On Humanity

A few nights ago, I decided to kick back and watch a movie- The Hunt for Red October, in fact. I loaded the DVD, pushed the play button and sat down on the sofa with a bottle of lemon-flavored seltzer water. Red October is one of my favorite movies, so naturally I sat there, happy as a clam. But then one scene in particular jumped out at me and really struck me. It wasn't one of the big, epic fight scenes, or even a particularly important scene. In fact, the movie might have worked without the scene at all. However, the scene is there, and I believe it to be one of the most beautiful scenes ever put on film. It goes as follows:


The captain of the hyper-advanced Russian submarine Red October, Marco Ramius, and his first mate Borodin are in the captain's cabin, talking. Ramius and the crew intend to defect to America in order to relinquish the Red October. Russian and American naval fleets, however, are closing in on them with orders to sink them on sight. Ramius reclines in his bed, staring into the middle distance. Borodin sits in a chair off to the side.

Borodin: Do you think they will let me live in Montana?

Ramius: I would think they'll let you live wherever you want.

Borodin: Good. Then I will live in Montana. And I will marry a round American woman and raise rabbits, and she will cook them for me. And I will have a pickup truck... maybe even a "recreational vehicle." And drive from state to state. Do they let you do that?

Ramius: I suppose.

Borodin: No papers?

Ramius: No papers, state to state.

Borodin: Well then, in winter I will live in . . . Arizona. Actually, I think I will need two wives.

Ramius: Oh, at least.

The entirety of this scene is over in less than two minutes, but I contend that they are the most profound two minutes in all of modern cinema.



I believe that this scene was intended to be a throwaway gag about Soviet misconceptions about life in America. Bear in mind that this movie was released in 1990, when the Soviet Union was still in (tenuous) power. The Soviet Union was beginning to open up to outside influence, but it was still severely limited. Also, this scene makes Borodin's death towards the end of the film poignant as he utters his final line: "I would like to have seen Montana...."


However, the cabin scene transcends all of this. I believe the cabin scene really speaks for the nature of humanity.


In the 1950s, America was thoroughly caught up in the Red Scare. Any mention of Communism was regarded as blasphemy, and any hint of Communism in daily life would be hounded upon and persecuted. America blindly hated Communism, almost solely on the basis that it was un-American. The Soviet Union was also guilty of this. Any mention of capitalism would likewise be regarded as blasphemy. Likewise, the Soviet Union blindly hated capitalism because it was not the Soviet way.


In effect, both sides caricatured the other in the worst possible way. Both sides slandered the other, and both sides demonized the other.


Now think about the cabin scene. All Borodin wants is a simple life in Montana. He wants a home, a wife, and some rabbits. Simple, inconsequential things like that. He wants to live a normal, simple life, free of oppression. In other words, Borodin is human. He is not some caricature of anti-capitalist hatred, but rather a fully fleshed-out, three-dimensional, real-life human. He has human wants and human needs. He is, in fact, just like us.


It is true that America has just about gotten over its anti-Soviet fever. However, a new fever has quickly risen to take its place: anti-terrorist. 


Think of Osama bin Laden: How many two-dimensional caricatures have we seen of him in some anti-American fury? How deeply is the image of Osama orchestrating some attack in some cave seared in our conscious?


We only think of Osama as the embodiment of anti-American evil. How many of you have devoted even a second of thought to the fact that Osama might have a favorite food or a childhood crush or that he's totally awesome at volleyball?


Let me be totally, unequivocally clear: I do not support Osama bin Laden in any way. The 9/11 attacks were the most evil, hateful, and tragic acts in modern history, and bin Laden is unquestionably very, very wrong for committing these and many other attacks.


That being said, that doesn't make him any less human. Question is, why don't we see him as human?


The answer can be found here: http://www.cracked.com/article_14990_what-monkeysphere.html


In short: We as humans have a limited capacity for caring. Outside of a very limited social sphere- our "monkeysphere" (about 150 people), we cease to recognize people as human. We see them instead as cardboard cutouts and caricatures. This leads to unfounded fear, and from there, war.


Perhaps the key to world peace lies in recognizing everyone as inherently human, not just hate-filled bags of unholy fury. True, the human mind is only capable of caring about 150 people. But if one man cares about 150 people, and those 150 people care about their own 150 people, eventually everyone is included in the "monkeysphere".


So get out there and start caring, dammit.