Ethos

It's becoming quite a pass time for me to watch documentaries on Netflix.  I admit that.

Well over a year ago, I was told Ethos was *the* documentary to show us the truths of America at this time.  Now I've finally seen it and I just shake my head.

First off, was most of this not common knowledge?  "Imagine a nightmare scenerio where big business controls the government."  Obviously the documentary is not going to show me how that's what we're living.  Well, obviously, kids.  It's called Free Market economy.  You try to show us how things were changed in the past to make this true, but the reality is, it's always been the case.  If you don't like it, open your own business.  That's the message this capitalist society was built upon.

Now, I'm not denying all the facts of this film.  There are actually a lot I know from other more reliable sources *are* facts, but it's interesting that those things are not covered within this film because the message is not to trust the media or government without question... yet you expect us to
listen to you.  Without question.  It's sort of like taking up smoking to give up alcoholism or becoming Lutheran because you think the Presbyterians believe in God too much.

If you are talking to a society that listens to the media and blindly follows because they make their unsupported points with determined gusto and by making incendiary comments, then I suppose the way you sell them *your* bill of goods is to be incendiary and make your points without bothering to provide supporting information

The problem is I question the government and the media already and I try not to be influenced by commercials (but know the reality is there is not 100% escape if you live within the realms of society) so I hear your message, but all I can think is that you are just as weak in your arguments as they are in theirs.  It was a soft blow, to say the least.

I'm fascinated by the number of these anti-government/media/corporation documentaries are narrated or voiced by foreigners.  One of those "without question" things I've noticed is that people think those from other countries (specifically English speaking) should be taken more seriously.  Those who want to seem sensitive and intelligent tend to pick up that Americans are arrogant, therefore we must be self-loathing which leads to the idea that other countries "have it right" and are doing things in a better way.  Is that why these films often have a European accent lilting through their dialogue?

The part of this film I think they have right is pointing out that we can support companies we believe do the right thing by buying from them and shunning those we don't agree with by not consuming their products.  however, this is an infinitely complicated problem.  Can we decide if the farmer Dan's buys its eggs from is morally better than the one who sells his eggs to Harmon's?  I recommend buying locally when possible, but let's be realistic.  We're all struggling financially so sometimes the low cost of goods outweighs the desire to be perfect in every purchase.

I resent this documentaries claim that that makes us "obedient consumers" and argue that it means our lives are way more complicated than some Hollywood dude who spoke in the film and your bunch of film makers -- who will, frankly, make money off of this documentary for years to come -- understand.  Forgive me if I don't think you really understand the complicated thought process of a regular family who works the daily grind and can't rely on our "art" to pay the bills.

I just felt that, overall, it wasn't eye opening or ground breaking and before taking their word for it, you should question and research every word they say because it's not so cut and dry.  Not in the slightest.

I also feel like a lot of the documentaries these days are lacking hard hitting evidence and that the film makers believe we are following blindly.  I think "people" are blind, but a person knows what he or she is doing.  I think sometimes people are misinformed or confused, but I also think most people are just overwhelmed.  They aren't burying their head in the sand as this documentary claims, it's that their lives are so much more complicated than the decisions "they" want us to make and we have many many more factors than are being explored.