Racism Abound.

Toronto, ON-  Two men were recently having a conversation about marriage prospects for their children. One of the fathers was explaining the expectations and hopes he had for his son. The second gentleman asked the father in question whether he had any preferences about the nationality, race or ethnicity of his son's potential spouse. He replied that he did. Being from a specific cultural community in India, he expressed to the second man that he wanted his son's future spouse to be from the same community as his family. Naturally, people will have preferences regarding their children’s spouse. Preferring a spouse of a similar cultural background seems reasonable enough. But, what was the basis of his preference?

Well...when the father was asked whether he would have any objection to his son marrying a woman from the Madras (Chennai) area of India, his response was that he would be opposed to it. His reasoning was that Madrasi people have 'too close for comfort' relations and interactions with the Tamil people of South India! Can you imagine?

Now, the first issue I have with this is obviously the negative characterization of the Tamil people. The second is his belief that for whatever reasons all Madrasi people are somehow ‘tainted’ by association, by virtue of their geographic/physical nearness to the Tamil people. As if daily interactions and relations would have lessened the character or damaged the values of Madrasi Indians. What bullshit.

Why this story should matter to you: The specific cultural communities here are irrelevant- and simply interchangeable with any other race, ethnicity, socioeconomic group, etc. This is not an Indian or South Asian-specific issue. Prejudices that lead to outward exclusion and discrimination are something we ALL need to be concerned about. Challenging narrow-minded, tribalistic tendencies and expressions is essential. We need to remind people of the common humanity of humanity, dammit! 'Cause there's ONLY one race and it's the HUMAN race!

(Artwork courtesy of One Race Human & artist John S. Dykes)

Interesting Finds, Part V

Honestly, if we don't have a firm establishment of the rule of law...what can be said about the state of our society? Without question, transparency and accountability are some of the basic bedrocks of a fair, just and equal one.When are we going to come to our senses people?

(Watercolour by American artist Alan Gerson)

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say not ALL 'illegal immigrants' are violent gangbangers! I mean come on! We need to be vigilant against buying into these ignorant, simplistic and inaccurate depictions of our fellow human beings! The reference to them being aliens reminds me of similar usage of the term with a slight twist during WWII (the 'enemy aliens'). These people are obviously not from a different planet! Evil language legitimizes evil ideas.

I can't understand how the testimony and opinions of what I would describe as regressive pseudo-psychologists has held any weight in the trial of a child soldier. Take a look at this other article for some perspective on the Khadr case.

On a less serious note, below is probably the best English cover for TaeYang's Wedding Dress

Movie Roundup

So being the movie buff that I am...I thought it was probably time to share my thoughts on some of the films that I've been watching! I've come up with a pretty amateur rating system--but I'll try to keep things consistent as far as future 'Movie Roundup' posts go! Enjoy!

Red:
This was a surprise. It was entertaining and simply more than I expected
from a movie with older actors! John Malkovich really stole the show! He was hilarious! It was a simple movie- nothing as complex as Inception. But, it had all the right elements of an enjoyable movie: Interesting characters, a bit of romance, comedy, a plot that was headed somewhere, etc. I can't understand why more films fail to follow what seems like a simple formula for success. I'm not saying this was a great movie- but it was definitely a fun way to spend 2 hours!

Predators:
This is probably one of the dumbest movies I've ever wasted my life watching. It had potential and I was hoping that there was going to be an epic ending that would make watching all the sillyness worth it....but unfortunately, this was not the case. It was a real letdown. Just as bad as the Master of Disguise and the Austin Powers series *Puke*. This movie gets an angry 'why did you waste my life??' thumbs down!

Winter's Bone:

This isn't your typical Hollywood film. It was quiet, raw, bleak, dreary, and sad. I wouldn't quite describe it as an emotional roller coaster- but it is sure to evoke many emotions. This story about an impoverished rural family will keep you interested from start to finish. It takes you into a world of challenges and pain that I think few mainstream movies do and for this reason, it's definitely worth the watch! Enough said.

The Switch: 
I was surprised by this movie. It was definitely watchable, which is saying quite a bit, as far as the romantic comedy genre goes- which is full of letdowns and time wasters. Jennifer Aniston is usually quite boring to watch- but I think because she wasn't the main character- she was more than tolerable- even believable in character. The child actor who played her young son was probably one of the cutest kids I've ever seen on tv/movies- hands down! I say it's worth it if you're hoping to kill some time.

Prince of Persia:

The premise of the video game had great potential as far as recreating it in a movie format so when I found out American actor Jake Gyllenhaal was going to portray a Persian prince, I was not expecting much from this one. Surprisingly, Gyllenhaal's portrayal wasn't too bad! His accent didn't suck as much as I expected and he was almost charming! The plot was somewhat predictable. But like Red, this was just one of those simple, yet entertaining films. Bien fait!

Man oh man!

By my estimation, Bill O'Reilly is a major asswipe. He is beyond ignorant and can only be described as a bigot. I saw this clip a few days ago, but just couldn't hold back from weighing in. If you haven't seen it already, it's worth the watch. I'm glad to see Whoopi and Joy (and the audience) taking a stand against bigotry and ignorance (creeping close to hatred!). Sometimes it is just pointless trying to have a civil conversation with really small-minded people. In my opinion- Mr. O'Reilly is one such individual.



Thank you once again, Mr. Olbermann for your good sense!

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Nice work, CollegeHumor!

For anyone who remembers watching M. Night Shyamalan-written/directed films growing up (Sixth Sense, The Village, Unbreakable, Signs) ...this is just freaking hilarious. If this man had any vision when he first came onto the scene...I have no clue where it has disappeared?? He ruined The Last Airbender :-(

Holy SHIT!

Générique de Simpsons par Banksy
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Columbus Day...seriously?!

Great video! I'm such a sucker for these PSA-type vids!

How backwards is it that the arrival  of Christopher Columbus is celebrated and that the destruction, exploitation and oppression of the cultures, civilizations and peoples that were present in the Americas (pre-15th C) is completely ignored in the wider North American collective memory? There isn't any way else to describe it except as ridiculous. Lives lost, cultures destroyed, languages and histories forgotten? Masses of people and land subjugated for political and economic purposes...

Unfortunately, this selective historical memory loss is commonplace. 

Check out these vids!

  This is hilarious!



Now here's a show worth 1 hour a week of your life!