The Liar's Heart

Sometimes, the Liar learns a Truth, a Truth that must be told. I learned this today.

When a relationship breaks, sometimes the breaker hurts just as much as the broken.

The Liar has learned that the Truth is sometimes the hardest thing to say.

The Liar has learned that no matter how you may try to soften the Truth, sometimes, the Truth is just going to hurt the hearer.

The Liar has learned that a lie can be anything short of the entire truth.

The Liar has learned that some Truths must be told, no matter thier consequences.

The Liar has learned that some Truths feel bad kept in, still feel bad pushed out, but would feel even worse if they had been kept in.

The Liar has learned that sometimes, the best thing to do is be the victimizer instead of the victim.

The Liar has learned a lot today.

Our Precious Bodily Fluids...In Defense of Ripper

As you may have noticed, one of the movies listed on my "Favorite Movies" list is Dr. Strangelove: or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. I was sitting at home (The Liar is a bit of shut-in), watching this film, and while I was watching some of General Jack Ripper's random, clearly psychotic monologues and dialogues, something suddenly occured to me.

General Jack Ripper seems like the ultimate psychopath. In many ways, he has taken things that were never his to take into his own hands. He has overstepped his ground to a degree so far that is impossible to imagine this actually happening, and now, he has put the entire fate of the world at stake (which ends horribly, but I won't spoil the film). He has tried to manipulate his own government into a state of nuclear combat. When he is begged with and pleaded with to give the code to bring back the planes which will carry out his reckless plans, he resorts to psychological and physical threats (he makes absolutely sure Mandrake knows he has a loaded gun). He has taken nothing into account except his own paranoid theroies, thouroughly psychologically abuses Mandrake, puts many soldiers to death (though tries to help them through the "battle" with the machine gun he kept stashed in his golf bag), and intends to start a nuclear war without once even consulting his commander in chief. There are absolutely no reasons we should have any kind of sympathy for this character.

Right?

Think about some of the scenes we see General Ripper in. One of the first times we think of Ripper as psychotic is the scene where we first breach the subject of fluoridation: a the dastardly Communist plot against Americans, just look how it saps our 'precious bodily fluids'!

We can already tell this man is probably a paranoid schizoprhrenic and should be in no position of authority at all. This is strongly suggested not only with the blatant disregard for other human lives and the laws of the state by which he is governed, but also with the obsessive nature of which he is fixated on the phrases 'Peace on Earth' (which is ironic, since Ripper is trying to start a nuclear war) and 'Purity of Essense' (reffering to his paranoia about drinking water, which by the way, might have some real validity to it). Ripper has long ago gone, in a word, nuts. He belongs in a hospital where he could recieve care, not in a high stress job like a general. Long ago, someone should have noticed that his scores for mental instability (which military are supposed to be under high scrutiny for) were in dangerous zones. With concern to his sanity, Ripper is a victim of the system as much as he is a corrupter of the system.

Of course, Ripper's crazy theories do not go unquestioned. Group Captain Mandrake, who is with Ripper duing most of the scenes, toes a very thin line between placating the wildly paranoid Ripper and trying to reason with him. When Mandrake questions him about how and when he came up with the conspiracy theory, Ripper explains that he discovered it 'during the physical act of making love' with a woman. He claims that his 'essense' had been sapped, resulting in an empty feeling after he made love. Thankfully (yeah right), he interpreted these feeling correctly in assuming that flurodation was a communist plot to stifle American's reproductive capabilities. He relates to Mandrake, probably in his own defense, that women 'sense his power' but that he no longer 'gives of his essenses.'

Is it not obvious what is going on here? For those of you who have seen some of the body language that goes on between Mandrake and Ripper and the manner of shame in which Ripper explains how he discovered his theory, it seems clear to me that General Ripper is possibly simply a closet homosexual who cannot come to grips with that reality. And do we blame him? Society has a tendency to punish any kind of deviant even to this day, and homosexuals are specifically in danger for harrassment, even today. And remember that this film is actually based in the early sixties, before all the social movements that might have made being homosexual less of a liability. However, even today, the military has strict policies about homosexuality, many of which are quite intolerant. Do we really blame a character that is questioning his sexuality while working in the military (as a general, no less) during the early sixties for being unable to come to grips with such a possibility about himself? Personally, I think it would be hard for someone of his paranoid mental state, high status and rigid American-esque ethical standard to admit to anyone, even himself.

In Ripper's case of paranoia (as is the case with most schizophrenics), the source of the fear is not looked upon as a inner defect, but as some sort of fantatastic conspiratorial plot headed up by communists to infiltrate the government and military with spies and undermine American tactical capabilites. For the most part, this assumption seems to be the main idea present in Ripper's analyzation of his personal situation. However, there are some scenes in which Ripper seems to question his own personal stability, namely, the strength of his will. In one of thier many dialogues, Ripper asks Mandrake if he was ever a prisoner of war. Mandrake responds that yes, he was prisoner of the Japanese in WWII. Ripper asks Mandrake if he was tortured, and if so, if he talked. Mandrake responds that he was tortured, and he did talk, but really, the Japanese who had captured him really didn't want him to talk but were probably torturing him for fun. He reminds Ripper that eventually, everyone talks. Perhaps he believes that this information might just give him enough credibility with the wayward general to get the 'go-back' code out of him. At this point, Ripper admits that he does not know if he could stand up under torture. Maybe he would give up the code under torture. Mandrake makes mention that he might avoid torture if he gives up the code now. Ripper goes into a very morose mood, talking about his duty to God and how he feels that he can face God, perhaps for the first time. In some ways, it is a very touching moment, a man being faced with his insecurities and human deficiencies, with his own fears for his soul. After he finishes speaking, he gets up without a word, keeping Mandrake in tow, and enters his washroom. While Mandrake tries to keep Ripper talking through the washroom door, still desperately trying to get the code, we hear a shot, and though we never see it, we know that Ripper has committed suicide. We can only speculate about why Ripper would kill himself, but, along with considering schizophrenia and questionable sexuality, it is very likely that he really does believe that communists are coming to capture him, and is honestly afraid that he will give up the code and create a breech in national security (which is awfully ironic, because Ripper has already created the biggest breech in security the country has seen in a very long time.) In Ripper's perception, he is protecting the country by killing himself, because that way, no one will be able to get the code. Mandrake does in fact decipher the code, but obviously, Ripper never knows that.

All through this film, the way that Ripper's face is filmed has changed. When we first encountered Ripper in teh beginning of the film, he was shot from below, the cigar and the scowl making him look like quite a menacing madman. It is extremely dramatic and extremely frightening, making him look more like a monster than a man. He looks just as we would imagine a crazy, bloodthirsty, malicious madman would look. As the film progresses, however, Kubrick changed the way Ripper's face was filmed. During the scenes when we delve further into the theories about fluoridation and communist plots and whenabouts he discovered them, the angles become more natural. We can see the broader planes of Ripper's face more clearly now. He is beginning to look actually human, despite his expressions of deep rage, shame, and woe. In many ways, the camera has become more sympathetic to General Jack Ripper, filming him in broader, more friendly angles. In the last scenese, however, we take this concept to an entirely new level. The shadows that are cast about Ripper's face during the final dialogues are, again, very dramatic. However, they are more pitiful now. The lines on Ripper's face are shown in great detail, perhaps indicating his age or, more likely, the toll that this mental instability has taken on him. The irises are large, the pupils small, with almost a doe-eyed look. The eyes appear to be looking up slightly above and beyond the camera, almost like placating God. His expressions are more of fear and concern now, the eyebrows arching up uncertainly more than drawing down in cold fury. You could imagine Ripper like a prisoner awaiting the electric chair in this scene. There is certainly sympathy in these shots directly before Ripper kills himself.

So to conclude...General Jack Ripper: a base, immoral psychopath hellbent on world distruction, or a sick, frightened man victimized by the very system he vows to uphold? We're not sure. After all, General Jack Ripper is only a single character in a very deep, complex satire (if you can see past all the comedy, there is some serious socio-political criticism going on here). I think that perhaps this little essay is less about Jack Ripper and more about how sometimes, people are not all that they seem. Every man has his story, and very rarely is that story as simple as we may assume. Even a character in a movie can teach us that.

Sinisterly yours,

THE LIAR

P.S. Sorry...couldn't seem to upload the images I wanted....you can follow the links, hopefully...

(This is how Ripper first appears, shot from below)

http://ruthlessreviews.com/pics/drstrangelove2.gif

(A little uncomfortable scene between Mandrake and Ripper)

http://kspark.kaist.ac.kr/Fluoride%20conspiracy_files/Dr%20Strangelove.jpg

Taking Care of Business

Alright, a few things to say.

If you are here because you are connected from my account at ff.net...sorry to disapoint you, but this may not exactly be the kind of blog you were expecting. I expect that you thought this would be an anime blog, which, at times, it may be. However, I am The Liar, and my interests and whims change like the winds. Once in a while, you may find an anime something, but I really wouldn't hold your breath for very long.

If it makes anyone happier, I will post when updates happen here.

If you are here because I directed you to this site personally, then perhaps you might find some more substance here. It may not seem as though it was written by the same person which you met. However, I will repeat, I am The Liar, and my faces change as the times change. Change is really the thing that I hold onto. It is a natural and vital part of my life as a whole. It is how creatures survive and develop in this world, embracing thier full potentials.

The Liar gives no reasons nor excuses. This is my own, and I understand that many people may not like it. That is what I expect.

That's really all I have to say for right now.

Welcome to My Machine

Welcome To My Machine.

Within the machine, you'll find things that offend, inspire, anger, calm, soothe, frighten...you'll find it all here.

Within the machine, you will find me, the Liar.

A liar is a man or woman who is completely adapt at adaptation. We change face to face as the need gives us. We are natural alchemists, constant change, chaos to order, order to chaos. crystals that show you a facet one time, another another time. We are people who have rejected Godhood for survival. We are naturalists no matter where we live or how we live. We are not Gods.

You can call me the Liar.

The Machine is a place that is all my own. My thoughts, dreams, will go here. Everything goes into the machine. What it becomes is something I will know alone.

Welcome to my Machine. I am your host, the Liar. I make no promises, no guarantees.

Enter if you choose, if you dare, if you dream.