no man is an island

First off, I am no filmmaker or film student; I can barely work a computer, but after only minutes of searching on Youtube for something inspirational and profound I found it. I never understood the lure of making films, even small ones, because the entire process seems so unfathomably daunting I try not to even think about it. After watching this short clip though, I think it is exactly what the world needs more of: art and advocacy-together. Like I said, I couldn't make one legit comment on the technical filming, but clearly this one was good because it was the Tropfest NY winner in 2008 (which is apparently the world's largest short film festival...who knew?!?).

It's true that mankind is no island; no one would be happy in a life of desperation and loneliness. So, why are we letting people live that way? I think some non-profit corporation should get a hold of this film, legally of course, and then compress it into a spot for TV. People need to see more of this kind of work that gives a call to action. A lot of people donate money, and we think that makes us good people, that we are doing our part; however, those could be the same people hustling by the homeless in this film. You see in the video that people don't even glance at, or give consideration to the needy people they pass. I'm not saying we should feel guilty for not giving every homeless person a couple dollars because let's face it, some people just like to manipulate and take advantage of the system.

Still, there is nothing more powerful than seeing the truth, and the truth is we walk right by our world's problems everyday. The truth is that 1.1 billion people live on less than $1 a day. The truth is that people are poor around the world, but it is also the truth that countries have their own agendas. What I mean is that in 1974, the Bengal famine was clearly well known as a problem around the world; the Australian government donated $65, 000, 000 to help the cause...sure this is nice of them. However, they also spent about twelve times that amount building the Sydney Opera House. Interesting, very interesting. Actually, it is not so much interesting as it is disheartening.

The governments are the ones who are ultimately in control of what money goes where; they are the big players in shelling out big dollars to make a dent in a huge world problem. But it is the "little" guys, like brilliant filmmakers, who recognize and capture the problem-on film in perfectly clear quality. We are the ones with the perspective to realize when things are wrong in the world; I mean we whitness it everyday.

Still, we are the ones who can actually do something about human suffering; no matter how caught up in our own lives we get, we can always empathize with the human condition. No one deserves to live a life of solitude, it's just too sad to even think about, but people live that way- they live that way everyday around the world. I think there is hope though. We have the power, especially in advertising (the kind done ethically) to bring problems to the attention of the masses, and ignite some sort of fire under humanity's ass. It doesn't all have to be about selling and products and slogans. Advertising is so much about relating to the public, and because no man is an island (or mankind is no island in this case), it is our responsiblity to do what we can with the power we have...and when you determine the media, internet, and everything visual we encounter, that's a lot of power.



This is a picture of the "tent cities" popping up within the past eighteen months or so around America. In an article about these "shanty towns" on current.com, there are "a dozen or so other cities across the nation" dealing with this problem. The article said, "Fresno is dealing with an unhappy déjà vu: the arrival of modern-day Hoovervilles, illegal encampments of homeless people that are reminiscent, on a far smaller scale, of Depression-era shantytowns."

The good news is Obama made the comment about this issue stating, "it was 'not acceptable for children and families to be without a roof over their heads in a country as wealthy as ours.' " As for whether or not the government will actually see success, let alone take action, only time will tell.