Can you REALLY spot a villain?
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On “Booking Through Thursday” this week, a serious topic is posted:
Today is the 7th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I know that not all of you who read are in the U.S., but still, it’s vital that none of us who are decent people forget the scope of disaster that a few, evil people can cause–anywhere in the world.
It’s not about religion, it’s not about politics, it’s about the acknowledgment that humans should try to work together, not tear each other apart, even when they disagree.
So, feeling my way to a question here …
Terrorists aren’t just movie villains any more. Do real-world catastrophes such as 9/11 (and the bombs in Madrid, and the ones in London, and the war in Darfur, and … really, all the human-driven, mass loss-of-life events) affect what you choose to read?
Personally, I used to enjoy reading Tom Clancy, but haven’t been able to stomach his fight-terrorist kinds of books since.
And, does the reality of that kind of heartless, vicious attack–which happen on smaller scales ALL the time–change the way you feel about villains in the books you read? Are they scarier? Or more two-dimensional and cookie-cutter in the face of the things you see on the news?
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When I think about this question, I think about what and how I will teach my child about the real world.
In his cheery and colourful preschool in China, everything seems wonderful.
Of course I know that’s not true when he was bitten on the first day of school and I came upon “military-themed” preschool books on sale at Walmart.
Back home in Malaysia, the idea of terrorism is a far away idea - I had a tough time helping my students understand that the Holocaust sparked from a simple start in discrimination (read about my experience in my review of “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas“).
Now that we are in China, almost directly opposite Taiwan, with an army man as a neighbour, with sidecars trundling on the road, local kids all dressed in tiny fatigues wielding life-like guns and rifles, I am hit by the images of war and terrorism everyday.
I have a tough time trying to teach my son that we should all “play nice together” and not push, kick or punch to get our way in this country that glorifies the idea of “brave little soldiers”.
Does it affect what I read? Of course it does.
I try to read more books about the Chinese, through Chinese eyes like “China’s Son: Growing Up in the Cultural Revolution“.
I also try to read books that can help me understand the Muslim community (the supposed “terrorist community”) better like “Does My Head Look Big In This?”.
Do they change they way I feel about villains in books? Yes, they are scarier. Not because of the devastating destruction and death that they cause.
But because they walk among us. They could very well be the people you see everyday at the supermarket, on the roads or next door to you. Or the smiling straight A student in your class.
With the way our lives are crashing forward at digital speed, it’s getting harder for us to focus on what really matters. That no matter where we are, we are ALL humans with similar needs, feelings, fears and frustrations.
“We fear what we do not understand”
If we try keep an open mind to new and different cultures, we’ll soon find that the strange person who seems unfriendly, distant or rude is actually just as nice as our own Mum. Don’t you agree?
Almost all the terrorists caught in India are normal everyday people. That is scary.
Villainy is not the right word
I like to read for fun!
What a thoughtful response! Thanks for sharing a perspective outside the U.S. It’s good for us to be reminded that we are not the first country to experience terrorism and that we will almost certainly not be the last.
I agree. It’s kind of hard to teach good values in a world where many seem to have forgotten about it. But I say, don’t give up! If your son sees you setting a good example, I’m sure he’ll follow your footsteps.
I agree with many of your points. In our country, you get exposed to realities that many in first world countries only see in the news. We’re a big melting pot of cultures, and we must realise that we can’t force our ideas and belief on them as much as they can’t theirs on us.
Yes, keeping an open mind is very important. That’s one of the wonderful things about reading widely and teaching your children to read widely – it really does open the mind. Your son is so fortunate to have a mom who knows the value of books and reading.
Gautami - It IS scary, isn’t it? As much as they try to create a culture of fear, we’ve got to try not to let them…
Sally - Thanks! I’ve got to remember that
Rebecca - I’m really sorry for what happened on Sept 11. I was stunned when I visited Ground Zero but I’m sure US will rise up again.
Kat - It AIN’T easy being a good example, you know! Esp when I crave for chips and other ‘unhealthy’ things nowadays hahaha I’m so curious which country you live in as we seem to share many similarities.
JLSHall - Thanks…I’m blessed to have met a “book angel” when I was little. Now that I can afford it, I do try to introduce as many types of books to him as possible - and also others through this blog.
If I can encourage one child or one teen to read ONE more book, I get really HAPPY!
I worked briefly at the WTC and remember eating at the restaurant at the top.
However, I felt uncomfortable of the height and always felt better only when I reached the ground floor. Somehow, I got transferred to another city by some mistake.
I lost many friends, coworkers, school classmates, people I talked to several times per day on 9-11-01
The highest level of awareness is intuition or being aware of our feelings and what they tell us.
(cognitive decision making is often linear or step-wise with highly filtered (historical) data; intuition takes everything into account simultaneously; so trust your gut if he feels like a villain take appropriate action)
Less than 0.1% of Muslims are terrorists
Vince - I can’t imagine how you felt when you found out about Sept 11, based on what you write here.
That’s an interesting fact you shared on Muslim terrorist, care to share the source?
I’m a woman, a mother and born in the year of Tiger - my gut feelings are what I trust the most