December 20, 2015
Life Is For Everyone or LIFE is a project associated with MiraCosta College of San Diego County,
(web page)
The group has existed in one of the two campuses in Oceanside for several years and has been started last year at the San Elijo Campus (SEC) in Encinitas referred to as LIFE-SEC. It is this new group that this essay is written about and for.
The individual who has been central to this new group is Sally Foster, a recently retired dean of the school, who has arranged access to the facilities and guided the transition from weekly films sponsored by the foreign language department to this new organization. We are similar to the Oceanside group, but independent, allowing this group to be open to defining goals and procedures. This provides the potential to be focused on the demographic of retirees who have an active interest in contributing their own life experiences in a unique venue -- specifically one that is not sponsored by commercial or partisan interests - something more rare than we realize.
Until last year the weekly event that has evolved to LIFE-SEC was mostly free foreign films every other Friday afternoon, which as they say, "what's not to like?" What you are now reading is my own view of what could be valuable, obviously to myself personally, but mainly for others to consider for a larger conversation.
Films as More Than Entertainment:
Movies have been part of our lives from our earliest years, including for all but the oldest of us, television adaptations of the cinematic experience. This has been so ubiquitous that it's like the proverbial fish who don't know they are living in water, as they have nothing to compare it to. Here's a quote from
an article by the writer Matt Taibi that brings this home in discussing something ongoing, the chaos in the middle east and fear of domestic terrorism as a central issue in the coming national elections.
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There are some people now who are urging the media to ignore (a named candidate for the Republican nomination), and simply not cover him. But it's a little late for that.
The time to start worrying about the consequences of our editorial
decisions was before we raised a generation of people who get all of
their information from television, and who believe that the solution to
every problem is simple enough that you can find it before the 21
minutes of the sitcom are over.
Or before we created a world in which the only inner-city black
people you ever see are being chased by cops, and the only Muslims
onscreen are either chopping off heads or throwing rocks at a
barricades.
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My proposal is that films presented by LIFE-SEC be more than commercial products where the main focus is necessarily on maximizing profit, meaning obtaining a mass market, ideally with a lucrative aftermarket. There are many examples where the entertainment can also elicit thought about a social issue that would otherwise not be part of the public's consciousness. In fact, some of the greatest films do both.
"Doctor Strangelove" and "Fail-Safe" in the 1960s both managed to demonstrate the danger of the Cold War becoming a world catastrophe. The former was a mordant comedy, while the latter a realistic drama, yet both have become film classics that had some effect on international policy that hastened dismantling the tripwire to thermo-nuclear war.
Other films are less known, requiring guidance by someone who has explored the subtext and background of the film. My proposal is that the films selected for the LIFE-SEC be "sponsored" by individuals who desire to provide this, both as an introduction and leading a discussion after the showing. The film "Honey" that was shown last week was an example. I happen to have
written an essay that focuses on the social-political issue that parallels this film about assisted suicide. The comments on this website illustrate the type of discussion that would ideally be generated. One of the comments lead to the little known unintended consequences in another country that adopted this law, that I would never have known about but added an entire new dimension to this issue. This subject could be either liberating or depressing to an older audience, which is why the sponsor's introduction will allow self selection among members.
Another illustration of my proposal is the Spanish film, "Butterfly" that is, on the surface, a touching tale of a child and his teacher in his first year of school. The tension in the plot is provided by the political forces that are brought to bear, that happen to be historically accurate -- taking place during the a time of political turmoil that reflected the forces that were to congeal into World War II. The brief text at the beginning is enough to convey the ominous threat, but it takes the research of the sponsor to provide answers to the questions raised about the actual events that were being dramatized.
Taibi's quote referenced above define the norms of passive consumption of entertainment that turn meaningful social challenges into the dramatic tension of a plot, and then provides emotional release that displaces active participation by the viewer, who are the citizenry of a country. In the film "Honey" this was illustrated by the audience wanting to see what the suicidal character would finally do, (the film was inadvertently truncated) as this would have provided closure to go on with one's life. Lost on our generation is the idea that individuals have not only the right -- but the obligation to evaluate questions as meaningful as ease of committing suicide -- whether a given society should strongly discourage it or subtly present it as an acceptable option. The film presents the challenge, but in the democratic ideal, it's the people who should grapple with the solution.
Those past the time of career pressures are an untapped resource, being in the last act of their own personal drama. It can be a time of relaxation and satisfaction, or disappointment over what might have been. Either way, it provides the freedom to think in ways not open to others who are influenced by manifold consequences of "going along."
Lectures with priority to member presentations
What I have presented for the film part of LIFE applies also to lectures. Those who have experience, or have done research and developed original approaches to specific issues should have priority of presentation in this venue, as there are vast resources on the Internet for videoed lectures on any topic by acknowledged experts. Examples are a lecture presented by a Naval Officer who was a consultant for the film, "Top Gun," and an upcoming one by a man who was in the Peace Corp in Nigeria in the 1960s.
Certainly, for discussions on Earthquakes we need a geologist, and on El Nino, an oceanologist such the young woman from Scripps Institute who spoke last week. For other areas, such as dealing with memory decline, the research that exists is influenced by culture, personal experience and a broad range of commercial interests. Unlike geology, there is no settled science among any profession, including physicians, on how to handle this aspect of aging. If a member of LIFE presents his/her proposal for a lecture in a technical area, a version of "affirmative action" should be considered for the benefit of stimulation of intellectual challenges among this age group. .
This new venue for LIFE presents an opportunity to create a structure responsive to the needs of our age, in both senses of the individual and our society. It is for this purpose that I submit this proposal for consideration.
Al Rodbell
AlRodbell.com
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