The 3-Strip Process: Changing People's Idiotic Ways

At the beginning of the twentieth century, there was no such thing as color in cinematic films. The miracle of moving images was somewhat muted by the fact that the images were grainy, stringy, and in black-and-white. But, of course, the real world is made up of many colors, not just black and white. Eventually, through innovation and ingenuity, film scientists were able to invent color processes that turned films more realistic and visually complex than they could ever be before. The most lavish and well-maintained style of color-- used on such widely appreciated classics as The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, and more-- was a three-strip process that coalesced reds, yellows, and blues into the full color spectrum. It provided bright, vivid colors.

What is the point of this, you may ask?

Well, while Hollywood keeps pushing forward with visual innovation (mostly to naught, but they do keep trying), the rest of the world seems to be stuck in black and white.

I'm referring primarily, of course, to the dramatic events in the Middle East in recent weeks-- mainly the continued enforcement of Israel's naval blockade of Gaza... and the recent destruction of a ship allegedly transporting aid into the devastated territory.

People are so quick to jump to one side or the other. On the one hand, people blindly insist we should sternly condemn Israel for destroying what may have been a strictly peaceful mission. Equally alarmingly, on the other hand, people just as blindly say that Israel is our ally and we should stick by them no matter what.

Both of these mindsets show a bigger mentality of either skimming headlines to glean news or of stubbornly dividing the world into black and white, right and wrong, enemy and friend. Neither of these mentalities are correct. Complex news articles cannot be summed up in a single phrase; and since when are right and wrong absolutes? Shouldn't we be required to apply critical thinking to each specific situation?

Here's what I've discovered about the most recent flare-up in the sizzling Israeli/Palestinian conflict: nothing conclusive. I automatically discount the extreme-right-or-left news outlets. My primary information comes from two local newspapers. These, naturally, say different things every day. Then, of course, I also discount the pundits-- especially, once more, the extremists-- both on the Charles Krauthammer and Eugene Robinson sides of the spectrum. Their job is not to report; it is to state their opinions. Opinions, as is commonly known, are not facts. This seems to leave, aside from the World News sections of the papers, internet research. And guess what happens there? Find one item in favor of one side, and immediately you'll find another that favors the other.

This has gone on for some time.

What remains is for me to say this. I do not condone any sort of violence. War is reprehensible to the utmost. Were it significantly less bloody, it would be childish to the extreme. But we are a race of angry children, feuding over a sandbox we don't actually own. And I know this. To all the people-- that includes you, Helen Thomas!-- who say there's only room for one race in Palestine, read closely.

Thousands of years ago, before the foundation of the Muslim religion, both Arabs and Hebrews lived in Palestine. It was where the Hebrews lived before they were sold into slavery in Egypt. It was where they went when they obtained their freedom. But what's important to remember is that it is holy territory to three different faiths-- faiths that really aren't so different except by labels and minutiae. This is going to cause conflict. It's inevitable. But there is no answer to the question, "Which single group belongs in Palestine?" It's not up to us. As kids, we're told to get along and play nicely. Let's have a little grown-up behavior, shall we?

Until I know for sure Israel was in the wrong, I won't condemn them. Until I know for sure that Hamas wasn't running guns into Gaza, I won't say they did.

And until the situation in Gaza-- the debris and squalor and suffering-- is rectified, I'll stubbornly call, against all odds and all hope, for a little adult behavior and some three-strip dignity.