Ma. Nikka Andrea F.

Oquias

BAPS III- PS 178

Prof. Mae Claire Jabines

February 2, 2014

Reaction Paper on the film The Killing Fields

Change from Within

People today especially the present generation may engender a sense of alienation and
estrangement when someone merely mentions about or discusses for example dictatorship,
genocide, civil or ethnic wars; even the idea of communism. Some may claim that yes they do
understand what it is, what it meant or even what happened on specific dates but at its core,
people really have not established a sense of deep seated empathy especially to those who
have at first hand experienced painful and appalling memories in the past.
The dualistic nature of technology- while it seemingly draws the line between and among
the young and the past generation, it also has the capacity to bridge information gap allowing us
to make a connection to other cultures and develop a comprehensive understanding of the
history of other countries.
The history of Cambodia, the story of the massive genocide which almost swept all of
the Cambodian population during the dictatorship rule of Polpot is made available to all by way
of detailed explanations in books, seamless information from the internet, discussions among
academicians and interpretations from historians, but the use of vivid images combined with an
inspiring true to life story surely intensifies the conscious feeling of awareness among viewers.
What the class has witnessed was a film that both moved and informed the viewers on
what had happened and what were the experiences of the Cambodians under the regime of the
fundamentalist Khmer Rouge. Driven by the desire to go back to the original Khmer tradition,
where foreign influence have not yet existed, the group reached to a point superimposing its
ideals to a society that refuses to follow. Intellectuals, nobilities, aristocrats, monks- all these
people were persecuted and made to suffer the consequences of them succumbing to the
trends of the modernizing world. Another remarkable feature of the film was its ability to account
for crucial issues apparent in that time particularly the constant intervention of the United States
on perpetuating the reign of the dictator Polpot.

What should we do when we see th4at the enemy is inside us? One striking feature of
the Khmer regime which as I see was their leverage was their purposive utilization of children
and young adults. Indoctrinating platonic ideals, they were made to believe that the values
learned in the family are unimportant compared with the values of the collective group. Given
this situation, children were therefore inured to practice actions- very different from the
Confucian ideals of respect, hierarchy and stability. The socialization process has therefore
greatly shaped the political system dominating Cambodia at that time. This concept is very
important precisely because when it is the children that are controlled, it is very hard to wage a
war from within it is as if we are fighting ourselves from within.
In the midst of the highly radical socialization process, we will not be surprised to witness
unstable existing form political associations. Dictated by the sheer will to go back to ancient
times spurred the creation of a reactionary form government, with little or no room for
progressive ideas emanating from society then ended up to the eventual fall of the regime. But
this however should be taken with a grain of salt for interventions coming from various factors
should be accounted first to provide a panoramic understanding of what really happened.
If we account the experience our country had during the dictatorship of Marcos with the
experience the Cambodians had during the reign of Polpot we allow ourselves to see a vast
difference in terms not only in terms of the number of casualties but most of all the damage
inculcated among the psyche of the Cambodian people. Here then we could understand why
Cambodia unlike other countries in the region found it difficult to catch up with the development
its neighboring countries are experiencing. When it is the people that are attacked or when it is
the vast population that is so radically changed the country will really find it most difficult to
compete with other countries that have not undergone the same ordeal.
Important events particularly of global significance such as genocide, dictator rule, civil
wars are not only common and present in Asia, these phenomenon are as well very important
for it not only determines the dynamics of power play among nations but it so greatly defines the
capabilities and the future of a certain country. Stumbled by its horrifying past, Cambodia today
is striving on its feet to reach at par with its neighbors- a proof therefore that the historical past
though a distinctive source of explaining the performance of a country will not however serve as
a decisive determinant of the future of the country. Anything is always possible with sheer force
and determination from the people.