SubscribeI have not been disappointed, as Generation Kill contains all the elements of The Wire that made it the epic and compelling show that it was. As with The Wire, Generation Kill starts out by throwing you right into the proverbial shit... no intros as to the premise of the show, the situation or the characters. It's a whirlwind of a whistle stop tour through all the players within the battalion.. people barking names, usually confusing nicknames and their ranks left right and centre so that you have no clue who or what anyone is talking about. Knowing the names and rankings/hierarchy of the characters is vital to knowing what the fuck is going on... just as it was vital to know the hierarchy of the police dept. and gangs in The Wire. It is also hyper realistic, as was The Wire, and soon you'll be immersed in the marine's slang as well as their technical and military speak; you'll know what ROE's are and when to step off.
And so you follow the journey of the young marines, mainly of the four that the reporter rides with (one being Ziggy's character - Cpl. Person seen here giving his expert view on why the US are in Iraq), through there different missions and trials. It's safe to say that Simon has painted the military war in Iraq in a similar way to the war on drugs in Baltimore; ultimately it's the institutions themselves, bureaucracy and incompetent chain of command that fuck things up and is the downfall of the men on the ground trying to win a war. As with the homicide dept. in The Wire, the marine unit contains highly trained men ready to do their job properly, and then there are the incompetent dicks within the command who constantly follow protocol and orders, even when it's counterproductive. Then there are the plain psychotic idiots who shouldn't be allowed to go near a gun like Captain America, who freaks out at the slightest sign of combat firing off rounds of ammo into empty cars and shouting like a maniac at everything ... which happens to be hilarious when watched, but disconcerting when you realise that he's based on a real life marine. However, it lacks the element of the homicide detectives who just couldn't give a fuck... here the marines are gagging for military action like Cpl. Trombley who displays a disturbing psycho streak to his views and actions.
There are some incidents and scenes which bring home the gravity of the mistakes than can be made and the frustration of a lack of strategy. The best scene so far for me has been at the start of episode five, where the unit were calmly doing recon on a small hamlet filled with women and children, which out of nowhere gets blown to shit after an aerial assault, which no one called in. Though as you can see from these clips, that whilst GK is a hard hitting and evocative drama about the cluster fuck that has been the Iraq war, it is also perfectly balanced with humour that the characters bring, and some lovely insightful conversations and comments into the way of the world ... yes you guessed it ... just as The Wire did. The similarities in style, writing and direction are plain to see, but then I see no wrong in that, as The Wire has been one of the greatest pieces of drama in... well all of TV.
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I still have the last two episodes to watch, but what made me want to write a piece on this is the strange occurrence of a small part of me finding the idea of being a marine on some level appealing! ... I keep dreaming of such things, although I think that is due to the fact I'm watching it before I go to sleep.
Now don't get me wrong in no way am I saying that I would like to become a soldier, join the army or any of that. Or that going to war and killing innocent people appeals to me in any way. In fact the very idea of voluntarily joining an institution that is all about having an elite hierarchy, following orders, kowtowing and sucking ass to anyone higher up in rank, and is well known for being; aged, conservative and of treating new recruits like shit - is well intrinsically abhorrent to me. I actually struggle on most levels to understand why anyone sane would want to have their life run for them? To have their individuality stripped away and join a homogenous mass of men, who quite often do have question marks over their mental stability.
Now see I said above that I struggle on - key word - 'most levels', to understand why people join the army, airforce etc. It used to be a blanket covering 'all levels' of understanding, but then I don't think I'd ever really thought on the subject beyond the fact that I was averse to joining up. However, now that I have thought on it a bit more, there are actually a few of my character traits that fit in quite well with that kind of existence. I like to have goals set, and what better place than in an army where you will always have a mission set for you - and a pretty fucking important ones at that. I also like to be in control of things, although this would only work if I were high up within the chain of command, although on some level it could still work. You see I think the crux of why a life as "GI Jane" may be somewhat appealing to me is the orderliness. To have a mission, a plan, stability and a tangible meaning to your actions has a level of appeal.
I am a creature of orderliness. I love things to be clean, ordered, organised and planned. I think when I was at university I spent most of my essay time procrastinating by making lovely lists of all the books I needed, and all my resources .. hence why I usually had to write two essays in a day. I think the one thing going for the army is that it is an ordered life, everything is set out and neat. Although I think, that I only like to be this way, because I actually have the choice to do unplanned and individual things. To be able to screw with things and mess up the order of life, is a must to wanting order. If order, rules and constraints are placed upon me, then I can't stand it. It goes against my absolute need for independence and control over my own life.
And with that psycho babbling out of the way, I'll stick to my dreaming about being a marine - I think it's the driving a Hummer in those Ziggy sunglasses singing 'Tainted Love' at the top of my lungs, that does it.
So as a void of essentially free time stretches ahead of me - technically I'm job hunting; which is an arduous enough task in itself that can end up consuming hours - I am faced with the dilemma of how to stay sane and occupied through these lonely days.
My advice to any other recent graduates who may find themselves in a similar position; back under the roof of parents, friends at home thin on the ground and lack of direction for the future - is to be Productive! It is obvious enough advice, but I'd say that it is a common (if not a rising issue) that university graduates of today are finding themselves increasingly lost and slumping into a depression during the transition into the 'real world', with graduate saturation and the looming recession not helping either.
Obviously finding direction and searching for a job is the number one priority for most graduates, and I've made some headway on that front. However, there's only so much time you can actually spend on that task before; one you exhaust all possibilities, and two become so frustrated with recruitment jargon and bogged down in critically assessing yourself against requirements that you want to punch the teeth out of whoever thought up the phrase "seeks innovative and creative candidate" - even for SELLING DOUBLE GLAZING!!!
You may feel at this time that you must, must, must find a job - any job - ASAP - you'll shovel shit in a field all day long if you have to - in order to stop the anxiety, the pressure from parents building like a volcano and to keep up with friends who've already moved to London, bought a house and gotten married in a week... they're oh so successful!
STOP! this perceived need to get a job instantly is an extremely damaging approach. Constant pursuit of anything in life is not a healthy approach, and soon anything relating to finding a job will become part of a mental nightmare
The period of transition from student to employment, is meant to be exactly that - A gap in order to adjust. Rather than look upon it as wasted time unless you're earning, it is in fact a completely unique and rare opportunity to do any number of things that take your fancy, and to also put some real thought and planning into your future, without other hassles.
Knowing myself pretty darn well, I would have seen this period in exactly the way I've just described above (in fact I did a few months ago), except I had something of a 'realisation' a few weeks back, and am now perfectly happy to be slightly clueless for a time as to where I'm headed. Remaining productive is key to this state of mind - and I don't mean running around like a blue arsed fly with a super packed schedule of meaningless activity. I mean doing things that are really worthwhile and will contribute either to your CV or character or just something that you love. Everyone can do this; all it takes is a little thought about what it is that you've always wanted to do - be it creative writing, learning or researching something, reading a ton of books, planning a trip etc... and then doing it.
The past weeks I've been obsessively organising my stuff and ruthlessly sorting through the useless crap in the house. I think such an event as moving home from university warrants such a purge, and I can't do anything else properly without my environment being sorted first. I find bringing order to my surroundings very therapeutic, and it's heightened in my case as I'm with a recent extension to our house I'm actually moving to a new room too.
Once this is done though I do have a number of other ideas and projects to begin; some are necessary and others are to do with an interest or passion that will be ongoing for years to come:
- Finding a job
- Personal development - reading some motivational resources and other such self help stuff along with some spiritual exploration
- Expanding my film project along with reading up on film theory and criticism
- Book project
- Planning to write a work of fiction
- Develop writing style via more articles on here
- Researching into classic cars - especially 1940s
- Researching Art Deco design and buildings along with retro furniture
- Looking into vintage movie posters to buy, and researching on restoration and collection
- Furthering my piano & guitar
- Planning an overseas trip/volunteering
- Learning to illustrate in a comic style (though unlikely to be any good ha!)
- Learning Italian
- Re-taking up Kickboxing
- Finding a vision for what I want to do and how to achieve that - I think I've settled on Arts funding/policy/admin (preferably film) and then doing an MA in arts/cultural management
Its quite an extensive list and there's more to add to it, but you get the idea. These are all things which I always wish I could do or do better. Then I thought to myself the other day, why can't I do them? There's nothing to stop me from doing them, so I should just go ahead and do them. It could take me a few months or twenty years but if I don't fulfil any of them then at least I can say I've tried.
Or perhaps this list is just a glaring sign that I'm painfully single and alone....
I stumbled across this story in the news the other week, about a man in Australia auctioning off his entire life on Ebay. Ian Usher is the man and at his website he had detailed and catalogued all his belongings; house, contents, vehicles etc. However, he is not just selling his possessions and worldly belongings, which arguably could not be called selling his life; he is actually throwing in with it his lifestyle, friends and job! A truly complete modern day package of the seemingly perfect life. His house is lovely, and he has all the things a modern day someone would want.
Many people would find this idea completely absurd, and I myself can see an element of that within such a 'madcap crazy scheme'. However, despite its implausibility, it is certainly is an intriguing idea, which at heart I am enamoured with. The idea of completely disclosing yourself of everything you own, your whole life... your identity perhaps and all sentimentality you hold toward your possessions is a daunting one at that. Yet, this man is doing so under the circumstance of splitting from his wife of six years, and using the money to go anywhere and do anything he wants.
The goal of the project and the reward he gains from the sacrifice is certainly tempting. Indeed I feel it would take something of that magnitude, a major shift in your life and circumstances to prompt you to do such a thing. It is that aspect that is truly appealing. Who in life doesn't dream at times of ditching everything and starting again? Creating a blank slate and escaping from the monotony of our everyday lives, which one may have been stuck in for over 20 years. I would certainly love to try out such an experiment in my forties, perhaps. The appeal of escaping, and the liberation from a life which, may not necessarily be dull or boring, but just having gone on too long is, perhaps not such a crazy idea after all. In fact, who knows, maybe it could become common place.
It seems to me that getting up and leaving for somewhere completely new, even becoming a new person, creating a new identity is something that one could associate with the past; when people had the ability to do so and weren't tracked and placed on file so much. Perhaps it would be an idea for this act of complete and utter change to become say, in vogue again. A modern day repackaging of the escape they used to fictionalise so much in the films of old. Yet, this is probably the romantic in me getting carried away...
There are certainly flaws in the idea, especially this specific one of Mr. Usher; selling your friends, lifestyle and job are difficult to say the least. It perhaps more of a novelty than it is a practical reality. How can he be sure that his buyer (assuming he even gets one) will take on board his kind of lifestyle or like his friends?! Maybe his buyer will be a fat lazy guy who just wants to sit in his spa watching his widescreen from the patio all day. In fact, the whole aspect of him trying to sell on his life as a whole, is somewhat narcissistic seeming... to me it's almost like he doesn't want to give up on all he has worked to achieve, and assumes that his life is so great that someone would want it just like that!
The idea that anyone can just buy a life readymade with all the necessities of a job, friends and a lifestyle, is a little... off-putting. I wonder if he will ever get a buyer, who will truly be committed to, at least test-driving his friends, job and lifestyle like he wants; or whether the buyer will merely want his home and possessions and disregard the rest. For what is unnerving about this idea is that someone can buy a whole perfect 'life', as if they were picking something out of a catalogue or off a supermarket shelf. Selling your possessions is one thing; marketing you r whole life and identity is another. I wonder what this says about the person that is selling and the person that is buying? I mean, who would really want to take someone else's 'life' so to speak?! and if so for what reasons!
Thus there are flaws to his plan, yet on the whole I think if I had been through something major like he had, it would be a liberating and exciting thing to do. Some people crave stability in their lives and plans, and whilst I like to have a plan in place too, I think that after a while a real shake up in situation and change is something which is vital to a fulfilling life. Change should be just as vital to humans as stability and security, and perhaps nowadays we become too stuck in our ways and attached to the material things in life and the routine, that we miss out on important and life enriching experiences. I know that this idea is something I will certainly keep in mind throughout my life and if I did ever reach a point such as him, I might just be crazy enough to consider it!
I'll be keeping an eye to see if anyone does actually buy his life...