Brittany Liu's Blog #6 Power Over Heart And Mind

In Anderson's Imagined Communities, chapter six addresses the strong actions taken for nationalism and power.  The threat of the exclusive emerging community causes one to implement policies to insure  a homogeneous mind and heart of nationalism.  Specifically, Anderson talks about the Siam leader Wachirawut.  His father was the reason for the new Chinese immigrants, but unfortunately they did not make the best welcome.  Wachirawut's "anti-Chinese stance" is slightly justified after Chinese merchant's held strikes (Anderson 100).  A strike itself is a reminder of the power of masses or should I say communities.  Wachirawut's strong notion for official nationalism grew from the disruption of another community.  He implements "state-controlled primary education, state-organized propaganda" and much more in order to preserve his own nationalist image.  This manipulation is truly to feed his hunger for power.

I think the power struggle is also seen in the film Amigo.  When the American troops invade the village, one might think the village would be the ones subjected to conformism, but it is actually the Americans who are influenced by native culture.  The Americans might have the power through oppression, but as they adapt to their culture, the natives start to gain the power of the heart over the Americans.  Even one of the young American soldiers forms a crush on one of the native girls.  Some of the men are especially fond of their alcohol.  The American's power and their semi-assimilation into the country is evident during the celebration scene.  The lieutenant is in a heightened chair, but he is also integrated with the natives.  I think the battle for power is between the heart and mind because the Americans mentally hold the power, but the natives influence the power within their hearts.

I think similar to Wachirawut, the Americans are intimated by the amount of power a mass or community can possess.  Most of the frames within the film show the mass of people living within the village.  Even when there is dialogue between two characters, natives are always crossing in the background.  The community is an integral part of the mise en scene of the frames representing their power in numbers.  I think this illustrates the American's constant reminder of the natives threatening power over them.  In addition, the film's music is mostly native music.  Music is something that touches the heart and as it sounds throughout the film, the Americans are affected by it more and more as they live and interact with their enemy.  In Imagined Communities and the film Amigo, the threat of diversity increases the need for power over those who are different.