Tag: Suffering

Further context into this context

So here we go again. This past Friday a man named Anders Behring Breivik allegedly detonated a bomb in Norway, killing 7. And, in a separate incident, while impersonating a police officer, but carrying a firearm (which Norwegian police don’t do, according to one al Jazeera interviewee) shot and killed up to 84 additional people attending a youth camp on an island an hour or so north of the Norwegian capital of Oslo.

The details, while absolutely horrific and entirely deplorable, aren’t what I’m most interested in. Or even the hysteria that predictably ensued for most of the day Friday, not to mention part of yesterday, following these events. You know the typical rush to judgement these acts were immediately thought linked, as terrorism, with Fundamental Islam without creditable evidence. Turns out it wasn’t terrorism at all, thank God, it was just right-wing extremism — like people are supposed to be assured because this is different somehow? Which is my point.

Give me a break. Please, I’m begging you. Shut the fuck up!

Continue reading Further context into this context

The Passion of the Christ

The Passion of the Christ Movie Poster

I finally got the opportunity to see The Passion of the Christ on Friday night. Well the first half anyway. Now my not having seen it, long before Friday of course, wasn’t necessarily a case of me not wanting or avoiding seeing it. As it was the opportunity never presented itself. And, by no means, did it hurt there are literally thousands of film makers film’s I’d rather watch before watching one from Mel Gibson. I digress.

Keep in mind I know next to nothing concerning Jesus Christ. Not that I necessarily have any issues with finding out. But I have priorities, and reading about the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth hasn’t ever ranked very high on a reading list for me. This is neither a historical or a religious commentary toward the significance of this film. This is merely a couple of first impressions from a piece of entertainment. Taken at face value…

Continue reading The Passion of the Christ

Turn that noise down!

I was going to review the year that is quickly coming to an end, in my typical cynical tone, but add a personal and somewhat optimistic touch at the end. Then I read Chris Hedges piece, 2011: A Brave New Dystopia, and suddenly everything that happened in 2010 seems quite inconsequential to what is more than likely to be waiting in 2011 and beyond.

Which, I think, says much more than it’s share. 2010 has been quite the year — The AlJazeera Top 10 does a relatively sufficient job rounding out the year, so I’ll urge all those interested to check it out. But it’s people like Mr. Hedges that can and continue to give the world in which we live a frightening context. A context we all must understand if we ever want to halt it.

Everything else has had it’s volume turned down since reading that…