Innocent Until...Well, You Never Really Know, Right?

There are lots of great movies based around the theme of an individual who has been accused of a crime he or she has not committed: Shawshank Redemption, In the Name of the Father, The Fugitive, The Negotiator just to name a few. The fact of the matter is, when done well, this theme makes for a really good, entertaining movie.

For one thing, the character is someone for whom the audience immediately and inherently has deep and sympathetic feelings. In each of the movies I named, there is someone whose whole life is in the balance, as the accused may never see the outside of a prison again. All freedom (another foundational theme for many great movies) for that individual may be lost.

A few months ago, as Lauren and I were watching Daniel Day-Lewis give a stellar performance in In the Name of the Father, it occurred to me that there is an exorbitant amount of movies with this familiar theme. As I considered this fact further, I suddenly felt as though I understood America's obsession with NOT convicting people of crimes. Sure, we always scream for justice, but that only really refers to justice for the accused.

The truth of the matter is, I agree that it is worse for an innocent person to be found guilty than for a guilty person to be found innocent. After giving this much thought however, I have to wonder if I, too, have been brainwashed by our overly sensitive society - namely Hollywood.

Here though, I must give Hollywood a pass. I do not blame them. As I have already said, this theme both sells well and just plain makes a good movie. Unfortunately, I believe it is quite possible that Hollywood has inadvertantly brainwashed itself and its audience into thinking that virtually no one is guilty unless caught on tape (even then, they may have been forced to commit the crime by their childhood or something else equally ridiculous).

I have heard that our prisons are overfull. Who then is affected by this societal worldview? People in the spotlight. Sure, many people are convicted of and sentenced for crimes everyday. Once an incident is captured by the media however, the mob tries to and far too often succeeds in taking over. Just take a look at how many professional athletes and actors are allegedly caught with DUIs, doing or selling drugs, assaulting people in bars and, well, you get the idea. How many of these individuals end up in prison for more than just an overnight stay?

I admit that I do not have the numbers, but I have observed how excited everyone seems to be when Robert Downey Jr. gets his 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th......... chance; or how quick the media is to point out that the steroid allegations in Major League Baseball have rarely been proven as of yet. If I was caught taking steroids or driving under the influence, a police officer and then court of law would be more than happy to put me in jail for the time allotted for such offenses. I must here make it clear though, that my complaint is not that the authorities are willing to convict me, but that they are so reluctant elsewhere.

I have had arguments with people about the effect of movies, sitcoms, advertisements, etc. on the everyday viewer. I will stick to my beliefs on this one: Rarely does a person come away saying, "Hmm, I have decided to think this now instead of my previous opinion," but the viewer's mindset is always affected by the message unless a conscious thought is made that the show was entertaining, but probably should not be the norm - just watch Everybody Loves Raymond. I completely understand that many households have come to accept life as seen on such sitcoms as normal, but I firmly believe that these disfunctional situations have become more readily accepted as OK by society because of these types of Media. This is why I view Reality TV and sitcoms as evil when taken in by the non-discerning mind.

Should we abandon the outlet movies allow us? Perhaps - though I probably never fully will, and this is not realistic for most of us. What I think EVERYONE needs to do, is to view a movie with the understanding that this is quite possibly a very skewed perspective on the real world - EVEN IF THE MOVIE IS BASED ON A TRUE STORY! Furthermore, even if the movie portrays a given topic in a fair and reasonable manner, the reality for the two or three main characters is the reality for two or three people out of six billion that exist on earth. Just because Dr. Kimball in The Fugitive did not kill his wife, does not mean that even twenty percent of accused murderers are innocent. Again, I do not know the numbers, but it is no coincidence that neither you nor I have ever been accused of such a crime.

All I ask, is that while enjoying your next entertainment venue, that you keep a discerning mind; that you filter out the slants and accidental propaganda (and of course the purposeful propaganda); that if you encounter the same situation Raymond Barone-Romano encounters in a given episode, remember that you have your own conscience and do not have to act similarly; that you appreciate movies for what they are - one individual's viewpoint on a singular situation out of billions, perhaps trillions over the duration of life here on earth.

Happy Birthday!

As I was just looking over the brief blog I wrote a moment ago, I saw the date written at the top, and it read, "May 24th." What do you know? That is the day of Kirk Nathaniel Shockey's 24th birthday! Shows how well prepared I am for every given situation.

Nathaniel, I hope you have a wonderful day. Please know that Lauren and I are always thinking of and praying for you. More than a wonderful day, I hope you have a satisfying and even enjoyable week. Talk to you soon...

Bumper Sticker

I doubt that I will ever stick a piece of adhesive with a message on any part of my car.

However, there is one message that would almost make it worth it:

"Work hard...millions on welfare depend on you."

That pretty much says it all.

The Productivity of the Individual Versus Government

As has become fairly clear in the two blogs I have written to date, I deeply resent the government's arrogance in thinking it can manage my money better than I can. Other than the few necessities - national security, interstates and defending its citizen's rights (which I will not attempt to name here, though I know this is also a point of controversy) among very few others - the government does little (nothing?) good with the money it has taken from its citizens by force. I am no scholar on the matter, but I do understand enough to know that the following excerpt from Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged has profound insights which would do anyone good to hear; especially if the listener believes in our current tax system, or something worse: taking more money yet.
I am amazed at how much sense Rand makes to me. Atlas Shrugged has become something of a 'blankie' to me. I feel as though I want to take it with me everywhere I go, to ward off those who believe that we should leave all responsibility of saving money, healthcare, education, etc. to the wiles of the government. (Incidentally, Howard Roark, who I mentioned in my 20th point in my first blog is from her other book, The Fountainhead.) But enough out of me. I am now going to let Ayn Rand do the talking. The following is taken from chapter 3 of part 2 of Atlas Shrugged:

"When you felt proud of the rail of the John Galt Line," said Francisco, the measured rhythm of his voice giving a ruthless clarity to his words, "what sort of men did you think of? Did you want to see that Line used by your equals - by giants of productive energy, such as Ellis Wyatt, whom it would help to reach higher and still higher achievements of their own?"
"Yes," said Rearden eagerly.
"Did you want to see it used by men who could not equal the power of your mind, but who would equal your moral integrity - men such as Eddie Willers - who could never invent your Metal, but who would do their best, work as hard as you did, live by their own effort, and - riding on your rail - give a moment's silent thanks to the man who gave them more than they could give him?"
"Yes," Reardon said gently.
"Did you want to see it used by whining rotters who never rouse themselves to any effort, who do not possess the ability of a filing clerk, but demand the income of a company president, who drift from failure to failure and expect you to pay their bills, who hold their wishing as an equivalent of your work and their need as a higher claim to reward than your effort, who demand that you serve them, who demand that it be the aim of your life to serve them, unrewarded slave of their impotence, who proclaim that you are born to serfdom by reason of your genius, while they are born to rule by the grace of incompetence, that yours is only to give, but theirs only to take, that yours is to produce, but theirs to consume, that you are not to be paid, neither in matter nor in spirit, neither by wealth nor by recognition nor by respect nor by gratitude - so that they would ride on your rail and sneer at you and curse you, since they owe you nothing, not even the effort of taking off their hats which you paid for? Would this be what you wanted? Would you feel proud of it?"
"I'd blast that rail first," said Rearden, his lips white.
"Then why don't you do it Mr. Reardon? Of the three kinds of men I described - which men are being destroyed and which are using your Line today?"
They heard the distant metal heartbeats of the mills through the long thread of silence.
"What I described last," said Franscisco, "is any man who proclaims his right to a single penny of another man's effort."