This week for my post I've decided to delve into Netflix's new 2017 original The Ozarks. I choose this since I'd seen multiple people watching this show and thought it might be interesting to check out. Also having been born and raised in Missouri it's nice to see a show that's a little bit closer to home (location-wise... not subject wise).
October 8, 2017
Bossgirl
I was casually scrolling through Netflix and found Bossgirl. I am unsure about how I feel just yet but I know the main character could use some maturing. I only watched the first episode but I believe that Sophia will conquer whatever is thrown her way through willpower.
Bossgirl begins with the song, "The Wild One" and I knew that the main character was going to have some spunk and indeed, she does. The first line of the song is “All my life I've wanted to be somebody and here I am.” So those few words I knew that the main character would have issues finding herself and I was correct. She dealt with eviction notices, being fired, and not having the greatest appearance. She was a rebel, which was another song that played through the series that described her too well. She was fired from her job because she was too much of a rebel. Her boss yelled at her and she thought it was only right to yell back at her but that's not wise to do in the workplace. Consequently, Sophia’s reckless decisions does not put her in a desirable place which is why she struggled so much with life and hasn't matured yet. However, that does not mean she doesn't have a plan, and the song, “I Have a Dream, explains that very well. There's a scene in Bossgirl where Sophia meets with her father, saying that she'll have things together soon. Her father wants her to move back in with him because he doesn't believe that she can make it on her own. Sophia however, knows that he doesn't believe in her and wants to prove to him otherwise. Even though Sophia does not make wise decisions, I have faith that she'll soon understand the way of adult life.
Sohpia is not a main character that I can relate to so it was difficult for me to understand what she was going through. However, Sophia is still trying to better herself. She encounters an old woman on the bench while waiting on the bus and said that, “Adulthood is where dreams go to die.” So she believes that once she became an adult, that anything she dreamt of before, will never be possible. Throughout the episode, I felt like she was one step closer to changing that belief. The dinner with her father helped her realize that maybe adulthood isn't where dreams go to die, especially when someone doubts you. Instead, it gives you that extra motivation you needed to fulfil that dream.
Bossgirl is definitely different from shows that I usually watch but I'd be willing it give it a chance. Sophia gave me the impression that she's willing to change even though she isn't the greatest person. If her dad doesn't believe in her then maybe her viewers will.
October 7, 2017
Love Should Not be Separated, a Thought From Film Little Evil
In China, many young male adults work in the big city and leave their wives in the small village. These women are known as left-home wives, who are responsible for raising children and taking care their parents in-law. Some people may hold a view that these men left their wives behind because their earnings could not support a whole family to live in a big city. However, I have different opinions that these men do not care and respect their wives.
First of all, they do not care their wive. Many couples live together and both work in the city at first, but their wives would be sent home if they get pregnant with the excuse that they can’t take care of their wives while they are working and they can’t support their pregnant wife live in a city without working. They think their parents can take care the pregnant women. However, in the most of cases, the truth is that after being sent home, these women are responsible for taking care their old parents in law. Pregnant women need to do almost all the housing, such as cooking, cleaning, and so on. What’s worse, some may need to work in the field like growing wheat (poor village doesn’t have mechanized agriculture). These women usually deliver their child without the company of their husband. Another aspect is that, these hardworking men do not really working hard to support their family. Some people just moving around the cities and change their jobs frequently.
Secondly, these husbands do not know how to respect their wives. The left-home wife is responsible for almost everything at home. The wives have to grow their children alone and take care her parents in law. Wives are not free maids, but most of the men do not understand that. In their opinion, wife should always be responsible for taking everything at home, and the husband only needs to work and earn money. Couples should take care children and parents together in order to build a respective relationship. If they can, women would like to work in the city and let the husband take care the whole family in the rural village. So, leaving the wife behind to bear all the responsibilities is not respective to the wife at all.
People may argue that living in the big city is too expensive. However, if the husband can work and support himself in the city, then the wife can do so too. The primary education in the city is free for everyone, so there is no worry about the education of their children. In real life, many factories will offer housing for couples, so housing should not be a problem either. In the film Little Evil, the protagonist’s stepson is the portal of Satan who tried to kill him, and everyone knows about the child tried to persuade the protagonist to kill the child in order to save the protagonist and the world, but the love to his wife stopped him from doing that. The protagonist determined to live with the little evil with the risk of his own life and his love to his wife and stepson finally saved the child and the world. If the husband really love and care his wife, there should not be any reason to live apart except for the special army mission or other missions.
After dealing with the housing, food, and education problem, the last problem is that the husband’s old parents need to be taken care. Consequently, the husband will send his wife home will different excuse in order to take care the old. To conclude, in the most of cases, the left-home wife has a selfish husband. If they really love each other, they should not live apart.
13th: A History of Oppression
It seems that many people do not want to acknowledge the hardships and discrimination that black people face in America. The only time that we as a country have deemed it acceptable to consistently discuss and appraise the accomplishments of black people is in February, the shortest month. The issue of racism in this country and colorism in the black community are issues that are actively ignored and minimized by those who do not experience it, and internalized and repressed by people of color,
This weekend, I viewed “13th” on Netflix, a documentary detailing the systematic incarceration and social criminalization of blacks, especially black males. This documentary characterizes these issues chronologically, beginning with the passage of the 13th amendment. “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” While this amendment should have signified a hard departure from all racism altogether, it simply paved the way for a new form of racism and encouraged the development of creative, surreptitious methods of keeping the black community under control.
The common argument is that it isn’t racism that so many black men are in jail, a criminal is a criminal. However, if you view the very relatively short history of events since the passage of the 13th amendment, many details point towards foul play at the hands of our own government. The figurative War on Drugs declared by Nixon in 1971 turned literal war on drugs by Ronald Reagan in the 1980’s is proven to have been just a ploy to incarcerate a larger number of black and hispanics in the inner cities of America.
Another thing that I have heard many times in my short life is that black people hurt black people more than whites or non-blacks do, coined as black-on-black crime. I can say with confidence, from my own experience, that in some cases, black people are definitely hostile to each other. This all leads back to the criminalistic, second class citizen image that blacks have been painted in since we were forcibly brought to this country. The past century has been host to minstrel shows with whites in blackface, and segregation, among other things that subliminally conjoins blackness with depravity. Not even the black community is exempt from anti-black sentiment.
It can be easy to believe that there is no discrimination when it comes to law enforcement, especially for those who are not of color. However, it is important to realize that that is the way that we ALL are supposed to see it. “13th” is a great educational film for those who may not have all of the information needed to see the major flaws in America’s prison system. It is important to understand the oppressive origins of events involving black people such as the shootings of Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown, in order to make any real progress with the functionality of America’s justice and social systems.
A Message from The OA
This week I decided to take on The OA. After hearing a ton of people talk about it, I decided to give it a try. People have told me it was a little difficult to follow, and a great deal happens all at once, so I imagined it would be a good idea to write about why people should watch, even if it is a little more perplexing. Towards the end of the pilot, the OA begins to tell her story to the people she recruited to help her. She must convince them that they can trust her, and opens up to them so they will help her on her journey. So, for my blog post this week, rather than me tell you, the reader, why watching the show is in fact worth the watch despite it being quite a wild ride, I decided to let the OA speak for herself, and gain the trust and guidance of the opposition, as to why you should go with her on her journey, despite it being quite the mystery at first.
Thank you for finding my post. That means you are here because you’re considering helping me. It is crucial I get to the border. Please, don’t click away. I need your help.
I know that this might sound insane, I know you may not want to trust me right now, I know my story is unlike one that you’ve ever heard of before, and my reasons might sound unearthly, but I am the OA and I need your help. I need to tell you why I am worth helping and following.
I am unlike anyone you’ve met in your life. I know that that is a longshot statement to say, but I believe it to be true. Have you ever sympathized with a friend going through hardships? They’re quite easy to help, as you know them, you trust them, you want the best for them. And in the end, you know that they’d do the same for you. Well, have you sympathized with a stranger before? I know, it isn’t as easy to do. I know, that is who I am to you right now. But if you come on this journey with me, I can be your friend, and I will repay you in more ways than you could ever imagine. I know that someone like you can begin to trust me, and find it in your heart to help me on my way.
While trusting me is the first big step, I can’t have you quit on me along the way. The road to my success will be difficult and somewhat confusing, and I will always need the most courageous and strong people to aid me. That is why I have chosen you. There’s countless stories you have yet to hear, to be able to hear my tales I’m sure will excite you! There’s so much more to me, and my life. Or, should I say my many lives. I’m sure if you continue on with me, you will not be disappointed.
I will respect your story if this journey is not for you, or if you are unsure you will be able to keep up. But I strongly encourage you to try, and to believe that you may understand who I am and what I must achieve. So, if you choose to stay with me, I’d like for you to close your eyes, and see what I see.
Hush Now, Everything Won't be Fine
So after watching Blade Runner 2049 and being completely wrecked and drained on an emotional level (in the best possible way), I decided to calm down and watch a Netflix Original. Because it's October, I obviously had to watch a horror film, so I settled on Hush. Hush is directed by Mike Flanagan (the same guy who directed Gerald's Game) and stars Kate Siegel as a deaf woman who is being hunted by a deranged serial killer (John Gallagher) in the woods. While Hush is obviously nowhere near as epic and masterful as the new Blade Runner, it was definitely one of the best slasher films of the 2010s.
Going off of our prompt of arguing someone of the opposing opinion, I feel like this is the perfect movie to do that with. Most modern slasher films are very poorly regarded and deservedly so. Some of the most recent in the genre include the Hatchet trilogy, The Gallows, and a whole slew of remakes based on the original slasher flicks. It really is no question as to why the genre has gained such a poor reputation over the years. This film, however, is one of the best made slasher films since the original Scream. Unlike most modern horror films in general, Hush is well written, well directed, and well acted. Most films of its nature over bloat the runtime with obnoxious characters that are there simply to be cannon fodder for the killer. In this film, only a few people are murdered, and none of them are annoying. In fact, some of the people that are killed in the film only appear to be killed. However, like I previously stated, only a few people are actually killed in the film, which to me makes it more suspenseful than most slashers. It is common for films in the genre to have the killer slaughter dozens of people usually in creative ways which completely undermines the overall intensity of the situation. So, not only is the film just a better movie than most slasher films, but it is also more thrilling than most.
Another reason people could oppose the film is because it seemingly is just like any other run of the mill killer in the woods kind of film. However, that is where they would be seriously wrong. The main character in the film is deaf, which means that much of the film is completely silent. This is honestly incredibly original, which is fascinating considering how many horror films there are. The character's disability also allows the writing to avoid deus ex machines that many films have to rely on to keep the survivors in the situation, usually by having them make stupid decisions such as hiding in obvious locations. In fact, the main character is also incredibly intelligent. This is a case where somehow the film is able to make a cake and eat it as well. Remember how I mentioned only a few people are killed in the film? Well, that's because there are only five characters in the entire movie. That's right: FIVE. This is completely fresh in the stale, tried and true formula horror films use which involves using as many characters as possible. Additionally, the lack of characters helps to keep the film going at a steady pace as well as never becoming an overly long film.
I would also like to point out another fresh idea that the film brings to the table: we actually follow the killer quite often. Not only that, but he has a face and a personality, a far cry from horror icons such as Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. Not only that, but the killer in this case is the less intelligent one, another far cry in horror films. Most horror villains are the smartest characters in their films, such as Freddy Krueger and Hannibal Lecter. Even though the likes of Jason and Michael Myers may not seem smart, they are quite cunning in their own rights as well as creative when it comes to using makeshift on the spot weapons. John Gallagher's killer here, simply credited as The Man, is not one of these characters. In fact, he at times has more in common with the Three Stooges, constantly injuring himself.
Finally, one of the sharpest and most common criticisms to befall slasher films is that they commonly are unrealistic and that most of the situations in those films would never happen in real life. Hush, on the other hand, feels all to real at times. The main antagonist is unmistakably human as he can be beaten and is hurt often. Unlike other "human" horror villains, The Man is built like an average sized person with no seemingly superhuman qualities that many slasher villains seemingly possess (I'm looking at you Leatherface). Not to mention, we never actually get some lame motivation for why he kills. All we know is that he just does kill. The film additionally double as a home invasion film, which is one of the more realistic and possible genres in horror films. Most importantly, the main character is not invincible. In fact, she is fighting consciousness following an injury she receives from the killer throughout a decent chunk of the film. Much of the film has both the antagonist and protagonist exchanging small blow to each other. By the end, both are seriously banged up and have one foot in death' door. For most of the film, I actually believed that she could perish at the end, something almost unheard of in horror films.
Overall, Hush is definitely an inventive, original film in a genre that has seemingly played out ever single scenario possible. It also helps that the film is much better edited, acted, directed, and written than most films in the genre. If you aren't a fan of slasher films or the current state of horror films, I definitely recommend checking out this underrated flick.
Going off of our prompt of arguing someone of the opposing opinion, I feel like this is the perfect movie to do that with. Most modern slasher films are very poorly regarded and deservedly so. Some of the most recent in the genre include the Hatchet trilogy, The Gallows, and a whole slew of remakes based on the original slasher flicks. It really is no question as to why the genre has gained such a poor reputation over the years. This film, however, is one of the best made slasher films since the original Scream. Unlike most modern horror films in general, Hush is well written, well directed, and well acted. Most films of its nature over bloat the runtime with obnoxious characters that are there simply to be cannon fodder for the killer. In this film, only a few people are murdered, and none of them are annoying. In fact, some of the people that are killed in the film only appear to be killed. However, like I previously stated, only a few people are actually killed in the film, which to me makes it more suspenseful than most slashers. It is common for films in the genre to have the killer slaughter dozens of people usually in creative ways which completely undermines the overall intensity of the situation. So, not only is the film just a better movie than most slasher films, but it is also more thrilling than most.
Another reason people could oppose the film is because it seemingly is just like any other run of the mill killer in the woods kind of film. However, that is where they would be seriously wrong. The main character in the film is deaf, which means that much of the film is completely silent. This is honestly incredibly original, which is fascinating considering how many horror films there are. The character's disability also allows the writing to avoid deus ex machines that many films have to rely on to keep the survivors in the situation, usually by having them make stupid decisions such as hiding in obvious locations. In fact, the main character is also incredibly intelligent. This is a case where somehow the film is able to make a cake and eat it as well. Remember how I mentioned only a few people are killed in the film? Well, that's because there are only five characters in the entire movie. That's right: FIVE. This is completely fresh in the stale, tried and true formula horror films use which involves using as many characters as possible. Additionally, the lack of characters helps to keep the film going at a steady pace as well as never becoming an overly long film.
I would also like to point out another fresh idea that the film brings to the table: we actually follow the killer quite often. Not only that, but he has a face and a personality, a far cry from horror icons such as Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. Not only that, but the killer in this case is the less intelligent one, another far cry in horror films. Most horror villains are the smartest characters in their films, such as Freddy Krueger and Hannibal Lecter. Even though the likes of Jason and Michael Myers may not seem smart, they are quite cunning in their own rights as well as creative when it comes to using makeshift on the spot weapons. John Gallagher's killer here, simply credited as The Man, is not one of these characters. In fact, he at times has more in common with the Three Stooges, constantly injuring himself.
Finally, one of the sharpest and most common criticisms to befall slasher films is that they commonly are unrealistic and that most of the situations in those films would never happen in real life. Hush, on the other hand, feels all to real at times. The main antagonist is unmistakably human as he can be beaten and is hurt often. Unlike other "human" horror villains, The Man is built like an average sized person with no seemingly superhuman qualities that many slasher villains seemingly possess (I'm looking at you Leatherface). Not to mention, we never actually get some lame motivation for why he kills. All we know is that he just does kill. The film additionally double as a home invasion film, which is one of the more realistic and possible genres in horror films. Most importantly, the main character is not invincible. In fact, she is fighting consciousness following an injury she receives from the killer throughout a decent chunk of the film. Much of the film has both the antagonist and protagonist exchanging small blow to each other. By the end, both are seriously banged up and have one foot in death' door. For most of the film, I actually believed that she could perish at the end, something almost unheard of in horror films.
Overall, Hush is definitely an inventive, original film in a genre that has seemingly played out ever single scenario possible. It also helps that the film is much better edited, acted, directed, and written than most films in the genre. If you aren't a fan of slasher films or the current state of horror films, I definitely recommend checking out this underrated flick.
October 6, 2017
Neo Yokio (god help me)
Hoo boy. Where to begin?
Well, first off, I would like to say I am not an active watcher of anime. In fact, one could say that I hate anime, and that most anime I have seen has been garbage. Now, that's not to say that I think all anime is garbage, such as Studio Ghibli, Ghost in the Shell, Neon Genesis Evangelion (I LOVE Evangelion), and Cowboy Bebop for example, and I don't have anything personal against "superfans" of anime (also called otakus). It's just most anime I've seen has been either very dark, graphically violent and so edgy Trent Reznor would blush, overtly perverted, borderline porn with an unlikable male protagonist that constantly switches between wanting to be and being ashamed of being a pervert, or cutesy kid show-esque stuff that doesn't offend me but I don't like either. That may be generalization, but that's just all the anime I've seen (I've not seen Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, so I have no formal opinion on that). However, when even the biggest of otakus have to laugh and mock an incredibly terrible anime, that's when you've got my attention.
Enter Neo Yokio.
My mind was in a sort spiral as I was watching, so I'll try and summarize the plot to the best of my memory. Neo Yokio is about (indiscriminately googles synopsis) Kaz Kaan, a wealthy, sophisticated "magistocrat" (who is played by Jaden Smith. Good for him, I guess) and resident of Neo Yokio (an industrial/futuristic rendition of New York. Yeah, this is what we're dealing with here) who wants to distance himself from his demon-slaying past and focus on his average life with friends, at the expense of his aunt Agatha (played by Susan Sarandon). The first episode (and only one I watched) is basically a day in his life, where he mourns the death of his relatonship with some girl, gets into a fight with an preppy douchebag, and he has to prep himself for the big field hockey game with his best friends that night. Oh, and he also has to exorcise a demon that possessed a girl through the clothes she was wearing.
No, really.
Now, aside from the show essentially being made out of mostly Cliff Notes, this show is....truely an experience. Not a good one, but I honestly can't say it's bad. I can't even say it's middle of the road. I can ALMOST say it's The Room of anime. Almost, because while The Room was so over-the-top in its incompetence, the show's outrageousness is balanced out by absolutely painful cliches (kid has to leave behind his mystical past to live a normal life, and older relative keeps pushing him back into that life, he gets into a fight with his rival, who is better than him and an asshole). But not only that, the voice acting is another thing to point out. Now, mostly everyone gives an "eh" performance. They're okay, but nothing to write home about (though the writing takes some of that "eh" out, but we'll get to that later). But Jaden Smith. God, Jaden Smith is just absolutely terrible. 3/4th of the time you can't really even tell what emotion he is supposed to be conveying in his voice. Kaz will be ecstatic and smiling from ear to ear, but Jaden will just be speaking in his "signature" monotone voice, and it's just so baffling to witness that it's hilarious. For the writing, when it's not boring and unoriginal, it's...baffling, to say the least. I can't even describe most of the stuff because it makes no sense outside of context (and barely sense WITHIN context), but I will just say that Kaz finds a way to defeat a demon after having a conversation with an old man at his wife's grave about perfume. I'm dead serious. As for the animation, it's like an alien creature's idea of anime, seeming to have a few of the basics about anime down, but being almost oblivious to the rest of the principles. The animation is like a mix between early Pokemon, that mid-2000's cartoon Kappa Mikey (anyone remember that?), and someone's DeviantArt. In layman's terms, it looks like shit. Bad lipsync, boring, unoriginal, and not even stylized characters and scenery (except the underwater Neo Yokio, that was actually kind of cool looking), and laughable character movement.
So, to summarize, Neo Yokio is a thing. That's all I can say. It's a thing. I honestly can't say anything much about it because it's just that much of a puzzle. Some parts of the show seem like they're taking potshots at "popular" (lotta air quotes today) animes, and even some people will say that this is a parody of modern anime. But there's just so much other stuff in this show that makes it seem like it's serious and not just a satire. So, while it was certainly a "so-bad-it's-enjoyable" kind of deal, it's certainly not strong enough of a "so-bad-it's-enjoyable" kind of deal to make me come back for more episodes to laugh at it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take a cold shower.
Well, first off, I would like to say I am not an active watcher of anime. In fact, one could say that I hate anime, and that most anime I have seen has been garbage. Now, that's not to say that I think all anime is garbage, such as Studio Ghibli, Ghost in the Shell, Neon Genesis Evangelion (I LOVE Evangelion), and Cowboy Bebop for example, and I don't have anything personal against "superfans" of anime (also called otakus). It's just most anime I've seen has been either very dark, graphically violent and so edgy Trent Reznor would blush, overtly perverted, borderline porn with an unlikable male protagonist that constantly switches between wanting to be and being ashamed of being a pervert, or cutesy kid show-esque stuff that doesn't offend me but I don't like either. That may be generalization, but that's just all the anime I've seen (I've not seen Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, so I have no formal opinion on that). However, when even the biggest of otakus have to laugh and mock an incredibly terrible anime, that's when you've got my attention.
Enter Neo Yokio.
My mind was in a sort spiral as I was watching, so I'll try and summarize the plot to the best of my memory. Neo Yokio is about (indiscriminately googles synopsis) Kaz Kaan, a wealthy, sophisticated "magistocrat" (who is played by Jaden Smith. Good for him, I guess) and resident of Neo Yokio (an industrial/futuristic rendition of New York. Yeah, this is what we're dealing with here) who wants to distance himself from his demon-slaying past and focus on his average life with friends, at the expense of his aunt Agatha (played by Susan Sarandon). The first episode (and only one I watched) is basically a day in his life, where he mourns the death of his relatonship with some girl, gets into a fight with an preppy douchebag, and he has to prep himself for the big field hockey game with his best friends that night. Oh, and he also has to exorcise a demon that possessed a girl through the clothes she was wearing.
No, really.
Now, aside from the show essentially being made out of mostly Cliff Notes, this show is....truely an experience. Not a good one, but I honestly can't say it's bad. I can't even say it's middle of the road. I can ALMOST say it's The Room of anime. Almost, because while The Room was so over-the-top in its incompetence, the show's outrageousness is balanced out by absolutely painful cliches (kid has to leave behind his mystical past to live a normal life, and older relative keeps pushing him back into that life, he gets into a fight with his rival, who is better than him and an asshole). But not only that, the voice acting is another thing to point out. Now, mostly everyone gives an "eh" performance. They're okay, but nothing to write home about (though the writing takes some of that "eh" out, but we'll get to that later). But Jaden Smith. God, Jaden Smith is just absolutely terrible. 3/4th of the time you can't really even tell what emotion he is supposed to be conveying in his voice. Kaz will be ecstatic and smiling from ear to ear, but Jaden will just be speaking in his "signature" monotone voice, and it's just so baffling to witness that it's hilarious. For the writing, when it's not boring and unoriginal, it's...baffling, to say the least. I can't even describe most of the stuff because it makes no sense outside of context (and barely sense WITHIN context), but I will just say that Kaz finds a way to defeat a demon after having a conversation with an old man at his wife's grave about perfume. I'm dead serious. As for the animation, it's like an alien creature's idea of anime, seeming to have a few of the basics about anime down, but being almost oblivious to the rest of the principles. The animation is like a mix between early Pokemon, that mid-2000's cartoon Kappa Mikey (anyone remember that?), and someone's DeviantArt. In layman's terms, it looks like shit. Bad lipsync, boring, unoriginal, and not even stylized characters and scenery (except the underwater Neo Yokio, that was actually kind of cool looking), and laughable character movement.
So, to summarize, Neo Yokio is a thing. That's all I can say. It's a thing. I honestly can't say anything much about it because it's just that much of a puzzle. Some parts of the show seem like they're taking potshots at "popular" (lotta air quotes today) animes, and even some people will say that this is a parody of modern anime. But there's just so much other stuff in this show that makes it seem like it's serious and not just a satire. So, while it was certainly a "so-bad-it's-enjoyable" kind of deal, it's certainly not strong enough of a "so-bad-it's-enjoyable" kind of deal to make me come back for more episodes to laugh at it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take a cold shower.
Burning Sands
Molly McGrady
I decided to check out a Netflix original movie for this
weeks blog post because somehow I actually had a little extra time! I asked a
girl that I work with if she had a favorite or any suggestions and she told me
to watch Burning Sands, so I went for
it. She told me it was about fraternity hazing, so it seemed pretty interesting
to me and it’s a very prevalent issue in American society today. The biggest
takeaway from this movie is that a college freshman going through a fraternity
rush died in the process, and it was a very sad and messed up film to watch.
This movie is pretty much what you would think of when
you hear a movie is about fraternity hazing. It follows a group of five college
freshmen rushing Lambda Lambda Phi, an African American fraternity with a
strong history. All five of them have a father, brother, or grandfather who
were members of the fraternity in college and have been instilled the task of keeping
up the family tradition. They go through countless humiliating and painful
circumstances over their pledge season in order to become a part of this
fraternity. The main character, Zurich, even fractures a couple of ribs and
loses his girlfriend in the process and continues to go through this to get to
be a part of the brotherhood. At one point he even goes to the dean of the
university, also a former fraternity brother, to seek refuge and get advice on
how to quit or change the process of all of it and make it safer for the
pledges. What he gets in return is shocking and terrifying, not what you would
at all expect; the Dean yells at him to get up and recite the fraternity’s
motto and then tells him he needs to suck it up and get through it for
brotherhood. In the end however, on the last night of the boy’s hell week, one
of them is beaten to the point of death. The older fraternity members simply
leave him with the other pledges and run away to try and not let anything that
happened be traced to them. The boys try to get him to the hospital in time,
but they are too late.
I don’t think that anyone would argue that what happened
in this movie is extremely tragic and things like this should never occur. I’d
like to talk about it in a little different light, however. I think a lot of
people see things like this and wonder why on earth anyone in their right mind
would go through this type of treatment, but in a lot of ways, I do understand
it. The fact that these boys were able to go through all the physical and
emotional torment they endured shows one of the most basic human instincts in
action: the will to survive. When it comes down to it, everyone just wants the
chance to prove themselves to others and more importantly for their own pride.
Being in a fraternity that hazes is a priveledge, and being able to say that
you were able to make it seems pretty glorious to anyone in my opinion. Another
reason this occurance makes sense is that people have another trait in common
all over the world that unites us: we all want to be a part of something bigger
than ourselves. Let’s face it, life is just a weird thing in general and things
like fraternities are the biggest example of a social construct known to
mankind, but it gives people purpose and a sense of belonging. That’s something
that no one could argue of not wanting for themselves. Basically what I’m
getting at is that I totally get the intent and will of these boys in the
movie, and I’ll go as far to say I think the whole thing is pretty noble. I
think what the problem is here is simply that people have taken all of it too
far. As time goes on and traditions deepen their roots, people tend to get more
and more intense with what may have started as something small. This to me is
what is the root of the problems we have with hazing in greek organizations.
Not something bad, actually just the opposite, the problem is people being so
dedicated and loyal that other things like human empathy and compassion get
pushed aside. It really just boils down to basic human psychology at the end of
the day and could happen to any of us. It needs to change and things like
deaths due to hazing most definitely need to end, but that energy that it comes
from is not the problem, it just needs to be channeled in something better that
doesn’t hurt people.
October 4, 2017
Disjointed
I recently watched the first few episodes of a new
Netflix original called Disjointed.
Disjointed is about
Ruth Whitefeather Feldman the owner of Ruth’s Alternative Caring (a legal pot
dispensary). She is a longtime activist for legalization and is pretty much
always stoned. This show is based around the lives of Ruth and the employees at
her shop, including an on-site grower, a few “budtenders,” plus her son
Travis.
I had heard this show
being talked about as a few different things so I decided to watch it myself. I
am someone who is all for legalization of marijuana and I am fully aware you
are strongly against it. During this day in age whether or not pot should be
legalized is a big discussion and I think that Disjointed opens up a door for people who are against it or don’t
know how they feel to see some inside facts, with that being said this show is
not entirely accurate.
First I’ll tell you why
I think it is something you should watch. This show is based around the lives
of people who work in a dispensary, which gives you some insight into how weed
is grown, distributed and smoked. Along with that you get to see what is
involved in their life and see that ordinary people from all kinds of different
backgrounds and cultures can smoke marijuana. Another part that is focused on
in this show is the medical side to smoking and the different things that
marijuana can help with showing you insight on how medical marijuana can be
helpful. All of these are great aspects of the show and it shows you this information
while keeping it funny and entertaining.
Overall this show has its
ups and downs but I think for someone like you who opposes weed it would be a good
opportunity for you to get to know a little more about it and maybe open your mind
up to the idea a little more. I hope that you’ll give it a try and learn a little
bit more about it.
Endurance: Nick Toti
Don't we all wish to have endurance in life? Whether it be academically, physically, or mentally; we all wish to have some form of endurance or else we will continuously be tired. Going into the guest speaking event I did not know what to expect. A guy simply telling us how hard the process was, a guy telling us how important school is, or a guy speaking to us on how cool the film industry was. What I experienced was non of those things. Nick Toti, the guest speaker endured a lot, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams, he had a very bad divorce, but none of these things stopped him. Nick Toti is the definition of endurance and he reminded me a very motivation-like movie on Netflix titled "Beast of No Nation."
Beasts of No Nation is about a young boy named Agu who had his father killed and was separated from his mother and two youngest siblings. The reason why I correlate Nick Toti and this movie with each other is because Agu went from having his family killed so becoming a soldier of one of the top rebellions of the country. I'm not saying that that was a good thing but Agu did what he needed to do to survive and make it someway. That, in a way, reminded me of Nick Toti because he took to the risk to leave Kirksville or his hometown and move to the dream-filled city of Los Angeles, and he is striving because of it. How? It is evident because he has the prestigious credentials that are impressive enough to be a guest speaker at the number 1 Public liberal arts university in Missouri.
Agu and Nick Toti are the same person to me, kinda weird I know, but I tend to associate role models with movie characters. I always thought about going into film and becoming some sort of actor. That is why I always thought it would be risky to get any form of tattoos because it could somehow deter me from a future dream. As I continued to watch Beasts of No Nation, it started to remind me of myself. I do not come from a pretty place and neither did my parents. Both my parents are from Haiti and decided to come to Florida/USA for a better life for their children. At the time in Haiti there was huge political corruption. So corrupt that the president and his officials restricted thousands of individuals and families from fleeing their tyranny.
Agu's family is very similar to mine. His family initially left their village to flee from political corruption that caused the deaths of thousands but initially died in the process. My family made it out and now their children are children in college aspiring to be contributing members of society. I maybe going off-topic but this is what I found interesting about Nick Toti, the Netflix movie, and how they both have an effect in my life. Everyone in this story endured and are now doing great things with their lives.
Beasts of No Nation is about a young boy named Agu who had his father killed and was separated from his mother and two youngest siblings. The reason why I correlate Nick Toti and this movie with each other is because Agu went from having his family killed so becoming a soldier of one of the top rebellions of the country. I'm not saying that that was a good thing but Agu did what he needed to do to survive and make it someway. That, in a way, reminded me of Nick Toti because he took to the risk to leave Kirksville or his hometown and move to the dream-filled city of Los Angeles, and he is striving because of it. How? It is evident because he has the prestigious credentials that are impressive enough to be a guest speaker at the number 1 Public liberal arts university in Missouri.
Agu and Nick Toti are the same person to me, kinda weird I know, but I tend to associate role models with movie characters. I always thought about going into film and becoming some sort of actor. That is why I always thought it would be risky to get any form of tattoos because it could somehow deter me from a future dream. As I continued to watch Beasts of No Nation, it started to remind me of myself. I do not come from a pretty place and neither did my parents. Both my parents are from Haiti and decided to come to Florida/USA for a better life for their children. At the time in Haiti there was huge political corruption. So corrupt that the president and his officials restricted thousands of individuals and families from fleeing their tyranny.
Agu's family is very similar to mine. His family initially left their village to flee from political corruption that caused the deaths of thousands but initially died in the process. My family made it out and now their children are children in college aspiring to be contributing members of society. I maybe going off-topic but this is what I found interesting about Nick Toti, the Netflix movie, and how they both have an effect in my life. Everyone in this story endured and are now doing great things with their lives.
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