In the movie Gattaca humanity has now come one step closer to living in a utopian society. With the advancement of genetics every child whose parents can afford the procedure can become vastly intelligent, healthy, and superiorly perfect in every way. Those who don’t have superior genes are considered to be the others in their eyes. Without having a child going through the eugenics process not only will they be considered inferior to everyone else in society, but also eliminates their opportunities of living a regular life in this utopia. In Gattaca’s world there is no racism or prejudice that we normally face in today’s society, just prejudice about genetic material one person is made up of. In the movie the main character Vincent Freeman was born naturally without liberal eugenics altering his genes making him like every ‘normal’ kid. Both his parents are ashamed of having Vincent around considering he is their failed off spring with only thirty years to live. To cope living with this other Vincent parents decided to conceive another child with the genetic advancements.
Vincent always had dreams about flying in space but is constantly reminded by his parents, older brother, and society in general about his lack of DNA make up his dream will never be accomplish. Though this society is advance it’s still dystopian future since scientist and parents are trying to fix their children into becoming a vastly superior GQ/Vouge adults. If done opposite these children will be considered to be as the other according to George J. Annas. I can relate this movie with the Willowbrook State School in Staten Island. Without genetic engineering parents were put into the same place where Vincent parents where in, how do we deal with our inferior child? Whenever a child is born mentally handicap the hospital offers these others into a special place called Willowbrook State School in order to be separated from regular society. Yet because of how different these children where Willowbrook did whatever they wanted with these children from dissecting to torturing them. These children with mental disabilities were being mistreated because of their defaults. Since they are not like regular society we can do whatever we want to them since they are the other and that is not fair.
Every parent wants their child to be special and will do anything to make them get that lime light. Especially today with parents having option of changing the sex of their child pre-birth and determined their features. There is a common good that science can aid humanity with modern medicine and technology being examples. Yet there is a line we should not cross and that is playing God, for we have no right to change or alter their genetics. If everyone is perfect the way we wished for them to be we’ll still make mistakes like Eugene who is considered to be humanities best to offer. He’s won so many gold medals from swimming competition yet won second place in one, only to have him scar for life over one defeat. Vincent like most parents of today will do anything to accomplished their goals and make it possible. Vincent wishes to go to space and be an astronaut, knowing that his genes are inferior he goes to a black market salesman who aids him with someone who is willing to harvest themselves to Vincent. Eugene being depressed about winning second place is willing to give up his identity to Vincent to accomplish his dream.
We should accept our faults and understand that no matter how much we try to reinvent ourselves we are still not perfect. Even with the advancements of genetics and Eugene’s level of superiority does not guarantee us to solve all of our character flaws.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Blog 14:
Steven Figueroa
ENG 101
Dr. Luke Vasileiou
11/13/10
Wall Street: The Mentality of The 1980’s
After the success of Platoon director Oliver Stone wanted to write and direct a movie that was inspired by his father’s occupation. According to Oliver Stone in a CNN interview Oliver Stone not only wanted to dedicate his new film Wall Street to his father but also inform people about the business world. Oliver Stone along with his co-writer Stanley Weiser did their best to research and interview people who worked on Wall Street as tycoons, stock brokers, and business executives to base the movie characters on. People like Ace Greenberg and Ken Lipper helped supervise the script in order to be accurate of what Oliver and Stanley were trying to depict. The film’s characters like Gordon Gekko were inspired by Ivan Boesky and Asher Edelman respectively to display the mentality of a greedy tycoon of the corporate world.
Oliver Stone did his best to portray the political, economical, and social lifestyle of a young stockbroker of the nineteen eighties in a realistic light. To inform his audience of the corporate world and how it can destroy lives and alienates ordinary hard working people from what really matters in life. Not only greed from big business but also the ideals of the American dream and how far people would go to obtain it during the materialistic pro capitalism society known as the Reagan era. Oliver also used references Ivan Boesky and Dennis Levine scandal of insider trade into the storyline of Wall Street to make the movie a parallel to bring out its meaning to the viewing public. Wall Street realistically depicts on the social, economical, and political of New York City during the films setting of nineteen eighty five.
During the mid eighties which the movie was set in the salary for the average stockbroker was eighty thousand dollars (according to the Dallasnews). Housing for a stockbroker who is fresh off of college in New York would be around six to eighty four thousand dollars living on the west side (socialexploer.com). Real estate prices of selling properties like lofts were about 74,111 and the fictional Blue Star company if were real would be around 118,373 and 29,414 on average at best during the nineteen eighties according to (Socialexplorer.com). The eighties also suffered from the inflation of the nineteen seventies that suffered the American economy.
Ronald Reagan invented an economical system called Reaganomics which only benefited the wealthy and reduce government regulations. Its main purpose was to trickle down and hope the wealthy to save their money and invest on stocks to bring the economy back up. However it made the inflation increased by 3.79 %( according to Global-rates.com) increasing the cost of essential needs. Also the financial crash or plunge of 1987 brought about a percentage of 100 points (http://www.workers.org/marcy/cd/samwall/wallst/wallst.htm). Eventually the economic revived it’s wages were lower than usual.
In the social aspect of the nineteen eighties it was the belief Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Laissez fair capitalism for big business. The belief of ethical egoism meaning only the strong and the smartest will survive. Failure to achieve the goals of your employer would get you fired since you are not economically viable on their percentages. Being a stockbroker during the nineteen eighties you have to be persuasive and willing to adapt to the environment around you in order to live the next day. Also during the nineteen eighties society especially in New York started to lose their moral values to materialistic desires. The belief of looking out for yourself and everyone else is second was the dominate idea of living in New York City during the eighties.
The purpose of money was to spend it on things that never really made anyone happy but gives them the illusion of the necessity and purpose of having more property. It can be best summarized by this saying “The "Me" generation was reaching its earnings peak and trading beads and flowers for power ties and dress-for-success outfits” ( Eric Feigenbaum, VMSD.com).
An example of capitalistic greed during the eighties in would be the Ivan Boesky scandal of being a part of an inside trade corporate conspiracy. Ivan a leading stock speculator along with Dennis Levine in New York City were manipulating trading information and brokages for their own gain on stock bonds that were outside the trade floor. Eventually both men were arrested for committing a white collar crime and getting sued by the companies they’ve caused damaged too like FMC and group investors who worked with the two. When jailed both were willing to sell information at each other in order to get shorted sentences in prison. Ivan went to prison for only one year and Levine under IRS investigation lost all his funds from the scandal and was left with nothing.
In politics during the nineteen eighties Ronald Reagan was elected in office with his promise to end the inflation that was brought over from the seventies. As mention before it was Reaganomics and its idea was to trickle down its spending to the wealthy in order to increase savings and investments. He also restricted government’s regulations on free market trade and gave tax cuts to the wealthy or the Tax Reform act. The tax reform act caused the S&L crisis of nineteen eighty six. The Save and Loan crisis due to the Tax Refomed and limited regulation Reagan allowed the government to get involved banks can choose to lend money to state or federal. This caused inflation and taking advantage of the real estate boom of the eighties.
The movie Wall Street is about a young fresh out of NYU stock broker named Bud Fox (played by Charlie Sheen) who wants to make it big and follow the American dream in New York City. Being unsatisfied with his clientele and living with piles of bills to pay. Bud tires to make an offer with his idol and inspiration Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglas). Being very persistent Gordon gives Bud a chance to make him an offer on stock bonds. Bud gives his first two and Gordon turns them down and being desperate Bud tells Gordon on his father’s stock worth of the company he works for. Gordon being interested takes him up on the offer and purchases the stocks of Blue Star. With the success of Gordon’s investment he takes a liking to Bud Fox and would like to work for him. Unfortunately for fox his second swing didn’t turn out well for him since it cost Gordon a sum lost of money.
Gordon seeing potential with him gives Bud one last chance but wants him to trade his morals with greed. Gordon tells Bud that He knew his father told him about the increase of stocks of Blue Star and that information was his business. He wants Bud to be an inside trade information broker and follow his rival Sir Lawrence Wildman in order to outwit him on his next bid of stock shares. Bud knows this is illegal but was persuade by Gordon philosophy and his materialistic desires so he agreed. Bud became successful in obtaining the information of the next shares Sir Lawrence was planning to buy. Successful by this action Bud became Gordon’s protégé on Wall Street along with the perks Gordon can buy.
Eventually Bud tries to sell the company Blue Star to Gordon to keep it alive and running successfully then the state it is now. Bud tries to convince his father Carl Fox (Played by Martin Sheen) who owns the union to give his share to Gordon. Carl disagrees for he knows who Gordon is and knows he’s only interested in profit. Carl leaves since he does not want the guilt of firing his employees for a quick buck. Bud feeling embarrassed tries to reason with his father but helps Bud realized he has sold his soul to materialism. Realizing his greed has taken over his personality and it was wrong. Eventually Gordon sells his shares and the company to demolish the remains. Bud fueled by rage tries to renegotiate with Blue Star and tries to sell the company to Gordon’s nemesis Sir Lawrence. Bud eventually gets the last laugh on Gordon causing him to lose millions. But Bud’s actions will get him in trouble with the feds who ran background checks with the accounts he’s been putting Gordon’s money on. Bud gets arrested and is put on trial.
This movie realistically depicts New York City during the nineteen eighties Reagan era. Bud Fox as I mention before is a Stock broker who graduated from NYU and gains about forty thousand dollars. He lives in a studio apartment on the west side of Manhattan with his rent costing fifth teen grand a month. Mention before housing cost on average around six to eighty four thousand dollars according to (Social Exploer.com). Even when Bud moved to the east side of Manhattan he was willing to pay a loft apartment for nine hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Gordon was also in real estate and claimed to have sold a loft for $800, 000 dollar profit which exceeded the amount that I found from “$74,414” (Socialexplorer.com). The movie also talks about the market crash during nineteen eighty five in a brief scene thought doesn’t get too detailed with it.
Wall Street also realistically portrays New York on a social level of class in terms of how the wealthy views the poor. Example the scene with Bud’s landlady made a remark about the market crashing and even the rich are complaining about it. “The only things that are moving in this city are cockroaches and the Puerto Ricans in this city” (Oliver Stone, Wall Street 1987). Gordon Gekko is the epitome of the egoistic philosophy and the big business tycoon who lost his humanity in which he states in several parts throughout the film the importance of making it big in America. Gordon says to Bud when he lost Gordon’s money “Give me guys who are poor, smart, and hungry, with no feelings. When you feel, you lose a few, but you keep on fighting. And if you need a friend get a dog. It’s trench warfare out there” (Oliver Stone, Wall Street. 1987)
Another instance was when Gordon Gekko gives Blue Star an offer to sell him their company. Carl Fox sees through his lies and wants no plan a part of it since he knows Gordon will sell the company anyway. Carl says “I know what this guy is about, Greed. He doesn’t give a damn about Blue Star or the unions. He’s in it and out for the buck, and he don’t take prisoners” and Gordon replies “Sure, whats worth doing is doing for money.” (Oliver Stone, Wall Street.1987). Gordon is trying to fill his empty vase with material desires of having what the world best has to offer. Gordon like the wealthy tycoon on Wall Street justifies his actions with his infamous “Greed is good” speech during the auction of stocks. Gordon Gekko represents the darkest side of humanity constantly giving into the lowest common moral greed. Gordon has no feelings towards anything but himself and treats everything around him like possessions that can be lost or gain.
Bud Fox also represents the average guy who wants to be rich during the Reagan era. Most people like Bud who have jobs in the corporate world would have done the same thing and sold their souls down the river for promotions. Bud represents the social aspect of Dennis Levine during the inside trade scandal that this movie was based on. Since Oliver Stone dedicated this film to his father a character named Lou Mannheim who showed that not everyone at Wall Street was corrupted and showed that investing on stocks can do good for people on an economical scale like create jobs. Also there was a scene in the movie where a stock broker who worked for the company for over sixty years was fired for not getting the numbers he needed to stay. Hence, the egoism mentality that most eighty businessmen had on making a quick buck.
The movie also makes references to Reaganomics and its policy of government restrictions on the wealthy. Gordon Gekko even ask Fox when he scolds him about his greed “You’re not naïve enough to think that we are in a democracy, right buddy? ”(Oliver Stone, Wall Street.1987). Gordon references how his position of power controls everything that surrounds everyday life and the beauty of the free market trade system that Reagan allowed for his policy.
Oliver Stone did a fantastic portrayal of how society in New York City was during the Go-go Reagan era of the trickle down eighties. Ordinary people consumed by greed separated by the haves and have not’s, people willing to sell their souls to obtain money to survive the rise of income of New York City. People who once had family changed once they’ve become business tycoons and information brokers who have holes to feed. With that whole their appetite never satisfied with what they have, constantly wanting more and more. Selling the lives of employees or companies like live stock and cattle in order to make a quick buck, while Reagan taxes the middle to poor of the caste system.
Wall Street is more a reflection of how far we as a society will go to obtain a dream that never existed. The dream of living well off with more then what we expect and give in our selfish desires and not the needs of others. Especially in New York City how we constantly treat each other as wild savages from the concrete jungle wanting our scraps. Oliver was trying to inform us that “Greed, for the lack of a better term is”(Oliver Stone, Wall Street.1987) not good. Sure we can be selfish all we want and yet look how it affects our economy on a global scale. We as people of New York should abandon our instinct of greed and focus on aiding other like Oliver’s father believes Wall Street can do.
Footnotes:
Wall Street. Dir. Oliver Stone. Perf. Michael Douglas. 1987. 20th Century Fox, 2010.DVD
Feigenbaum, Eric. “The 1980s: Search for Identity” Oct. 24.2001.
http://vmsd.com/content/the-1980s-search-identity
SocialExplorer.com
“Wall Street crash:
What does it mean?. November 1987. Sam Marcy. 12 November 2010.
http://www.workers.org/marcy/cd/samwall/wallst/wallst.htm).
ENG 101
Dr. Luke Vasileiou
11/13/10
Wall Street: The Mentality of The 1980’s
After the success of Platoon director Oliver Stone wanted to write and direct a movie that was inspired by his father’s occupation. According to Oliver Stone in a CNN interview Oliver Stone not only wanted to dedicate his new film Wall Street to his father but also inform people about the business world. Oliver Stone along with his co-writer Stanley Weiser did their best to research and interview people who worked on Wall Street as tycoons, stock brokers, and business executives to base the movie characters on. People like Ace Greenberg and Ken Lipper helped supervise the script in order to be accurate of what Oliver and Stanley were trying to depict. The film’s characters like Gordon Gekko were inspired by Ivan Boesky and Asher Edelman respectively to display the mentality of a greedy tycoon of the corporate world.
Oliver Stone did his best to portray the political, economical, and social lifestyle of a young stockbroker of the nineteen eighties in a realistic light. To inform his audience of the corporate world and how it can destroy lives and alienates ordinary hard working people from what really matters in life. Not only greed from big business but also the ideals of the American dream and how far people would go to obtain it during the materialistic pro capitalism society known as the Reagan era. Oliver also used references Ivan Boesky and Dennis Levine scandal of insider trade into the storyline of Wall Street to make the movie a parallel to bring out its meaning to the viewing public. Wall Street realistically depicts on the social, economical, and political of New York City during the films setting of nineteen eighty five.
During the mid eighties which the movie was set in the salary for the average stockbroker was eighty thousand dollars (according to the Dallasnews). Housing for a stockbroker who is fresh off of college in New York would be around six to eighty four thousand dollars living on the west side (socialexploer.com). Real estate prices of selling properties like lofts were about 74,111 and the fictional Blue Star company if were real would be around 118,373 and 29,414 on average at best during the nineteen eighties according to (Socialexplorer.com). The eighties also suffered from the inflation of the nineteen seventies that suffered the American economy.
Ronald Reagan invented an economical system called Reaganomics which only benefited the wealthy and reduce government regulations. Its main purpose was to trickle down and hope the wealthy to save their money and invest on stocks to bring the economy back up. However it made the inflation increased by 3.79 %( according to Global-rates.com) increasing the cost of essential needs. Also the financial crash or plunge of 1987 brought about a percentage of 100 points (http://www.workers.org/marcy/cd/samwall/wallst/wallst.htm). Eventually the economic revived it’s wages were lower than usual.
In the social aspect of the nineteen eighties it was the belief Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Laissez fair capitalism for big business. The belief of ethical egoism meaning only the strong and the smartest will survive. Failure to achieve the goals of your employer would get you fired since you are not economically viable on their percentages. Being a stockbroker during the nineteen eighties you have to be persuasive and willing to adapt to the environment around you in order to live the next day. Also during the nineteen eighties society especially in New York started to lose their moral values to materialistic desires. The belief of looking out for yourself and everyone else is second was the dominate idea of living in New York City during the eighties.
The purpose of money was to spend it on things that never really made anyone happy but gives them the illusion of the necessity and purpose of having more property. It can be best summarized by this saying “The "Me" generation was reaching its earnings peak and trading beads and flowers for power ties and dress-for-success outfits” ( Eric Feigenbaum, VMSD.com).
An example of capitalistic greed during the eighties in would be the Ivan Boesky scandal of being a part of an inside trade corporate conspiracy. Ivan a leading stock speculator along with Dennis Levine in New York City were manipulating trading information and brokages for their own gain on stock bonds that were outside the trade floor. Eventually both men were arrested for committing a white collar crime and getting sued by the companies they’ve caused damaged too like FMC and group investors who worked with the two. When jailed both were willing to sell information at each other in order to get shorted sentences in prison. Ivan went to prison for only one year and Levine under IRS investigation lost all his funds from the scandal and was left with nothing.
In politics during the nineteen eighties Ronald Reagan was elected in office with his promise to end the inflation that was brought over from the seventies. As mention before it was Reaganomics and its idea was to trickle down its spending to the wealthy in order to increase savings and investments. He also restricted government’s regulations on free market trade and gave tax cuts to the wealthy or the Tax Reform act. The tax reform act caused the S&L crisis of nineteen eighty six. The Save and Loan crisis due to the Tax Refomed and limited regulation Reagan allowed the government to get involved banks can choose to lend money to state or federal. This caused inflation and taking advantage of the real estate boom of the eighties.
The movie Wall Street is about a young fresh out of NYU stock broker named Bud Fox (played by Charlie Sheen) who wants to make it big and follow the American dream in New York City. Being unsatisfied with his clientele and living with piles of bills to pay. Bud tires to make an offer with his idol and inspiration Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglas). Being very persistent Gordon gives Bud a chance to make him an offer on stock bonds. Bud gives his first two and Gordon turns them down and being desperate Bud tells Gordon on his father’s stock worth of the company he works for. Gordon being interested takes him up on the offer and purchases the stocks of Blue Star. With the success of Gordon’s investment he takes a liking to Bud Fox and would like to work for him. Unfortunately for fox his second swing didn’t turn out well for him since it cost Gordon a sum lost of money.
Gordon seeing potential with him gives Bud one last chance but wants him to trade his morals with greed. Gordon tells Bud that He knew his father told him about the increase of stocks of Blue Star and that information was his business. He wants Bud to be an inside trade information broker and follow his rival Sir Lawrence Wildman in order to outwit him on his next bid of stock shares. Bud knows this is illegal but was persuade by Gordon philosophy and his materialistic desires so he agreed. Bud became successful in obtaining the information of the next shares Sir Lawrence was planning to buy. Successful by this action Bud became Gordon’s protégé on Wall Street along with the perks Gordon can buy.
Eventually Bud tries to sell the company Blue Star to Gordon to keep it alive and running successfully then the state it is now. Bud tries to convince his father Carl Fox (Played by Martin Sheen) who owns the union to give his share to Gordon. Carl disagrees for he knows who Gordon is and knows he’s only interested in profit. Carl leaves since he does not want the guilt of firing his employees for a quick buck. Bud feeling embarrassed tries to reason with his father but helps Bud realized he has sold his soul to materialism. Realizing his greed has taken over his personality and it was wrong. Eventually Gordon sells his shares and the company to demolish the remains. Bud fueled by rage tries to renegotiate with Blue Star and tries to sell the company to Gordon’s nemesis Sir Lawrence. Bud eventually gets the last laugh on Gordon causing him to lose millions. But Bud’s actions will get him in trouble with the feds who ran background checks with the accounts he’s been putting Gordon’s money on. Bud gets arrested and is put on trial.
This movie realistically depicts New York City during the nineteen eighties Reagan era. Bud Fox as I mention before is a Stock broker who graduated from NYU and gains about forty thousand dollars. He lives in a studio apartment on the west side of Manhattan with his rent costing fifth teen grand a month. Mention before housing cost on average around six to eighty four thousand dollars according to (Social Exploer.com). Even when Bud moved to the east side of Manhattan he was willing to pay a loft apartment for nine hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Gordon was also in real estate and claimed to have sold a loft for $800, 000 dollar profit which exceeded the amount that I found from “$74,414” (Socialexplorer.com). The movie also talks about the market crash during nineteen eighty five in a brief scene thought doesn’t get too detailed with it.
Wall Street also realistically portrays New York on a social level of class in terms of how the wealthy views the poor. Example the scene with Bud’s landlady made a remark about the market crashing and even the rich are complaining about it. “The only things that are moving in this city are cockroaches and the Puerto Ricans in this city” (Oliver Stone, Wall Street 1987). Gordon Gekko is the epitome of the egoistic philosophy and the big business tycoon who lost his humanity in which he states in several parts throughout the film the importance of making it big in America. Gordon says to Bud when he lost Gordon’s money “Give me guys who are poor, smart, and hungry, with no feelings. When you feel, you lose a few, but you keep on fighting. And if you need a friend get a dog. It’s trench warfare out there” (Oliver Stone, Wall Street. 1987)
Another instance was when Gordon Gekko gives Blue Star an offer to sell him their company. Carl Fox sees through his lies and wants no plan a part of it since he knows Gordon will sell the company anyway. Carl says “I know what this guy is about, Greed. He doesn’t give a damn about Blue Star or the unions. He’s in it and out for the buck, and he don’t take prisoners” and Gordon replies “Sure, whats worth doing is doing for money.” (Oliver Stone, Wall Street.1987). Gordon is trying to fill his empty vase with material desires of having what the world best has to offer. Gordon like the wealthy tycoon on Wall Street justifies his actions with his infamous “Greed is good” speech during the auction of stocks. Gordon Gekko represents the darkest side of humanity constantly giving into the lowest common moral greed. Gordon has no feelings towards anything but himself and treats everything around him like possessions that can be lost or gain.
Bud Fox also represents the average guy who wants to be rich during the Reagan era. Most people like Bud who have jobs in the corporate world would have done the same thing and sold their souls down the river for promotions. Bud represents the social aspect of Dennis Levine during the inside trade scandal that this movie was based on. Since Oliver Stone dedicated this film to his father a character named Lou Mannheim who showed that not everyone at Wall Street was corrupted and showed that investing on stocks can do good for people on an economical scale like create jobs. Also there was a scene in the movie where a stock broker who worked for the company for over sixty years was fired for not getting the numbers he needed to stay. Hence, the egoism mentality that most eighty businessmen had on making a quick buck.
The movie also makes references to Reaganomics and its policy of government restrictions on the wealthy. Gordon Gekko even ask Fox when he scolds him about his greed “You’re not naïve enough to think that we are in a democracy, right buddy? ”(Oliver Stone, Wall Street.1987). Gordon references how his position of power controls everything that surrounds everyday life and the beauty of the free market trade system that Reagan allowed for his policy.
Oliver Stone did a fantastic portrayal of how society in New York City was during the Go-go Reagan era of the trickle down eighties. Ordinary people consumed by greed separated by the haves and have not’s, people willing to sell their souls to obtain money to survive the rise of income of New York City. People who once had family changed once they’ve become business tycoons and information brokers who have holes to feed. With that whole their appetite never satisfied with what they have, constantly wanting more and more. Selling the lives of employees or companies like live stock and cattle in order to make a quick buck, while Reagan taxes the middle to poor of the caste system.
Wall Street is more a reflection of how far we as a society will go to obtain a dream that never existed. The dream of living well off with more then what we expect and give in our selfish desires and not the needs of others. Especially in New York City how we constantly treat each other as wild savages from the concrete jungle wanting our scraps. Oliver was trying to inform us that “Greed, for the lack of a better term is”(Oliver Stone, Wall Street.1987) not good. Sure we can be selfish all we want and yet look how it affects our economy on a global scale. We as people of New York should abandon our instinct of greed and focus on aiding other like Oliver’s father believes Wall Street can do.
Footnotes:
Wall Street. Dir. Oliver Stone. Perf. Michael Douglas. 1987. 20th Century Fox, 2010.DVD
Feigenbaum, Eric. “The 1980s: Search for Identity” Oct. 24.2001.
http://vmsd.com/content/the-1980s-search-identity
SocialExplorer.com
“Wall Street crash:
What does it mean?. November 1987. Sam Marcy. 12 November 2010.
http://www.workers.org/marcy/cd/samwall/wallst/wallst.htm).
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Blog 13: Minority Report response
The movie Minority Report is the perfect allegory of the society we live in today. The movie depicts a society in a not to far future where murder is reaching in all time epidemic proportions and people living in this world would trade their independent freedoms for security. In this post 9/11 world we’ve done the something similar except without the word murder being on everyone’s lips its terrorism. In Minority Report the only way to deal with the epidemic rise of murder is to start the precrime program. Precrime is a division unit that has the technology and capabilities of predicting murder cases that haven’t even happen yet. The technology and the entire division though experimental gain the public’s trust by showing results of murders being committed entering an all time low. This raises many philosophical debates of free will and determined fate that these characters are playing with.
Precrime in its self is immoral and should not exist in a utilitarianistic way of fixing the murder epidemic situation. It promises to neutralize the problem but it involves changing destiny and playing with the fate these people have. In the movie precrime employs three beings with the ability of precognition murders being committed. The main character John Anderton believes the good precrime can do for humanity up until he saw himself committing a murder. John starts to question if Precrime is as accurate in its predictions as his boss Lamar said it was. Later John soon realizes that there is an alternative prediction called the ‘minority report’ in which the murder being committed by the person could have never happen. Only few people had a minority report though they were still ignored and put in prison in a vegetated state. It’s immoral in a sense that those innocent people who didn’t commit murder and have the minority report are still being prosecuted for the greater good. Idealistically it feels right but at the same time those people who are for precrime failed to realize that they might commit murder and might have an alternative future where the action never took place. Many may argue its better to be safe than sorry, yet if one does not commit the crime why should that individual be punish? This system plays with the lives of ordinary people and is too powerful toy with it, especially for those who are innocent or have a possible future like John Anderton who was set up by Lamar to begin with. Precrime predictions are a lot like the Oracle of Greek mythology in a way where you ask a prediction of the future and it only states what is going to happen. Not how, when, why, just states this situation or event will take place in your life. Like in Oedipus, Oedipus fate was to kill his father and marry his mother according to the prophecy. The Oracle never said what time, date, nor reason just stated this event will happen.
The movie also displays the sacrifice of independent freedom for security. In the movie society in which John Anderton lives is heavily anti privacy. Each subway station has an eye scanner to see if you’re a law abiding citizen or not. When entering a shopping mall it’s like going to a place where advertisers know your name. Also the police no longer need a warrant to search your apartment or daily activity, if need be they’ll scan your eyes with their drones of miniature spiders. All this security to hunt down a murder based on a prophecy from the precogs. While many would argue ‘If you have nothing to hide then why be afraid’ and accept this police state security I oppose it. What people don’t realized is that they are waving their rights away for protection of a threat. People can be persuaded by fear and intimidation to the point of willing to give up their privacy hoping for the threat to be over. The problem is that once the threat is over their privacy will still be monitored by big brother. People forget those who are monitoring our lives are just regular people that can become nosey neighbor. The individual may have nothing to hide in the closet yet his/her private life is entertainment. Without even realizing it we’ve become reality stars to big brother. By waving our rights for security big brother now has a show to watch for twenty-four hours and seven days a week. Multiple genres you can imagine and only big brother has access to those channels. It’s also hard to imagine a world where the police can interrupt your private life with random searches. For security individuals are now forced to get comfortable or use to it. In the book 1984 its main purpose was to ask its readers this question and that is how we as a society should avoid entering a totalitarian civilization?
Minority Report reflects on society willing to give up their individual rights for safety and security while playing with the concept of fate vs. free will. People need to start realizing that we live in a dangerous world and we might eventually come to an end because of that. It’s within our instinct to be violent and solve our needs and wants with that primal instinct. It’s only up to our morals and beliefs for we are complex to rationalize the situation. Only we can control the small portions of our existence but in the end the appointers will cut our thread.
Precrime in its self is immoral and should not exist in a utilitarianistic way of fixing the murder epidemic situation. It promises to neutralize the problem but it involves changing destiny and playing with the fate these people have. In the movie precrime employs three beings with the ability of precognition murders being committed. The main character John Anderton believes the good precrime can do for humanity up until he saw himself committing a murder. John starts to question if Precrime is as accurate in its predictions as his boss Lamar said it was. Later John soon realizes that there is an alternative prediction called the ‘minority report’ in which the murder being committed by the person could have never happen. Only few people had a minority report though they were still ignored and put in prison in a vegetated state. It’s immoral in a sense that those innocent people who didn’t commit murder and have the minority report are still being prosecuted for the greater good. Idealistically it feels right but at the same time those people who are for precrime failed to realize that they might commit murder and might have an alternative future where the action never took place. Many may argue its better to be safe than sorry, yet if one does not commit the crime why should that individual be punish? This system plays with the lives of ordinary people and is too powerful toy with it, especially for those who are innocent or have a possible future like John Anderton who was set up by Lamar to begin with. Precrime predictions are a lot like the Oracle of Greek mythology in a way where you ask a prediction of the future and it only states what is going to happen. Not how, when, why, just states this situation or event will take place in your life. Like in Oedipus, Oedipus fate was to kill his father and marry his mother according to the prophecy. The Oracle never said what time, date, nor reason just stated this event will happen.
The movie also displays the sacrifice of independent freedom for security. In the movie society in which John Anderton lives is heavily anti privacy. Each subway station has an eye scanner to see if you’re a law abiding citizen or not. When entering a shopping mall it’s like going to a place where advertisers know your name. Also the police no longer need a warrant to search your apartment or daily activity, if need be they’ll scan your eyes with their drones of miniature spiders. All this security to hunt down a murder based on a prophecy from the precogs. While many would argue ‘If you have nothing to hide then why be afraid’ and accept this police state security I oppose it. What people don’t realized is that they are waving their rights away for protection of a threat. People can be persuaded by fear and intimidation to the point of willing to give up their privacy hoping for the threat to be over. The problem is that once the threat is over their privacy will still be monitored by big brother. People forget those who are monitoring our lives are just regular people that can become nosey neighbor. The individual may have nothing to hide in the closet yet his/her private life is entertainment. Without even realizing it we’ve become reality stars to big brother. By waving our rights for security big brother now has a show to watch for twenty-four hours and seven days a week. Multiple genres you can imagine and only big brother has access to those channels. It’s also hard to imagine a world where the police can interrupt your private life with random searches. For security individuals are now forced to get comfortable or use to it. In the book 1984 its main purpose was to ask its readers this question and that is how we as a society should avoid entering a totalitarian civilization?
Minority Report reflects on society willing to give up their individual rights for safety and security while playing with the concept of fate vs. free will. People need to start realizing that we live in a dangerous world and we might eventually come to an end because of that. It’s within our instinct to be violent and solve our needs and wants with that primal instinct. It’s only up to our morals and beliefs for we are complex to rationalize the situation. Only we can control the small portions of our existence but in the end the appointers will cut our thread.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
MOMI: Blog
Inside of the Museum of Moving Image on the third floor there were tons of old movie memorabilia that show cased the origins of film. The way our tour was set up was to narrate the beginning of film, how it has grown out through history, and the big impact it has today. Our group started off in the beginning where the tour guide showed us a bunch of contraptions with names I’ve forgotten. She told us the history on how someone came up with the idea of combining consistent pictures and putting them together with speed in order to fool the eye into making it move. Example being the running man, in order to see the moving picture of the man running you have to pull the crank to see the pictures come together and fools the eye. Making the viewer to believe that there is movement taking place. From there on we went to a replica of the Penny Arcades that were popular in the earliest of the nineteen hundreds. Our tour guide and Dr. Rheuban explained how cameras were used to make movies by pictures and not film at the time. It’s interesting since when you look through a peep hole of a nickelodeon it’s like watching a flipbook with well drawn characters that are brought to life. Sure there was no sound, dialogue, or anything for that matter. I got to see “A Trip to The Moon” which is consider to be the first science fiction movie ever made and I enjoyed it. I tried my best setting my mentality and mind of the average viewer of the early nineteen hundreds. Like I’ve mention before there were no sound, but that didn’t stop me from making up the dialogue on how the astronauts planed on getting to the moon. It’s amazing, even with something so primitive can hold a lot of value of the viewer with an open mind.
After the penny arcades we went through the hall of film cameras and how they have a major impact in movie making. Thanks to Edison along with European inventors created projectors and cameras with film. Now allowing film makers to bring their images to life by recording the action that’s being taken place. It was interesting to see how these cameras change through time from big cameras like the ones that were displayed made by Edison. To the small ones that were used by documenters and journalists during WW2. After that we went through the recording booth and discuss the transition of sound in movies. Sound has always existed in film during the golden age of movies just wasn’t able to synchronized it yet. We went from adding sound FX to Brandon dubbing “Babe” we’ve learned how modern movies use sound to convey what is going on in the film. Also we’ve get to see the huge microphone filmmakers use to put sound in movies. Unlike before where the microphone had to be close or the actors had to be in a small room saying their dialogues. Now there is a portable microphone that can travel where the actors are going and can record their lines on a safe yet reachable distance. After that we went through the editing room and see how editors do their magic and our tour guide explains why they’re always someone in production yelling take two. It’s to give the editor which take to use in the final project.
After that we went through a memorabilia of horror movies that were actually prompts used during filming. Like Freddy’s sweater, the prompt of the excursus, etc. With the existence of editing and special effects filmmaker’s imagination are beyond the sky’s limit. After that we traveled to the second floor where we saw a collection of old Star Wars/Star Trek figures behind the glass case. Our tour guide asks us as to why these big franchises hold a special meaning to us. To me they represent of an ongoing achievement of human agriculture and creativity.
After the penny arcades we went through the hall of film cameras and how they have a major impact in movie making. Thanks to Edison along with European inventors created projectors and cameras with film. Now allowing film makers to bring their images to life by recording the action that’s being taken place. It was interesting to see how these cameras change through time from big cameras like the ones that were displayed made by Edison. To the small ones that were used by documenters and journalists during WW2. After that we went through the recording booth and discuss the transition of sound in movies. Sound has always existed in film during the golden age of movies just wasn’t able to synchronized it yet. We went from adding sound FX to Brandon dubbing “Babe” we’ve learned how modern movies use sound to convey what is going on in the film. Also we’ve get to see the huge microphone filmmakers use to put sound in movies. Unlike before where the microphone had to be close or the actors had to be in a small room saying their dialogues. Now there is a portable microphone that can travel where the actors are going and can record their lines on a safe yet reachable distance. After that we went through the editing room and see how editors do their magic and our tour guide explains why they’re always someone in production yelling take two. It’s to give the editor which take to use in the final project.
After that we went through a memorabilia of horror movies that were actually prompts used during filming. Like Freddy’s sweater, the prompt of the excursus, etc. With the existence of editing and special effects filmmaker’s imagination are beyond the sky’s limit. After that we traveled to the second floor where we saw a collection of old Star Wars/Star Trek figures behind the glass case. Our tour guide asks us as to why these big franchises hold a special meaning to us. To me they represent of an ongoing achievement of human agriculture and creativity.
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