Day 10: McLibel

Documentaries, by definition, are used to document all of the hardships and triumphs of a particular event. McLibel was no different. This one had me thinking. Can one person really make a difference? How about two? Does a court case ruling make a loser or a winner? Or is completing something extraordinary what sets people apart, makes them unique members of society that generate hope.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. It all began when two people decided they didn't like McDonalds. They despised Big Macs and Ronald McDonald. They were revolted by the big birthday parties and the McPlay Place. They decided they were going to take a stand and pass out pamphlets, letting the UK know how bad McDonalds really was. Too bad there's something called English Libel Law.

The English Libel Law states that when things are said unjustly against a corporation, the people saying these things, aka slanderers, need to publicly apologize. Hence, the issue. Is it slander when the things being said are true?

It took a court 15 years, and McDonalds sacrificing over 10 million dollars for the issue to be resolved. In the end, both parties were right, and both parties were wrong. Again, it isn't the verdict that matters. All that matters is the awareness about issues in our society. I didn't know. You didn't know. Now we know.

If you watch this movie, and you enjoy it, I have a few more documentaries that I have watched in the past that are similar. You don't have to be a Michael Moore fan, but I did watch Sicko. Whether or not the facts are all correct, it was enlightening to say the least. A documentary about Walmart called WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price is also pretty decent. It goes way in depth about Wal-Mart. If you are more of a reader, read Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America-- A book that exploits the workforce in general in order to inform the public on the evils of earning minimum wage.

Next Movie: Julie & Julia