Certain concepts are so ingrained in the American character that we rarely question them. Among them is the idea that we’re tops in everything. We’re “the greatest country in the world.”
But the truth is that, in many ways, we’re far from the greatest. When it comes to education, for example, we’re average at best.
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So I recently watched the horror-comedy Attack the Block, a British movie about an alien invasion of the inner-city projects. Yes, it’s as preposterous as it sounds, and while far from brilliant, it’s a fun ninety minutes.
However, I made a classic internet mistake after I saw the movie: I read other people’s comments on the film.
Two recent polls caught my attention.
The first was taken at the height of Tebow-mania, when many otherwise rational adults believed that a mediocre quarterback could actually win the Super Bowl.
The New York Times recently reported on a small rural town where longtime residents complain about “young Mexican men working construction and driving down wages, the children of laborers flooding crowded schools…and strip clubs springing up on roads that used to be dark and quiet.”
Is the town in Wisconsin, Kansas, Alabama, or even (shudder) Arizona? No, it is “a precolonial Mexican village outside Oaxaca City, filling up with fellow Mexicans.”
It seems that the urge to hate immigrants — even of the same nationality — is universal.
As we all know, there are few absolutes in life.
Yes, water freezes at thirty-two degrees, inertia affects all objects in motion, and the Chicago Cubs will find a way to lose. But most other things are open to exceptions and nuance.
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Iraq isn’t our problem anymore. Who cares. Good riddance.
—Internet commentator
USA! USA! USA!
—The same guy, nine years ago.
Future generations will never confuse it with VJ Day. This time, there were no jubilant crowds in Times Square or iconic photographs of sailors kissing nurses or a cross-continental outpouring of relief and exuberance.
Instead, there was a collective shrug as a military convoy rolled through the Iraq desert. The war that began with Shock and Awe ended with Confusion and Indifference.
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Wow, I almost let MLK Day pass without directing you to an article I recently wrote for Being Latino about the great man himself.
It’s more or less about… well, you can see for yourself by clicking here.
In the meantime, take this newest of federal holidays off. And practice peace, love, and compassion toward your fellow human beings.
Yeah, that all sounds pretty good. Should be easy to do.
I’m happy to announce that we have a pair of winners to last week’s contest. Ms. JT and Todd S. are the lucky recipients of passes to see Contraband.
The film is about a smuggler who is recruited to do the infamous “one last job” that always ends in death and/or dismemberment for lots of people.
We eagerly await the winners’ review of the movie. Thanks to everybody who commented.
We now resume our regularly scheduled 2012.
So we’re plummeting headlong into 2012, the supposed year when all of us will meet a fiery end because my Mayan ancestors made a creepy prediction centuries ago (actually, they did no such thing, but that’s another story).
If we’re all going to succumb this year, we might as well have fun. So I’m happy to announce another contest for movie tickets.
The movie in question is Contraband, a new thriller staring Mark Wahlberg.
What’s it about? Well, apparently Wahlberg is a former smuggler who is forced to get back into the business to save his family. He runs contraband and journeys to Panama to settle his brother’s debt before his son and wife are targeted by both the cops and hit men.
And I’m assuming there’s a car chase in there somewhere.
In any case, I will be giving out tickets to readers in one or more of the following cities:
Chicago
Dallas
Houston
Los Angeles
Miami
New York City
Phoenix
San Antonio
San Diego
All you have to do is comment on one of my posts (including this one) and you’ll be entered for the chance to win free passes to the film. Once again, your comment can be about anything, and if you’re stumped, just tell us your favorite Mark Wahlberg movie (personally, I’m going with The Departed).
The only thing you have to include in your comment is the city in which you intend to see the movie, so I can plan accordingly.
If you win, I’ll email the passes to you. By the way, I’m the sole person who will see your email addresses (unless you specifically want to share it in the body of your comment), so don’t worry about that.
I’ll announce the contest winners in the next week or so.
Until then, take Mark Wahlberg’s advice, and try to refrain from smuggling anything.
Happy New Year.
If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death.
The Bible — Numbers 35:30
The dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil.
Pope John Paul II
Each of us has, to some degree, an unhealthy capacity for revenge. And that trait flows from us as individuals into society at large. This unflattering characteristic is one of the driving forces behind capital punishment.
As opposed to many political or cultural debates, there is no middle ground in this. You either want to string killers up or you don’t.
