More musings about Cambodia, the Killing Fields, trendy and non-trendy causes [updated]

[koalathebear]

I was writing about the movie The Killing Fields yesterday and suddenly it occurred to me that every time I mention that movie, almost no one knows about it and I have to explain it. It's not a movie about a war/disaster that everyone's seen like Platoon, Life is beautiful, Schinder's List, Black Hawk Down, Saving Private Ryan, Gone With The Wind

Comments

[ambergold]

I've seen it, I've seen it! *waves hand* And I know exactly what you mean about Cambodia-it was actually a teen book and not the movie itself as I watched it too young that really taught me/brought home to me all that had happened in Cambodia, an absolutely WONDERful and eloquent book called Children of the River. I've never forgotten it. And of course I remember it and could identify a fair amount with the characters in the movie, at least insofar as having grown up in a country fairly similar to Cambodia. As for your other thoughts, when it comes down to it every single country in the world acts based solely up on its own national self interest. If that self-interest takes the form of rescue or help to other nations or peoples, or if it will give the country/government a better name, all well and good. But in general, for countries to step in and help other countries, or stop such terrible crimes happening, they have to have a compelling personal reason first. As in the U.S with the war in Iraq(although I should say that I do support the war) I've always been rather torn about the function of the U.S in world politics-in general I do not at all subscribe to the theory that the U.S should be the world's keeper and step in wherever needed-but at the same time there are times when help, whether it's from the U.S or any of the other superpowers who do nothing while sanctimoniously laying down unenforced UN sanctions while people are dying, is needed so desperately, when dictators like Hussein, and in the past like the Khmer Rouge, oppress and murder an entire people. So, yes...I also have a very liberalist(left-wing) professor in my government class, and actually I have to swallow down comments as he makes statements that are really the exact opposite of the truth. One thing I have learned very fully recently is that our worldview dominates us completely-it influences every word that comes out of our mouths, all of our perceptions of the various political parties, and most particularly our interpretation of world events and actions taken by political figures. I have to take EVERYTHING that he says about the modern world with a grain of salt, because so often on checking the facts later I find that unconsciously, speaking what he believes to be the truth, he completely twisted and misrepresented it by mere omission, word choice, and presentation-he tells the general truth, but the impression he gives, that which he implies, if completely off-kilter. So, yes-so much in the world is all about politics...

[koalathebear]

It's a difficult issue. Ordinarily I stay right away from politics and religion at my journal because first of all I'm not politically active and secondly I'm an atheist and I would hate to offend or cause any problems. Nonetheless, I have to admit when watching The Killing Fields again, I started thinking about things all over again.

I suspect it's a blessing I'm not polital. I have enough blathering chatter here. If I was political, I'd probably break my journal.