10 Eye-Opening Documentaries That Will Make You a Better Person

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Thijs

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Rip! A Remix Manifesto, an eye-opening documentary
These 10 quality documentaries expose several facets of the current state of our
modern society. The eye-openers portray an image of who we have become as Weste
rn societies.
These must-see documentaries stimulate us to question where we are going from he
re, whether we should continue with the way things are done, and if we should mo
ve in a different direction
In a just world,
businesses are held accountable to society,
certain groups of people aren t left out in the dark draughty corners of our civil
ization,
highly intelligent animals would not be used and abused for shallow entertainman
t,
people downloading, mixing art and creating music based on existing works would
not be prosecuted,
scientific information essential to finding cures for diseases such as cancer wo
uld not be witheld from the public for financial gain of a minority.
Sadly, that is the world we live in. A world where corporate interests are consi
dered by our democratic governments to be more important than human interests, jus
tice and honesty.
Watching these documentaries may help you become a better person. Or at least be
tter informed. Because after all, if we want our freedom (back) we should start
with opening our eyes. Becoming aware.

The Internet s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz

Aaron Swartz was a genius, a freedom fighter. A prodigious programmer and thinke
r who stood up for basic human rights in our Internet age. Already at a very you
ng age he understood how essential freedom of information is.
Thanks to Aaron, being on the barricades for government transparency and informa
tion freedom, a breaktrough method to detect pancreatic cancers was found. But h
e accomplished much more, he took the lead in stopping SOPA. Aaron Swartz could
have done so much more for humanity but he was killed by the system. The Interne
t s Own Boy is a very impressive documentary and a true must-see.

The Canary Effect

A look at how the United States has treated its indigenous population over the p
ast several hundred years. Such shameful practices are common all over the world
, whether it concerns the aboriginals in Australia, the Maori in New Zealand or
other indigenious peoples in other countries.
If you think about it, even when not having watched this or any documentary, it
is an outrage of the first order. In our modern times where everybody could be i

nformed and aware we are still treating these people like they are treated. Nobo
dy seems to know or care. It just confirms how sick we are as a society.

Inside Job
Find out about the reasons behind our current economic crisis and how these Maste
rs of the Universe bankrupt us for massive private gains for widespread public lo
ss. An insight in the largest legalized scam humanity has ever faced. The public
has been robbed on a worldwide scale and the crisis that ensued still paralyzes
the world today. Seek out this documentary to learn how it all started.

Blackfish
A shocking and touching look into what really happens in SeaWorld and other mari
ne parks. Featuring never-before-seen footage of performing whale Tilikum, who h
as killed several trainers. Here s how it all went wrong.
Exposing the barbaric practice of keeping such highly evolved, enormously sentie
nt fellow mammals in small cages leading miserable lifes for our perverted thril
ls. How training actually means starving and abusing these enslaved beings. It s l
ike Doug Stanhope said, you re not a trainer you re a fuck-with-er . In defense of the
ex-trainers telling their gripping stories, they were being misled by the park m
anagement.
On a positive note, the negative publicity from the Blackfish documentary film h
as caused theme park attendance to fall and shares to tumble.

Sugar: The Bitter Truth

Sugar is a poison according to endocrinologist Dr. Lustig. This is not a metapho
r, in this documentary the professor of clinical paediatrics shows how harmful s
ugar actually is. Sugar is addictive, toxic, harmful, and everywhere. Whether he
is completely right remains to be seen.
And even though his take on sugar is not shared by other respected criticasters
of the food industry, this documentary will make you think about your daily diet
. And chances are you will cut back on sugar. I did. It made me feel more energe
tic. Even though I realize we re generally best off when taking such advice with a
grain of salt.

Four Horsemen
According to critics, the proposed solutions don t make sense in this documentary.
The Four Horsemen however will provide you with an eye-opening insight on how t
he global economy really works. A clear view of the current state of Western soc
iety. Today s Four Horsemen
socially organized violence, debt, iniquity and povert
y control all of our lives. A must watch for those who are wondering how it coul
d have come this far.

The Corporation
The documentary shows the development of the contemporary business corporation t
o a legal entity entitled to most of the legal rights of a person while often no
t demonstrating any moral obligations. How lots of large corporations goals are
only making money, even at the expense of society.
A serious concern is expressed over how corporations use their power and influen
ce, how marketing and manipulation are used and which role corporations play in
our society nowadays. Another documentary that goes in-depth on the topic of mar
keting targeting children is Consuming Kids.

Food, Inc
Food Inc. is an unflattering look inside America s corporate controlled food indus
try. One of the best food documentaries out there. It shows how the food supply
in the Western world is now controlled by a handful of corporations and how thei
r focus is generally on profit in lieu of consumer health.
Featuring interviews with experts as Eric Schlosser ( Fast Food Nation ), Michael Po
llan ( The Omnivore s Dilemma ) Food, Inc. reveals surprising and often shocking truth
s about what we eat.
If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian. -Paul McCartne
y. Other well-received food documentaries are King Corn, Genetic Roulette, and T
he Gamble Of Our Lifes.

The World According to Monsanto

Exposing the highly disturbing practices of multinational agribusiness corporati

on Monsanto. In this documentary it is uncovered how the world s leading producer
of toxic PCB s, Agent Orange and currently GMOs (genetically modified organisms) h
as an alarmingly tight (and malicious) grip on worldwide agriculture. Leading to
global health concerns, endangerment of nature, and suicides among farmers bein
g prosecuted because of curious laws in favor of this company.

RiP! A Remix Manifesto

World s first open source documentary. Rip! A Remix Manifesto is about copyright i
ssues in the Internet age and their effect on art. Especially the grey area of r
emixing existing works. However, all art is about remixing. Even Picasso said, Go
od artists copy, great artists steal .
The current laws are inhibiting the flow of art. The proliferation of informatio
n as well as the creation of music, visual art, video clips and other art forms
are inhibited by outdated laws. Large media corporations, filing lawsuits agains
t individuals are convulsions of dying mastodonts in an new era, heading for ext
inction if they don t adapt.
Culture always builds on the past, the past always tries to control the future, o
ur future is becoming less free, and to build free societies, you must limit the
control of the past.
Other good documentaries on this topic are Good Copy Bad Copy (2007) Copyright a
nd Culture Documentary and Steal This Film.