So it's been a while since I've written anything academic so I sure hope I sound somewhat smart and that this post makes sense. Yesterday's conversation on politics has stuck with me throughout today. The comment that was made about our personal politics serving as a base for everything we do and is built into our words and actions got me to take a look at myself and ask a few questions: What do I believe? What fuels my thoughts, words, and actions? What do I care most deeply about? Once I answered these questions I was able to answer the following questions: What am I willing to fight for? What political stands am I willing to make? What am I willing and not willing to accept?

It was interesting to see what other people in the class feel strongly about and how they express those emotions. In a world filled with so many people with different backgrounds I don't believe that there can be any two people that have the exact same philosophies on every subject. One of the things I hope to do while I am in this class is to express the what and why of my beliefs without imposing them on anyone. Though I hope to present them in such a way that is not offensive and cultivates understanding it's a little hard to always be politically correct. And maybe being politically incorrect can help us better express what our views are in a positive way. "Hairspray" is an example of this. The film shows some extremes on the subject of segregation and how people may have felt about it in 1963. You had the side that was all for integration and they were presented as open minded, nonjudgemental, and wise. The characters in the film that were pro segregation were presented as conceded, close minded, and stubborn unwilling to change their views. Something I always appreciate in films is when the audience is given the opportunity to sympathize with the antagonist. We were never given the opportunity to do this in "Hairspray." We were thrown into this political debate influencing us to consider only one side of the argument. The viewer comes away with the view that everyone that supports segregation is a stubborn close minded monster. If we don't take the time to understand why someone might believe what they do we will be subject to thinking that anyone who disagrees with you is a horrible person.

I hope that last paragraph made sense. It does to me, but sometimes I feel like whoever reads my posts might finish it thinking to themselves, "What just happened?" What it boils down to is fairness. Am I being fair to those who may not agree with me? Am I being fair to those that do agree with me? Am I presenting my view and ideal in such a way that would not embarrass those who share my beliefs? I have noticed that when someone acknowledges in fairness the other side of belief I much more prone to listening to what they have to say even if I share their belief. I feel like I'm starting to get repetitive.

One more quick note about the movie. I felt like the character development in the film was extremely weak. All of a sudden Tracy, Penny, and Link were these huge advocates of integration. It sort of came out of nowhere for me which was frustrating. Her parents were also this same way. When did everyone become so vocal about integration. I felt like it lacked the roots that were needed for us to believe that Tracy could become this prominent leader in this political stand. A little more character development and a little less making out goes a long way. You can quote me on that if you want. What's funny is that here I am tearing into this movie because they failed to present the opposing side in a fair way and I have also failed to do so in this blog. It just goes to show how easy it is to present your belief without regard for the other, but once we learn to do that our argument becomes that much more powerful. So let me say that the film did have strong points. It presented a story about integration and acceptance of people for who they are rather than their appearance. Of course when the film was made, and even now it is a nonissue because segregation has been done away with. However it touches more on accepting people for who they are. It uses our past mistakes and successes as ways to demonstrate how and why we should be better.

Oh politics, what fun they are!