Michelle and social consciousness

[SNY]

I'm not sure where I should put this thread but here is as good a place as any. As we all know, Michelle will soon be entering college. She has primarily focused on her skating up until now and college will be a very exciting change for her. For Michelle, as for many other students, college will probably represent a significant leap in one's intellectual development and an expansion of one's understanding of society and of the world in general. In college, one can fully experience the joys of intellectual discipline and humanistic scholarship. College is also the place where one can increase the level and scope of one's social consciousness --- an understanding of how society works, why society is structured the way it is, an awareness of the causes of social injustices. If you have any experiences that you found particularly moving and which you believe increased your social consciousness, why not share them with Michelle and others here at the MK Forum. These may include courses of study, authors/books that you've read, magazines/journals, films or any other experiences that you may have had. And this need not be confined to social consciousness of American society. For example, it could be a book/movie you read/seen that described the impact of colonialism on a third world country.

[SNY]

Of the many movies I've seen in the past several years, two extraordinarily moving films really stand out in my mind. To me, they both address the question of how parents can help their children develop a social conscience -- how to respond in the face of social injustice. The first is the South African film "A World Apart" directed by Chris Mengis and starring Johdi May and Barbara Hershey. The story is told through the perspective of a 13 year old girl (Johdi May in an amazing performance), whose parents are white anti-Apartheid activists. At first, the girl is confused and resentful of her parents' activities. Then through a series of transforming events, the girl realizes her own responsibility to the society in which she lives. The second movie is the American film "Running On Empty", directed by Sidney Lumet and starring River Phoenix, Christine Lahti and Judd Hirsch. The story revolves around two anti-Vietnam-war activists (Lahti and Hirsch) who are on the run from the FBI due to their anti-war activities in the 1960's. Their son (Phoenix) has grown up living their secretive and nomadic life. The parents finally realize that they can no longer subject their son to the sacrifices that an underground existence entails. By mutual consent between parents and son, they cut him loose from the embrace of the family. The parents hope that they have done all they can to foster in their son a strength of character that comes from living a principled life. They are confident that he will find his way in the world. The final parting scene in the movie with the Cat Stevens song in the background is really moving. Has anyone else seen these two movies.. If not, they are out on video tape. I highly recommend them.

[SNY]

I hope Michelle spends some time in college exploring her Chinese heritage. I think this will prove to be one of the most rewarding things that she will ever do. Some areas she can explore include Chinese poetry from the Tang and Sung Dynasties, which represent the golden age of Chinese poetic expression and sensibility. Then there are the great novels of classical Chinese literature, including "Dream of the Red Chamber", "Journey To The West", "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "The Scholars", and "Water Margin". Another important topic is the history of modern China. A really good introductory book (and also humanistic scholarship at its finest) is Lucien Bianco's "Origins of the Chinese Revolution: 1915 - 1949". The following books also represent path-breaking scholarship in their respective areas: Jean Chesneaux - "Peasant Revolts in China: 1840 - 1949" Chow Tse-Tsung - "The May Fourth Movement: Intellectual Revolution in Modern China" Maurice Meisner - "Li Ta-Chao and the Origins of Chinese Marxism" Olga Lang - "Pa Chin and His Writings: Chinese Youth Between the Two Revolutions" John Israel - "Student Nationalism in China: 1927 - 1937" Richard Wilson - "The Long March, 1935: The Epic of Chinese Communism's Survival" Iris Chang - "The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II" William Hinton - "Fanshen: A Documentary of Revolution in a Chinese Village" Agnes Smedley - "Portraits of Chinese Women in Revolution" Michelle can also read some of the great writers of 20th century Chinese literature -- authors like Lu Hsun, Pa Chin, Mao Tun, Ding Ling, Tsao Yu and Shen Tseng-Wen, who wrote movingly of life amidst war and social revolution in her ancestral homeland.

[adidaschik]

i think that is a great idea. that's what i want to do when i get in college. only i am japanese. i want to learn the language and travel to japan. but i also want to learn other languages too like mandarin, korean, vietnamese, taiwanese...well guess i'd better take it one at a time huh? :-) well...sayonara!

[SNY]

Here are some more highly recommended films: (1) "The Apu Trilogy" directed by India's great humanist filmmaker Sanyajit Ray. When I first saw these three films, I was overwelmed by the poetic and humane vision of Ray's portrayal of an ordinary family in India. Ray has subsequently produced a body of work that ranks among the greatest in the history of world cinema, but this early masterpiece remains my all-time favorite. (2) "Phantom India" by the French filmmaker Louis Malle. This monumental, 9 part documentary covers virtually every aspect of Indian life from politics and religion to culture (music, dance, etc.). This is an absolutely fascinating introduction to that vast subcontinent and ancient civilization. (3) Among China's 'fifth generation' filmmakers, the two most well known in the West are Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou. In spite of the critical acclaim of their later works, I am still most impressed by their early masterpieces: Chen's "Yellow Earth" and Zhang's "Red Sorghum". (4) "The Spring River Flows East" is a classic of 1940's Chinese cinema. I was lucky enough to catch a rare showing of this epic of the Sino-Japanese War and its aftermath. (5) Xie Tieli's "Early Spring". This Chinese movie, in my opinion, is the best depiction on film of the process by which an intellectual's world view becomes radicalized. It is the story of an urban teacher in 1930's China who accepts a teaching post deep in the Chinese countryside. After he arrives, the teacher is gradually confronted with the terrible waste of human potential that stems from China's old feudal social system, and he is radicalized in the process.

[GinnySmith]

One of my favorite books ever is "The Good Earth" by Pearl Buck. Michelle has probably read this one already. My first exposure to it was in high school, from which I graduated in 1968...(yeh, I know, a long time ago). But it really made an impression on me. So if she hasn't read it yet, I hope she will....

[kacy]

Good lord! Do you know that those books (especially around 1950) dipict lots of communism. I would think twice about the advices here about modern Chinese books.

[SNY]

Kacy, The Chinese history books are neither pro nor anti-communist. They are written by well-respected professional historians. The reason why some of the books have "marxism" and "communism" in their titles is because marxism and communism, whether you like them or not, are central to the history of modern China.

[Marcella]

I would recommend the Tao Te Ching (I hope that's right) by Lao Tzu (I hope that's right too). There are very beautiful and inspirational words in there that could help in skating and in life. The words are as beautiful as her skating.