MovieChat Forums > The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004) Discussion > I must be f##ked up...

I must be f##ked up...

posted 11 years ago by budarc
4 replies | jump to latest

...because I identified with Sean Penn's character completely. The whole movie is about conformity. People are expected to do things a certain way and it's never questioned. There are people on top who get there by being ass-holes and there are people on the bottom who are never allowed to rise above their current circumstances. Bicke didn't want to conform to the expectations of his job (being dishonest, sacrificing his mustache, a symbol of his individuality), even though everyone around him was doing the same thing (the wife whoring herself out as a waitress, his friend resigning himself to his situation because of his race). I identified so much with his anger, especially the line about slavery not really ending; they just call it "employees" now. That's the sort of thing I've been resisting my whole life. If he's "crazy" for rebelling against the system like that, then I guess that makes me crazy, too.

Now obviously my sympathy to the main character ends at the moment he hatches his half-baked plan to assassinate the president (at the moment he shot the dog, I stopped empathizing completely), but I still understand his motives intrinsically. He was unemployed, without any prospect of starting his own business or getting anywhere in life (like the case of the loan office stringing him alone with hope as his application was put through the "system," even though it was obvious the banker never intended on passing it), his marriage and relationship to his kids had dissolved completely, and people generally treated him like he was a creep. Is it his fault he was fed this bull$hit about the American dream all his life? Was it his fault he expected greater things in his life and, barring that, decided to find another way to make his "mark" on the world? It's sad...tragic, even. This is the world we live in.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] 11 years ago

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[–] fairy_depp 9 years ago

I agree that the system isn't fair and I think it's only getting worse with 1% of the population owning more than the other 99% of us put together however I disagree that he had no choices... Sometimes we do have to conform.. I respect his wife and friend far more than I could ever respect him and his anti-conformity stance - his friend in particular knew if he lived by the rules, he would eventually be able to improve his life circumstances, he had a wife and child who loved and respected him which is worth far more than a moustache. The system does need changing but his actions would only feed into the system.

[–] SingleServingJack 8 years ago

I must be f_ucked up too. I too sympathized with Penn's character and especially with his world views.

However, as much as it saddens me, I understand why he was seen as a total and utter loser by everyone else.

Him being non-conforming in such an extreme way is ideologically and morally correct, however it is not how the world works and it is not practical. You can't survive in this world with such an approach.

Life simply isn't ideal, people are not ideal and that's how it is. Constantly saying "why is it that way?", "this isn't right.", etc. does not solve anything and it does not help your, or anyone's life one bit.

So you have to sell-out a bit simply because if you don't, you won't get your piece of the pie, you won't get nice living quarters, good medicine, whatever. You just won't be able to lead a respectable life. You have to conform.

This is the truth about the world unfortunately. People have ideals when they're young and they often abandon them as soon as they start growing older because it becomes harder to live according to those ideals. Basically, people change their position on everything as soon as their beliefs require them to go through some tough times. And people not only abandon or violate their beliefs, they even won't admit to doing so! Because admitting it would make them feel bad about themselves.

And this behavior is widespread and regarded as normal. Staying true to your ideals even if it means you never succeed in society, or admitting you sold-out are very rare things. Very rare.

I have a friend for example who hates all corruption, shady business practices and is ready to hate anyone who participates and profits on something morally wrong (for example a government bail-out). In his opinion, even if you participate on a dirty business just by doing some necessary paperwork, or some other small part, you are automatically scum. And yet, he works for KPMG as a data analyst. In the way this world works, it is pretty much a mathematical certainty KPMG is a crooked company. There is literally no way a company that is one of the few globally dominant auditor companies is conducting its business just in a moral way. You don't become a global company doing audits just by playing according to the rules - it just doesn't happen. So he, too, is now participating on something morally wrong in his own small way, because he has a job there. When I confronted him with this, he immediately became angry and defensive, claiming that "not all companies are the same", and that "just because some companies are like that doesn't mean KPMG is like that".

He chose the job, because he enjoys it, because it (surprise, surprise) pays well, but he is of course unable to accept the fact he is participating in his own small way on something not morally pure. So he just ignores this and refuses to admit it.

And such is life. People who go to great lengths to truly stay true to their beliefs falter, because the rest just walks right over them.

What can you do?


Laura:You left a dead prostitute buried alone in the desert?
Kyle:She's not alone.