Steven Spielberg's Lincoln (2012): A Review From a Fan of the Historic Lincoln
Patriotic feeling showered over me after leaving a showing of Lincoln at a local AMC theater last night. I was also filled with a heavy sorrow over the ghastly sacrifices our forefathers made to make this country great. Exiting the theater in my presence was a group of teenagers muttering amongst themselves, "That was a lame movie." Looking at them, my sorrow grew heavier as I realized those ghastly sacrifices made by our forefathers were made so that shallow creatures such as these may live for the great and noble purpose of killing zombies in computer games, impregnating young ladies before abandoning the responsibility following their actions, and generally taking up space in a number of other - useless - ways. Perhaps those numbskulls remembered watching Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter a year ago, mistook it for the real Abe Lincoln, and were expecting something similar from Spielberg. If you're looking for action and suspense, see the latest Bond movie instead. But if you're looking for a film to learn something from, do not miss Lincoln.
Exactly what do you learn from a film like this? As an avid reader of history, I can tell you with one hundred percent sincerity that I believe Spielberg represents Lincoln and the people of his times accurately and responsibly. Taking the battle for passage of the Thirteenth Amendment (which forever abolished the practice of slavery in the United States) as the focal point of the story's events, Spielberg slays the mythology that Lincoln freed slaves only to pack his armies with more soldiers to wage the Civil War. If that were true, Lincoln's efforts to free African Americans would have ended with the Emancipation Proclamation (January 1863), which was a temporary, wartime measure intended to undermine the capacity of the Confederacy to continue the war. On the contrary, Lincoln placed his own re-election and a speedy end of the war in jeopardy, to further the work of the Emancipation Proclamation by pushing for a constitutional amendment that would forever extinguish slavery.
Setting history straight is not the only virtue of this film. Superb, Oscar-worthy performances abound throughout Lincoln. Daniel Day-Lewis looks exactly the way Lincoln is portrayed in photographs and behaves exactly the way Lincoln is described by contemporaries. The historic Lincoln's homey mannerisms and sometimes off-color jokes are on vibrant display in Lewis' rendering. The fiery, anguished, emotion-drenched Mary Todd Lincoln could not be more effectively brought to life by anyone other than by the magnificent Sally Field. The rugged, idealistic, Congressional abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens nearly steals the show in Tommy Lee Jones' masterful hands.
The sometimes tedious political discourse in the film is navigable if you understand a few concepts. In the context of the Civil War period, Democrats wanted to leave slavery alone and just end the war with or without victory. "Conservative Republicans" did not like slavery, but were unenthusiastic about freeing slaves as a necessary means of winning the war. "Radical Republicans" (like Thaddeus Stevens) were crusaders for social justice who cared more about destroying slavery and righting the social wrongs of American culture than about winning the war or preserving the Union. If anything, they wanted to wage the war to forge a new Union based on equality for all. Lincoln's success was based in no small measure on the ability to bring these two hostile wings of his party together to advance the twin goals of social justice and preservation of the Union. To achieve bipartisan support for his goals, Lincoln offered government jobs to lame-duck Democrats who had been turned out of office during the November 1864 election but were still voting in Congress until their term expired. Did this amount to bribery? Not in the way bribery was punishable in those days.
In sum, Spielberg's Lincoln is a badly needed correction to the mythology perpetrated by those scholars (Thomas Di Lorenzo, for one) who believe Lincoln was driven by cynical, political calculations rather than by moral values centered on social justice. It is also a refreshing example of what great acting looks and sounds like in an age when fast action and cutting-edge special affects drown-out characters and relationships in typical Hollywood films. Finally, Lincoln showcases the qualities of leadership most-needed and most sorely-lacking in our current political culture namely, the willingness to reach across the aisle, look for common ground, and accomplish something for the greater good of our society. In the current battle over the "fiscal cliff" House Speaker John Boehner and President Barack Obama ought to take notes from Steven Spielberg's Lincoln.
Jason A.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Price-Gouging: Is It Really Wrong?
Capitalism is a continuing education that steam-rolls everything I was taught by my liberal professors in college. When gas prices rise, everyone screams for price controls. Sometimes state governments cave into the pressure and implement price controls. When they do, they make the problem worse them ever. The price stays exactly where the cap is placed (because demand is unchanged), the resource runs out (empty gas stations), and people suffer from lack of accessibility (think Soviet Union).
The laws of supply and demand are remarkably predictable. They are also incredibly resilient against government meddling. It's like trying to change a stone pillar by punching it with your fist. The stone pillar stays the same, your fist is the only thing changed. And the change is not what you wanted (think Barack Obama).
This goes against the grain of what we emotionally feel is right and wrong. But what we emotionally feel is right and wrong is not the same thing as what is factually right and wrong. Price-gouging is a case in point. Doesn't it just seem wrong for the price of gas to suddenly go up 300% in the middle of a storm, or perhaps in the anticipation of an approaching storm? How about when hotel prices go up 200% in the aftermath, or in the approach of, a hurricane? It seems sneaky, doesn't it? It seems greedy, doesn't it? Well, let's consider the options.
Scenario #1: The price of a hotel room at the Holiday Inn in Marietta, Georgia gets capped at the normal rate of (hypothetically) $100 per night. Suddenly, there is an influx of Floridians in the area, looking for shelter to escape the latest hurricane bearing down on their state. A car pulls-up with a family of four. The Dad or Mom asks the price of a room. At $100 for one night, they take two rooms, one for them, the other for the kids. More cars come. Within hours, all rooms are booked and everyone else who comes gets turned away. Shelter is no longer available for those who need it. The price has been capped. Shortage is the consequence.
Scenario #2: The price of a hotel room at the Holiday Inn in Marietta, Georgia rises to $300 per night in the anticipation of the approaching hurricane in Florida. The first car carrying the family of four pulls-up. The Mom or Dad asks the price of a room for one night. The clerk tells them it will be $300. They scratch their heads and decide they will take only one room instead of two. The family of four crowds into one room for one night. Four hours later, another car bearing a family of four pulls-up. The first question they ask the clerk is, "Do you have any available rooms?" With an ear-to-ear grin, the clerk responds, "We sure do. It will be $300 for one night." The car parks in the lot. The ignition turns off.
In the fall of 2008, there was a massive gasoline shortage in the metro-Atlanta area. There had been a hurricane in the Gulf, which disrupted some of the pipelines metro-Atlanta draws from. The price of regular gas rose dramatically to (if my memory serves me correctly) around $4.25 per gallon. (It seemed like a lot at the time). Unbeknownst to me, a Georgia law capping the price of gas kicked-in. Soon, rumors spread of shortage. Lines of cars piled up at gas stations and in the roads leading to them. Every station in Marietta was dry. My wife, Katie, and I would leave the house at midnight sometimes, when we learned of a shipment that had just arrived at one station or another. Literally, we left the house at midnight or even at 2 a.m. to put gas in our cars.
Now, let us imagine that the price of gas had been allowed to naturally rise to about $9 or $10 per gallon. Had that been the case, you could be sure people wouldn't have run to the gas station, all at once, with all four cars and extra gas cans, and filled everything up! It is also, a reasonable possibility that the stations may not have run out of gas, even with the disrupted pipelines from the Gulf.
Prices rise and fall with the relationship between supply and demand. With an approaching hurricane, demand suddenly goes through the roof. To prevent supply from running out, prices must rise to match demand. Once demand is satisfied, prices fall just as quickly. These laws are cold, but they have a desirable logic of their own. We should keep these things in mind before we scream for price controls to combat price-gouging.
Jason A.
Capitalism is a continuing education that steam-rolls everything I was taught by my liberal professors in college. When gas prices rise, everyone screams for price controls. Sometimes state governments cave into the pressure and implement price controls. When they do, they make the problem worse them ever. The price stays exactly where the cap is placed (because demand is unchanged), the resource runs out (empty gas stations), and people suffer from lack of accessibility (think Soviet Union).
The laws of supply and demand are remarkably predictable. They are also incredibly resilient against government meddling. It's like trying to change a stone pillar by punching it with your fist. The stone pillar stays the same, your fist is the only thing changed. And the change is not what you wanted (think Barack Obama).
This goes against the grain of what we emotionally feel is right and wrong. But what we emotionally feel is right and wrong is not the same thing as what is factually right and wrong. Price-gouging is a case in point. Doesn't it just seem wrong for the price of gas to suddenly go up 300% in the middle of a storm, or perhaps in the anticipation of an approaching storm? How about when hotel prices go up 200% in the aftermath, or in the approach of, a hurricane? It seems sneaky, doesn't it? It seems greedy, doesn't it? Well, let's consider the options.
Scenario #1: The price of a hotel room at the Holiday Inn in Marietta, Georgia gets capped at the normal rate of (hypothetically) $100 per night. Suddenly, there is an influx of Floridians in the area, looking for shelter to escape the latest hurricane bearing down on their state. A car pulls-up with a family of four. The Dad or Mom asks the price of a room. At $100 for one night, they take two rooms, one for them, the other for the kids. More cars come. Within hours, all rooms are booked and everyone else who comes gets turned away. Shelter is no longer available for those who need it. The price has been capped. Shortage is the consequence.
Scenario #2: The price of a hotel room at the Holiday Inn in Marietta, Georgia rises to $300 per night in the anticipation of the approaching hurricane in Florida. The first car carrying the family of four pulls-up. The Mom or Dad asks the price of a room for one night. The clerk tells them it will be $300. They scratch their heads and decide they will take only one room instead of two. The family of four crowds into one room for one night. Four hours later, another car bearing a family of four pulls-up. The first question they ask the clerk is, "Do you have any available rooms?" With an ear-to-ear grin, the clerk responds, "We sure do. It will be $300 for one night." The car parks in the lot. The ignition turns off.
In the fall of 2008, there was a massive gasoline shortage in the metro-Atlanta area. There had been a hurricane in the Gulf, which disrupted some of the pipelines metro-Atlanta draws from. The price of regular gas rose dramatically to (if my memory serves me correctly) around $4.25 per gallon. (It seemed like a lot at the time). Unbeknownst to me, a Georgia law capping the price of gas kicked-in. Soon, rumors spread of shortage. Lines of cars piled up at gas stations and in the roads leading to them. Every station in Marietta was dry. My wife, Katie, and I would leave the house at midnight sometimes, when we learned of a shipment that had just arrived at one station or another. Literally, we left the house at midnight or even at 2 a.m. to put gas in our cars.
Now, let us imagine that the price of gas had been allowed to naturally rise to about $9 or $10 per gallon. Had that been the case, you could be sure people wouldn't have run to the gas station, all at once, with all four cars and extra gas cans, and filled everything up! It is also, a reasonable possibility that the stations may not have run out of gas, even with the disrupted pipelines from the Gulf.
Prices rise and fall with the relationship between supply and demand. With an approaching hurricane, demand suddenly goes through the roof. To prevent supply from running out, prices must rise to match demand. Once demand is satisfied, prices fall just as quickly. These laws are cold, but they have a desirable logic of their own. We should keep these things in mind before we scream for price controls to combat price-gouging.
Jason A.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Things I Wish Adults Would Stop Telling Children About School (And Life)
1. You Don't Need To Learn That - You'll Never Use It When You Grow Up
I remember visiting an 8th grade social studies class at a public school, when I was working on my teaching degree. The students were learning facts about the American Revolution. I was observing. One student asked the teacher, "When will we use this information in life?" The teacher responded with "You won't!" The disappointed kid sighed and went back to his pointless work.
My jaw dropped upon hearing such a cynical, and frankly ignorant, answer to a question that should have provided a teachable moment. Instead of providing a thoughtful and inspirational answer, an annoyed teacher chose the route of "shut the kid up quick so I can go back to finishing my other work at my desk while the class works independently." The biggest problem with the teacher's answer was that it sent a message to the entire class that their learning is pointless and unprofitable.
Now I understand why there are so many ignorant, uninformed voters. Adults have been telling them since childhood that they won't use their social studies learning when they grow up. No wonder there are so many thousands who go out and cast a vote without knowing what this country is supposed to be about because they were told they didn't have to learn about the American Revolution!
How about the parent who tells is or her child that they will never use quadratic equations when they grow up, or that they will never need to write a poem, or a sonnet, or play a musical instrument. Adults have to wake up and realize that more than 95% of children and teenagers have no idea what they will do for a living when they grow up. So, how on Earth are adults giving them good advice by telling young people which skills they will and will not need? By doing so, we are robbing them of learning what they need in order to discover their passions. Today, two-thirds of Americans who take the entrance test for the armed services fail either the content, the physical, or both parts of the test. What have we been teaching our children when they can't even pass a test to get into the military?
2. I'm Not Worried About Your Behavior - I'm Worried About Their Behavior
Parents, your kids are not the angels you think they are. All children tell lies - every one of them. This does not make them bad, it just means they are human! If you think your son or daughter does not tell a lie, you are in for a rude awakening. You may not realize it until they are seventeen and arrested for drunk-driving, or sixteen and pregnant! The sooner you pull the veil from your own eyes, the sooner you will be able to steer them away from bad life choices.
How about those parents who tell everyone, "My son is a good boy, he just hangs around the wrong crowd." Well, who is the wrong crowd? The wrong crowd must have parents who say, "I'm so proud of my son - he's the wrong crowd! He goes around boozing and de-flowering young, innocent girls, and leaves behind a trail of babies who will need his child support check for years to come!"
I doubt it.
Mom and Dad, you will do well to keep this in mind: We are who we surround ourselves with. If your son or daughter likes hanging out with the wrong crowd, enjoys their company, and they enjoy his or her company, than your child IS the wrong crowd! Just accept it! Let go of your pride! If you do, you are one step closer to being the parent he or she REALLY needs. Stop worrying about the behavior of other people's kids; you have no control over that. Focus on what you do have control over: your own kid! When Bobby or Mary comes home and says, "I need the newest iphone because all my friends have one", you can say: I'm not the parent of your friends, so I'm not responsible for what they have.
3. You Think School Is Tough? Wait Til You Grow Up And Have To Deal With The Real World
Until they grow up, school IS the real world for young people. It dominates their whole lives. Some of the hardest life lessons we learn are in school. We learn for the first time how to do deal with: love, rejection, bullying, success, and failure. Folks, school is the real world, just accept it. Indeed, I happen to think working and earning my paycheck -challenging as it is- is easier than many of the things I went through in school.
4. I Believe You, Honey. It Is The Teacher's Fault
When I was a kid, my Dad never expected me to come home and blame the teacher for my poor grades. Somehow, I knew he wouldn't fall for it. We all have grandparents who tell us, "Back in the day, if you messed up at school, you'd get a paddling there. When you got home, you'd get another paddling." Generations of people who were born and raised before the Baby Boomers (circa 1945 - 1952) had parents who would be behind bars today for the things they did to discipline their kids.
How did those kids turn out? Did all or most of them turn out to be a lazy, whiny, traumatized, worthless, and useless society? No. Those qualities did not begin to affect our culture on a grand scale until the Baby Boomers starting booming out there own babies, and implementing their own, novel ideas about how to raise children, for instance, in ever-increasing divorced homes; very little teaching by example; even less inculcation of moral principles; much more "do what your heart tells you"-type philosophy, which crumbles when the kid starts thinking "What if my heart tells me I need to have a new phone the minute my friend gets one? What if my heart tells me not to do my homework?"
Nowadays, we are the children and grandchildren of the Baby Boomers. What have we learned from them? We've learned that when we screw up, it's not our fault. It is the teacher's fault. It is the wrong crowd's fault. It is everyone else's fault except our own fault. This philosophy makes one feel good, but it destroys, like a spreading cancer, the fabric of a healthy, prosperous society. Some Baby Boomers have been good parents, but it is not because they have embraced Baby Boomer philosophy!
The sixties... All that pot at Woodstock... Where has it led us? I'll tell you where it has led us. It has led us to the point where we are facing an election in 2012, and the country is going to hell in a hand-basket, and some people are saying, "I can't vote for either of the two candidates who stand a chance of winning. Instead, I need to vote for the one who wants to legalize pot." Are you serious? People are out of work, drowning in debt to put food on the table, scraping by on government handouts, our enemies are burning our flag overseas, attacking our embassies, laughing at what pussies we've become, and you are worried about the future of pot-availability! Where the hell are your priorities! Thank you, Baby Boomers! Thus is your legacy! I hope you are happy! Roll-up, smoke-up, and you'll forget everything I just ranted!
5. I Need To Stick Up For You In Every Unpleasant Situation That Comes Your Way
No you don't! You don't! You can teach and advise your children on how to deal with unpleasant situations, and then put the child out there to solve the problem his or herself. Kids need to develop problem-solving skills. Your child may come home crying and saying, "Pete called me a mean name!" This does not mean you need to push your child behind you, and go raise hell at the school and at Pete's parents, while your child is playing a hand-held game system and smirking all the while you are solving the problem. Have your kid put down the game-boy, and go solve the problem his or herself. If he or she does not learn these skills now, how on Earth will your child be able to grow up and hold a job when a mean boss or coworker is raining abuse down the chain!
In Summary, We Have Become A Weak and Frankly Pathetic Society Because For About Fifty Years We Have Failed Our Children And They Have Passed The Failure Down To Their Children
We have to take responsibility for our own behavior before we can teach our children anything useful. The biggest problems we face are not Bush's fault, not Obama's fault, not bin Laden's fault, but our own fault. If we are so disappointed that we don't have great presidential candidates, let's teach our children the right kinds of things, and one day we will have a great president!
Jason A.
1. You Don't Need To Learn That - You'll Never Use It When You Grow Up
I remember visiting an 8th grade social studies class at a public school, when I was working on my teaching degree. The students were learning facts about the American Revolution. I was observing. One student asked the teacher, "When will we use this information in life?" The teacher responded with "You won't!" The disappointed kid sighed and went back to his pointless work.
My jaw dropped upon hearing such a cynical, and frankly ignorant, answer to a question that should have provided a teachable moment. Instead of providing a thoughtful and inspirational answer, an annoyed teacher chose the route of "shut the kid up quick so I can go back to finishing my other work at my desk while the class works independently." The biggest problem with the teacher's answer was that it sent a message to the entire class that their learning is pointless and unprofitable.
Now I understand why there are so many ignorant, uninformed voters. Adults have been telling them since childhood that they won't use their social studies learning when they grow up. No wonder there are so many thousands who go out and cast a vote without knowing what this country is supposed to be about because they were told they didn't have to learn about the American Revolution!
How about the parent who tells is or her child that they will never use quadratic equations when they grow up, or that they will never need to write a poem, or a sonnet, or play a musical instrument. Adults have to wake up and realize that more than 95% of children and teenagers have no idea what they will do for a living when they grow up. So, how on Earth are adults giving them good advice by telling young people which skills they will and will not need? By doing so, we are robbing them of learning what they need in order to discover their passions. Today, two-thirds of Americans who take the entrance test for the armed services fail either the content, the physical, or both parts of the test. What have we been teaching our children when they can't even pass a test to get into the military?
2. I'm Not Worried About Your Behavior - I'm Worried About Their Behavior
Parents, your kids are not the angels you think they are. All children tell lies - every one of them. This does not make them bad, it just means they are human! If you think your son or daughter does not tell a lie, you are in for a rude awakening. You may not realize it until they are seventeen and arrested for drunk-driving, or sixteen and pregnant! The sooner you pull the veil from your own eyes, the sooner you will be able to steer them away from bad life choices.
How about those parents who tell everyone, "My son is a good boy, he just hangs around the wrong crowd." Well, who is the wrong crowd? The wrong crowd must have parents who say, "I'm so proud of my son - he's the wrong crowd! He goes around boozing and de-flowering young, innocent girls, and leaves behind a trail of babies who will need his child support check for years to come!"
I doubt it.
Mom and Dad, you will do well to keep this in mind: We are who we surround ourselves with. If your son or daughter likes hanging out with the wrong crowd, enjoys their company, and they enjoy his or her company, than your child IS the wrong crowd! Just accept it! Let go of your pride! If you do, you are one step closer to being the parent he or she REALLY needs. Stop worrying about the behavior of other people's kids; you have no control over that. Focus on what you do have control over: your own kid! When Bobby or Mary comes home and says, "I need the newest iphone because all my friends have one", you can say: I'm not the parent of your friends, so I'm not responsible for what they have.
3. You Think School Is Tough? Wait Til You Grow Up And Have To Deal With The Real World
Until they grow up, school IS the real world for young people. It dominates their whole lives. Some of the hardest life lessons we learn are in school. We learn for the first time how to do deal with: love, rejection, bullying, success, and failure. Folks, school is the real world, just accept it. Indeed, I happen to think working and earning my paycheck -challenging as it is- is easier than many of the things I went through in school.
4. I Believe You, Honey. It Is The Teacher's Fault
When I was a kid, my Dad never expected me to come home and blame the teacher for my poor grades. Somehow, I knew he wouldn't fall for it. We all have grandparents who tell us, "Back in the day, if you messed up at school, you'd get a paddling there. When you got home, you'd get another paddling." Generations of people who were born and raised before the Baby Boomers (circa 1945 - 1952) had parents who would be behind bars today for the things they did to discipline their kids.
How did those kids turn out? Did all or most of them turn out to be a lazy, whiny, traumatized, worthless, and useless society? No. Those qualities did not begin to affect our culture on a grand scale until the Baby Boomers starting booming out there own babies, and implementing their own, novel ideas about how to raise children, for instance, in ever-increasing divorced homes; very little teaching by example; even less inculcation of moral principles; much more "do what your heart tells you"-type philosophy, which crumbles when the kid starts thinking "What if my heart tells me I need to have a new phone the minute my friend gets one? What if my heart tells me not to do my homework?"
Nowadays, we are the children and grandchildren of the Baby Boomers. What have we learned from them? We've learned that when we screw up, it's not our fault. It is the teacher's fault. It is the wrong crowd's fault. It is everyone else's fault except our own fault. This philosophy makes one feel good, but it destroys, like a spreading cancer, the fabric of a healthy, prosperous society. Some Baby Boomers have been good parents, but it is not because they have embraced Baby Boomer philosophy!
The sixties... All that pot at Woodstock... Where has it led us? I'll tell you where it has led us. It has led us to the point where we are facing an election in 2012, and the country is going to hell in a hand-basket, and some people are saying, "I can't vote for either of the two candidates who stand a chance of winning. Instead, I need to vote for the one who wants to legalize pot." Are you serious? People are out of work, drowning in debt to put food on the table, scraping by on government handouts, our enemies are burning our flag overseas, attacking our embassies, laughing at what pussies we've become, and you are worried about the future of pot-availability! Where the hell are your priorities! Thank you, Baby Boomers! Thus is your legacy! I hope you are happy! Roll-up, smoke-up, and you'll forget everything I just ranted!
5. I Need To Stick Up For You In Every Unpleasant Situation That Comes Your Way
No you don't! You don't! You can teach and advise your children on how to deal with unpleasant situations, and then put the child out there to solve the problem his or herself. Kids need to develop problem-solving skills. Your child may come home crying and saying, "Pete called me a mean name!" This does not mean you need to push your child behind you, and go raise hell at the school and at Pete's parents, while your child is playing a hand-held game system and smirking all the while you are solving the problem. Have your kid put down the game-boy, and go solve the problem his or herself. If he or she does not learn these skills now, how on Earth will your child be able to grow up and hold a job when a mean boss or coworker is raining abuse down the chain!
In Summary, We Have Become A Weak and Frankly Pathetic Society Because For About Fifty Years We Have Failed Our Children And They Have Passed The Failure Down To Their Children
We have to take responsibility for our own behavior before we can teach our children anything useful. The biggest problems we face are not Bush's fault, not Obama's fault, not bin Laden's fault, but our own fault. If we are so disappointed that we don't have great presidential candidates, let's teach our children the right kinds of things, and one day we will have a great president!
Jason A.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Dear Friends,
The purpose of this blog is to share my thoughts with you on
a variety of topics affecting our daily lives. Those of you familiar with my
blog, "Why Should I Care About Politics?" [http://jaldous.blogspot.com/] are already familiar with my
thoughts on how politics impacts our daily lives. "Musings of a Restless
Mind" has the same goal, applied to everything else, except politics.
I originally intended to call this blog, "Musings of a Reflective Mind", but I instead chose restless, because my mind is not just reflective, it is restless. This blog is partly an outlet for that restlessness, but it is partly a chance to further my education by learning from the restlessness of your minds. Please join me as I share my thoughts with you, and leave a comment so that my
thoughts may become inspired by your wisdom.
Jason A.
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