Documentaries of note

Lately I've been on a documentary jag - I think I've watched more documentaries in the last six months than I have in the last six years. I don't know if its because I've grown tired of fiction and am ready to deal with facts, or that reality is simply more interesting than fantasy, or perhaps it's simply because I'm having a lot of fun with my still relatively-new Netflix subscription. At any rate I've watched a lot of documentaries lately, and they've opened my eyes in several different ways. They have been a good starting point for me in my quest to learn what's really happening out there in the world.

You've probably noticed that one of my recurring notions is that in order to create positive social change, first you must educate yourself on the world around you. This cannot happen by taking things at face value - you must make an effort to dig deep and discover the facts for yourself, and always take things with a grain of salt until you can verify what you've learned through an independent source. To me this is the litmus test of truth.

To that end, I wish to present a list of documentaries that I've found to be enlightening, informative and entertaining. I'm not suggesting that you believe the information contained herein simply because I'm recommending them; these are simply a few places to start you off in your search for truth. If anyone has any additions, comments or critiques I'm very open to suggestion, and always interested in a new documentary I haven't seen yet!

Here is my list, in no particular order:

An Inconvenient Truth - Okay, I admit that I only got to see this one recently even though it came out in 2006. Nonetheless, the message is still one of vital importance, namely that if we don't drastically change our consumption habits we're going to trash this planet beyond repair within a very short time frame, like 50 years. As I watched this film I reflected on what I learned about global warming in my Astronomy class last semester, and the facts presented were right on target. The way Gore explained how the increase in greenhouse gases leads to more heat retention in the atmosphere was very easy to understand. I was also impressed that he tackled the overall change in reflectivity (how much sunlight is reflected back into space, as opposed to retained as heat in the atmosphere) caused by the loss of polar ice. Ice reflects 90% of sunlight back into space, while water retains 90% of the energy from sunlight as heat, so the loss of even a small quantity of polar ice means a drastic increase in temperatures. I think everyone needs to see this film, because we can't goof around any longer, we need to start changing things NOW. As a result of this film, my husband and I are going to look into installing solar collectors on our roof when we have it redone, to generate our own solar power. That's a pretty radical change, but I think that's the degree of change that's needed. As you watch this film, paraphrase JFK in your mind and think "Ask not what your environment can do for you; ask what you can do for your environment."

Who Killed the Electric Car? - This is one I stumbled upon while channel surfing one day and it sounded too intriguing to pass up. This documentary is about the successful attempts to market electric cars in the early and mid 1990's, and why those cars are no longer on the market. (Hint- they were simply too good.) I was infuriated that vehicles which ran cleanly and did not add pollution to our environment were forcibly taken from their owners at the end of their leases (these vehicles were only leased, not available for purchase) and were destroyed. It's such a waste! The large automakers have the technology to mass-produce vehicles which we can charge in our own garages, no special wiring needed, and drive cleanly up to 100 miles at a time. And yet they went out of their way to destroy the cars they built and suppress this technology. Anyone want to take a guess as to why? O-I-L. Watch this one, and prepare to get pissed off.

Fast Food Nation - Okay, this one really isn't a documentary, it's a docu-drama, but it's still worth your time. I still say that you should read the book in addition to watching the movie, because they were only able to fit so much info into the film. One thing I appreciated greatly about the book is the voluminous end-notes provided which document each and evey claim the author makes. Schlosser (the author) is practically begging us to check his facts, and I find that degree of openness highly appealing, particularly compared to government propaganda which pretty much says "take our word for it, we're the government!"

Supersize Me - It's been a while since I saw this one, but it made a lasting impact on me. It's about a guy who eats nothing but McDonalds food for thirty days. If it's not on the menu he doesn't eat it. He even goes so far as to buy bottled water at McDonalds. Before this experiment began he had a very thorough physical to document his physical condition, and then was monitored weekly to document the changes his body underwent as a result of his McDonalds-only diet. This film is like watching a car crash in extreme slow-motion - you know what's going to happen but you can't stop watching out of morbid fascination. You watch the protagonist's health and appearance deteriorate practically day by day, and wonder "how much longer can he hold out?" His experiment was almost brought to a halt by his doctor, who feared that this guy would do irreversible physical harm to himself if he stuck with it for the last 4 days or so. This film may well cause you to rethink your own fast-food patterns.

The Corporation - this film was required in a Sociology class I took last semester, and it was fascinating. It was all about the inner workings of multi-national corporations and how they can manipulate power, legislation and the public to benefit their bottom lines. The most vivid example that comes to mind from this film was the revelation that IBM did business in Nazi Germany in the late 1930's, and built and operated a computer system to track inmates of concentration camps. That sends a chill down my spine - IBM had records of millions of people tortured and killed in concentration camps, yet their main concern was keeping up their profits in their European division? Brrr... coldness. Also contains interviews with Michael Moore and Noam Chomsky (my hero!) that shouldn't be missed.

Maxed Out - this film explores the ways the financial industry keeps the American people perpetually in debt, and exploits those who prove unable to handle credit. I was horrified to discover just how aggressively credit is marketed to those who enter bankruptcy, and representatives of a financial institution discussed just how valuable those customers are because: 1)they can't say no to impulse buying; 2)they'll never pay off their balances so they represent a never-ending revenue stream. Something else disturbing from this film was the fact that the bankruptcy reform legislation enacted a few years ago was actually crafted by the financial industry. On one hand I'm shocked, and on the other I'm not surprised - letting the fox guard the henhouse has become a trademark of the Bush adminstration, just like when he appointed energy executives to craft energy policy.

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices - This one really made me rethink my Wal-Mart shopping habits, and has greatly reduced what I am willing to buy at Wal-Mart. The last portion of the film is very poignant, in which they interview employees at Chinese manufacturing plants and reveal the impact that Wal-Mart has had on their lives (trust me, not good). Much of what's in this film has already become public knowledge, but this film is still very much worth seeing, because each time we shop we vote with our wallets and voluntarily support various corporations. We need to know exactly what it is that we're supporting.

Jesus Camp - I'm not going to rehash what I wrote previously about this film because I already lambasted it pretty thoroughly. I will say again that using religion to brainwash children to fulfill a political agenda should be considered child abuse!

Those are all the ones that come to mind right now, but I have a long list to watch, so I will undoubtedly be posting on those as I see them. In the meantime,

“What are the facts? Again and again and again - what are the facts? Shun wishful thinking, ignore divine revelation, forget what "the stars foretell", avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors think, never mind the unguessable "verdict of history" - what are the facts, and to how many decimal places? You pilot always into an unknown future; facts are your single clue. Get the facts!” - Robert Heinlein

Later,
AuntieM