Who cares

Slumdog millionair won eight oscars. On IMDB, many Indian protested this movie. The reason is simple: the India depicted in this movie is not their India, or at least it is not the India they saw.

This reminded me of another movie: Hong Gao Liang (1987). This film also won an international award. I remembered that when this movie won award, many chinese people were disappointed, since this movie revealed the dark side of the chinese society. It seemed to be a shameful thing to let "foreign people" to see our scar. I was only about 9 years old at that time. I believed everything the adults told me.

Even nowadays, I still believed that westerners are fond of gazing at the scars of other society. I carefully avoided any conversation with them about the dark side of our chinese society. I felt embarrassed to discuss the human right with any westerners. I also have a mixed feeling about all the movies exposing the uncivilized moments in chinese history. I confess, I am a narrow minded person and prone to guard the reputation of our chinese society.

My point of view, however changed after I watched "the slumdog millionaire". First of all, I don't know if this movie deserves 8 oscars. I haven't seen other nominated movies. Therefore, I cannot decided which one is better than the other. I liked this movie, because it touches my soul.

When I was watching this movie (I watched it three times), there was not even one moment that my mind was focused on the poverty of the slums of India. There was not even one moment that I think that human rights in India was lacking. After I finished watching that movie, my impression about India is more improved.

I had chances to talk with many Indian. Based on my previous experiences, their general character is "Talk" rather than "Do". But after watched this movie, I believe they are all born with a beautiful character.
What we call "Slum" is called home by them. Their home is no different from our home, since it provides love and hope. What has been fostered in their home is however difference from ours. Maybe, we are more civilized and have more attachment. We wear designer cloth and we drove expensive cars.

But look what the civilization do to people: to secure their attachment, they are willing to electrify their own people, and they are willing to prison/blind their own people. Do those movie makers have a choice? If the three children in the movie were born in a rich society, they would never face choices between live and death, and they will be bleached "White" by the golden survival rules of the rich societies.

From this sense, I have no feeling of superior for living in a more civilized society. I even like India more than ever. This movie gives me confidence that we, human being, without nationality, are all born with a beautiful character.

Even I praise this movie that much, I don't think that I would prefer to live in a slum. I live with what I was given. I never felt that we can choose our destiny. Just like now, I don't like many things about a so called civilized society, but I still live in it. I just lost my tendency to guard the scars in our chinese society.

I suddenly realize what I called scars, might not be scars in other people's eyes. I call them scars is because I don't know how to accept beautys in a different form.

I have quited argument. In my recollection, no argument can change people's mind. People's minds change on their own.

Besides, who cares what other people think??????????????