Flight, Property, Network, Devil, September
Cities Without People
Jacob Geller | YouTube | 18th September 2020
"Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is possibly the most indulgent synthesis of software and reality anyone has ever had the chutzpah to call a 'flight simulator' – a 1:1 scale model of Earth." This aerial view of a world sparks darker (and more apocalyptic) contemplation, though, about a world in which people have forgotten that "humans matter more than concrete" (25m 07s)
Proudhon: What Is Property
Then & Now | YouTube | 22nd September 2020
Proudhon, the first self-proclaimed anarchist, argued that "property is theft." Occupancy, he claims, cannot justify property as a natural right, and because "one product cannot exist without another – an isolated industry is impossible," neither can labour. Thus, he settles on a broadly egalitarian political philosophy based on the maxim that "everything is only really borrowed" (17m 46s)
Devil's Gold
Alexander Sworik | Vimeo | 17th August 2020
Evocative mini-doc on an Indonesian sulphur miner, who "climb[s] two miles up a mountain and then descend[s] more than 900 yards in [his] search for Devil's Gold." Footage of the darkened sulphur mine is eerie, like plunging into the underworld, and we also see its ramifications – "most days my body feels very unwell. Usually, pain in my chest and lungs making me feel breathless" (3m 50s)
The Social Network - Ten Years Later
Royal Ocean Film Society | YouTube | 24th September 2020
Making the case that The Social Network, which came out in 2010, perfectly encapsulated the decade that followed its release. "It's almost impossible to not connect the film to events that have occurred since – all of the hacking scandals, to Gamergate, to cancel culture, to the Me Too movement, and to the fact that Tinder is basically just voluntary FaceMash" (8m 18s)
Uplifting Video Of The Week
Comedian Demi Adejuyigbe's annual "21st of September" video
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