I'm now in line for West of Memphis, the Peter Jackson produced documentary about The West Memphis Three. I know. You're faith in me is shattered; me changing my plan like this.
I'm the worst.
But, no. Memphis sounded much more interesting than Simon Killer, and by switching my priorities, it meant I could attend a panel that interested me.
The panel, moderated by New York Times columnist and Emory professor Drew Westen, was all about how a story can affect people and bring about change far more effectively than simple statistics. On the panel were author Margaret Atwood, Senator Barbara Boxer (I know, right?), and documentary filmmaker Mark Kitchell. Each one was behind, either by producing, providing inspiration, or directing, one of the documentaries that are screening this year.
While the panel didn't really change my views in anything, it reaffirmed what I already believed. Stories, especially ones about real people, are the best way to bring about change. One of the points that Westen made was that we need to stop referring to Americans without jobs as "The Unemployed", because it groups them all into one, faceless entity, rather than the eclectic mix of struggle, sacrifice and heartbreak that they actually are.
To that end, I really hope Boxer's film, The Invisible War, does very well. It deals with rape in the military, and how such cases are generally overlooked and ignored. I'm not gonna go into my personal views on rape and sexual assault, but I do think it's something that needs to be addressed.
Anyway, I'm 47 in line for Memphis, so… who knows. Oh well. Laters!!!
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