I
have been spending quite a bit of time watching films lately and
looking back at the old days — I mean the 1960's and onwards.
When I watch films from a few decades ago, I see a completely
different world. I feel like an alien from another planet
visiting this place. The cars, clothes, the ways people dealt
with each other, and the hairdos were all so very different to
me and the days I live in now.
I
made an analysis (probably out of guilt of having watched so
much TV!) of some films from that time until now. In the 1960's,
people still had a strong concept of family, marriage, and
values. As time moved on, the family started to break down more
and people started to rebel (or so it seemed) against society,
but in the course of their rebellion they did not replace what
they saw as bad with something positive and beneficial for all.
It was a reaction – not an action. Things still continued to
spiral downhill, and as the family disintegrated, people became
more isolated and lost. Then the rush to fill in the void
increased as people started using more drugs and such things.
I
mean, look at some comparisons to see how much the world has
changed in such a short time. Do you remember the old Shirley
Temple movies, where the nasty guy in the film would be the one
who would not let the orphan girl go to the people she loved?
Then there's James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause,
here we see the lack of communication and understanding between
teenagers and parents and teenagers and society. We see people
lost but not knowing where to turn or how to fix things.
After
this a surge of films about kids from the ghetto, gangs, mafia,
and manipulation, strike back. More and more violence creeps in
and women are shown less respect; motherhood is looked down upon
and "successful" women are shown in films as having
successful careers and making lots of money. Children become the
collateral damage of an emerging technologically advanced
society.
Subsequently,
the kids strike back and we see gang wars, a matrix world, and
an information explosion. Plus, the imminent threat of nuclear
war and mass destruction is always hovering in the backdrop of
life, ready to cloud every joyful moment.
In
reaction to that, we see more depression, indiscriminate
violence, and young people lashing out at family, school mates,
teachers, the society — everyone — even themselves.
The
Shirley Temple world of innocence, conscience, and decency has
long gone. But has it really been that long? I mean fifty years
is not a long time in the history of the world, yet so many
marked changes have occurred.
The
other strange thing I noticed is that on a large scale, people
have accepted these changes and just keep a go-with-the-flow
mentality, so they find themselves carried along on a current of
change that cannot be turned back.
Now
we often see in films people crying out for help and doing
desperate things to bring attention to their lonely plight.
Feelings of desperation, simmering violence, erupting madness,
and absolute despair color many of the films that reflect our
age.
All
of this led me to think about why my parents or my grandparents
didn't make some kind of a stand against what was going on. Is
it that every generation lives on apathy, blames the previous
generation, and leaves the solution-finding work to the next
generation? Are we all guilty of blaming everyone else but
ourselves for the state of the world? Are we right to feel
helpless? Is the answer to just give up, shoot up, carve up, and
shut up? I don't think so!
If
you put frogs in water at a comfortable temperature, then let
the temperature rise slowly, they will not jump out. In fact,
they will continue to stay in the slowly heating water until
they die. I wonder, who do the frogs blame for their miserable,
avoidable death?
Have
we become like frogs in slowly heating water? The moral state of
society is on a steady decline but how many of us are reacting
in a way that solves the problems? How hot is the water where
you are? Are you going to jump or die? Are you going to be the
one who steps up and says "enough is enough; I'm not having
this anymore! I'm not going to follow the rest of you guys to
self destruction"?
"Be
the change you want the world to be." (Link to Me, the
Other)
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