Back in college one of my dorm-mates was a young woman from South Africa. This was in 1980 when apartheid policies were still in force. She told us of how there were two classes of entertainment there. Cinemas in black neighborhoods showed ONLY the basest, most violent, soul-killing fare imaginable - on the level of snuff movies, I guess, not just bad mainstream movies - while white neighborhoods had a mix of mainstream fare, including romantic comedies, dramas, etc. She felt that this was a form of political control, to keep blacks down so they couldn't dream or have images of or imagine a better life. I think that particularly with this administration there's been a ratcheting up of violent, crass, unfeeling fare for the masses - all the more to desensitize us so that we can fight wars, plunder the Alaskan tundra, exploit immigrant workers, ruin the environment, abuse animals, etc. and not feel a thing. Or even be able to justify it - means justifying ends, "righteous" humans having dominion over everything else.
And so I agree with you we have to be resistance fighters in this, via words, acts of kindness, empathy, beauty, light.
Imagine a world without dreams.
Now imagine that world without tasty pears, luscious raspberries, and juicy strawberries...
Belle's comment on the 12534
Hello, how about cinema? Must I really have to drive to Great Barrington, District 8 Albany, or Rhinebeck to see a film called Blithe Spirit? Or whatever the name it was of the film involving Keats? I mean, why can't I (visionary that I am) have a calorie/cholesterol/politically correct snack right in my own home town & go to see an indie even if my Daddy might not like it? Just sayin.
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