Society Videos - The Documentary Network

How poor people survive in the USA

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 12:14:09 +0000

Homelessness, hunger and shame: poverty is rampant in the richest country in the world. Over 40 million people in the United States live below the poverty line, twice as many as it was fifty years ago. It can happen very quickly. Many people in the United States fall through the social safety net. In the structurally weak mining region of the Appalachians, it has become almost normal for people to go shopping with food stamps. And those who lose their home often have no choice but to live in a car. There are so many homeless people in Los Angeles that relief organizations have started to build small wooden huts to provide them with a roof over their heads. The number of homeless children has also risen dramatically, reaching 1.5 million, three times more than during the Great Depression the 1930s. A documentary about the fate of the poor in the United States today.

An Open Secret

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 11:08:10 +0000

For three years, Amy Berg's documentary "An Open Secret" about paedophilia in Hollywood was virtually invisible. If you see it now, you know why. In light of the long awaited revelations of sexual abuse in Hollywood finally being reported ESPONDA PRODUCTIONS presents AN OPEN SECRET for free for a limited time . A film about the sexual abuse of children in the entertainment industry in Hollywood. Please support our efforts of raising awareness by sharing with your friends and colleagues. #AnOpenSecret #BeCourageus #ReportIt #LifeGetsBetter. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook @AnOpenSecret. BE COURAGEOUS. REPORT IT. LIFE GETS BETTER. Esponda Productions LLC is the author of this motion picture for purposes of copyright and other laws. Ownership of this motion picture is protected by copyright laws and other applicable laws, and any unauthorized duplication of this motion picture could result in certain criminal prosecution and civil liability.

Can Universal Basic Income End Our Cultural Obsession With Work?

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 11:46:03 +0000

In 1948, German philosopher Josef Pieper predicted that society was headed for a dystopia he called 'Total Work'. With most of us in 2017 working too long, missing social events, working on weekends, and egging on our older years just for the retirement, practical philosopher Andrew Taggart believes we have reached the verge of that dystopia. He describes the conditions that are tightening around us—our lives are scheduled around the needs of our jobs, our time with family and friends is subordinated to it (in a 5:2 ratio!), and our free time increasingly resembles work, in vocabulary and in action: we run errands, aim to have "productive" days, try to rest so that we are fresh for Monday—the start of another week. Taggart thinks Universal Basic Income is the ideological push we need to begin questioning how we can cut loose from our cultural obsession with work, and how we might live in a world without it. Are we human beings, or instruments of productivity? Has our intense focus on work become pathological? Transcript:'Total work' was a term coined by Josef Pieper, a lesser known German philosopher from the 20th century, and he was concerned that after World War II there would be a time of total work. By that I take him to mean that work comes to be the center around which the world turns. Human beings start to see themselves chiefly as workers, and the entirety of life becomes more and more work, or work like. To see this we can begin to examine a number of what I might call tightening conditions. So the first condition would be the centrality of work. We've come to think that work is actually the center and everything else begins to turn around it. To see this more clearly we can think about the fact that we woke up to go to work today or that we are going home from work today. That we are preparing for work. That we are preparing to leave work. And this is happening all the way around the world. Meanwhile we’re adjusting our schedules, the rest of our lives, so that they are turning about it. So that would be the first condition. The second condition is subordination. That everything else in life comes to seem as if it’s subordinate to, and to be put in the service of, work. We can think of sleeping: the idea is that we wish to sleep well today in order to be focused and prepared for work. And that when we’re at work we wish to be as productive as possible. So sleep becomes that which is an instrument in the service of productivity. And we can play that game with all sorts of different instances. The third condition is the resemblance claim. It seems as if everything else in life comes to resemble work, more and more. So you can think of, on a day off you are wanting to be as productive as possible, thinking about how much you got done. You can begin to think about all the ways in which you plan and schedule time with children. The terms that begin to mark out our lives even when we’re not actually working sound more and more work like. And the last condition I think is the most intense and that’s what I might call cultural forgetfulness. Well suppose there were to come to pass Universal Basic Income. And suppose, for the sake of argument, that that were sufficient to meet our material needs—that is, those concerned with having enough food, proper shelter, sufficient warmth, sufficient coldness, and the like, so that it was enough. As one philosopher, Harry Frankfurt, calls it we have doctrine of sufficiency. So suppose basic income allowed us all to have enough. Then once again I think we would need to think about what we would do with ourselves. Aristotle in 'Politics' says, really quite famously, that we non-leisure in order to have leisure. And that was the way that it would be translated: we non-leisure in order to have leisure. The question is how are we going to dwell on our leisure?And I think we’ve been educated to a point at which we really don’t know how to answer that question. People, I think, are struck by a very difficult condition, which is a medieval condition, called acedia.

The Happiest People on Earth. North Korea: Rulers, citizens & official narrative

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 05:28:23 +0000

North Koreans say they’re the happiest people in the world. Their great leader is like a father who takes care of them and all their needs. They’re told that he’s made their country the most powerful and economically developed on the planet. A quick look at the World Wide Web or any international media might lead to a different conclusion but in North Korea, they’re banned.

Money, happiness and eternal life – Greed

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 15:50:33 +0000

Can money and power ever make us happy? How much is enough? Our constant desire for more is part of our human nature.But is greed getting the better of us? Find out in GREED - A FATAL DESIRE. From Buddhists and bankers to Eskimos and psychologists, we explore the phenomenon of greed with people from all walks of life. How can it be defined? What makes us greedy? And what are the repercussions? People like to have a lot of stuff because it gives them the feeling of living forever," says American social psychologist Sheldon Solomon. He thinks we have to come to terms with our own mortality before we can break the cycle. Are there other ways to feel happy and content? Can we simply stop being greedy by changing the way we think? 2 parts video

The real value of your personal data

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 15:43:42 +0000

The personal data that is being collected by internet companies has turned into a goldmine. The applications for this enormous mountain of data is endless, from health care uses to marketeers who can accurately predict your behavior. But who is making money from your data? And who owns your personal data? Personal data is being collected constantly. Smartphones send your location data, internet browsers store which websites you visited and credit card companies carefully register your buying patterns. One would say that all this personal data is being used to send you advertisements and banners. But that’s just the start. Your data is not only used to understand who you are right now, but also what your life will look like in the future, because that is where the big money is. Could we regain the control over our own personal data, so that we can share in the profits? Due to huge flow of information, one can tell who we are today and what we will do tomorrow. Can we get control of our own data? Information is collected and stored on your behalf. Via mobile phone and computer, every step you take is saved and analyzed. By companies like Google, Facebook, Apple and Twitter, among others. This precious personal data is not just saved. There are now new valuable uses for your data, giving your personal data the worth of gold. Data centers full of your personal data are the heart of what is called Big Data. A treasure of valuable new insights, derived from your location data, emails, photos, text messages, and more from your digital production. Because your personal data is not only used to send customized ads. Your data is used to predict your future behavior. Through smart analyzes of all your behavior that you leave behind on your mobile phone and computer, it’s easy to find out who you are. And that's not that hard, it turns out. For example, the University of Cambridge just by looking at which buttons you click on Facebook, can see if your parents are divorced, whether you are gay, and so on. Predicting human behavior, possible thanks to all your personal data, can help to design cities better, combat diseases and prevent wars. But if all of your personal data is so valuable, then shouldn’t it be time for you to get control of it? And also take part of that profit for yourself? Credits: Directed by: Martijn Kieft Research: Marijntje Denters/ Jasper Koning/ Chris Vijn Production: Jenny Borger, Hellen Goossens Editors in chief: Henneke Hagen/ Frank Wiering English, French and Spanish subtitles: Ericsson. French and Spanish subtitles are co-funded by European Union.

HOPPTORNET (TEN METER TOWER)

Documentary.net staff — Sun, 21 May 2017 11:02:31 +0000

Would you jump? Or would you chicken out? Our objective in making this film was something of a psychology experiment: We sought to capture people facing a difficult situation, to make a portrait of humans in doubt. We’ve all seen actors playing doubt in fiction films, but we have few true images of the feeling in documentaries. To make them, we decided to put people in a situation powerful enough not to need any classic narrative framework. A high dive seemed like the perfect scenario. Through an online advertisement, we found 67 people who had never been on a 10-meter (about 33 feet) diving tower before, and had never jumped from that high. We paid each of them the equivalent of about $30 to participate — which meant climbing up to the diving board and walking to its edge. We were as interested in the people who decided to climb back down as the ones jumping. We filmed it all with six cameras and several microphones. It was important for us not to conceal the fact that this was an arranged situation, and thus we chose to show the microphones within the frame. Ultimately, about 70 percent of those who climbed did jump. We noticed that the presence of the camera as well as the social pressure (from those awaiting their turn beside the pool) pushed some of the participants to jump, which made their behavior even more interesting. In our films, which we often call studies, we want to portray human behavior, rather than tell our own stories about it. We hope the result is a series of meaningful references, in the form of moving images. “Ten Meter Tower” may take place in Sweden, but we think it elucidates something essentially human, that transcends culture and origins. Overcoming our most cautious impulses with bravery unites all humankind. It’s something that has shaped us through the ages.

The Internet Warriors

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 18 May 2017 13:25:05 +0000

Why do so many people use the internet to harass and threaten people, and stretch the freedom of speech to its limits? Director Kyrre Lien meets a global group of strongly opinionated individuals, who spend their time debating online on the subjects they care most strongly about. Online platforms are their favourite tools to express the opinions that others might find objectionable in language that often offends. Do they behave in the same way when they come offline?

Find my Phone – Film follows a stolen phone

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 14:58:26 +0000

After my phone got stolen, I quickly realized just how much of my personal information and data the thief had instantly obtained. So, I let another phone get stolen. This time my phone was pre-programmed with spyware so I could keep tabs on the thief in order to get to know him. However, to what extent is it possible to truly get to know someone by going through the content of their phone? In the Netherlands, 300 police reports a week are filed for smartphone-theft. Besides losing your expensive device, a stranger has access to all of your photos, videos, e-mails, messages and contacts. Yet, what kind of person steals a phone? And where do stolen phones eventually end up? The short documentary ‘Find My Phone’ follows a stolen phone’s second life by means of using spyware. Although you’ll meet the person behind the theft up close and personal, the question remains: how well can you actually get to know someone when you base yourself on the information retrieved from their phone?

The Future of Cities

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 10:39:19 +0000

What does “the future of cities” mean? To much of the developing world, it might be as simple as aspiring to having your own toilet, rather than sharing one with over 100 people. To a family in Detroit, it could mean having non-toxic drinking water. For planners and mayors, it’s about a lot of things — sustainability, economy, inclusivity, and resilience. Most of us can hope we can spend a little less time on our commutes to work and a little more time with our families. For a rich white dude up in a 50th floor penthouse, “the future of cities” might mean zipping around in a flying car while a robot jerks you off and a drone delivers your pizza. For many companies, the future of cities is simply about business and money, presented to us as buzzwords like “smart city” and “the city of tomorrow.” A collaboration with The Nantucket Project. Edited by Thomas Niles Graphics & Editing by Nate DeYoung Produced by Sean Barth & Rich Peete Executive Producer - Alex Klabin Assistant Editor - Erin DeWitt Music by George Langford Additional music by William Onyeabor Re-recording Mixer - Colin Alexander Color by Irving Harvey

China’s Rich Girls

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 06 Jul 2016 15:38:51 +0000

Flashy, materialistic, with more money than they can spend - these are the privileged children of China's top one percent. From crashing sports cars to setting bank notes alight, their antics are notorious. As they splurge on multimillion-dollar properties, luxury yachts and endless shopping sprees, in cities such as Vancouver, Canada, one group of girls is playing out their exploits on a reality TV show. We are invited into the girls' inner circle and finds out what goes on in a world where money is no object.

Life as a Living Latex Female Doll

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 14:41:59 +0000

Female masking is an underground scene where heterosexual men dress up as latex dolls. The scene has become increasingly popular in recent years we decided to find out more about this curious subculture. Female masking is an underground scene that took off in Europe in the 1980s and is made up of thousands of predominantly older heterosexual men who like to transform themselves into living female dolls. To do this, the men don full-body silicone suits, prosthetic breasts, doll-like masks, and elaborate costumes to recreate the female form. The community is active online and meets up in special female masking forums to show off their unique transformations, but many feel the need to keep the habit hidden from family and friends. On this episode we head to Amsterdam and Germany to meet a few European men who shed their masculinity and transform into feminine latex dolls. We talk to veterans of the scene with thousands of fans and costumes, as well as men who have never gone out in public in their alternative identity.

The Mobile Love Industry

Documentary.net staff — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 21:07:00 +0000

A look at the ways in which mobile apps have become an essential part of our search for the next hook-up, true love, and everything in between. The smartphone has become the crucial link in modern relationships, it facilitates far more connections than real-world interaction ever allowed — from dating app geniuses who use data and game theory to hack the system, to the darker side of digital love, where app addiction runs rampant and users find themselves endlessly swiping in an empty search for more. Karley Sciortino will take on the task of determining where the human search for love is headed in the 21st century. She’ll meet with the brains behind these dating apps and try each of the most promising apps out using her own love life as a testing ground.

Without Bound – Perspectives on Mobile Living (Documentary)

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 16:13:24 +0000

Without Bound, a documentary featuring perspectives on mobile living from a group of fascinating folks who live fulfilling, sustainable, off-grid lives in vans, travel trailers and motorhomes...

Rebranded: how Survivors Ink is erasing the marks of the US sex trafficking industry

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 15:04:40 +0000

Pimp-led prostitution is one of the most violent and prolific forms of trafficking found in the US, with hundreds of thousands of women sold annually for commercial gain. Many are branded with tattoos by their traffickers as a sign of ownership and control. After experiencing such an ordeal in Columbus, Ohio, Jennifer Kempton founded Survivors Ink, a grassroots project that helps formerly trafficked women to cover up their branding with their own symbols of hope and recovery. Kempton explains how she left years of abuse and drug addiction behind and is helping others to do likewise.