Lack of Common Sense
Ok, so this isn't one of my usual bawwwwww posts, or even anything inane about the thrilling life and times of me. This will attempt to be something related to a 'real' blog entry, that is, inane, uninformed writing. Brace yourselves:
The National Federation of the Blind began planning the protests after seven staffers attended a screening of "Blindness" and "Everybody was offended." Maybe it was a visual? The blind community is (surprise) upset about the new movie.
"The movie portrays blind people as monsters, and I believe it to be a lie," said Maurer, president of the Baltimore-based National Federation of the Blind (Does anyone else find it funny that he only believes it, and doesn't know it? But I digress). "Blindness doesn't turn decent people into monsters." OK, first of all, I think lie is a bit strong, because that makes it sound like defamation is intentional. To say fiction is sort of a 'duh' thing, because it's Hollywood shit. I think he should have used innacurate. And it's great that he believes it to be innaccurate, but I don't think that he gets it. In the movie (from what I've seen of the previews and read about it at least), citizens of a city are struck with a disease that causes blindness. From what I've seen, everyone suddenly starts going blind, there is no explanation or hope for a cure, but the affected are all schlepped together into a small community and basically left to fend for themselves. I am pretty sure that there is more emphasis on the epidemic aspect than on the actual symptoms, other than to show how it would be scary to suddenly be blind and to have everyone around you also blind. Plus, on a purely realistic level, think about it: if you and everyone in your town suddenly was struck blind, are you trying to tell me that chaos and panic wouldn't be ensue? Especially if no one could or would tell you why or if there was hope for a cure, but instead just boxed you into a tidy little quarantine? That when shoved into close quarantine quarters and circumstances, that "Blindness [won't] turn decent people into monsters" (Maurer)? It's not the blindness neccessarily that is turning them into monsters, but the hopelessness and panic accompanying it. Their main concern is that it won't help promote blind rights, it will, in fact encourage people in their persecution. The blind people in the film are allegedly portrayed as unable to care for themselves and perpetually disoriented, as well as opportunistic and basically evil. If this was a film about a blind community in normal, or even trying circumstances, I would totally agree with Maurer. But given the fact that in this film they are sighted individuals that are inexplicably blinded and then abandoned by society and medicine, I think that the objections are absolutely ridiuculous. They were shoved into some random quarantine area they'd probably never been to previously, the disorientation seems valid, and as far as unable to care for themselves, I'm sure that in the movie, people will see it more as a side effect of the debilitating results of an epidemic. As far as the opportunistic and evil aspect, hey, look outside! That's everyone you know! Get over it! If someone is knuckleheaded enough to let a movie dictate their treatment of an entire group of people, that's pretty sad. I can't even believe that this is viewed as a valid concern, and it is actually pretty insulting. Tell me about an American movie where a British person isn't a fop or a bad guy. Do we hate the British? No more than anyone else! Come on, guys. From what critical review I've read of it, it is a mediocre movie adaptation of a hokey, highly allegorical (probably craptastic) book. Fernando Meirelles "told The Associated Press at Cannes that the film draws parallels to such disasters as Hurricane Katrina, the global food shortage and the cyclone in Myanmar". What disgusting, heavy handed, propagandal bullshit.
The National Federation for the Blind and I will be boycotting this film. The blind because they underestimate the scariness of epidemics and apparently have thin skin, and I because I think it sounds stupid and hackneyed and because the book's author is a Nobel peace prize laureate. If I want "a courageous parable about the triumph of the human spirit when civilization breaks down", I will look elsewhere.
No way there are going to be enough explosions.
In other vitriolic, Mary-centric news, I really wish that EVERYONE would gain grace, perspective, and slightly thicker skin, and while they're at it, if they could PLEASE get over themselves that would be great too, I am torn about whole bailout thing (desire for a bunch of innocent bank employees not to get fucked vs wanting survival of the fittest business to prevail), I am totally stoked about my approaching nuptials, I fucking HATE socialists still, I wish people would be slightly less slutty and narcissistic, I'm worrried that I've registered for too much, I don't give a flying fuck about our enormous national debt, I adore stationery, I abhor the facebook redesign, my life is going well, my sister is the best maid of honor ever, I know that the first jab about the movie perhaps being more visual was in extremely bad taste, but I found it funny and just couldn't help myself, and still can't even though it is bothering me, and just generally things are going really excellently.
The National Federation of the Blind began planning the protests after seven staffers attended a screening of "Blindness" and "Everybody was offended." Maybe it was a visual? The blind community is (surprise) upset about the new movie.
"The movie portrays blind people as monsters, and I believe it to be a lie," said Maurer, president of the Baltimore-based National Federation of the Blind (Does anyone else find it funny that he only believes it, and doesn't know it? But I digress). "Blindness doesn't turn decent people into monsters." OK, first of all, I think lie is a bit strong, because that makes it sound like defamation is intentional. To say fiction is sort of a 'duh' thing, because it's Hollywood shit. I think he should have used innacurate. And it's great that he believes it to be innaccurate, but I don't think that he gets it. In the movie (from what I've seen of the previews and read about it at least), citizens of a city are struck with a disease that causes blindness. From what I've seen, everyone suddenly starts going blind, there is no explanation or hope for a cure, but the affected are all schlepped together into a small community and basically left to fend for themselves. I am pretty sure that there is more emphasis on the epidemic aspect than on the actual symptoms, other than to show how it would be scary to suddenly be blind and to have everyone around you also blind. Plus, on a purely realistic level, think about it: if you and everyone in your town suddenly was struck blind, are you trying to tell me that chaos and panic wouldn't be ensue? Especially if no one could or would tell you why or if there was hope for a cure, but instead just boxed you into a tidy little quarantine? That when shoved into close quarantine quarters and circumstances, that "Blindness [won't] turn decent people into monsters" (Maurer)? It's not the blindness neccessarily that is turning them into monsters, but the hopelessness and panic accompanying it. Their main concern is that it won't help promote blind rights, it will, in fact encourage people in their persecution. The blind people in the film are allegedly portrayed as unable to care for themselves and perpetually disoriented, as well as opportunistic and basically evil. If this was a film about a blind community in normal, or even trying circumstances, I would totally agree with Maurer. But given the fact that in this film they are sighted individuals that are inexplicably blinded and then abandoned by society and medicine, I think that the objections are absolutely ridiuculous. They were shoved into some random quarantine area they'd probably never been to previously, the disorientation seems valid, and as far as unable to care for themselves, I'm sure that in the movie, people will see it more as a side effect of the debilitating results of an epidemic. As far as the opportunistic and evil aspect, hey, look outside! That's everyone you know! Get over it! If someone is knuckleheaded enough to let a movie dictate their treatment of an entire group of people, that's pretty sad. I can't even believe that this is viewed as a valid concern, and it is actually pretty insulting. Tell me about an American movie where a British person isn't a fop or a bad guy. Do we hate the British? No more than anyone else! Come on, guys. From what critical review I've read of it, it is a mediocre movie adaptation of a hokey, highly allegorical (probably craptastic) book. Fernando Meirelles "told The Associated Press at Cannes that the film draws parallels to such disasters as Hurricane Katrina, the global food shortage and the cyclone in Myanmar". What disgusting, heavy handed, propagandal bullshit.
The National Federation for the Blind and I will be boycotting this film. The blind because they underestimate the scariness of epidemics and apparently have thin skin, and I because I think it sounds stupid and hackneyed and because the book's author is a Nobel peace prize laureate. If I want "a courageous parable about the triumph of the human spirit when civilization breaks down", I will look elsewhere.
No way there are going to be enough explosions.
In other vitriolic, Mary-centric news, I really wish that EVERYONE would gain grace, perspective, and slightly thicker skin, and while they're at it, if they could PLEASE get over themselves that would be great too, I am torn about whole bailout thing (desire for a bunch of innocent bank employees not to get fucked vs wanting survival of the fittest business to prevail), I am totally stoked about my approaching nuptials, I fucking HATE socialists still, I wish people would be slightly less slutty and narcissistic, I'm worrried that I've registered for too much, I don't give a flying fuck about our enormous national debt, I adore stationery, I abhor the facebook redesign, my life is going well, my sister is the best maid of honor ever, I know that the first jab about the movie perhaps being more visual was in extremely bad taste, but I found it funny and just couldn't help myself, and still can't even though it is bothering me, and just generally things are going really excellently.