CATFISHING ACADEMIA
This documentary is a response to the white privilege riot that took place in Keene, New Hampshire at a Pumpkin festival. In the present climate of injustices happening to black bodies, in particular the murder of Mike Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, a riot of drunk white youth reveals the afforded privileges of whiteness. This documentary is a mixture of satirical commentary, staging, and performance. These tools show and tell how whiteness allows people to make an "injustice" out of anything, including something as simple as a pumpkin. By turning the camera on the performers, it is a mirrored reflection of how white privilege centers itself in narratives often not about White people using co-opted tools from black protesting culture.
See the link below for more on the Pumpkin riots and Ferguson: http://www.theroot.com/blogs/the_grapevine/2014/10/black_people_riot_over_injustice_white_people_riot_over_pumpkins_and_football.html
7 Comments
alex
11/18/2014 01:22:38 am
I'd scrap the words above. The doc speaks for itself. I'd just have the links. The piece is strong, and well done. I think, given that these girls get tired easily, and want to party and get warm, it should be shorter. 6:40 is eons when you have to get back to Twitter.
melanie
11/18/2014 08:32:25 am
You make it plain. There is a certain privilege complete with insulation (or am I being redundant?) to protesting without ever being impacted personally by the "cause."
Josh
11/18/2014 12:17:28 pm
This was really clever. The editing of the "interview" clips at the beginning and end really brought home the spirit of mockumentary. I only wish I had seen a pumpkin at some point! Diverse representations of Pumpkin-Americans are sorely lacking.
surana
11/18/2014 03:17:37 pm
I enjoyed the mockumentary overall. Nice work. I agree, that it could be a little shorter and still very effective in demonstrating your point.
April Makgoeng
11/19/2014 06:14:26 am
Some great lines that made me smile and laugh, but also made an important social commentary. Watching this I was reminded of a new Oxford dictionary word, ""slacktivism," a term for actions performed online in support of a cause that don't require much more effort than a click.
sung
11/19/2014 01:22:20 pm
Wow that was hilarious! Funny yet biting. The social commentary was so clear without every having to say it outright in this...mockumentary (?).
Seth
11/20/2014 04:00:37 pm
That whole point about, when you criticize a power structure, you have to be funny about it, otherwise it will come down on you like a ton of bricks seems really relevant here. Despite being funny, I think this also has the potential to make some white people defensive-- which is probably part of the point, and in a sense adds to the humor of it. The part with "We Shall Overcome" in the end was also particularly sharp. Leave a Reply. |