Political meanings I've gleaned from films

 1) "Anger is more useful than despair" : Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

God, I love this line. I feel as if it directly speaks to me and, what I've been feeling for most of my adulthood. 

In my early years of international development in Monrovia, the city which has taught me so much about everything and defined my politics, I was always angry , frustrated and confused. The dysfunction, toxic politics, nonsensical programmes, and corruption at the big bad UN agency I was working at always frustrated , enraged and confused me. Then, there was this constantly sense of unease, tension and, lack of patience to deal with poor infrastructure: I didn't have 24 hour electricity at one of the first apartments I lived in. It was a limited number of hours and, even then, it was not guaranteed. Nothing really worked (and, still doesn't). Everything had me enraged. I remember writing "Anger is more useful than any other emotion" in my Diary. I would fly off the handle a lot and, I never saw that in a bad way, necessarily. It would always prompt some type of action. 

Thinking about those nascent days and now, I have of course, learned to differentiate flying off the handle from social and political rage, the latter which I always feel. Past two years, this rage has found an outlet in political feminism, protests, reading, articulating political positions, etc. 

I realise my reaction to social problems is always one of anger, seething anger, as opposed to "this is so depressing," a comment you will always find in inane conversations and social media posts with apolitical personalities. 

At least anger will make you take a stand, make you say something, and even do something. Saying you are depressed to injustice is a weak and lame response. 

So, yes, Terminator is absolutely right: anger is more useful than laziness dressed up as a despair. 

2) The Last War and Even If you Don't Fight, You'll Still be Saved : The 100 

During the 1st year of Covid19, during the lengthy lockdowns and, social distancing , so much entertainment was consumed! Kavita and I watched so many series and movies on Netflix, discovered new channels on YouTube. I went down so many rabbit holes on YouTube, I can't even ...believe it. 

So, one of the series Kavita and I became obsessed with was The 100. This is such an entertaining, thrilling and watchable series. The main reason I loved it so much was how relentless the characters are in the face of disasters. From the moment they are dropped back on earth and until the very moment where they have crossed galaxies and arrived in new planet worlds, there is not a minute's break. They change, mature, face each crisis, fuck up so many times but still keep going. Watching this type of apocalyptic entertainment in the middle of a Pandemic and the social misery it exposed, just drove the point home. How life can be an endless nightmare, made hopeful only by a few spots and moments of respite. 

Even more deeply, the never-ending disasters reminded me of the disasters I have faced in my own life and continue to face. You just have to keep going because the shit doesn't stop raining on you. 

I interpreted the Last War as the modern struggle of progressives, of activists, writers, who struggle against oppression and injustice. It always seems those struggling against injustice are such a small band. Moreover, the rest of the population is either asleep, ignorant, brainwashed or gone to the Dark Side. Young idealists often decry the cowardliness , class arrogance, liberal tendencies or moral decay of those who will not come to the Light. 

However futile the struggle might seem, however,  hopeless it might seem, at least we should stop fretting about those who will not join the struggle. Because in the universe of the 100, the during the Last War, whether or not you fought it, you will be saved. Your entire species will join a greater consciousness.