Monday, February 21, 2011

A "cool handed" movie

I've watched the movie "Cool Hand Luke" (1960) in my Seminar class. In my english level I have to admit that I didn't understad it all. But the story was clearly explained along the movie.

I don't consider that the screenwriter's intention was to make Luke to looks as a Christ figure at all time. Maybe he just wanted to make a comparison with other kind of "known heroes" in some parts of the movie.

I consider him like a hero. Not a social hero, but a kind of hero in the jail and specially for radical people. He was always defending what he felt as the real good way to do the things. I think that he could saw the things that were wrong about authority and law. So he just revealed himself against the authority.

I appreciate the way he just consider to "fight until dead" and protect his principals of liberty. He believes in humans as free beings.

One failure in communication in the movie was the accent. I'm not sure if it was an southern accent but the english of the characters was pretty hard to understand at all.

Anyway, HERE you can buy the DVD if you haven't seen it yet.

And because I'm in a good mood, here's the best part of the movie.
Enjoy it!


Thursday, February 10, 2011

This is a song about anti-authority

Band: Ska-p (Like mixing the ska style and the word "escape")Song: Vándalo (Vandal)


A todos los caídos, a los detenidos, a los que resisten en pie
A todos mis hermanos que nunca han callado, que no se han dejado vencer
Los que han sido humillados, a los que han golpeado las fuerzas de seguridad
los que siempre han sabido que hay gato encerrado en este sistema global

Vándalo, te hacen llamar vándalo, peligro social, vándalo
rebelde insurrecto, preparado para la batalla

A los que se dejan la piel, a los que nunca ha podido entender
cómo cayó en la red de la codicia todo el poder
A los insurgentes que contracorriente exigen justicia social
Y me da igual de dónde sean, no hay distancia, no hay fronteras
a una conciencia firme nada puede parar

Llegará, llegará, llegará, la balanza se equilibrará
Llegará, llegará, llegará

Ah, Ah, Ah, el redil es nuestro patíbulo

Alarma, neoliberalismo es hambruna, muerte y terrorismo
Alarma, neoliberalismo, prepárate

Por los oprimidos, desfavorecidos, a los que se deja morir
sus barrigas hinchadas, la muerte en sus caras por un interés mercantil
Y ahora tú debes de meditar ¿Quién es el vándalo en realidad?
Terrorismo de estado, opulento y armado, decide quién debe vivir

Vándalo, te hacen llamar vándalo, peligro social, vándalo
rebelde insurrecto, las cosas no se cambian desde tu sillón

Llegará, llegará, llegará, la balanza se equilibrará
Llegará, llegará, llegará el día de la victoria

Ah, Ah, Ah, el redil es nuestro patíbulo
Alarma, el neoliberalismo es hambruna, muerte y terrorismo
Alarma, el neoliberalismo, prepárate.


To all the fallen, prisoners, those who resist standing 

To all my brothers who have never silent, that they are surrendered 

Those who have been humiliated, who have beaten the security forces 

those who have always known that there is something fishy in this global system 


Vandal vandal make you call, social danger, vandal 

Rebel insurgent, prepared for battle 


Those who leave the skin, which has never been able to understand 
how all the power fell in greed's web
To those insurgents who countercurrent demand social justice 
And I do not care where they are, no distance, no frontiers
To strong consciousness nothing can stop 

It will come, it will come, it will come, the balance will be balanced 
It will come, it will come, it will come

Ah, Ah, Ah, the pen is our scaffold 
Alarm, neoliberalism is famine, death and terrorism 
Alarm, neoliberalism, get ready!

For the oppressed, disadvantaged, who are left to die 
their distended bellies, the dead in their faces by a commercial interest 
And now you must think who is truly vandal 
State terrorism, armed opulent, decide who should live 

Vandal vandal make you call, social danger, vandal 
Rebel insurgent, things do not change from your couch 

It will come, it will come, it will come, the balance will be balanced 
It will come, it will come, it will come... The day of victory!

Ah, Ah, Ah, the pen is our scaffold 
Alarm, neoliberalism is famine, death and terrorism 
Alarm, neoliberalism, get ready!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

"We real cool" Assignment

Adaptation of “The Pool Players. Seven At The Golden Shovel” by Gwendolyn Brooks’s.
We real cool
Left school,
Lurk late,
Strike straight,
Sing sin,
Thin gin,
Jazz June,
We.
We.
We.
We.
We.
We.
We take spoon.
We die soon.

                                                                                                                                                           

Find the original poem HERE

Monday, February 7, 2011

Obedience Vs. Authority

The first topic of this blog will talk a little about obedience influenced by some kind of authority. First we have to talk a little more about those things.
What do I understand about obedience?
The obedience from my own point of view, is the way that we just follow some kind of instructions or orders from a figure of authority.

An article that I've read talks about the soldier's case along the history. It's a very good example the nazi soldiers's case that they said "they're just following orders" when they made those atrocities.
Reminds me of a movie "The Reader" that talks about the same thing. I recommend to you.
Here's the trailer.

I have also read about the experiment of a two psychologists. One in particular captured my attention. The Milgram's experiment. We talk about this experiment at classes. Is from the 60's and it's about a group of people that are submitted to gradually cause pain to other volunteer by the scientist order. "The experiment request you to continue" was the scientist said. But the real experiment was to make a difference from the people that continue with the experiment and the people whose not.
Here's a real recreation of the experiment.

In conclusion, i think that the suffering of society today, is a consequence of the combination of a exaggerated obedience wich cause some people to think, "do I have to follow all the laws/orders?" then they just stop following them.
I'm not considering myself a very obedient person if we talk about very big responsibilities, but I try to obey my obligations like citizen, student, and correlative with other people.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Hi everybody!

Hi! I'm Jorge and through this blog I will post my ideas and opinions about a few interesting topics. So, welcome!