Sunday, July 19, 2009
You Win This Round Kevin Costner
We randomly found the movie Swing Vote on TV tonight. I remember when it came out and also remember having no real desire to see it, haha. But it actually was very entertaining and at times, quite funny. I've never been much of a Kevin Costner fan but he grew on me in this film and I actually found him quite believable as a redneck schmuck. The overall feeling I got from the film was a bit depressing though because what it reminded me of was how lacking in morals and self-serving most people are. It occurred at various levels throughout the film but the one thread that connected all the adult chracters was their need for power and their willingness to trade in an moral fiber they once had to obtain it. In some ways it was done for laughs but it was certainly satire for laughs and sadly, we see it every day. We seem to see it most often in people running for political office and those in the media. I'm sure it's only because those are fields of work that are more visible than most. But it's just so disheartening.
Why are so many people willing to lie... willing to present themselves in a completely contrary way to who they would otherwise seem to be in order to get ahead? Is it worth it? I guess that's the question each of us faces when certain moments in our lives arrive and ask us to announce to others who we are. Some seem to have no conscious whatsoever. Some go along for a while until the guilt eats away at them and they stop. It almost seems surprising when someone chooses the path that doesn't result in a job promotion, some monetary compensation, or the praise and admiration of people that if we thought about it, we probably wouldn't care about in another situation in order to maintain their dignity and uphold their moral code. Where am I going with this? I'm not sure. I guess I'm just thinking aloud. And maybe wishing that the good people 'won' a bit more often.
