thoughts on Precious and Muse

i watched Precious the other day, and have to say, the thing that struck me most about the movie is not something i have heard discussed in any of the interviews, news stories, blog posts, or reviews i have seen. yes, it's hard to watch and involves some very heavy subject matter and graphic violence. yes, Mo'Nique is i.n.c.r.e.d.i.b.l.e. but i was struck by the subject of education, literacy, access, and intelligence. Precious is shown to be smart, but she lacks access to good education, is barely literate at the start of the film. why is this not mentioned in the verbiage about this piece? personally, i feel a lack of education contributes greatly to the potential for abuse, pregnancy, and HIV infection. don't get me wrong- i am absolutely not saying that only uneducated people are affected by these things. but i am saying that they are all in some way socioeconomic issues that are irretrievably connected. i find the lack of discussion about this issues, not only surrounding this film but in general, is irresponsible. do i know a solution for this? no. i know a huge chunk of it is the fact that people of color, women, and gays are second class citizens. i know when one knows how HIV is transmitted, one is more likely to wrap it up. i know that education is a tool that can be used for equality. how to make it easier for everyone- this, i do not know.



the Muse concert was BOSS. their set design was incredible. they are a threepiece and had three massive structures for each of them to play on, that moved up and down and were wrapped in screens. bloody brilliant. they even had a laser show. it was one of the best concerts i've ever seen, but it's not on my personal top 3 list only because i like Muse, but they aren't my favorite band. i have to say though, that they are three fantastically talented musicians. Matt Bellamy (lead) is incredible. the only voice i've ever heard clearer in concert than his is James Taylor. they sounded just like their records, but added jams and a fierce stage show. they didn't play my favorite of their songs, but they did play Bobby's and he loved it- was blown away. seeing as how it was an xmas present for him, that's all that really matters.