Discordant Notes
Harry Potter’s Final Battle- The Battle for Hogwarts.
Every story has to end. And in films, the end is always worth watching because it is the end of the story.
So when the final battle in Harry Potter happened at the Battle of Hogwarts, everything has to be settled.
It
gives me a weird feeling that the Battle of Hogwarts was like the
Battle of Stalingrad or the Battle of Manila. And HP looked like a
battle scarred veteran of that fight. With the background of all the
rubbles and ruins after a heavy bombardment.
But for me
the ending of the story settled many things. And of the lessons of the
story is that we have to sacrifice a part of our self or our self in
order to achieve our ends.
In HP, Dumbledore made clear to
Harry Potter that he was both a part and the other life of Valdemort,(
an unintended horcrux) so he must die. But when he died, he had to live
to end the story. And that was a contradiction.
Yes, everybody of us must die. Or in simple meaning our dreams must die in order for us to live and our lives must go on.
I
dream of being a lawyer or a military man but I have to kill those
dreams because were poor and I choose another path in the interest of
the people. I would be so foolish and ignoble to count how many things I
have sacrificed for our cause.
It does not mean anything for some people but I know for those who really know me they will understand.
I just smiled when some people ask me; “Are you a fan of Harry Potter?” and they are surprised when I say no.
But
Harry Potter knows how people and so many of his friends sacrificed for
him. That is why to many who are just watching and have not gone
through the experiences of having seen your friends die for you knows
what Harry Potter feels that is why he elected to face Valdemort knowing
he is about to die.
Yes, its really an ugly sight to view
the bodies of people you have been, your friends and your loves one who
fought for you. It is never a good view to watch to see mangled bodies
of heroes and martyrs for a cause. Much more of people who you will
never see again.
Yes, sometimes everyday we must die and
kill our dreams so we dream for greater dreams and live for the creation
of greater lives.
It was fun to watch HP is 3D but even
if not it is still an apple for the eye and the lessons learned will
linger on in the simplest message. The good will always triumph in the
end.
And that’s with or without magic.
********
22.7.11
Tag-Init ng 1983
Tula
Tag-Init ng 1983
Sa ibabaw ng burol
Mapapagmasdan ang kabilang ibayo
Ang matatayog na bundok
Ng Cordillera at kapatagan
Sa pagitang nahahati
Ng malawak na ilog Cagayan,
Isang lambak na berde
Sa panahon ng taniman
At malawak na kulay balat
Pagkatapos ng anihan
Kung may pinangarap na tirahan
Ay yaong itaas ng burol
Sa gilid ng kabundukan
Abot tanaw ang kabilang ilog
Ng Baggao
Maging ang dulong patag ng Alcala
Nakaharap sa kapatagan
Ng malawak na kalsada
Nguint dito pala magaganap
Ang malalaking labanan,
Babasagin ng mga putok
Ang katahimikan.
Mamayani ang ugong
Ng isang dosenang helicopter,
Mga higanteng tutubing
Magbababa ng mga tropang
Sanadatahn para sindakin
Ang masa tungo sa pagsuko
At kawalang pag-asa:
Nguit mabibigo sila,
Kung gaano sila biglang dumating
Ganano kabilis din sila umatras
Ng salubungin ng umaatikabong putok
Isang araw sa pabungad ng tag-araw,
Tunay bigo ang atake ng Oplan Tag-araw
Ng Task Force Alpha:
Mabilis man nilang nasakop
Ang Alcala-Baggao complex
Wala na ang mga gerilya ng bayan
Ligtas na silang nakatakas
At ikinubli ng mga mamamayan.
Naagaw man nila ang burol na iyon,
Lupa lamang na pansamatala
Ang kanilang nasakop,
Hindi hindi ang isip at puso ng sambayanan
Na patuloy na pinagaalab
At lundo’t duyan
Ng rebolusyon
J. Luna
Hunyo 26, 2011
20.7.11
WALKOUT - A Critical Review
Film Review
WALKOUT - A Critical Review
By Arturo P. Garcia
March 31, 2006
Some people have recently called the HBO film, Walkout, as “providing much inspiration to the student walkouts” across America in recent days. The movie is about the story of Paula Crisostomo, daughter of Filipino janitor Panfilo Crisostomo and a Mexican mother, who was one of those who led the walkout of over 10,000 high school students in East Los Angeles in 1968. Her story was highlighted in a telemovie, entitled Walkout produced among others by Latino-American actor Edward James Olmos for HBO and launched this March 18, 2006.
This film is a remarkable breakthrough of sorts one which celebrates the struggle of the Chicano minority for self-determination in racist, capitalist America“ something that a progressive can both appreciate and agree with. But there are also things that one must also be critical about.
Although the film is a historical feature that tells the story of the Chicano people’s struggle against racism and discrimination and is undoubtedly a breakthrough against white supremacy, it is also a telling lesson in the chauvinism of some Chicano activists towards Filipinos in America. This is a case of a majority minority that unconsciously or consciously discriminates against another albeit smaller national minority in advocating for its own self-determination in the United States.
Don’t get us wrong. Filipinos have gone a long way in building solidarity with the Mexican people. Filipinos have had a long history of cooperation with the Mexican people even with their own struggle for national determination and liberation.
Tracing our history, Filipinos of Mexican origin led the Cavite Mutiny of 1872 that resulted in the martyrdom of the three Filipino Priests, Frs. Gomez, Burgos and Zamora (Gomburza)- an event which had a powerful effect on the Filipino people and later became an inspiration for Dr. Jose Rizal to write a novel about Spanish clerico-fascism and colonial theocracy.
The early decades of the last century in the United States tell many stories not only of how white capitalist bosses pitted Filipinos and Mexicans against each other, but also of how both groups united and organized eventually to prevail over corporate growers up and down the West Coast, but especially in the valleys of California.
What is perhaps a fitting example of solidarity is the internationalism of Philip Vera Cruz who graciously gave way to the much younger Cesar Chavez to become the president of the United Farm Workers Union (UFW) in the mid-1960’s to preserve the union’s internal unity and unify Filipino and Mexican workers against capitalist exploitation and oppression in the fields.
And yet, woefully, Philip Vera Cruz is often relegated to the background and forgotten by the UFW in its official history and all the glories are bestowed on Cesar Chavez as if he were some kind of demigod and savior of farm workers. Simply not true. From the point of view of the manongs and veterans of the 1965 Grape Boycott that started it all, Cesar was a terrible ingrate. What the UFW does not want brought to light until this day is how Chavez stabbed Filipinos in the back when in 1978 he went to the Philippines to shake hands with Philippine dictator Marcos and shamelessly brought along yellow trade unionists like Luis Taruc and Jerry Montemayor back to Delano. It was this incident that broke the camel’s back and made Philip Vera Cruz bitterly resign as Executive Vice President of the UFW. This is but an example of big-minority chauvinism of some in the Chicano movement in their zeal to promote Chicanismo “ or Chicano power at the expense of Filipinos.
If we go back to the film “ Filipinos have a point in resenting the fact that the role of the Filipino father Panfilo Crisostomo was given to a Mexican actor. Could the film makers really not have found any Filipino actor to play such a role more suitably?
Thus, even in the film, the Filipino character was again diminished and was again relegated to the background. He was featured cussing a Filipino expletive word which was not even correctly pronounced.
In one scene, Panfilo was quoted: If you get into the ring, you will be hurt. And do you know why Americans are afraid to fight Latino boxers? Because they don’t quit. This is to tell her daughter why she should continue to fight for what she thinks is right.
This is simply a case of stereotyping and attributing to Latinos what is also applicable to Filipinos. That fighting quality may be true for Latino boxers. But it is even more apt for Filipino boxers today when we have the likes of Manny Pacquiao.
And it was also true even back in the sixties when Flash Elorde was world champ in the junior lightweight division. Paula Crisostomo’s quality of never giving up was in her blood as a Filipina. Like Gabriela Silang, Filipinas never give up and fight to the last breath for what they believe is right.
One part of the film which was almost fleeting was Panfilo’s rejoinder to her daughter: You are not Chicana. you are a Chilifina”
Overall, notwithstanding our criticism of the portrayal of the Filipino father, the film is still a breakthrough of sorts and offers a way to correct the horrible deficiencies of the mainstream Hollywood studios of portraying the usual racist and chauvinist stereotypes of minorities as criminals, syndicated crime warlords, berserk, exotic and other images that they want to portray.
As with the film Crash which portrays Asians as human smugglers and Arabs as angry, unreasonable would-be killers, progressives should stand up and criticize films or aspects of them which appear to talk about racism but in effect are still racist or white supremacist in essence.
Genuine self-determination starts with respect for each others culture and learning from each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Not demeaning and disparaging each others culture and imposing one’s own over the other. Or else we will always be like the enemy we are out to overthrow and change is not coming from ourselves.
We should always remember to change the society, change must also come from within ourselves.
WALKOUT - A Critical Review
By Arturo P. Garcia
March 31, 2006
Some people have recently called the HBO film, Walkout, as “providing much inspiration to the student walkouts” across America in recent days. The movie is about the story of Paula Crisostomo, daughter of Filipino janitor Panfilo Crisostomo and a Mexican mother, who was one of those who led the walkout of over 10,000 high school students in East Los Angeles in 1968. Her story was highlighted in a telemovie, entitled Walkout produced among others by Latino-American actor Edward James Olmos for HBO and launched this March 18, 2006.
This film is a remarkable breakthrough of sorts one which celebrates the struggle of the Chicano minority for self-determination in racist, capitalist America“ something that a progressive can both appreciate and agree with. But there are also things that one must also be critical about.
Although the film is a historical feature that tells the story of the Chicano people’s struggle against racism and discrimination and is undoubtedly a breakthrough against white supremacy, it is also a telling lesson in the chauvinism of some Chicano activists towards Filipinos in America. This is a case of a majority minority that unconsciously or consciously discriminates against another albeit smaller national minority in advocating for its own self-determination in the United States.
Don’t get us wrong. Filipinos have gone a long way in building solidarity with the Mexican people. Filipinos have had a long history of cooperation with the Mexican people even with their own struggle for national determination and liberation.
Tracing our history, Filipinos of Mexican origin led the Cavite Mutiny of 1872 that resulted in the martyrdom of the three Filipino Priests, Frs. Gomez, Burgos and Zamora (Gomburza)- an event which had a powerful effect on the Filipino people and later became an inspiration for Dr. Jose Rizal to write a novel about Spanish clerico-fascism and colonial theocracy.
The early decades of the last century in the United States tell many stories not only of how white capitalist bosses pitted Filipinos and Mexicans against each other, but also of how both groups united and organized eventually to prevail over corporate growers up and down the West Coast, but especially in the valleys of California.
What is perhaps a fitting example of solidarity is the internationalism of Philip Vera Cruz who graciously gave way to the much younger Cesar Chavez to become the president of the United Farm Workers Union (UFW) in the mid-1960’s to preserve the union’s internal unity and unify Filipino and Mexican workers against capitalist exploitation and oppression in the fields.
And yet, woefully, Philip Vera Cruz is often relegated to the background and forgotten by the UFW in its official history and all the glories are bestowed on Cesar Chavez as if he were some kind of demigod and savior of farm workers. Simply not true. From the point of view of the manongs and veterans of the 1965 Grape Boycott that started it all, Cesar was a terrible ingrate. What the UFW does not want brought to light until this day is how Chavez stabbed Filipinos in the back when in 1978 he went to the Philippines to shake hands with Philippine dictator Marcos and shamelessly brought along yellow trade unionists like Luis Taruc and Jerry Montemayor back to Delano. It was this incident that broke the camel’s back and made Philip Vera Cruz bitterly resign as Executive Vice President of the UFW. This is but an example of big-minority chauvinism of some in the Chicano movement in their zeal to promote Chicanismo “ or Chicano power at the expense of Filipinos.
If we go back to the film “ Filipinos have a point in resenting the fact that the role of the Filipino father Panfilo Crisostomo was given to a Mexican actor. Could the film makers really not have found any Filipino actor to play such a role more suitably?
Thus, even in the film, the Filipino character was again diminished and was again relegated to the background. He was featured cussing a Filipino expletive word which was not even correctly pronounced.
In one scene, Panfilo was quoted: If you get into the ring, you will be hurt. And do you know why Americans are afraid to fight Latino boxers? Because they don’t quit. This is to tell her daughter why she should continue to fight for what she thinks is right.
This is simply a case of stereotyping and attributing to Latinos what is also applicable to Filipinos. That fighting quality may be true for Latino boxers. But it is even more apt for Filipino boxers today when we have the likes of Manny Pacquiao.
And it was also true even back in the sixties when Flash Elorde was world champ in the junior lightweight division. Paula Crisostomo’s quality of never giving up was in her blood as a Filipina. Like Gabriela Silang, Filipinas never give up and fight to the last breath for what they believe is right.
One part of the film which was almost fleeting was Panfilo’s rejoinder to her daughter: You are not Chicana. you are a Chilifina”
Overall, notwithstanding our criticism of the portrayal of the Filipino father, the film is still a breakthrough of sorts and offers a way to correct the horrible deficiencies of the mainstream Hollywood studios of portraying the usual racist and chauvinist stereotypes of minorities as criminals, syndicated crime warlords, berserk, exotic and other images that they want to portray.
As with the film Crash which portrays Asians as human smugglers and Arabs as angry, unreasonable would-be killers, progressives should stand up and criticize films or aspects of them which appear to talk about racism but in effect are still racist or white supremacist in essence.
Genuine self-determination starts with respect for each others culture and learning from each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Not demeaning and disparaging each others culture and imposing one’s own over the other. Or else we will always be like the enemy we are out to overthrow and change is not coming from ourselves.
We should always remember to change the society, change must also come from within ourselves.
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