Steal This Movie

Revolutionary, Liberal, Hippie, Treehugger...I have been given these labels but one type of person or another. In some respects they are probably right. But something that sets me apart for the real people that are labeled these names, is that I won't do anything for a cause. I won't sacrifice my life, my general state of "happiness" for a cause. Now you are probably calling me selfish, but in reality I don't think 1 person can make a difference, I don't think 10 people can, hell, I don't think 1000 people could.

I watched "Steal This Movie" which was a testament to Abbie Hoffman's life. Abbie Hoffman the late-sixties antiwar hero. In a way the movie is inspiring. To so someone who believed in the good of people, believed this could be changed from a grassroots movement. But the movie, inadvertantly, show how fighting the good fight ends up being a waste of time. See, at the end of the movie, Abbie is giving a mvoing speech at another of his trials for protesting. In the speech he relates how he and his fellow "Yippies" stopped a war, put an end to pointless wars like Vietam. That made me pause and wonder what he felt about our current war... well, turns out he died in 89'. So, he never got to witness the disapointment of America engaging, starting another pointless, distructive war.

It just proves to me you can't stop it, war. it is a cycle...you always hear that but it is true. History will forver repeat itself, only the repeated errors will get worse and worse. Abbie went to years and years of hell brought on by goverment spying, only for it to come around again less then 20 years after his death. We didn't learn anything from him or his message. Americans are too complacent to care. Maybe I am just too pessemistic to be a hippie-revolutionary.

The movie also made another brilliant message. Abbie says in the movie that conservatives want to cover everything up, liberals are paralysed because they can see all sides of an argument (which I find to be true for me on some thing). But what I saw of revolutionaries like Hoffman is that they have such high expectations for what life and society could be they can't take the crushing starkness of reality...that government is evil, that most everyday citizens don't care, that people don't want a better world because it would mean change. So these revolutionaries need drugs (illegal and/or perscription) to make there way in a world that doesn't want them.

So, I will have my views, say my peace, correct you misconception....but will try not to sove crap down your throat. I don't want to destroy my life like Hoffman did his for a Country that refuses to agknowledge its problems. More power to people like Hoffman, you have my vote, but I won't join in your ventures.