Vice, 2022, 9:58… Concerns surrounding the environment and the climate crisis are no longer just the focus of liberals and the left. Eco-fascism is a growing racist ideology on the extreme right, marrying the ideas of environmentalism with white supremacy and ethnonationalism. With the climate crisis worsening by the day, eco-fascist thought has deepened alongside it.
Al Jazeera, 2018, 9:55… For the past few years, Border Security TV has become a regular fixture on airwaves around the globe. It's a subgenre of reality TV where camera crews follow border control officials as they search for illegal goods, interrogate suspicious newcomers, and deport those deemed unwanted. Its popularity, some say, is a clear sign of the times.
Vice News, 2018, 6:19… Police departments in Dallas and surrounding counties have agreed to allow their officers to accept ID cards issued by Dallas Area Interfaith, the Diocese of Dallas and several local parishes. These interfaith IDs have no legal bearing - it still remains up to an officer’s discretion whether to accept the identification (which includes a photo, name, DOB, address and the name of the parish that issued them the ID), but the desired outcome would be to quell some of the concerns present in the immigrant community, and help officers police more efficiently.
According to new figures, it is estimated that 35 million people are suffering under slavery. It is a booming global business, relying on oppression and exploitation. The film shows the many forms slavery can take in today’s world: from political imprisonment, to child labor to the forcible recruitment of child soldiers as well as more classical forms of physical and economic exploitation.
With the start of the semester approaching in a national climate of civil unrest, many students may be keen to the recent events in Charlottesville and eager to learn more. This is a powerful (and potentially triggering) video where an embedded reporter gives us a captivating look at what happened-- the neo-nazi/KKK/alt-right provocateurs clashing with the counter protesters, the "accident" leading to the death of an ally, the heart wrenching aftermath, and the continued arrogance from the white supremacists who speak openly about their desire for genocide. The video provides no narration but proceeds in an organically engaging manner. It'll certainly spark a discussion and clarify how one side started the violence. Despite what our president claims, there were no nice guys among the white nationalists. Kudos to Elle Reeve (@elspethreeve) for an outstanding job capturing the event.
A video detailing the extravagant lives of wealthy young Chinese women living in Canada. The main theme here is the conspicuous consumption of status symbols made possible by being born into a family of high socioeconomic status. This can also be seen through a dramaturgical perspective as staging behavior is rather prominent here, especially surrounding their image online and on television.
An interesting and contemporary look at South Korean immigrants in the United States. We learn that 88% of young South Koreans (millennials) want to leave the country, but why? The answer seems to be in the unbearably competitive (i.e., long) work schedule. It appears that South Korea's neoliberal economy has created unattainable standards of materialism and an unsatisfying work/life balance. As a result, many young South Koreans see the social status structure of America as more desirable-- a view made more interesting when we consider how many Americans feel that Europeans have better policies towards vacations, parental leave, shift length, and more.
