Unplanned. Powerful message about a disgusting industry

You can’t watch the movie Unplanned and be the same. The morality and the ethics of abortion are disgusting, even if you didn’t factor in the bloody scenes.

On the level of communication, the movie (predictably critiqued by much of the media) exposes how the industry works, manipulating a message. Clinics like these have business goals which must be reached (to keep corporate bosses happy). Their ‘customers’ are young women – children, mostly — at a vulnerable point of their lives.

To hear Abby Johnson the central character in the movie (a director of a Planned Parenthood clinic who quit) explain it, distortion is actually what the other side does well.

Watch her in real life speak to a congressional committee, using similar, powerful arguments heard in the movie.

Quotes for the week, ending 6 Feb, 2010

“People always clap for the wrong things.”

J.D  Salinger’s character, Holden Caulfield. Salinger died last week. He last appeared on this TIME magazine cover in Sept, 1961.

“Salinger never swallowed this capitalize-on-your-fame command that Simon Cowell and YouTube have turned into an American birthright.”

Author, and syndicated columnist, Mitch Albom, on Salinger’s attempt to not be famous.

“I might go to the bathroom during that ad,or make popcorn.”

Susan Estritch, commenting on the controversial ad at this year’s Super Bowl, about abortion and choice that will air among the predictable ones about job sites and Clysedales.

“The secular religion of global warming has all the elements of a religious faith: original sin (we are polluting the planet), ritual (separate your waste for recycling), redemption (renounce economic growth) and the sale of indulgences (carbon offsets).”

Michael Barone, on How Climate-Change Fanatics Corrupted Science

“It’s too early to tell if this round of Facebook changes will create a backlash, but at the time of this writing there were almost 3700 mostly negative comments on the company’s blog post detailing the new homepage design.”

PC World, on Facebook’s latest round of layout changes.