For many young people, a conversation starter is usually something along the lines of, “So, did you watch the most recent episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians?”
That’s not to say every encounter needs to start off with a pretentious list of documentaries available on Netflix, but it certainly couldn’t hurt to have a few documentaries that you can recommend, right?
As part of Pink & Black’s focus on health and fitness, it might seem odd to feature an article on this topic, but mental health is just as important as how many pushups you can do.So just what are some of the most important documentaries that you must watch as a young member of society?
Food
When it comes to health, food is often an important factor. Two documentaries that discuss food are the recently released Fed Up and Food, Inc. Fed Up is about obesity and argues that sugar is destroying peoples’ bodies. Every media source tries to place the blame on the modern member of society, but this documentary says that’s false. According to its website, 80 percent of food has added sugar. Exercise can only go so far when food companies are virtually attacking Americans.
Fed Up looks at what the food processing companies add to the food we eat, and Food, Inc. examines what is added to the animals we eat. The most shocking facts from Food, Inc. can be found here. These documentaries push the envelope with food, and describe how people are being tricked and cheated by industries. They aim to raise awareness, and encourage people to adopt a healthier lifestyle and eating habits.
Women and Minorities
Miss Representation, Hidden Colors and Two Spirits depict the way society views and represents women and minorities. Miss Representation focuses on what gender norms are and how they negatively impact society as a whole.
Why are girls taught to be dependent, and why are boys taught that power comes from control? This documentary examines these questions and suggests ways to change gender norms.Hidden Colors is a three part documentary that tells the often untold history of black people. Its third part, The Rules of Racism, dissects institutionalized racism. It explores how white people continue to degrade black people in the unwritten parts of culture as well as the actual written laws of society.
The last documentary that is a must-watch is called Two Spirits. It examines the hate crime committed a teenager who floated between the two genders modern society accepts. The film promotes acceptance of the LGBT community, and cites the fact that many indigenous people recognize multiple genders. Why should a label come from genitals when the brain and spirit are such complex entities?
Documentaries have a way of opening your mind to a new topic. It is basically like getting a whole semester of a class in one sitting because there are so many experts explaining their most important points. While there may be pros and cons about the art form of a documentary, the ultimate point is that you walk away with new thoughts.