This Is What Democracy Looks Like (2000)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Directors:

Jill Friedberg
Rick Rowley

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

A filmed account of the street protests against the World Trade Organization Summit in Seattle, Washington, USA in 1999.

Plot Keywords:

Seattle Washington | Trade | World Trade Organization | Corporate | Political

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Noam Chomsky	...	Himself
Michael Franti	...	Narrator (voice)
Susan Sarandon	...	Narrator (voice)
Vandana Shiva	...	Herself

Runtime:

72 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Company:

Big Noise Films

Soundtrack:

Guerrilla Radio

Solid Doc About Solidarity

This is a moving documentary about the protests in 1999 against the World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle.

For those who hate this obviously one-sided film and want a 'balanced' view, well, you can get it through the 'balanced' mainstream media, 24 hours a day, every day. And if you really believe the mainstream media offer a 'balanced' view of anything, then I have to ask: how's that famous bridge in New York you bought last year?

In this film, we see the media wildly MISreport the events on the ground. Masses of people -- young and old -- were protesting against the rapacious methods of the WTO and the erosion of democracy in the U.S. The media, meanwhile, were telling people about the 'unruly mobs' taking over the streets of Seattle. They totally misrepresented what was actually happening, which is what they routinely do when it comes to actions against the state.

There are many millions of people around the world who suffer and die every day because of the DELIBERATE policies of the faceless mega-corporations under the umbrella of the WTO. That used to be called evil; now it's deemed part of government 'policy'.

America was FOUNDED on mass protest, dissent and the fight for freedom of speech and assembly. These historically embedded constitutional rights are now simply ignored, on a daily basis, by politicians and the transnational corporations that control them.

Political amnesia has replaced critical thought among the masses. The latest antics of Paris Hilton are more newsworthy than the rape of the world by a select few.

Kudos to the filmmakers and to all the very brave young and old people who stood up (and continue to stand up) to fight for the human rights of people everywhere.