Idiocracy, really!

Last night, my future bro-in-law got to pick the movie we watched. He chose Idiocracy, a 2006 Fox movie that opened in 6 markets and had absolutely no marketing. Here is a synopsis:

The purpose of the program set up by the Pentagon, called the "Human Hibernation Project," is designed so that the military can save their best men for when they're needed most. According to the officers heading the project, too many times the talents and expensive training of the best pilots and soldiers go to waste during times of peace. So they enlist Joe Bauers (Luke Wilson), the most average guy they've got, to be a test subject for the initial hibernation experiment along with Rita (Maya Rudolph), a prostitute who agreed to take part in exchange for dropping some criminal charges. The experiment, which was to last only a year, goes under. Due to the massive scandals and base closure that followed, Joe and Rita were forgotten about. They wake up in 2505. By this time, stupid people have outbred intelligent people; the world is (barely) run by morons--and Joe and Rita are the smartest people in America

While I understand the purpose of the movie was so that the creators could showcase how we need smart people in the world and that we need to be sure not to trash the planet, I was extremely offended by certain parts of the movie. For example:

Pvt. Joe Bowers: Man, I could really go for a Starbucks, y'know?
Frito: I don't really think we have time for a handjob, Joe.

Turns out, anything from Starbucks to H&R Block has been turned into a place where men can get "serviced" by women. The menu outside a Starbucks that the main characters passed a little later on showed a "latte" for $200, a fully body latte for $2,000 and some other disgusting form of latte for $20,000. The fact that this future showed that the only thing women were good for was for sex just infuriated me. Sweetie, ever playing the devil's advocate (as we do whenever one of us gets angry with a movie), tried to point out that there were women in congress as well as a female cabinet member. However, they were not prominently featured. And while I understand that perhaps it had to do with the number of female friends the director/producer had to give parts to, the point was so much taken that I almost threw up after the movie was over.

The overabundance of sex in the movie was unforgivable. No one actually had sex, but the prospect of sex was everywhere. And while I understand this is what someone is saying shouldn't happen, the point was certainly ingrained in my head. Sweetie tried to make the point that men keep women down and that's why the world was fucked up, but I pointed out that if men had fucked up that badly (trash everywhere, no food, no crops growing, etc.), women would certainly come in and clean up the mess. Sweetie (playing devil's advocate) tried to point out that that was the point: to not keep women down. I simply glared at Sweetie.

It was a funny movie, to watch what America had become in their stupidity, but it was also frightening. What if that is our future? The fact that the Secretary of Education was a retarded man who was the brother in law of the president doesn't make it much different from today (just kidding, I actually have no idea who the Secretary of Education is today, but since No Child Left Behind has failed miserably, I can only guess it's true).

I guess all we can do is stop that from happening! And have more women power so we aren't reduced to sex toys!

Patriotism

I have never considered myself to be an extremely proud American. I see the evils that my country presents in the world, I see that the government officials are more willing to bring democracy to other countries than to our own and I see those same government officials denying their own citizens their rights.

I'm not sure that I've ever really considered myself to be a proud American. I always knew that was happy to be an American, but proud? Proud is a word that never entered my vocabulary. From the time I was able to really take speech apart and dissect it, understanding it completely, I have not said the pledge of allegiance. I won't promise to be loyal to a flag. And yes, I understand that the flag is a symbol of the country, but how can I promise to be honest, loyal and true to a country that doesn't want it's citizens to have any rights?

The most amusing thing to me is that my sweetie, one of the biggest liberal democrats I know, has always been a proud American. I've never understood how my sweetie can do it, be so proud of a country that has screwed us over so many times I can't even count. Thank god for California, as I am insanely proud to call myself a proud Californian, as we are one of the progressive, liberal thinking states. And thank god for that!

Parade Magazine asked each of the candidates to give their ideas of what patriotism is. Based upon the dictionary's definition, patriotism is defined as:

Devoted love, support, and defense of one's country; national loyalty; Love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it.

Willingness to sacrifice for it? Interesting to me.

In any case, the two candidates each wrote an article for Parade. McCain invoked ancient images of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson whereas Obama was more personable. Their quick answers to the question are as follows:

McCain: 'Patriotism is putting country first before all else.'

Obama: 'Patriotism means faith in one another as Americans.'

Something tells me that McCain isn't going to win the youth vote by suggesting that more of us go into the military.

And if these are the definitions of Patriotism that I am given to work with, I can now call myself a proud American. Because I do have faith in my fellow Americans. I can honestly say, when I'm not driving, that I believe that all Americans, no, all humans, are inherently good and are not out to screw their fellow humans. And perhaps I'm a bit naive in that view. But I'd like to think it's the truth.

And if you don't think it is, go to a baseball game. Sit in the middle of a full row. Order food from a vendor. Pass a $50 down the row. Guess what? You're going to get what you ordered as well as your change. People are inherently good.

So thank you, Barak Obama. You have given me a reason to call myself a proud American and to take pride in what we can accomplish. Because we can accomplish it. Yes we can.