12 Years a Slave

"12 years a slave" is one of those movies that will stay with you for awhile. And it should. The most disturbing film I've seen, maybe ever. For Southerners like myself, makes me utterly ashamed that the slave owners are my possible ancestors. Although mine, as far as I know, didn't own slaves. We were poor and if you are poor, everybody is in a relative same situation. Still plenty of "white" people prejudice. 

Slavery was particularly brutal. Much basic violence in the movie: beatings, hangings. I think it will get the Academy Award and it should. I thought "Dallas Buyers Club" was good but no real comparison. Plus, I don't think anyone could beat the Chiwetel Ejiofor, the "lead" in "12 Years a Slave." With his eyes you could see the hurt. In fact, this film is a masterpiece and every actor fantastic. 

In a sense, 12 Years A Slave, should force us to reexamine our history and asked, "Are we doing enough with African Americans to make up for our history of slavery. I don't think so. I think this film should inspire us to figure out some way to lift blacks that are in poverty, out. How to do it? 

Maybe pay reparations. (We know how far that would get). If we can pay the Japanese for interning them, (And we should have) why not blacks. Maybe in the case of African Americans, figure out a formula: money for college, education, whatever it takes. 

Am I whistling Dixie or what! Here's the rub and I got this from my wife who is pretty much open to things. People make choices/decisions. An example. A single mother with three small children would like to get out of poverty, get an education, get a future. She can't do it. My wife's view: she made choices to have three children, maybe with different fathers. She has to live with it. She is probably taking politically a Republican view, although she would never admit it. My approach would be that an AA mother shouldn't be denied an opportunity just because she make stupid decisions possibly at one point in her life. Now she is at another point. 

We could solve many if this type of problems with the wealth of the 1% if they would help with individuals. And, I am convinced they would if we had a way to match them up with the single mother with three kids. It is worth discussing.