202. This is What Democracy Looks Like (2000)

The first amendment grants all citizens the right to peaceful assembly. This movie illustrates that this right has been pretty much decimated to nonexistence. Sure, if you want to file at the courthouse for a permit to have a nice, quite Saturday-morning march around downtown, then it will be no problem. If you want to march on Washington, bring it on. If you want to protest soldier's funerals with signs that say "God Hates Fags", the red carpet is rolled out. But if you want to protest against policies of globalization and profiteering at the expense of the world's poor by peaceful demonstration, then you better prep your gas mask. The idea that we live in the "land of the free", home of "equal opportunity", and safe haven for democracy is a fabrication. In civics class, we learn that our rights are guaranteed as long as they do not infringe upon the rights of others. In reality, we learn that our rights are guaranteed as long as they do not shed light upon injustices brought on the poor by the rich.

Most of the world's wealth is held by a relatively small number of individuals. The only way this can happen is for the poor to believe a lie. This lie is different depending upon where you live. In developing countries, the lie is that the people are powerless. Since most free speech is limited in these parts of the world, this is an easy lie to uphold because the few that try to rally uprisings are jailed or killed. In the developed world, the lie is that you will one day be a part of this elite group that owns most of the world's wealth (some people call this the "American Dream"). The problem comes when a large group of people realize this lie and choose to speak out about it. This is where the truth of our first amendment rights are revealed.

This movie uses primary sources to document the protests at the 1999 WTO Conference in Seattle. The WTO stands for World Trade Organization. This conglomerate of wealthy people from all over the world has pretty much positioned itself as supreme ruler of Earth. It is more powerful than any single government simply because politicians need money and they have it. The goal of the WTO is what is bothersome. It has no Constitution or Bill of Rights and seeks only to protect and increase the assets of the corporations and individuals involved. Don't get me wrong without the WTO, most of the goods at Target and Walmart would cost maybe twice as much money, but many feel that the real human cost of such "cheap" goods should be taken into account as well.

The most troubling thing about this movie is how quick the police, government officials, and media jump to the aid of the WTO after the protests begin. One of the most important things about our right to assemble is that the many "have-nots" could have their voices heard over the few "haves". The protesters chant "this is what democracy looks like!" almost as a question to the police as they are dispersed with tear gas and violence.... So check this movie out, read about the WTO, or just keep on believing the lie...