The strangest thing just happened
I was foraging for stuff on Morgan Spurlock (whom I suspect is surreptitiously climbing onto my Hero list), and fortuitously stumbled on the blog of the man himself! It’s not hard to find – 3rd hit googling ‘Morgan Spurlock’ – and I couldn’t fathom how I hadn’t sought, and devoured, it sooner. Like, totally awesome. You don’t understand – this is like finding a non-franchise café in Manhattan. Or
Gold.
One of his posts led me to this Times article about his new TV series, 30 Days. And when I got to the para about Mexican village kids coming up to him and telling him ‘I stopped eating Big Macs because of you’, the strangest thing happened – I (sorta) welled up. For all but 2 seconds. (My steadfast devotion to MacDonald’s - and everything else unhealthy, unsustainable and unjust - had nothing to do with it.)
It probably had a lot to do with just having read his groundedly honest, and moving, commencement speech at his alma mater’s class of 2005 graduation. But... it surprised me how much what he’s doing touches me.
I think it’s just a rather overwhelming feeling to see people who still hold on to an idealism that is almost... precious. A kind that spurs them to continue fighting for the truths that a lot of our society denies in the manifest ways of politics, economics, and culture.
One of the things Spurlock said in that speech was:
When you get out in this world, you may encounter prejudice. Unfortunately, some people think of West Virginians as simple mountain folk with hillbilly accents and a taste for squirrel meat. In my case, they are correct. But I also knew that these people didn’t know what was inside of me, and they don’t know what is inside of each and every one of you.
Inside each and every one of us, I believe, are seeds that we hold, and own. Seeds that we can plant. Let’s not waste all this soil we have to do it with.
ao longo de garota a 05:49
4 Comments:
Re: "Supersize Me" - The way I see it, America's obsession with fast food is attributable to its dumbness (the very same one that got a certain president elected for a second term). The facts about fast food being unhealthy have been out there, and they've been out there for decades. They have the total choice of not eating them, but noooo... they can't resist the LDL cholesterol and trans-fat-saturated morsels, and they blame McDonald's for getting them fat and unhealthy. And you know what? These idiots who blame others for not taking care of themselves should just die from their stupidity. It's natural selection that should occur before the human race can grow collectively wiser. Maybe THEN we'll finally have a so-called 'leader of the free world' (*gag*) with an IQ level superior to that of a giant clam.
25/6/05 17:36
Hmmm, giant clam? Have we been watching Family Guy? =P
Yeah, kudos on finding someone that inspires yo! I think it's great what he's doing, and I guess this just goes to show that the power of the media can do just as much good when wielded by the right pple.
I remember screening 'Supersize Me' to the family members so that they could be informed of the health issues related to fast food, it worked brilliantly!
25/6/05 23:47
You can find snow in Singapore. Albeit in an artificially created envirionment (i.e. Fuji Snow City, right next to the Science Center). So... the analogy is that, perhaps, in some artificially created environment in Singapore, you might actually find freedom of speech.
I recently had a very interesting conversation with someone whom I have started to find very inspiring in her own right. And she likened what I wanted to do as social rainmaking. I shall forward you the email that she sent me.
26/6/05 02:20
anon: lol. oh, the eugenics - don't even get me started. though i have to agree about the mollusc-ean IQ.
lemming: indeed! i do find it so encouraging.
rench: i struggle to come to terms with a conception of civil liberties that only makes sense within some kind of removed/isolated social construction. i liked the email though - insightful. :)
27/6/05 01:27
Post a Comment
<< Home