I can count on one hand the times my siblings and I were left in the charge of others.
Some may argue that it is just a movie and not worth reading so much into. "Aren't we way past all that racist stuff?" The short answer is no. Not even close. Contemplating the message of films like this matters because these messages create the standards and ideas of the definitions of our conduct and beliefs; unwittingly, in fact. I didn't even get into the implication of the critique of the American military machine. I have been so surprised how few people get the critique. I have personally heard several military folks that loved this movie and claim it as a new favorite. Which side were they rooting for? Did they understand that they are painted as the bad guys here? Not that I have anything against folks who serve in the military. Don't get me wrong, that's not my gist. My husband served for 9 years. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I believe an offensive (as opposed to defensive) military is an evil that is not so necessary and ethnocentrism is never a good reason for war. I better stop right there before I write more without contemplation and intention. This is becoming a whole different subject anyway.
So I'll get back to the film. There's just one more thing I wanted to discuss: the tree-hugging thing. This comes to no shock for those who know me personally so I'll just get right to it. I don't believe that the interconnectedness of living things or the concept of Ewya, as portrayed in the film, is fiction. Nor do I think that cinematic liberties were taken to create a fanciful almost whimsical religious-like context of living. Honoring life and interconnectedness is very close to what I would aspire to practice in my spirituality. Practicing a belief like the one portrayed in the film may seem silly or even dangerous to some Americans of a certain wing. However, I would urge those people to be more incorporating of the idea of interconnectedness. Every living thing is sacred, simply because it is living or simply because it was created. You take your pick. That is all I am going to say about that for now.
My husband and I saw Avatar in 3D a few days ago. As parents of two small children, who don't get enough sleep, it was imperative to see the matinee showing of this 3 hour film so we could stay awake for it's entirety. We arrived a half hour early to find that the auditorium was almost filled to capacity. This is proving to be a popular film indeed. As we took our seats in the lower section, we noticed many people had brought along infants and toddlers. We made snide remarks to ourselves about getting babysitters and how could anyone possibly enjoy a three hour movie while trying to keep a baby quiet, and so on and so forth. As the lights dimmed and things quieted down we began our three dimensional journey. What at first seemed like might be a complicated sci-fi drama quickly became a futuristic almost Western. Cowboys vs. Indians set in a technological fury of a distant planet. While the literal premise of the film is humans vs. aliens one gets a sense that it is not just simply that because the aliens are the heroes, sort of. For one, humans are attacking aliens not the other way around, and not just any humans, American humans. Americans have traveled into space to do what else? Exploit and consume. The native species of that planet, the Na'vi, are a poorly disguised version of what indigenous races on Earth are like, complete with bows, arrows and warpaint. Let me rephrase that, they are a poorly disguised version of what a stereotypical indigenous race on Earth is like. And this is where the experience of watching this film became eerily personal, not "just a movie" anymore. See, we live in a town with a large Native American population. Well, that is not entirely correct. We live in the town, with shopping and a movie theater, closest to the nearest reservations. Which means that folks pack up their families and take long drives into town to see a movie and enjoy some recreation. I would say that about 80% of the film-goers in that particular auditorium were Native. As the film drew on I began to wonder what they were feeling. When the American humans are destroying the Na'vi's land and people with ruthless abandon, what does an American Indian feel? I would imagine rage and bitter sadness. I can't say for sure because I'm not Indian, but my imagination allows me to feel something along those lines. There are more questions to be asked: what do they think about the plot line that a (white) human man comes in to save the Na'vi (because they "couldn't" do it for themselves)? What do they think about a movie where aliens are dressed up like them? Is it an honor or a sacrilegious mockery? How would you feel? Mostly, I wondered what the drive home was like. Did they sit in silence mourning the fact that they did not "win" like the Na'vi in the film, that they were headed home to a reservation? I don't know. James Cameron says this movie is about accepting others' differences, I wonder if Sherman Alexie would agree.
One thing I do know however, I felt incredibly guilty for the snide remarks about children in the theater. In my smug illusion of superiority I failed to take account of the cultural factor. It is usually the most important factor in human living. I failed to acknowledge that many cultures include their children in everything and do things as a family. They bring their children to, what some would say, a grown-up film because it does not occur to them to do otherwise. It is a beautiful thing, always doing something as a family because any other scenario wouldn't be considered. This practice reminds me of my own upbringing. My (Mexican) parents simply didn't believe in leaving children with babysitters. I can count on one hand the times my siblings and I were left in the charge of others.
Some may argue that it is just a movie and not worth reading so much into. "Aren't we way past all that racist stuff?" The short answer is no. Not even close. Contemplating the message of films like this matters because these messages create the standards and ideas of the definitions of our conduct and beliefs; unwittingly, in fact. I didn't even get into the implication of the critique of the American military machine. I have been so surprised how few people get the critique. I have personally heard several military folks that loved this movie and claim it as a new favorite. Which side were they rooting for? Did they understand that they are painted as the bad guys here? Not that I have anything against folks who serve in the military. Don't get me wrong, that's not my gist. My husband served for 9 years. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I believe an offensive (as opposed to defensive) military is an evil that is not so necessary and ethnocentrism is never a good reason for war. I better stop right there before I write more without contemplation and intention. This is becoming a whole different subject anyway.
So I'll get back to the film. There's just one more thing I wanted to discuss: the tree-hugging thing. This comes to no shock for those who know me personally so I'll just get right to it. I don't believe that the interconnectedness of living things or the concept of Ewya, as portrayed in the film, is fiction. Nor do I think that cinematic liberties were taken to create a fanciful almost whimsical religious-like context of living. Honoring life and interconnectedness is very close to what I would aspire to practice in my spirituality. Practicing a belief like the one portrayed in the film may seem silly or even dangerous to some Americans of a certain wing. However, I would urge those people to be more incorporating of the idea of interconnectedness. Every living thing is sacred, simply because it is living or simply because it was created. You take your pick. That is all I am going to say about that for now.
A Little More
I realize that my first post was a cop-out. I wasn't quite ready to define what it is exactly that I'm doing here. Let's have another go at the introduction thing. The aim of this blog is to chronicle my ideas on what it means to be human based on reflections of everyday occurrences. What do I mean when I say "what it means to be human?" Well, I am talking about what sets us apart from other species. Language mainly. As a species our ability of language translates into so many things, infinitely, really. That is what this blog is about: observations of the mundane and the profound in regards to the manifestation of what sets us apart from other living things on this planet. What it is to be human can be defined by our relationships with each other, with our selves, with the rest of the planet, and how those relationships came to be. I will expound on that further, the idea of how these definitions came to be, when I'm ready to delve into explaining the phenomena of memes. For now, I think this short paragraph will suffice as a good springboard for whatever is to come.
Monday, January 4, 2010
First Post
Required introductory first post:
I wanted the domain of this blog to be www.hmm.blogspot.com. HOWEVER, someone named "Rach" used that title back in 2000 when she signed up to blogger and posted a grand total of one blog. Not a fan of "Rach."
Adding a third m to "hmmm" also proved unfruitful. Someone posting about the drama of having two online boyfriends, Nathan and Justin, stole that gem of a title in 2000 as well. Pfft. www.observations.blogspot.com was taken by an anonymous "blogger" that never posted. Shouldn't these domains go inactive and be released into the netherworld of cyberspace at some point? Would it be ethical to flag these blogs and report abuse? Hmmm.
I wanted the domain of this blog to be www.hmm.blogspot.com. HOWEVER, someone named "Rach" used that title back in 2000 when she signed up to blogger and posted a grand total of one blog. Not a fan of "Rach."
Adding a third m to "hmmm" also proved unfruitful. Someone posting about the drama of having two online boyfriends, Nathan and Justin, stole that gem of a title in 2000 as well. Pfft. www.observations.blogspot.com was taken by an anonymous "blogger" that never posted. Shouldn't these domains go inactive and be released into the netherworld of cyberspace at some point? Would it be ethical to flag these blogs and report abuse? Hmmm.
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