I already knew, intellectually, that the National Guard had been deployed into the New York City subway system. I knew this wasn’t some secret federal takeover or a sudden declaration of martial law. I knew the legal explanations, the press releases, the careful language used to reassure the public. And yet, none of that preparedContinue reading “When Safety Starts to Look Like Force: War Comes to the Subway”
Tag Archives: state power
The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009) as an Accidental Leftist Parable
The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009) can be read as an unexpectedly leftist parable, exploring systemic power, moral responsibility, and the cycle of violence. At the heart of the film is the contrast between two characters who confront the system in dramatically different ways: Walter Garber, the morally conscientious yet flawed subway dispatcher, and Ryder,Continue reading “The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009) as an Accidental Leftist Parable”