Documentaries are defined from Wikipedia as " a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record." They tend to reveal important information that is not well known to the general population. Before last week, I had only seen a handful of documentaries. Most of them had been shown to me during classes in high school. These include Super-Size Me, Freakonomics, and Invisible Children. Last week in class, I had the pleasure of being exposed to more documentaries: Police State 4: The Rise of Fema, The American Dream, Fall of the Republic, and Food, Inc. Each of these documentaries revealed information that I definitely would not have been exposed to, had I not seen the films. Hearing the information presented from these documentaries was really eye-opening, especially Food, Inc.
While I attempt to stay up-to-date on politics, I have to admit that I am not exactly an expert. Government corruption is definitely a topic that I should spend more time educating myself on. After viewing the three documentaries on the subject, though, I have a much more satisfying understanding of it. I did not realize how many different theories there are on government corruption, and it is really interesting to hear all of them. It is almost embarrassing to admit how little I knew about the topic before our documentary week. It was hard for me to follow the action in the documentaries at times; especially in Fall of the Republic. I felt that a lot of previous knowledge was required which I did not have, but I was still able to get a slight grasp on what was going on. I realize now that something that pertains to the general public so much should really be more common knowledge than anything. However, these issues continue to be "swept under the rug."
Of the documentaries we watched that focused on the government, the one that made the most sense to me was The American Dream. The producers did a fantastic job of presenting the information in a way that was easy for someone who did not have a lot of previous knowledge on the subject to understand. Adding bits of humor in to it was helpful as well because it kept our attention. I have a much better understanding of the Federal Reserve now. As American citizens, I think we should all be more concerned on the issues presented in The American Dream, as well as the other documentaries.
Ultimately, my favorite documentary to watch was Food, Inc. All of the documentaries we viewed were on subjects that affected us all, but I felt that Food-Inc. is most closely related to our every day lives. The information from it was absolutely shocking. I hated seeing the way animals are treated and even found myself closing my eyes at parts. The worst scenes were the ones showing the production lines of cows and chickens. These sick realities really make us think twice before eating meat. It is disturbing to think of the hormones and chemicals that go in to the food we eat every day, and the worst part is that most people do not even think twice before consuming it. The part that really hit home with me was when the woman whose son died because of the bad burger. I wanted to cry for her. It was such a sad story that could have been prevented. The other heartbreaking part was seeing these "farms" that are now closer to factories. They pump these innocent animals with hormones to make them grow unnaturally large, and they kick them around as if they do not have feelings.
I wish I could say that after watching Food, Inc. I am going going to become a vegetarian, but that would be a lie. The sad truth is that most people who watch that film are going to walk away unchanged. Sure, it will be a sensitive topic the first couple hours after viewing, but chances are that by the time dinner is served, all of that information about animal cruelty and where our food is actually coming from will be pushed to the back of the brain, never to reoccur. This is because most people simply choose not to let this information affect them, and then pretend like they really care when it comes up in conversation.
When it comes to topics like the corrupted government and the realities of what we eat, most people believe that ignorance is bliss. They think life is easier if they do not need to worry about their unnatural food or living in tyranny. It is true that life would certainly be easier without having to worry about these topics, but they are part of our every day lives and affect everybody. To not worry about them is like pretending they are nonexistent, which is living in denial. By not facing these issues, nothing is being solved. It is important to at least be informed on these topics: that is the first step to making a change.
No comments:
Post a Comment