fatvegan

I reckon there's a parallel between men with dogs and countries that make good films. For men, owning a dog says something about their character. Perhaps depending on what sort of dog, I'm more likely to trust a man who owns a dog. I suspect that owning a dog is only satisfying if you're willing to put in a certain level and type of energy. And not everyone is willing to do that. I don't think you even have to like dogs for it to affect your judgement of them. I find myself having the same response to countries that make good films. If I read somewhere that a country has a reputation for making good ones, or I see a few good ones myself, I'm much more likely to think that the country must be a reasonably good place. It tells you something about the culture that has been able to develop, and what the government has permitted to happen. And for me, the culture and the government of a country are probably the two most important things. They are the things that would most influence my decision to live somewhere, although you could argue the government is a product of the culture.

Sometimes I wonder if art is a good waying of spending our money. I've even wondered if having all these pets is a good thing given how many people there are that need food. But even if I can't put a precise finger on exactly what it is that is valuable about art and dogs, I think they both tell us about ourselves. Maybe they don't actually change us, or change our society for the better. But despite their absence might be a troubling thing.