Proud Blonde!

I have never seen The Truman Show, though from reading about it online, I think it will be a good movie. While watching a movie, subconsciously we are all comparing our lives to the “happily ever after” lives in movies. But by your votes upon which questions would be most relative to this movie, I can relate my life in today’s society to the movie consciously.

The Battle of Passchendaele was the third summer of war between the Allied Forces and the Germans over the area of Ypres, Belgium. This strategic ground was important because of its location, right in the path of the German forces moving through Belgium into northern France. Passchendaele was a small town on the outskirts of Ypres, one that was at one point, behind the German front lines, but taken by the Allies in the Third Battle of Ypres, or the Battle of Passchendaele. Though the Allied forces held strong throughout the war, withstanding multiple offensive attacks by the Germans, Ypres and area was destroyed. Not only was the area in ruins, hundreds of thousands of lives were lost on the front lines, loved ones gone forever.

I can’t even begin to imagine the pain and suffering of the young men, and even boys, sent across the world to go through hell and back again, or the pain of the loved ones left behind. Like Sarah in the movie Passchendaele, she watched her brother and love of her life march off dutifully to war. My relationships with my father and brother are very strong, and to have them leave my mom, sister, and I without knowing if they would ever return… I would go insane. War is hell on earth, and I never want to have anyone I know, or even anyone I don’t know, to have to go through that.

I believe the worst part of war is not the death counts, cemeteries, memorials, or destruction of the towns and cities, but the haunted memories left in the minds of survivors. Mr. Sader’s post, Why We Remember, has some very good information and pictures deciphering these times and places. “I died in hell. They called it Passchendaele.” - Siegfried Sassoon. Though I would want nothing more than to see my family and friends come home from such devastation, if they were not physically or mentally the same, I would be just as heartbroken as if they were dead. The pain for the survivors would be horrifying and disturbing, their eyes forever holding witness to the most gruesome acts by human beings upon other humans. I am grateful everyday for the rights and freedoms I have received from their ultimate sacrifices, but pray to God every night it will never happen again.

The movie Passchendaele was intended to educate society on the horrors of war. I found many of the scenes in the movie very disturbing, though the complete plot of the story I found almost disrespectful to the soldiers and other participants of the war. No Hollywood producer would ever have the guts or insight to recapture the horrors of war, definitely never Passchendaele, with the mud like quicksand and artillery a constant sound in the air. The slaughter of human beings was, at one scene in the movie, portrayed to the extent that I believed war was actually taped for the movie. This scene lasted mere seconds, yet left the largest imprint upon my mind. The attempt this movie made to educate was well intended, but I don’t believe war will ever be correctly portrayed on the big screen.

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq today have recaptured the minds and bodies of the WWI and WWII survivors. Their scars torn open, eyes re-seeing every detail of the front lines, and minds gone back to the hell they’ll never escape. Our troops in Afghanistan have suffered their own losses, almost 100 lives lost and still counting. Remembrance Day has come to serve a new purpose, a new reason for mourning losses from the World Wars to the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. We can no longer call wars the “War to end Wars” because it will always be a part of human life.

“We do it all the time because we’re good at it,” says Dunne, ruminating in the trenches. “And we’re good at it because we’re used to it. And we’re used to it because we do it all the time.”

No matter how hard we all try to live in peace, life will continue in hell. Everyone has different views and beliefs about peace, love, and understanding. Survivors will be the only ones to fully realize the devastation, pain, and the ultimate losses of war. Until the day we reach heaven, hell will always be present.

Movies, television, cell phones, Internet, and the list goes on. In today’s time and day, technology is the very soul of our society. Everywhere we look or go, we are followed by and proceeded by technological advancements that have made our lives easier and given us everything we want, but not always what we need. Internet gives us access to information and education on diseases and world news, but also access for child pornographers to sell and buy their “work.” The uncontrollable variations of technology today have led to many unforeseen problems, like that of child pornography and cyber predators. In the movie S1m0ne, secret technology changed the world, but also nearly destroyed a human life. S1m0ne is the essence of what could become of our society if we do not try to control this rapid expansion of our technological world.

Viktor Taransky was desperate for success when he met Hank Aleno, a man of great technological success. When Mr. Taransky began to understand the simulation he had been gifted by Hank, he created his own success. In the creation of Simone, Viktor realized the power of a computer, the power of technology. The success came like he had hoped, but it also brought the stress of keeping Simone a secret. This secret eventually almost led to the demise of Viktor, as he was charged with Simone’s murder when he through his software into the ocean in a suitcase, which was taken to be Simone’s body. The creation of a simulated person nearly became the end of a real person. Viktor’s technology brought success and demise in the same sentence.

Computers have manipulated our lives to such an extent that I believe that they have completed altered our society’s future. Computers can talk, research, and become interactive with their controller to the point of becoming a person of their own. Every day of our lives involves some sort of computer analysis or interaction, in English class, on cell phones, and on home computers playing games or on MSN. Computers have, in my opinion, become the only way we can survive. No matter what we are taught about safety and person rights, we seem overlook everything when searching for the easy way out, letting computers take over. Our personalities and individualities have been lost in cyberspace.

S1m0ne is simply a movie, a source of entertainment from Hollywood. But its plot really got me thinking about where our society was moving, why it was moving to such a desolate place, and how it was getting their. Technology has steered us away from personal communication and interaction because it is easier than face-to-face conflicts. Our society has been moving this way for a long time, without fully comprehending the disadvantages and distractions of technology. Personal losses have come more and more often, it is the fuel of technology. Even with all the losses, computers, internet, and movies will always be a part of our society because we have sacrificed too much now to give it all up.

From the beginning of the history of the United States, controversy and gossip have always haunted the head figures, like George Washington and the Cherry Tree. So it is no surprise that with the election of a new president for 2009, rumors and accusations started to fly as soon as the candidates were announced. John McCain and Barack Obama are not new to the whole election scheme and scandal ideals, but I couldn’t help but feel bad for them as rumors and accusations whirrled around. The victory of Obama on Novemeber 4th caused just as much chaos as the elections did, and I don’t expect the conflicts of opinion to die soon.

Barack Obama is a very unique presidential candidate and new official president. As the first African-American president, the constantly accused racist United States has taken on a whole new look. Obama is not ashamed of his skin tone, or his history, which includes growing up for a period of time in the Middle East. He is very open about his history, though it is much shorter than that of McCain, he still has vast amounts of information that he has revealed to his supporters and critics. With middle eastern in his blood, it is commonly assumed that he is Muslim, though he does reject this theory quickly. One of his major debateable critisms of Obama is his wish to pull troops out of Iraq as soon as possible. This very touchy subject was not taken lightly in the elections, and though many of Obama’s prmoises may not be carried out, this issue is expected to be addressed rather quickly. Barack Obama is a man of wisdom in his young age, he can see the need for change in the States, from greenhouse gas emissions to technological awareness on computers to phones. His final speech made Canadians shed tears and cheer with all their hearts, Obama for president! I believe Obama won this election because he can see what the States needs now, not what they needed years ago.  Obama understands the youth population in the United States, and listens to them and their problems. Obama is president because he targeted the most influential people in the country, the youth.

John McCain has a past unlike many others, especially that of Barack Obama. McCain has a much longer history that Obama, as McCain is a quarter of a century older. Should McCain have won the election, he would have become the oldest elected president of the United States. McCain claimed his age would bring experience that Obama could never match, but many critisized his ideas as old-fashioned and inappriate for what the United States needs now. The age of McCain has also brought on severe problems physically. As a prisoner of war for five and a half years, McCain still suffers the effects of a plane crash aswell as tourture he endoured for many years. These physical disabilites should not have had much of an impact upon the votes, but in a country like the states, where appearance and strength is everything, I know it would have ran through almost every voter’s mind. Many critics believe McCain’s experience as a prisoner of war has caused his short-temperdness he is famous for. Athough he is quick witted and often caught with raw, unprofessional humor, he is a man of quick appology and realization of his wrongs. I believe McCain lost his presidential run because of his age. In a world becoming dominated by youth, I believe McCain stood very little chance for success. He had intelligent arguments on climate change and the war in Iraq, but ultimately, I believe he lost the age race.

Both men in this election had strong arguements on every issue brought to them, from health care to military needs. McCain tried to use his age for experience while Obama used his age for relating to the country on a whole. Both men fought a hard battle, and the best man, in my opinion, came out on top. My respect for both candidates increased dramatically on election day. Both speechs, Obama’s acceptance speech, as well as McCain’s defeat speech, showed the true men inside each candidates, and I believe this is what makes the states so powerful, the strong agression alongside the respect and maturity.

Make your own Attack Ad

The ability for high school students to create such an ad, an extreme form of propaganda, could cause a very unstable environment during the elections in the United States. The internet has allowed people everywhere to put their views in the mouths of the presidential candidates, to have them say exactly what they want to hear and publish it everywhere for others to see. The availability of this technology has been used for purposes that are not formal, but for pure fun. Proper fun is alright, but this kind of technology could cause mockery that could become uncontrollable and mis-interpreted. Our society is the kind to take this risk, and there will always be the people who take it too far, but for now, its just for fun.