The World’s Problems

It’s Monday afternoon and I’m still not 100%, but feeling better than I was nonetheless. I foolishly thought I could head off to work today, but after an hour or so of people telling me how terrible I looked, I took the hint and came home. It’s been a fairly good afternoon on the couch, watching television and reading.

I watched Hotel Rwanda, a terrific film. It’s the third time I’ve seen this film and it still resonates with me. To quote a previous post on this… I’ve seen this film twice now and it’s one which continues to resonate with me for lots of reasons. One of which is that, like most people in Australia, I was only vaguely aware of some of the details surrounding the Rwandan genocide. I didn’t understand the impact colonialism had on causing long-term problems in the country. I didn’t realise the slaughter was as great as it was. I’m still thinking about it and wondering what Rwanda is like now. For how long will the aftermath of the genocide be with the people? This is a great film. Very watchable and ultimately achieving a lot… even if some reviews have wanted, in an abysmally middle class PC kind of way, to say “it’s just so Hollywood”. .

I also spent an hour or so re-reading Susan Faludi’s seminal feminist work, Backlash – The Undeclared War Against Women. Fifteen years since its release it was interesting/sad to read that much of her optimism for the 90s has failed to manifest itself. All of the issues she wrote about back then, such as the media’s portrayal of women and notions that you can’t have it both ways are still with us now. I think it would be interesting if she wrote a new book or a revised and updated version of this highly readable work.

Anyway, back to the couch.