I took in two movies within the last 24 hours with my baby. Diaper Days has a sister named Diaper Nights and last night I saw Bully, with two other new moms. We sat in the theater, sniffling and clutching our babies, terrified of the process of growing up. We all know that kids are mean, and I think that meanness and the corresponding alienation gets amplified with social networking. The most devastating part of Bully (for me) was when Tyler's dad articulates that the only reason why he is still living after the suicide of his son is for his other children. It was so brutal and stark to hear a parent indirectly give weight to the life-altering power of parenthood and how it comes to define your person hood.
Today we saw Chimpanzee, which was unimpressive and irritating. I like seeing the rainforest footage, but the anthropomorphizing of the chimpanzees was completely absurd. One group was called a "gang" and "thugs" and had ominous music play when they were featured. The other were the "good" group, even while hunting and killing their monkey cousins. To take any kind of natural world dynamics and ascribe morality to them is just ridiculous. Good and bad requires some higher level of consciousness that is only present in humans. I don't like seeing animals made out to be "bad" because they are fighting for food and survival.
And finally, here is my new favorite picture of Theo. A student made him that hat!
1 comment:
Just had a long conversation the other day about Bully w/ lab mate. Sounds super-intense - she got choked up just recalling parts of it (she also has 2 boys, 9 and 5 yrs-old). I wonder about this with Silas - he's super tiny for his age (3rd percentile for weight); but he's got a big head with a big brain and lots of personality, sense of humor, and confidence. I think these attributes will help him fight off any bullying based on size.
Your point about the one parent is interesting - I think my parents were in the same place for a few years after my sister's death, although they've seemed better to me over the last year or two. Suicide is a different beast though and has such devastating effects on survivors and future generations.
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