"30 Days" Analysis
I. In the last journal I said that I wanted to know more about B.Z. Goldberg, the director of the film "Promises". After doing some research I found that:
-Was born in Boston but grew up in Israel
-Attended New York University Film School
-Returned to Jerusalem in 1987 when the Intifada broke out to produce TV news
-Starting in 1992 he worked for a number of US based consulting firms
- He is fluent in Hebrew and conversant in Arabic
-Worked for the Israeli army, the Toyota group (Japan) AT&T, MIT, Columbia University, The Interfaith Committee on the Middle East, and Solidarity (Poland).
Source:
The Promises Film Project - The Filmmakers. (n.d.). The Promises Film Project. Retrieved May 8, 2011, from http://www.promisesproject.org/credits.html
Center for International and Regional Studies - Documentary Film - Promises. (n.d.). Center for International and Regional Studies - Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS). Retrieved May 8, 2011, from http://cirs.georgetown.edu/105461.html
II. This past week in class I can only remember doing one thing, which is watching two different "30 Days" segments. The first one involved a man named Dave living in a Muslim community. He left behind his wife and his home to go to Michigan and live with a host family. He dressed the same way they did, ate the same way they did, and basically mirrored their lives for 30 days. Dave met with various teachers to help him learn Arabic and understand the muslim faith. He found it difficult to conform to the lifestyle, because it conflicted uncomfortably with his own. The second of the "30 Days" episodes involved a man whose name I do not remember. This man had a job that was outsourced to people in India. So, he decided to travel to India in an attempt to get his job back. He is also living with a host family and attempting to conform to their lifestyle. He ended up realizing that the people over there are much more in need of his old job than he was.
I think that the concept Morgan Spurlock has come up with here is really cool. There's no better way to understand something "different" than to actually experience it in person. By taking on the challenge of exploring a lifestyle other than their own, these people are setting themselves up for new horizons. I think that Dave was rather stubborn and wasn't as open to the Muslim way of life as he should have been. He was opinionated and argumentative throughout his entire stay in the Michigan Muslim community. The other guy, however, was very open-minded and understanding of the unique way of life in India.The other guy ended up gaining a whole lot more because of his willingness to cooperate. I think it's really powerful that he was made aware of how difficult life is for many of the people in India. He was almost grateful that his job was outsourced by the end of the film. I think that is a really great thing for Americans who watch the "30 Days" segment to be made aware of.
Oleander - - الدفلة: 30 Days, as a Muslim in America. (n.d.). Oleander - - الدفلة. Retrieved May 8, 2011, from http://oleander.blogspot.com/2005/07/30-days-as-muslim-in-america.html
I think a valuable point to be made is that Americans are closed-minded in the way we see things. Like I just said, the guy who was willing to cooperate in an unfamiliar setting had a much better experience than the guy who was stubborn and unwilling to adapt. The stubborn guy (Dave) kinf of represents typical Americans I think. We think we know everything there is to know. It doesn't matter if we've never seen it, heard it, witnessed it, lived it...we just believe what we want and that's what we preach. Perhaps if we were all presented with an opportunity like that of the men in the "30 Days" episodes, we'd be much more understanding and cooperative with the rest of the world. We tend to be spoiled and conceited and look down upon other countries. We don't bother to try and understand how they work, we just see what we want to see and make judgements.
III. For next week's journal I would like to know some statistics for outsourcing. I'm aware that it is a reality, but I don't honestly know too much about it. Which kinds of jobs are being outsourced? How many? What are the biggest effects of it?
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