Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Gran Torino - Generations
In the movie Gran Torino, Walt has an obvious problem with the way that younger generations act. One main observation is that he dislikes the younger generation's lack of respect for elders. The movie shows this when the old woman drops her groceries and the younger teens do not help her at all but make rude gestures in her direction. I may be making too far of a leap but I also think that he would say that younger generations do not respect their property along with the Asians in his neighborhood. In his mind he may be making connections between both populations... Only after he sees that Thao does not exhibit this lack of respect, especially when Thao picks up the dropped groceries, does Walt start teaching Thao how to be a man. For this post my question to the Dubai students would be... Is there a divide between generations in Dubai? Do older generations sometimes view younger generations as disrespectful?
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In response to your last question, I think so, yes. :(
ReplyDeleteMy only evidence for that question is probably one of my professors who constantly reiterates the lack of respect of students with regard to many subjects - school equipment, treatment of professors, and their general approach to university itself.
I really can't disagree, though. Our generation really Does tend to be disrespectful and abusive of many things, and takes things for granted more often than ever before. In the end however it really varies from person to person as clusters of respectful as well as disrespectful youth can be found here.
However, I can't say I've seen people disrespectful enough not to lift a finger for people who need help and most certainly to insult others on top of that! I was shocked by that part in the movie so I would like to pose you with the same question, really. Are there really people who act this way in America?
I can't answer your first question, because as far as I know, to stay in Dubai you need to have a sponsor of some kind. If you work here you're most likely sponsored by your employer, and if you study here you're most likely sponsored by your school.
People who reach the age of 60 or above can no longer be sponsored by their jobs, nor can they be allowed to work (unless it's a specialized field such as a managerial position); These individuals may be sponsored by someone else, possibly their own children if they are earning a living themselves. Because of this scarcely any elderly (expatriate) individuals will be seen around as most of these people retire back to their hometowns or seek settlement into peaceful countries. I've only seen elderly locals but on very rare occasions.
Basically, I really don't have enough experience to respond to your question, but I hope I've managed to explain why.