The Purge: Anarchy is a thriller that has a lot to say, and it is alarming

Social Criticism In A Major Motion Picture?

By: Kurt von Behrmann

The Purge:Anarchy Web Site

The Purge: Anarchy

If “Dawn of the Battle of Planet of the Apes” was a thinly veiled commentary on contemporary wars, “The Purge: Anarchy” is one on class conflict.  Carefully crafted between the carnage are acidic criticisms of the blatant hypocrisy of a society that openly extols the virtues of Christianity and democratic government while simultaneously engaging in barbarism.  The dichotomy between the “haves” and the “barely have anythings” is at the core of the movie and serves as a leitmotif that underscores the real rationale for “the purge.”

                The premise here is that for one day out of the year from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM all crime is legal.  Murder, rape and theft are all permitted.  All public services are suspended until the “purge” ends. This includes hospital services.  The concept behind all of this “anything goes” violence is that it offers an outlet for frustrations that have been building up during the year.  Since its implementation this annual event has resulted in reduced crime rates, lower unemployment and an overall more stable society.  That is the official reason.  The reality is more sinister.

                A yearly cathartic for everyone as a guaranteed right as a U.S. citizen, one does have the option to participate or not.  Accepted as an inevitable stabilizer of society and a tool to eliminate undesirable actions, the purge is open to all, but not necessarily of equal benefit.  Proclaimed as an event that has positive results for all, it is an equalizer that places everyone on a level playing field.   Here is where rhetoric parts company with reality.

                The real purpose of the purge is to eliminate the poor.  It is nothing short of open class warfare.  Marketing this mass scale chaos to those with the most to lose, the government in this dystopia have succeeded in convincing the general public that this is not only for its own good, but a God given right. 

                Those able to afford it barricade themselves behind protective alarms systems.  The “uber” affluent live far enough away from the danger zone that they remain safe.  Those living at the poverty level in the inner city receive the brunt of the violence.  Their protection amounts to little more than locked doors and boarded up windows.  Downtown has become a battle ground.

                Not everyone is accepting the purge.  A group of dissenters realize what the actual objectives of it is, and they are willing to do something about it.  They are ready to fight back.  

                For those who benefit the most out of a nation where violence eliminates the poor and devastates the middle class, the super wealthy enjoy the security and rewards that their status gives freely.  They have so much that they transform purge night into a perverse form of entertainment. 

In what can only be described as viciously sadistic, the patrician class pays for victims to be brought to their mansions and murdered in the most violent manner possible.  Beneath the veneer of civilization and opulence resides a disturbed world where the weak are decimated and the very rich amused.  

The contrast between posh environments and unrestrained violence creates a disturbing tension.  As the economically advantaged luxuriate in the comforts affluence confers and all of its shameless sense of superiority and entitlement, the very things that create humanity in its highest form have been trashed in order to satisfy some very ugly frightening yearnings.  Nothing feeds an out of control ego as well as debasing those perceived as inferior.

Money is at the core of everything, along with power.  In this new America that “The Purge: Anarchy” has created, the ultra-affluent have turned the poor into procurers of the poor that are willing to sell out their own class for money.  In one scene we see our protagonists captured and thrown into a van thinking that their lives are going to end then and there.  We discover quickly that the down and out have been paid to find anyone on the streets and serve them up as entertainment for a crowd of the privileged. In a “Hunger Games” like game, the unarmed helpless are prey for armed opponents. 

The interesting connections that this film makes is that both the middle class and the disadvantage share more common ground than is often considered in the public arena.   A white police sergeant, an African-American waitress struggling to make ends meet, her daughter and a young middle class white couple are all of equal in value in this world.  None of them have any extra advantages.  What they in fact share is that they are little more than pawns to be played with and little more. Their lives mean nothing. What this film makes clear is that race is not so much of a divider as is class.  It is an idea not often explored in films, particularly in Hollywood where big spectacles are the rule.  To see it presented in a mainstream film is very edgy.  

Another element that this film handles rather well, and with chilling effect, is the love of not only violence, but of guns.  The imagery here is disturbing.  In one scene we see a woman wielding a very large gun on the edge of a building shooting anyone and everything below.  As she delights in her actions, she mentions how this is God’s will.  The connection between religious beliefs being closely connected to uncontrolled pointless violence is an alarming irony that makes a huge statement.  The criticism of a society that places such value on arms is on display.  It is not a pretty scene.

A particularly disturbing scene involves a society matron introducing freshly acquired victims to be killed for sport.  As she accepts bids to see who has the honor of gunning down the helpless, she described a particular weapon.  In detail she rhapsodies the virtues of a specific gun.  The disturbing image of a mature woman dressed well talking about guns with such warmth is an congruency that underscores the ridiculous nature of gun worship.  

Summer blockbusters are primarily entertainment.  Frequently, all too frequently, they are little more than insubstantial entertainment.  At their best they are harmless diversions.  When they hit rock bottom, as many do, you are subjected to lowest common denominator dripping in dreck nonsense that robs you of money and time.  

“The Purge: Anarchy” provides, thrills, drama and some engaging performances.  There are no weak links.  The big surprise here is that something is being said between the lines, and it is reflective of where we are as a nation politically and socially.  The issues that our society confronts are not given a space in the mainstream media.  Pop, fluff and not so subtle propaganda are have totally replaced serious discussions.  This is just what makes it so intriguing that a big spectacle film has more to say about inequity, class distinctions and open hypocrisy than what no passes for news.

An ominous line comes up when a character asks the question of when this will all end.  The answer is ominous and somewhat prophetic.   “This will end when it is their blood.”  I may not have the line totally accurate, but it does paint a picture of the future that is disturbingly accurate regarding what has historically been, and what potentially could be.

, R. Pela Contemporary Art will present Caught: New Work by Melany Terranova and Hank Keneally.

Melany Terranova's work

This piece was one among several dealing with the theme of the egg as  metaphor.  The meaning is  "mysterious," which lends the work a certain "enigmatic" appeal. Open ended questions usually do. They encourage the viewer to come to conclusions.  Questions beg for answers. There are answers here, but they require an investment of time on the viewers part to locate them.

When clear answers are not forthcoming, space is created for narratives that the viewer must create and complete.

Terranova is clearly more interested in the questions that providing pat answers, and this serves her work well.  The careful execution leaves little doubt that something is being said.  These works are not the product of someone not aware of what they are doing. They are not works that look as if arrived by accident.

In the very restrained, almost quiet, style that she has full embraced, she has found a compelling voice for herself.  Her past creations have often been centered around the idea of something and less concerned with physical properties of the things she is investigation. The works often seem to be about educating one's self and then producing disciplined work that becomes a visual record of what has been experienced and ultimately absorbed.

An act of discovery percolates through ever piece.  It becomes a connective tissue.  Another binding quality is that Terranova has embraced a consistent compositional arrangement of ideas. The visual similarity is not redundant.   It illustrates a commitment to an aesthetic.  That commitment is centered in exploration.  Developing the "idea" is what drives the work. 

Using the space available, she has wisely chosen to select pieces that work well in the space without feeling confined or incomplete.  Nothing is missing from the presentation.  One does not feel as if something should be added, or subtracted.

 The impact of minimalism can be felt here strongly.  The works are both stark and textural.  The co-mingling of these visual elements created an interesting interplay and that underscored the idea that of seeing art as a physical object.

Unlike paintings that tell descriptive narratives using figures, places and things, abstraction relies on the plastic elements of art.   Shape, form, texture become both objects and the means of communication.

Melany Terranova

 

 

Moving between the worlds of sculpture and painting, these assemblages have the characteristics of both, but these pieces share a thread common to sculpture, becoming an object and not the representation of an image.

Melany Terranova's work tread on creative ground that minimalists use. The closest relationship these works have is to the work of Eva Hesse.  Whereas Hesses work sometimes could have rough edges and a certain raw exuberant energy, Terranova's  creation on more tranquil ground.

Hard edges and a tight arrangement of forms reads as both potent and ponderous.  The works have a seriousness that makes them contemplative and very still.

Where strong emotions and gestural elements are effective as communicators of emotion, Terranova has opted for a cooler more methodical track that reflects on ideas than they do on the expression of pure raw unrestrained.

Exhibitions like this one appear more like a whole collection rather individual works intended to be seen one at a time.  Terranova's work feels like a collected whole where every part works in conjunction with each other to create a cohesive whole.   Naturally one can consider each work on its own merits.  Each piece can stand on its own.  But when all of the works are seen together, they create an impact that is unified.   Unity is what brings the work together. 

What this new work does is successful speak to the nature of the last few decades of contemporary art, but not being so weighed down by art history that they feel like replicas of what has already been said many times over.

The Low Wage Dance

Saturday, June 7, 2014

The Minimum Wage and Economic Mobility 

By Kurt von Behrmann 

I was up late one night, and just felt the need to get these ideas out and into the world wide web.  Several days ago I read a response to an item I had posted.  The entry under my original post made me ponder.  It also left me a bit angry in that I could not understand the reason behind anyone seeing a negative to the establishment of a higher minimum wage.  For decades, wages have remained stagnant.  What has not remained frozen are the assorted costs for living.  Rent, education, cars, insurances, homes, food, energy nearly anything that can be purchased as risen in price. 

I can’t address everything, but let me touch upon some points.  There are jobs that are frequently seen as low paying and therefore jobs that require very little.  Often the opposite is true.  Bus drivers can be paid as little as $ 9.37 an hour. What many may not realize is that the training is demanding.  One has to know detailed parts of a bus and pass several demanding exams.   They are also responsible for hundreds of lives and must deal with the physical task of assisting disabled passengers, and this requires a great deal of effort. 

Walmart is notorious for low pay.  One can expect $ 8.86 an hour full time without benefits.  These jobs are not easy.  One may be required to do everything from moving carts, handling inventory, dealing with customer service and stocking shelves, as well as assisting with shipping.  While all of this is transpiring, one may be pulled from the floor for mandatory training. This can take place all in one day. 

Fast food may seem like an easy profession. It is not. It is fast paced, requires standing up for hours on end and dealing with customer service. These jobs are not easy.   Call center work is the same way.  It is fast paced and your bonuses can be taken away at a moment’s notice with incentive programs designed to make sure you cannot take advantage of them. 

From personal observable experience, I know of one working mother who works as a server for a large cinema chain.  She works long hours, deals with a demanding work loads while standing and is paid $ 5.00 an hour.  She depends on tips, and those are infrequent.  Let me add, this individual is highly educated, speaks several languages fluently and is also involved in continuing education for another career.  At present, in our economy, this is what she could find.  Previously she had been a very well paid professional who received a 30 percent raise during her tenure at her previous job. The argument that servers and others are lazy and lack ambition is a fiction.  It is not the reality of the present. 

There is an argument that people who work these jobs have it “easy.” They do not.    

One may also comment on social mobility.  Sadly, that is becoming nearly impossible.  Tuition hikes are unending.  This key stone for advancement is becoming inaccessible. Supplies for courses are rising.  Hundreds of dollars are not uncommon figures when it comes to supplies.  As the price of an education rises, assistance is going down.  

Loans burden students with eternal debt.  Without an education, social mobility becomes impossible, or at best highly unlikely to happen.  I arrived at a shock regarding my education costs when I attended high school.  I was fortunate to attend a very good private high school.  My family was able to afford the costs, which were rather high in the 70’s. Tuition for the school then was about $ 2,000.00 a year.  Flash forward to now and that same education costs $ 30,000.00 a year!  

There is the idea that hard work pays off in terms of compensation.  It doesn’t always work out that way.  The fiction that hard work leads to economic mobility is simply a fiction.  You can work hard and go nowhere. The huge wage disparity between those who perform labor and those that are in ownership positions and management posts where two hour lunches become tax deductible business expenses is in part to blame.  Enormous corporations are utilizing the commons, paying below living wage salaries to their workers and then off shore jobs in order to avoid U.S. taxes. 

The wealthy become wealthier and the poor become even more destitute. 

Our economic system works on consumption.  Products are produced with the idea that they will be sold.  The more items sold, the better.  However, with a destitute majority, goods and services will decline in consumption.  Without a viable consumer market, there is no economy.  What we have witnessed now are austerity approaches to the economy.  As consumption weakens, jobs are lost.  While jobs and the attendant lower wages proliferate, companies look for cheaper means of labor. This translates into jobs being moved over seas and stagnate wages on these shores.     

  

                There are other reasons for wage discrepancies.  The lack of dedication on the part of some elected officials to social services that empower people and assist in their self-reliance are in a large part to blame.   Privatization of public education through the establishment of charter schools translates into defunding public education.  What is offered as choice, more charter schools, is in reality the opening of poorly funded public ones with the idea that privatization is the answer to the woes of our dilapidated education system.  Charter schools are not subject to the same scrutiny as public ones are.  These new charter schools are funded by diverting funds that would go to public schools. 

                If you would like to know more, read what the Alabama Education Association has to say on the topic. 

                The forces that are creating and maintaining an American underclass are numerous. They are also complex.  What compounds the problem is that we have not had a political environment that has addressed the issue of economic inequity in a straight forward manner.   What we have is grid locked government because one party, the Republican Party, has made it very clear in actions and in language that they intend to do nothing. They have done just that, nothing.

               

How A Movement Can Become A Political Force

The Elements Of Political Action

By: Kurt von Behrmann     

    I was jogging on a sunny day.  For some inexplicable reason my thoughts drifted to places far removed from where I was and what I was doing.  The place where my mental energies were headed address political issues.  Prior to leaving my home to go out and literally pound the pavement and the earth, my television was set to Free TV. The subject was something that escapes my memory.  Like some type of trigger, that particular broadcast made me think of political movements and just what made some successful, less than adequate or just total failures.

    In what now seems like a distant past, the Occupy Wallstreet movement was at one time a unifying force, if ever so briefly.  People from assorted spectrums of the political realm were brought together.  The force that created this unity cut across age, ethnicity and social economic divisions.  It was a force that was produced by outrage and hope.  The outrage was inequity.  The hope was that somehow people power alone could correct the imbalance. The damaged left by the banking debacle had created the fertile soil for outraged.  Everyone wanted to do something about it. The problem was that no one really know exactly what to do.

Marching To The Beat Of  A Public Drum

    Cynicism merged with apathy does not make for an enthused electorate.  The fall out from promises not kept, rhetoric that appeals to base emotions exclusively and a media machine that blends news with entertainment had left in its shadow a disillusioned populace.  Compounding the problem was a failing public school system, exorbitant college tuitions, a weak economy and jobs leaking to foreign soil, all of these things and more have created a highly disengaged America.  In the eyes of far too many political life and ideology were nebulous. The impact of the bigger decisions made by government and big business were seem as part of a unchangeable world.  Questioning and taking action were dwarfed by the more herculean task of living.  Survival becomes a dominant consideration when you have to spend all of your time figuring out how your going to make it from one day to the next.  Living pay day to pay day doesn’t leave a lot of time for reflection.



    At a point when everything looked dim, at a place when too many confusing events were transpiring in an endless parade of terror, gloom and futility, the occupy movement arrived.  Unlike other movements of its time, this seemed to be the first that united students, business owners, the middle class, the struggling and people of political persuasions that had little in common united in some deeply felt shared interests.  Vets returning home could be seen leading protests against banks.  Public parks were alive with people and the very notion that things can change when enough people gather.  Like Camelot, it was a romantic, dream filled time when anything seemed possible.  Like those past times, this one was filled with faith in the idea of a noble future set against a very bleak present.

    Any system established long enough with enough force can become a considerable force to contend with at any time. Occupy Wallstreet as its participants believed was just that movement.  In many ways, it felt like the 60's revisited.  Joan Baez was singing songs of protest, people were literally taken to the streets and cities all over where growing their own Occupy movements.  It felt like a force was starting that was destined to grow. It felt like a force that would have an impact.

    A brief encounter with optimism can be followed by abrupt conclusions.  The movement that motivated the disenfranchised, the detached and the hopeful had faded like a balloon slowly leaking air.  It did not end with trumpets blaring.  The conclusion of this vital movement flickered and was gone almost as quickly as it arrived.  Now it feels like a small piece of history that could very well be forgotten.  Unlike Camelot, there were no glamorous heads of state to provided identity and focus.  The mystery movement that seemed to erupt from no where vanished into the pages of books and web sites to be forgotten. 

    Ultimately, Occupy Wallstreet failed in securing its place in the political arena. It elected no officials.  It did not change any policies.  What it did do was slightly annoy those that like the status quo. It did provide hope, but not enough to keep the momentum flowing.

    As my mind wandered off into reflections on the Occupy Movement, it detoured.  I thought about other movements that motivated people.  I thought about political parties that arose from small groups that eventually had the force to alter nations.  I thought about how the ineffectual became influential.   I thought about how the powerless become the powerful.

    In sharp contrast to the Tea Party, Occupy Wallstreet did not have the mighty force of organized officials, and the support of an economic powerhouse of a political party.  For all of their protestations of independence, the Tea Party was in reality a concentrated branch of the Republican Party designed to appeal to populist sentiments.  It was a classic case of the outsider thinly veiled as an insider.  What their God fearing flag waving contingent probably missed was that it was Ayn Rand, and not Jesus, who delineated the philosophical identity of this new branch of revolutionary conservatives.  Objectivism may not have been in the vocabulary of the Tea Party hoi poli. It certainly was in its leadership.
   
    Where Occupy Wallstreet had fallen short, their counterparts were not so weak. The Tea Party, with considerable economic support behind its “folksy” demeanor, had won elections. Washington would see an influx of “new blood” not sure of the mechanization of life inside the Belt Way.  Although green, naive and in far too many ways ill equipped for the duties that awaited them, they did win.   Now, the tides are shifting.  The winds  that propelled their sails are no longer as numerous.

    History is a great educator.  It takes no more than a little effort, along with a little insight, to figure out what is required to turn a disillusioned aggregate into a unified force.  The ingredients are easy enough to figure out. What is sometimes so alarming is that so many in the contemporary landscape have forgotten just what they are.

    The first thing any group needs is a message. It does no good to gather unless you have a platform formed.  Laying out your agenda ensures that when you make your appeal to the public you have figured out what the key issues are and your stance on them.  Having a full formed view on everything from economic theory to social stability provides answers for questions that will have to be answered at some point.  This is one of those times when the best prepared are the best equipped to handle the job. 

    Having a full formed agenda is a starting point. It is actually essential.  This document, or documents becomes the D.N.A. of your political group.  The importance of establishing a doctrine and a course of action cannot be underestimated.  It is truly the critical element that differentiates the hard core from the dilettantes.

    Immediately after the spinal column of the group has been committed to paper and formed the body of the group, the second phase is producing a message that defines the pressing issues that define the group.   In contemporary terms it comes down to the “sound bite.”  The message has to be succinct, to the point and easily understood.  The key message has to be one that solves the most pressing issues of the day.  It cannot ignore what are the concerns of the larger group.  It cannot be so esoteric that it becomes the domain of the few. Yet, it cannot be so simplistic as to seem simple minded.  The voice that gathers the group must be one that the group understands and can feel at ease supporting.  The winning issues that always work are those that address prosperity and equity.  No one is ever elected to office that fails to promise better times to come. In order for those better times to arrive, one has to supply what is needed.

    The key point message is critical.  It is also critical that it be brief.  It is best, as time has proven, to make three key points the body of your message.  Naturally, one can answer many concerns, but you must first frame the discussion with the key identifying features that define what the organization, group, or body wants to accomplish.  This is more difficult than it sounds. Everyone has his or her “pet” issues.  But, you must address the most pressing, the most important of the day woven into your identity and goals.

    Organization of crowds becomes another key feature.  You can start with an existing group and build from that point.  One can also grow your group using a core group of people that are dedicated to the group.  This is essential.  The core following is what generates the numbers needed to make an impact.  There are assorted ways to do this.  Social media, organizational groups, and again, an existing group that can be the back bone of your entire group.  One group that has proven time and time again to be a beginning point is the church.  Church groups can be the backbone of an organized, disciplined hard core work force motivated by faith and common ground.

    Part of organization demands actual meetings.  The web and all of its contents are excellent as tools, but people are social by nature.  Human beings are hard wired for interaction with each other.  There is unity and power in numbers.  Staging events invigorates individuals and provides the glue that holds all the parts into one well conceived whole.

    Supporters are integral to the scheme of things. Finding common ground with others not of your identity broadens the base.  If you encounter another group with similar goals, or at least one common point of interest, friendships can be established and a broader audience reached.  It never hurts to have friends.  The idea is to reach as many people as possible.  You alienate as few as possible.  Your doors are welcoming, not exclusionary.

       
    Last, but far from being least, a movement needs a leader.  Many may find it off putting to put someone in charge, but in order for a movement to become more than a social gathering, there has to be a leader.  This leader must be able to articulate goals and motivate others.  The leader, he or she, must embody the soul of the movement.  The leader of the group has to be absolutely convinced in the the goals of the movement.  While acting skills and presentation are part of the package, it means nothing if there is not sincere belief in the movement.  An audience can smell insincerity.  One can hide and deceive for a while, but not in a movement that is attempting to make serious change and has a vital message to convey, the fake and the fraudulent will never succeed.  Great leaders embody the movements that they head. 

    There is also the one indefinable element that elevates a person to leadership and that is charisma.  You can call it star power, call it what you will, it is that hard to define feature that makes some so compelling on a stage.  There are some gifted with the power to make others follow.  Eloquence, intelligence and a sense of the times are part of the equation.  But, that hard to define charisma is what transforms an individual into the centerpiece of a movement that aims to have a lasting impact.

   
    By nature human beings are visual.  Concepts and ideas are important. They are critical. But people as a general rule need something tangible to connect the theory into the real.  One of the reasons people pick up souvenirs is that they want a physical reminder of a sensation.  A moment in time is not concrete.  Memories alter fade and sometimes vanish.  However, a memento gives something fleeting a certain permanence.  Having something to hold, touch see and feel is important.

    No movement lacks a signature visual.  It can be as simple as a button. There is always something visual to see that gives a physical quality to the whole.   Banners, uniforms, parades and symbols are the mainstay of any political movement.  Rallies are the visual logos of politics. They are the essence of what people want, participation in an event larger than themselves.  Large scale gatherings with banners, symbols and large open spaces are the citadels of the public space. People power is potent.  When large numbers congregate, power is present.






    The machinery of politics are complex. They require specific elements in order to be successful.  Money is the life blood of politics.  The mind is the soul of politics.  The people are its body that holds the various parts together.  You cannot have one element in isolation.    They all must be present in order to work.  Let one part fail, and the others cease to be in good health.

    What usually precedes a new movement are past failures.  Let a political system fail to serve the needs of the people long enough while at the same time locked in conflict so intense that decision making and statesmanship seem like lost ideas, let these things happen and the seeds of strong discontent will grow into very tall trees.  When corruption, greed and economic repression increase, at some point everything will erupt. Chaos will follow.

    When leadership fails, incomes shrink and inflation becomes a constant, someone or something will come along to fill the leadership vacuum.  The smug and self important are so accustomed to not having their way that when the game changes, they are rendered null and void.

    It is difficult with any certainty to say what will be or what could be.