零零散散的时间里看完这部纪录片,跨越了一整年,在第一次点开时,George Floyed还没有被警察按在地上窒息而死,还没有发生接二连三涉及种族歧视的枪击案。
这本纪录片回答了一个困扰我很久的问题,
美国警察为什么拥有如此大的权力?为什么暴力执法引起了如此普遍的民怨却始终没有执法改革?
The police, is only one part of the Criminal Justice System, which promotes mass incarcination. 大规模监禁,使得警察能够更轻易地将街上的黑人,判定为“criminal”并投进监狱里。
为什么会有大规模监禁呢?
The answer to this is firstly, this policy was set in the 1960s-70s, when at that time, crime rate set the record. In order to curtail this and maintian social order, the White House increase the policy force.
Secondly, this is opperated by capitalism. When the prison was privorized. the politicians are persuaded to put more people into the prison, as the larger number of the prisoner is , the more porfit individualed prison will make. In this case, punishment on the criminals is the source of the income. And thus, inmates are not treated as human in prison, where they are fed with bad meal, faced with punch and unexpected violence, deprived of the sensation and emotion. They are dehumanized.
Behind the harsh criminal legislation, is the unbalanced proportion of black criminal. Everyone in three black man will be in prison some time during their life. Is this because they have the criminal tendancy? Or is this because they have been suffering prejudice for a long time? I believe, is the latter.
大规模监禁的alternatives是什么?
Commnity supervison? This is more bleak. As the prisoners themselves said, they would be more discriminated and wearing invisible carb everywhere.
除了黑人群体,这部纪录片还关注了一个人群——美洲移民。
There is a special word created for this -- crimigation, literally meaning every migrate is casually or purposely regarded as potentially criminal. Thousands of them were put into the prison, told it is just "temporary detention", which turned out to be an euphemism of " imprisonment".
在监狱的高墙背后发生着什么?
Violence, violence from your mates, from guards. Rains of punches that would make you unconsious, that would fall on you out of blue.
Solidarity. It's hard to say whether those people could tell what is the taste of solidarity. What would the life be, for a teenager, kept in the single-room for fourteen years? No window, a room which is just fit for you to lie down. 14 years, the only one who might communicate with you, is your guard. Could he keep hope and sensation? Could you, if you were him?
Darkness. Not everyone in prison is criminal. They could be the one who is deprived of the opportunity to be trialed. There is a term to describe this--" plea bargain" .
我们的时代是在一直进步,越来越好的吗?
While lots of people acknowledge how brutal the slavery system was, how inhumane the Black were treated in the last century, we tend to be blind from what is happening behind the bars. It is undenying that the racial justice is advancing, but there is a long way to go. We should be aware of what is happening in somewhere unseen.
又名:The 13th
上映日期:2016-09-30(纽约电影节) / 2016-10-07(美国)片长:100分钟
主演:梅丽娜·阿布杜拉 Melina Abdullah/Michelle Alexander/科里·布克 Cory Booker/Dolores Canales/Gina Clayton/Jelani Cobb/Malkia Cyril/Angela Davis/Craig DeRoche/David Dinkins/Baz Dreisinger/Kevin Gannon/Henry Louis Gates/Marie Gottschalk/Newt Gingrich
导演:艾娃·德约列 Ava DuVernay编剧:艾娃·德约列 Ava DuVernay/斯宾塞·阿福瑞克 Spencer Averick