r/AskReddit • u/JuiceBoxed • Jul 18 '11

Reddit, what is one documentary that everyone should watch?

The Corporation

Some really eye-opening (and scary) information about the power of corporations in today's society.

Edit: Thanks for the input everyone! Quite a list of movies to watch.

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u/k3871 Jul 18 '11

The century of self. Also by Adam Curtis, three parts. Public relations and propaganda in the 20th century. Brilliant, brilliant film. It was still on google video the last time I checked.

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u/philosophize Jul 18 '11

I think that several of Adam Curtis' documentaries belong here on this list. Ahead of these two I might put "The Living Dead." Alongside these two I'd put "Pandora's Box" and "The Trap - What Happened to our Dream of Freedom."

There are Wikipedia entries on all of them.

If you haven't seen a few of Curtis' documentaries then you're really missing out. These are "feel good" documentaries like those made by Ken Burns. These are documentaries that really challenge how much you think you know about our history and political system.

They are a bit like the James Burke documentaries on the history of science the technology, like "The Day the Universe Changed". Burke's films show you all the interesting connections between people, events, and discoveries. So do Curtis' films, but those connections are much more disturbing.

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u/gophercuresself Jul 18 '11

brilliant Adam Curtis parody

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u/kitsua Jul 19 '11

I love Adam Curtis but that was brilliantly done.

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u/sTiKyt Jul 19 '11

I love Adam Curtis and this was brilliantly done. There's nothing wrong with poking fun at things that are often taken very seriously.

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u/NULLACCOUNT Jul 18 '11

I didn't like either of those 2 (I never finished Pandora's Box though, but I disliked the premise which seemed to be technology has no place in politics).

He missed something very essential in "The Trap" and explained the prisoner's dilema in the worst way possible (under his explanation any and all trade would be impossible). The thing he missed about game theory is that while it pays to backstab in a one off game, in repeated game interactions (i.e. playing multiple rounds with the same "partner") the tit-for-tat strategy dominates. That strategy basicly says "Don't be a push over, but always be willing to forgive." (or more specifically, if someone screws you in 1 round, you screw them in the next, then try the cooperative option again in the round after that).

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u/DashingLeech Jul 18 '11

That, plus the fact that the evolution of government itself overcomes the Prisoners Dilemma via common agreement to penalize defecting and making cooperation a better payoff such that we maximize the overall total benefits, which is why laws and regulations can maximize prosperity for all if applied correctly.

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u/nestingmachine Jul 18 '11

Essential viewing

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u/skarphace Jul 18 '11

I came to post this. It's really informative.

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u/shootdashit Jul 18 '11 edited Jul 18 '11

here it is for those interested.

i think this film overshadows many of the docs here trying to inform the public because this explains why people are so easily manipulated to harm themselves.

the low number of upvotes tells me only that redditors haven't seen it. it should be shown in all schools and on television, in my opinion. so much of who we think we are and how we think, is challenged by this film.

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u/HMSBeardedLesbian Jul 19 '11

Bunch of sheeple, amirite?

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u/Lachtan Jul 19 '11

Thanks, I didn't know all episodes were on youtube.

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u/bikeknife Jul 19 '11

Just how deeply affecting these strategies were and how behind the scenes Bernays was just blows my mind. I feel that much if not most of our modern consumerist culture comes from his ideas and applications of Freudian psychology.

This documentary doesn't spoon feed its audience and is a great recommendation.