To my sweet Trump loving friends, it is so sad to see you so far gone. Ever think on a past missed opportunity in life as a heavy weight, a mistake that pulled you back somehow as a person? Slow and steady you can guide yourself to truth and a noble nature. In darkness there is always the gift of repentance’s light. Such humility is lacking in a society where militia protest armed in capitol buildings. In this awful month of March 2020, I finally got around to watching Green Book. An epic film that embraces time and situation, defining both gentlemen linked to the underlining theme; what is my worth? And what is the worth of this nation that hasn’t taken all the bold steps needed to eliminate the virus not to mention the modern take on segregation? The ghettoizing of health care and the environment.
Green Book is a masterpiece on emotion and reasoned drama. Ultra-realism immersed in the art of being human, showing your weakness to another in slow steady confidence, seeing full well with respect and grand admiration at honest struggle. Its striking contrasting now as groups run amok protesting closures unprotected for a short-term gain that could lead to tripling the time in damage. One can easily see the similarities in dystopian anger toward an emergency that should only last a few months if proper testing contact tracing and health care PPE is provided. But this time its not just Black people, now its all you feeble as well as the so-called essential worker. Green Book’s segregation is today’s negligent unprotection, abandonment, even distain for those without means or practical clarity.
The thrill ride toward ultimate action embedded in Green Book’s story makes the film the rightful best picture over A Star is Born who denied us a proper ending of the last song and Bohemian Rhapsody, the more entertaining of the three in 2019 didn’t have the subtle timing throughout its story as was due. You ‘all gotta get out of TV land and embrace film framing. Let scenes breathe for art and love’s sake. Green Book could have been a lot better if the landscapes and sounds were more absorbed into the fabric of the theme, so rich and earnest.
Coming out of a full-blown constitutional crisis, certain epiphanies appear in the social political atmosphere, one is the lack of focus and clarity in overall messaging. The media is not focusing on the need for all the steps to be taken during an emergency whatever the news is that needs to be questioned and answered repeatedly. What do we need now to save lives? What issue should and must be understood completely? What do we need to do now to save our democracy and our lives? Even king Cuomo dismisses the need for PPE, poo pooing the work of hospitals and senior homes that don’t reach out to him with their needs. This lacks the reasoned regulations required with full inspections of hospitals that should get fined if warranted. Congress throwing money to the states feels like the south won son. Do we need a Green Book guide of free test sites and a road map to inspector general scandals?
Like the Piano man played so eloquently and truthful by Mahershala, progressives have never stressed their most glaring asset, the rise of a powerful middle class especially facing rising health care and higher taxes because of the trump administration. Biden’s central message should be the amount of money the middle class will save. Biden must tout the amount of money his plans would save middle class families and, tax deductions that can not only return to where they were before trump but be added to generously. Environmental incentives, rent control, small business assistance, inclusionary zones and other tax breaks can also help his case. How ironic that democratic policies are described as tax increasing by republicans when they all are centered toward saving families money. Biden should say all families who make under say 200 thousand a year stand to save money? Lots of people like Mortenson’s character are going die in this fiasco response to healing the masses, blocking and, tackling the virus.
And even as Don Shirley and Tony went into the south for their own honor and sense of justice so to should we move forward as progressive democrats ready to implement all that is needed to bring contentment. Congress should open investigations for the sake of history, to at the very least have our objections written, and listed.
Let us not also forget all those we have turned our backs to; immigrants, dissidents and rebel fighters like the Kurds and Syrians making our approach inhumane in the face of our capabilities. The need for diplomacy should always be the aspiration of any foreign policy but to allow unchecked criminal cruelty and violence against the oppressed is to negate the existence of any defense. Progressives likewise should embrace dissidents with a vow of support financially if not militarily.
Green Book teaches us, we must all repent for our honor and meaning in life as well as face our fears for justice. Even those that still support Trump can come to understand the blatant negligence to say the least. How many will die because of this mistake? Take a breath in and say enough is enough. Let us return to first world status again. LURTFWSA.
