MovieChat Forums > Nebraska (2014) Discussion > 'Did you ever want to be a farmer, like ...

'Did you ever want to be a farmer, like your Dad?'


"I don't remember. It doesn't matter."


Heartbreaking, brilliant. The remains of a life are barely a life at all.








Reality is the new fiction they say, truth is truer these days, truth is man-made

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You are so right.

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When they went back to the house he grew up in I was so sad...
He must of had a bad childhood, when he said he would of gotten whooped if he were in his parents bedroom, but then said I guess no one going to whoop me today...the look in his eyes was priceless

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My father explained to me the rationale behind the strict punishment of children back then. Before the advent of antibiotics, injury was a very serious problem, since infections, even minor ones, could run wild and kill the person. It was considered very important that a child listen and follow instructions without fail, since ignoring the parent who told him/her not to go play around the horse barn (manure) where he/she could get stuck by a rusty nail (tetanus and blood poisoning) could be a death sentence by nature.

Basically, back then beating kids was considered for their own good, a sure way to get their attention. Woody's father and mother probably felt like they were just doing what they needed to do as parents.

Odd to think of in this age of parents over-indulging their children, but historically, children were not coddled and discipline was harsh and instantaneous.

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It's intriguing insight. On one hand, it reminds us that strict discipline wasn't simply a function of ignorance and insensitivity, which tends to be the perspective of the modern 'never spank' movement. On the other, it serves as a call-to-action for spanking advocates to consider whether such forms of discipline are still necessary (and if so, whether to the same degree) in a modern context, when medicine, technology, and the shift away from rural living have mitigated so many direct threats to health and safety.

It also gives us cause to consider whether there are additional benefits to such approaches to discipline beyond those immediate considerations.

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(My film) is going to be so much bigger than anyone is predicting right now. -Tucker Max

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You bring up an excellent point, and it goes even further.

How many people under 25 do you think know how to change a spare tire? Why should they, they have a phone and a AAA card, have that guy come out and do it.

How many know how to give CPR, help a child who is choking? How to make an emergency generator work? Fend off a wild animal? Stop bleeding? What would they do if their car broke down deep in a national park and their smart phone doesn't work?

I don't believe in beating kids, but a smack on their behind gets the attention when its important. The last generation has failed kids (and their kids soon to come) by foregoing punishment, acting like the child's nonjudgmental friend and coddling. For survival, common sense, hands on abilities, as well as safety.

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