on a big tangent:
I was also a publicist on the film The Sea Inside. Has anyone seen it? I think it was a very well made film, and that case was different of course, because the man in the film (based on a true story) was at full mental capacity, and expressed consistently and lucidly over the span of decades that he didn't wish to go on living in his state (fully paralyzed from the neck down.) I still think it's a great film, and I do think that if someone really wants to die they should be allowed to do so with dignity.
I agree. I have no problem with assisted suicide or dying with dignity. If the person is fully in their right mind when they make the decision. It should not be made for them based on what they might have said prior to being in a situation. I might have made a comment about not wanting to be kept alive by artificial means before it actually happened.
But I really don't think this film, or the film Million Dollar Baby sent the right message. The big problem is that after seeing these two films, I figured if I were in the same position, I'd probably want to die too. These characters were so steadfast in their belief that life wasn't worth living in "their state," I just imagined they must be right. I knew nothing about the realities of living with their injuries, and really didn't learn too much from the films, but just got wrapped up in all the drama.
I just think that those other 2 films, in typical Hollywood/media fashion, grab a hold of the more dramatic, but extremely rare circumstance and make you identify with it and get all wrapped up in it.
I have a nurse who is 77 years old. She has all sorts of conspiracy theories. She thinks that our society has been getting indoctrinated over the years, through mass media, to decide what lives are worthy of saving. She says that movies, like the ones you mentioned, teach people if you are in that condition life is not worth living and you are better off dead. TV shows like Survivor, Big Brother and The Weakest Link get people use to the concept that some people are not worth keeping around and can be disposed of by group vote. She also gives the example of how elementary school children (her grandchildren) were given a hypothetical situation such as "a life boat is sinking from the weight, who should be sacrificed to save the rest?".
The purpose of all this indoctrination is to get people to accept euthanasia, assisted suicide and abortions. If someone is not productive or somehow a detriment to the group they should be disposed of.
Maybe she's on to something?
Jim
