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The 11th Hour : Film Review

As an anthropologist, the key point that resonated most with me is the fact that global warming and pollution and the disintegration of ecosystems and all of these things are not technically the problem, so much as they are symptoms of the problem.  The problem then, is the cause if these symptoms – our culture.

Contemporary culture – our every day habits – is what needs to be cured.  Even deeper a cause though is the thinking, the collective mental attitude, of the consumer nations.  It is obvious that efficacy, preservation, and balance are not high on the priority list of the average American.  Although there is no doubt that other cultures contribute greatly to this eminent disease, I can really only speak on the one that I have experienced for a couple of decades… and compare it to those abroad that I have seen briefly.

My question to America is then:  Exactly what is it that you are scurrying around, wasting, and making yourself sick and tired for every day?

But rather than launch into how we got to be this cookie monster of a culture, which could take hours – if not days – to get through, my next thought was about just how hard it is to live consciously.  How difficult our infrastructure makes it to do things like recycle, take efficient and reliable public transportation, or buy organic food.  Well, at least in the Rust Belt post-industrial US.  Our forefathers became so proud of, and so hooked on, mass production that we’ve made it virtually impossible for ourselves to actually choose what we want to consume.

Come on, how far do you have to go to get to your nearest Whole Foods?  And how many of us have to spend our Whole Paycheck just for the week’s groceries?  And then of course there’s the issue of how you’re going to even get there… which is likely going to have to involve a fossil-fuel-driven vehicle or bus…  because the sticker on the few hybrid models out there is still outta your league right now.  And recycle?  Puh-lease…  that would involve me neatly remembering to separate and pack all the recyclables and actually drive them to the recycling center, because the City doesn’t pick up recycling, because that costs them money…  do we have to go further?

So, Leo wants us to “Make A Change.”  You know; make a difference in our little, every day choices.  Easy for him to say – he’s loaded.  So that’s my rant.  If you really wanna do something… (Hey! Remember that campaign? I think the hot actor at the time pitching that one was that guy from 90210, yeah?)  …send a sister some leads!  I mean, really, let me know where I can get some affordable good food, order solar panels for my new house, and shop for my next hybrid!

Therefore, I guess this has become my blog to collect great websites that contain the precious info on how I can know where to ”make a change,” wherever I may be…

And of course, I cannot forget how it came to me to start the roll call:  this topic most definitely reminded me of my dear friend Ulysses, in Detroit, (and yes, that’s his real name) and his Urban Crop Circle Project.  Yep, google it.  www.urbancropcircleproject.com  I just love the adventure of his girlfriend trying to simply buy a diesel vehicle from Daimler-Chrysler corporation…  “oh, we don’t sell those kind of cars to regular people – we just make those really efficient, super long-lasting vehicles for army use only.”   Huh?

NOTE:  Ironically, right after viewing the advance screening of “The 11th Hour,” in the hear of New Orleans, I then jetted over to check out Shakespear’s release of his next album…  the poet that was featured in Spike Lee’s controversial doc, “When The Levees Broke” releases more music since “The Storm.”  Hhmmm…