The people in the white van come up the street, and Marcus just unplugs his Xbox, isn't it just a waste to send those people out if it's as easy as unplugging an electronic piece to fool them??
Maybe, but it was in the middle of the night, so the likelyhood of people watching their windows at that hour and reacting to what they saw is not too high.
I think that he does go to far. On the other hand, people could say our founding fathers went too far. I think he feels that the circumstances call for large counter measures.
@Megan: Good point! Maybe it's some more of this false security again. Make people feel like there is something to fear and the only safety is with them so they just submit and support them.
I think that it is very easy to fool the people in the vans looking for the X-nets, but it was in the middle of the night. Obviously the government sends out the vans when it wouldn't be an option for people to unplug the X-nets, becuase MOST people will be sleeping. The only reason that Marcus had time to unplug his was because he couldn't sleep.
@Rebecca, that sounds a lot like the struggle in "1984," how they knew that they would get caught eventually but still tried. I think that in this book they should fight because it seems like they know more what they're doing than Winston was.
Great point Jack. I think it is a distinct possibility that the government did this so that they could use it as an excuse to limit privacy. It is one of the only ways that people would be somewhat willing to cooperate.
@Rebecca - I think you should still fight, whether winning is possible or not. You can get your voice heard more than if you were to just talk to your friend and it gives you something to do. And maybe, just maybe you can win...
I think that alot of people live in a "fools paradise" because some people just choose not to know-they don't make the effort to look up the events happening in the world. But, on the other hand, some people choose to know exactly what is happening.
@Rebecca Marcus just wants to cause chaos and catch society's attention and even though he probably will not suceed, it's better than sitting by and watching it all happen.
As humans, we need to have a little bit of security to be able to live. If you really understand what life is, it is hard to continue to live in the face of everything. It is our ability to turn a blind eye that allows us to live. We need that to keep going and to attempt to make the world a better place so that we can be less foolish.
In response to Mrs. Moritz's question, I am extremely lucky to live the life I do. I don't constantly have to worry about my home or self being endangered. So in a way, I am living in a "fool's paradise" because I live in a care-free world. Unlike kids my age who have to take care of their family like what my parents do for me.
i think that there would be different ways to fight... you dont have to fight the way that Marcus does... you can fight in maybe a more effective way. Or maybe a "quieter", less noticed way.
@ Rebecca - I agree with you. Being thrown into the real real world is a bit different than being thrown into a soceity with a police and government. Just a little bit of security...we don't want to become a place where we are being wathched 24/7.
@Rebecca, but in the society in "Little Brother" where the government is trying to make sure that nothing changes, then that security is a little pointless.
people choose to live in a fools' paradise to escape the real world. They live in a different reality mostly because they want to get away from their real life and they want to give themselves a confidence boost.
In Inception, when he goes and meets the chemist the chemist shows him what he uses a compound for every day. It was for the people who come to dream every day because that has become their reality and they think the real world is a dream.
I think that people can ignore reality in the sense that they think differently or not understand things the same as others. However, I don't think that someone can totally blot out reality and sbstitute their own in their mind.
I agree with Mark, that state of mind effects how you see yourself. Each person is their own worst critic, and how you see yourself affects how you act. Each person kind of holds the power to be what they want to, and make it their reality.
@mikaela - I think that this may be the key to keeping your privacy. If yo believe that you are safe or that you have your own personality then you do any you can "win"
@Mikaela Yes, I think that that is part of living in the paradise, you choose to be ignorant or you just are and the people who are just ignorant probably won't know the difference between reality and paradise.
@Zach i think that people can totally blot out the real truth look at the holucost the german people didnt care what had happened it was something that they denied happened
If you think that the definition of terrorist is "to cause terror", than I think Marcus is a terrorist. But if you think a terrorist is supposed to kill people and blow things up, than Marcus is not a terrorist.
I think since Marcus had a personal experience with the DHS he knows the reality of whats going on and he wants to justify the situation. As teenagers we have really strong opinions and beliefs and feel the need to express them. That is just what Marcus is doing, expressing what he thinks is right.
@Maria, I think that Marcus thinks that he is being amazing at rebelling because of everything he posts on the Xnet and going to the illegal rave. But to the government, he's probably just another teenager writing stuff online.
I think that people do make their thoughts a reality. A sibling of mine is not very confident because she compares herself to the best at everything. She always falls short. So why would somebody love her if she is not the best? Maybe she needs to see a false reality.
@Griffin I don't think that all people in Germany denied what happened--maybe in a way they wish it didn't happen so they blocked it out of their minds. I think that anyone can create their own reality, but the outside world always has to influence it somehow.
i think to an extend is what would describe Marcus because yes, he does cause alot of trouble and confusion or more. But Marcus is trying to help and not put these others in danger. He realizes that he needs help, but every person that starts helping him, is in deep danger of dying or being called a terrorist.
I think that Marcus sees himself in a way that no one else does. It goes back to the state of mind idea. I don't think he is in any way like a terrorist and i think he thinks that he is making a bigger effect on people than he truly is. He has realized that his ideas are becoming much bigger, and could potentially be hurting people, but i think his mind exagerates the amound of people he effects.
@Maria Marcus ia a smart boy and I believe he knows that he's not going to win this fight. What he really wants to do is cause society as a whole to rise up against the government. I don't think he sees the rebellion as his actions but as society's.
I think that especially since 9/11, race issues have re-surfaced. I understand what Jolu is saying when he says that he would be thrown in jail before Marcus because the color of his skin. The United States has a long way to go reguarding race issues.
@Mrs. Moritz- I think that Doctorow is trying to say that our world is still similar to the past. There is still part of us that is prejudice. And as far as we like to say that racism is behind us, it isn't. For example, President Obama, so many people judge him on the color of his skin, some say he is a terrorist because of it. The U.S. still has a very long way to go in terms of the racism.
I think the government, in my view, is corrupt in treating different races differently. I know a man, a family friend, who is african american. he was only walking along the street and a policeman pulled over and stopped him and asked for his id and relating papers, then took him back to the police station because of "suspicion". This shocked and offended both him and me and is completely ridiculous how racist and irrelevantly suspicious policemen, also the government can be sometimes. The US has a long way to go until they fix their racism problems.
1. a person, usually a member of a group, who uses or advocates terrorism. 2. a person who terrorizes or frightens others. 3. (formerly) a member of a political group in russia aiming at the demoralization of the government by terror. 4. an agent or partisan of the revolutionary tribunal during the Reign of Terror in France. –adjective 5. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of terrorism or terrorists: terrorist tactics.
I think its really not something you can get away from.... but you can ignore it. You dont have to be like "oh that person..." its hard to do because thats what we are used to.
I think we have made our stareotypes a reality. For example, we see black people in gangs. So, in their societies people do become a part of gangs if that makes sense.
@Griffin But people are disapearing from their families and people are being searched and judged constantly by the government--if Marcus didn't stand up and start a movement, then sooner or later, his society could become similar to the society in 1984.
Highschool isn't ALL about learning acedemics. It also teaches you life lessons like time management, the value of working hard, and how to interact with others. School teaches you much more than how to speak a language, or how to do a math problem.
Being taught something by someone who can force you to improve more than you would push yourself. When you work on your own you tend to not learn as much because you are learing facts. When you come to school you learn how to think and deal with difficult situations that you would avoid if on your own.
@Megan- I completely agree. And mine is: someone who scares/frightens others. @Mikaela- With my definition, I think that Marcus is a terrorist. And there are two sides to every story.
@Mark school teaches us to interact with others. With homeschooling we dont learn those important qualities and that is why school is important in areas other than education.
@Daniel I agree. If someone doesn't graduate from highschool, or they don't attend class, they are given a bad reputation of not being a hard worker...and nobody wants that for themselves. By following society's rules and going to school, we can be accepted better by others.
@Rebecca- I agree 100%... there will always be a winner and a loser in relation to fairness because of the different relations in society. Unless you are a citizen in the perfect communist society there will be differences in point of view and even then there is going to be a leader above with more privileges.
I also agree with Haley. School is definitely one of the most important resources in the development of a child. It teaches us important social skills that prove vital to the future of that child. There is an immediate disadvantage for those who haven't interacted with others for a reasonable amount of time because of the decrease in quality of interaction that they face.
Terrorism is also a term that is open to discussion. For example, I was just at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah where one of my cousins had a film being shown. The film followed a group of people who were part of the E.L.F. (Earth Liberation Front) who were known for using extreme measures to try to get people to open their eyes about the destruction of habitat taking place (one of their acts was the burning of the cabin in Vail). In short terms, one of the men was sentenced to 8 years in a maximum security jail in Iowa which was used to house terrorists because a court had ruled him a domestic terrorist even though nobody was hurt as a result of his actions. This was widely criticized as people did not believe that the punishment fit the crime. This is an example of how the term terrorist is flexible as there is no true concrete limitations for the term.
@Rebecca: I think you must define winning to decide wether or not a fight could be won. For Marcus winning was persuading people to follow him on the X-Net and take small acts against the DHS, which he did do. Even if his ultimate goal of knocking the DHS out of power was a little over his head, but he fought for the little battles he could win hoping to spark his ultimate goal for society. So without him fighting many issues regarding the DHS would not have been brought to peoples attention, therefore if you are fighting for something you believe there is no such thing as not winning, because winning could be knowing you did everything you possibly could for that cause.
@Zach: In your comment about the Proles it sounds like they are of little significance in winning against the authority. But on the contrary the Proles are the only unregulated people that have the impressionistic minds, numbers and amount of unmonitoredness to do anything about the Party. So I think it is interesting how you associate the Proles with the non-fighters of the DHS.
@Emma: Race issues will never cese to exist no matter how hard we try to keep them from occuring one bad apple can spoil the bunch. They just have roots in our world that will never truly be able to be severed, because of common and innocent (they may seem so)stereotypes and the lack of actual contact between and understanding of different types of people.
@Daniel: You are so right; some circumstances do call for larger measures. And that is the beauty of the people that are ready to risk it all, go big or go home for a cause, because then it is apparent that they truly believe in the cause. No one would risk all they have for a cause that meant nothing, so it gets your attention and makes you think maybe you should consider what they have to say. Going what seems to far can be just the right wake up call for people to see what is actually going on and maybe tune in to learn more and then potentially agree.
The people in the white van come up the street, and Marcus just unplugs his Xbox, isn't it just a waste to send those people out if it's as easy as unplugging an electronic piece to fool them??
ReplyDeletewhat if you didnt unplug it in time or didnt know they were coming
ReplyDeleteMaybe, but it was in the middle of the night, so the likelyhood of people watching their windows at that hour and reacting to what they saw is not too high.
ReplyDelete@Mikaela The DHS probably doesn't think that the kids are going to do that...its worth a shot to send somebody around to "protect" the country.
ReplyDeleteI think they were just counting on the fact that he wouldn't think of that or that he wouldn't see the van coming.
ReplyDelete@Mikaela Maybe that's all they can do and they want control of something during the chaos.
ReplyDelete@Mikaela... Maybe someone forgets or doesn't notice when they're coming by.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that Marcus thinks of all the possible outcomes of what he is about to do. Marcus doesn't really think too far into the future.
ReplyDeletethey thought that many people arent smart enough to unplug it or try to in time so they thought that it would be sucessful to track them down that way
ReplyDeleteMessing up everyone's records is a way for them to rebel but in the end it doesn't really change a lot.
ReplyDeleteDoes the fact that you will not win a fight like this mean that you shouldn't fight?
Also, Marcus is extra paranoid because of his encounter with DHS so he is constantly frantic.
ReplyDeleteI think that he does go to far. On the other hand, people could say our founding fathers went too far. I think he feels that the circumstances call for large counter measures.
ReplyDelete@Megan: Good point! Maybe it's some more of this false security again. Make people feel like there is something to fear and the only safety is with them so they just submit and support them.
ReplyDeleteAnd I bet that the DHS did catch some Xnet users that weren't as smart as Marcus to watch the window.
ReplyDeleteWhy would the DHS tetll them to keep their inprisonment a secret if the now the people they are releasing will talk.
ReplyDelete@Rebecca-No. If they don't try to fight back, they will end up like the proles in 1984: subdued, and ignorant.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is very easy to fool the people in the vans looking for the X-nets, but it was in the middle of the night. Obviously the government sends out the vans when it wouldn't be an option for people to unplug the X-nets, becuase MOST people will be sleeping. The only reason that Marcus had time to unplug his was because he couldn't sleep.
ReplyDelete@Rebecca, that sounds a lot like the struggle in "1984," how they knew that they would get caught eventually but still tried. I think that in this book they should fight because it seems like they know more what they're doing than Winston was.
ReplyDeleteGreat point Jack. I think it is a distinct possibility that the government did this so that they could use it as an excuse to limit privacy. It is one of the only ways that people would be somewhat willing to cooperate.
ReplyDelete@Rebecca - I think you should still fight, whether winning is possible or not. You can get your voice heard more than if you were to just talk to your friend and it gives you something to do. And maybe, just maybe you can win...
ReplyDeleteI think that alot of people live in a "fools paradise" because some people just choose not to know-they don't make the effort to look up the events happening in the world. But, on the other hand, some people choose to know exactly what is happening.
ReplyDeleteYes because we don't expect that anything will happen when there is a good chance something bad will.
ReplyDelete@Garrett they tell them to keep quiet because the fear of what will happen to them when they talk is enough
ReplyDelete@Rebecca Marcus just wants to cause chaos and catch society's attention and even though he probably will not suceed, it's better than sitting by and watching it all happen.
ReplyDelete@ Megan - I agree, he just wants to get his word out there, whether the world will be forever changed or not.
ReplyDeleteAs humans, we need to have a little bit of security to be able to live. If you really understand what life is, it is hard to continue to live in the face of everything. It is our ability to turn a blind eye that allows us to live. We need that to keep going and to attempt to make the world a better place so that we can be less foolish.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Mrs. Moritz's question, I am extremely lucky to live the life I do. I don't constantly have to worry about my home or self being endangered. So in a way, I am living in a "fool's paradise" because I live in a care-free world. Unlike kids my age who have to take care of their family like what my parents do for me.
ReplyDeletei think that there would be different ways to fight... you dont have to fight the way that Marcus does... you can fight in maybe a more effective way. Or maybe a "quieter", less noticed way.
ReplyDelete@ Rebacca we dont really need security you just need to think you have sequrity
ReplyDelete@ Mikaela.. What do you mean "it gives you something to do"?
ReplyDelete@ Rebecca - I agree with you. Being thrown into the real real world is a bit different than being thrown into a soceity with a police and government. Just a little bit of security...we don't want to become a place where we are being wathched 24/7.
ReplyDelete@Rebecca, but in the society in "Little Brother" where the government is trying to make sure that nothing changes, then that security is a little pointless.
ReplyDeleteThe ability to ignore reality depends on the person.
ReplyDeleteIs there something that Marcus gets out of the act of rebellion that ecourages him to keep fighting even though he probably won't win?
ReplyDeletepeople choose to live in a fools' paradise to escape the real world. They live in a different reality mostly because they want to get away from their real life and they want to give themselves a confidence boost.
ReplyDelete@ Maria - Rather than just sit around and abide by the society's rules which you don't agree with. You put yourself out there and voice your opinons.
ReplyDeleteIn Inception, when he goes and meets the chemist the chemist shows him what he uses a compound for every day. It was for the people who come to dream every day because that has become their reality and they think the real world is a dream.
ReplyDelete@ Eric - Could they be living in a fools' paradise and no even know it?
ReplyDeleteI think that people can ignore reality in the sense that they think differently or not understand things the same as others. However, I don't think that someone can totally blot out reality and sbstitute their own in their mind.
ReplyDelete@ Rebecca - do you mean like a postive result that pushes you to do more?
ReplyDelete@Rebecca Marcus wants revenge on the DHS for Daryl's death. By causing the DHS confusion he feels like he's fulfilling his "duty"
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mark, that state of mind effects how you see yourself. Each person is their own worst critic, and how you see yourself affects how you act. Each person kind of holds the power to be what they want to, and make it their reality.
ReplyDelete@ Holly - What do you mean by "it depends on the person"? How could it?
ReplyDelete@mikaela - I think that this may be the key to keeping your privacy. If yo believe that you are safe or that you have your own personality then you do any you can "win"
ReplyDelete@Mikaela
ReplyDeleteYes, I think that that is part of living in the paradise, you choose to be ignorant or you just are and the people who are just ignorant probably won't know the difference between reality and paradise.
@Zach i think that people can totally blot out the real truth look at the holucost the german people didnt care what had happened it was something that they denied happened
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of perception.. How do you think Marcus thinks he is doing when it comes to rebelling against the DHS?
ReplyDeleteIf you think that the definition of terrorist is "to cause terror", than I think Marcus is a terrorist. But if you think a terrorist is supposed to kill people and blow things up, than Marcus is not a terrorist.
ReplyDeleteTerrorists don't necessarily have to kill people to get classified as one.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't put him on the same level as a terrorist. The jammers had a choice to follow him. He was trying to bring down the DHS, not cause terror.
ReplyDeleteHe is not intending to cause terror in these kids. They are not afraid.
ReplyDeleteHe is not causing terror, merely showing people the terror they should have felt from the attack....
I think since Marcus had a personal experience with the DHS he knows the reality of whats going on and he wants to justify the situation. As teenagers we have really strong opinions and beliefs and feel the need to express them. That is just what Marcus is doing, expressing what he thinks is right.
ReplyDelete@Maria, I think that Marcus thinks that he is being amazing at rebelling because of everything he posts on the Xnet and going to the illegal rave. But to the government, he's probably just another teenager writing stuff online.
ReplyDeleteI think that people do make their thoughts a reality. A sibling of mine is not very confident because she compares herself to the best at everything. She always falls short. So why would somebody love her if she is not the best? Maybe she needs to see a false reality.
ReplyDelete@Griffin I don't think that all people in Germany denied what happened--maybe in a way they wish it didn't happen so they blocked it out of their minds. I think that anyone can create their own reality, but the outside world always has to influence it somehow.
ReplyDeletei think to an extend is what would describe Marcus because yes, he does cause alot of trouble and confusion or more. But Marcus is trying to help and not put these others in danger. He realizes that he needs help, but every person that starts helping him, is in deep danger of dying or being called a terrorist.
ReplyDeleteIm confused as to what Xnet is. Is it an application on the Xbox?
ReplyDeleteI think that Marcus sees himself in a way that no one else does. It goes back to the state of mind idea. I don't think he is in any way like a terrorist and i think he thinks that he is making a bigger effect on people than he truly is. He has realized that his ideas are becoming much bigger, and could potentially be hurting people, but i think his mind exagerates the amound of people he effects.
ReplyDeleteI dont think that Marcus is a terrorist hes just a dumb kid that thinks hes a rebel
ReplyDelete@Griffin-
ReplyDeleteGood point. Some people choose to ignore what's happened because it's a disturbing subject to think about.
@Maria - Marcus has gotten farther than he thought he would go, but compared to DHS, I think Marcus is still minimal.
ReplyDelete@Maria Marcus ia a smart boy and I believe he knows that he's not going to win this fight. What he really wants to do is cause society as a whole to rise up against the government. I don't think he sees the rebellion as his actions but as society's.
ReplyDeleteWhite people will be the minority by 2035.
ReplyDelete@ Griffin - but is he causing terror? What's the definition of a "terorrist"?
ReplyDeleteI'm Mormon and because people don't understand our doctrine they think we are weird and treat us differently for it.
ReplyDelete@ Garrett ya and in some places white people already are
ReplyDelete@Griffin so do you think it would be smarter for Marcus to walk away and just ignore the DHS?
ReplyDelete@ Haley - I believe so. He just uses the Xbox to get the signal for the Xnet network.
ReplyDeleteI think that especially since 9/11, race issues have re-surfaced. I understand what Jolu is saying when he says that he would be thrown in jail before Marcus because the color of his skin. The United States has a long way to go reguarding race issues.
ReplyDelete@Mrs. Moritz-
ReplyDeleteI think that Doctorow is trying to say that our world is still similar to the past. There is still part of us that is prejudice. And as far as we like to say that racism is behind us, it isn't. For example, President Obama, so many people judge him on the color of his skin, some say he is a terrorist because of it. The U.S. still has a very long way to go in terms of the racism.
@ Megan - it would be smarter to walk away, but it won't get Marcus' words out.
ReplyDelete@ Meagan maybe it would get rid of the feeling of being watched because he would have nothing to hide
ReplyDeleteLike Daniel said in the first discussion racial profiling is very prevalent.
ReplyDeleteI think the government, in my view, is corrupt in treating different races differently. I know a man, a family friend, who is african american. he was only walking along the street and a policeman pulled over and stopped him and asked for his id and relating papers, then took him back to the police station because of "suspicion". This shocked and offended both him and me and is completely ridiculous how racist and irrelevantly suspicious policemen, also the government can be sometimes. The US has a long way to go until they fix their racism problems.
ReplyDelete@Mikaela-
ReplyDeleteter·ror·ist
/ˈtɛrərɪst/[ter-er-ist]
–noun
1.
a person, usually a member of a group, who uses or advocates terrorism.
2.
a person who terrorizes or frightens others.
3.
(formerly) a member of a political group in russia aiming at the demoralization of the government by terror.
4.
an agent or partisan of the revolutionary tribunal during the Reign of Terror in France.
–adjective
5.
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of terrorism or terrorists: terrorist tactics.
I think its really not something you can get away from.... but you can ignore it. You dont have to be like "oh that person..." its hard to do because thats what we are used to.
ReplyDeleteI think we have made our stareotypes a reality. For example, we see black people in gangs. So, in their societies people do become a part of gangs if that makes sense.
ReplyDelete@Griffin But people are disapearing from their families and people are being searched and judged constantly by the government--if Marcus didn't stand up and start a movement, then sooner or later, his society could become similar to the society in 1984.
ReplyDelete@ Emily B. - With that definiion...do you think Marcus is a terrorist? Because it says to where: blow things up and kill people...
ReplyDelete@Emily although there is a definition of a terrorist, we all have our own ideas of what makes a terrorist.
ReplyDeleteHighschool isn't ALL about learning acedemics. It also teaches you life lessons like time management, the value of working hard, and how to interact with others. School teaches you much more than how to speak a language, or how to do a math problem.
ReplyDelete@Emma I think that standing up to the gov. makes those things happen the movement is a threat to the government
ReplyDeleteWe have to go to school and this is a convenient way to get it done.
ReplyDeleteWe have to come to school or else we get in trouble. We can do things online but that costs money. We are in school because that is the expectation.
ReplyDelete@Emma, that is totally true! School teaches you, literally almost, how to live and thrive in the real world.
ReplyDeleteBeing taught something by someone who can force you to improve more than you would push yourself. When you work on your own you tend to not learn as much because you are learing facts. When you come to school you learn how to think and deal with difficult situations that you would avoid if on your own.
ReplyDelete@ Garrett - What do you mean by "convienent"?
ReplyDelete@Megan-
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. And mine is: someone who scares/frightens others. @Mikaela- With my definition, I think that Marcus is a terrorist. And there are two sides to every story.
@Mark school teaches us to interact with others. With homeschooling we dont learn those important qualities and that is why school is important in areas other than education.
ReplyDeleteSchool is there to teach you knowledge, and other life skills like interaction, hard work, etc.
ReplyDelete@Emma - I agree. If you learned on a computer what life skills would you get??
ReplyDeleteLast thoughts...shut down and put away. I will check them
ReplyDelete@Daniel i think that a teenager is steroetyped to be in school so when we dont want to go to school we get thrown in a group labled slackers
ReplyDelete@Daniel I agree. If someone doesn't graduate from highschool, or they don't attend class, they are given a bad reputation of not being a hard worker...and nobody wants that for themselves. By following society's rules and going to school, we can be accepted better by others.
ReplyDelete@Kelsie-
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. However, that's not why we get out of bed in the morning.
I agree that grades are sometimes unfair, and not always based completely on how inteligent you are.
ReplyDeleteFairness is a relative term. Everyone has a different view of what is fair. You just have to deal with the results
ReplyDelete@Rebecca- I agree 100%... there will always be a winner and a loser in relation to fairness because of the different relations in society. Unless you are a citizen in the perfect communist society there will be differences in point of view and even then there is going to be a leader above with more privileges.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Haley. School is definitely one of the most important resources in the development of a child. It teaches us important social skills that prove vital to the future of that child. There is an immediate disadvantage for those who haven't interacted with others for a reasonable amount of time because of the decrease in quality of interaction that they face.
ReplyDeleteTerrorism is also a term that is open to discussion. For example, I was just at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah where one of my cousins had a film being shown. The film followed a group of people who were part of the E.L.F. (Earth Liberation Front) who were known for using extreme measures to try to get people to open their eyes about the destruction of habitat taking place (one of their acts was the burning of the cabin in Vail). In short terms, one of the men was sentenced to 8 years in a maximum security jail in Iowa which was used to house terrorists because a court had ruled him a domestic terrorist even though nobody was hurt as a result of his actions. This was widely criticized as people did not believe that the punishment fit the crime. This is an example of how the term terrorist is flexible as there is no true concrete limitations for the term.
ReplyDeleteBy the way the movie was named "IF a Tree Falls". :)
ReplyDelete@Rebecca: I think you must define winning to decide wether or not a fight could be won. For Marcus winning was persuading people to follow him on the X-Net and take small acts against the DHS, which he did do. Even if his ultimate goal of knocking the DHS out of power was a little over his head, but he fought for the little battles he could win hoping to spark his ultimate goal for society. So without him fighting many issues regarding the DHS would not have been brought to peoples attention, therefore if you are fighting for something you believe there is no such thing as not winning, because winning could be knowing you did everything you possibly could for that cause.
ReplyDelete@Zach: In your comment about the Proles it sounds like they are of little significance in winning against the authority. But on the contrary the Proles are the only unregulated people that have the impressionistic minds, numbers and amount of unmonitoredness to do anything about the Party. So I think it is interesting how you associate the Proles with the non-fighters of the DHS.
ReplyDelete@Emma: Race issues will never cese to exist no matter how hard we try to keep them from occuring one bad apple can spoil the bunch. They just have roots in our world that will never truly be able to be severed, because of common and innocent (they may seem so)stereotypes and the lack of actual contact between and understanding of different types of people.
ReplyDelete@Daniel: You are so right; some circumstances do call for larger measures. And that is the beauty of the people that are ready to risk it all, go big or go home for a cause, because then it is apparent that they truly believe in the cause. No one would risk all they have for a cause that meant nothing, so it gets your attention and makes you think maybe you should consider what they have to say. Going what seems to far can be just the right wake up call for people to see what is actually going on and maybe tune in to learn more and then potentially agree.
ReplyDelete