Poverty and Corruption

    

    There are a lot of things that we take for granted. Just being in the U.S. whether you are rich, middle class, or poor, you are already way better off than lots of other nations. Take South Africa for example. This region makes up some of the most dangerous and poorest nations in the world. In Miseducation, filmmaker Nadine Cloete, a young woman from Cape Town, explores childhood in a part of South Africa plagued by gang culture and violence. What better way to explore childhood in South Africa than with a child from South Africa. Cloete chose of using an eleven year old girl as the narrator of her piece and by doing so this girl left the audience with a lot of thought and reflections. Throughout the film, Kelina speaks upon the terrors of South Africa. The audience can see the fear in Kelina’s eyes and feel her dread when she says, “What goes through my mind is I'm scared to walk alone.” Kelina explains that it is crucial to walk in a group and never alone due to the overpowering numbers of criminals and gang members. She says that women are constantly being raped in the streets and this is something she fears. She also says,” A bullet doesn’t have an address, it doesn't say where it is going.” This young child is fearing for her life every day. On top of that, her living situation is horrible. The house is just one room for the most part. It is shared by the whole family and the conditions are very bad. Like her and her family, this region is extremely poor. The documentary states, “More than 50,000 violent crimes against children are reported every year in just South Africa alone.” I can speak for most of the kids in America when I say that I do not fear walking out of my house and I’m not dodging bullets daily. I will acknowledge that there are parts of America that are very poor but I think the South Africans would view it as a lot better than what they have. It is a terrible thing that children have to grow up like this around the world. It makes me appreciate that I live in the U.S. and have family that can provide. 

    Politics have become extremely polarized in the United States and it is only getting worse. As time passes, the more people seem to be certain that the other side is wrong and the media doesn't help this division. Everyone wants closure and certainty. If you have a high need for closure then you will quickly make choices about what politician will meet your needs the best and fastest. If you have a low need for closure, you tolerate ambiguity, but you most likely have a difficult time making decisions. Every one of us is somewhere on this spectrum. In The Price of Certainty, writer and director Daniele Anastasion, wants us to challenge the ideas of what we hear in the media and challenge the so called "facts". This op-doc features researcher Arie Kruglanski. Kruglanski talks to us about the ideas of certainty and closure. He wants us to know why people make the political decisions that they do. This film explores the natural human need to find certainty during uncertain times. As said before the higher the need for certainty the faster you make decisions. This is something that can be dangerous as it can lead us to make judgments regardless of facts. It can cause us to close our minds to new information. This film ties perfectly with what is going on now in the United States. With all the societal issues and the fact that it was an election year, everybody’s need for closure increased drastically. With this high need for closure and certainty, we tend to make judgments more quickly, regardless of the facts. We’re also drawn to leaders who are decisive and paint solutions in simple terms. It is easy for the media to amplify all the issues and make both political sides look worse than they may be. This is why it is so important for Americans to research and find the facts. We want to make sure the decisions we make are based on fact. We do not want to be so needy for change that we let our judgment take over the truth in the corrupt politics. As Kruglanski says, "The need for closure tricks your mind to believe that you have the truth even though you haven’t examined the evidence very carefully.”

    Though these two op-docs are different, they both deal with issues in society and the world. Kelina gives us incite and stories of the horrible region she lives in. After watching and listening to her story it makes us reflect and appreciate the basics that we have. It makes me sad that people and children struggle like this in the world. It has been 8 years since that film was produced and not much has changed for the South Africans, hopefully soon we can see some progression. Arie Kruglanski wants us to understand the reasons we make our political decisions. He wants us Americans to know the facts before we make choices. That film was directed for the 2016 election and I say that it was even more important for 2020. Moving forward we need to understand that there is corruption in the media and government so we mustn't let the need for closure take over fact.