Last night, Corey and I took my little sister to see WALL-E. We had agreed that Batman looked too violent for her, and Space Chimps wasn’t going to cut it. The WALL-E trailer looked entertaining, and the animation looked pretty cool. Who would have known that we were going to be treated to a dystopian masterpiece.

In the film’s first half, a lifeless post-eco-apocalyptic Earth is overrun by toxic garbage. The film’s robotic hero, WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter-Earth-Class), scurries to endlessly collect, compact, and stack the garbage.

In the second half, WALL-E travels through space to an ‘Executive Starliner’ created by the megacorporation Buy ‘N Large as a seeming paradise for humans on board. These humans have been on the ship for hundreds of years after what was supposed to be a brief exodus while Earth was cleaned up, humans have become ‘a flabby mass of peabrained idiots who are literally too fat to walk.‘

I totally enjoyed this film. The quality was great, the humor kept me laughing, and the social message was powerful. The social commentary on our society of consumption highlighted that there is a growing awareness of the need for a cultural shift. This movie highlighted exactly how bad things can get, and precisely how fooled people can become, if society doesn’t wake up to the catastrophe that is building.

We can all learn something from this satirical gem.

Though criticized by some conservatives as anti-capitalist, WALL-E is perhaps best described as one of the most anti-consumption movies ever made. That’s why even Michael Gerson, a Former Bush speechwriter known for his evangelical moralism, loved the movie and saw it as a daring attack on ‘a culture of consumption.’

As a final note, if you see WALL-E and want more of the same. Check out the 2006 Mike Judge classic film, Idiocracy.

Last week I was talking about fireworks in the street, this week I’m captivated by an explosion that changed the world.

I picked up the book Hiroshima at a garage sale over the weekend. It is a short book, so I cruised right through it this week. Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Hersey traveled to Japan while the ashes of Hiroshima were still warm. He interviewed survivors of the world’s first atomic bombing.

The book is a series of personal accounts of city residents, describing their lives before, during and after the bombing. This is the most compelling piece of literature that I have read in recent years. I was driven to tears a couple of times during the book. It was just such a horrible tragedy, with so much pain, suffering and loss.

I enjoy reading about history, so I’ve got some historical perspective on what led to the development and use of the bomb. And I’m positive that my grandfather, who lived through the war, would balk at my criticism of the use of nuclear weapons to end WWII. But I know that Truman struggled with the decision, rightfully so. This was a man-made destructive force on a scale that humanity had never seen. In an instant, this weapon would kill thousands. Of course, in the immediate aftermath, roughly 100,000 people were killed by the bombing.

I’m saddened that our post-war freedom was won by the use of such violence against non-combatants.

Last night Corey and I went to Filmstreams and watched a documentary called Sputnik Mania. It was about the race to dominate space between the Soviets and the United States. In the days following its launch, Sputnik was celebrated by Americans as a groundbreaking human accomplishment. But, according to the film, politicians began to fan the flames of nationalist pride and fear in order to drive the public into a frenzy.

Americans began to worry that the Soviets could now fly satellites over American cities and drop nuclear weapons at will. There was a public demand that the US respond with satellite launches and nuclear tests. The film documents the nuclear and space saber-rattling that took place in the year after Sputnik. The film was a disturbing look at nationalism and political manipulations.

The bright spot in the film was the perspective of President Eisenhower. The former general had a proven perspective on war and violence. He advocated for prudence and peace. He made back-room and public appeals for calm and patience. I need to learn more about the man and the controversy of his beliefs.

Nuclear power is being debated as a solution to global warming, it is important to maintain perspective on the origin and capability of this technology.