Politics as usual

I've decided that this summer I need to get my thoughts straight. This whole year I have been bombarded with opinions from the media, movies, books, and people on all the events happening around the world. There has been war and terrorism and we are nearing election time so it is time I figure things out. Of course, this is nearly impossible considering that none of us actually know what is going on, or know the real truth behind it all. But I suppose I can make a meager attempt to find out what I can so that I can at least stand up for myself in political debates.

This year has been a crazy one for me. I have traveled to Israel and to England and Ireland as part of my attempt to understand people and understand the issues we face. I even tried running for office myself, an attempt to represent myself and others in the political arena. Or at least..whatever political arena the ASUCDers try to make for themselves. But, I still have no idea what is going on. And I can't exactly base my beliefs off of my emotions and intuitions. That stuff doesn't seem to cut it in our current system. For example, Michael Moore's works are criticized heavily because he bases his arguments off of testimonials and interviews, not off of hard evidence. Or at least, people interpret his arguments as not adequately backed.

This weekend has been very Michael Moore filled. Last night I saw Fahrenheit 9/11 for the first time, and tonight I watched Bowling for Columbine with some friends. Afterwords we discussed the film and recognized its strengths and its shortcomings. As someone who pretty much agrees with Michael Moore, I can understand why people do not take him so seriously. He does not create his films for the hostile audience. That is, he doesn't create an aura of objectivity (if that even exists) and shove a bunch of facts and data at the audience. Instead he creates his own picture and lets the audience decide whether they agree or disagree. I sometimes wish he made his films for the hostile audience. Then it would be more successful in gathering broad support. But I guess that isn't his goal, and at least he is looking at the big picture making the connections that people are normally afraid to make.

To be continued...