Who Cares?
October 22, 2007
The best movie I’ve ever seen: “Blood Diamond”. Directed by Edward Zwick (Director of “Glory” and “The Last Samurai”) and released in 2006, “Blood Diamond” is a powerful movie based on the true story about the civil war of Sierra Leone in 1999 over diamond fields. The story follows a fisherman (Djimon Hounsou), named Solomon Vandy, whose village is attacked by a savage rebel group. The village people are massacred, women and children alike. Survivors have their arms chopped off to aviod them voting in upcoming elections. Luckily Vandy’s family escapes however, he is dragged away to be a slave of the rebels working in the diamond fields.
While sifting through a river Solomon finds a very large and precious diamond which he hides to keep from the rebel group. The story goes on: Solomon meets up with a mercenary/diamond smuggler Danny Archer played by Leonardo DiCaprio. The two use eachother for their own quests: Solomon trying to reunite with his family and Danny seeking to gain the diamond.
Overall I was profoundly impacted by the portrayl of the atrocities commited in Aftrica by the rebel groups and the failures of an inept government. Before watching the movie I was unaware that there was even a war in this small African country called “Sierra Leone.” Even more I was shocked by the scores of horrible things that have happened there: the massacre of whole villages, children being spared only to be brainwashed and become child soldiers who carry AK-47s and in turn kill others, tightly packed refugee camps made up of thousands of now homeless people, and the complete breakdown of a nation. All of this was so someone could walk into thier local jeweler and buy a diamond wedding ring, or neclace, or earring. After watching this something within me wept for all that happened. Other Americans after seeing the carnage and destruction would be touched after watching this too.
But you know what? Who cares? Honestly, the horrors of what goes on in third world African nations is reported on the news every day but nothing gets done to solve the problems and stop the slaughter of innocent lives. I am reminded by a quote from the movie “Hotel Rawanda”; a journalist says, “People back home will watch this on TV and say, ‘that’s horrible’ and then go back to eating their dinners.” Too many Americans see what happens around the world and do absolutly nothing. Why? Perhaps becuase we don’t care or perhaps becuase we are too lazy. Because the execution of innocent women is too far away and the turning of thousands of 10 year-olds into child soldiers is foreign, we as Americans simply ignore it and as easily as that and our conscious is lifted. “Not my problem” is most likely the dark thought that hides in the back of our minds veiled behind our feigned cries of “that’s horrible.” No, Americans are much more concerned with the price of gas.
That is the real tragedy: millions of innocent people die horrible deaths every day in places just like Sierra Leone and those who have the power to stop it care more about filling up their SUVs and getting home in time to watch the latest episodes of their favorite prime time TV than saving those crying out for help.
i don’t know if that was even readable. but i don’t have the energy to make the effort to spell right. so if it doesn’t make sense skip over it… there are good thoughts in some places.
i’m glad you finally watched it… i honestly couldn’t get up the nerve to watch hotel rwanda because it is to close to home… but i deffinately see where you are coming from. but at the same time after experiencing kenya… i have mixed feelings towards it. as much as i love the idea of everyone giving money and helping africa… i have come into a different view. some cool guy i know helped me see that not all americans are horrible… well totally horrible anyway.
but
why should africa rely on aid from the US. why should it be america to the rescue. why can’t it be south africa to the rescue. what africa needs is africa. when europe carved up africa. they did so without any distinction of people groups. now today’s world is too stubborn to change. a couple of bounary movements and there would be less boodshed. it honestly believe the onlything africa needs is a unified africa. i started thinking about this recently, remembering people saying who is the president of africa, as if it was one thing. however i do realise that all the things i say have been tried and are currently being tried. and i do know its a false hope. but truely my heart goes out to africa… but not in the way of monetary support from the western world. africa doesn’t need westernization, they just think they do. why are we right and them wrong? why can’t we just find our similarities and agree to disagree?
i really like your thought, and glad its being given a thought. so many people see the tradgedies but because they are not their own it has no impact.however for me, my perfect world, africa wouldn’t need the US, they would join together in unity and help each other.