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Signs? Why eating your crusts and believing in aliens is good
for you...
The new movie "Signs" starring Mel Gibson and directed by M. Night Shyamalan
confronts simultaneously the issues of losing faith in a God and facing a threat
from an unimagined, but very real, alien intelligence.
This movie, like so many before it, taps into our deepest and most primal fears.
It provides an apocalyptic vision of death and destruction and highlights the
helplessness we feel when faced with an all-powerful and all-knowing adversary.
It creates a feeling of "us" and "them" and this seems to be a theme that readily
repeats itself in human history. It almost seems to be an evolutionary necessity,
to believe We are the good guys, and out there, somewhere, are the bad guys,
who Aren't Like Us.
Team 1 and Team 2 are politicians and scientists; the leaders of society. The
class is the Government. Signs very like the ones at the beginning of the movie
have occurred. You must decide the policy to present to the people..
- Team 1 believes that even the slight possibility of alien attack needs
to be addressed with full solemnity. People are afraid, and cannot be convinced
that the threat is not there. Any other stance by the government would be
futile. Draw on examples from history and show that it is important that any
threat to human society requires a united, prepared defense. It doesn't matter
if there is doubt as to the truth of the ET threat, all that matters is that
society feels they are being protected from something. We need a Them. The
truth is not as important as the fact that the superstitious and untrusting
tribe is the one best prepared for any eventuality.
- Team 2 believes that the search for truth is more important than encouraging
a near religious fervour against an imaginary enemy. We are no longer tribes
with sticks that need propaganda and superstition to survive. We should encourage
the people to be skeptical and analytical about the events that have occurred
and this will reduce the fear and hostility in the people. If the government
refuses to bow to the superstitions and fears of the mob, then eventually
truth will prevail.
Resources:
Helpfull links and references- Start Here!
References
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