Author Archives: 7439

Gattaca: There’s no gene for fate

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I remember watching this movie at a summer program when I was in high school, so I was very excited when I saw this movie again at a Rose event. I generally don’t like sci-fi movies, but this was one of my favorites for a long time. As cheesy as this sounds, the movie sets a very positive message to its viewers and inspired me to work hard for my dreams. In the movie, the main character was born with a birth defect that prevented him from doing space travel. However, his determination and perseverance did not stop him from achieving what he wants. He went through incredible lengths, such as taking someone else’s identity to help him make it past security. This shows that a person’s condition at birth or the resources they’re born with do not necessarily dictate the future. Everything depends on a person’s drive and how much they’re willing to sacrifice in the process.

My favorite quote in the movie:

“You want to know how I did it? This is how I did it, Anton: I never saved anything for the swim back.”

-Vincent, Gattaca

Besides the movie’s positive message, it also made me think of the ethical use of eugenics. I know many people have debated over the idea of creating “perfect humans” by manipulating genes, but I thought it was interesting how an old film like this can connect to an issue people are facing in the present. It really brings into question the ethical and moral facets of enhancing genes for “beneficial” purposes.

Is this really considered Sanctuary?

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After getting an email about Cornell’s sanctuary movement, I was excited to hear that the university would be protecting its undocumented students. I have seen other schools doing this as well after scrolling through my facebook newsfeed. I honestly didn’t think too much of the policy until I had the table talk with Esmerelda. I learned that the term “support and defend” means something completely different. It does not necessarily imply that Cornell will withhold any information about their students if they are asked to give it up. I felt a bit betrayed that Cornell would go back on their word or sound as if they’re doing undocumented students a service, because they certainly weren’t. However, I wasn’t so surprised to learn that this would happen. I think most students on campus are under the false illusion that Cornell is protecting its students, but in reality, that can’t be further from the truth. Apparently, there is a petition going around on campus that demands the university should provide more protection for its students. Although I admire the efforts people make to benefit their peers, I am not sure this would have any effect on how Cornell will deal with its policy. Overall, I hope that more people would be aware of this issue on campus and that we will not have to deal with this problem in the future.

Blue pill or Red pill?

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I was pretty disappointed in the “Matrix” and I don’t think it deserves the hype it gets. I remember people raving about this movie when I was in middle school, so I expected a lot out of this film. All I knew about this movie before I watched it was that Neo (main character) had to choose either the blue or the red pill. The blue pill allows Neo to live in his current situation, an illusion of the real world. However, Neo decides to take the red pill, which allows him to discover the truth behind the “utopia” he lives in. He learns that the actual world is a computer simulation that is being threatened by Agents (machines) that want to destroy the rebels (humans).

After watching the movie, I realized the pills could be a symbolism to how we approach problems in society. Do we let it stay hidden and fester? Or do we open our eyes and do something about it? Some people choose to stay ignorant by ignoring the issues going on in the world because it doesn’t affect them, or because they would rather turn to reality shows and the kardashians. In some way, I think the message in the movie is to inform us that we should stay vigilant about how people in charge are running our country. We should question and take action instead of staying silent. Although I did not particularly enjoy the movie, it did bring up a serious issue in our society today.

 

Discrimination: Will it ever be gone?

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I had the opportunity to watch “ I Am Not Your Negro” at the Cornell Cinema, and I thought it was an extremely moving film. It was about how African Americans in America had to struggle for their civil rights in the past. Baldwin talks about his anger towards the white community because of what they did to suppress his people. The film brings up Martin Luther King’s and Malcolm X’s fight for equality. However, they were murdered for speaking up about what they believed in. Baldwin also narrated the experience of Dorothy Counts, a 15 year who was harassed by her peers for going to a predominantly white school. He also described how the media demonizes African Americans using the example of Sidney Poitier. However, even though Baldwin had to endure all of the injustices due to his skin color, he still hopes that people would reflect on their actions for a more fruitful future ahead.

As the film is ending, it showed snapshots of how the black community is still being targeted and discriminated today. An example would be the police brutality that is happening all over the country. Even statistics show that African Americans are more likely to be stopped and frisked, or pulled over by a police officer. Although slavery has long been outlawed and deemed an inhumane practice, the discrimination towards blacks did not disappear with it. It is evident that there is still some hostility towards African Americans today even if people are not as open about it.

Religious Discrimination in France and Iran

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I watched a short documentary ,“They Call Me Muslim”, about women’s perspective on wearing a hijab in public. In France and Tehran, women are restricted from their freedom of choice. Muslims in France are not allowed to wear their hijab in public or in universities. The law also prohibited people from wearing other religious attire. However, Jews were allowed to wear their yamakas (round caps) and Christians were still allowed to wear their crosses. This shows that the law specifically targets Muslims and their religious values. I also came across an article awhile back about a Muslim woman being arrested for wearing long sleeved shirt and pants to a beach. It seems that wearing a hijab is not the only problem in France. The country is targeting a whole group of people based on their religious affiliation. Going back to the documentary, the woman in Tehran was forced to wear the hijab. Her resistance to wearing the headscarf has caused her to get in trouble with the law several times. Although this law would be favored for those that are serious about their religion, it can be extremely frustrating for those who are coerced to wear it to avoid charges and arrests. Religious discrimination is still such a prevalent problem today, especially towards Muslims due to the misconceptions about their religion.

A Beautiful Mind or Not?

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I got the chance to watch “A Beautiful Mind” on Friday in the Rose Dining Hall. I’ve been meaning to watch this film when my friend brought it up a few weeks ago. This film focuses on John Nash’s (a prolific mathematician) personal and academic life. I thought some parts of the film were a bit cheesy and overdramatic, especially the scenes where they would focus in on his face and show how he is mentally calculating arbitrary letters on a newspaper. The film had a nice twist towards the end when they revealed Nash’s condition because I would never expect him to have schizophrenia. Although the main part of the film was to celebrate Nash’s life as a mathematician and show how his illness affected his family, it also gave a very important message to its viewers. A brilliant man like Nash is not immune to mental illnesses; illness does not discriminate. Any ordinary person or award winning mathematician can become a victim to it. As the film comes to an end, I looked up John Nash on wikipedia because I was so fascinated about how he was able to deal with such a crippling illness while contributing extraordinary feats in game theory. I learned that his personality and personal life were not accurately captured in the film, and it was apparently what most of the critics were complaining about. However, the movie did a great job of portraying what it was like for him to deal with schizophrenia despite some inaccuracies in depicting his actual character.

Hidden Figures: Genius has no race. Strength has no gender.

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I was fortunate enough to get the chance to watch “Hidden Figures” at Cornell Cinema. I’ve seen the trailer of this movie a while ago and I’m glad I got the chance to see it at a Rose event. Overall, I thought the film was incredible. The acting and cinematography was amazing, and it really captured the frustrations colored women had to go through just to prove their worth. The soundtrack that went along with the film showed how empowering these women were, especially the scene where they march down to the computer room because they were the only ones who were able to program it.

After the movie ended, we had a discussion with a Cornell professor about why very few women graduate with a computer science degree compared to other STEM disciplines like biology, engineering, chemistry, etc. Personally, I think the main reason is that programming has always been predominantly a male field. There is the geek culture and the love of video gaming that comes along with it, which further reinforces the perception. Although a lot more women are pursuing CS as a major recently, I hope that the preconceived notion that computer science is exclusive to men will wear off over time.

Interviews: Should answers be scripted?

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It’s spring semester, and most of us have already either gotten internship offers for the summer or are undergoing the interview process. As I was applying to a few software and web development internships in NYC, I got a couple offers for an interview. I’m glad I attended this small informational seminar by Sara and was able to get some feedback on how others approached their interviews. Generally, I like to prepare my questions and answers beforehand because I’m not very good at thinking on my feet, or improvising my answers at the spot. I always thought this was the only way I could prepare for my interviews to optimize my experience, but some might think formulated answers might sound robotic or not as genuine. Some of my peers in the seminar agreed that they felt their interviews went well if they prepared their answers in advance because they did not want to stutter or seem unconfident. However, a few people in the room thought their interview experience resulted in a better outcome if they answered the questions without preparing because it made them seem more sincere. Although I can see why this can be a better approach for some people, I have always felt more comfortable if my answers were a bit scripted. I tend to stutter when I can’t think of an answer right away and that small slip up would make me nervous throughout the entire interview. Overall, I thought this seminar was useful for helping people decide their own personal approach on how to interview with potential employers and gain perspective on how they can improve their experience.