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Guybrush · 08-17-2014, 04:29 AM

Saw these two :

Blackfish

Very interesting documentary about a rather shady business. The whales of Seaworld represent millions of dollars of worth and when they've injured or killed their handlers, Seaworld has deliberately downplayed the importance of these incidents, blaming the trainers and keeping their staff in the dark so they wouldn't know they were working with animals with a history of attacking and eating people.

The story may seem one-sided at first glance, but the interviews are with former staff who retell their experiences as Seaworld employees. Credible and entertaining in an interesting kind of way. Recommended!

I've read that Seaworld stock has plummeted after the release of this documentary. I can't help feeling that it is deserved.

Food, Inc.

The story of how food is made in the US. Basically, the food industry is under tight control of a few big companies, like Monsanto, who use terror tactics to shut people up and to keep farmers in line. You have to use their crops - if you don't, they sue you. The legal fees will put you out of business long before you even see a court room, so the law doesn't really help you. You have to take up loans and drive yourself into further debt to upgrade your barn to make life more miserable for your animals, otherwise you lose your contract. The industry is not regulated because they attack any attempt to do so with lawsuits and they also had representatives in the Bush administration, Clinton administration etc. Consumers are deliberately kept in the dark about this.

Unhealthy foods are subsidized, making burgers and sodas much cheaper than healthier alternatives, so it really is a matter of public health. Like Blackfish, the documentary could serve as a warning as to what can happen when capitalism runs rampant - on an even larger scale. These companies are so powerful through contracts, lawsuits and lobbying that they can basically do as they like and they're basically acting like assholes.

As a norwegian, I feel as though I am looking at a problem in another part of the world, but this still has effect on a grand human scale and we can also learn from this. Highly relevant!

Both these docs are available on Netflix.

08-17-2014, 04:29 AM	#14394 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	Saw these two : Blackfish Very interesting documentary about a rather shady business. The whales of Seaworld represent millions of dollars of worth and when they've injured or killed their handlers, Seaworld has deliberately downplayed the importance of these incidents, blaming the trainers and keeping their staff in the dark so they wouldn't know they were working with animals with a history of attacking and eating people. The story may seem one-sided at first glance, but the interviews are with former staff who retell their experiences as Seaworld employees. Credible and entertaining in an interesting kind of way. Recommended! I've read that Seaworld stock has plummeted after the release of this documentary. I can't help feeling that it is deserved. Food, Inc. The story of how food is made in the US. Basically, the food industry is under tight control of a few big companies, like Monsanto, who use terror tactics to shut people up and to keep farmers in line. You have to use their crops - if you don't, they sue you. The legal fees will put you out of business long before you even see a court room, so the law doesn't really help you. You have to take up loans and drive yourself into further debt to upgrade your barn to make life more miserable for your animals, otherwise you lose your contract. The industry is not regulated because they attack any attempt to do so with lawsuits and they also had representatives in the Bush administration, Clinton administration etc. Consumers are deliberately kept in the dark about this. Unhealthy foods are subsidized, making burgers and sodas much cheaper than healthier alternatives, so it really is a matter of public health. Like Blackfish, the documentary could serve as a warning as to what can happen when capitalism runs rampant - on an even larger scale. These companies are so powerful through contracts, lawsuits and lobbying that they can basically do as they like and they're basically acting like assholes. As a norwegian, I feel as though I am looking at a problem in another part of the world, but this still has effect on a grand human scale and we can also learn from this. Highly relevant! Both these docs are available on Netflix. __________________ Something Completely Different