47 Ronin, the Battle of the Alamo and the Will McAvoy Speech – By Rock Kitaro
By Rock Kitaro
Date: February 10, 2014

Dragon Ash – “Walk With Dreams”

Let me begin by saying that I plan, by no means, to turn my website into a movie review site…But I confess…After watching Keanu Reeve’s “The 47 Ronin”… It was the first time in a long time that I was actually moved to tears inside an actual movie theater. Why? You might ask? I’ll tell you.

When I was nine-years-old, my parents took me and my brothers on a vacation trip to a city called San Antonio, Texas. The history behind Texas’s independence is, I think, both controversial and admirable. Since I was born in 1986 and know all too well that history is written by the victors, all we’re left to go on is what’s written in history books and passed on from generation to generation.

“47 Ronin” That movie was quite beautiful to me. I know quite a bit about Japanese culture. The idea of avenging one’s master and fighting for the right to commit suicide with honor…that may sound absurd, but living these days in America, I don’t think anyone has the right to judge the Japanese or their ancient ways. When I was younger, I’ll admit that I used to think it was idiotic of the Japanese to willingly want to commit suicide. But it just goes to show how ignorant I was.

The culture of the United States is not a universal culture. Meaning, that just because we deem something appropriate or inappropriate, it doesn’t mean everyone else in the world has to agree with us. And I think one of the reasons why the U.S. is spited and abhorred by so many in other countries is because we have a habit of trying to impose our culture and morals on other nations. Especially when our own culture is all over the place with standards that are constantly being lowered.

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