As a family we love going to the cinema – we have those cards that let you go as much as you want.
They even let me pick the film sometimes, so I pick ‘proper’ films like the “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”. Come on, just the title is great! It is set in WWII in Nazi occupied Guernsey telling the story of how the islanders survived. Of course I loved it, but the rest of the family said it was “okay”. But if you have not seen it, it’s worth a watch. My family prefer to choose the big blockbuster movies. I go along and shut my eyes when it’s too horrible or I have been known to sometimes go to sleep (only sometimes?). These popcorn movies can be great and as my wife says not everything has to be factual or about the war – and that is how I came to see “The Hunger Games” at the pictures. I will come back to my interpretation of the film later.
I was pleased to get invited to Chelmsford City Fairtrade Campaign breakfast by their secretary Gill Parker, and as I already had some idea on what Fairtrade was about, such as buying the chocolate in the supermarket with the Fairtrade logo and knowing it was doing good, I wanted to learn more and thought maybe I could put it into my next blog. So, as I started to think about ideas my mind turned to what song would we link to at the end of my blog, and I knew this was the one to use: “Put A Little Love in Your Heart” by Jackie De Shannon. Now, the one time my family will listen to me going on is when we are stacking the dish washer. I played them the song and asked what they thought. It got all a bit confusing when I asked them about the line “another day goes by and still the children cry”. I asked, “did they think she was singing about children?” The reply was “of course, that’s what she says”. I protested and said it was about kind and gentle adults, many of them being young adults, and something maybe linked to the Vietnam War. This was not good enough to win the argument so off to Google I went, only looking at good sources.
My research took me to the passive resistance movement of “Flower Power” and how the media would often use the term to describe any adult hippies as “Flower Children”. Protesting against the draft into the Vietnam war and reacting against it was a big part of this whole scene. Next, I found colour video of the televised birthday lottery, that told young men if they were going to war or not, see the link below and if you’ve seen ‘The Hunger Games’ films I’d be interested if you see any similarities.
At the Fairtrade breakfast we watched some hard-hitting short films showing just what exploitation of labour and forced child labour looks like and how it is not fair that you work hard but are not rewarded to the point you can have a decent life. I have always had a wrong understanding of the meaning of the word ‘fair’. I think many of us are taught as children that it is wrong to ask for fairness when parents tell us ‘Life is not fair’. I was wrong. Fair is not a bad word.
I looked back at my old blogs, and I can see that I would try not to use the word fair. For example, look at this extract talking about how you can get to work and go out and about on free or subsidized transport in other countries. Is this fair? I wished I had used that word now.
Extract from – The Climate Ambassador Blog – Don’t take the plane, let the train take the strain (Episode Three) Free and subsidised European travel
“My European rail adventure also led me to look at how public transport works in some other countries. In France, buses are free to use in about 30 municipalities. In Luxembourg all trains, buses and trams are free and it’s the first country in Europe to do this. In Germany, train commuters pay €49 for a monthly season ticket, and you can travel as much as you want to, anywhere in Germany. Food for thought back home as we think about ways to get more people out of their cars and onto public transport. ”
As I listened to Gill talk at the Fairtrade breakfast event and watched the films being shown, it became clear that being paid for your hard work and having a good standard of life is fair. When you see how Fairtrade changes the live of hard-working people, it was very moving. We can all easily take part in supporting Fairtrade by occasionally buying a bar of chocolate or bananas, or any of the other Fairtrade labelled products, and it really does make a difference. Gill said that if we had more justice, we would need less charity and that an unfair world is an unsafe world. As I listened, my mind drifted to the districts portrayed in The Hunger Games film I’d seen, with everyone living in a strange rigged system with some suffering more than others.
I reflected that perhaps The Hunger Games is not a popcorn move after all and gives a social commentary on our society and should make us think we won’t let hatred grow and to think of our fellow man. When you hear the words “another day goes by and still the children cry”, I now know for sure she is singing about adults because when I look at my children and everyone else’s children I know, who start adult life with large students debts or however hard they work will struggle to be able to buy a home, that is not fair and it is okay for us to say that. As long as you also want fairness for people living in the developing world who also want a decent life through their hard work.
When we look at climate change and the world we are leaving for future generations, is that fair? I feel like I now know the true meaning of the word fair.
Watch the birthday lottery that was on TV to tell young men if they were going to war or staying at home.
Almanac: The 1969 draft lottery (youtube.com)
Have a listen, and who do you think the children are?
Put A Little Love In Your Heart (youtube.com)
Cllr Terry Sherlock
