Describe your response to Hotel Rwanda. How has this film affected your view of Africa and its people?
When Hotel Rwanda first came out, I decided not to see it. It isn't that I don't believe such history lessons are important. I do think it is critical that we understand history and work toward eliminating injustice in our world. However, I have a very difficult time watching fellow human beings act in such an evil way on such a massive scale. It is far beyond my understanding to grasp that type of hate. Mob mentality has always bothered me - how a person in power can use it to gain even greater power among other things. I'm also bothered by how easily people can be manipulated as a group when, individually, they would be much
less likely to be controlled. I suppose this is part of the reason I find politics distasteful. (As I'm re-reading this entry, I realize "mob" is not necessarily the correct word. While mobs can be led to act in disturbing ways, mob implies something a little more spontaneous. Genocide and other large-scale acts of aggression against a particular group of people is more organized and controlled than a mob implies. This, I find, disturbs me even more.)
My response to the movie was much as I expected. I cried through most of it. The scene with all the bodies in the road was so disturbing - especially knowing that Paul had been sent there deliberately to teach him a lesson. Equally disturbing is the fact that we (human beings, not just Americans) have allowed genocide to happen time and again while debates go on in general assemblies and council meetings and in offices of power. DEBATES! I cannot fathom how we can sit by and do nothing. We have people in power - people who want to lead and yet, all they can do is talk about how horrible this all is.
Our human need to belong to a group, to create an "us vs. them" situation is understandable from an ethological view. We would never have lasted as a species if we were not able to form these bonds. However, that tendency is no longer working in man's favor. Not only does it lead (not necessarily, of course) to genocide, but it also causes "us" to devalue anyone who is not "us" such that helping becomes less important. How is it possible that I am any more or less valuable than someone who belongs to "them"? Yet, our nature is to count the number of Americans dead or wounded in the Iraqi war but to almost completely ignore the number of Iraqi's dead or wounded. (close to 100,000 dead, by the way - http://www.iraqbodycount.org/) I cannot vouch for that website or that number. However, to me, any number is unacceptable. We are all human beings. My life is not more valuable because I was born in America or because I had more opportunities in life. This makes me want to scream. So, the movie certainly did nothing to help my rather negative view of how we treat each other.
One thing, that has not changed, however, is my view of Africans. I do not believe that Rwandans, Hutus, Tutsis, Africans or any other race of people are predisposed to this level of violence. I believe mobs and groups can be led to this level of violence when conditions are right and leaders are unscrupulous.
3 comments:
"I have a very difficult time watching fellow human beings act in such an evil way on such a massive scale."
I feel the same way. Dr. Jones' Reel World course made me watch wretched films that exposed some of the worst evils of humanity. It's sickening, difficult to watch, and no longer can we live in the state of "ignorance is bliss." Makes us appreciate that America is a great place to live and our problems seem like nothing when compared in perspective.
I'm familiar with the Iraqbodycount.org...for the Iraqis tragedy occurs daily, but when we had the incident at VT, for example, it was a calamity that had our nation in an uproar. Our reaction must seem absurd to the Iraqis.
This was a fantastic blog!
Your post reminded me of a scene in the film when people in the hotel are listening to people on the radio try to define or label what was happening in Rwanda. By politically labeling what was going on in Rwanda as genocide, it meant that the world had to intervene. However, by labeling it differently, the West was "able" to turn its back on the killing. Frustrating.
Hi, I find that many Americans tend to deny, consciously or not, total "personhood" to those they do not understand or who appear to be "the enemy" or even of the same race or nationality of "the enemy." Thus the body counts of the people in the so-called "Evil" places do not register. We're very blind, as a nation, to our own government's doings.
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