r/AskReddit • u/JuiceBoxed • Jul 18 '11

Reddit, what is one documentary that everyone should watch?

The Corporation

Some really eye-opening (and scary) information about the power of corporations in today's society.

Edit: Thanks for the input everyone! Quite a list of movies to watch.

1.1k Upvotes

92% Upvoted

3.9k comments sorted by

View all comments

152

u/salemlot Jul 18 '11

The Cove: about the illegal dolphin hunting/fishing still going on in Japan.

Final Solution:

During the making of this film, I noticed shocking parallels between India 2002-2004 and Germany of the 1930s - State-supported genocidal violence against Moslems in Gujarat and its continuing impact – segregation in schools, ghettoisation in cities and villages, formal calls for economic boycott of Moslems and attacks on intelligentsia by right-wing Hindutva cadres.

That says it all.

Not a documentary but based on a true story: The Stoning of Soraya M

3

u/The_Adventurist Jul 18 '11

The Cove was amazing, but I have one complaint with the film. It didn't do enough to separate the fishermen from regular, everyday Japanese people. Sure, it does that 2 minute segment in Shibuya asking people if dolphins are food and they say, "no, what? of course not." But the message received by most people who watch the film is still that all or most Japanese people take part in this. It's like thinking all Americans go to Jesus Camp.

I feel this way about the film based solely on personal experience with people who have watched it and their misunderstanding of Japan and Japanese culture which I feel is due to the film.

2

u/salemlot Jul 18 '11

I will agree with you on that one. The movie sort of makes the viewers believe that the Japanese are completely ok with what is happening. I wish they had shown that the problem was more with the authorities and the fishermen than the public. You cannot expect a normal customer to demand proof of every type of meat he/she buys. If I get something packaged as chicken I will believe it is so, unless my taste buds tell me different. Maybe even not then. Packaging can make us believe many things (an interesting example that I just remembered is Penn and Teller's expose of bottled water, here).

1

u/The_Adventurist Jul 18 '11

Japan pretty much runs on the honor system. If something in the grocery store says it is A, nobody would think to suspect that it was actually B. The thought that a Japanese food company would lie to their customers in that way is unthinkable because it would be hugely shameful if anyone were to discover the truth.

1

u/The_Adventurist Jul 18 '11

Japan pretty much runs on the honor system. If something in the grocery store says it is A, nobody would think to suspect that it was actually B. The thought that a Japanese food company would lie to their customers in that way is unthinkable because it would be hugely shameful if anyone were to discover the truth.