You Should Be Afraid Of Us!

      The movie "V For Vendetta" is a movie about a future society in totalitarian Britain. A reasonable comparison would be the to the totalitarian dictator of Benito Mussolini. Britain, as told in the movie, is ruled by a totalitarian dictatorship.  Government, ruling by creating fear, puts down anyone against the law.  The main character Evey joins V in his quest for revolution after being saved of police men getting to Evey after curfew. V and Evey fight the tyranny and oppression given by the British government, in while learning more of the two character's backgrounds.

        When I saw this movie for the first time, it clearly illustrated what it was like to be in tyrannical society. For example, the trailer shows Evey going to be beaten just for breaking some curfew of the night. It's not like the officer escorts to her home or interrogate her or just beats her so she can learn her lesson. Later in the movie, the viewer would find that the government conducted experiments on human being killing hundreds of thousands.Totalitarian government is always to basically most of the time corrupted. I wasn't shocked of this happenings. After learning about these types of governments in history, they always had a something to hide.

        The movie clearly depicts that civil disobedience is needed to change the ways of your government. For people to realized the ways of government, one must show the rest what is happenings. Without one standing up to the government, no one would try or even think they could revolt. There is always more people than government.As V said, that's why a government should be afraid of its people, not the other way around. Citizens dictate the life that goes on. 

Coach Potato?

       Although "Wall-E" is a family movie for for all ages, it has another meaning besides a fun filled Disney movie. "Wall-E" was suppose to be a movie about a robot, named Wall-E, who was suppose to take clean up where humans previously lived. However, Wall-E finds himself going on an adventure when he accidentally boards a ship to someplace else. Wall-E soon finds himself falling in love with another robot named Eve. When Eve gets kidnapped, Wall-E goes to save his love of his life.

       It's a nice story line, yet we see something we hope that won't happen in  the future. As Wall-E goes through a building we see the horrific scene with humans. Humans in the movie are fat slops. No longer does a person walk, but they sit in some sort of chair that floats. Human's don't talk to each other, but on holographic webcams. Even if the person was right next to you, the person still used the screen to talk to the person right next to them. People don't chew their food or anything. All foods are put into a drink. Robots give them and throw away the drink when the human is done. 

       The message here is obviously that technology has gone too far. People are so lazy. One the man fell off the chair, a service bot was automatically called to assist the man to get back in his chair. The man was rolling around on the floor like a ball.  At the end of the scene with the pool, I thought it didn't even matter. The lady can't even move on her own, let alone swim. It sounds mean, but it's true. I couldn't imagine a society that is fat. I mean be comfortable in your skin, but being fat or obese has health risks. In modern society, people are always trying to get abs or be lean. I couldn't imagine a society without exercise. I mean, my life is revolved around being active and doing sports. Sighs...

       

Will People Go Green?

      The picture might seem silly, but in reality it holds a true controversial statement. The idea of going green has been a long and debated issue in the United States. On such way that the country has suggested of going green is making hybrid cars, solar cars, or electrical cars. Notice in the picture that the "Oil" part of the car is sad, while the "electric" part is happy. It's quite obvious that the point of view of the author is bias against oil. The author for going to get more battery powered cars. However, is there more benefit to a battery-powered car? For most Americans, no. Battery-powered cars do not have a lot of mileage nor does it even have a great amount of speed. Also hybrid and battery-powered cars are often very expensive. Even if a person wanted to get a such car to help the environment, they would either have a long payment plan or not be able to afford one. The rich are going to have to be the ones and take the first step forward. 

       For a long time, people have tried making things better for our environment. However, most ideas are insufficient or have a lot of downfalls. Even though battery-powered cars are better for the environment, people are still burning coal to charge that battery. Is there anyway to escape this disaster? Hopefully there is. Without change to the way we are living, global warming could be a huge issue. Also eventually, we will run out of fossil fuels to burn because it's nonrenewable. I hope that someday that some country will make a breakthrough technology helping our environment. 

We won't stand for this!

Get up, Stand up by Bob Marley

Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!

Preacherman, don't tell me,
Heaven is under the earth.
I know you don't know
What life is really worth.
It's not all that glitters is gold;
'Alf the story has never been told:
So now you see the light, eh!
Stand up for your rights. Come on!

Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!

Most people think,
Great God will come from the skies,
Take away everything
And make everybody feel high.
But if you know what life is worth,
You will look for yours on earth:
And now you see the light,
You stand up for your rights. Jah!

Get up, stand up! (Jah, Jah!)
Stand up for your rights! (Oh-hoo!)
Get up, stand up! (Get up, stand up!)
Don't give up the fight! (Life is your right!)
Get up, stand up! (So we can't give up the fight!)
Stand up for your rights! (Lord, Lord!)
Get up, stand up! (Keep on struggling on!)
Don't give up the fight! (Yeah!)

We sick an' tired of-a your ism-skism game -
Dyin' 'n' goin' to heaven in-a Jesus' name, Lord.
We know when we understand:
Almighty God is a living man.
You can fool some people sometimes,
But you can't fool all the people all the time.
So now we see the light (What you gonna do?),
We gonna stand up for our rights! (Yeah, yeah, yeah!)

So you better:
Get up, stand up! (In the morning! Git it up!)
Stand up for your rights! (Stand up for our rights!)
Get up, stand up!
Don't give up the fight! (Don't give it up, don't give it up!)
Get up, stand up! (Get up, stand up!)
Stand up for your rights! (Get up, stand up!)
Get up, stand up! ( ... )
Don't give up the fight! (Get up, stand up!)
Get up, stand up! ( ... )
Stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up!
Don't give up the fight! /fadeout/

       Bob Marley was a very very famous singer during mid 1900s to late 1900s. Marley was a artist of reggae, who specialized in his area of music. Bob Marley is widely known for his songs in social issues, but more importantly oppression. I first heard of Bob Marley on the radio when I tuned in to Magic 106.7. It was then when the station played "One Love," that I discovered a new artist that I liked. It wasn't until later on in high school that I looked into his songs. "Get up, Stand Up" was a classic hit talking about people standing up for their rights. The song a has a nice groove that a person can easily get lost into, if there don't listen to the lyrics. The message is quite clear that there is inequality of some sort is going on. This could still pertain to slavery, but more likely the rights of Blacks in America. Remember African Americans were still oppressed even if the population of the African Americans exceeded the population of the whites in some states. 

       There is also an underlining message about religion. Bob Marley talks about religion, most likely Catholicism, and how it is now helping the situation on Earth. The song speaks of how people are tired of the story of people going to heaven, when their oppress on Earth. People are waiting for God to save them on Earth, but nothing is happening. As a result, Bob Marley speaks in the song that although people might go to heaven, you must also live your actually life on Earth and not just the afterlife. That is why Marley tells people to stand up for their rights because you do not just have one life to live.

We're all beautiful...

       Uglies by Scott Westerfeld is a book based upon a futuristic society. In our normal society people who turn sixteen usually have a big party to celebrate since it's consider a big occasion. The same holds out for the people in Uglies. However, instead of throwing a big party, you get a surgery. That's right a surgery. Have you ever dreamed of looking like a super model or actor/actress? Well, now you can! Not only will this surgery allow you to become pretty, you are allowed to do much more fun activities. For example, you are allowed to jump off super bouncy trampolines and para chute of buildings. Pretty much, you party/ have fun until you become an adult. Once a adult, you will go find a job. The message of the book is the idea of biotechnology. What happen if everyone looked like a super model? Every one would look the same. Everyone would have the same facial structure and pretty much the same face. However, what really happens during the surgery? The reader finds out that during the surgery that some sort of lesion is inserted into the brain. The behavior of the person changes as well as their physical appearance. Why would the surgeons insert something into your brain? Can you think on your own anymore? How does one actually get their job if a person has fun after the surgery?  All questions that are hopefully answered throughout the rest of the series. No one questions the surgery, but that it is just better for them. I would totally annoyed if everyone looked the same. Oh wait that wouldn't matter, because my brain is changed to.  People of modern day has the idea of being comfortable in one's skin. Hopefully that message sticks throughout society. Just because one is not "pretty" doe not mean that their "ugly" at all. Been proud of the way you look and confident of the way you approach things.

                                                                                                     

Yes We Can!

       The song shown above was created by Will.i.am. The song was a singing narration by various artists and actors of Barrack Obama's speech of "Yes We Can" during his campaign to becoming president. The speech is certainly very inspiring to the people of America. The president uses pathos to unite the crowd and people as one. I actually never even heard this speech until a couple days ago because I thought it wouldn't pertain to me because I couldn't vote. I was wrong. The message is beyond the talk of politics and the nation as a whole. It is about believing in yourself and having the confidence of doing what is right when society looks down upon you. Have the confidence to said and do whatever you can.

       The message of this speech/song is clearly the rise through inequality. The simple words of "Yes We Can" tells the stories of millions of people. Barrack Obama uses various moments of history to give the impact that Americans can achieve  their goal if you just believe. On such example would be the freedom of slavery. Slaves and abolitionists fought and escape the injustice given by society. Another example is when Obama talks of women reaching for ballots. Women protested on and on again just to vote. "Yes We Can" are more than words for a person. It is a message of a lifetime. 

       

 

No more knowlege

       In our English class, we have just recently read the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. The plot of the story tells of a man Guy Montag, of which he is a fireman. Notice how the word is fireman and not firefighter. In our society, both words have the same meaning. Yet, in the society of Guy Montag it doesn't. To be a fireman, in this society, means for the man of the job to burn books. Yes, BURN BOOKS! Fireman of the society do not prevent fires or save people from fires, but to start them by burning books. Why books? Books are illegal for anyone to have. If caught or seen, most people call the fire station to have the fireman go to the person's house to burn them. By the way, in school nobody has to ask questions. The answers are given to you. What a relief huh? WRONG! The society doesn't want anyone to think, so they spoon feed you knowledge. Schools have condensed books and focus more on physical activity.  Homes have T.V. walls, so people are always entertained. The basis of human life is to have fun.

       Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury addresses the idea of censorship by government. The government is restricting any kind of knowledge, such as books, to the people. The only knowledge the people have is what they learned to school which is little to none. As mention earlier, the basis of the human life now is to have fun. From T.V. walls to speeding over 100 mph, people find their own way to get a thrill. With all this going on, no one has the time to think or question anything. It's kind of sad really. Knowledge and discovering things allows someone to feel refined. Yes people might argue over facts and  other sorts of details, but its nice to know a random things. It's what sparks conversion. What we have of basic knowledge is more compared to the book in the book. In the section of the "Hearth and the Salamander," Montag questions the role of a fireman starting fires compare to preventing them in the past. Immediately, the other firemen pull out their handbook. It states that Benjamin Franklin was the first fireman. People in our society obviously know Benjamin Franklin was a inventor and a scientist. I'm very glad that I'm allow to any knowledge I want because I can be any thing I want to be.