"The Soloist is the best film, for me, in a very long time. Some say it is exploitative but that's for the people who don't want to know how colonial our giving can be and often is...We are missing in action and inaction and we are missing in distraction. We are missing in accountability as we love our superiority, way too much.
We have too much love for our own causes to know we are as guilty of avoidance as the next person....we might begin to realize...that every act of giving means avoiding a side of us that needs to be superior. Okay, not every act, but so many liberals have begun wars on the rest of us who don't go along or agree or march to the same beat. There is little dialogue, and little debate, and within the progressive parts of America there is still little debate and collaboration...In fact even within this post the criticisms are rampant.
"The Soloist" is a movie rare for its exposure of exploitation and instead it is being blamed by exploiting critics for exploiting. Any of us who ignore the down side of being the best of the best are more likely to be exploiting or forgetting at the very least.
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I would like to recommend a film, "The Soloist". Unlike the movie "Milk" it hasn't been a darling of the critics. But it does one important thing. It asks us to examine our part in prejudice, racism, ignoring poverty at home, and the acting is wonderful.
What does this have about domestic politics or international issues? Everything as much as nothing.
Unless we examine our motives we repeat the patterns of colonial giving. We are the owners of democracy or justice or fairness and we are the ones to educate the others. Or not.
If not we are in need of examining our own lacks to equalize the playing field so we find those axes of evil within and let go of ownership of superiority.
How many progressive people do you know that can debate, discuss and collaborate. My experience is that as soon as sensitivity or ignorance is eposed, it's downhill.
That's a shame, don't you think.
See the movie, or don't but I think it would be great if we could talk about it without insults. It's not a dare but a dare would be tempting.