Last night, I went to see the movie Hotel Rwanda. My "date" for the event stood me up, but this is par for the course with this particular acquaintance of mine; in fact it was expected. Which is why I picked a film I really wouldn't mind seeing alone, and yes I do have a hang up about going to the movies alone.
As I sat down, I realized I was the only one there. During the previews, two couples came in, not together. Neither held hands, or leaned into each other. I noticed this because watching Regal's "The Twenty" is about as mind numbing as an experience as you can get, with or without the use of Tylenol pm.
The movie is about a man's struggle to save his family and several other people as we, the members of the UN, left his country in the hands of genocide. You probably haven't even heard of what happened in Rwanda, the UN commander stationed in Rwanda summed it up best when he told our hero, "You are dirt, don't you get it? We, the west, the ones you look up to, don't care about you because you are black. You are worse, you are African; not even a nigger." Of the whole film I will remember that line the most. It was not said in hate, the UN commander had just received his orders to get the white people out and then reduce UN troops to 300 for the whole country.
It was fitting the seats were empty, we didn't care then and why should we care now? However, isn't this the exact reason we have a UN? My elephant friends will talk about not getting involved in a country's civil war, after all what would have happened if someone was involved in ours? Well, I'd like to first point out that in our first civil war others were involved, such as France. (I'll give you a moment to realize I'm speaking of 1776 here, and see it as a civil war from England's standpoint). Next, at what point does genocide become acceptable? The Civil War (notice the caps there, with me?) was not us killing someone because of the color of their skin, and if you know your history you would know the race issue with only the excuse.
Still, the Rwanda case is different from a civil war. The UN brokered a peace agreement, and the day after it was signed, Rwanda's president was killed. The UN then pulled out. The root cause of the hatred was even caused by western control. Yet we allowed more than 1,000,000 to be slaughtered in a method that would raise the hair on a Nazi's neck.
Aside from the political, there was something else I will take from the movie. Everything our hero did seemed right and natural to me. All of his actions to risk himself and save his family as well as the others with him were in line with the choices I would have made. I'd would like to think that if I were placed in a situation as hard, I would be able to do the same. I do not know if the outcome would be the same, but it is oddly comforting to know how I would handle things. I do not mean to sound arrogant in that statement, though I doubt it can be helped. I'm just sure in myself that I am the one to count on in a crisis.
Go see the movie. Hitch can wait.
Posted By Mike On Thursday, February 24, 2005
Filed under politics review movies |
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