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chaloobi
SFN Regular
1620 Posts |
 Posted - 01/06/2009 : 07:19:54
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I watched the beginning and end of this movie last night (I fell asleep for the middle) and wondered what skeptics might be thinking about it and its themes. Some thoughts of my own:
#1. It's visually beautiful and very true to Dr. Seuss's style.
#2. The story's about faith, trust, devotion, tolerance and forgiveness and is overall very positive.
#3. I think it can be seen as encouraging theistic faith on the one hand, very overtly, but at the time could be seen as encouraging acceptance of the more difficult concepts of science. For example, just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there. That can apply to lots of things, not just god. It goes so far as to show that with the proper tools you can detect things you previously assumed were not there - a direct analogy to micro organisms, for example.
Thoughts?
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-Chaloobi
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pleco
SFN Addict
USA
2998 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2009 : 07:48:25 [Permalink]
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Yeah I bought it over Christmas on Blu-Ray. Looks stunning. I think it can be interpreted both ways. Notice that both sides find that the entity they converse with are still in the physical world. There is nothing supernatural going on, just discovery of something which the other side didn't believe was possible. Except for the scientist in the Hoo world who postulated that it was possible.
I watched it with my daughter and gave appropriate commentary. |
by Filthy
The neo-con methane machine will soon be running at full fart. |
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| Edited by - pleco on 01/06/2009 07:48:47 |
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chaloobi
SFN Regular
1620 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2009 : 08:05:34 [Permalink]
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| Another note, I thought the Cat in the Hat movie was terrible. This was everthing that movie was not. |
-Chaloobi
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| Edited by - chaloobi on 01/06/2009 08:06:30 |
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pleco
SFN Addict
USA
2998 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2009 : 08:16:17 [Permalink]
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| I never saw the Cat in the Hat or the Grinch w/ Jim Carrey - I don't think Suess stories can be done properly unless it is animated. |
by Filthy
The neo-con methane machine will soon be running at full fart. |
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chaloobi
SFN Regular
1620 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2009 : 09:01:42 [Permalink]
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| Never saw Grinch and only parts of Cat in Hat. It was bad. |
-Chaloobi
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2009 : 09:14:30 [Permalink]
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I want to see "Horton Hears a Hoo".
"A person's a person, no matter how small."
I read it to my kids along with most other Dr Seuss favorites. Some I read to myself as a child.
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Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
Posted - 01/06/2009 : 21:58:36 [Permalink]
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chaloobi wrote: | #3. I think it can be seen as encouraging theistic faith on the one hand, very overtly, but at the time could be seen as encouraging acceptance of the more difficult concepts of science. For example, just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there. That can apply to lots of things, not just god. It goes so far as to show that with the proper tools you can detect things you previously assumed were not there - a direct analogy to micro organisms, for example. |
Great art can usually be interpreted different ways. People are still discussing ways to interpret Hamlet." I heard that people against legal abortion have interpreted the moral about a person still being a person, no matter how small as about the unborn. I always interpreted the Hoos as people who were so far away and/or different from me that they are easy to dismiss or even dehumanize. For example, I had a 7th grade student tell me that he thought Iraq should be nuked because it is a "hotbed of terrorism." He agreed that most Iraqis are not terrorists, but still thought that the whole country wasn't worth preserving if we could wipe out Iraqi terrorists in a blaze of fire. Of course I doubt the same 7th grader would agree to have his own land nuked if the circumstances were reversed.
I read the book as a kid. Reading what you have to say, now I want to see this film. |
"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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| Edited by - marfknox on 01/06/2009 22:01:02 |
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chaloobi
SFN Regular
1620 Posts |
Posted - 01/07/2009 : 06:38:49 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by marfknox
chaloobi wrote: | #3. I think it can be seen as encouraging theistic faith on the one hand, very overtly, but at the time could be seen as encouraging acceptance of the more difficult concepts of science. For example, just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there. That can apply to lots of things, not just god. It goes so far as to show that with the proper tools you can detect things you previously assumed were not there - a direct analogy to micro organisms, for example. |
Great art can usually be interpreted different ways. People are still discussing ways to interpret Hamlet." I heard that people against legal abortion have interpreted the moral about a person still being a person, no matter how small as about the unborn. I always interpreted the Hoos as people who were so far away and/or different from me that they are easy to dismiss or even dehumanize. For example, I had a 7th grade student tell me that he thought Iraq should be nuked because it is a "hotbed of terrorism." He agreed that most Iraqis are not terrorists, but still thought that the whole country wasn't worth preserving if we could wipe out Iraqi terrorists in a blaze of fire. Of course I doubt the same 7th grader would agree to have his own land nuked if the circumstances were reversed.
I read the book as a kid. Reading what you have to say, now I want to see this film.
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The film is great and I highly recommend it.
This is an interesting moral tale regarding the Hoos as it's tempting to dismiss the whole issue with "what difference does it make?" The Hoo's are so isolated and different from Horton's community that they could never meaningfully interact, so if the speck gets lost or destroyed, what of it? What practical incentive does Horton have to go to such lengths to protect them? In terms of practicality, it's like running around protecting a bit of nutrient agar you know is loaded with bacteria. To what end? It gets right down to the question of whether something has an intrinsic value beyond how it can be used.
Regarding your 7th Grader, I know adults with the same simplistic ideas. Unfortunately they're allowed to vote.... |
-Chaloobi
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pleco
SFN Addict
USA
2998 Posts |
Posted - 01/07/2009 : 07:29:24 [Permalink]
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| The only bad thing about the film is that is has anti-vaxxer Jim Carrey in it. |
by Filthy
The neo-con methane machine will soon be running at full fart. |
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chaloobi
SFN Regular
1620 Posts |
Posted - 01/07/2009 : 08:23:51 [Permalink]
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| What's anti-vaxxer mean? |
-Chaloobi
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 01/07/2009 : 08:34:20 [Permalink]
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| It's more Jenny McCarthy, Jim Carrey's girlfriend, who is the big vaccines-cause-autism, anti-vaccination nutjob. How much Jim is a deep believer, and not just going along for the ride, I couldn't say. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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chaloobi
SFN Regular
1620 Posts |
Posted - 01/07/2009 : 08:51:02 [Permalink]
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| Oh, vaccines. There was a program on NPR with some doctor completly destroying McCarthy's claims. Apparently autism just happens to begin manifesting at the same time children are getting their vaccinations - there's no evidence of a cause relationship, just a correlation. There is no way I would ever consider not getting my children vaccinated. How negligent could you be?!?!?! |
-Chaloobi
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
Posted - 01/07/2009 : 09:14:31 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by chaloobi
...there's no evidence of a cause relationship, just a correlation. |
It's even worse for the people who still claim that it's the mercury preservatives in vaccines that cause autism, because those preservatives haven't been used for a decade now, but autism diagnoses keep on climbing. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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pleco
SFN Addict
USA
2998 Posts |
Posted - 01/07/2009 : 10:59:01 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dave W.
It's more Jenny McCarthy, Jim Carrey's girlfriend, who is the big vaccines-cause-autism, anti-vaccination nutjob. How much Jim is a deep believer, and not just going along for the ride, I couldn't say.
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Seeing as how he setup a $50mil trust for her...
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by Filthy
The neo-con methane machine will soon be running at full fart. |
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
Posted - 01/13/2009 : 20:11:40 [Permalink]
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pleco wrote: | The only bad thing about the film is that is has anti-vaxxer Jim Carrey in it. |
Unless the issue of vaccinations comes up in the film, I don't see why a talented actor's silly opinions should impact one's enjoyment of the performance. I love Jim Carrey's comedy and acting style. |
"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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| Edited by - marfknox on 01/13/2009 20:12:06 |
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Horton Hears a Hoo
