Random Thoughts on the Movie Lord of War

Act II

Once upon a time, I was driving on I-15 at San Bernardino county, California. They have a cool radio station there at 96.7. It was shortly after 9/11, and the U.S. was about to attack Afghanistan. The two hosts of the morning show were talking about how these guys in Afghanistan were just intrinsically wrong since they were forcing men who naturally lacked a beard to put on fake ones. One of the hosts stated that a lot of things might be attributed to cultural differences, but the other immediately added that we should also ask 'who' created the culture. This last comment of his seemed to be a very rational one, and I have, since then, used that as a parameter (among others) when I tried to understand a particular culture. I came to agree that it was the Afghans who created such a culture which was nowhere else to be seen in the Islamic world. After when I watched the movie 'Lord of War,' I applied the same process to the current state of the world. The world as it is today is a battle zone for many people around the world, and the countries mentioned at the beginning of the movie 'Lord of War' very much intend to keep it that way - since warlords cannot exist without wars.

I wonder which is worse. A culture which forces men who lack a natural beard to put on fake one; or one that applies official and unofficial policies which will lead to more money - and brutal deaths of innocent people around the world?

Act III

Some people start sentences with phrases like 'When we built this country,...', when, in fact, they did not build anything. Then what does that 'we' imply? Most probably, they mean their ancestors, not themselves - if the ancestors in question are really theirs and not their neighbors', of course.

It was obviously all there long before they were born, but that doesn't stop them from imagining their heads in the clouds. Just like Agent Valentine, they are very much fond of associating themselves with 'the good', which is everything every single country/religion/faction in the world claims to stand for. But everybody needs to feel important - even in a dream world.

I wonder what they would have built if they were born in, for example, Liberia.

Act IV

We just pretend. We shed a tear when we see innocent people being killed, as was the case when a woman and her child were beaten to death in the movie 'Lord of War'. Since very few people would consider themselves evil, we just pretend to be good. Thanks to that very important teardrop or two, as well as the $20 bills that we may happen to donate from time to time, we can sleep peacefully at night considering ourselves noble.

Human nature is doomed with ignorance of the pains of others we hardly have any relationship with.