Citizenfour, confronting and engaging.
Note: this is a blog entry written for the blog of the Cultural Policy and Power class from the University of Melbourne. However it ended up being quite personal so I find valid to post it here. Some small changes have been made when understanding of the context is needed.
Many things have happened for me this year, moving here (Melbourne, AU) and starting this Master (Master of Arts and Cultural Management - Moving Image) has been quite overwhelming. One thing I really appreciate from this class (and the Human Rights on Screen class) is how fast it has expanded my vision of the world and how has that forced me to confront this inner war of feelings and thoughts between my preconceived ideas and new knowledge.
A couple of days ago I was reading what I consider a great review of CITIZENFOUR written by Andy Hazel for the first edition of Farrago Magazine 2015. I havenât been able to find the review online, but if you have the mag, youâll find it on page 23. My partner found the film online and we devoured it.
This documentary convince you that the American âIntelligence Agenciesâ are pretty much spying on every-fucking-one. It is quite frightening because it shows how big of a deal it is, how they work in different countries and how they use that information for marketing and business competition knowledge among nations, not for âterrorismâ as their excuse for everything after 9/11 (which still isnât clear btw). More concerning, how they deny it in front of everyone, in every trial, in every meeting.
I was thinking about what Giulia Tomasi (a student) was saying in a comment of her class blog, pointing out that there hasnât been a real change of power from sovereignty to a governmental state (talking about Foucaultâs Governmentality). Claiming that the latter works as a brainwash and therefore is more dangerous.
She is right, the ruler(s) (whoever is or are in power) adapt as we adapt. We grow, they use different techniques to keep control. They donât do it for us, they do it so they can keep their power, a nationâs power, the economy, the system, their principality. Laura Poitras (Director) makes sure Edward Snowden in the documentary states how important it is for people to stop, and think, and try to make a difference if they believe there is something wrong, put it out there. That has cost him almost everything and he did it because he believed in his power as a credible person and how that would encourage others.
This film also plants the seed to think about how these types of control could lead to massive events against humanity. Locking asylum seekers indefinitely for no reason in detention centres, next to us, we playing blind⊠it should ring a bell!
Giulia thinks technology gives us a voice and power. But I donât know how far would technology get us if âtheyâ can just shut everything down and censor whatever they wish, and have people âpopulation as a massâ on their side, thinking it is for the benefit of the children or to fight âterrorismâ. Terrorism is what âtheyââre doing.
I have watched incredibly cruel, harsh, sad and heartbreaking films lately; and I have read M. Foucault and others, learned about policy, power and Human Rights; and I had a small breakdown where my ideas of âa better worldâ somewhere were confronting my recent thoughts and feelings. And then another documentary sort of explained what was happening, how I was feeling.
My partner, was starting to watch this PBS documentary on her laptop  about how 9/11 was unresolved and the government never gave clear answers and lied in the reports published that explained how the towers âfellâ. I was next to her and wasnât planning on watching, but it caught my attention. After a lot of experts and witnesses testimonies, they addressed to the question of why is it so hard to believe for the american people? And they explained how hard it is psychologically to confront your preconceived idea of the world with a new and quite different one. If you decide to look further, learn and accept, you feel vulnerable, unprotected and homeless. Some of the victimâs families explained how they had this idea of the government as a father (as Foucault analysed somewhere) a paternal state, and how this new point of view made everything fall apart. How the fact of not knowing what happened couldnât give them closure and all the questions that were raised about the covering up and the lying.
That right there explains why so many times we just go âI donât wanna knowâ, âdonât show me, I donât wanna seeâ, we are afraid of what can change and I think we are also afraid of engaging. If we know, then weâll have two choices, to do something about it, or to ignore it and live with blame and another duality in our life.
Is there a solution? If we wanted to do something about it, if we wanted to stop Australia from saving the metadata (if theyâre not doing it already), if we wanted less control, if we wanted to prevent another holocaust, is it possible? Is there a solution? Is there a solution different from a massive natural disaster or the end of resources or something as huge as that to stop the economy, to stop everything. Would it be necessary to start over, living in communities, growing your own food, travelling by foot, to do things right? Is there a solution other than trying to exit the system living somewhere remote, staying away from this type of life for as long as possible?
I feel hopeless but I remember I once heard someone that made me feel thereâs people out there, one of those âwith powerâ, trying to make a change:Â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCEgcd7G9Bg
What is in our power? What can we do from within?
