Red Lobster

The Original:

The film, District 9, immediately brings to mind eras which humanity would rather pretend didn't happen. Whether the film illustrates thoughts on the ghettos and concentration camps of World War II, the slavery and segregation of blacks in America, or the forced evictions and treatment of people in District 6, Cape Town, during the apartheid regime, District 9 forces its viewers to remember a simple about being an outsider. Being too different creates a target for disdain and gives rise to humanity's natural xenophobic tendencies
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These human tendencies to unite against something perceived as different is what caused such awful treatment of the alien residents of District 9, otherwise known as "prawns". The concept of a large community holding a smaller group of beings in contempt and restriction truly illustrate what it means to be an "outsider", as those beings are outside the community both in location and status. This "rally 'round the wagons" attitude may have originated in ancient Man as a survival instinct, but is now used in cruel ways, even verbally dismissing the alien beings by the title of prawn.

Nigger, spick, gringo, and chink were all accepted at one time as common, and are all an effort to distance the majority from the minority. The slur, "prawn", is no different from humanities other derogatory names from the past. The film gives us insight, however, in that we can actually view footage of this slur being used absentmindedly, and completely accepted in everyday conversation. The community of Johannesburg views the aliens as self-serving, dangerous insects, without ever trying to understand or work with them. When shunning an outsider because he is different, humans often forget that outsiders have value too.

Instead of hating these new visitors and feeling gracious for giving them a small piece of dirt, I wonder what could have happened had the people of Johannesburg simply embraced these aliens and treated them as proper guests. These beings are capable of space travel. They are able to reconfigure the DNA of a human like Wikus. The wonders we could have learned via space exploration, and the possible cures to cancers and other diseases are only two of the possible outcomes had humans acted as proper hosts.

Alas,in the end we are what we are. The human race has evolved over the centuries, but every time we act in this ignorant and hurtful manner, it sets us back years. Our species has moved out of the proverbial cave but still retains anachronistic instincts which helped us survive many years ago. Until humans can shed those downfalls and inbred hostilities, we will always be cavemen, and there will always be outsiders not welcome in the cave.


Revised Draft:

The film, District 9, immediately brings to mind eras which humanity would rather pretend didn't happen. Whether the film illustrates thoughts on the ghettos and concentration camps of World War II, the slavery and segregation of blacks in America, or the forced evictions and treatment of people in Cape Town during the apartheid regime, the film District 9, forces viewers to remember a simple truth about living as an outsider. Being too different, too alien, can create a target for disdain and give rise to humanity's darker natures.

The human tendency to unite against something perceived as different and create a common foe instigated the awful treatment of the alien residents of District 9, disdainfully known as "prawns". The concept of a large community holding a smaller group of beings in contempt and restriction truly illustrate what it means to be an "outsider"; those beings are outside the community, both in location and status. This "rally 'round the wagons" attitude may have originated in ancient man as a survival instinct, but is now used in cruel ways, including verbally dehumanizing the alien beings with the title of prawn.

Nigger, spick, gringo, and chink were all accepted at one time as common, and are all an effort to distance the majority from the minority. The slur, "prawn", is no different from humanity's other derogatory names from the past. The film gives us insight, however, in that we can actually view footage of this slur being used absentmindedly, and completely accepted in everyday conversation. The community of Johannesburg views the aliens as self-serving, dangerous insects, without ever trying to understand or properly communicate with them. When shunning an outsider because he is different, humans often forget that outsiders have value too.

Instead of hating these new visitors and feeling gracious for giving them a small piece of dirt, the people of Johannesburg could potentially have realized a tremendous boon simply by embracing these aliens and treating them as proper guests. These beings are capable of space travel. They are able to reconfigure the DNA of a human like Wikus. Their alien weaponry is far superior to our own. The wonders we could have learned via space exploration, the possible cures to cancers and other diseases we may have created, and the establishment of Johannesburg as a superpower are only three of the possible outcomes had the locals behaved as proper hosts.

Alas, we are what we are. The human race has evolved over the centuries, but lose ground every time we act in this ignorant and hurtful manner. Our species has moved out of the proverbial cave but still retains the anachronistic instincts which helped us survive many years ago. Until humans can shed these natures and inbred hostilities, we will always be cavemen, and there will always be outsiders not welcome in our caves.