Op Docs
As more racial unjust is occurring in America, more and more people are being affected. Both op-docs I chose dive into how these incidents effect people, even if these people were not directly involved. In "The Torture Letters" by Laurence Ralph, he tells the story of how he witnessed police brutality of two young kids, and it affects him to this day. Whenever he hears about police brutality or racial inequality, his mind brings him to that incident. It affects him so much, that even a decade later, he still writes letters to the kids. I think that this op-doc did a great job of displaying how even just a glimpse of the unjust these people face is something that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
In the second op-doc, "No Guns for Christmas" by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, they start with a young boy talking about what he wanted for Christmas, and then asking for a gun. They then focus on an incident that happened in a Walmart. A 22 year old black man was walking around with a pellet gun, and the police were getting many calls from concerned shoppers. The police stormed into the store and shot him dead. It really makes you wonder, what if he were white? Would the other shoppers still call 911? Would the police would have been so violent? This incident led to many protests, people filling the streets chanting, and demanding justice. The court however, didn't seem too concerned, and it almost felt like they wanted it to blow over. A bill was passed to make pellet guns and guns of that nature look more like toys to prevent another incident like this, but it doesn't bring the man back or make what the police did right.
I thought both op-docs did a great job of portraying the police brutality and injustice that African American people experience everyday. It really makes you think about all of the "what ifs" and questions of that nature. I think both light a fire under you, and inspire you to stand up for what you believe in and protect those you care about. It really makes you more aware of things going on in America that may not directly affect you, but you should still care about.
*Click on the titles of the Op-Docs to watch.*
I think that you did a very good job summarizing the op-docs to where the reader who has not seen the videos understand it enough to gain interest from what you wrote. I think that this topic is important to be informed on since it's such a current thing going on in our lives today
ReplyDeleteI especially thought your expansion on "No Guns for Christmas" was very eye opening. Your expansion questions made me think further on this topic and you did a very good job summarizing them.
ReplyDeleteGreat work, Emilee. I believe that you did a really great job of summing up how you can relate to the Op-Docs. We will never experience this kind of anxiety. To put it abruptly, we are both white, middle-class teenagers. We will never be African American, therefore never experiencing these struggles. With that being said, it is up to us to not only educate ourselves, but to support the movements for equality. It is evident that corruption takes place. I think that you did a great job at the end of your summary talking about how it may not directly affect you, but it is important to still care about these issues. Well done.
ReplyDelete