Edward Said

At Conscious Lifestyle, social responsibility means realizing how our lives and institutions affect other humans, animals, and the environment; and then doing everything we can to benefit, or at least not harm, those entities. Social responsibility involves awareness, concern for others, and courage to do the right thing. I started Conscious Lifestyle as a way to replace apathy and extreme self-interest with social responsibility.

Last night I saw Iron Man. It was a fun movie, but unfortunately a perfect example of what happens when someone (say the writer or director) is not committed to social responsibility.

In 1978, Edward Said wrote a monumental book called Orientalism that showed how people in “the Orient,” especially Arabs in the Middle East, are often depicted as either barbarians or uneducated indigents in need of a white savior. Iron Man is a perfect example of how these bigoted caricatures are promulgated.

In the movie, Tony Clark (Iron Man) finds himself in the clutches of evildoers in Afghanistan. These men are clearly the “terrorists” - they hide in caves, have dark skin and black beards, wear army fatigues, and carry guns. After escaping from these bad guys, Iron Man returns to Afghanistan to save a pitiful-looking group of Afghani villagers. The scene is meant give the audience a feeling of relief: thankfully a white guy came to the rescue killing terrorists and saving backwards persons.

Some might think, “Geez, it’s just an action movie. What’s the big deal?” The problem is that film like Iron Man subtly perpetuates stereotypes that lead unjust treatment of human beings. Think about the past notion that African-Americans were only 3/5 human or that women did not have the judgment to vote. These unfair beliefs led to exploitation. Today, the stereotype that Arabs, Persians, and Afghanis are either terrorists or backwards people has led to war and occupation. Spreading these stereotypes is wrong.

One of the last statements by Gandhi was about deciding how to do what is just. He said,

“Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions?”

It is hard to imagine living a way in which all of our decisions help the poor and hungry, but a socially responsible mind forces us to think about the consequences of our actions and at least move in that direction.

Luckily, there are almost always socially responsible choices within reach. Iron Man could have been just as good with minor script changes. Similarly, we can live lives that are just as rich, if not better, by making socially responsible choices every day. I’m thinking about how riding a bike can be so much more enjoyable than driving a gas-guzzler; or how fresh, organic food tastes better than “conventional” food.

Gandhi and Said have set the bar high; they demand social responsibility. Changing the way we think and act may seem counter-cultural, but the more I do it the more I realize that it’s the only way to live. Social responsibility is better for the earth, for other people, and us. That’s the foundational truth of Conscious Lifestyle. It’s a truth worth following.

Photo by the Comic Shop.