Written by John Lounsbury
The “13th” is a Netflix full feature documentary discussing the history of the U.S. prison system. The theme is that the wording of the 13th amendment to the U.S. Constitution is the primary enabler of what has become a systemic supression of the rights of African-Americans, an extention of practices that extend back for hundreds of years. The film has an impressive array of authorities who argue in support of the thesis and another impressive array of those who argue against it.
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With the current social crisis over the killing of George Floyd, there is no better time to see this documentary. It provides over 150 years of context for the current protests.
From YouTube:
Combining archival footage with testimony from activists and scholars, director Ava DuVernay’s examination of the U.S. prison system looks at how the country’s history of racial inequality drives the high rate of incarceration in America.
This piercing, Oscar-nominated film won Best Documentary at the Emmys, the BAFTAs and the NAACP Image Awards.
US Rating: TV-MA For mature audiences. May not be suitable for ages 17 and under.
Start watching this when you have the time to finish it. The continuity of the presentation will be diminshed if you watch in sections. I started to watch this intending to view about 1/3 and come back later. By the time I first checked how much time I had watched I was well over halfway through. I had no trouble continuing to the end.
Among the people you will see and hear in this film are Richard Nixon, Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Newt Gingrich, Grover Norquist, Angela Davis, John Ehrlichman, and Lee Atwater, among many others.
If you do not immediately recognize every one of the people named, you need to watch this film.
If you recognize everybody, you still need to watch. It is very unlikely that you will know both what role they played in the story as it unfolded and what they have had to say more recently.
Source: YouTube
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