Reviews: Flim - Budrus

Called "a timely testimony to the power of peaceful resistance" (Tom Dawson of Total Film) Budrus documents the strictly non-violent reaction of a West Bank townn to Israel’s construction of the ‘Separation Barrier’ in the early 2000’s.   Budrus, a town of 1,500 Palestinians stood to lose 300 acres of land and 3000 olive trees if the Israeli Government’s plans went ahead – trees and land critical to economic survival, as well as being a sacred part of an intergenerational history.

The film places you in the world of Ayed Morrar, a Palestinian whose previous work for the political group Fatah had led to five detentions in Israeli prisons – a man not predisposed to non-violent action.  His strategic decision that the ‘Wall’ would be best opposed by non-violent tactics makes the film an all the more interesting watch.

The successes that unfold as non-violent strategies are put in place and courageously   adhered to paint a colourful picture of what peaceful resistance can achieve: the unification of previously  feuding political groups; the involvement of women in the heart of a struggle; the coming together of civilians from warring countries as they come to separate the people from actions done in their name, but without their consent.

Combined with interviews with the Israeli Border Police captain and military police spokesperson, Budrus allows for a certain balance in views to be obtained.  A must-see film that shows a piece of history in the Occupied Palestinian Territories that many Palestinian and Israeli citizens still now little about.

Reviews: Book - The Spirit Level by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett

“Early socialists and others believed that material inequality was an obstacle to a wider human harmony, to a universal human brotherhood, sisterhood or comradeship.  The data we present…suggest that this intuition was sound: inequality is divisive, and even small differences seem to make an important difference.”

In Western democratic societies it is commonly believed that we live in a ‘land of equal opportunity’.  Material living standards are high, education is generally free to all and it is up to the individual to make of it what they will; the more intelligent and motivated work their way to the top, with others finding their place down below.  The Spirit Level confronts this assumption again and again with evidence that smashes it to absolute smithereens.  

Using income inequality as the base measure of general societal inequality Wilkinson and Pickett paint a picture not completely unfamiliar.  Being poor puts in place various obstacles to achieving at school, being healthy and fit, staying out of trouble, and avoiding teenage pregnancies.  However this is only a minuscule part of the picture.  The biggest obstacles come from inequality.  In societies with a bigger gap between the rich and the poor, everyone is more prone to being violent, having teenage pregnancies, to mental illness, to being fat and to dying earlier than their counterparts (those who earn the same yearly income) in more equal societies. 

The impact of this is huge.  Simply being Japanese, one of the most equal societies in the world, means that you will live on average 5 years longer than if you were American.  Notably, this is not due to living standards or whether you are a toilet cleaner or a doctor.  It is due to a variety of physical and psychological factors stemming from the increased stress from the increased importance of having and maintaining the appearance of high social status.  This is incredibly relevant to New Zealanders, as the gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ is ever-increasing; income inequality between the rich and the poor in New Zealand is one of the highest in the world.  Essentially, the greed of the prosperous and powerful who set policies allowing the gap between rich and poor to grow and grow  damn both the greedy and everyone around them to lives of greater misery and tragedy than need be.  Whether you are a Libertarian, Capitalist or Marxist, this cannot be seen as anything other than counterintuitive. 

The great thing about this book is not just the plethora of facts, figures, and funny cartoons that support and drive home the central message as stated in the title, everyone does better in more equal societies; it is how amazingly accessible it is.  If you have no scientific background– no worries!  All is explained clear and simple so that anyone from any background can pick it up and be on their way.  A must for anyone wanting to better understand how they, and everyone else, can be happier in this world. 

Overall: Four and a Half Stars

Film Review: The Cove (2009)

Our rating: 4 ½ stars

Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary of 2009, The Cove exposes the devastating annual slaughter of dolphins in the Japanese fishing town of Taiji. 

Described by Rotten Tomatoes as “guerrilla journalism at its best”, The Cove utilises evades constant police intimidation to use free-diving world champions, underwater microphones and high definition cameras disguised as rocks to break down the many forms and consequences of the Japanese dolphin trade.  Initially shocking is the fact that several times more dolphins are killed annually by the Japanese – as many as 23, 000 – than their highly publicised slaughter of Antarctic whales.  Migrating dolphins are herded into a hidden cove where they are netted and killed by spears and knives. 

The dolphin meat, containing dangerous levels of mercury, is then sold as the more expensive whale meat, as well as being sold to schools to use in the mandatory school lunches.  An interview with two local politicians campaigning, unsuccessfully, for the removal of dolphin meat from school canteens is featured. 

Most intriguing is the alleged buying by Japan of votes in the International Whaling Commission so to prevent anti-whaling legislation from being introduced.  Such ‘bought’ countries include Cambodia, Ecuador, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Kiribati, Laos and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. 

Notably, these countries are on the lower end of the scale of economic strength. The unharnessed ability of Japan to use its monetary power to sway international bodies supposedly protecting our natural wealth in their favour is outrageous. 

The courage of long-time dolphin campaigner Ric O’Barry to pull together a team of outspoken and unafraid non-violent activists and reveal another side of the profit-driving exploitation of our precious environment is commendable.  An incredible film that has seen the spread of activism, even in Japan, regarding the urgent need to protect our water-bound friends.


R.L.Bradley