Looting is inevitable?
A thoughtful article in
the June 18 Local considered the moral and social justification, or lack
thereof, of the looting and destruction of property that …
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A thoughtful article in the June 18 Local considered the moral and social justification, or lack thereof, of the looting and destruction of property that occurred recently in Philadelphia and throughout the country. I am suggesting the relevance of last year’s top-rated film, “Parasite,” to the discussion.
Bong Joon-ho’s powerhouse of a film portrayed the interaction of two families as a way of examining wealth inequality and class conflict. Much of the film is a basically a comic encounter between the families, but toward the end a sort of riot breaks out: the children’s birthday party on a lovely green lawn is wrecked, property is destroyed, blood is spilled, lives are lost.
By whom? By those on the bottom. In the case of this film, on the literal bottom. From the underground arises a strange, terrifying figure (avenging angel?) who’s as mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. You want suppression in society? You want exclusion? You want exploitation? Well, you’ve got it, but when the circumstances are right, the festering rage explodes.
Is the explosion justified? Let the ethicists debate. Bong Joon-ho simply says, “It’s inevitable.”
Bob Fles
Chestnut Hill
Earlier this year I re-subscribed to the Chestnut Hill Local after a long absence, and I’m glad I did.
Your recent coverage of acts and thoughts of human kindness during this time of COVID-19 is especially heart-warming to read about each week. For instance, in the June 25th issue: The Editor’s op-ed. about “Redesigning Community,” Barbara Wybar’s article about her ongoing humanitarian efforts in a village in Uganda, or Betsy Teutsh’s “Letter to America,” and George Stern’s “What George Floyd Has Taught Me.”
Keep it up.
William Hengst
Mt. Airy
I was happy to see an article about the pocket parks in Chestnut Hill but was dismayed that there was no mention of The Top of the Hill Fountain Plaza. The Plaza is a beautiful, well maintained, award winning public park next to the library. It provides a respite for the community with a stone fountain that reflects our proximity to the Wissahickon. The Plaza was built and maintained by The Friends of the Fountain Plaza, a nonprofit that owns and provides this space for the community without using any taxpayer dollars. I would hope that any article about pocket parks would be more inclusive.
Joseph Pizzano
President
Friends of the Fountain Plaza
Chestnut Hill
