Respect requires charity. All sides of an issue must be examined before respect can properly be given. At least, this is my opinion. With a person, however, respect grows from charity. Charity must be had for all people; it’s part of “judging righteously”. You can never completely understand any particular individual. I cannot guess at the thoughts, inner designs and desires of my neighbor any more than they can mine. Charity, therefore, in order to respectfully portray or interact with people, is a necessity.
This post has been pretty difficult for me to articulate. This assignment came, like many of the other assignments, at me from all angles. Reading "Never Just Pictures" by Susan Bordo hit very close to home for me. My mom was anorexic as a teenager, and my brother went through a brief spell of it in Jr. High. It was extremely cathartic to “hear” all of my concerns with “fashion” and anorexia put into words. I found the observation that the solution to avoiding pain, as portrayed today, is to become “dislocated and withdrawn”, “barely a person” frightening and familiar. The idea that “To have given up the quest for fulfillment, to be unconcerned with the body or its needs—or its vulnerability—is much wiser than to care”, is one that, unfortunately, I’ve bought into. I’ve been incredibly defensive and shut off for years, recently I’ve been working on opening up because, quite frankly, being defensive is counter-productive and useless. Being defensive doesn’t mean that you don’t want company, friendship, understanding, love, laughter, etc. it just means that you’re too afraid to ask for it, and too prideful to recognize that you need it. Now, I don’t mean to make any blanketed statements, this was just my experience with being terribly defensive. There’s a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 45:27 that says: “And the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound”, it is again restated in Matthew 24:12. Unfortunately, this is becoming true. I’ve found it true in the world and in my own life. I cannot see the charity that everyone needs and deserves in the world of fashion, etc. as is mentioned in Bordo’s article. I think that what is happening is a crime against respecting the individual, the human body, and society as a whole. I think that in order to respect others, and ourselves we must meet this “waxing cold” with an increase in charity. As I’m learning about charity, I’m opening up; I’m becoming “real”, and it’s great! I’d most definitely recommend it.
I was really hoping that somebody would write about this article in the reading, I think it's a really important issue and kind of a scary thing to think about. A lot of people in our society are becoming "just pictures" and because of this objectification (I don't think that's a real word but I think you know what I mean) love is waxing cold. One thing I've always wondered how I'll pull off as a filmmaker is how to not prostitute the actors and actresses I work with. I think you hit the nail right on the head though Lizz about charity and treating the people we work with with the utmost respect and charity. By doing that, we'll hopefully attract those who wouldn't want to sell themselves on screen and become "just pictures" but demand to be treated like actual people. Very good insights Lizz!
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