#FrancisOnFilm: Aquaman 12
Feb 5, 2019Can an action flick like Aquaman be philosophically interesting? Could it, for example, contribute to environmental preservation by actually motivating people to do something about oceanic pollution? Answering this question requires theorizing about moral motivation.
Comments (1)
MER
Monday, February 18, 2019 -- 10:17 AM
I appreciated the discussionI appreciated the discussion of several important movies from the past year. I disagree, however, with the somewhat disparaging comment about the ending of "Black Panther" -- paraphrasing, that setting up a community center was underwhelming. Respectfully, you might want to check your privilege as university-connected individuals. Community centers in poverty-worn neighborhoods provide multiple services, including after-school programs for youth and adult-education programs that bring some of the richness that visiting scholars and artists bring to college campuses. Kamala Harris cited her childhood visits to Rainbow Sign, a community center in Berkeley in the 1970s, as highly formative; Rainbow Sign hosted James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, and Nina Simone, among others. Like maintaining or rebuilding infrastructure, creating community centers doesn't sound sexy or earth-shaking, but the safety and advantages they bring have far-reaching impacts. Perhaps you would consider a show exploring the topic of the basic underpinnings of a good life: clean water, safe home, and a sense of connection to the larger community -- and how our society might achieve that for people living in neighborhoods experiencing entrenched poverty.