Monday, November 12, 2007

U can’t trust a liar

I was looking at one of those old movie channels. Namely because they don’t write or make movies like the used too. And it happened by chance that I ran across one of my favorite movies of all time – The Battle of Algiers by Kevin Beary.

True, I have other favorite movies like A Clockwork Orange, Malcolm X, and Imitation of Life to name a Few, but this one is an all time classic. It made me realize that I have been thinking a lot about what has passed in recent years and presently in Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey and Lebanon to name a few places and accept that many of the problems that have evinced are the result of typical Colonial rule and imperial Zeal.


The movie details the French in Algeria, and the life of one man, a former boxer and petty criminal named Ali la Pointe. After leaving prison, he is recruited by the FLN (National Liberation Front), the terrorist/national independence group that fought the French and helped to kick them out of the country after 130 years. I learned of most of the Algerian revolution via the works of Frantz Fanon, the noted Algerian Psychiatrist.

The West has traditionally inflamed relations wit Africa and the Arab world via political policies that never served the inhabitants of the countries the attempted to colonize and more importantly, through lies, exploitation and deceit.
Looking at the movie again, reminded me that no matter what one4 does, you can never trust a liar, that you can never trust a person or entity that never keep their word, that you can never trust a person that only lives through their actions to exploit and use you. I was reminded that even people have individualized colonial zeal, that will never allow them to be trust; for they will never be able to keep their word, and will lie so much that they themselves forget the truth, just as the French forgot that the country they occupied and its people were not French, and just as the US realize and should have learned from the British, that the Arab world is not Europe and that maybe they don’t desire to be Europeans, or accept what is told to them by folks who constantly lie all the time.

13 comments:

One Man’s Opinion said...

Okay, I have never heard of this movie, but when you look at movies such as the players club and friday that is to be expected. I must say, it sounds very interestion. You have piqued my interest. Only time will tell if it is piqued enough to get me to rent a movie that my actually stimulate me intellectually. Peace

Don said...

I agree with 'you can never trust a liar. There may be times where you may want to, need to, or maybe did not trust them because of a prior deceptive act ... but when it comes down to the come down, i don't think there's anything I hate worse in this world than a person who does not reveal the truth.

Never seen or heard of this particular movie though. But I know ALOT of liars.

Jamal O said...

Aye what up Torrance. Its been awhile. Yeah that Film was screening at Midtown art theater some months ago but I never had a chance to check it out.

I've heard good things about it.

I'll have to add it to the collection

Great post.

Hope all is well

J

All-Mi-T [Thought Crime] Rawdawgbuffalo said...

One mans opinion - it will, it defietly willl, i forgot to at Ciy of God

Don - yea, completely agree and think thats one reason y the world sees US - this country that way

JO - whats been up scholar, i know that mind is creating somethivg new, and eclectic. what u been sketching lately?

Chari said...

I agree. Good post.

Anonymous said...

While the reality is that all politicians (gee, why did I automatically jump to the topic of politics when discussing liars? ;)) are various shades of liars, it's the horrific, intense, and never-ending stream of lying BS from George Bush and his cronies and how they make the rest of the world (let alone many of us IN the U.S.!) look at us with disdain, distrust, and quite often downright disgust, which has me crowning him King of All Liars (so far). Yup, once someone has lied, there is something gone which you can never get back. Sigh. (If only I'd learned that in my last relationship much sooner than I did. ;))

I haven't been motivated to post on my blog lately, nor hit up many other blogs, but this fascinating entry by you just might get me going, so thanks--I think. ;)

Anonymous said...

I believe strongly that we must question the answers..... We must take what one says and not just accept it as a truth but rather reasearch it ourself and determine it to be truth or not truth.....

"You see the truth needs no substitue, either it is or it isn't" ~ India Arie

As humans, we have an inherent instinct to belong. We exist in relation, without relation we do not exist. So because we have this instinct to relate to other than self, we grasp at fragments of the truth.

Wouldn't you agree they always give us a fragment of it? They give you enough to suffice a stagnant mind. A mind that is distracted by the forces moving around it and is not in tune with it's self will not question but rather accept what is given.

In that acceptance, there is no investigation of the information.

I see this as a major problem with us today. We do not qestion the information that is given to us by our media, our officials, let alone anyone else....

Don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting that we should walk around being paranoid that everyone is lying to us. I am simply suggesting that TRUTH is. You do not change truth by your perception of it. It IS.

If I interact with someone or watch a program on TV or read a news paper, etc.... do I just agree with what is being given? Or do I research it myself and find it to be either true or untrue? What difference does it make? ALL THE DIFFERENCE.....

We need to look around us. Doesn't our current state of universe suggest that we have leaned way more towards just accepting what anyone says and not taking that any further? Don't be paranoid but consider, truely consider both sides of what information you come across....

One Love
Deanna

Saadia said...

Def--you can't trust a liar. However, sometimes it's easier to do so.

Does that make any sense?

All-Mi-T [Thought Crime] Rawdawgbuffalo said...

mystery - thank you

socal - dont u ever stop writing and feeding the minds of others

D - the India Arie quote was on point


Girly - I understand what u mean and have lived it

Reem said...

Absolutely,
I really like this movie!
Like you said, the Arab and African world don't want to be Europeans or western. I understand America's attempt at exporting democracy ( although I disagree with it), I just don't believe they should export western values too. We have an identity and culture, we don't want to replace it with anything else. The way America interferes in the "developing" world is incredible. Did their interventions ever "save" the civilians? Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia etc...
The change must come from within.

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