9/11 Blues

I can’t think of any other numerical date that has been referred to as much as today. Unless it is your birthday, then kudos for you because I doubt anyone will ever forget it. Of course, having your birthday reminder associated with the worst terrorist attack in the 21st century is a mixed blessing to be sure.

In some way, 9/11 has also become a very powerful plot tool in many of today’s movies and TV series. Either in the form of comedy (think the airplane scene in Anger Management), lead character's backstory (Detective Mac Taylor from CSI: NY fame lost his wife during the WTC attacks), reaction to racial traits (how the SWAT dudes bitch-smack the poor Sikh bank clerk from Inside Man when the robbers released him with a suspicious briefcase around his neck) and especially in the majority of today’s action flicks where one of the 'plausible' reasons given on why the good, all-American hero just had to hose everyone down with a good dose of lead was because they were “suspected to be terrorists.”

Well, life hasn’t really changed much here in Malaysia. Today’s Star headlines were about the emergency numbers we have. Apparently, from what I can understand from a first glance at the article, the 999 number has been discontinued for some time already. They are planning to bring it back only if someone will be willing to pay for the line’s maintenance! WTF?
Anyway, it is good to know that hand-phones can dial for emergency services with 121… or was it 122? … errr… oh, boy. Better not get into any trouble with an empty credited phone then.

There is something that I’ve been thinking about though. On one of the rare moments where I actually stayed awake long enough before dozing off during my church’s sermon, a phrase sort of gotten stuck in my mind.

“The media has twisted the idea of sex because they portray that intimacy should come before getting to know the person better.”
Then, after watching My Super Ex-Girlfriend yesterday, it got me thinking. When we hear about real friends/associates/people we know screwing around, we are intrigued and sometimes maybe disgusted (or jealous even! :P ).

But when we watch a movie that portrays a looser side of intimacy, we sort of sublimely accept the fact that it is perfectly normal for that one and a half hour of screening time. When we come out, it’s back to being the conservative Asian again.

Not saying that anybody’s like this or that. It’s just funny that promiscuity seams so… normal. Such an everyday thing like washing the car or getting on the train when I am watching a movie.

Oh, yeah. My Super Ex-Girlfriend rocks! Too bad on the censorship though. Very badly done. Another brilliant movie and RM10 gone due to our beloved censorship board that so vigilantly guards our morality from the evils of the Western world. I salute you, good sirs!
Think about this though… they get paid to sit and watch un-censored and screen potentially banned films all day long. Sounds like a wickedly fun part-time job…
I wonder if they are taking in summer interns. :)

“You have invaded the nation of woman and spread your seeds of democracy!”