Here’s Looking at All of Us

It’s another blistering hot weekend here in southeast Pennsylvania in an otherwise dreary, depressing summer.  Too hot outside to do the yard work which needs to be done.  Naturally the temperature and humidity rise to unbearable levels during the hours when many of us have the weekend time to accomplish our outdoor tasks for the week.   What to do?

This is a no-brainer:  retreat to the coolness of the basement, sip an alcoholic libation, and pet the basement cat (Oreo) all while enjoying a grand old movie on Turner Classic Movies.  This one was released in 1942, and dare I say it, it is just as relevant now as it was at the height of World War Two.

The film is filled with desperate characters, many trying to escape the evils of the Third Reich.  They are stuck in one place waiting for a chance to escape oppression, and they all have their sights set on America.  These refugees spend the entire film engaging in various activities, nefarious and otherwise, to accomplish their goal.  They literally beg, borrow, steal, sleep with the chief of police, and kill to travel to the land of freedom.

That was the America of 1942.  What would these refugees see in 2016?

They would most likely see a land where many of the inhabitants have forgotten how could they have it and unwilling to share their good fortunes with others who have seen their lives destroyed by war and intolerance.  They might see a land poised to elect a leader with neofascist leanings eager to turn away the less fortunate; he’ll deny it of course.  They would see a land where walls—stone and economic—are being planned to keep certain people out. 

The refugees from 1942 would never stand a chance today.

Eventually, World War Two would end, but the fighting was never finished and continues to this day.  Oh, hell!   The fight against intolerance will continue for all time.  There, I said it!

The film ended well for the main characters--up to a point.  Okay, so the romantic leads didn’t walk off into the sunset together.  They realized that they would not be together forever, but they could look back at another time of their lives and agree, “Yes that was ours.” They had matured and overcame their old feelings to do the right thing.   

Sometimes the right thing means doing something for the good for all and not just ourselves.  After all, they would always have Paris.

Fortunately, the rest of us will always have Casablanca. 

(Thank you for reading.  The ending of this story has yet to be written…in November.)