21
It has been a long time since I’ve last been to sneak previews at the movies. Today I’ve bit the bullet and told myself I had to go, just to vent a bit. I was lucky: out of all possible movies I’ve had "21", which I wanted to see anyway. Of course, it’s a "popcorn" movie, but Kevin Spacey was excellent as always, so it was quite enjoyable. I’m no film critic, so I won’t write a complete review, but it’s a nice movie without much moral preaching, so if you happen to go to the movies, "21" might be a good choice.
However, several topics which has been mentioned but not really analyzed or emphasized in this movie were quite disturbing. It’s mostly about how smart guys who don’t have the money usually don’t stand a chance in this society. The protagonist has been working for five years since he was sixteen to earn his A+ in high school, to get the best grades at MIT, he’s bright, talented and smart and still not good enough for some people, mostly the ones who decide about who wins and who loses by granting or not granting scholarships for those who need it. Being good at what you’re doing is simply not enough in this world. You need to be perfect. Or rich, that’s the second possibility.
Sixteen-year-old spend days and nights learning stuff they won’t need and trying to get a hold of the best grades they can get. Soon you’ll need to provide performance reports from the elementary school just to get a place at a college. Even slightest mistake in your youth, smallest performance loss and you are out. You haven’t been a normal teenager since you’ve been working hard to get somewhere you’ve always wanted to, then you fail a class and you are out. You are weak, you don’t belong here, only the strongest survive. Better luck in your next life.
What kind of crazy world are we living in? We are supposed to perform like machines from our childhood on, work 70-80 hours per week and then probably just die at the age of 50 — you’d be too old for anything anyway by then. If you don’t want this — well, it’s your choice, but your chances in this world are pretty slim then.
I’m actually one of those who worked hard for what they are. I’m 25 and I’ve been self-training for the last 14 years. I’ve learned a lot, I’m at least a bit gifted, not a genius, but still someone with "good potential". I didn’t have good grades, mostly because I’m lazy and had to work in my free time to earn at least some money for some decent life. I’m actually quite content with the life I have and which will follow: I’ll probably have a decent job, which will get me the money I need for life, family, wife, kids, I’ll have it all. I won’t be the greatest, I’ll just be a quiet good one.
But it’s sad to realize that many of extremely talented guys and girls might not get a life they are worth just because they haven’t been to the best college, haven’t had the best grades, haven’t got the money, hadn’t worked since they were eight or just had bad luck. This whole system is flawed, it’s taking from the poor and giving to the rich. Or at least making it really difficult to talented people to prove their talent.
Sometimes I really hate this world.
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