Bens+Film+Annotation+1

Ben Clemence, Annotation #1 October 10, 2011 Blind Spot Word Count: 1444


 * Title**: Blind Spot
 * Director**: Adolfo Doring
 * Released**: Feb 2009


 * What is the central argument or narrative of the film?**

This film is about the crisis the world is facing with oil consumption and fossil fuel reliance. We have put ourselves in a situation where no one can win through our greed and ignorance. With our limited supply of fossil fuels now running out and our population increasing at a rate like never before we are forced to make difficult decisions that will have profound effects on the future of our planet. If we don’t stop consuming fossil fuels we will destroy the life on this planet but if we do stop our entire way of life will collapse around us. A quote by Derrick Jensen describes this well, “The world is saying, ’look, you have a choice: either you can fix it, or I can fix it. And if I fix it you’re not going to like it, because I’m going to throw everything away.’ And everything means most of us.”


 * How is the argument or narrative made and sustained? How much scientific information is provided, for example? Does the film have emotional appeal?**

The film has substantial factual information to back up the claims that are made throughout the film. There are also startling discussions with the many people they interview that really make (or should make) the viewer pause and think. For example at the start of the movie there is a discussion of the idea of “peak oil,” which is when global oil production will reach its peak. The interviewee points out that in history books this time period will be divided into BPO and APO, which are before peak oil and after peak oil. They discuss how people are too caught up in the routine of their lives to notice or worry about oil. In addition Bill McKibben points out that “it’s a good deal easier to lie to people when they’re happy to have you lying to them.” No one really wants to face the inevitable and that is that oil is a limited resource and we are running out.


 * What sustainability problem does the film draw out?**

The main discussion focuses on the unchecked consumption of fossil fuels and how this trend will lead us to our ultimate demise, possibly even sooner than we expect. Oil and automobile companies have had too much control over persuading consumers to continue using fossil fuels at the same rate. In addition there is a further discussion made about the food industry and how the energy crisis is leading to a food crisis. On average food travels 1500 miles from where it is grown to arrive on your table. The leads to extra energy wasted both in fuel and in human effort. With ethanol now being added to food we are taking 14% of the corn supply but that only accounts for <1% of the fuel supply.


 * What parts of the film do you find more persuasive and compelling? Why?**

The part that I found most persuasive was the discussion regarding our typical response to problems and Jevon’s Paradox. Our typical response to any sort of problem is that we produce our way out and that growth equals progress. What this leads to is a complex society that requires large amounts of money and resources just to sustain it instead of using those resources to improve. The other false assumption is that better technology leads to less consumption. This is explained best by Jevon’s Paradox which states that an increase in the efficiency in the use of a certain resource actually leads to an increase in that resources use.


 * What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why?**

There was a brief discussion about the value of the dollar and “real wages.” They argued that real wages, or the amount you can buy with your wages, has not increased since the 70’s or 80’s. I did not think that this really added to the discussion about securing our energy future but instead it seemed like a tangent issue to talk about issues such as producing our way out of problems, and that growth doesn’t always lead to progress.


 * What audiences does the film best address? Why?**

This film best addresses those who have been lulled into a false sense of security about the energy future of the US. It presents a fact based argument that does not attempt to lessen the implications of continuing on our path of consumption. Presenting it as a series of interviews made the argument much stronger as well because you did not just hear the opinion of the director, instead it was real people talking about these issues with no voiceovers.


 * What could have been added to this film to enhance its environmental educational value?**

There was a lot of good information presented by many experts in the field but it would have been really incredible to actually get some interviews with people in the oil companies to see their take on the situation. I think hearing how they justify what they are doing is sometime more eye opening than hearing the actual facts themselves. Its one thing to hear that someone is stretching the truth or hiding information but it’s another thing to actually be lied to after hearing the facts.


 * What kinds of actions and points of intervention are suggested by the film? If the film itself does not suggests corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective.**

The film presents the problem very well but does not give many real solutions and almost makes the whole thing seem almost hopeless. The beginning gave a choice between pursuing alternative energy sources and continuing to deplete our limited supply of fossil fuels. It would seem the only real solution is to start relying on renewable to generate reliable power for large populations. When the finite amount of oil we have left is gone there will be no choice but to entirely rely on renewable forms of energy to supply our power.


 * What additional information has this film compelled you to seek out?**

After hearing the term “peak oil” I wanted to do some further research to try to find out more about it. After some searching I came across this anaylsis done on the oil supply called “Balance of Planet.” In the analysis, San Miguel tracks oil production and consumption over a period of time in several different countries. What you see is a trend that suggests that several oil reserves have already reached their peak and we are pulling out oil faster than they can replenish it. This has led us to try and find alternate locations to drill such as deep underwater and under the ice caps.

D. de San Miguel (2011-08-01). "Oil Supply Analysis". Balance of Planet
 * References**