I tried to be nice to you. I truly did. I had seen you around multiple times, walking by yourself while my friends and I would drive past you. You worked a minimum-wage job, you harbored a sweet Jesus-beard, and for the most part, you were fairly quiet.
But I was wrong. You weren’t as pleasant as I thought you would be. You’re turned out to be an ignorant, racist bigot.
I am sick of your racist remarks. I am sick of you scoffing at me every time I walk into Blockbuster to rent a movie. I am sick of you rolling your eyes at my parents.
I have, sadly, gotten used to the constant prejudice because of my name and my skin, despite being a life-long honors student and scoring in the top-three percentile. That’s just how it works. People are biased ass-hats.
I can shrug it off. Easy.
Sure, you can complain loudly about how much you hate Filipinos, without realizing that all ethnicities have ass-hats here and there.
I can shrug it off.
But I am completely vexed when you generalize and assume that every olive-skinned person on this island is an illiterate human who is here to strip you from your job. Our dignity, determination, harbored social mores? Non-existent to you. We steal your jobs, yet we are vapid neanderthals?
You piss me off.
My mom graduated as a valedictorian and worked hard to get where she is today. I can’t say the same about my dad being as successful in school, but he worked just as hard. They took the chance to move to a different country twenty-five years ago for more opportunities and are moderately successful. They took the time to learn a second language. They took the time to adapt.
And now. My mom? One of the managers where she works. My dad? Working two jobs he thoroughly enjoys. Me? Graduated and won enough scholarships to pay off my first two years in college.
Then there's you.
Sitting there, complaining, with your ridiculous sense of entitlement, when you’re what? Some whiny twenty-three year old who can’t retain a job? Good for you. Bitch out Filipinos. Because we’re obviously the cause of your failure.
Meh. My intent wasn't to write a post and have it turn into a bitch-fest. But writing this was strangely cathartic. Perhaps one day, I'll get the balls to tell this to Jesus-kid. That or troll the shit out of him.
I saw Inception opening night, and I have to agree with film critics when they say it is Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece. I love that it stimulates the intellect and touches on the concept of a simulated reality (which I'm a huge sucker for). Although the ambiguous ending is clichéd, I love that it sparks discussion - which is why I am writing.
In addition to this, I added established rules and inferred rules.
Established:
- One feels pain in a dream, because pain is perceived by the mind.
- Because one no longer exists (dies) in a dream, they are kicked into the previous level.
- One must be kicked back into the last level before each dreamer wakes up. Therefore, a synchronized kick takes place in each level, so they are not trapped.
- Time goes by relatively faster as you venture into deeper levels.
- To escape limbo, one must realize it is merely a dream, then commit suicide. After Cobb and Mal accept they are in Limbo, they off themselves and are kicked back into “reality”. When Cobb helps Saito come to this conclusion at the end of the film, it is implied that they kill each other.
- The architect (Ariadne) designs all levels, but each level can be manipulated by the dreamer. For example, Arthur is able to manipulate the stairs in the hotel level, and Eames is able to create an alternate path in the snow fortress.
- The dreamer cannot travel any further than their own dream. Which is why Yusuf stays in the van-level, Arthur stays in the hotel-level, and Eames stays in the snow-level.
- As a result of the sedative, when someone dies in a dream, the go straight to Limbo. This is the case for both Cobb, Fischer, and Saito - and also explains the age difference between them. Saito dies first and remains there for the longest, which is why he appears the oldest in Limbo. Because Cobb realizes he is in Limbo relatively soon, he doesn't appear to age.
There is one inconsistency that forces me to question what I believe (that the plan was success), and that there are actually more levels of dreaming. I have come up with three theories.
What happens if someone is disconnected from the machine while they’re still traveling through another person’s dream? I wondered about this after everyone woke up on the plane. The flight attendant is the one who operates the machine, but she is given no cue as to what is happening in each person’s dream - only an estimate of when the sedative should wear off. So how does everyone on the plane wake up without accidentally being stuck in someone’s dream after being disconnected? The flight attendant must be able to disconnect everyone (especially Fischer Jr.) before they wake up.
1.) The airplane/”reality” level is actually Saito’s dream. There is a lot of evidence that supports this. The movie starts off in Saito’s limbo, then moves into his dream. Some examples from the film are:
- Saito and “Mal’s” recurring phrase “take a leap of faith”.
- Because Saito feels Cobb’s totem, he can reconstruct it in his dream, allowing Cobb to think he can distinguish reality versus dreaming. This supports the second inferred rule.
- Saito coincidentally rescues Cobb from the dream-like chase in Africa.
- We never see if the totem topples over when Saito walks in on Cobb in the bathroom. Cobb never tries it again afterwards, until the final scene.
What I love about this theory is that Saito is able to keep his promise to Cobb, by “reuniting” him with his family. Saito takes specific steps to ensure that Cobb remains in Limbo (perhaps finding a machine that allows Cobb to stay in a comatose state) while ensuring that Fischer Jr. begins his own business.
The only flaw with this theory is that it serves no purpose. Saito's goal is to plant an idea in Fischer's mind, but if this is all in Saito's dream, the whole plan was useless.
2.) The airplane/”reality” level is actually Cobb’s dream, where he creates a happy ending for everyone. He saves Saito from Limbo and everyone escapes successfully. He returns home to be greeted by his family, and instead of waiting to see if his totem topples over on the counter, he chooses to ignore it, perhaps accepting this as his reality. What can you say? Ignorance is bliss.
However, this means that his physical body is somewhere in reality, and we don't know what is happening to it. Limbo is a state of mind, and if his actual body dies, does he disappear? Because we don't know where his body is, one might assume that Cobb accepting his fate is only a temporary solution, because his body (as far as we know) is vulnerable.
3.) All the levels above the airplane level were a dream. The technology does not exist, the passengers on the plane were just in his dream by coincidence (which is why they don’t acknowledge each other after they leave - even Fischer, who had just dreamt about him, doesn't stop in surprise), he was never banned from the U.S. - he is merely overwrought with guilt. After his dream, he finally accepts his wife’s suicide and returns home.
As much as I'd like to stick to "everything was a success", I have to take these into consideration. Although it falls under the "none of this actually ever happened" theory, which I'm not particularly fond of, I believe theory #3 holds the most weight. I will admit to not particularly liking the idea, but it still explains the flight attendant inconsistency best. None of these theories are concrete, but I wanted to draw attention to each possibility, as well as establish their weaknesses. It's all up for argument.
What are some of your theories and inconsistencies you’d like to draw attention to? An idea is "the most resilient parasite" - why not share yours?
P.S. - Was I the only one who thought, “Jack Dawson survived!” when Leonardo DiCaprio washed up on the shores of Limbo at the beginning of Inception?
Lately, I've been tentative about writing my actual thoughts down on here, in fear of offending people I may have interacted with, or people who may play a dominant role in my life later on. After some time, I realized that I didn't really give a shit. Because I am not a preacher of great power or eloquence, I give you this comic to explain in detail:
Pardon the expletives. But if you sin, you might as well sin boldly, yeah? Bold thoughts make far more interesting reads than feeble ones. Keep that in mind.
Thank you, Randall Munroe for writing this comic out so well.
I'm not sure what to do with myself. I've just graduated high school, I'll be heading to college in Fairbanks this fall... but what now? This transition is anything but typical.
Yet I feel prepared. I'm only six credits short of starting as a sophomore. All the extra classes I've taken (dual-credit, AP, extra at the college) have allowed me to accumulate enough credits to almost surpass the freshman thirty. Yeah, I'll admit that the extra work made high school grueling, but at least the pressure on my parents has diminished—even if it's only a minute amount.
I can't wait for this... rebirth. August 27th is when I take the ferry up to Homer, and then Max and I will drive to Anchorage, and head north towards Fairbanks. I have to remember that this is two-and-a-half months from now, though.
I spent the last four years balancing work with school and extra classes. I think I deserve a break this summer, and I intend to make every moment noteworthy. All I need is a set of crazy things to accomplish. Help me out, eh?
Peace.