Tag Archives: fear

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A New Threat

I found the following article interesting…#mce_temp_url#

When I first watched this news on TV, I thought it related to our class not only because we covered the Cold War not too long ago but also because there is a new fear involving nuclear weapons. During the Cold War it was Russia the threat, now the threat is even greater. We are afraid of nuclear weapons or materials landing on terrorist hands. Now, this could be devastating! Not only is this a problem, but also it is scary to know that Pakistan and India are involved in an arms race. I feel there is anxiety coming from the US more because it can’t do anything about it. During the Cold War the two countries involved were Russia and the Unites States, the US had direct control and responsibility if a war were to break out as well as Russia, but now the “fate” of the world could be in the hands on these nations who are obtaining nuclear materials. They have not reached an agreement and this is the frightening part! It is easy to feel scared when one is not in control. It is also hard to reach an agreement when many nations are involved. I was surprised to read they found materials in Chile. I feel this meeting is beneficial, but it’s not addressing the problem of Pakistan and India, it is just “seeking ways to better secure existing supplies of bomb-usable plutonium and highly enriched uranium.” This is great, but I fee it is not enough. I understand it is hard to reach an agreement, because each country looks out for its benefit. It is hard to convince a country to take a certain action. Honestly, I was surprised to hear about this summit meeting because I took it as a warning sign but it is presented in a friendly and subtle way. Should we be worried? I didn’t really think about nuclear destruction since we discussed nuclear apocalypse in class but it didn’t really create anxiety in me since the threat with Russia was around sixty years ago. But today it is a different story because it is the present age and it is a new kind of threat, more vicious when it comes to terrorist attacks, but with the same consequence: destruction.

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Halloween, different take

To begin with, I thought you might enjoy this video, which definitely gives a different perception of Halloween.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/Z96yrsPzqlM" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

I definitely experience fear and anxiety while watching Halloween. One of the most obvious techniques that the film uses to create suspense is the music, which builds up to a crescendo as the process of stalking and killing progresses. The camera movement is shaky, switching from Michael’s point of view to the victim’s, which creates a sense of disorientation, an unsettling feeling, and puts the audience in a moment-to-moment viewing position. The villain is hidden from the viewer, more often brought into awareness by the heavy breathing, which makes him appear more dangerous and evil.  Lastly, the ending does not give a resolution but leaves the viewer with a sense of imminent danger still present, which has a powerful effect. The film builds up tension continuously, pretends to conclude to a release of the anxiety (the numerous times Michael was perhaps dead), and quickly returns to a stressful state, and in the end leaves the audience with these feelings. Halloween makes numerous references to Hitchcock’s Psycho throughout the film: the stabbing with the knife, falling down the stairs, using theme music to alert the audience to approaching danger, as well as other stylistic techniques. I contemplate that perhaps most importantly both films share simplicity in eliciting fear: a near lack of gore, blood, and graphic violence. By showing less, the films give the audience more – a very emotionally disturbing experience.

Of course, one of the most prominent themes in Halloween is sexual promiscuity and the price of this “sin.” It all begins with Michael witnessing an illicit sex act, which some might argue is what turns him from an innocent boy to the monster he is. This particular loss of innocence is portrayed as the root of the evil in the film. The only girl who survives Michael’s killing spree is the only virgin, while the sexually experienced girls are killed. In addition, they are open about their sexuality, the murder follows the sexual act, the easiness with which this “sin” is lived out intensifies the theme of the film. It is only the women who are pursued for being sexually active; the one male who is killed dies because he was just there. The film clearly speaks to the society’s anxiety of the change in women’s attitudes and roles, however, it is only women who are judged for their sexual behavior. This difference in treatment has persisted over the years and is unlikely to change as long as we continue to place such high value on gender differences, which are not as great in quality or quantity as they are perceived to be.

Here is another different view of the film.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/J3oontXKRzo" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

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The Cold War Through Music

The Cold War lasted approximately from 1947 to 1991 and it was a period of high tension and political conflict between the USSR and the US. There was not any physical fighting, but there was conflict behind the scenes: military alliances, espionage, propaganda, the nuclear arms race, and a race for technological innovations. 

I came across this song by Sting from his debut solo album, The Dream of Blue Turtles called Russians. In it, he sings of the consequences of the Cold War and of what we could do to save the world from the escalating shows of power. 

[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/4rk78eCIx4E” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]

The lyrics are: 

In Europe and America, there’s a growing feeling of hysteria
Conditioned to respond to all the threats
In the rhetorical speeches of the Soviets
Mr. Khrushchev said we will bury you
I don’t subscribe to this point of view
It’d be such an ignorant thing to do
If the Russians love their children too

How can I save my little boy from Oppenheimer’s deadly toy
There is no monopoly of common sense
On either side of the political fence
We share the same biology
Regardless of ideology
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too

There is no historical precedent
To put the words in the mouth of the president
There’s no such thing as a winnable war
It’s a lie we don’t believe anymore
Mr. Reagan says we will protect you
I don’t subscribe to this point of view
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too

We share the same biology
Regardless of ideology
What might save us me and you
Is if the Russians love their children too 

Source: http://www.lyrics007.com/Sting%20&%20Police%20Lyrics/Russians%20Lyrics.html

Please take the time to read the lyrics. Each line is really very meaningful. The song’s lyrics and Sting’s mournful voice really portray the despair of the situation. He wants the everyone to get along to ensure that a future will exist for generations to come.  The last four lines are really poignant. Sting says, we are all human beings; you and I are made of one and the same. Why can’t we just get along and live in peace and harmony?

I think Sting’s debut of this song was very taboo, but I applaud him for being courageous enough to come out with this radical song. People were very frightened by the prospect of another World War and there was a lot of hatred towards foreigners. They were anti-Russian, anti-Communist, and anti-foreigner. Sting tries to soothe people by singing about the innocence of sons and daughters, trying to convince them to unite peacefully for their sake. 

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Fear of Ourselves

“Zombies r us” really struck me.  I found this bumper sticker on http://www.zazzle.com/zombies+bumperstickers , and even though there are other quotes such as “I love zombies”, “I hunt zombies” and “In case of zombies, follow me!” I found this one to be the most significant, while the others are more comical.

I feel we have all become zombies.  We live in New York City, a city that is constantly in motion and never sleeps.  Everything is a routine and just like zombies most people don’t think, they just act.  Zombies are constantly chasing the living for their flesh, and humans are constantly on the go to get where they need to be and carry out their day’s functions. We don’t see what is going on around us because we are so busy with our lives.  There are no questions asked.  We see this in Shaun of the Dead, in the opening scene where all the people are mechanized and seen in lines working, they all look alike too. In another scene, Shaun goes out to get a coke and an ice cream cone and he doesn’t notice the zombies on the street.  The streets are obviously wrecked and isolated, but this doesn’t alarm him. What is most shocking is that he doesn’t even notice the blood on the refrigerator door.  This movie is making fun of this state of blindness.  I am not saying we are like this because we choose too, but more because our way of life makes us like this, just like zombies behave the way they do because they have been bitten and can’t really do anything about it. Even though we don’t have a physical transformation, we are acting more or less like a zombie.  This idea is tied to Romero’s criticism of consumerism in Dawn of the Dead.  Dendle says capitalism is fuelled by the need of continual growth.  In the movie the characters decide to take over the mall because they enjoy the pleasures available to them.  They don’t settle for just the essential; they want more, just as zombies want more and more human flesh.

Part of why we are scared when watching a zombie movie is the fear of becoming this “corrupt” unmoral being.  We are scared of what we can potentially become influenced by our environment.  Before being zombies, they are human beings.  Once they become zombies, they act on instincts, primarily the instinct to eat.  Humans have instincts too, but unlike the zombies we have a conscience that prevents us from acting out our instincts (well most people anyway).  We have rules and live under an established system.  Capitalism is what drives the economy, and it is scary to know that under it’s influence we can become mindless and corrupt. Greed is what can make us act out our instincts, just as a bite makes zombies devour humans.  While watching a zombie movie we subconsciously hope we don’t get “bitten” by our society because deep down we don’t want to be this corrupt person, but once bitten “self is lost irrevocably” (Boon pg 35).