This Is What Democracy Looks Like (2000)

This is What Democracy SHOULD Look Like.

With the close of the 60's and 70's the day of mass protest and public interest in politics and economics have certainly declined. This work showed the actions of some who are trying to keep democracy alive where it was born...in the streets.
Unlike some other Big Noise Productions that jump right into the action, you receive a good amount of background information surrounding the cause for the protest. Even someone fresh to the globalization debate would have no trouble understanding the particular outlook the film is attempting to create. The Seattle police departments reaction to the protesters is what American philosopher and journalist Walter Lippman would call "Manufacture of consent."
Years later it would be decided that the police department's actions were unconstitutional but at the time you see a "democracy" act in the most questionable of ways. Creating democracy free zones where holding signs or even expressing an opinion of the WTO would be met with arrest or you being escorted away. A citywide ban on gas masks would be enacted. You will also see the media spin coverage of the whole event as local news channel attempt to exploit and exaggerate the few activist that damaged property.
It was a very good look at the chaos and the resulting success of the activist in the end when 3rd world leaders gave thanks to the protesters and said their actions emboldened them to stand against the WTO. July 10, 2008

Powerful journey through the why and how of resistance to corporate destructivity

Those who do not understand or are skeptical of the motivation behind the WTO protests should perhaps watch the interviews first.

The interview on this CD with Naom Chomsky gives an excellent overview of how these organizations like the WTO are used to fulfill a very destructive agenda of some of the elite super rich. He describes how this was foreseen by many.

The interview with Vandana Shiva puts it in more practical immediate local terms. Her numerous books document in detail how this happens in many fields for those who are skeptical.

Those who remain unconvinced should perhaps read insider accounts like John Perkins' 'Confessions of an economic hitman' or 'A game as old as empire'

Once one understands the drivers behind the WTO protests like at Seattle in 1999 one can better appreciate the sense of overwhelming odds against which the protesters were struggling and their lessons of unity that enabled the creation of a global movement that for the first time can start taking a meaningful stand against the process of destruction.

I heartily recommend this video to all - as none of us can afford to ignore the destruction of nature and society indefinitely and this video gives both accurate insights and meaningful direction.
January 12, 2008

Policing democracy

This documented record of the 1999 Seattle WTO protest raises important questions about the tension between the modern nation State, as it becomes increasingly subjugated to external treaty obligations, and non violent dissent. As with all mass protest movements, divergent views about the tactics adopted are part of the drama, but the common unity of opposition comes through strongly in the documentary. Delegates wanting to attend the WTO Ministerial Conference have their access obstructed. The extremely violent measures adopted by the riot police to break the deadlock, such as spraying CS gas into the eyes and faces of the protesters, is captured in close up. Some of the protester respond in kind by trashing Starbucks. The use of a hand held video camera puts the viewer right in the thick of the action among the protesters. This is both disturbing and absorbing do-it-yourself film making. The percussive, contemporary soundtrack gives the presentation a powerful immediacy. Following the footage of the protest, Noam Chomsky provides a scholarly overview of the shift from GATT to the WTO, and the consequences this has had for the developing world in particular. And let's face it, any DVD featuring Noam Chomsky has got to be worth the ticket price, right? October 23, 2007

A very concise title for a brilliant documentary!

I love the title, even for someone who does not believe democracy can exist. It could be used in two ways: (1) This is what democracy looks like; police brutality and authority's ruthlessness. One sentence from one of the interviewees leapt off the screen for me, which really summed up the living conditions in the US (and elsewhere). "You are all slaves, go back to your ... (couldn't really hear it but i took it as cages, as it made sense)". As long as people do not interfere with policymaking, or basically the decisions that outline their whole lives, they are considered no threat and thus "free", but voice your opinion, and the true nature of your existence vis-a-vis the state will be revealed, "you are all slaves" and have no right meddling with your own affairs. Quite ironic. The mother of all hypocrisies. (2) This is what democracy looks like, when people take it to the streets and get their voices heard across the great divide. Spectacular!
The events in Seattle, and those that happen elsewhere on Earth are considered "anti-globalization" protests, but really, they are the epitome of globalization, for what we have today is a perverse version of true globalization (Check Chomsky's writings for that).
By the way, I have no idea why Chomsky is included as a contributor for this documentary, not once does he appear. As far as I know, he was never even present at the protests. I thought maybe he might have something to say retrospectically about the Seattle protests, but nothing. I don't even think I saw his name in the credits. So it's a bit misleading to include his name.
For a more explicit documentary about the Seattle protests, check "Breaking the Spell". It can be found on [...] to download as a torrent file. June 2, 2007

The Other Side of Democracy

It is a great documentary, but it is also very one-sided. It shows the events from the perspective of the protesters, and depicts politics and management as despotic and elitist. Nevertheless, I recommend it! April 10, 2007

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